Week in Review 2015 - 09/25

The subtle sunrise viewed from our
balcony, this morning.

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Not all sunrises are dramatic, just as not all days in the studio produce dramatic progress. Perhaps that is what makes the dramatic ones so special. There is also something to say for the soothing tranquility of simple, unhurried and casual days.

Margaret "Muv" Porwal has been following my progress this year as I work on my Deconstructed Sunrise series. So, when she was treated to a stunning sunset at her home, she snapped a picture and sent it my way. I asked, and received permission from, Muv to use her photograph in my series. If you have pictures taken of sunrises and sunsets that you are willing to share and allow me to use, please, please send them to me.

Margaret "Muv" Porwal captured this dramatic
sunset from her attic. 

Although I continued to make progress on Deconstructed Sunrise #3 this week, it was of the subtle variety and like last week, much of it is hidden behind freezer paper. I'm expecting the dramatic unveiling next week or the week after.

1) Continue piecing Deconstructed Sunrise #3 (Due November 30, 2015) - Done!

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!

Leah Day has been having fun with pumpkins, now that Halloween is just around the corner. I loved the look of the Twisted Tendril motif she came up with as a subtle backdrop for the more intensely quilted pumpkin. Naturally, I had to give it a try. This would make a fabulous design for borders and sashings.

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 77/126

I started piecing the lower 25% of the sunrise sky. Quite a
contrast from the upper section of inky blues.

Twisted Tendril, free motion quilting motif designed
by Leah Day. 

4) Perform a random act of kindness - Done!

My calendar is relatively free next. I'm hoping that I will have the energy and focus to push forward at a faster pace. I am eager to spend my time finishing the piecing of Deconstructed Sunrise #3, or at least to see the finish line on the horizon.

1) Continue piecing Deconstructed Sunrise #3 (Due November 30, 2015)

2) Free motion quilting practice. 

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015

4) Perform a random act of kindness 

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

Week in Review 2015 - 09/18

Detail from Deconstructed Sunrise #3

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

As a teenager we can't wait to reach the magic age of 21, only to quake at the idea of turning 30. Is it so bad to age? Beats the alternative, right? Best of all there is all that experience to draw from. I didn't start quilting until shortly after I turned 30. It was a way to maintain my sanity as a stay at home mother. I quilted during nap time, then during the school day and now that I am an empty nester I manage to quilt for three full days a week most weeks. With 30 years of quilting behind me I have developed quite a tool box of techniques. Elizabeth Barrett Browning cover your ears.  How do I piece thee? Let me count the ways. With Deconstructed Sunrise #3 I have combined two techniques. I began with rotary cut gentle curves and have no moved on to glue basted turned appliqué. 

Deconstructed Sunrise #3

Last week I shared a link to how to handle gentle curves. This week I will share the next phase of my construction using glue basted turned appliqué. Many artists choose to fuse their appliqué without turning the edges under (raw edge appliqué.) I prefer to turn my edges unless a raw edge is called for as part of the design. This method does take some prep work. The time is well worth it, though.

You may recall that I began with the basic design for this quilt drawn out on graph paper. Next I transferred the pattern to freezer paper. The graph paper image allows me to place each piece where it needs to go. The freezer paper is cut up to make templates. If you look at the first image in the blog (Detail from Deconstructed Sunrise #3) you can see the graph paper image on the left, the #58 and unmarked french fuse. On the right are two templates that have been marked with red positioning lines. What you can't see is that each template has a number that matches the numbered templates on the graph paper pattern. There is also a wavy pale orange line. This is my trick for remembering which seam allowance to turn under and which not. 

Surface design play at a SAQA IL/WI gathering
this past weekend. 

The second image in the blog shows my current progress. The blue sky is "hidden" behind the very large template and I have started to position the outer arc of the top sun. This is the first time I have tried using glue basted turned appliqué on my design wall. So far, I'm thrilled. The glue is holding each piece in place. The tricky part will be moving it off the wall and onto my ironing table. What appeals to me about this method is the surprise element. I have learned to trust my intuition when selecting and placing fabric over the years. I know what I choose will work, just not how it will work. 

I am at that intense, on a roll, can't wait to see what happens time in making Deconstructed Sunrise #3. Still, I managed to take time out to keep up my free motion quilting skills. Here is how the week went:

Free motion quilting practice. This is another in Tracy's
series of 100 free motion quilting motifs in 100 days.

1) Continue piecing Deconstructed Sunrise #3 (Due November 30, 2015) - Done!

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!  

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 74/126

4) Perform a random act of kindness - Done!

5) Unexpected Bonus. - I had some fun playing  with Gelli prints and stamping with other SAQA IL/WI during a local pod meeting.

It is taking all my restraint to work on business today, I'm having so much fun making Deconstructed Sunrise #3. With no conference calls scheduled next week, I am looking forward to another three full days of studio time. Yippee! Here is what I plan to do with it:

1) Continue piecing Deconstructed Sunrise #3 (Due November 30, 2015)

2) Free motion quilting practice. 

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015

4) Perform a random act of kindness 

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

Week in Review 2015 - 09/11

Deconstructed Sunrise #3
Color Scheme D

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

On this 14th anniversary of 9/11 it is a time to reflect on what our priorities in life are. Family, friends, furry friends, and for me the freedom to be able to create art all warm my heart and receive my focus. 

I am introvert. I may feel energized early on during social occasions, but I quickly am drained of all energy, desperate to return to a more reclusive life. It is in the studio that I feel vital. I derive strength to move forward with my life, to grieve and accept loss, to deal with the mundane, and to overcome hurdles. The inspiration for my work comes from many sources, but no surprise the view from my studio sneaks into my work in various ways. The Deconstructed Sunrise series is based on a photo taken from our condo. 

This week I focused on piecing the night sky behind the rising sun(s) in Color Scheme D from last week's blog. I did take time out though to keep my free motion quilting skills honed. Here is how I fed my soul this week:

Deconstructed Sunrise #3
Piecing of the background/night sky is starting
to come together.

1) Continue piecing Deconstructed Sunrise #3 (Due November 30, 2015) - Done!

There were so many different ways I could have used to create the night sky. My preference frequently is not to use one blue or a single painted whole cloth piece, when 30 fabrics will do. I love the dappled light and more impressionistic feel I achieve when using a variety of commercial fabrics, my own hand painted, dyed and stenciled fabric, and batiks. The white gap in the middle is where one of the suns will go. I am using a foundation marked on muslin as a guide. Each strip is pieced with a gently meandering curve achieved by free hand cutting with my rotary cutter. 

This week's free motion quilting motif based on
a tutorial from Tracy at Whirls 'n Swirls.

If you would like to try free hand cutting of curves I recommend this tutorial with one caveat. I find it helps to use a 1/8" seam vs. a 1/4". 

2) Free motion quilting practice. - Done!

That's my studio partner, Lola, following the
chipmunk scampering across the sill. She
is perched on the sewing cabinet housing
my Bernina.

Once again, I turned to Whirls 'n Swirls for a motif to play with. Now that the leaves have started turning colors and few have drifted to the ground, here in Wisconsin, the swirling leaf motif was perfect. I was surprised how easily I could quilt this. It makes a great a all over pattern. 

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 71/126

4) Perform a random act of kindness - Done

Here's Lola again, not quite ready to give up hunting.
Her eyes are glued on the patio on the other side
of sliding glass doors. You just never know who
will show up, a rabbit, squirrel, chipmunk, turkey,
turtle, deer or a neighbor's pet. Best to keep a look out.

If my plans for next week look just the same as my plans for next week, that is because they are. :) I know my study partner will be happy. 

1) Continue piecing Deconstructed Sunrise #3 (Due November 30, 2015)

2) Free motion quilting practice. 

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015

4) Perform a random act of kindness 

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

Week in Review 2015 - 09/04

Tips, Thoughts and Techniques:

Color scheme A
Note that the suns are all colored
the same way.

Color Scheme B
Played with value in both the sky
and the suns.

The word for the day is perseverance. This is a topic I return to again and again. That in itself is perseverance. I find pushing forward against obstacles is a common theme in several aspects of my life. It was most obvious this morning as my husband and I battled our bodies in order to set a new personal best of 31.9 miles biked before 6 a.m. without and this is key, without stopping to refuel or rehydrate. Four months into the National Bike Challenge and this type of feat is possible. Not so at the beginning of the challenge. Tomorrow we will make Diamond status (5,000 points since May 1st.) To put that into perspective there are approximately 4,000 registered participants in our local challenge and less than 40 have made Diamond to date. In order to achieve this the axiom of mind over matter is true. It is also true when it comes to pushing through a design concept and creating the next artwork. 

Color Scheme C
Kept the value changes for the suns
but simplified the night sky.

Color Scheme D
Same suns, but added the
sunrise streaks to the night sky.

This week I pushed through a series of design trials for Deconstructed Sunrise #3. Once I had tweaked and fiddled with the design to a point where I thought I knew how to proceed I started the piecing process. This resulted in a few more tweaks. And so it goes. Despite the biking and design obsession I was still able to do a few more projects as well. Here is how the week went:

1) Finish Deconstructed Sunrise - Done!

2) Deconstructed Sunrise #2 (Due September 8, 2015):

• Add it my website and FaceBook page - Done!
• Ship it to the gallery - Done!

3) Deconstructed Sunrise #3 (Due November 30, 2015)

Piecing of Deconstructed Sunrise #3 begins
with the night sky. 

• Add registration marks to the freezer paper templates - Done!
• Decide whether to create new fabrics with dye, paint and ink - Done! Opted to stick with my commercial fabrics and all ready made hand dyed and hand painted fabrics.
• Either create the fabrics OR start the piecing process - Started piecing

Dandelion Fluff is a FMQ motif by
Tracy of Whirls 'n Swirls.
She demoed to styles with the curving in and out.
I tried them both.

4) Free motion quilting practice. 

Add fun trying out another one of Tracy's FMQ motifs.

5) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015 - 68.5/126

6) Perform a random act of kindness - Done!

I am looking forward to next week. It is time to taper down the biking and ratchet up the piecing. My list of projects to work on, as you can see, is getting shorter.

1) Continue piecing Deconstructed Sunrise #3 (Due November 30, 2015)

2) Free motion quilting practice. 

3) Post the number of days I have worked in my studio in 2015

4) Perform a random act of kindness 

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