Advantages & disadvantages

On a 3-hour drive and a weekend away, I finished two things. One birdie. He had been sewn and stuffed. All he needed was the opening in his tail sewn up. You can get the Mister Blue Bird pattern here.

One more hand appliquéd leaf. The second of the hand appliquéd leaves started in Gabrielle Swain's workshop. The first shown here a year ago. Seems like ages ago.

Being away from home has its advantages. While my other half helped his father with tree pruning, I went on a rare shopping trip.

Honey Run Quilters in Chico carries Superior Thread's King Tut cotton machine quilting thread. Though I was looking for a heavier thread, I'll give this a go. I also picked up a nifty little purse pattern. This will be a great exercise for mixing prints.

Next: Johnson Shoes for sandals. With extra wide feet and orthotics, I have an unbelievably difficult time finding good fitting shoes. I bought two pairs of sandals with fairly good support, but not usable for orthotics. Shoes are always a compromise.

At least I got some shopping done. But the disadvantage is spending money.

Toward no. 3

Last fall, other than solids for a Nancy Crow workshop, my stash was still small. I tried out techniques from Sandi Cummings' Quilting Outside the Blocks using old fabric. Green and red. Must have been leftovers from making stuffed fabric Christmas wreaths. The 70s. Beautiful, not! Wall un-worthy! But perfect for recovering an old – also 70s – floor pillow.

I'd borrowed Harriet Hargreave's Heirloom Machine Quilting from the EBHQ library. What a comprehensive reference! She really gives you the nuts and bolts about preparation and quilting. This ufo would be my practice piece and my goal for June. Sashing made it bigger and differentiated the nine blocks. Still not beautiful but that helped. Then machine quilted. Can you see the quilt lines? This was a good size – about 27x27 – for my first machine quilted project. There were times I got lazy about rolling it up to feed it through the throat. But it was small enough I could cheat.

I'd bought variegated 40wt thread from Superior Threads specifically for this project. So I used it. What's done is done. I would've liked a heavier solid thread. Could be an illusion with the variegated thread, but the lines don't look parallel. And the corners flared. Maybe there's a better accessory or technique for this. I used a walking foot with a seam guide bar.

Superior Threads' Bottom Line worked well as the bobbin thread. Here's the muslin back side. Instead of batting I used flannel for the sandwich, so it's rather flat. Stretched over a pillow, the loft would've been lost anyway. I'll add a pillow back and another ufo will be done.

Notan & Young at Art

I've never heard about Notan until I started quilting. Notan, the Dark-Light Principle of Design was on my wish list. After Nancy Crow recommended it for its figure-ground exercises, it's now in my library. I haven't gotten around to the exercises yet, but here are two terrific examples of a modified Expanding the Square exercise:
These were part of a recent display of student art Young at Art at the deYoung Museum in San Francisco. Check out this website for last year's artwork. Terrific stuff all done by students.

Three in eleven

I believe in setting goals. Then I know where I'm going and how far I've come. May is nearly gone and I finished one ufo this month. So for the next 11 months, these are three areas to focus on:

1. UFOs. I have many tops and only two small finished quilts. Goal: make the quilt sandwiches and stitch the quilt lines. One per month may be too ambitious - but many tops are already made and I want to lay down miles of machine quilting lines.

2. Working with prints. I'm fine with solids and textures but not with mixing prints. Though I love prints in others' work, I may be too timid with them in my own work. Goal: just mix it up to increase my comfort level. These will be new projects or further explorations. One already comes to mind. Maybe another three. At least the quilt tops if not the finished quilts.

3. Explorations. In 2008 I must have taken at least as many day-long workshops as there are months. Plus one week with Nancy Crow. Then this year another two weeks with Nancy. Though I am limiting myself, I couldn't resist signing up for a 2-day workshop with Valerie Goodwin in August.

Because I've barely touched upon all that I've learned, my goal: dig out notes and workshop pieces to explore and develop them further. One every other month.

There they are quantified: 12 finished quilts, 4 quilt tops with prints, and 6 explorations and developments from workshops. Could be 22 total, though they're not necessarily separate from one another. Nevertheless, I must get cracking!

Nos. 1 and 2

The Improvistations workshop doubled the number of quilt tops. With only one finished quilt, I am setting my sights on making and finishing quilts. Like with the strip-pieced ribbons, a steady diet of studio time would help make that so.

I've finished quilt number two. Actually quiltlet - O' Pear! is 10.5"w x 8.625"h. Started B.N.C. (before Nancy Crow), the pear and its shadow are from a pattern in the Art Quilt Workbook. They are fused on a background with one pieced seam.

Here it is before quilting, most of which was done on a road trip last year. My first hand quilted project and may be only. Won't discount it for future projects, but expediency is more important for now.

My local guild is putting up a show at the Lakeview branch of the Oakland Library in June. That was the impetus for finishing this since the show will be curated but not juried.

Here's quilt no. 1. Inspired by Jeanne Williamson's The Uncommon Quilter, this was the journal quilt for January 2008. Then I got stuck on February's and the series never went further.

Two down. Many more to go.

Circling the studio

Truth be told, I haven't quilted since I came back from the Improvisations workshop at the Crow Timber Barn four weeks ago. Instead activities revolved around the studio.

Cleaned up. What a mess when I left for the workshop! By golly, the mess grew when I was away: my other half thought other stuff should be there too. Then I unpacked workshop supplies and projects. You can imagine. At least I can see the cutting mat now.

Reorganized. About time I made life easier for myself. Dragged one of my old (remember days when they were 3 for $99 - this was pre IKEA) bookcases into the studio. Stacked solids and shelved all crafting, quilting, sewing books. They're all together and not scattered in boxes and baskets anymore. Repurposed a vinylized poster to protect the fabrics from light. The shade is attached at the top with packaging tape. That won't last. Here it is with shade down. A bit of light leaks through the sides and bottom. I'll figure it out with a more permanent mounting system.

Inventoried. My fan deck is tagged! Blue tape marks colors less than 30" long.

I am ready to replenish for the next workshop.

Now back to quilting . . .