Friday, February 15, 2013

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.






4 comments:

  1. I love seeing your lists each week. It makes me want to organize myself as well. :)

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    1. Thank you, Kelly. It is helpful to have feedback such as yours. Let's me know I am on the right track.

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  2. I haven't tried to do this kind of list. For one thing I'm not a productive as a lot of other people are, so the list wouldn't be long enough. Second, I am playing, not working and a list wouldn't be as much fun as just winging it.

    But... Ah, yes. The big But. I really would like to be more productive. And maybe I need a list for that?

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    1. When I first started quilting in 1988 it never would have occurred to me to make a list. I wasn't even trying to be productive, except that I would select a project, such as making bed quilts for my children or a quilt for a wedding present and just go at it. I joined a guild a few years later and took classes that frequently left me with UFO's that got buried deeper and deeper in drawers and cabinets. As my passion for quilting grew I joined other groups - such as a critique group and SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) and now am a member of Fiber Revelation and Fiber Artists Coalition. All these groups, including Wisconsin Visual Artists provide me with numerous exhibition opportunities that I would hate to miss out on. So, I am always to working to deadline for this or that opportunity. I love how these opportunities both stretch me creatively and force me to focus.

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