Snowy Meadow

I just realized that it has been over 2 months since I posted last.  Not intended, but I have been busy and not inclined to write.

I have been taking an assortment of courses in quilting and in knitting on Craftsy.  I really like this approach – the courses are not more than 40$, often on sale and some great ones are free.  They are available forever and you can ask questions.

One course that I have gotten a LOT out of is Annette Kennedy’s Painting Pictorial Quilts.  I had been painting fabric ala Mickey Lawler Skydyes, but I wanted to do more with paint.  Granted, there are some quilters out there like Pat Durbin and Susan Brubaker Knapp who paint wholecloth and then embellish with thread, etc.  I don’t quite want to go that far, but I definitely can see using paint for shadows and highlights to create more depth and details that thread might not do as well or the way I want it to.

Probably the biggest thing I got out of the course is understanding acrylic paints and how to use them on fabric.   Fabric paint is formulated to bond to fabric threads.  Normally you thin them with water which allows them to spread and mix.  However, that’s the last thing you want to happen when using it to enhance details, etc.  You need to be able to control where it goes as well as its strength.  For that you use floating medium.  It’s a gel that allows you to control where the paint goes.  It increases drying time as well.  Afterwards you heat set it like any other fabric paint.  The nice thing, even if you aren’t using transparent paints, you can make opaques semi-transparent through the use of floating medium.  

Ann’s basic approach to mixing is to first mix the basic hue full strength in one of the divots of a mixing plate.  Then put a small glob of medium in another divot and quite a bit more into another and even more in a third.  Use a palette knife to add small amounts of the full strength paint to the three.  That way you get dark, medium and light tints of the same “mother color”.  Try them out on a scrap piece of fabric until you have what you want.  You may need more medium or more paint. You need to see these dry, so a hair dryer makes this happen quicker.  You never use white to lighten – just the medium.  If you need a shade or a tone, then you have to add black or gray up front before adding the medium.

You don’t have to use acrylics specifically designed for fabric.  Textile medium works like floating medium but additionally makes any acrylic bond to fabric.  I used to do Bauernmalerei (tole painting) and have a large collection of acrylics, which I can now also use on my quilts with textile medium.  Both floating medium and textile medium can be found at craft and art stores.

There are water soluble oil crayons. Some, like Neocolor, are really expensive, but Crayola makes  great ones in their Portfolio series that work equally well and are far cheaper and more widely available.  Your options are to draw on the area and then spread it out with float or textile medium or to add the color onto the palette plate and then mix in the medium.

All this information came at an opportune time, because I had started another project based on an article written by Martha Ginn for American Quilter magazine about Ghost Quilting.  Unfortunately, I decided to use a dark background (her examples are all light background) and nothing was working for me.  With the acrylic paints and textile medium I was able to finish Water Iris.  I fused a small piece of fabric not quite centered onto the dark background fabric.  Then I painted in the flowers beyond this margin.  I also outlined quilted other elements as well.

Water Iris 18 by 24 inches

I completed the two projects in Ann's Craftsy course: Calla Lily and Desert Trail.  

 The original desert trail design had a paved road, but I opted to convert that into a trail or jeep track and add Joshua trees.

Next, I signed up for Gloria Loughman’s Linear Landscape Quilts at Craftsy.  The use of a background fabric over which is fused the main color to create the contour lines attracted me.  Rather than doing the provided project, I thought the photo taken by my friend Kyle Funke was sufficiently similar and let me do my own work.  I learn more that way.

When I had finished the basic assembly, which uses very little quilting, I decided I wanted to do more with this quilt.  I added a tree to the foreground and created and enhanced bushes, fine branches and the like with thread sketching.  Then I decided to try using paint to add more detail and depth.  This really worked well and I am very pleased with the results.

Snowy Meadow - 22 by 16.5 inches

I am particularly happy that I could combine what I have been learning in several courses (including ones not on Craftsy like Ellen Lindner).  

Then I was approached by Craftsy to be featured in their blog.  Wow, that’s a huge ego-hug, if ever.  I am so touched by the very positive response this quilt has generated – thank you, all!  At this point, it’s going into a quilt show this week – wish me luck!

I think I am finally finding the collection of techniques and tools I need to create the type of art quilt I want to make.  I now plan on refining my skills with a series of smaller quilts based on flowers.  I am going through my pictures to pick out the first ones to try.  I’ll keep you posted.

A New Sewing Table

A former work colleague and friend named Tom loves woodworking the way I love quilting.  The challenge of creating a useful piece of furniture, the joy of working the wood, the precision and craftsmanship involved – these are parallels that can be found in  quilting.  Tom has made several pieces for me and one for my daughter.  He made a beautiful cherry wood quilt rack as my retirement gift. 

Cherry Wood Quilt Rack

  One of the first pieces he built for me is an ironing table made to my specs.  It is kitchen counter height, so I can comfortably stand and do my block layouts, pinning and ironing.  It has drawers and shelves for all my supplies.

Ironing Table

 I was getting frustrated with my sewing machine setup for quilting.  I had to reach up, even after I put a large pillow on the chair.  I had no real room for my elbows.  Shoulder cramps were the norm.  So I asked him to build me a custom sewing table.  My Janome 6600 fits snugly onto a sunken platform with its sewing bed flush with the table top.  Tom finished the heck out of the table surface so that I will barely need my Supreme Slider. The top has a flip up extension to support larger quilts.  There are 2 drawers for my quilting threads and the shelf that the machine actually sits on is extended to hold three long trays for quilting tools.  It arrived yesterday, so I am going to test it this morning – but I can already tell how much better this set up is going to be just by sitting at it.  It was dimensioned to fit against a white formica topped kitchen table.  It can extend as well.

My new sewing table extended (the ironing table is in the background).

Side view of the new sewing table showing all the nice storage!

The really cool thing is he made it from his wood stash (yes, just like us sewing from our fabric stashes) and it is so sturdy and pretty.

On another note: I ended up dropping out of the Year of Lovely Finishes group.  One of the main benefits of retirement in my mind is the lack of deadlines and schedules.  So I felt it silly of me to impose one.  However, I have been finishing projects at a fair clip.  I knitted a bunch of baby clothes as well as a 2 pairs of socks and a sweater for me (see them on my Ravelry page ) 

 I finished the quilt I was talking about on my last blog entry – it even was done for the shower.  

Born To Ride - completed.

 Yesterday I finished a kaleidoscope quilt a la Ricky Tims.  I have one finished top that I am going to work on next.  All in all, it’s been a productive several months, which is why the blogging rate has suffered.

Springburst - 45"by 45"

Springburst Quilting Detail

Lovely Year of Finishes: January

I joined a Flickr group called A Lovely Year of Finishes, which is just that - motivation to get one UFO or WIP done each month.

My project this month is a baby quilt my daughter asked me to make for some of her friends.  The baby shower is in February.  The piecing is about half done - I am debating whether to insert the middle column for which you see 2 blocks.  The inspiration fabric is the motorcycle fabric at the top - one from Spoonflower.  I guess these friends are into them.  The baby will a boy, so I hope this quilt will be fun and stand up to rough treatment!

Anyway, so much for bloggin' - time to get sewing!

Folded Paper Star

Recently I was made aware of a blog that showed how to make a folded fabric star.  This reminded me of the paper stars I used to fold.  It has been SO long since I made one, I had to go back to my favorite craft book, which I received as a child, Wir Spielen und Basteln.  

The best paper to use is metallic gift wrap with the color on one side and plain white on the other.  These instructions create a very small star – like about 2 inches square.  Increasing the size and length of strips will create a larger star.  Each step has the same numbered picture with it

1) Cut 4 strips of paper ½  inch by 14 inches (1.25 CM by 36 CM)  It doesn't hurt to cut the strips a little longer. Do this as accurately as possible.  Using a rotary cutter with an old blade is best. Fold each strip in half and trim the ends to a point.

2) Put the folded strips together into a basket weave by tucking the folded edge between the ends on the next strip.  The fourth strip will have to have its ends fed through the first loop.

3) On one side only, fold each successive strip straight across from its current position.  Again the last strip will have to be fed through the beginning pocket that was formed.  Snug this together into a nice square. (picture doesn’t show this).

 4) Making the star points:  Fold a strip diagonally under itself into a point.  Fold the strip diagonally on top and down to finish a triangle.  Fold the halves together towards the star middle.  Bend the point back so you can feed the end into the pocket at the point’s base.  Do this at all four corners.  Flip the star over and repeat with the strips on the other side.

 5)  Making the center cone points.  Take a strip end, turn it under at the center and around to outside, then feed the end into the pocket  90° of the beginning.  The color of the cone is the same as the other side of the star – so keep that color one top all the way around (note the arrow I drew to show how to turn this strip).  The end will come out of the star point.  You can use a pencil point to ensure you get a nice round cone. You may have to trim the strip width a bit, if it doesn’t want to slide easily – otherwise you may tear the strip. Do for all four strips and then turn the star over and repeat for those strips.

6) Trim the ends flush with the star points.  Pull a thread through the fold of one of the star points and tie a loop for hanging.

Feathers Revisited

A little more than a year ago, I wrote about my desire to do feathers well.  I have been practicing them a lot and am improving, although I still have a ways to go.

Besides Daine Gaudynski and Sally Terry, I have added Peggy Holt to my favorite feather stitchers.  They each have a different take on how to make them and I think the more ways you know how, the more applications you can successfully manage.

To recap how I do feathers:

Most quilters will instruct you to feather all the way up one side of the spine and then the other.  I do both sides at once.  It eliminates backtracking or breaking thread and it lets you build the whole feather into the space at once.  I think you get a more balanced result, too.

I think the keys to good looking feathers are making elegantly longish tapered shapes and angling them fairly steeply to the spine.  I am finding that the base feathers establish how the rest of the feathers will look – so taking care to make them really well helps build the rest of the feather. If you look at what I did a year ago, those feathers tended to be stubby and round.  They lacked the elegant curve that I think looks so nice.

The photo below has each example marked with the corresponding number in this list.

1) I start by drawing a spine and stitching it from the top down, adding the base embellishment and ending where my first feather will start.  The “top” starts actually a short ways down from where I want to end.  Once I get back up there, I can decide how I will end the feather. 

2) For a traditional feather, after making the base feathers, I arch out and around, hook into the first feather, backtrack around the top of the feather and then hook back down to the spine.  I then repeat that on the other side of the feather.  The challenge with these is the backtracking and the fact you are making a pair each time – occasionally there are spacing problems.

3) To avoid backtracking you can make a hooked feather, as Sally Terry does.  Start with the same base feathers, then the next feather is slightly shorter – where it meets the previous feather you arch the second higher and away.  No backtracking, but you still are making pairs.

4) Dianne Gaudynski shows that it looks good to make each feather individually, but spacing them close together.  It’s that spacing that challenges me.  You can see where I wobbled mightily at the last.  I got distracted by something.

5) Here’s a completed traditional feather.

6) Finally there are Dream Feathers that Peggy Holt makes.  These start with a base shape.  You make a series of feathers arching away from and to one side of the base.  These get longer and longer, because you return to the starting point each time.  Then the back of the longest feather becomes the spine for the top row of the feathers.  Once those feathers get long, you return to the first side.  You end up with this fabulous undulating curve of feathers.  She shows how to use a variety of base shapes, but I like this simple curl best. 

7) Another feather application is the feather garland that I have devised (but it’s probably not original).  You make one feather with its inner edge towards the middle, make another feather facing it and bit longer.  When you arch around and hit the first feather, make the third feather facing the same way as the first – and so on.  This works really well in narrow borders and sashing.

While Dream Feathers are ideal for borders, when arranged symmetrically, you can fill any shape with them.  For today’s practice I decided to try making a block of Dream Feathers. 

  I started out by marking the boundaries of the area I wanted to quilt as well as the initial base shape.  I also ended up marking the central rosette (not in the photo).

   

The feathers themselves are freehand.  While they don’t exactly match up with the others, the overall effect is one of symmetry and movement.

  I liked the result so much (in spite of my wobbles) that I bound it and hung it up in my studio!