Friday Finishes...

On a Monday.

In preparation for my trip to Portland (Oregon) for the SAQA conference, I had to Get Stuff Done!

So...in the past few days I not only finished the EB assignment, but also the wedding shawl, my 12" square donation to the 2015 SAQA Benefit Auction and...my April Socks from Stash Challenge socks!

With EB's and the Auction piece finished, I could return my back-up-to-my-back-up sewing machine to its rightful owner.  My Lily 555 is fixed -- it was "just" the timing -- and I'll run in to Red Deer and pick it up after I get home...in time for EB's May assignment!

April Socks from Stash Challenge
Pattern: "Show-off Stranded Socks" by Anne Campbell
Yarn: Spirit Trail Fiberworks Colour #414 (discontinued)

Socks in the tree on the edge of the Outdoor Studio this afternoon.  Look, Ma! No more snow!

Yellow Tree (C) 2015
Inspired by "Daddy Played the Banjo",
a Bluegrass song written by
Steve Martin and Gary Scruggs
2015 SAQA Benefit Auction starts online Sept. 18.

Oh...and the dishes, laundry, garbage disposal, dead tree branch trimming and vacuuming are done too.   Can't have C, my Pookie-cat sitter, think I'm a total slob, eh?  ;-)

See you next week.  Have a great one!

*****************************

What?  You want to know what EB said about the minis?

I blush to quote:

Student 2 made two little miniatures out of her 'new' set of colors.  Lovely delicate color scheme -- all the colors go together beautifully and make the scene fee very peaceful and coherent.  Also very attractive...in real life sometimes you have to squint and imagine very hard to see such nice colors!!  But the artist's eye...and mind...can always create them.  Very nice!!

I'm sure you can see the flush of delight in my cheeks from where you sit.  If I didn't respect EB's ability to evaluate objectively...I'd be asking, "Are you sure?!"  Even more pleasing to me is an appreciation of the "pretty" and the value of creating peaceful landscapes in an age when so very often those qualities in a given work are no longer considered "art".

Sew Day

I couldn't face calling today what it is: a snow day...but that's what it is.  I was due to go out to the library in the next village (Alix) to pick up a book I'd requested, and to go on from there into Lacombe for a bridal shower at the church.

Yes...that bride.  Blessedly, I took photos of the finished piece outdoors yesterday:

I also got a shot of my forsythia in full bloom for the first time since I pruned it back a few years ago:

This is what my back garden -- and Outdoor Studio -- look like this morning.  You can see the slumping cotoneaster in the background...and the forsythia is behind that...

It could be worse.  My next-door neighbour's large front yard tree has lost a big branch -- currently hanging by a thread at the trunk of the tree, and spread out over the public sidewalk.

It could be even worse...thinking of those poor people in Nepal in the aftermath of this morning's earthquake...So much pain, loss and challenging days ahead, sorting and sifting, and trying to adjust to life again...

On a cheerier note, I "finished" my two miniatures in the 'colour' theme for this month's EBMC -- at least for the moment.  I'm out of Framer's Tape -- it's now on order from the gallery that cuts my mats and shows some of my work -- so the photos below were taken with the pieces lying flat, and the mats simply placed on top.  It's interesting how the colour of the mat influences each piece:

Sunset by the Slough I (C) 2015

Sunset by the Slough II (C) 2015

As I explained to EB, I'm not entirely satisfied with these.  I played with the fence in the first one -- moving it from left to right and back again, trying 5 posts and settling on three as in the original.   As for the second, it seems as if perhaps there should be some texture added to the foreground by way of seed stitch.  I may go back into both of these before I call them truly finished.  EB's feedback will undoubtedly help!

Given that I'm not going anywhere today, I'll finish stitching down the facing on "Yellow Tree"  -- my piece for the 2015 SAQA Benefit Auction -- and attach the sleeve, and then see how far I can get on the gusset and heel of the second sock for this month's Socks from Stash challenge which -- ideally -- will also be finished before I leave for Portland on Wednesday!

As I stitch, I'll be reading through the link-up at Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday.

But first...time to dig the shovel out of the back shed, and get the heavy snow off my cedar and junipers!

EBMC April - Seduced by Colour, Part III

I sent my blocked "quilts" to EB about half an hour ago.  In my e-mail I told her...

Given all that's going on this month -- including assorted deadlines, sewing machine repair, and leaving for the SAQA Conference in Portland on the 29th -- I thought I'd try killing 2 birds with one stone.

A bit of back story:

In 2013 I made my first "miniature" -- a 5" x 7" piece matted to 8" x 10" for a benefit auction at the SAQA 2013 Conference in Santa Fe.  I discovered I really liked making these tiny pieces, and since then have finished several dozen.  Many have sold and I have about 2 dozen out in 3 small Central Alberta galleries.

One of those galleries recently sold 3 and wants replacements.  I promised the owner, "after Easter".  Here it is...A.E....and they're more than past due!

I decided to take my selected colour palette for this month to make a couple of the minis.  

I started with a different inspirational photo, because I can't get the notion of a sunset out of my mind:

Sunset...somewhere in Mirror, Alberta, Canada

Then I laid out a background...and tried on a couple of alternatives (because, remember, I have to make more than one mini for the shop in question)...

Sample #1 for "Sunset by the Slough"...
Remember the fence?

Sample #2 for "Sunset by the Slough"...

Reminiscent of...

Red Shed (C) 2013 (sold)

I closed by admitting to Elizabeth that taking a scene like "Red Shed" and tweaking the colours so they admittedly border on the unrealistic was definitely outside my Comfort Zone.

And yet...

And yet...

Reading my friend elle's guest blog post today over on "And Then We Set It on Fire", I know in my gut that there's a larger piece -- in that 'wilder' palette, in a very abstract form -- just clamouring to be created.

Now that I've hived off enough fabric for those minis, maybe I'll see what I can do...

But first a walk, some knitting, and a cuppa while visiting the others joining me over at Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  See you there?

EBMC April: Seduced by Colour - Part II

With my head clearing, I was finally able to get back to my first assignment in the EBMC for April...on the topic of colour.

We had to submit several images this month.

• A proposed colour scheme and it's inspirational source.
• I chose a watercolour collage done by my former watercolour/drawing teacher, Sharon Lynn Williams of Calgary.  I bought it at an art show/sale there about a decade ago (it's untitled):

• Here it is with the fabric I bought (see Part I).  

• From there we had to categorize our colour selection (this was really tough):
• Main colour: blue-green
• Secondary colour: peach
• Accent: red-brown
• Proposed neutrals: beige/tan (not shown)

• Sketches -- even tougher...
• First, a colouring of one of my sketches from the January project.  I wasn't satisfied with this; the watercolour pencils didn't do justice to the fabric colours or my idea.

• So...I made a new sketch -- watercolour only.  You can see the hint of the fence in the lower left corner.  I thought about putting it in...then tried to eliminate it...:

So...all have been sent off to EB, and await her feedback.

While I wait, I'm linking up with The Needle and Thread Network for WIP Wednesday.  Why don't you join me to see what other Canadian fabri-holics have been up to?  :-)