Fiber and Pulp

Catching Up Yet Again

Today was lovely - sunny and warm-ish. I ate my lunch sitting by the dock on Lake Elkhorn, listening to the birds sing spring songs. :) If you look really carefully up the right bank of Elkhorn Creek above you can see three clumps of snowdrops flowering.

This is the second time in the 30+ years we have lived in this house that my daffodils have budded so early in the spring. They will explode into bloom sometime in the next couple of days.

The snowdrops are blooming in my front yard, too. I think these might have been planted by the birds or maybe the squirrels - I know I did not root them there. :)

It has been a busy few days since I last posted here. I took a short vacation down to Raleigh NC to attend QuiltCon2024 and will share more about that in a few lines. I have been daily sewing right along until my trip southward derailed my sewing 'train' - am trying to get back on board, slowly.

Before I left, I was still working on piecing my Apple Core units:

I'm pretty excited about this project right now. I've managed a decent pile of units (20+) and I still have some of my original 10" squares to piece with ... I am getting a bit tired of inventing new ways to put the prints together. :) Coupled with the declining variety, I suspect the last few I make will be somewhat simpler in design.

The Baltimore modern guild is going to try a block 'lottery' again this year. The first block the program chair has chosen (thanks, Valerie!) is from the archive of the national Modern Guild group. I made three blocks for the drawing which I _think_ are to be drawn for at the April? meeting.

The pattern is called Puzzle Block and we were instructed to make them monochromatic - so I chose 'green' since I could find enough solid fabrics in generally-green colors to work together. :)

Now, for QuiltCon2024 ... I traveled alone in my trusty Jeep from Columbia down to Raleigh. I had never been there before but I faithfully followed the GPS instructions in my iPhone and managed the trip pretty easily, driving down on Thursday the 22nd in about 7 hours. A group of us from the BMQG rented a house (Airbnb) together not too far from the Convention Center where the show was held. The admin was pretty nice to me (I think:) and gave me a single bedroom with my own attached bathroom in the house - more luxury than I usually have with group housing. :)

I spent Thursday afternoon and Friday all day at the show. The floors were hard concrete and I was physically really tired by the time I got back 'home' ... so Saturday I rented a motor scooter to ride the show. Much easier on my body!

The quilts on exhibit were very high quality! Many of them had political or social messages that made me think ... and others were mesmerizing designs that captured my attention and made me look carefully. For a change I remembered to take photos of the accompanying statement cards for each quilt I photographed ... so I can go back and enjoy the ideas behind each quilt. I love seeing how other makers' brains work! :)

Friday was a really hard day for me. I lost my Apple card plate after buying and eating my breakfast at a local Burger King - I thought (at the time) that I had dropped my plate in the car ... but have not found it since, either (will have to get a new plate). I have been watching my account and no questionable charges have been made so I expect the plate is just plain lost. Of course, I did not realize it was missing until I stopped to buy lunch.

The convention center concessions were actually pretty good - not unreasonably priced and a decent selection. When I opened my wallet to pay for my lunch (pulled pork a la Raleigh, cole slaw and collard greens with a bottle of water), I discovered my missing plate. So I pulled out the debit card plate that is attached directly to my personal checking account to pay. Did you see this coming?

Yes, indeed. I put my plate in my pocket to carry my food to a sitting place (a number of yards away in the demo area as there was NO seating of any kind in the roped off concession area the first two days - by Saturday, there were a few tables and chairs) ... when I sat down and finished eating, I reached into my pocket to retrieve my plate to put it away in my wallet and it was not there. :( Major bummer - either someone picked my pocket (unlikely) or I dropped my plate somewhere along the way between cashier and chair. I was completely ticked off after also losing my other plate - good thing I brought plenty of cash with me!

I was so aggravated with myself, I left the show early on Friday and went back to the house - missing the guild photo op and dinner. It was a good thing, for my mental health and group dynamics that I did, though. Took me a couple of hours to calm myself down and relax. OH, to compound my disgust, I wandered around in the rain after leaving the Convention Center trying to find my car - I tried to follow walking directions with my GPS app and failed miserably. I walked about 1.5 miles before I went full circle and found the car (which was two blocks away in the opposite direction I followed). Bummed out, wet AND physically exhausted ... bad combo.

Here are a few of the many, many pics I took - these are the ones that really stand out in my personal memory.

The backdrop quilt is the Baltimore guild's community service quilt, designed by a member and made by members (including myself). I should have been in this photo but my pique distracted me completely.

This is a group photo of the BMQG members who attended QuiltCon (minus me). I think there were 47 people there from our guild (membership around 100).

Typepad won't let me post the 'about' photo in correct orientation (who knows why?). This quilt, made by Erica Mulvena of Chicago for her mother using her recently-deceased father's clothing really spoke to me. The colors, layout and story all resonated - possibly because of my own loss of parents.

'Lahaina' by Patty Simmons of Lee's Summit MO won 2nd place in the Improv division. I like the explosion of color/energy and the interconnection of the lines.

'Night Lights' by Paola Machetta of Triest Italy caught my eye for it's beautiful color contrasts and lively energy.

'Ode to Yellow' by Carolina Oneto of Sao Paulo, Brazil wowed me with the color palette (I very, very rarely work in yellow though I do like the color) and the text-like lines (artists call this 'asemic writing' meaning looks like writing but isn't).

'Where She Stops Nobody Knows' by Patti Coppock of Tulsa OK. I went back to look at this quilt several times! I just plain loved it. All the circular, explosive energy and colors. The multi-linear quilting patterns. A closeup:

Just luscious!

'Fish' by Marianne Knops of the Netherlands. From her statement: "As a 15 year old boy you made a beautiful drawing. 52 years later, your drawing is the inspiration for my quilt. You're gone but I've been working on this quilt with you in my mind. Your fish, my FISH, your love, my love."  Heart wrenching AND a great image.

'Solar Eclipse' by Michele Trimble of San Francisco. This one was another that I went back to more than once. The colors, the piecing, the explosion of energy, the background bas-relief quilting. Satisfying. :)

"Cosmic Blossom" by Jean Eileen Garcia of Aurora, CO. I love the color palette, the uneven outer perimeter, the overlapping circle, the sycopated white dots. 

'New Moon Rising' by Hannah Haberkern of Germany. Another soul-satisfying image for me. :) The circles, the extravagant quilting designs, the colors. Yum!

No statement card photo for this one. :( Loved the colors, the quilting waves, the energy.

I could go on for a while with these photos ... maybe I'll do another post later with more lovely quilts?

:) Linda

Rain Coming

I woke up late this morning as it was unusually dark in my bedroom - very overcast though mild temperatures today. Rain in the forecast from tomorrow until Tuesday or Wednesday. In this region, exactly when and where the rain will fall depends on exactly where you stand - with quite a bit of local variability. :)

The birds are beginning to sing, my daffodils are 6" or more high and have buds forming on them. Signs point to an unusually early spring. I can only cross my fingers and hope! Certainly the birds are eating the seed in my feeders at a faster than usual rate - don't know if that means they are migrating back to this region early or if they are tanking up against nasty weather on the near horizon. Sigh.

I spent quite a bit of time, for lately, with my sewing yesterday and today. Friday is our SewingTogether day - Barbara, Patty and I. I took the antique quilt kit project along and actually made some headway with digging into the applique details. We did a little online research and discovered that this kit was sold by Herrschners beginning in 1940. So, it's not as old as I was thinking (looked like similar kits sold beginning in the 20s).

I need to find embroidery floss for this kit - going to have to buy it in person as I need to match the colors better than online. Need to schedule a trip to The Stitching Post in Catonsville. :)

I've also been working on my Destroy This Quilt mystery project. I finished the third 'hole' embroidery:

This is a woven darning method with an outer border of Herringbone stitch and French knots. Maybe the size of a half dollar? Fun to make!

The next 'clue' step is to make a landscape of some size - fantasy or real place. I'm debating designs right now.

I managed to sew two more Apple Core blocks yesterday evening - to bring my total to 19:

Another crumb pieced Core

This one features an actual traditional block though the cutout shape makes it a bit difficult to see. Arrows.

This year's program chairperson for my modern guild (Yeah, Valerie!) has decided to organize two bee groups this year. I am in the Log Cabin group (just a name, not a definition). This month's Queen Bee, Marcia, chose an elongated Courthouse Steps block for her design. I pieced two blocks for her this afternoon and I'll mail them to her on Monday. Tomorrow our group is having a Zoom sew-along to celebrate SuperBowl Sunday (we've done this for three or four years now:). Here are Marcia's blocks (each one measures 11"x14" with raw edges):

Apparently Marcia intends to make her quilt as a prize for the guild's quilt bingo next year. :)

Hugh and I managed to make dinner again today - chicken and rice soup made in the crock pot. Always yummy! :) Nice warm dinner really hit the spot for me tonight as I've been feeling cold all day. Brrr!

:) Linda

Project Quilting Challenge

The Project Quilting challenge this week is 'inside out.' I decided to share my zipper pocket variation with the bound seam allowances on the outside of the pouch when completed. I like the way the binding makes little 'feet' for the pouch to sit on sturdily.

This particular pouch is made from orphan blocks I pieced and scraps of other fabrics - the zippers were  gift from a guild friend. I have made a few of these that will be for sale at our guild's Unique Boutique station at the next quilt show, Columbia, Maryland, in early May.

:) Linda

More Sunny Days!

On Monday (5 Feb) was the regularly scheduled meeting of Mimi Dietrich's Grad Class at Bears Paw quilt shop in Towson, MD. I am so grateful to be able to participate with this group of women! Most of them are older than me and many of them are great examples of how to age with style. :)

This particular meeting we had a visit from our Textile Artist who is working with the Folger Shakespeare Library on fabric books - she's their artist-in-residence. Members of this group have already made one book with her to illustrate/celebrate the play Measure For Measure. The two photos above are of the cover of another of her commissions (a memory book).

Her work is exquisite! She uses a lot of beads, sequins, exotic (to this quilt maker's eyes) fabrics, and multimedia techniques (painting, stamping, stenciling and silk screening on fabrics). I was particularly admiring those tiny sequins (paillettes) which are maybe the size of a 3 to 5 mm pen nib. Would love to have some. :)

We got to do something that I found REALLY difficult. She brought along two vintage wedding dresses which we cut up and shared out for people to use them in a second fabric book about Measure for Measure. She put our names in a hat (literally) and pulled them out one by one - the name chosen got first pick for which part and how much of either dress they wanted. My name got drawn fairly early on and I chose the tiny hand made buttons/button loops from the back of the dress circa 1960. Can't wait to start working on my block! 

The weather has been truly lovely (especially for late winter) here since Friday. Sunshine, blue skies and mild temps have been the norm - a rare treat. :) Monday was the Grad Class meeting. Tuesday I _had_ intended to work on building the kitchen cupboard I bought from IKEA in December ... but fell asleep after lunch and wasted the entire afternoon. Sigh. Today (Wednesday) I took my brother Kevin out to lunch and grocery shopping.

My son Hugh and I spent some time on Tuesday evening planning meals for the coming week or so and ordering groceries. There were some things we could not find from our usual store so I had an actual list to fill when I went shopping with Kevin today. Because of my extended list, we took longer than usual with our visit to Giant grocery - almost two hours! By the time I finished with that and taking Kevin home, I was bushed.

Hugh and I did make dinners last night _and_ tonight. I really enjoy working with him in the kitchen - cooking, like many routine activities, is way more fun with company. :)

I have managed to do some sewing this past week - so far, in fact, I have sewn something every day since New Year's Day. Best 'resolution' I've ever managed - right along with my 'learn Japanese' lessons which I am keeping up with daily (since NYD, '23). It has been interesting watching my brain absorb  the new language ... I seem to go through an initial stage where all is confusing, then scrambled in my head, then suddenly clear and straightforward. My uninterrupted streak so far is 250 days! I'm using the app Duolingo for my lessons and am really pleased with the structure of the process.

Anyway, I've made two more Apple Core blocks (now up to 17 made) - more sewing with scraps:

I also have been working on my 'Destroy this Quilt' mystery cloth. I'm on the last bits of embroidery for the third hole in the fabric, from clue 2:

These two holes 'landed' close to one another. The one on the left is buttonhole needlelace in the circle ('hole' portion). The one on the right has a woven spiderweb to fill that hole in the background fabric. 

This hole is mended by a woven (punto in aria) hole filling section. I am still debating exactly what border stitching to use around the outer edge.

Tomorrow I hope to try yet again to build my new cabinet with my son's help. We need to get some organization in our kitchen since we are actually using it more often.

 

:) Linda

Sunshine in Winter

This has been a pretty nice weekend for winter - sunny, blue skies, mild temps (mid 40s for highs). I managed to go out both days, briefly. Yesterday my son and I made a new recipe for white chicken chili - turned out very tasty though a bit spicy (in a good way). :) We had to run to the grocery store in the morning (yet again!) because I did not buy enough minced green chilis to make the recipe (needed three cans and I only bought one). While we were out, we drove to Staples (nearby) as well to pick up a new package of page protectors. We have a binder to keep our recipes and we put them in clear plastic sleeves to protect the printing. :)

I managed to sew yesterday. I got a good start on the challenge from Zak Foster's Quilt Nook - 'Destroy this Quilt' - an improv mystery with monthly steps. On Friday, while I was at Springwater Designs meeting with my quilt friends for Sewing Together, I bought 1.5 yards of a lovely yarn-dyed medium blue striped print to be the 'ground' fabric for my challenge. Saturday's sewing was to finish the first challenge stage - museum fold and permanentize the resulting creases on the ground. I also started the second (current) month's stage - make three random holes and do something with them.

Here's what I did with my first hole:

You can see the pretty blue ground print here - and the second (not-yet-finished) hole. I decided that this piece will have a lot of hand embroidery, buttons, beads and other 'stuff' on it. I made a woven spiderweb rose from my first hole. After I finished it, I decided that it looks a bit like a Covid virus. :P

I have started to finish the other two holes for clue two - one I have made a woven darned patch and on the other I have done detached buttonhole lace. I still want to finish the outer edge  embellishment for each hole and then I will share here.

If you look above the embroidery on my photo, you will see a seam line running more-or-less horizontally. My way to make the creases from the museum fold (clue one) permanent was to sew narrow tucks across each ironed line. I am still debating whether to embroider these or bead them or what to make them stand out.

The sunshine was lovely both yesterday and today. It was a welcome change from gray skies!

Tomorrow is the regularly scheduled meeting of Mimi's Grad Class at Bear's Paw quilt shop in Towson. I have chosen a Baltimore album block for our group BA traditions celebration (called Acorn and Oak Leaf Frame by Ellie). Not sure but I think I will take some embroidery for my handwork-during-the-meeting project. Either my DTQ blue embroidery or my Hand of Fatima project.

:) Linda