Still here

I don't want anyone to think I've been whisked away by the fabric fairies and taken to magic quilt land.  I'm still here.  I've been busy working on the last fair entry.  I did the portrait at the bottom of the picture first but have decided not to continue it.  The pattern got distorted when enlarging it and nothing is lining up right.  There simply wasn't enough time to start over. 

I decided to take a short cut and create another portrait pattern that I could get done much faster.  Instead of 6 fabrics and 6 sets of pattern pieces, I made the one at the top of the picture.  It has only one pattern for one fabric.  This one goes on the machine tomorrow and then I'll do the binding on all of them.  I got the tags in the mail today.... a reminder to "get em done"!  I'll get back to my regular quilting and blogging soon.

Fair quilt 2011

I finished the quilting on one of my fair entries for this year.  Does it look like things are floating?

Here's a close up of the quilting.

Another close up of some of the quilting.

And one more close up of some of the quilting.

It's supposed to appear as if everything is floating across the quilt.  There are "implied" circles which I really like.  Those are supposed to appear as if they are clear but still solid enough to cast a shadow.   The smaller circles made of fabric have only stitch in the ditch around them so that the batting makes them pop out just a bit and give them dimension.  The rectangles have what is supposed to be shadows to make them appear to be floating too.

What do you think?  Did I make it look like lots of floating things? 

I wish I could take credit for the technique.  A few weeks ago, while going through some quilting stuff to organize, I came across a sketch I had made of a quilt.  I made the sketch while watching an episode of Simply Quilts in 2005.  The guest that day was Colleen Wise and she was demonstrating how to create shadows on fabric. 

I used the shadowing technique on my fair entry that year and won best of show.  This is my fair entry quilt from 2005. 

Here's a close up of the unicorn.  See the shadow?

I remember spending several days at the fair just sitting and watching the people passing by my quilt.  Every one of them would stop in their tracks the moment they saw the unicorn.  Especially the children.  Several kids said the horse's eye was following them.  I got a kick out of that because the eye was nothing more than a piece of fabric.  I did nothing special to it, yet, the 3d effect of the rest of the quilt did make the eye appear to follow a person. 

Ok, I really must get off the computer and get busy on the next quilt.  I'm quilting my SILs fair quilt and then I'll start working on my second fair entry.  I'll square them up and do the binding all at the same time.

AWOL

Sorry to have been AWOL for so long.  I've been really busy working on a ME project but first here is a customer quilt finished.

A nice Christmas quilt done.  

Simple stitch in the ditch around the characters and the words.

Simple lines on the sashing.

Holly leaves on the inside border.

Lines inside the holly leaf applique.

Stars on the inside border and holly leaves on the outside border.

More holly leaves on the inside border.

Ok, this is what has kept me away from the computer the last few days.  It's my fair entry for this year.  The piecing is finished but I have another customer quilt to get finished before I can quilt this one. 

Along with this quilt I have two more to have finished in two weeks.  One hasn't been started yet.  It's another one of mine.  The other is my SIL's quilt she started a year ago and just finished piecing last week.

I'll share photos when I finish the quilting.

Another one done

 I have a finished quilt to show.  The owner wanted minimal quilting. 

I did line dancing on the pieced area and a kind of leaf design along the inside border.  The inside border itself didn't get any quilting. 

I did a similar leaf design on the outside border. 

Here's a look from the back.

I was taking a morning walk around my yard, picking up paper mushrooms, when I noticed my kale plants needed a haircut and the tomato plants needed tieing to the fence.   I did the tieing first then got my sissors. 

I got two grocery bags full of kale.  Some are for dinner and some will be put in the freezer.



It's really nice to be able to work on quilts of my own for a change.  I started a wall hanging as my fair entry this year.  These were some scraps I had and couldn't figure out what to do with them.  Now the pieces have a purpose. 

If I finish in time for the fair.... fine.  If I don't.... that's fine too.  I will simply have fun with the creation.  I'll show photos as I get more done.

Doing first portrait

I put the next quilt on the machine and then stabilized it.  Rather than start quilting it, I decided to play around with my first portrait quilt for a bit first.  I go to print out the patterns for final corrections before enlarging them to the size I want for my quilt.   CRAP!  The printer doesn't print right.  I print it again.  Nope, doesn't do any better.  I think maybe it's out of ink so I change both color and black cartridges.  CRAP!  Still doesn't print right.  I try a few more prints.  Still doesn't print right.  There's large missing spots on the patterns.  CRAP!  What do I do now?  I check everything I know to do to the printer but still can't make it print right. 

Well, I felt I just HAD to work with at least one portrait to see how it looks when done.  I've studied and studied for this.  My first finished portrait would be like the final exam to show I learned everything after all.  So I used the last set of correction patterns I had printed before the printer crapped out on me.  I knew the portrait pattern was much too small but it was something to work with.  Here's what I did.

This portrait is really small with very tiny pieces.  She's 5" x 7" and reversed from the way she should be.  I had planned on using the smaller detail pieces in the final pattern because I knew I wanted to make her into a large wall quilt.  Small pieces, when enlarged, give more detail.  I want to make her around 20" by 28".  Using the extra detail in a very small quilt like this doesn't work.  They look like tiny dots in the fabric instead of part of the portrait.  Those are very hard to cut out too.

I used browns, tans, and rust color fabrics to play.  Those would not be my fabric choices for a final quilt. 

That's all I can do with this one until I either figure out what's wrong with my printer or get a new one.  I'll start making the patterns for the other portrait quilts.  I'll do what I'm able to do on the computer, ready for the first printing, which would save a small bit of time.

This technique is exactly what I was looking for!  I'm so glad I finally got the chance to take the class.  If anyone is interested in learning to do portrait quilts check out Margaret's site.  Even if you don't plan to make portraits check out her site anyway.  She also makes and sells fun quilt patterns she calls puzzle quilts.   I often visit her site just to watch the video poetry or drool over her portrait quilts.

Portraits in fabric

I had some time for a ME project so I loaded this cheater panel on the machine yesterday.  It was given to me in a bunch of fabric a couple of years ago.  It's now ready to become a charity quilt for next Christmas. 

A simple feather around the outside.

Meandering stars in the background.

Color threads on the back.

This is the next quilt to go on the machine.  It will just barely fit and has several issues.  The most visual issue is the friendly borders.  You can see in the bottom of the photo that one side is larger than the other.  This is from not measuring and cutting the borders before putting them on.  I do so many quilts like this that it's no longer a problem.  It's just something I must work with carefully to make the quilt come out square.  When this one is finished I'm going to put it on my helpful hints blog as a step by step tutorial.  I already have one or two posts about friendly borders but one more won't hurt.

Anyone who has been reading my blog for a long while will know how much I want to be a portrait artist.  I don't really care if I ever, ever earn money from it.  I simply want to fulfill a lifelong dream of learning how to do people.  For me, art is more about the creation than about the selling.  Learning to do realistic people is on my bucket list.

  I've bought DVDs and taken classes but I still am not doing what I want to do.  I've written about my desire several times but I can't find those posts right now to make links.  I've taken classes at an art school but I wasn't able to continue.  It cost more than I could afford.

About four or five years ago I saw some portraits done with fabric.  Fantastic!  I wouldn't have to learn to draw people.  I could use the computer to help me create portraits using what I have in my stash.  I bought books of several different artists trying to learn the techniques.  I bought DVDs too but found both books and DVDs didn't teach what I needed to know.   

I bought photoshop element software and tried my best to learn it.  I have difficulty with comprehension and remembering.  I often have to do things backward just to learn.  I remember how things are done by repeatedly doing the steps over and over again.  When I stop doing those steps, I forget.  I buy DVDs so that when my memory fades I need only to rewatch them to remember.  With books I can go back and read again.

I took a class at a local fabric store to learn to do a portrait with fabric.  I had to leave before the class was over because I didn't want to be riding a bus home after dark in my neighborhood.  It was a class about using the fabric but not about creating the pattern.  I've long since forgotten what I did learn in that class. 

Then I found Margaret Bucklew of Chiseled in Cloth.  Check out her site.  She's fantastic!  Anyway, she had online classes.  I tried to sign up only to find out my computer couldn't handle the videos.  So I waited until I could get the right stuff for my computer and tried signing up again.  Oops!  Before I could click the "pay" button to confirm.... the empty class suddenly filled up.  A guild someplace had signed up as a group.  I was just seconds away from being in the class.  They clicked pay before I did.  So, I waited again.  Several months.  I tried signing up again and found it full once more.  I waited a few more months.  Next time I wanted to sign up, Margaret was taking a teaching break.  I waited a few more months. 

Well, I finally got signed up for a class yesterday.  It's only taken a little over three years.  What's great about Margaret's class is that she teaches how to create the pattern as well as use the fabric.  This is what I need to learn if I'm going to create grand kid portraits.  The class starts February 5th providing there are two more people to join the class.  If the class is not full she won't teach it.  I'm praying someone signs up because I'm not sure I will try again.  It may be something that will never happen and be time to let go of that dream.

What I'm worried about is.... will I be able to remember what I learn if I'm not able to create portraits regularly.  Will I have a problem remembering how to create the patterns a few weeks, months, or years from now?  As I said, I only remember how to do things by continually doing them over and over again.  I worry that problems such as dealing with my mother or a busy quilting schedule will prevent me from creating regular enough to remember the steps.  I keep asking Margaret if she will be selling the classes on DVD but so far she's not planning on it. 

I guess if I actually do forget the steps later; then, it would be the time finally to let go of that dream..... sigh.  

Even if you aren't interested in doing portraits or want to take a class please go check out Margaret's site.  She has free stuff for quilters and pantograph designs too.  She has really nice video poetry on her site.   The poetry will bring tears to your eyes and provoke you to deep thoughts.  I especially loved a video poem about old falling down barns. 

Ok, time to get started on that quilt.  It's going to take several days to finish it. 

Studio changes

I finished the other art quilt.  It had lots of straight lines on it too.  I'll post photos when I'm given permission to do it.

I had a couple of days for ME projects.  I looked around my studio and kept asking myself..... "If I'm supposed to be an artist, where is my art?"  I had all kinds of quilting gadgets hanging on the walls and I had ribbons hanging on the walls.... but no actual art.

So I pulled out a few of my art quilts to hang them.  This one is called "I love you too".

My absolute favorite one is this unicorn.  This one is never leaving me. 

After getting these hung up, I realized it won't work.  The sun shines on the wall and the quilts will be damaged.  The unicorn is on the design wall but I use the design wall all the time.  It would be a hassle to take it down and put it back up constantly.  Everything gets very dusty and I don't want dust on my quilts.  The art quilts have been packed away again until I find a way to hang them without sun damage or getting dusty. 

I thought about working on re organizing the studio and decided a good cleaning is necessary before any organizing.  The dust in there has gotten really out of hand and the floors needed to be mopped.  I'll think about options for hanging art and maybe come up with something eventually.  Hmm... maybe I should make some smaller pieces and frame them with protective glass?  It's an option as well as a really good excuse for creating more art.