Week in Review 2014 - 05/30

Tips, Techniques and Thoughts:

Free motion quilting sampler using Leah Day's
Spoonflower.com goddess fabric.

 My husband and I returned midweek from 19 days away, first visiting our family back east and then hiking the Kerry Way in Ireland. It is the longest we have been away from home, work and our comfortable routine in years. We may have returned, but I don't feel back yet. Instead I find myself needing to ease back versus my typical modus operandi of instant catch up. I'm easing back not just with my household duties, but with my studio commitments. Typically I order my to do list by priority and do the items with the most importance first. This week I have focused instead on gingerly moving forward by working on what is easy as a way to prove to myself I can still handle mixed media and free motion quilting. So far so good. I am getting braver and more energetic with each day back. Even with this attitude I managed to accomplish a little on my one studio day. Here is how it went.

1) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3)  - I chose not to tackle this project until I felt up to speed again.

a) Finish piecing the background
b) Start the quilting

Close up of the free motion quilting motif,
Zany Hearts.

2) Wild Apple 12" x 12" Opportunity - (Due August 15)  - I chose not to tackle this project until I felt up to speed again.

a) Create several more small works for the exhibition

3) Leah Day projects.

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

My take on Serena Bridgeman's lesson:
Honoring Your Inner World.

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

I can't say enough about how much I enjoy trying out each new quilting motif that Leah Day comes up with. They are such a great/safe way to keep my free motion quilting skills up to snuff. Zany Hearts is perfect for practicing echo quilting and travel stitching.

4) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - One assignment from the three I missed is done. 

Serena Bridgeman focused the lesson on shadows and highlights. This is something I need to practice and play with again and again. The image is based on Serena's piece versus my own design. Still I am thrilled with the lotus flower. I really feel that I nailed light and shadow.

My rationale for easing back into the studio is jet lag. Hopefully, this will pass soon and I can get back to my pre vacation pace. Whatever my pace here is the work that awaits me:

1) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3) 

a) Finish piecing the background
b) Start the quilting

2) Wild Apple 12" x 12" Opportunity - (Due August 15)

a) Create several more small works for the exhibition

3) 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.

4) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.


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 - 05/09

Feeling Groovy
4" H x 6" W

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

The week before I was playing with a new technique. This week I am gently easing myself back to working on items that I am committed to. I have returned to what I refer to as the Zen of quilting. I use the word Zen very loosely here. When I am repeating the same free motion quilting pattern to a point where my mind is both focused on the task and free to wander it is a form of meditation for me. I find myself in a relaxed state of contentment. It seemed that every project I worked on this week brought me to contentment. Ironic how playing with something new can be more stressful than working on pieces with deadlines, but using tried and true techniques.

 Here is what I achieved as I relaxed this week.

Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall
begins to take shape

1) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3) 

a) Create the blue print for this quilt - Done
b) Start the piecing - Done

This is a huge accomplishment for me since this piece is a commission. The terror of beginning was stifling. Now that I have a formal blue print and feel confident in my fabric palette it is like putting down a 40 pound backpack after a full day's hike.

Watermelon
4" H x 6" W

2) Wild Apple 12" x 12" Opportunity - (Due August 15)

a) Create several small works for the exhibition - Done

I cut up Raspberry Lime Rickey from last week to make several 4" H x 6" W pieces. I will be mounting each piece on an 8" H x 10" W white mat board and framing them in a shadow box frame of the same size. 

3) 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

I recently treated myself to a panel of Leah Day's cheater cloth. I thought it would be a fun way to practice the various free motion quilting motifs she demos on her videos. Growing Sprouts was the perfect motif to use in the hair.


4) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done

Even the mixed media assignment of the week felt like the Zen of mixed media. Our instructor, Danielle Daniel had us start with a meditation. The goal of the assignment was to create a piece that illustrated the process of taking a moment out of a busy schedule to refresh oneself.

I will be taking several weeks off from working in my studio and writing my blog. When I return this is what I plan to return to:

1) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3) 

a) Finish piecing the background
b) Start the quilting

2) Wild Apple 12" x 12" Opportunity - (Due August 15)

a) Create several more small works for the exhibition

3) 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.

4) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.


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 - 05/02

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Many, many, many years ago I read an article in a quilting magazine by Katie Pasquini Masopust on how she periodically takes a break from her demanding schedule of lecturing, writing and creating art, by doing a simple no brains required scrap quilt. I believe the method she used to make these quilts is called Mile a Minute, but I may be confusing two articles. What struck me was not the method used to create the quilt, but the need to break out and play periodically. That is precisely what I did this week.

Detail from Raspberry Lime Rickey

I have an opportunity to hang a few small pieces at a local gallery as part of the Wisconsin Visual Artists. The work must be 12" x 12" or smaller. I prefer not to work in this size, so have no pieces available to offer. However, I have been longing to play with Carol Ann Waugh's method of creating quilts with the preprogrammed embroidery stitches on sewing machines. What I love about Carol's method is that it lends itself to creating a piece that can be cut into several smaller pieces. These pieces can be hung separately or hung to form a contemporary style grouping.

Carol gives several great tips in her video on how to do this method effectively. One, is to use a 90/14 needle since often the thread of choice will be thicker than that normally used for piecing and quilting. Two, watch the video to see how she guides the fabric. This helps avoid puckers and bunching that can come from the typical hand position of parentheses around the needle. I would like to add third. When working with metallic threads run several beads of Sewers Aid  down the spool of thread and let it sit a few moments before threading your machine. 

A full view of Raspberry Lime Rickey.
Currently it is 16" H x 18" W.

This week is proof positive that I can stray from my plans. Here is how I strayed:

1) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3) 

a) Create the blue print for this quilt - Not yet.
b) Start the piecing  - Not yet.

2) Wild Apple 12" x 12" Opportunity - (Due August 15)

a) Determine if any of my free motion quilting samplers could be repurposed to suit - Nope

I decided to use Carol Ann Waugh's method to create a couple of pieces for the Wild Apple.

b) Create several 12" x 12" or smaller works for the exhibition - Started

3) 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

The motif this week was Fish Tails.
Must say I love motifs that pivot and echo,
both to work up and visually.

4) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments. - Done

The only assignment was to watch an interview by Tamara Laporte with Carla Sonheim. 

5) Tickling the Ivories - make and attach the label. - Done


Next week is my last week to work in the studio in May. It is also a week filled with non studio commitments. When I do make it into the studio here is where I plan on focusing my attention:

1) Little Lake Butte des Morts in Fall (Due August 3) 

a) Create the blue print for this quilt
b) Start the piecing 

2) Wild Apple 12" x 12" Opportunity - (Due August 15)

a) Create several small works for the exhibition

3) 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.

4) LifeBook 2014 - Do the assignments.


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.