Here Comes The Sun

While we were enjoying a leisurely week at Lake Walcott State Park, I pulled out the sewing machine and worked on my latest art quilt project.  I prepared the backing and batting before we left on our adventure, and I cut some chunks of fabrics I thought would work.  This way I kept the amount of fabric to a minimum.  I decided I would have to use whatever I took with me, so there would be no excuse to buy more fabric at my favorite quilt shop.  My favorite quilt shop is The Gathering Place in Rupert.

I was outside, under the huge Cottonwood tree, pressing my sun rays, when the gal from the next RV came over to visit.  She had notice I was pressing fabric and came to chat about quilting.  She was from Twin Falls and also a quilter.  It is amazing how we can go here and there and not even know that some of the strangers around us are also quilters, birders, or what-have-you.  I did get my project about one-third quilted before we headed home, so there was not that much left after we got back.  This is not my first landscape, however, I have not done one in about twelve years.  I really like this one, because we sure need something cheery in our lives at this moment in U.S. History.

Indigo Dye Party!

My "Ladies Club" celebrated our long friendship, today, with an indigo dye party!  It was at E's house and the weather was perfect for the first day of summer.  Most of us were smart or lucky enough to have worn or brought a jacket or sweater.  It was sunny, but a tad breezy.  There are always a couple days like this in June, and we were lucky to have it fall on our dye party day, so it was not scorching hot for us gals.  C3 (E's grandson) showed off his knowledge of chickens and he introduced us to several, which we were fortunate to pet their heads and enjoy the vision of their lovely feathers. 

Of course, everyone brought white fabric except me.  I brought some of Virginia's detestable fabric and I shared with A and R, so mine is not the only ones without white.  If you click on the photo, it will enlarge so you can see the details, including but not limited to the amazing dye jobs on the not-white fabrics.

Here is some of the pieces sitting in the settle-down juice, before the final rinse.  (the terminology escapes me)

This is about my favorite one.  I pressed all my pieces after I got home, and I hung this one on my quilt studio wall.  Everyone made such lovely pieces!

I Have Quilted Alot of Things . . .

I have quilted a lot of things, but I never would have guessed I would quilt my own shoes.  I have!  S invited me to a class, at The Quilt Crossing, last weekend.  I finished those bad girls up today.  I used Tulla Pink fabric for the uppers, and more yellow fabric with colorful buttons for the tongues.  I put bias binding on, in HOT pink.  S had ordered a sweet box of multicolored eyelets, so we did not have to use bronze or silver on our amazingly colorful one-of-a-kind shoes.  I used several different colors of eyelets to bling up my shoes.  

I topped them off with artful Monet shoestrings, I purchased last Saturday, at an art consortium store in where the A&W Market used to be in the 1960s-70s.  I am not dating myself.  I thought they may be too long, but they are just right!  

Nothing says "amazing shoes" like bright yellow and hot pink with cats and buttons!

Thursday, I Dyed!

Virginia gave me three bolts of fabric she detested.  I gave one bolt to the Tuesday Quilters, who make donation quilts exclusively.  As each one came in, last Tuesday, they touched the fabric and said, "Oh, this is really pretty."  One woman's pretty is another woman's detestable.  They were thankful for the lovely detestable fabric.

Surging, surging, surging . . .

On Thursday, I cut the remaining two bolts into one-yard pieces and surged the raw edges.  Half of them, I washed, dried, pressed and folded.  The other half, I sprayed my bleach water on each piece before placing them in the wash.  They came out with a little less of the pinkish in them.  Photo above:  left is original fabric color; right is after a little bleach spray and wash.  

I held back a couple yards so I could experiment with over-dying.  Photo above:  left is the original color; right is after I dyed it with Rit Sunshine Orange dye.  I sat in the backyard stirring my brew like an old witch.  I like how it came out.  I dyed 1/2 yard.  I, also, want to try overdying with red Dy-na-flow to see how that comes out.  All that washing, drying, pressing, and folding, then stirring plumb wore me out.  I will further cut the one-yard pieces down to half yards, so I can give a half yard of original and a half yard of bleached to each of my Unruly Quilt Artists at our 'Dying Day", in June.  

Question:  How many yards were on the two remaining bolts?

Answer: Seven on one and eight on the other.  Fifteen total.

An Actual Regular Sized Quilt Is Completed!

I have not been making many regular sized quilts these days.  I have been absorbed in art quilting and, of course, helping "the girls" with their quilt projects.   Once again, I started doing some scrap-busting about a year ago and this thing occupied my design wall for many months before I finally carved out the time to finish it.

It was quilted by Virginia Gross of Crabapple Creek Quilts.  In April, I took A on the shop-hop, as she had never been.  She is now retired and has time to do many more things.  We went to Nyssa, to visit Country Corners Quilt Shop.  Naturally, I spied a very fine old barn to take a photo of.  I asked permission and it was granted!  This is my latest quilt photographed on a barn.  

I make and create and that is what makes me happy

Tuesday evening, I discovered that some people only make a quilt when they have a reason to make one for someone.  What?  I don’t need a reason to do what makes me happy.  Also, there are plenty of people in the world that need a quilt and don’t have one, so let’s make donation quilts! 

There are people who claim to be quilters, but they won’t join the group activity/challenge, because they say they don’t know what to do with the thing once it has been created.  I am trying to be understanding, so I want to think these people are afraid of something.  Are they afraid others will find out their skill level?  We are not here to judge; we just want to engage with others while stretching ourselves to learn something new.  When we do these activities, it is fifty percent social interaction and fifty percent challenging ourselves to look at someone's work then add to it in a complimentary way.  The thing I like about group challenges, where multiple sewers add to your project, is I have a piece of each of those sewers/quilters in my project.  I can hang it on my wall and think of these people when I see it.  That gives the thing value and purpose.

I Have Been Working on Quilts, But . . .

I have been working on quilts, but I have been having friends and art quilters come over and have creative days in my quilt studio.  When I do that, I don' get much accomplished myself.  My accomplishment is growing other quilters' skills.  That is something!

A just retired, so she has come over a couple times and we made tote bags, that are not your run-of-the-mill tote bags.  

I finished my bag last evening.  I had a handle/strap problem that set me back timewise, but I persevered and got it done.  I went through all my big buttons.  It was this amazing green thing or a black one.  I wanted something bright and this fits the bill.  

Quilt Studio Gets Carpet Cleaned!

What a chore!  Whoa!  I have so much fabric and stuff in my quilt room.  It was a lot of work to clear the floor, so the carpet could be cleaned.  It is so nice now, but I have to put all that stuff back; boxes, bins, and bags of fabric.  On a happy note, I hosted my art quilt group, Unruly Quilt Artists, in my studio this past Thursday.  We actually had enough space for eight bodies in there.  I took out one of my six-foot tables, so there was space for chairs!

Of course, I cleaned all that crap off my tables.  Then put those spiky plastic sheets back down that allow your chairs to roll on thick carpet.

Today, my Cloverdale Ladies Society came over and we made gratitude journals and did some much needed catching up!  To make these journals, there is an amazing YouTube video by Jeri Bellini, that can really help you use up some envelopes and other papers you may have laying or stashed about.  I like to repurpose some of my paper instead of tossing it all in the recycling.  Check out Jeri Bellini.

Note to self: don't skimp on the edges!

I made a zipper pouch bag today.  I used the Kawandi method, except to reduce bulk, I did not turn the edges to make a binding.  In fact, I did not take my fabrics clear to the edge, which was a mistake.  It caused me to have to trim my front and back, thus removing or obscuring part of the design, especially when I made the gussets.

This is the second side and not getting that green piece on the lower right, made me have to make a wider seam across the bottom.  Wah!

Photo of the front and back.  The gussets obscured that dark purple strip running across the bottom of the front part of the bag.  Oh, well.  It is just a zipper bag, and I know I am not supposed to point out my problems/happy little mistakes.

My finished Kawandi zipper bag looks pretty sweet!  I could have made it gussetless, but where is the fun in that?

This is the back of the bag, if there is such a thing.  For some reason I just love that gray with yellow polka-dot fabric (and of course, the little chicks!)

A Completed UFO!

This one has been on my list for six years.  My husband found the fabric for me six years ago.  The center fabric has little black cats messing with the goldfish bowl.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  Then busy-busy, procrastination, out-of-sight, etc. happened.  Then last year I actually did the rouching and got the top finished.

Then I stalled over how I was going to quilt it.  I typically quilt my own small quilts on my domestic machine.  I finally got the lead out and took it to my long-arm-quilter, who did an amazing job!  She quilted star fish, fish, and bubbles onto it.  This is a gift for a friend I have known since first grade. I now need to pay her a visit!   [click on the photo to enlarge]

Painting on Fabric with Acrylic

My quilt studio looks like it was hit by a tornado.  

I blame it on my friends who keep inspiring me to experiment with new and diverse things.  Besides continuing to use scraps to make art quilts, I have started making texture tags, stab books with found papers, and using acrylic paint to make my own fabric designs. I thought my acrylic paint days were pretty much over, except for painting the odd doll table or chair, so I was way down on my supply.  I had to go buy some acrylic paint, but it was well worth it. 

 

There is a tutorial on YouTube, by Deborah Boschert, that inspired my thorough attempt at painting on fabric with a paint roller and toilet paper tubes.  See her amazing video here, Rolling Paint On Fabric, and do get hooked!  

My crafty daughter is currently making tissue holders that can be hung in your car.  They are amazing!  She lives on the eastern side of the country.  She wants to make me my own custom Fiat tissue holder, so I was tasked with designing my own fabric.  I have sketched my Fiat before, but decided to do a new sketch, then I did another sketch based on the second sketch and took all the details out and made it much smaller.  It is small enough to cut out of sticky-backed craft foam and adhere to a toilet paper roll.

I measured around the roll and made a paper template to place my design on.  This way I know it fits before I stick it to the roll.  I am glad I put those dots at the top, because they became a reference for placing repeats on the fabric.

But of course, I practiced first with a different tp roll that I put a line design on, just to play and figure out the ins and outs of the process.

I used a cheap vinyl placemat, from the dollar store, to put my acrylic paint on.  I also, decided to use a little textile medium in the acrylic paint, so it will not wash out of the fabric after it is heat set with an iron.  I do not expect to wash any of my art quilts, but I may need to wash something like a bag that holds tissues.  Above is the photo of my first two pieces of printed fabric.  The one on the left is a solid blue, that I rolled the lines onto, in purple, then I stamped on it with a stamp I made from the same craft foam.  I just squeeze a little white paint into my purple.  It has my own custom "Fiat" design on it.  It is mounted on the end of a thread spool.  The fabric on the right, was my first try.  It is rolled over a pink fabric that has white swirls in it, but you would never know by looking at it.  I like how the paint gets paler as you roll. 

This is my final Fiat print.  I used orange acrylic paint, with textile medium in it, on white muslin.  I lifted the roller off after each section and applied more paint, then lined up the dots and rolled another section.  It took a little longer, but I love the somewhat consistent result.  My daughter has it now and she is making me the coolest thing for my car.  

Quilted Pillow Case

This is not a Kawandi.  It did use up some of my scraps, however.  I love how it looks, but I know when I wash it there will be threads galore.

This is one side of my pillow case.  It has a travel sized pillow form inside.  I started by measuring the width of the pillow and adding about 1/2", then I cut it from WOF, then lay the pillow on it and rolled it end-over-end to determine the length.  I left about five inches extra on one selvedge end, for the piece you tuck over the end of the pillow, once you put it in there.  Then I made a backing the same size, from the same fabric and I cut the batting about 6"shorter.  I sandwiched them and adhesive basted the layers, so they would not shift while I added all the raw-edged scraps on top while I quilted back and forth.

Then I surged around three sides.  This is what it looked like before I folded it to make the pillow case.

This photo shows the back side aka inside.  I just sewed down the two sides that have pins, and it was finished!  The selvedge edged flap will be on the inside, once it is turned right-side out.  SMILEY FACE!!

This is the other side of my pillow.  Once I got started sewing the quilting lines, with my walking foot, it went pretty fast.  All the pieces are raw edged.  Some have selvedge edges on them, some are flannel, some are batiks, but all are scraps, some from Jane's recent Hatchi quilt tutorial.  Just click on any photo to enlarge it.

Eyes of the World Shelf

I never imagined being alive in 2025.  It had always seemed so far off.  I am retired and have time to do many things I have always wanted to do.  I have recently discovered I have been making art quilts longer than I thought.  I love making quilts and trying new techniques.  I do not always have someone in mind when I make a quilt, so I keep it for me.  I have a lot of quilts. After a while it gets tricky to store them.  I decided I needed to make a special place to store my quilts.  The lion's share of my quilts have been stacked atop my arch top trunk, which was given me when my grandmother passed away in 1973.  Quilts are "heavy", even the doll quilts get heavy when you stack 70 in a pile.  

This cannot continue.  I took my friend, D-F, out to lunch in November and then we stopped in at "Eyes of the World" just to have a snoop around.  It turns out they were having a sale, due to the owners retiring.  All the fixtures were marked to be sold.  They had marvelous fixtures, and one massive metal curly one really called out to me, but I knew there was no way I could ever get it home.  So, I looked around and found a very sturdy, solid wood unit with adjustable shelves that was painted lavender and purple for the awesome price of $24.  I paid for it, and they put my name on it.  They said they would call me to come in get it just after the new year; after they closed.

Last Friday they called and said I could come on Monday.  We took the truck down and they loaded it in.  I was worried about how the two of us were going to get it into the house, down the hall, and into the master bedroom.  We did just fine with a very minimum of cursing.  I wiped the whole shelf down and replaced the shelves.  I spend the rest of the day, folding most of my large and medium quilts to fit on the 22" wide and 14" deep shelves.  I love how it smells like Eyes of the World.  

It has 36 quilts in it, with zero space for any kitty wanting to repose on any of them.  I could not find my bandana quilt, so after the shelf was full, I went on a hunt and located it in our walk-in closet with two other gianormous quilts.  I decided they could stay there.  I started a list of locations in our house and noting how many quilts were in each location (i.e., hall closet, my office, quilt studio wall, under the cutting table, etc.)  I have 184 quilts in my house, not counting a handful of small art quilts that I know are mixed in with the doll quilts.  The quilt that was on my design wall in my November 25 post (below), is with my long-arm quilter.  When I get it back, it will be #185 in my house.  That is a good name for a quilt.

My grandmother's trunk is a lot less stressed now.  It has 25 small quilts on it, mostly wall hangings/art quilts, and of course, the wonderful rug my quilting niece made for me.