In Like a Polar Bear

Even the hardiest Canadians are getting rather tired of this prolonged winter.  Here in Central Alberta the snow fell November 2 and has never left.  We had some last night, as a matter of fact -- a small amount, but enough to add insult to injury.

Add to that the fact that my kitchen taps haven't functioned since Friday (frozen pipes), and I've begun to wonder if we've been transported to Narnia, and just didn't know it -- you know, where it was always Winter and never Christmas....

Blessedly, the bathroom's appliances all still work (!), as does my furnace, and my sewdio is in my home (the largest of the three bedrooms), so I've been cozily working away.

Today I assembled the third in my current Block of the Month kitted top:

Four by Four BOM - Block 3: "Handy Andy"

Rather handsome, eh?  The pattern is in black and white, but even so, it appeared from the drawing that the red half-square triangles were intended to go around the red centre block.  However, if I were to make another, I'd think about putting the red ones in the four corners...because that plaid print is so red...it all seems a very large 'bull's eye' right in the middle!

I also put together a random green nine-patch (like the ones in the background I made earlier) and tested out two techniques for the roses I want to use to adorn the surface.

Upper left: cut-back applique version; lower right: fused applique version (rough edge, before stitching).

From a distance, as in the above shot, both look rather well against the green.  Closer up...can you guess my preference?  (I used the same fabrics for each sample technique.)

Yes...the fused applique -- for these reasons:

1. It uses less fabric than the cut-back technique;
2. It takes less time than the cut-back technique;
3. It creates less bulk in the quilt top than the cut-back technique.

The cut-back would work fine if I were doing a small piece with a few rose motifs on a smooth background.  The fact that the background is a pieced grid adds seams to the mix...making it tougher to stitch and to cut away, and adding to the bulk.  The grid concept is essential to this piece though -- based on Rennie Macintosh's work -- so... there you have it!

The rest of this week is tied up with a variety of things outside the house...so it will be next week before I get to work on this piece in earnest.  Still and all, I'm thankful that some decisions have been made about how to go forward, and I appreciate your kind support and encouragement, Gentle Readers!

Have a great week and...stay warm!

On and Off My Wall

Okay..so I've borrowed from the title of a column I've been trying to kick-start over at the SAQA Western Canada blog...

But it's an accurate description of what's been going on 'round here the past few days.  I've been working steadily, and have some things on and some things off my (design) wall to show for it.  :-)

First off, I'm really pleased at how my painted version of "A Walk in the Woods" turned out:

Winter Woods (C) 2014 - 11.5" W x 15.5" L

Winter Woods -Detail (C) 2014

Then there's MOB...which has been kept up for the third month in a row.  It's time to rotate more of the 'marks'...Intentionality is the key.

And...the piece on roses (specifically, the Glasgow Rose) is at last being translated into fabric.  I've begun by piecing the background in a subtle 9-patch grid, in keeping with Charles Rennie Mackintosh's fondness for squares and trellises.  For this, I've used a combination of my own hand-dyed fabric and some commercial fabric, all cotton:

Each block is 9 1/2" square, which means the background should finish at 27" square -- before shrinkage for quilting.  The next step?  Make a 'mock  block' to sample the cut-away applique I want to use for the roses. 'Tis far, far better to take the time to sample, rather than ruin an entire background with a misplaced idea.  This sentiment, coming from someone who, when she knits, almost never makes a 'swatch', gives you an idea of how dear this project is to my heart!

This evening I'm going to relax with my knitting and some jazz on CBC 2...but for now I'll direct you to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Friday", the perfect antidote to a Wind Chill Warning!  :-)

Winter School Continues...

Photo courtesy of
the CRM Society and the
Glasgow School of Art.

In my last post, I promised an update from "Winter School".  Recent study hasn't involved a class, though.  Rather, I've been working through books on Charles Rennie Mackintosh for the piece on roses I'm preparing (scroll down).  There are two motifs he favoured that I want to refer to for my work: the Glasgow Rose, which I already mentioned, and the idea of squares/grids/lattices.

To wit, I've been exploring ways to create grids, including surface design, and the work of Beryl Taylor -- specifically her diamond grid hanging shown in Mixed Media Explorations (QuiltingArts, LLC, 2006).  This is a step out on a limb for me, as I far and away favour working with fabric over paper and glue...but in the course of this work, I decided to go ahead and try a couple of samples.

I began by making what Ms. Taylor calls "fabric paper", with a piece of muslin, basic white glue, and assorted paper and tissues:

Paper fabric hanging to dry

Once it was dry, I cut it up and made this sample:

Paper fabric grid mounted on felt-backed silk
with stencil ready for paint

What I did was this:  I had an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of acrylic felt which I covered with a piece of thin silk fabric from a bag of scraps recently given me by my friend C (from her friend, G in Calgary).  I then cut a piece of the fabric paper, and stitched it down over the silk piece.  I further stitched a grid of rectangles over the whole thing, and cut out every other one to make the grid...but left space at the bottom because I wanted to test out the layout and impact of a Glasgow Rose motif stencil.  I did the stencil in gold -- it turned out rather well -- and mounted the entire thing onto a larger piece of the fabric paper, stitching it down by hand all the way around on the pink silk.  (Sorry, no photo taken.  Later -- I promise!)

The upshot of all this was that while I liked the effect, I don't want to work with fabric paper in a large size.  It's messy to make, and -- more importantly -- too stiff for what I want to do.  However, it gave me a sense of what the work could look like if I combined a grid and the rose motif, and I learned something new in the process.  Oh...and I have one more grid sample to make from the left-over material (again -- photo to come; I promise!)

Meanwhile, back in the woods... I made up a large version of "A Walk in the Woods" that needs to be quilted for my 15 x 15 "Contrast" theme, and then I thought about interpreting it on blue background, like this photo:

Yesterday, I dug out some of my own hand-dyed blue fabric, a closely woven cotton, that would be tough to use as sky because it had some 'spots' on it that were very uneven.  I thought about how to paint it, and decided to use freezer paper to create a mask.  Here's what it looked like partially painted:

It's clipped to a piece of foam core for stability, and sitting on the counter in my south-facing sunny back room, but you get the idea.

So...as of today, two pieces are ready for quilting, and a third is on the wall in a life-sized mock-up of paper and plastic film:

(L) Mock-up of "Homage to CRM" (working title)
and (R) painted "A Walk in the Woods II"

Anything else?

• The Japanese Taupe Quilt design is making slow progress: the medallion centre block has half the applique finished;
• And the traditional medallion quilt from the door prize I won a few years back looks like this:

• Pattern: "Carpenter's Star" -- technique designed by Debbie Maddy of Calico Carriage.  The kit contained all the fabric for the top, and the pattern for a 70" square finished piece.  I've gone back to my Craftsy class with Ann Petersen - "Quilting Large Quilts on a Small Machine" -- and will be doing this with her advice and guidance.  There are 4 borders to add; all but the outermost are very narrow.  She's given me some great options for quilting the central motif and then adding borders in such a way that there's not too much bulk in the seams.  That said, I don't have enough batting to do such a large piece, so it will have to wait for now.
• Knitting?  Yes...as always!  
• DD's "Elm" socks continue: #2 is cast on, and I've made my way past the ribbing, past Chart A and into Chart B.  Much easier the second time around, now that all the pattern adjustments have been made and all I have to do is follow my notes.  :-)  
• As a respite from all the brown...I started a quick scarf from stash 'novelty' yarns -- Berroco 'Cliche Colors' and Katia 'Flash', a ribbon yarn in hot pink (both discontinued, I believe):

I recommend this book for those of you who aren't into designing your own knits, and/or are looking for colourful inspiration -- especially for what to do with those fun and funky yarns you might still have in your stash and which are making a bit of a come-back these days.  It's Scarves and Shawls for Yarn Lovers: Knitting with Simple Patterns and Amazing Yarns by Carri Hammett, Creative Publishing International, 2006.  Mine is the hard-cover version, which has a spiral-bound spine so it lies flat when opened -- always a plus!

Now...off to quilt!  But before I go, I'm linking up with WIP Wednesday on The Needle and Thread Network -- because clearly, this week, I've got WIPs!

Headway (I Think)

My head is still buzzing, and I'm fairly vibrating with energy these days -- so much so, in fact, that I hardly slept a wink Friday night.  Last night I managed to crawl into bed early and catch up, so I know I can function today without falling over.  :-)

Speaking of catching up...

This blogging business takes time (especially the downloading, sorting and filing of photos) but I do like to do it at least twice a week so that the posts don't become too long and thus...BO-ring.

Last post, I'd torn apart "Lost in the Woods".  Turns out, reworking the sky and the roof of the cabin might just not be enough.  Presently thinking about banishing it entirely from the repertoire!

Thank you all for your encouraging and flattering comments about "A Walk in the Woods".  I have plans for another couple in slightly larger sizes.  I have a limited amount of the hand-dyed blue (did that myself last year) so I thought I'd dye some more.  I put aside two bags for the low-water-immersion treatment.  The dye was...well, not that fresh...and though I'd properly prepped the fabric it didn't turn out as dark as I'd have liked.  Great sky material, but not for the shadows of trees.  NOTE: the top fabric in the stack (right-hand photo) was unbleached muslin, which, I realized in afterthought, had not been pre-washed before I prepped it in a soda ash bath;  the back fabric was a synthetic which I wasn't expecting to hold the colour.  Just thought I'd throw it in to use up the dye.  :-)

"Enough", I thought; I had a full 'customer card' from Caroline's Homespun Seasons in Stettler, and I needed to pick up the cover for my old Husqvarna 225 (RIP), which cannot be repaired (can't get the part any more; it's all of 20 years old.), and I had to stop in to the Cabinet of Curiosities to get more mats for my miniatures.  So...before the next deep freeze set in (forecast for tomorrow), I drove up to Stettler yesterday.  It was a lovely diversion from all I have to do here.  Got the fabric, got some more muslin and some white combed cotton for more dyeing (later).  Got the mats -- and discovered that at the end of January, the gallery had sold the first one of the five minis I left with it last spring: "Prairie Twilight II", which is currently the masthead of this blog.  Yes...a lovely diversion indeed.

In my snow-dyeing this week (we had a squall on Wednesday, that left at least 6" of fresh powder), I did better than I've ever done before.  I have only Becky of the "Solar Threads" blog to thank for this.  She's been posting about her recent adventures in snow dyeing, and in one message, she happened to mention that she placed her fabric, snow and dye layers on a rack in/over the basin she was using.  I happened to have had troubles with melted snow/dye pooling at the bottom of my basin; as soon as I read about the rack I knew I'd have to try it.

Pima cotton, Kona cotton & some muslin
damp (from soda ash) & piled on a rack

You can just see the rack peeking out from under the fabric in the above photo.  As I've been preparing to work with red roses, I decided to use scarlet and fuchsia dye powders on the snow:

Just look at the results!  I'm over the moon!

Small, short piece of muslin

A long, narrow piece; the photo is really 3 shots stitched together

Either Pima or Kona cotton (1st piece)

Either Pima or Kona cotton (2nd piece)

I was so excited that although it was very late in the afternoon, I went out again and gathered snow for a blue batch.  The only fabric I had to hand was some silk habotai, so I plunked it in the soda ash bath for 1/2 hour and then set it up:

I thought I'd add a touch of yellow here and there for a floral centre or hint of leaf...whatever turned out.  Again, over the moon!  The silk just glows.  Think this calls for small pieces, hand stitched...

I have a few other adventures to write about...but this post is long enough and I have studio work to do.  Stay tuned for another report from "Winter School".  :-)

Linking up to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday...because I still can.  Adios for now...

Buzzing

Quite a bit going on here in the sewdio this week.  Having submitted my application for a booth in Lacombe, I've been putting together pieces...some of which, truth be told, began as samples for larger items.  Here's the run-down:

1. She's Come Undone:

I didn't like the quilting on "the tree piece" that I did in Pamela's class.  Specifically, I didn't like the quilting in the sky section.  Oh, it looked alright from the front, but the threads weren't "playing nice" on the back.  I also didn't like the fact that the roof of the building lined up with the 'horizon'.  Something needs to be done about that -- likely adding to the roof so that it covers the horizon line!  The piece remains (for now) in a state of "undone-ness" -- but at least I've given it a "proper" title: "Lost in the Woods":

Sky undone -- with bowl of threads to prove it!

2. Still Considering Contrast:

Remember how I was hoping my class with Pamela ("About Contrast") would give me something to use for our current 15 x 15 theme, "Contrast"?  Well...the best laid plans (as Robbie Burns would say)...

But I'm not one to last long without ideas.  The lovely sunny weather has brought forth beautiful shadows against the snow:

From my front window

One of my favorite walks

I'm thinking about the blue-on-white...and came up with this sample today:

A Walk in the Woods  (C) 2014

Of course, there are some folks who'd rather view it this way:

A Walk in the Woods (C) 2014

Either way, it's 9.5" x 6.5" matted to 15" x 12" (or the other way 'round!).


3. The Glasgow Rose:

CRM, circa 1893

One Example
of the Glasgow Rose

Made famous by Charles Rennie MacIntosh (McIntosh), the Glasgow Rose has long been a favourite motif of mine, and one I've wanted to use in a piece.  Turns out that a special exhibit of the International Quilt Festival (Portland) is featuring roses this year...so my mind is in a whirl.  At a minimum size of 25" square -- large for me -- well, let's just say, if it gets finished and entered on time, it does.  And if it doesn't?  'Twill be a learning experience.

For now, I'm sampling:

Freezer Paper Stencil
in Sketchbook

Freezer Paper Removed

Stencil, Stamps and Spray

A Bouquet Overlaid on a Water-colour Background

The 'grid' or squares and lattices, was an other of the well-known MacIntosh motifs.  I'm pondering using the grid mainly as a quilting design...but perhaps with some cut-back applique judiciously placed...

Playing w/ Grids
Using Bleach and Coloured Marker

4. A Thing of Beauty:

And at last, on the knitting front, the first sock of the latest pair of socks for my daughter is finished!!  It'a a bit big for me (her feet are longer than mine) but you get the idea.  I'm very pleased with how it's turned out.  Pattern:  "Elm" by Cookie A. from Clara Parkes' The Knitter's Book of Socks.  Yarn: "Twig" from Madelinetosh Sock.

Hooking up now to WIP Wednesday on The Needle and Thread Network...because I might just be too busy tomorrow!  :-)

Four for Four

A week ago, Gentle Readers, I invited you to comment on your 'Special Place' wherein you can "simplify experience and bring forth what you are and what you  might be", to quote Joseph Campbell.  I had two books and two magazines to share with the first four respondents.

It's four for four!  elle identified her blog as her 'Special Place';  for Jenny, it's in a plane -- a place that took her by surprise.  Wil's place is her studio and Judy's, out in nature, be it near water or in the mountains but always, she adds, where it's quiet.  Ah.... she'd love it here in my wee hamlet!

And so...if these ladies will e-mail me their mailing addresses, I will send off their treats this week.  To heighten the mystery, I'm not going to reveal to whom which book will go...you'll just have to wait till your parcel arrives!

NOTE: please send the information to me either by Facebook private message or to margblankATxplornetDOTca.  :-)

Happy Sunday!

Sunrise, Mirror, Alberta, Canada - September 2011

The Stack

It's all about facings, labels and sleeves in my sewdio today.  I've finished several pieces and have to get two ready to send off to that exhibit in France I mentioned.

The Stack

I like to use a 'pillow-case' facing when I have enough fabric, preferably to match the backing.  You can see that I'm not particular about what I use for backing -- I have yards of that brown-and-white print.  It was given me some years ago in a bag of fabric someone didn't want.  If I don't have enough fabric for a pillow-case facing, I will make one out of strips instead -- generally without mitred corners.  Life's too short to fuss with mitering!!

The top piece you see there is "Big Sky Country", and right underneath that is "Rural Rhythms".  The third piece down (see that bit of blue sticking out?) is one I set aside several months ago because I was having trouble with it.  I didn't like the way the ribbon I was using seemed to pouch out.  I removed the ribbon, densely free-motion stitched the underlying quilt -- and put it away.  I'd dyed more ribbon, but was still worried about how it would lie on the top.

Sunday, I decided "Enough is ENOUGH!" and I dug the piece out.  I worked on it most of the day; after adding the ribbon, I went back into the trees and the bush on the lower right with a bit of paint and pen to add some texture.  Here's what it looks like now, facing applied and waiting for a label so I can finish the back:

Waiting for the Train (C) 2014

Detail - water and rushes

Detail - truck and rushes

I accented the ribbon with a bit of tapestry yarn.  Then, in addition to having 'firmed up' the underlying quilt with dense stitching, I applied a very light dusting of Bo-Nash bonding powder on them and pressed the heck out of them.  They still have texture but they lie flat and don't 'pouch out' from the surface.  I'm happy with it at last!  (For the original inspirational photo, click HERE.)

And one thing actually got finished yesterday:

"Little Sheep" Pin Pillow

Design: One of the "Little Sheep Virtues" from Little House Needleworks. Size: 6" square before stuffing. Stuffed with 100% wool batting from stash.  :-)

'Scuse me now...I have some backings to finish!