Week in Review 2013 - 02/15

One thing is becoming abundantly clear since I started posting my plans for each week and how they overlay with what I actually do, there is always a discernible difference. Sometimes the difference is small, but more often than not it seems as vast as the Grand Canyon. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. Therefore, this week's thought is a reminder to stay flexible, especially when creating. If something isn't working, find a way to fix it or just get rid of it and start over. If one thing leads to another, go with the flow. Listen to your inner voice. Learn to trust it. Find a way to balance staying in the moment with reflecting on all that has been accomplished to this point and then look to future for motivation to continue.

I accomplished much this week, just not what I thought I would. Here is how the week ending February 15, 2013 played out:

1) Shore's Edge (Absolute deadline March 21, 2013)

"Shore's Edge" is 30" H x 46.5" W
The sea foam and spray is added.

a) Fuse the sea spray (Angelina Fiber creation) to the quilt. - Done!

b) Start adding a scattering of beads to the foam and ocean to indicate bits of foam and spray. - Done!

However, if you are looking for beads indicating foam and spray you won't find them. Here is what I tried...

i. Securing the Angelina Fiber creation down with beads. Rejected.

ii. Securing the Angelina Fiber with Steam a Seam 2 Lite. That worked for the spray but not the lead edge and crests of the mini waves.

iii. Tried couching yarn. - Rejected

iv. Tried satin stitch. - Rejected

v. Tried braiding the yarn and then stitching it into place. Finally! Even this was problematic as I fiddled with different quilting feet to find one that wouldn't jam. I ended up using my open toe foot.

vi. I also tossed white and crystal beads around the ocean in strands and clusters but they looked like beads and not spray. So, no need to bead.

2) Pictorial Painting

The set up of paints in my wet studio (doubles as a laundry room).

a) Add the label to the Calla Lily piece. - Done! 

b) Watch the introduction for the second and final project in the class. - Done! However, it turns out that there is a bonus section on how to mix paint in the middle. So, what I really did was watch the instructions for the bonus section and not the final project. 

c) Gather the materials together to begin the final project. - Done! See above. 

Let the paint mixing begin. Seeing what happens when paint
is mixed and applied to muslin vs. a print.

What I worked on was creating a matrix of what happens when you blend the paints Mickey Lawler uses as a her base paints in SkyDyes. Being the over achiever that I am I couldn't resist creating the matrix on white muslin as well as a print. The left hand column and the upper row represent the paint before it is blended. I didn't catch on until I blended the yellow with the violet that I was supposed to blend them so that in the row the yellow dominates and in the column the violet dominates. Oh, well... You can see that I have two stripes of each color in square. The one on the left side is undiluted paint. The stripe on the right has been created with paint diluted with water at 1:1. Annette Kennedy recommends using the paint full strength. The reason becomes obvious when you look at the matrix. The watered down paint tends to travel a little bit and form a darker edge. Of course this could be advantageous if that is what you need.  

3) Express Your Love

a) Do whatever assignment Leah comes up with next. - Leah was busy filming for her latest Craftsy.com class and didn't post an assignment this week. Her newest class isn't available yet. However, her first class on Craftsy.com is. I can't emphasize enough how much I learned last year by following along with Leah. I missed my excuse to do some free motion quilting.

4) Reflection (Absolute deadline April 23, 2013)

The work on "Reflection" begins in earnest.
It is tempting to leave just the one goose. 

a) Continue to experiment with painting the geese. - What I did instead was learn more about mixing paint. I will tackle painting the geese after I have finished the paint mixing segment.

b) Develop a way to incorporate the painted geese into an artwork that references but does not replicate the original photo that is its catalyst. - Done! What I decided to do is print out the photograph in segments that could be seamed together. Then I am reverse appliquéing those geese I want included in the quilt to the background of ice. I still plan on painting the geese and enhancing the paint with some stitching. 

What on earth will I be up to for the week ending February 22, 2013? Perhaps this plan will work:

1) Shore's Edge (Absolute deadline March 21, 2013)

a) Create the binding and sleeves.

b) Start to attach the binding.

2) Pictorial Painting

a) Continue to work on my paint mixing matrix.

3) Express Your Love

a) Do whatever assignment Leah comes up with next.

4) Reflection (Absolute deadline April 23, 2013)

a) Finish reverse appliquéing the geese to the background.

b) Mark where the red branches will be.

Week in Review 2013 - 02/08

This photo is the inspiration for my newest WIP - Reflection.
It was taken early in the winter when the lake that borders our
condo had frozen and then started to thaw. The canada geese
are standing on ice coated with a thin film of water. This photo
like and photos of my work are taken by my husband, Dana Eagles.

This week has felt like one step forward and two steps back. I did make progress, but much of the week was spent on experimenting, rejecting the experiments or only being able to take them so far because I needed supplies that I don't keep on hand.

Once again, my plans and what got accomplished diverged. Here is how it went:

1) Shore's Edge (Absolute deadline March 21, 2013)

Let the experimentation begin! Testing whether eyelash yarn
trapped in Angelina Fibers will make a good sea spray.

a) Finish the beading on the beach panel. - Done!

b) Start adding a scattering of beads to the foam and ocean to indicate bits of foam and spray. - Done, BUT I am thinking of removing them and starting over. I felt the foam was too static as pieced and the crystal and cream beads just didn't look like spray to me. So, what I decided to do was play with adding more movement and sparkle to the foam by using Angelina Fibers. It took multiple attempts of playing with the amount of fiber to use and what to entrap within the fibers before I was satisfied. I don't want to stitch the Angelina Fiber creation in place, because I don't want to add much more stitching to the area or have stitching show. I thought that by scattering beads across the Angelina Fiber spray this would secure and enhance it. It really doesn't do either well. So I am waiting for some Steam a Seam Lite to arrive so I can fuse the Angelina Fiber creation in place then add beads more as droplets than fasteners.

Calla Lilly is bound
and the sleeve added.

2) Pictorial Painting

a) Quilt the Calla Lily practice piece. - Done!

b) Bind it. - Done!

c) Make and attach the hanging sleeve and label - Half done. The sleeve is on, but I haven't created or stitched on a label.

Detail to show the quilting used.

3) Express Your Love

The "Boomerang" rays are the two that run from lower
left to upper right. One Concentric Circle ray starts at the
Goddess's neck and its partner faces it.

a) Finish the final ray I plan to quilt using the Boomerang stitch. - Done!

A closer look in order to better see the quilting.

b) Do whatever assignment Leah comes up with next. - Done! The assignment was an old design updated called Concentric Circles. I had lots of fun with this one.

4) Reflection (Absolute deadline April 23, 2013)

a) Determine how to best add the geese to the quilt. - Started experimenting, but still am pretty clueless about how I should proceed. For now I am just letting ideas percolate and testing this or that.

I selected a section of the image to play with.
Next I printed on fabric. Finally I enhanced the
image with paint, based on what I am learning
in the Pictorial Painting class.

b) Start adding the geese. - I may never add the geese to the original background. I am still at the playing phase.

With so much in flux this is how I see the week ending on Friday, February 15th shaping up:


1) Shore's Edge (Absolute deadline March 21, 2013)

a) Fuse the sea spray (Angelina Fiber creation) to the quilt.

b) Start adding a scattering of beads to the foam and ocean to indicate bits of foam and spray.

2) Pictorial Painting

a) Add the label to the Calla Lily piece.

b) Watch the introduction for the second and final project in the class.

c) Gather the materials together to begin the final project.

3) Express Your Love

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

4) Reflection (Absolute deadline April 23, 2013)

a) Continue to experiment with painting the geese.

b) Develop a way to incorporate the painted geese into an artwork that references but does not replicate the original photo that is its catalyst.

Tips, Techniques and Philosophy:

If you are curious to learn more about Angelina Fibers or just need a refresher course, this YouTube clip of Ellen Anne Eddy should get you started on your quest.