On the Seamy Side...

Next Challenge: Out of Africa

2011-06-06T08:54:00.001-04:00

I thought I might have to pass on this one. I've never been to Africa, never felt a particular interest in it, never given it any thought. Then I remembered that I have read and enjoyed a number of books from the series written by Alexander McCall Smith, set in Botswana. He portrays the Batswana as peaceful, polite, gentle and perfectly charming.

I think my little quilt will be all about color. The national flag is azure (symbolizing water) and black and white (for the zebra). Hot and hazy desert colors--the Kalahari covers about 70% of Botswana. And, of course, bright colors of textiles. I think I would like to create a doll in traditional dress, but I did that for the last challenge.

See those Botswana diamonds? They aren't really. They are swarovski crystals. I did, however, find a few fine specimens of Botswana agate (found nowhere else in the world) in my gem/mineral collection and hope to work those in somehow.

Self Portrait Challenge

2011-05-31T09:58:00.000-04:00

This little figure is about eight inches tall and is a true and accurate portrait of me. I really do have wiry, corkscrew hair, a face like a mirror, a cheerful outlook and a light heart. And so on.

Orange/ Blue/ Purple Challenge

2011-03-31T04:30:00.000-04:00

I wasn't happy with this one so I stitched up another one.

I plan to submit this photo to the flickr group, Charley Harper Quiltalong.

LATEST CHALLENGE

2011-02-04T15:33:00.001-05:00

The next challenge for our art quilt group, Challenging Ourselves, is a palette: orange, purple and blue, with orange predominating--a requirement I'm not too worried about. I expect the orange to predominate on its own without any help from me. In my experience, even a little bit of orange will do this quite decisively. I wasn't too hopeful that I would have very much in my stash that I could use but just a few minutes of searching yielded some very pretty sky and water blues, soft lilacs and lavenders and oranges in many shades, tints and values. Thanks so much to my beautiful daughter Erin for the fibers, yarns and beads. See those lampwork beads in orange and royal blue (University of Florida Gators colors)? She made those and if she doesn't want me to use them, she needs to say so now. As I arranged these bits and pieces, a plan began to form. Happily for me as I'm not one to wait until the last minute when there is a deadline. The date for revealing these pieces is, I believe, March 31.

Thank you, Bern, for this palette and for being such a good sport and taking some teasing. Actually, I'm enthusiastic about it and planning to do a respectable job of it!

Postagestamps

2011-02-01T11:35:00.001-05:00

I'm hoping to finish one UFO per month this year and this one was finished in January. It has been too cold and rainy-grey for me to get a photo until today. The little fabric squares were mailed to me from all over the world. I have collected them for years and years. And pieced them together for more years and years. I'm not sure it was worth it, though it's warm enough--I know because I've been wrapped in it since it came out of the dryer a couple of weeks ago. This has been the perfect winter for testing it. It is made of 1560 teeny tiny one-inch squares and measures 75 x 55.

Challenge Quilt--Favorite places

2011-01-15T11:49:00.001-05:00

Here's mine. You can see the others at Challenging Ourselves. It's the big old apple tree that grew in the first backyard I remember. I have a clear memory of a full moon through bare branches. That and the yellow apples brought to mind the Yeats poem "The Song of Wandering Aengus," which accounts for the metallic gold and silver apples.
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Another Challenge, Another Journal Page

2010-09-14T13:57:00.000-04:00

The topic for this challenge was the Four Elements but I couldn't work out a piece to include all four elements except for a landscape/seascape/thunderstorm sort of piece. Fine ideas, all. I just wasn't in a mood to do any of those. Instead I was in a mood to practice curved improvisational piecing. I was a chemist in a former life and I'm claiming scientific license (instead of artistic license) to adapt the subject to fit my interests. So I found these shiny, metallic fabrics which could be taken to represent four actual earth elements--copper, silver, gold and cobalt. The curvy logs represent the elements as building blocks occurring in veins.

This was intended for the back of the page but I got the shape of it all wrong and didn't notice until it was quilted. I can't claim a learning experience as I have no idea how it happened nor how to prevent it in the future. I should have flipped it once for a mirror image but worked an extra twist into it somehow. I cut stencils from freezer paper and filled in with a paint stick. A quick and easy technique for a simple design to be used only once. I didn't think it was worth doing over as I had the experience and that's all I really care about.

September 15 is the reveal date for this challenge. You may see all the submissions at Challenging Ourselves.

Delia Held a Giveaway and Look Who Won

2010-08-09T10:43:00.000-04:00

What luck! This lovely piece was sun-painted by the generous and talented Delia of Delia's Place. The photo is hers, too. While you're there, look at her thread-painted lorikeet. Think I will try something similar-an applique of tree frogs? It measures 20 x11.5 inches, a perfect size. A good thing as I know I couldn't cut it.

My First Art Quilt Challenge

2010-05-15T10:11:00.001-04:00

I'm a member of a group of twenty art quilters, Challenging Ourselves, and the first reveal is happening today! Our objective is to explore new techniques and to venture beyond our usual areas of skill and interest. With this challenge, I wanted to learn a bit about painting--with both thread and textile paint. I'm not exactly thrilled with the results but I am more comfortable with the techniques and it's a start...

A wonderful surprise!

2010-05-14T16:13:00.000-04:00

I had no idea this lovely wallhanging was on its way to me! It was hand-embroidered and hand-quilted by Trish who has all the talent and expertise to do the teeny tiny perfectly straight and even stitches. The fabrics are beautiful and are right at home in my wee white and pastel cottage. It will hang at eye-level by the computer (where I seem to spend more and more of my time) so I can enjoy it. I do so admire the little dainty, delicate stitcheries. Thank you, Trish!! Such a treasure!

New Purse!

2010-04-28T19:50:00.000-04:00

I'd like to be able, when I want, to suspend the tendency I have to overthink, overplan and overwork. This purse is an exercise in spontaneous and improvised. I pulled out a scrap of linen, some leftover 2" fabric squares, and the little bit of crochet and whipped this up in about an hour. The fabric patches are raw-edged and zig zag appliqued. I didn't have any matching thread so I quilted it (wavy and crooked) in variegated red/green thread. I measured only enough to insure that the lining would fit inside the purse. Very satisfying and I like it, overall. It doesn't have quite the offhand look I was trying for. Wonky is still more difficult for me than even and straight.

I saw a pillow a few years ago, similar in design, and thought then it would make a cute purse. Another one to scratch off the to-do list. ;o)

Portrait of Kitty

2010-04-16T21:05:00.001-04:00

I tried five different background designs and Kitty rejected them all. Then I noticed this fabric and the flowers that would be so right for embroidery and beads. Colors bold enough to stand up to the black and white stripe. I like it even though it's not even close to the original plan. I do hope Kitty's mom likes it as well and can find a spot for it in their 18th century house in CT.

Portrait of Kitty

2010-03-31T16:53:00.000-04:00

Kitty is all built but not fused yet. I'm going to let her simmer on the back burner for a few days while I consider backgrounds. Do I place her on a stone wall in the garden? Lying on a quilt? Before a window? I might decide that the solid black is too black and switch it out in favor of a tone-on tone? Any advice and suggestions are welcome!

Portrait of Kitty

2010-03-30T20:38:00.001-04:00

Just a kitten, isn't she beautiful? She certainly deserves a quilted fabric portrait. I hope I can do it justice.

I resized, posterized and desaturated the photo using Gimp2 to define the separate values. She's basically a black and white cat, so I turned the photo into a sketch to help with the thread sketching later to blend the furry edges.

Now to translate the sketch into fabric. Stay tuned...

Portrait of Bonny, A Little Quilt

2010-03-27T12:59:00.000-04:00

My first quilted portrait. What a lot of fun and a wonderful learning experience! Bonny is 13 years old now and the black has turned to grey, the caramel faded to tan and she hasn't quite the spring in her step she once had. But she still follows me around all day, dribbling a tennis ball at my heels or helping in the garden, digging up anything planted, despite the "No Digging" sign. The most difficult and time-consuming parts were getting a suitable photo and finding suitable fabrics in my stash which leans heavily toward neon brights. I desaturated the photo to find the shadows. There weren't many. Next time, I'll know more about setting up the lighting so there will be more interest in the shadows. Is this the first of a series?

First Day of Spring

2010-03-20T18:03:00.001-04:00

Pinwheel variation
Originally uploaded by bonnyarts

I pulled this quilt out of storage to put on my bed to welcome spring and wave goodbye to the coldest winter here in central Florida since, I think, about 1960. It's been the coldest in my memory anyway. I pieced it by tracing plastic templates and cutting with scissors, sometime in the 1990s. The handquilting took quite a long time as it's more than 100 inches square. I finished it only a few years ago.

Art Quilt Challenge

2010-03-17T03:43:00.000-04:00

I can't reveal the front of this wee quilt till May 15 so here's the back, a little teaser.. It's for an art quilt challenge group; the theme is "Hidden Treasures." I struggled with it (two false starts) until I realized it was becoming a chore and I was taking it much too seriously. So I decided on a whimsical approach and it all fell into place. The funny shape? It's the first page in an art quilt journal and I plan to use the same shape for all future challenges. Somewhat limiting as it's only 10 inches square approximately and I'll need to be careful of the third dimension. And the back must be neat and tidy. It won't be hanging against a wall. I'm sure to add some design to the back as it is really very boring as it is. I won't decide how to bind it till I have a few more pages.

Harbinger of Spring!

2010-02-26T18:02:00.000-05:00

I planned to make only one but see so many possibilities! I could end up with a flock. This delightful pattern is by Nellie Durand at Nellie's Needles. You will find a slide show there of many amazing birds!

Another Hexagon Quilt

2010-02-23T11:54:00.000-05:00

Only one more big (six feet by six feet) sandwich waiting on the sewing table to be machine quilted. Then I think I will limit my projects to placemats-size for a while. ;o)

The One Block Wonder is Finished!

2010-02-20T13:32:00.000-05:00

Still warm from the dryer, signed, sealed and about to be delivered this afternoon, this quilt represents a whole heck of a lot of work! It will go to my daughter who has already admired it and assured me that it will be treasured forever. I give most of my quilts to my family so I don't have to store them but can visit them any time I want. Clever, no?

ENDLESS CHAIN

2010-01-26T14:30:00.000-05:00

I have two hexagon-block quilts currently in the works. So when I ran across this one in the linen chest, I noticed for the first time that it is made of hexagons, too. It dates from the time I first realized that '30s reproduction fabrics were readily available, late '90s. It and and another quilt represent the first armful of fat quarters I ever bought. I remember not being able to stop smiling! The pattern, from McCall's Vintage Quilts magazine, Fall, 1997, is called Endless Chain. Not quick and easy, no shortcuts. It's done the old-fashioned way: all set-in seams, with the centers hand-appliqued. It's stitched in the ditch around the hexagons, then tied through the centers. I didn't much care about the actual quilting but have since come to appreciate it. ;o)

One Block Wonder

2010-01-07T19:04:00.001-05:00

I've never been even remotely tempted to try this quilt. One fabric, one shape. Not my style. Until I started following the discussion of the upcoming class on the Learning Fiber Arts group. So much excitement! Then I remembered I have six yards of a beautiful Kaffe Fasset "Bekah" print. The flowers are six to eight inches, a large print. It was one of those what-was-I-thinking, whatever-will-I-do-with-it purchases. It fits all the criteria; it hasn't even been washed (according to the directions, you aren't supposed to wash it) which is surprising, as I usually wash all fabric as it comes in the door. I've signed up for the class and borrowed the book from my daughter and now I'm wondering, will I be able to wait until the class begins? Is there any rule against getting a headstart? I do work more slowly than most. ;o)

In My Back Yard

2010-01-03T00:39:00.000-05:00

The bougainvillea is particularly showy now. We've gone out with shears several times to trim it, but it's always abuzz with bees and butterflies and we don't have the heart. We're told to expect a low of 27 to 31 degrees tonight and it's sure to be nipped. Which will be good for it. Then we can trim it. ;o)

JANE'S DIAMONDS

2009-12-09T13:59:00.001-05:00

Inspired by a Kaffe Fassett design, which was a reproduction of a quilt made by Jane Austen, this quilt has been simmering on the back burner for a while. I made some design decisions which I regret now as I'm not at all happy with my version. If I were to do it again, I would include the center medallion and arrange the fabrics in a trip-around-the-world configuration, like the original, instead of the random placement. However, I would really like to add some more interesting elements to this one first. It's crying out for something, I don't know what. I started adding french knots, as you can see in the lower photo, but stopped with two as thread heavy enough to show up would tear holes in the fabric and I wouldn't be able to take them out if they looked a little silly. I'm open to suggestions if you have any. I would like to save it as I love the fabrics and the diamond motif. :o)

A Matching Pillow

2009-11-21T10:09:00.001-05:00

Dilemma: how to make a pillow to coordinate with Annabelle's quilt with only the snippets of leftover fabric? I borrowed the tree from the tutorial by the generous and talented Allison at Cluck Cluck Sew! I chose to hand-applique it because I need a take-a-long project for my Thanksgiving holiday. Wouldn't want to suffer sewing withdrawal! I'm planning to handquilt it--maybe a falling leaf motif? I'll bind it with the leftover binding from the quilt. I'm gratified when my save-everything habit pays off!

It's NOT 27 years old! Is it??

2009-11-17T12:16:00.001-05:00

One of my earliest efforts, from 1982, I made this one for my little son. He chose the fabrics and pattern. Such a sweet boy, he is still. It's all poly/cotton blend fabrics and poly batting--just what was available at the time. See how it droops? It is quilted only around the bird and once around the border. There is no binding. The front is wrapped to the back and whipped. I really didn't know what I was doing. The applique is fairly decent - that I knew how to do. The parrot has features but they are so off-scale, you have to stand close with a magnifying glass to see them. I pulled it out to give to him as quilt-storage space is at a premium here now, every square inch. I'm sure he will be thrilled. ;0)

Now I'm wondering if I should try a modern version (I still have the McCall's pattern), just to show myself how far along I've come. I know I could make it better but doubt if it would be better loved.

A QUILT FOR ANNABELLE

2009-11-17T09:50:00.001-05:00

For Annabelle's big-girl bed, it's a very simple combination of four patches and half-square triangles. It seems the simpler designs appeal to me most, especially when I'm using my favorite fabrics and colors. I used nearly the last scrap of my 30s repros and am hoping to be able to sew a couple of pillow cases to match. Failing that, a little toss pillow? I've only ever seen this design in two colors - cheddar and cream - and had no idea how a scrappy version would turn out. I was surprised and extremely pleased when I saw it "whole" and hanging on the fence. Annabelle's mom saw this quilt when it was just a top and liked it. I hope Annabelle will, too, as it's meant to grow up with her. I'm planning to visit with them for Thanksgiving week so will give it in person. Always satisfying!

I don't know a traditional name for this design and am hoping one of you quilt historians will!

LIZZY KAT

2009-11-02T13:34:00.003-05:00

Can't tell me cats don't wear dresses. I've known kittens who would not only wear dresses and bonnets, they would lie on their backs in doll carriages! This is another cute design by De Powell at http://www.ohsewdollin.com/ and I'm just thrilled with it. I hope three-year-old Elizabeth Katherine likes it as well.

About the quilt she's sitting on: I made it in the mid-nineties and it's one of the oldest I still own. It is certainly the softest and wrinkliest. The fabrics came from all over and haven't faded. I chose them to look old and faded.

ANNIE LOU

2009-11-01T10:45:00.000-05:00

I love stuffing stuff, pillows, pincushions, toys and animals and have been collecting baubles and beads, buttons and bows and glitter and glitz for years with the intention of becoming really very good at it. Annie Lou is my first serious effort at dollmaking. She is nine inches tall and missing her buttons and bows as she is meant as a toy (and hopefully a keepsake!) for baby Annabelle Louise. The design is by De Powell of http://ohsewdollin.com/ . More adorable dolls there than you ever thought possible.

Ooooo! Halloween dress

2009-10-25T11:11:00.000-04:00

I made two identical dresses, for Elizabeth and baby sister Annabelle. Their mom supplied the shirts and fabric; my job was to make the dresses with twirly skirts and send them north. Warmed my heart to hear that Lizzy tore open the package, put on the dress and refused to take it off for two days--she even slept in it! I think I need to start planning Christmas dresses...

OCTOBER

2009-10-13T12:25:00.000-04:00

The "golden rain" fell a few days ago from the golden rain tree, leaving the apricot/russet blooms behind. Here in central Florida, we call this "autumn color." We must be especially vigilant to catch it!

It's time to tidy up the yard and garden but we don't know what to do about the five little beauties who have taken up residence in the pool. I've tried in the past to relocate frogs to the boggy spot in the park across the street but they hop right back overnight, seeming to prefer a more toxic-chemical environment. They're safe for now as none of us has the heart to turn on the pump.

A Little Nine Patch

2009-10-05T10:29:00.000-04:00

The quilt is a big ol' thing--the ninepatches are small, finishing at 2.25 inches. It's a version of a 1930s quilt owned by Kaye England which she shared in APQ a few years ago. She says she thinks hers was made by a child, judging by the less-than-perfect stitching and it's handquilted. Imagine handquilting through all those seams. It called out to me, too, and I thought it would be the perfect use for my smaller scraps. I love all my fabrics and can't bear to throw away even the tiniest bit. The 1400 ninepatches add up to 12,600 three-quarter-inch squares. It's very heavy due to the number of seams and required a surprising amount of thread. I'm happy and feeling satisfied that I finished this quilt but can't imagine doing anything like it again!

A DAY AT THE BEACH

2009-08-15T10:18:00.000-04:00

Help me finish this?

Still longing to finish some of my UFOs. I want to find better homes for them, thereby creating space for more and putting some lovely fabrics back into circulation. I also enjoy basking in glory and feeling righteous!! Next: this lively little wallhanging, measuring 18 inches square. Begun in 2002, it needs embellishment and some creative quilting, best accomplished now, while the weather is hot and steamy! It depicts New Smyrna Beach, Florida, shark-bite capital of the world, early morning, already a storm is brewing! The people have sought shelter, abandoning-- what? I would love to hear your suggestions.