Category Archives: and Brugundy

and Brugundy, Bias Bound, Mini's, Paper Quilts, Re Work, Rocks and Water, Uncategorized

Feb 16, 2012 Color

1 Comment

When I walked into the studio this morning before I turned on the light I looked at the pin wall.  Because the day is gray the light was not strong so the wall appeared in colors of darks, grays and tans.  Is this what a color blind person sees all the time I wondered?  I love color and it dose effect my life.  I am keenly aware of red this week for lots of reasons- Valentines day being a big part of that.Red and pink balloons  I was a hostess and  had to bring balloons  as table decorations to the luncheon on Tuesday.  Getting four of these clusters of balloons in the car was a challenge.  But the process made me smile all day long.  I have one cluster in the studio now and I am still grinning about the whole idea.    My husband gave me Red Roses for the holiday too.  They are another study in the wonders of red.    Color is a strong influence  on my life.Close up of Roses Color  is so very complex.  There are  labels like  tint, shade and hue. They are used to label feelings like” black moods”,  ” seeing red”, and “feeling blue”.  We all have our favorites and colors we dislike for various reasons.   Angela’s suggestion from the QEG’s meeting was that we study color, so I have purchased two books on that subject.( there are lots of them)   I intend to read do some exercises and see if I can build some additional color confidence.  In the mean time I will keep my eyes open and try to be more aware of the color that fills my world, being thankful that I see  them.

Progress Report:       Biases Bound Adventure Challenge #1      18″X22″

Full quilt ,red black and biasis strip cirlcleing across the surface
Biases Bound

Biases Bound is now done. Those biases strips sure started a lot of different projects and I learned a lot about  color using them too.    I am still enjoying the process and  plan to try to work again with solid fabric strips on the next one.red backgrounf with the strips crossingYou can see from the close up how complex the strips were and understand why they frustrated me a bit.  I do like the way they look however.  As you can see I have added the size to the title section of the blog.  I am not sure if this is were it will remain- but I feel it is and important bit of information about the quilt.  I also am trying to find a standard  small item to add to my close ups so the viewer will get a sense of scale there as well.  A postage stamp perhaps……

 

 

 

Paper Quilt – Rocks and Water      13.5″X22″

Paper quitl in blue, white, purple with wholes and cuts
Rocks and Water

I am quite happy with how this quilt finally resolved its self.  My wanting the “river” like cuts to be uneven did not make it an easy process however.  I like the use of the purple ribbon in the back as it adds  to the depth of water feel I was after here too.    The process is still a challenge to me so I will keep working in this fashion for at least a few more pieces.    I can see so many ways to keep adding and playing with  this concept- adding buttons or beads on top. More fabric and how about paper from other sources?    Fun in the future. Close up of quilt showing openings

Black White and Burgundy     18″X 24″.         I am trying new ideas for presentation of my work.   Some where I read about mounting art quilts on canvas.  I do not remember where I read this or the exact method the author was pushing so I had to try my own thing.   I just stitched  the work to the surface- only at the top this time.

Colors in the title with silver and red beads added as accents
Black, White and Burgundy

This quilt  grew out of the Adventure Challenge . I made this background for the biases work and it is strong- but far too much action for the biases strips.  I like  the color balance here.  The mounting process  does  shows off the quilting well. I like the way the  beads show up here as well.close up of silver and red beads

I am learning that I must really keep myself in check when I am building a small back because I get into the design process so much this type of thing happens.  The work that I referred to at the beginning of the blog is one where I have let that happen.    Over doing is so easy for me.

 

Mini Series   I have lots of old quilts.  Some I am reworking like ” The Moon She Called Me” ( Feb 2 posting), but  after talking with my friends Barbara and Beth at there studio a few weeks ago-  they  suggested I look at some of the older work and try to make them into smaller units.   Here is my attempt.Cream background with black and red machine appliques   This quilt- Juggling a Friendship  was 38″X44″ and it was created in 1994.  Now I feel there is just too much happening in this work so  seeing it is a prim candidate for the cut up.  I made a frame with a 5″X7″ opening and moved it around on the surface until I found an area I though was pleasing.      Then  I pulled up my courage and  cut……..Close up of the quilt with the matted area   I kept moving around the surface until I ended up with  a dozen little works that are about 7″X9″.  That size because then I can  put them easily in standard  matts and frames.    I then zigzagged around the raw edges  to stabilize them.Quilt with cuts showing and the matt in place for the next one  I discovered that the edges would not warp as much if I put paper under the edges.    The picture shows the pile of mini’s with the  paper bound pieces in the top.  It is going well I think and I am happy with the little works.      Now I am off to do the framing and the glass. one in frame, one with edgue zig -zagged, paper on the back piecesI hate to admit that the pile of scraps is calling up a new idea  too……..

I hope you are all being creative and enjoying the wonders of the season.  Have a productive week.

Hugs

Carol

Adventure Challenge 2012, and Brugundy, Black, DMC Challenge, Limber Loss, Paper Quilts, Re Work, Slight Slip, White

Jan 26, 2012 Power

This morning I blew a fuse and lost the power in the studio.  What a way to make one come to a halt.   As I sat in the pale light that came through my bay window on this gray day, I was suddenly aware of how much I depend on this magical stuff we call electricity.   I was in the middle of sewing a seam so the stop really make me take notice.   How many items were on before it happened I asked myself?  The sewing machine of course, the two Ott lights on the desk, the two power bars of three lights that are over head, the iron, the two spot lights from taking pictures for the blog, the extra heat unit in the studio, and the light in the laundry room downstairs is also on this line.    And did I leave the light on in the closet when I went for fabric, I wondered?   That is a  high demand,  I thought, and some of that is unnecessary as well as a bit lazy on my part.  So I went around the room and turned off things- including the sewing machine as I like to always use the switch to start it, and went down to the basement to throw the fuse in the box.  In the process I discovered that the light  for the area leading to  the fuse box is also on that circuit and it was on because that leads to the laundry too.    I do not think that I have more items then most folks, but I do think I need to be more mindful of what I am using.  If the problem had been caused by a source that I could not fix my day would have really been stopped.   So with that in mind I will try to use power carefully, remembering to turn things off when not in use  and keep in mind what are  the consequences of its loss.  Electricity is a powerful material that one can easily take for granted until it is taken away.  So to keep the magic of Electricity in my studio I will be a better steward of its use.

 Progress  Report

DMC Challenge- Limber Loss and Slight Slip

I finished up Limber Loss this week.  I still need to do the pressing, but I am happy with the look. It continues the theme that was started with Amended Squares.

I like the way the units all work together here.  In the detail one can see the metal additions. They are the units off the bottom of candles that allow the candle to float.  In this case I trimmed off the points that stick into the wax.  You can also see the close alignment of the bugle beads to create the circle

Detail

 

Slit Slip is coming along nicely too.  I have completed the quilting and I am almost done with the facings.( you can see the last ones on the bottom.   I plan to use beads between the two units to connect them and create one big irruglar shape with it.

  
Slit Slip

 

Re Work – The Moon She Called Me

I have given lots of works away this year as a part of  my Project Divest , but there are some works that I am finding in that process that need a bit of  sprucing up.  So I have saved them to do just that.  This old piece has been hanging on the back of the door for mouths.  I decided to  add a moon to the surface of the work and add some additional quilting.   Here is were I am sorry to say that I have not taken enough photos so the progress is not documented.   I am still learning.  I made several moons and they have been rejected-Too small, too transparent, too busy and finally I created on that I was happy with.  This Moon is water marked satin with  dark fabric underneath and lots of free motion quilting on top.

The Moon She called Me

Adventure Challenge-  Black,White, and Burgundy

This is another case were the the act of creating go away from me.  I was having such a good time crating a background that it got far too complex. When I realized this I just kept going, but it will have to end in a different fashion as I do not want to use the bias strips on this surface, there is far too much action for that to work.  I am still using the three colors  that I had selected last week.

Black, White and Burgundy

Adventure Challenge- Bias Bound

This is the top I will apply the bias strips too.  It is much quieter and I hope I can make it work.   The same three colors are still in use.  I an thinking that I will cut it down a bit too.  But I must make the visual decisions visually.

Bias Bound

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paper Quilt

I had started this paper quilt last week.  I think I am going to call it Crannies.   But I still need to think on this title.  At the moment it is cut and there are a few openings.  This is and in progress piece.

Crannies- in progress

 

 

 

I have lots of options for this at this point and I am still running them around in my mind and on the pin wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I plan to spend a lot of time in the studio this week and hopefully make progress on many fronts.  I hope to  get the post from  the 5th of Jan fixed this week too.  Every entry gives me more confidence and helps me do a better job I think.  There is still a long way to go- but each mistake is a part of the growth process.

Keep Creating

Hugs

Carol