Week in Review 2014 - 02/28

A scrap left over from making the keyboard is sewn between
two pieces of black fabric so that I can test what threads
and quilting motifs will work best before committing them
to the actual quilt. 

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Last week I asked the question "How would you quilt Tickling the Ivories?" A big thank you to everyone who responded. You gave me some new directions to contemplate. Ultimately, I decided there is nothing like test driving ideas to see what both looks and feels right. What is the difference between looking and feeling right? For me the difference is not just mind (judging the work using the principles of art) and my personal intuitive sense, but how the it feels as I lay down the quilting. Is my body relaxed? Does the motif flow naturally? Is the thread giving me conniptions, breaking repeatedly? If there is any tension or thread malfunction, then I take the hint and look for a new solution. What I am looking for is a marrying of aesthetics and the energy that comes from a natural flow. 

A close up of the wiggly lines and notes
used to quilt the background. 

Although it is difficult to tell from a picture on a blog, I did test multiple gray and variegated threads that included gray. The threads varied in weight and the length between color changes. I used the black and white square (second from the left) to test out an idea I had to string notes along wavy lines. It was a surprisingly easy motif to execute. I liked the fact that by using a black and white variegated thread the motif was only visible close up and so did not distract from the larger composition. It also repeated the pattern of the appliquéd notes.

A close up to show the difference between satin
stitching and stitch in the ditch between the keys.

I started by stitching in the ditch with a variegated gray thread between the piano keys and extending the line out into the background. This worked, BUT I just knew it needed more. I could build up thread by retracing the stitch line over and over, but why not use the same satin stitch I used for appliquéing down the notes? I test drove that theory on my sample. It worked! If you look closely (and for some right clicking on an image will give you a larger view) you can see that the upper keys are divided by satin stitch and the lower three just have the stitch in the ditch stitching.


1) Tickling the Ivories - Due March 15th





Work on quilting the remainder of the piece - Done! 

If you look closely at the upper right section of the
keyboard you can see the difference the satin stitch
makes there. The keys are more distinct and there is
a hint of a shadow.

2) Leah Day projects.

a) Baste the face, torso and arms to Express Your Love II. - On hold until the quilts with deadlines are completed.

b) Do Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting lesson. - Done!

This week's motif was Wiggly Pasta. What can I say? My pasta isn't that wiggly. It is more of a matrix with horseshoe ends. I was thinking that this motif would be fun to embellish with beads either at the crossings or in the openings. It could be used for hairnets, fishnets, or even fishnet stockings. :)

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done!

I have nothing to show, because this week the only assignment was to watch a 45 minute video of an interview with Claudine Hellmuth. The takeaway for me from this interview is that the best way to develop your voice is to understand what you are passionate about and what YOU (emphasis on the you) find aesthetically pleasing. 

4) Tumbling Blocks I (Due April 30) - Continue piecing the quilt - On hold until Tickling the Ivories is at the hand stitching/finishing phase.

5) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3) - a commissioned quilt - On hold until quilts with earlier deadlines are completed. 

Start piecing the quilt.


Tomorrow is the first day of March and Tickling the Ivories must have its finished, formal portrait done by March 15th. Guess we all know where I will be focusing next week. :)

1) Tickling the Ivories - Due March 15th


a) Finish the quilting.
b) Wash, block and square up the quilt.
c) Make the binding and sleeve.
d) Attach the binding.
e) Photograph the quilt.
f) Make the label
g) Attach the sleeve and label.

2) Leah Day projects.

a) Baste the face, torso and arms to Express Your Love II. - On hold until the quilts with deadlines are completed.

b) Do Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting lesson.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.

4) Tumbling Blocks I (Due April 30) - Continue piecing the quilt - On hold until Tickling the Ivories is at the hand stitching/finishing phase.

5) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3) - a commissioned quilt - On hold until quilts with earlier deadlines are completed. 

Start piecing the quilt.


I am now linking up to two blogs on Friday's. The first is Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project and the second is Nina Marie's Off the Wall Fridays.

Week in Review 2014 - 02/21

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Detail from Tickling the Ivories

This segment of my blog is usually focused on my sharing my thoughts with you. Today I would like  to hear your thoughts. I have come to that critical point on Tickling the Ivories when it is time to decide how to quilt it. If this were your quilt what you decide? Please include the motif(s) and thread color(s) you would use in your answer. 

A detail of the ribbon on Tickling the Ivories set on a white background.

When thinking about your answer take into consideration that some of the strengths of Tickling the Ivories is its high contrast and strong graphic qualities. The quilting should not distract from this.

The same ribbon, but now set on a black ground.

1) Tickling the Ivories - Due March 15th

a) Add the quilted ribbon - Done!

A full view of Tickling the Ivories.
25" H x 45" W

b) Work on quilting the remainder of the piece - Not yet.

2) Leah Day projects.

a) Baste the face, torso and arms to Express Your Love II. - On hold until all deadlines have been met.

b) Do Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting lesson.

The motif of the week was Daisy Chain. Leah casually mentioned, while demonstrating this motif on her video, that it might be fun to do the daisies in various colors of thread. Naturally, I had to give this a try. The design is best suited for sashings, but since I can't recall the last time I created a traditional quilt, let alone one with sashings, I always work up Leah's motifs in odd shapes. This will take a bit of practice and a little more pre-marking in order to get the scale of the individual daisies right. I definitely like the look of alternating flower colors and that could easily be done on a much larger scale without starting and stopping in between each flower by quilting first one color of daisies and leaving a gap for the other color.  The seconded color daisies are quilted in the gaps and the thread is carried through the previously quilted daisies via the chain that runs through them all.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.

My piece created after watching Alena Hennessy's
Joy of Intention lesson.

Mixed media is all about layering and this week's assignment was no exception. The lesson was on the joy of intention and taught by Alena Hennessy. I tend to take what speaks to me from each lesson and use it as the catalyst to make my piece. The point appeared to me to be let each layer, mark, brush stroke, etc. lead you to next one. We were also encouraged to use both black and white ink in order to allow other colors to pop. 

5) Tumbling Blocks I (Due April 30) - Continue piecing the quilt. - On hold until Tickling the Ivories is at the hand stitching/finishing stage.

6) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3) - a commissioned quilt

a) Select the fabric - Done!
b) Start piecing the quilt - On hold until earlier deadlines are met.

Next week will be my big push to do the final quilting on Tickling the Ivories, so I am really eager to see what you recommend. The two years I have spent testing and practicing Leah Day quilting motifs make this task something I look forward to versus fear. Whatever I choose to do, I know I have the control and confidence to get it done.

1) Tickling the Ivories - Due March 15th


Work on quilting the remainder of the piece

2) Leah Day projects.

a) Baste the face, torso and arms to Express Your Love II. - On hold until the quilts with deadlines are completed.

b) Do Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting lesson.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.

5) Tumbling Blocks I (Due April 30) - Continue piecing the quilt - On hold until Tickling the Ivories is at the hand stitching/finishing phase.

6) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3) - a commissioned quilt - On hold until quilts with earlier deadlines are completed. 

Start piecing the quilt.


I am now linking up to two blogs on Friday's. The first is Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project and the second is Nina Marie's Off the Wall Fridays.

Week in Review 2014 - 02/14

Detail from Tickling the Ivories showing a new
applique technique. 

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

When I started quilting in the late 1980's there was a cardinal rule that when pressing seams you pressed towards the dark fabric. Like many rules it evolved quite logically, but the reasons for it became less important and are unknown to many who adhere to it today. I am probably not breaking ground here, but I found myself questioning the way appliqués are attached to quilts these days. Do they always have to be needle turned or fused? Must they be added to the quilt top or could they be added during the quilting phase or some compromise time? Nothing like a quilt with a tight deadline to inspire invention! The close up you see of the appliqué for Tickling the Ivories was first pinned to just the top. Next I secured it by stitching 1/8" in from the outside edge. Yeah, no buckling or puckers! At this point I carefully clipped away the top behind the appliqué in order to avoid a double layer of quilt top fabric and darker fabrics showing through lighter fabrics. I prepared my quilt sandwich (backing, batting and top that has been pin basted.) Finally I went around the perimeter of each appliqué with a thin line of satin stitch in matching/coordinating thread. It worked! My appliqués are secure with none of the loose threads or stiff hand or added expense of fusible fabrics, that are the reasons I am not a fan of fusible appliqué.    

This week has been all about moving Tickling the Ivories forward. Of course I did a little more than that. :) Too much focus makes me cranky and dries up my creative problem solving well. 

1) Tickling the Ivories - Due March 15th

Tickling the Ivories after the notes and keyboard
have been appliquéd in place.

a) Add the accent appliqués - Done!
b) Prepare the quilt sandwich - Done!
c) Start the quilting - Done! Securing the appliqués to the quilt sandwich began the quilting process.

2) Leah Day projects.

a) Baste the face, torso and arms to Express Your Love II. - On hold until my three (gasp!) quilts with deadlines are done.

b) Do Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting lesson. - Done!

This week's free motion quilting assignment was titled
Hobbit Holes by Leah. It has a wonderfully, scaly
organic feel to it. I found it very relaxing to work up.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done!

Outside cover of my pop-up page.

Our teacher this week with Jane Davenport. Wow, has she followed a circuitous and fascinating career path as daughter of a model, through fashion illustrator, designer, boutique owner and now teacher of mixed media. She has a fascination with 1930's pop-up books for children. Her lesson was about creating our own pop-up page based on three of our positive qualities. 

It's a miracle, winter is through 

and my pop-ups actually pop-up!

I chose whimsical, nurturing and open to new adventures as my qualities. They are represented by the imagined bushes, tree and sky.

5) Tumbling Blocks I (Due April 30) - Continue piecing the quilt. - On hold.

6) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3) - a commissioned quilt - On hold.

a) Select the fabric
b) Start piecing the quilt

I am loving, make that LOVING working on the Tickling the Ivories and can't wait to see how it evolves next week. I have other items on my project list to be sure that I have something to take a break on should Tickling the Ivories get to a stuck point.

1) Tickling the Ivories - Due March 15th


a) Add the quilted ribbon
b) Work on quilting the remainder of the piece

2) Leah Day projects.

a) Baste the face, torso and arms to Express Your Love II.
b) Do Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting lesson.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.

5) Tumbling Blocks I (Due April 30) - Continue piecing the quilt.

6) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3) - a commissioned quilt

a) Select the fabric
b) Start piecing the quilt


I am now linking up to two blogs on Friday's. The first is Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project and the second is Nina Marie's Off the Wall Fridays.

Week in Review 2014 - 02/07

Another Life Book 2014 assignment completed.

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

I am left handed. I didn't give this much thought when I was growing up until my school had tennis as an option. I showed up at the courts with my fellow students and the teacher asked if any of us were left handed. I was the only left handed one. She then said in what sounded to me like an exasperated voice, "well just do what ever I do only backwards." No surprise I am not a tennis player. However, one of my strengths is that I am a problem solver. I believe I owe this in part to being left handed. Tennis is not the only thing I have had to learn by finding my own way. I believe that being a problem solver is the key to being able to salvage many an artwork that at first glance seems destined for the trash. I would go so far as to conjecture that problem solving is to art as building strong flexible muscles is to an athlete. This week my mixed media lesson asked us to create a piece listing our positive qualities. Perhaps I should have put being left handed on the list. :) 

Another positive quality was my positive, take charge attitude as I plunged ahead with my newest WIP (work in progress) and attacked a few other projects besides. Here is how my week played out:

1) Tickling the Ivories aka Got Jazz - Due March 15th

Background for Tickling the Ivories

I spent 2006 - 2008 working nearly exclusively with black and white fabrics. Periodically I like to return to that palette. It never grows old for me.

a) Select the fabrics - Done!
b) Plan out the basics of the quilt - Done!
c) Start the quilt - Done!

2) Express Your Love II - A Leah Day project.

a) Finish piecing the arms from hexagons. - Done!!
b) Baste the face, torso and arms to the quilt. - This will have to wait until my quilts with  pressing deadlines are completed.

3) Do Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting lesson. - Done

Leah dubbed this Broken Eggs. It worked up nicely from
an aesthetic sense, but I definitely need more practice
before committing this one to a quilt.
It is the first time in a long time that I have had
a significant number of hesitation burrs on the backside.

4) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done


There were actually three assignments taught by Tamara Laporte, the brains and organizer behind Life Book 2014. All of the assignments used spray inks, something I don't own. I do have some spray fabric dyes so I substituted those. I expect I would have been happier with the inks. I have so much to learn as a newbie to mixed media. The fact that I was able to follow a PDF on how to draw a face in profile seems like a miracle. This is my second time creating highlights and shadow in a face. I even got courageous and did some planned dripping.

5) Tumbling Blocks I (due April 30) - Continue piecing the quilt. - I didn't get to this. However, I did remove the pieces from my design wall in piecing stacks. This way I have my design wall back and should I find myself with some free time I can always piece the next stack/column.

6) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall - a commissioned quilt due August 3

a) Draft the contract - Done
b) Select the fabric - Not yet
c) Start piecing the quilt - Not yet


Let's see if I can keep the momentum going next week. Here are the next steps in my various projects:

1) Tickling the Ivories - Due March 15th


a) Add the accent appliqués 
b) Prepare the quilt sandwich
c) Start the quilting

2) Leah Day projects.

a) Baste the face, torso and arms to Express Your Love II.
b) Do Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting lesson.

3) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.

5) Tumbling Blocks I (Due April 30) - Continue piecing the quilt.

6) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3) - a commissioned quilt

a) Select the fabric
b) Start piecing the quilt


I am now linking up to two blogs on Friday's. The first is Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project and the second is Nina Marie's Off the Wall Fridays.