Week in Review 2013 - 4/19

Any guesses for why I chose to gather these fabrics together?

 Tips, Techniques and Thoughts:

This week my thoughts have been with my hometown, Boston. I was raised in Lexington, MA.  A year after I married, my husband and I bought a home in Sherborn, MA, a small suburb of Boston. We lived there for 34 years. For all but one of those years we went out in frigid weather, balmy weather and rainy weather to watch the Boston Marathon from its halfway point in Wellesley, MA, where Wellesley College is located.

My children’s sport of choice was swimming, not running. It was on their US swim team that my son and his wife met at ages 11 and 12. My daughter-in-law is the Chief Resident of Family Practitioners at U Mass Medical and is particularly interested in sports medicine. That is why she has volunteered to work at the finish line medical tent for the Boston Marathon for the last three years. She was there caring for the runners when the bombs went off. Fortunately she wasn’t hurt. I am grateful for her while also keeping the victims, their families and friends close to my heart.

It is time to be accountable and see how close my plan for the week actually jived with what I did for the week ending April 19, 2013.

1) Pictorial Painting

"Canyon" at the beginning of the week.

a) Continue to watch the portion of the lesson that demos how to paint the Canyon piece. – Done!

"Canyon" at the end of the week.

b) Finish painting "Canyon." – I worked on but didn’t finish "Canyon." 

I'm rather proud of the painting this week. I painted the shade and highlights on the ground sections. My fabric selection varies considerably from the teacher, Annette Kennedy. This means that I had to figure out how to blend the paint to suit my fabric. For once I managed something subtle AND visible. The result is more natural looking. There just may be hope.

2) Express Your Love 

 Do whatever assignment Leah Day comes up with next. – Done!

OK, I did one of the assignments. The assignment I didn’t do was the follow-up to Trapplique, which I already know how to do. The second assignment was to familiarize yourself with how to create words with the alphabet program that comes on most sewing machines these days.

I "signed" Express Your Love using my Bernina's
programable alphabet.

I have a Bernina 1260. This is a vintage Bernina pre computerization. This assignment was one of the few times when I wish I had an upgrade. In order to stitch words using my Bernina 1260’s alphabet I have to create a program by selecting each letter, then selecting the number of times I want that letter to appear in a row. There is no panel showing you what you selected. Nor can you delete the last entry if you make a mistake. I finally managed to enter my initials and the year. I tested the entry and then when I was satisfied tried it on Express Your Love. It was a disaster. I picked out the initials (1 hour) and added them again, but forgot to press the “double” stitch button the second time around. Since this is a practice piece, I have decided it is close enough.

3) Reflection 

a) Add Reflection to my website. – Done!

4) Adoration (Shooting for a deadline of June 1, 2013)

The original photo inspiration for Adoration

 a) Mark the background fabric as a guide for where to place the appliqué pieces. – Done!

The guide for cutting and placing the appliqué pieces for Adoration.

b) Start cutting and positioning the appliqué pieces. – Done! 

As you can see I did more than start, I actually finished this.

"Adoration" after the pieces have been cut, positioned and
affixed to the background guide. It will finish at 35" - 36" square.

This past week went relatively well. Check back on May 3, 2013 to see whether I follow my plan or take a detour or two. My intention is to do the following:

1) Pictorial Painting

a) Continue to watch the portion of the lesson that demos how to paint the Canyon piece.

b) Finish painting "Canyon."

2) Express Your Love

a) Do whatever assignment Leah Day comes up with next.

3) Adoration (Shooting for a deadline of June 1, 2013

a) Cut the backing and batting for Adoration.

b) Prepare the quilt sandwich.

c) Select the quilting threads.

d) Start quilting.

Week in Review 2013 - 04/12

Tips, Techniques and Thoughts...

I have been fascinated by the transformation of one object to another object every since I witnessed my childhood babysitter knit a doll’s blanket from a long strand of yarn. The transformation that takes place from the germ of an idea for what to create next to the end result is what motivates me during the process of creating a piece of art. From the comments I receive from those of you who follow my blog, it seems transformation intrigues you, too. That is why for the triple T section (Tips, Techniques and Thoughts) I am recommending a novel, you may have already read and a documentary you probably missed.

The novel is a piece of historical fiction about how “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Vermeer was created. The author is Tracy Chevalier.

Isn't the light and shadow outstanding
on "Girl with a Pearl Earring?"

One of the best gifts I gave myself was a subscription to Netflix. I have “discovered” more great films this way. The most recent was “Note by Note: the making of Steinway L1305." I worried that this would be exactly what the title said, the step by step making of a Steinway piano. It is so much more. Each step of the process acts like a chapter heading. What makes Steinways unique is that each one is handcrafted and hand tuned. What was new to me was how each piano and has a feel and therefore concert pianists request specific pianos by number for their concerts. I couldn’t help but draw a parallel between a pianist and his affinity for a certain piano with quilters and their connection with their sewing machines.

This past week has been tough for several reasons. I slogged away, despite the setbacks. Here is how my plan and my achievements aligned for the week ending April 12, 2013.

1) Pictorial Painting

"Canyon" has it looked last week.

a) Continue to watch the portion of the lesson that demos how to paint the Canyon piece. - Done

"Canyon" after painting the background mountains."

b) Finish painting Canyon. – Partially done. I finished painting the background mountains. 

2) Express Your Love

The Hot Hot Spiral ribbon is the lowest one. The quilting pattern
looks like tongues of flame alternating with spirals. Hence, it's name.

a) Finish quilting Hot Hot Spiral Ribbon – Done.

b) Do a ribbon in Loopy Doopy Sprial – Done.

That's Loopy Doopy Spiral, front and center. This time loops
alternate with the spirals.

c) Do whatever assignment Leah comes up with next.

The next assignment was to create sections of the quilt using a technique that Leah’s friend named Trapplique. The point of Trapplique is to create pre-quilted sections for a quilt that are appliquéd on top of the quilt. The reason Leah is using Trapplique on her quilt is that she was dissatisfied with the way her ribbons came out. I am happy with my ribbons. If the technique were unfamiliar to me I would test-drive it on something else. However, this is something I have used for years when I wanted to push a section of the quilt into the foreground. I used it to add the tree, leaves and cardinal in my  quilt, “Tree Serenade,” for instance.

"Tree Serenade" 

What I did choose to do, in order to have my ribbons stand out more from the quilt, is satin stitch around the edge of each completed ribbon with the same variegated white through gray mist thread I used in the hair section.

The full view of "Express Your Love" (design by Leah Day,
choice of stitches, threads and execution by Gwyned Trefethen)
allows you to see how the ribbons stand out now that they have
been outlined in satin stitch with a variegated white to mist gray thread.

d) Bonus – I used nano stitching to create the eye.

3) Reflection (Absolute deadline April 23, 2013)

a) Make and attach the sleeve. - Done

b) Make and attach the label. - Done

c) Add Reflection to my website. – Couldn’t do.

Wednesdays are my business days. That is when I review outstanding calls for entry, look for new ones and complete some. I also update my website with new events and quilts. This Wednesday we had an ice storm that knocked out power for most of the day. I did manage to handle calls for entry. I just didn’t have time before calling it a day to update my website. I’ll do that this weekend.

d) Submit Reflection for consideration in "The Eye and the Needle," a SAQA IL/WI exhibition. – Done

4) Adoration (Shooting for a deadline of June 1, 2013)

a) Mark the background fabric as a guide for where to place the appliqué pieces. 

Done, but it was a major struggle. I just couldn’t distinguish the obvious sections to mark, even using a very fancy light table at my husband’s lab. I will try again next week.

b) Start cutting and positioning the appliqué pieces. – Without an accurate guide this couldn’t be done.

Never someone to let a few setbacks completely derail me, I have plans for next week. Here is what I hope to accomplish by April 19, 2013.

1) Pictorial Painting

a) Continue to watch the portion of the lesson that demos how to paint the Canyon piece.

b) Finish painting "Canyon."

2) Express Your Love

a) Do whatever assignment Leah comes up with next.

3) Reflection 

a) Add Reflection to my website.

4) Adoration (Shooting for a deadline of June 1, 2013)

a) Mark the background fabric as a guide for where to place the appliqué pieces.

b) Start cutting and positioning the appliqué pieces.

Week in Review 2013 - 04/05

Express Your Love - a preview of what is to come. The design
and quilting patterns for this piece come from Leah Day. What
to quilt where,  with what thread and quilting are by
Gwyned Trefethen.

I'm back. That is I have returned from a multi generational family vacation on Treasure Island, FL.  I find transitioning from home life to vacation and back difficult. I do best with routine. Vacation and returning from vacation with the inevitable backlog of things to attend results in difficulty focusing and a greater propensity to drift. The result was that I didn't manage my accustomed three full studio days this week. I did spend three partial days in the studio. Here is what I managed to accomplish.


1) Pictorial Painting

Canyon before any paint is applied.

a) Mark the fabric for painting. - Done!
b) Watch the portion of the lesson that demos how to paint the Canyon piece. - Done!
c) Bonus - I started painting.

Canyon after the foot hills have been painted.

2) Express Your Love

a) Do whatever assignment Leah comes up with next. - Done! 

Leah has gotten back in the groove of providing assignments. I managed to try my hand at two of her spiral variations. The first being Wiggle Wiggle Spiral and the second Hot Hot Spiral. I checked in with Leah this morning and see that there is yet another spiral pattern to explore. 

Close up from Express Your Love. The aqua ribbon has been
quilted using Hot Hot Spiral.

b) Finish quilting the hair. - Done!

Close up of the hair from Express Your Love. The design
Wiggle Wiggle Spiral was used in the upper of the two red rays.

Express your love was my primary focus this week. I am really wowed by how it is coming together. Leah's original line drawing and her quilting patterns produce a fascinating image. What is especially fun is to check out how Leah's other groupies are executing this same piece. 

3) Reflection (Absolute deadline April 23, 2013)

a) Finish stitching the facing. - Done!
b) Make and attach the sleeve. - Oops, could have done this.
c) Make and attach the label.
d) Add Reflection to my website.

I had forgotten when I assigned myself the finish work on Reflection that my husband (also my photographer) would be out of town. I wanted a "formal portrait" taken of Reflection to use for submissions to Calls for Entry, the quilt label and for my website. Not being able to move forward on Reflection I started planning my next quilt...

4) Adoration (Shooting for a deadline of June 1, 2013)

There is something about Madonna and Child paintings
with loving gaze and focused light that has appealed to me
since I saw my first one in a history of art book of my mother's.
This painting is Adoration by Correggio. 

a) Selected and cropped the image to use to guide the quilt.

Yes, that is me gazing adoringly into the eyes of
my first grandchild. This is the image I am using
as a starting point for Adoration.

b) Created a traced line drawing of the image.
c) Used the line drawing to create a to scale pattern.
d) Selected the fabric.
e) Painted the fabric to be used in the grandmother's blouse.  

Hand painted fabric to be used as the base fabric for the blouse.

Tips, Techniques and Thoughts...

An issue I have with fabric painting is that so many blends of paint must be created with various amounts of gel medium that may be needed later in the day, the next day or even next week. It is easier to create all the blends I need at once, but then the problem is how to store them since the left over paint resides solely in the dimples of my palette. I have found that by covering the palette with Press 'N Seal the paint lasts at least a week without drying out.

Clearly I have some catching up to do next week. This is what I plan on accomplishing between today and April 12.

1) Pictorial Painting

a) Continue to watch the portion of the lesson that demos how to paint the Canyon piece.
b) Finish painting Canyon.

2) Express Your Love

a) Finish quilting Hot Hot Spiral Ribbon
b) Do a ribbon in Loopy Doopy Sprial
b) Do whatever assignment Leah comes up with next.

3) Reflection (Absolute deadline April 23, 2013)

a Make and attach the sleeve.
b) Make and attach the label.
c) Add Reflection to my website.
d) Submit Reflection for consideration in "The Eye and the Needle," a SAQA IL/WI exhibition.

4) Adoration (Shooting for a deadline of June 1, 2013)

a) Mark the background fabric as a guide for where to place the appliqué pieces.
b) Start cutting and positioning the appliqué pieces.

Apology - recently Blogger has started to put a white background behind anything I cut and paste into a post. I have tried numerous fixes, but haven't found the right one yet. Please bare with me.