Crewel Quilt Underway

Yes, the title of this entry is intended as a play on words.  

Since I am still working on making hay from a sow's ear (hay = finished work and sow's ear = discoveries in my stash), you shouldn't be surprised to discover that today I found some crewel work I did - oh, some 40+ years ago.

The design was intended as a decorative pillow cover, but I never wanted to do that thinking the embroidery wouldn't last long if used that way.  So the piece just languished in various drawers and bins.  Today I thought, "Bingo, make this into a wall hanging!"  So I started pulling out fabrics I thought would work with the yarn colors. 

Here's what I found, and take special note of the striped fabric at the left because that was a real find.

I also had a trouble finding the right white - one that would at least coordinate with the odd white on which the crewel was stitched.  I had almost given up and was beginning to look for a color rather than a white, when my eye fell on a ridged white home decorator fabric recently released from a bin.

And here is what I did with the two today.

 Now I need to look for a medium and dark blue-purple fabrics.  It seems that I have yards of red-purples but none with the blue tone that will coordinate with the crewel wool.  And I'd like to find the darker of the two blues, also.  Fortunately, only a little of each of those colors will be needed; fat quarters will do.

Of course, it would help if I knew exactly what block design to add as the border.

Lesson Learned

Today I learned a very important thing, and it has to do with exercise.

When the weather became really cold and the streets were frequently glazed with ice, D and I decided to stop our daily walk.  That may have been in early November, but I'm not sure.  Then early in January we started talking about the need for exercise (doesn't that always happen at that time of year?) and began to look at our options.  After a scheduled visit complete with a tour guide, we settled on the YMCA.  But before we started working out, we requested a session with a workout guru.  All of that took longer than we expected, and it wasn't until February that we began visiting the Y regularly.

So you'd think that by now I'd have a pretty good handle on what I can and can't (or shouldn't) do.  Not so.

Today's important lesson?  Do not walk for half an hour on the treadmill after doing half an hour on the weight machines for the legs.  By five o'clock, my legs felt like worn out rubber bands!

Silly woman .. . 

Sorting through Bins

Bins, bins, and bins.  Light bins and heavy bins.  Bins with tight-fitting lids and ones with broken lids.  Bins of all sizes and colors.  More bins than I ever thought I'd have . . . and those bins were all full!

Or at least they were.  

For several months I have been going through my collection of bins in which I have stored fabric.  There is absolutely no way I can use all the fabric I have purchased.  So why buy it?  Fabric makers keep creating more fabric with which to entice us (by "we "and "us", I mean quilters in general who are like me and are stash owners), and we are weak.  We fall in love with the colors , the patterns, and the hand (the feel) of the fabrics so - we buy.

We have the best of intentions.  Our plans (and dreams) consist of gorgeous quilts for our beds, the beds of our loved ones and our friends, or quilts to donate to worthy causes.  We plan smaller quilts with which to decorate our walls, tables, and other furniture.  The quilts we choose to make may be reproductions and look like something from decades ago, contemporary or modern quilts that are clearly channeling whatever is the current style, or they may "art quilts" that are meant simply to be beautiful, soothing, or provocative like any art.

So we plan and dream and buy . . . until the day we realize we have too darn much.  We may ignore it as I did for many months.  Then somewhere along the line I had to accept the truth, and I had to face the bins.

So far, I think I have winnowed maybe 25-33% of my stash.  I have been sewing my through some unfinished projects and new projects made only with fabrics in my stash.  I have tried with some success to limit my purchases of more fabric unless it is necessary to complete a project.

And the bins?  Well, now what will I do with all those bins?  Shouldn't they be filled?  Poor little empty bins . . .

Then and Now - Grandfather and Grandson

Last weekend we had a grand time during the weekend visit of our daughter and grandson.  They have begun to come down every 4 - 6 weeks for a brief weekend visit.  By coming here, they are eliminating intrusions from their very busy lives on the visit.  It is easier for us to say to our friends, "Daughter and grandson are visiting so we won't be available" than it is for each of them to tell their many, many friends the same thing.  Also, since we are retired, we can more easily push necessary chores off to another time than our daughter can, and our grandson's friends don't have the free time to meet and have fun during the week and want to get together during their weekends.

Anyway, when they do come to visit us, there are certain things that have become ritualized - the playing of Uno, for example.  That game has been a part of our lives since our daughter was small, and our grandson has gladly joined in since he was quite young.  There are other rituals and expectations, of course.  The bonding time, the excursions, and the meals.

One thing that I love is seeing the bond between our grandson and his grandfather.  They simply have a great time together no matter what they are doing - even if is chores that need to be done.  Just take a look a these two photographs. In the first, our grandson isn't even three, yet, but he is happily collecting garden trash - weeds or leaves - to help his grandfather.

And here they are again during this visit over ten years later - working together to take care of the business of keeping the grounds neat or getting ready for a new season or simply being company and being outside.

While they are having a good time together, our daughter and I are also bonding over doing dishes or folding laundry or merely sitting at the kitchen table chatting about whatever is on our minds.

Our grandson and I have our own special times baking, picking up inside the house, and just chatting.  Unfortunately, there are no records of that since I am the only photographer.  However, we do have mental photo albums.

D and I realize that we are very lucky.  As our grandson gets older, these visits may not happen as frequently.  Truth is, as he gets older, he may not want to hang out with his grandparents at all.  It's a rite of passage for him to want to be with people his own age. 

It doesn't matter because we have these days to remember and more to look forward to as he continues to mature.  And so will he.  

Recent Paintings

Since February (my last regular entry), two paintings were completed.  I think I posted both of them on Facebook so please forgive me if you've seen them already.

Nearby there is a train trestle that I have frequently photographed and want to paint it very much.  I haven't done it yet because to me, it says "oils, not watercolor".  Anyway, I really wanted to catch the scene in winter and in the early morning sunlight.  However, I hadn't taken into account the fact that the world tilts on its axis and the sun is not in the same place in winter.  But I took pictures none the less but not of the trestle.  There was a wonderful pool of ice and rocks covered with snow.

Zero Degrees:

When we visited family in San Diego some years ago, we would walk on the beach, and naturally, I took photos.  One day the weather was gray and cool with rain threatening, and I took a photo of a man fishing from the beach.  Something about the limited palette (few colors) and the subject spoke to me even though I like bright colors and have never fished in my life. 

Checking the Line:

I am working on a new painting, but it is a trial so you may have to wait a while.

Back Again

Finally!  A while ago I ran into problems with my computer that resulting in my inability to open my mail or write this blog.  You can imagine both my dismay and my frustration as I spent days trying to figure out what I had done so I could un-do it and hours trying to get into my blog and mail.  Nothing worked so I finally made an appointment with Geek Squad.  It took a while, but he was finally able to get me in to both by "taking a different road".  My usual way still seems blocked, but this will do as far as I'm concerned.

I am tired from yard work so I will close this for today, but I will pick this up again tomorrow with some updates and some news.

For those who have asked what was going on with this blog, thank you!  Knowing people read and care about this helps keep me going.

Another Attempt

After reading the entry on the first peony painting, two of my most faithful readers wrote to tell me that they liked the painting and to ask what all the fuss (in my mind) was about.  Bless them for always finding the good in things!  

I have spent some time on three separate days on this subject.  Day one was during class, and days two and three were at home.  As is often the case, the first day's work was too pale to photograph.  Day two may have been dark enough, but I just didn't get to it.  

Today, after painting, I was feeling that sense of "darn, blew it again".  I've been trying to get the "bowl" look of a peony, and I don't think I've got it yet.  So I walked away and still didn't pull out my camera.  But writing this entry has made me decide that I need to make a record of what I've done so far.  If it turns out to be the wrong way to go about capturing this flower, I should keep a record of it so I won't repeat the mistake.  If it's all right but something else goes wrong, I need to be able to replicate it.  So here it is:

 One thing that I just did was look at two other peony photos taken from the same bouquet.  The first one is a pink peony that definitely has a bowl shape with petals clustered around the middle.

The second one is the same flower I'm painting (you can just make out the pinkish-blush on the outer petals and a few petal tips).  It's taken from a different view; if you scroll back an entry or two, you can see the photo I am using.  This bloom is probably a bit older than the true pink flower (above).  Notice how the petals at the bottom of the flower are drooping down?  You can see the rounded clustering of petals at the top of the flower, but that effect is lost at the bottom where the petals are giving in to gravity.  

By the way, I am deliberately overemphasizing the blush on the white peony in my painting. 

 We'll hear what Teacher says tomorrow.

Being right can be great, but sometimes it really isn't.  That's the way I felt today today in painting when Sharon agreed with my assessment of the peony painting shown in last night's entry.  I thought it was overworked and beyond repair, but when she agreed with me, I have to admit I sighed.  She did tell me what I might try (believing, I think, that I had to try and discover for myself that the painting was doomed). 

I did what she suggested, and as she thought, it didn't work.  I had to admit to my self that she was right; the painting was a good lesson but not worth much more.

My feelings were initially that I shouldn't have begun the painting as I had: tracing the photo on paper, painting each petal, each section, separately - almost like a paint-by-number piece, and going dark far too soon (almost impossible to retreat back to pale colors once the darks are in place), and basically not using a loose, watercolor approach.

While all that was basically true, what I came to realize that I almost had to paint as I did to understand how the peony was constructed.  Here is the photo:

and the original painting (keep in mind that I do like bold colors, and deliberately chose the deep reds and purples to add drama):

 

By painting almost petal by petal, I feel that maybe now I can paint in loose water-color style, using the water as the medium, not the paint. The flower doesn't work - check the photo again.  The typical bowl shape isn't there.  The flower isn't cupped; it looks flat and wide as though all the petal were limp and had opened wide.  

There are other problems,of course, but there are a couple of decent things, too.  The background is very water color-ish, and the leaf mid-way up on the right is fine.

Not much to crow about, is there!

However, that did not deter me from taking what I learned by painting the above and starting over without the tracing and with using a looser approach.  Right now the new attempt is too pale to show up well in a photo, but in a couple of days (I hope), I may have something a bit better to show.  Even if I don't, learning took place (as D, the educator, would say).

New Subject - Flowers

Last Tuesday, I started a new painting with a subject I haven't tackled before - flowers. There have been flowers in some of my landscapes, but until now I haven't focused specifically on them.  One of my photographs has been whispering my name so I decided to risk failure and try it.  Since Tuesday I have spent time almost everyday working on it.  My reaction as I worked has gone from "it might have promise (last Tuesday in class), to "it's okay", to "oh no, it's horrible", and now it's back to "well, maybe it's not a total failure".

Peonies aren't easy.  I'll let you know what my teacher thinks.

February List - Finally!

Last week I managed (finally!) to write out my list for the month of February. Already I am concerned about getting everything on it finished.  It isn't because it is unusually long or difficult; it's because I find myself distracted. 

First I'll just post the list.  Then I'll explain what's going on with each item, and by doing that, I may figure out what the difficulties are.  If I can do that, I may be able to alleviate my concerns.

1. Special Project 
2. Put away Christmas decorations - Done!!!
3. Make quilt binding
4. Sew on quilt binding
5. Work on Farmer's Wife
6. Start Kim Diehl project

Okay, already I see one issue.  These are only the sewing projects, and my painting has also been taking time.  Fortunately, I've gotten to a point where I can slow down on my current project so that should no longer be a problem.

The first one - well, I'm dragging my feet.

The second  on the list - well, that's finally done.

Third and fourth - haven't even started.  Since they don't take too much time, the problem is clearly just getting on with it.  It's really an easy task so I think it will be finished this month.

Number five?  Hoo-boy.  Now there's a huge project that will take more than one month to complete.   And if that weren't enough, it's difficult.  More than likely that's why so far I have merely moved it from one place to another.   However, it must also receive some attention even if it's only cutting the set-in triangles I need (far too many of them if you ask me!).

The sixth task has been cut out, and by doing that I realize that it will take several days of careful sewing.  Many, many tiny pieces that because they are so small will need special attention during stitching.  However, since this is a new project, I need to take care of numbers 1, 3, and 4 first before I go any farther on this.

Okay, I think I get it.  I'm really, really good at procrastination, but I'm also pretty good at self-discipline.

Some times.

Brief but Unspectacular Look

Painting class was both quite successful and equally enjoyable as always.  I am working on a subject that had bedeviled me before, and if I'd had enough intelligence I wouldn't have started it again.  However, I did, and it seems to be going well.

She said after the first day.

Notice there are no photos.

Today's Achievements - Uh hunh, Uh-hunh

Oh my, well, yes . . . uh-huh.  Today I did pretty nearly nothing.

Oh, wait a minute.  the laundry is done. 

And I actually went through my knitting tools, sorting and dividing until I had two zipper pouches of identical tools for my two knitting projects in their separate bags.  There is almost enough of the necessary and/or merely occasionally useful tools for a third project bag.  That third bag is currently slated for a dead-easy project that can go with me when my attention is distracted by family or friends - or both!

So if it's dead-easy, does it really need to have a fully-outfitted tool kit?

Then I watched two DVR'ed episodes of Victoria.

Merlin Photos

Finally, both my camera and me were ready this afternoon when a Merlin decided to hunt in our back yard.  Granted, the photos were taken through the window (never the best choice), but it was either that or try to get outside with camera without scaring off my quarry.  

He was hunting the small birds that come to our feeders (the downside of having them), and it was seeing him swoop down and miss that alerted me to his presence.  I saw him attempt to catch his prey two more times without a capture.  The fourth time, he flew after his prey into the evergreen trees in the back of our yard, and I wasn't able to see what happened.  In the past, I have twice seen Merlin drop like a bomb from above down to an unsuspecting bird on the ground.  That seems to be their preferred method of hunting.

Here he is:

Magnificent, isn't he!

New Painting with Photo

It seems that my phone is overwhelmed with "stuff" (probably photos), and I can't figure out how to upload those photos to my computer (possibly because after several updates my computer is quite cranky).  What I did differently today was take a photo with my camera (as opposed to my phone).  That I can still upload without any problems.

Last week I shared the beginning of a new painting.  It is a study of winter and of a nearby site to which I return time and again.  The latest trip to take photos was not successful in the way I had hoped.  Instead of direct sunshine on a winter scene, I had to accept that at this time of year, the sun won't shine where I want it to.  Really? and just who does the sun think he is?  Harrumph!

Oh well, stamping my boots didn't get me anywhere so I took photos anyway.  It's a good thing I did because I wound up with a photo that I was impelled to paint.

Here is "Zero Degrees" in its finished form:

Using a limited palette, made this a dramatic scene.  Snow covered rocks, a pool of water frozen at the edges and lightly iced over to the center, and a frozen water fall with a snow-covered, iced pond in the background.

This is one with which I am currently satisfied.

Michelangelo's Drawings

If you're a Facebook follower, you may have seen this photograph already.  Last Friday D and I took the train to NYC.  He had a meeting to attend, and I had a date with my sister-in-law to view the exhibit of Michelangelo's drawings at the Metropolitan Museum.  It was a fabulous time!

The drawings were amazing; that was the first thing I noticed, of course.  Anatomy almost always perfectly represented.  I would have been thrilled to have drawn one of the less than perfect ones.  Heck, I would have thrilled to have drawn one of the apprentice's drawings.

My second impression was about the paper and how valuable it was.  Pieces or mere scraps of paper both sides crowded with legs, torso, backs, arms, or feet: right-side up legs with a sideways or upside down hand or hand-written notes.  Paper was valuable - not something to waste.  

I took photos (which were, surprisingly, permitted) of the pieces that were most striking for me, but for some reason they're not uploading.  Maybe tomorrow; I am sorry!

Another Completion: Painting this Time

Great day for me today though it won't sound like it.  Remember, "completion" is my word for the year (thank you again, SiL A, for this great idea!) so here's why today was that kind of day.

Years ago, I painted a series of Southwest paintings in oil.  Eventually we decided to keep them unframed, and in that way, save a bit of money.  That meant that I would have to paint all sides of each painting.  It took a while because I dragged my feet on doing that painting; one doesn't get the kick of creating while doing that kind of work.  I would have to recreate the colors used near the edges in order to make the edge look like a continuation of the painting itself.  It's a chore that eats up "real" painting time.  

D has been asking me time and again to get that work done.  Today I counted the sides left to paint on those three paintings.  

Four sides.  That's all.  "Well, darn," I thought.  "I can get that done!"

And I did!

Then I allowed myself to work on the new watercolor painting (another winter scene) which is coming along nicely.  It's only the second day, but I'm liking it. 

All you can really make out at this point is the rock in the background and the pool of water in the foreground.  The rest will be pretty much snow and ice with small rocks here and there.

Birds in the Snow

Yesterday I posted a photo of the "Snow Days" quilt, and my friend said that was probably the reason we had snow today.  She may be right!

Anyway, I am writing this early today because we will be busy this evening.  A little while ago, camera around my neck, I headed out to dump the compost which is in the wooded section of our back yard.  I figured that I might have some luck getting bird photographs because I'd be less conspicuous back there than standing in the middle of the back yard.  Here are a few of the photos.

The first one is of the Hairy Woodpecker.  He is larger than the almost identical Downy who is smaller by three inches.  Since I have rarely see the two of them together so I could compare them, I look at their bills.  The Hairy has a longer one and that's about the only way I can distinguish between the two despite the significant size difference.

Of course, this is a Chickadee with a seed in its bill.

It surprises me how brownish-gray the Junco looks when seen relatively close up.

Junco and male Goldfinch sharing space on the feeder.

Until the Goldfinch takes off with head turned to the left (as seen in the photo) and wings on the downward beat.

The Tufted Titmouse seems to be leaning forward to get a better sense of what I am doing, doesn't he?

I might have been able to stay still long enough to entice some more birds into camera range, but my gloveless hands were uncomfortably cold, and I wimped out.

Quilt Completed!

Today the "Reunion Quilt" came off the bed and was replaced by "Snow Days".  I finished the binding this afternoon, and boy, did that feel good!  The fabric for this quilt was purchased 7 or 8 years ago, and when I found it in my stash, I still enjoyed its whimsical folk art.  That obviously didn't mean that I went right to work on it.

Here it is on our bed complete with coordinating pillow cases:

There is one problem with this set.  The pillow cases were made before we bought new pillows, and now even pillows are made larger.  Hence the pillow cases don't fit in length or width.  Sigh.

Another problem to solve.  Wish I had more of the coordinating fabric.

Basic Black Sweater vs the Sweater Stone

Several years ago I finally knit myself a "basic black" sweater that was really black.  Well, almost really black.  Maybe more charcoal gray.  But anyway, I bought the yarn because of that color and because of the texture of the yarn.  It was soooo soft!

And therein lay the rub.  The softness means that the garment doesn't hold a shape; it is lovely but in an amoeba-like way.  Soft and warm though it is, that yarn will not show up in my stash again.  Using the "Large" option was no help either.  What was I thinking?

Also, I should have known when the owner of the store suggested I buy a sweater stone.  A what?  Here's what the back of the box says, "A natural pumice like stone that . . . pull(s) and remove(s) those irritating pills and balls . . ."  As I said, I should have known.  Never has my closet been inhabited by a garment with such a collection of "pills and balls".

Here's the sweater now after Sweater Stone treatment (the puff ball on the right is the result of the treatment):

I rest my case.

Hill-Stead

Finally I am feeling better and may be back to a normal diet tomorrow.  What ever bit me gave me a mild case so I'm not going to complain about it.  However, I will say that I hope everyone stays healthy; illness of any kind is not enjoyable.

I made mention of Hill-Stead, a wonderful museum in Connecticut where D and I spent a wonderful time.  Unfortunately, no photography is allowed once inside the home so all I can show you are photos I took outside, starting with information just inside the entrance which can explain the museum better than I can:

Here are a few photos from near the house (it was too cold to wander around):

These photos were taken as we walked from the entrance building

to the house proper.  I love the tight view of the countryside around the site and then the focused shot of that view.

On the left is the walk from the entrance building; that beautiful stone wall - one of many, many throughout the site.  The photo of the house doesn't do it justice.  Which leads me to tell you that the entire house with all it's furnishings was designed by a woman - a very extraordinary woman - Theodate Pope Riddle.  Possibly more about her at a future date.

 

The site is beautiful - even on a frigid day, but house is a jewel.  In fact, of all the houses of the wealthy and privileged we have toured, this is the only one in which I wouldn't mind living - for a while!  It was "... a bequest. . . . as a museum and memorial to her parents, stipulating that everything must be kept intact. The art collection can never be moved, sold, or loaned for exhibition elsewhere."  It is that last sentence on which you should focus because there are artworks by masters in this museum that a visitor (meaning me, of course) has never seen before!  We're talking about Degas, Monet, Manet, Cassatt, Whistler and other fabulous Impressionists.  We were agog at the works we saw.

Another unusual aspect is that the rooms and their furnishings (wallpaper, rugs, furniture, etc) were designed and custom made to complement the art instead of either the other way around or simply hanging a painting where ever it fit.

Obviously, we plan to return to visit this place in more clement weather!