Fiber and Pulp

30 Days?

 

Once upon a time, years ago when I was in graduate school (studying Plant Genetics:), someone told me that it takes 21 days to establish a new habit or cure an old one. :)
 

Since I have nothing else on my plate (NOT!), I have decided to join the 30 days of creativity challenge this year in an effort to encourage myself to get into a more productive (or at least celebratory) life style. :) I will try to document my efforts here as a means to remind myself of habit-forming goodness. :)

The challenge is to run from June 1st to 30th - that is a start tomorrow (on my day off:)!

Linda

Happy Sewing Day

I can remember when I was a small child that we went home to my mother's family (Betsey Layne, KY) for 'Decoration Day'. Many family members would be there and the men, sometime in the middle of the morning, would go off 'to the hill' to work on something mysterious while we children played and the women cooked. By late afternoon the men would come back and we'd all eat (in shifts, 'cause my Grandma's kitchen was not big enough for everyone at once:). I had no idea what the men were doing or which part of the house was being decorated since I never saw the results. :)

Now, of course, I know the adults were cleaning up the family cemetery after the winter and visiting their 'gone-befores' to remember. To this day I have never personally been 'up the hill' to that particular family plot (my grandparents moved away while I was in college and I've not been back since). Still, Decoration or Memorial Day always meant something commemorative to me. :)

Despite my background, I spent today here at my store (which is closed for business) - sewing on my own personal project for a change. The Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild (of which I am happily a member:) is participating in the fabric challenge that Kaufman has going on - we each got one bundle of solid colored charm squares (the 'bright' set) to make something with - and today I got to play with my idea. :)

I decided, after watching the very good video by Laura Bryant on color (from Interweave Press), to try to apply her ideas to this challenge. Instead of talking about color in terms of light, medium and dark shades ... she talks about light (as in airy), medium and heavy colors. About visual 'gravity' instead of reflectivity. :)

So, I sorted out my charm squares (40 or so?) into piles of very light, light, medium, medium-heavy and heavy colors. I have no idea how Ms. Bryant would sort them, specifically, so I used my interpretation of what I understood from her class. Then I paired them up into light-heavy and medium-med.heavy sets. Each of the squares that I chose to be backgrounds (generally the heavier of the two) was cut into four 2 1/2" squares and the lighter fabric was trimmed down to 4" square. 

Then I sewed them into 3D blocks that look like Square-on-Point patchwork (until you get close and can see the 3D effect). I tried to do this pairing and then assembly 'at random' (except I took care not to put a blue with blue or green with green:). Here's how my finished 6 block by 7 block piece looks:

I really enjoyed sewing this up - it's about the size of a doll quilt, now, unbordered as it is (maybe 24"x28"?). I am still playing with ideas for the border and binding. I have to give credit for finding the butternut color for the alternate squares to my employee Arlene - I was thinking something light in color as the 'background' but the instant she pulled out this bolt I was convinced. Every one of the squares really 'popped' nicely on this dark gold color. :)

I _hope_ the many irregularities in my piecing are not too obvious (the seam ripper was my friend today:) - my sewing skills are getting rusty from disuse. (sigh) I look forward to making a border and quilting this little baby. :)

So, had a good day with a few good friends - Barbara B (I have two friends and an employee with that name/initials:), Arlene, Skip (my sweetheart) and, later, Alice I. and her guy, Lee. :)

:) Linda

Note: I just read this post on the holiday blog that explained the difference between Decoration Day and Memorial Day. I learn something new every day!

Late Again

As usual, good resolutions do not results make. (sigh) I promised to post my current Work In Progress on Wednesday ... I'm only two days late.  Actually, this is only one project in progress - there are always one or two knitting things sitting on my computer desk at home and maybe another one or two things sitting downstairs where I watch tv. I have a hard time sticking to just one creation at a time. :)

There is a company called Dyed and Gone to Heaven in Australia that makes glorious, tasty hand dyed fabrics, including wools ... she currently has two challenges going on, one with wools and one with linens. The bunnies shown above is what I am making with the wools I got from Lisa for the challenge.

Now, I do know that rabbits are sort of a sore subject in Oz ... and I did not pay close attention to the challenge rules (the two green wool hand dyes that are the background for my piece are from Jeanne Sullivan, not Lisa) ... but when I got the three brown wools from Lisa, my mind _instantly_ thought 'rabbits'.

Partially, I think, because it is spring and my yard is filled with munch-able greenery - but there are very, very few rabbits in my neighborhood (I've only seen one in the past few months) as the dogs, foxes, cats, coyotes, etc. keep their numbers down. 

In addition, years ago, sometime during my undergraduate days at university, I read (and have since re-read) 'Watership Down.' As a gamer, I am proud of having a gaming colleague who wrote rules for a fantasy role playing game based on the book called 'Bunnies and Burrows.' My sweetheart and I were involved in many happy evenings of play, being bunnies in various kinds of dilemmas. :) So, rabbits have several memory trails in my mind. :)

Anyway, I thought I'd make a penny rug of some kind with a rabbit motif. I developed the bunny silhouette from a favorite photograph and, inspired by an embroidered mat by Ellie at Bustle & Sew, I decided to put three bunnies on a grassy meadow filled with flowers. I'm having lots of fun making the 3D flowers with wool:

Likely I will do more embroidery and embellishing of these flowers and others as I dream them up. I want to make the mat round or oval and probably will add a bottom layer to protect my stitching, possibly with a scalloped edge of some kind. Definitely still a Work in Progress.

:) Linda

Wednesday Resolution

Esther Aliu has proposed a new blogging activity - posting photos/info about your _current_ Works In Progress on Wednesdays. Deadlines are a GOOD thing for me - makes me stop bobbing in the flow of time and make a record. :) So, I am going to try my hardest to participate. :) 

:) Linda (off to try to put the button on my side bar:)

Investing...

...in the future. At least, that's how I think of it! I love Kickstarter. Here's the latest project I am investing in:

 

:) Linda

Ps. You might have noticed my button for the girls play project on the sidebar? Another Kickstarter project. Maybe the fifth one I've invested in? :)

Another Day, Another Block

Not, of course!, that this block took me only one day to make. :) Couple of months, I think. However, it is finished, at long last, and I am happy with it.

I am making _some_ of the blocks from the Civil War Bride quilt using wool applique onto a quilt-weight cotton background, with a fair bit of hand stitchery on the edges and such. Here is a close up, maybe you can see some of the stitching better?

Tonight my friend Barbara is coming to sew with me (our regular Thursday night treat:) and I've already pulled out the patterns to decide on what block to make next - I am planning to put the putative 'groom' in my second block, just have to decide which block to put him into. :)

For those of you who don't know about this quilt, it is loosely based on an Baltimore style applique made in the middle of the 19th century and donated to the American Folk Art Museum - they call the original quilt the Bird of Paradise. You can see the original one here.

I'm working from the patterns sold by Threadbear out of Australia - she rearranged the blocks, resized them and designed a new border from the original quilt - called The Civil War Bride (when the Bird of Paradise was donated to the museum, it came with an assortment of papers which included the templates for the bride and a male 'groom' figure).

Now, I love the story with this quilt and really like the blocks - most of which have birds or animals in them (including peacocks, elephants and emus along with the iconic bird of paradise:). I want to make a small five block wall hanging, not the 'whole enchilada' as they say - that much hand-turned applique would take me the rest of this life AND the next. LOL! Which is why I'm doing wool applique, btw. :)

Things are awfully quiet here at the store, foot traffic wise ... but we have some lovely fabrics looking for good homes. Too bad _my_ home is so full. :) I've been jumping about from project to project this week - I actually took TWO days off (Tuesday and Wednesday) and managed to more than just sleep for a change. :)

I'm knitting a penguin for my great-nephew, Hunter ... slowly, on tiny (for me) needles ... and enjoying making that while I watch videos on my computer. I watched all three parts of a film called Archangel with Daniel Craig in it on Wednesday. I quite enjoyed the story (well enough that I'm going to look for the original book) but it was a very scary premise.

I'm also trying to finish knitting a gift for my husband's niece's soon-to-be-first-born ... and embroider other things. Can't focus on just one project right now - which is why it takes me so long to get any one thing finished!

:) Linda

Work Space Jumble

The work space I am occupying at the moment covers the surface on a short conference type table in the small classroom at my store. As you can see, it is filled with _stuff_. :)

I'm in the middle of making six fabric postcards for a swap (theme is 'Buried Treasure':). I'm combining some embroidered and embellished silk under layers with my Nuno felted luscious soft wool upper layers and beads. Once the hand work is done, I'll machine sew a couched-yarn-and-stitching edge around each one. :)

There is also an applique block from  our Christmas theme b.o.m. waiting for me to finish embroidering the verse 'title' onto it. :) I've already done beading and embroidery on the block. 

Oh, also those two small Adirondack style chairs are waiting for a nice coat of paint so they can become window dressing for summer fun. :)

There is never any end of things to do with my hands - thank you, God!!

:) Linda

Glorious Spring!

These are what I saw outdoors here in Howard County flowering today - black locust trees are everywhere on the roadsides with their dangling white flowers ... and azaleas are the most notice-worthy plantings in yards right now, with glorious colors galore ... and yellow honeysuckle is growing along the verges of walking paths and fields. Lovely!

I took advantage of the shop's being closed today to go to the MD Sheep & Wool Festival (yes, I had intended to go on Saturday but ended up being lazy at home instead:). I spent three wonderful hours walking the length of the fairgrounds, enjoying the animals and displays of wool, music, crafted items and many kinds of tools I only half recognized (hand made wooden hand spindles and shuttles, looms, carding machines, on and on). What fun! :)

I managed to get away with only two purchases - no, three if I count the hand squeezed strawberry lemonade. :) I bought a skein of 70% yak/30% bamboo yarn from Bijou Basin - its a variegated soft yarn in autumnal colors. I want to make a cowl for winter using it - yak is supposed to be warm and light. :)

The other thing I bought was two new albums by Maggie Sansone. Maggie is one of our family's favorite things to see and hear every year at sheep & wool -- she plays hammered dulcimer and is well known in the Celtic music world. I bought her two most recent albums - Wind Drift and Dance Upon The Shore. I've bought a lot of her music from iTunes, too.  I think her Christmas music is amongst the most beautiful ever recorded! :)

Otherwise, today is a good day for lazing about. Wishing all you moms out there a happy, happy day!! I got my great start to the day by talking to my beloved daughter for almost an hour on the telephone this morning. :)

:) Linda

 

PS. If you want to see photos and read more about the festival, you can go here.

Kansas in Springtime

Here is the reason (actually the excuse:) for my trip to Kansas in April - my niece's wedding (that's her, Stephanie, and her husband, Christian). But, really, here are the true reasons:

My niece Amy and her daughter (and second child), Kennedy. Her son (first born), Hunter, never got into the frame of my lens to be captured on this trip. :)

My newest great-niece, Aria ... and her big sister, Rae:

And their mother, Tauna:

Tauna's husband, my nephew (and Amy's brother), Patrick .. and Amy's husband, Fred ... and my ex-brother-in-law, Dean ... never got captured, either. Oh, here is my sister, giving away the bride (bride's dad has passed away):

It was a wonderful visit - most of two weeks of real family time. (happy sighes) Mom and I got to see lots of

Glorious spring!! :)

We also managed to get a bit of shopping in the local area. We went here to Quilters Haven (featured in Quilt Shop Sampler magazine last year) and to The Knit Wit shop, also in Olathe:

I bought goodies at both places, of course, but don't have any photos at the moment. :)

What am I making at the moment, after all this gadding about the continent? Hmmmm ...

Knitting a penguin stuffie for my nephew, Hunter ... and a scarf for my daughter, Eva. Got a nice set of yarn balls and a pattern for a scarf for my Mom (got until it gets fall-ish to finish that up:).

Quilting wise, not much happening at the moment. (sigh) I have to dig in to the Quest quilt design - have been playing on the computer with layout and color ideas but will have to start cutting info fabric soon!

Love my family, love coming home again. Spring is a GREAT time of year. :)

Linda