Year-end Wrap Up

It has been such a busy year.  First, Lois and I started an art quilt group last January and they wanted me to teach them how to make Kawandi style quilts and confetti quilts, so that was the Feb and March meetings.  Then BBQ gave our group a place in their quilt show (last Sept), so we each made a 12" X 12" Artist Statement.  I have so much to say about me as an artist, I was thinking that 12" X 12" is awfully small.  But in June, I looked back at some techniques I used in the past and found a cut-layer project I completed back in January of 2011.  I decided I would use the cut-layer technique in my Artist Statement.  Then I scaled back my preliminary design and made it much simpler.  I used bright colors and lots of layered lettering, which Lois informed me is actually reverse applique.  My new process is a lot tighter and less messy than the one I did in 2011 (although I think it looks amazing).  I did another immediately after the Artist Statement, then used the cut-layers in several different projects.  I feel like I have found something that is really me.  I made thirteen Kawandi style quilts in 2024.  #1 I did in 2023. What I discovered after completing number 12, is I am finally beginning to understand it and have a better feeling about the process and what I am creating.  Out of the 14, the last four are my favorites.  

On my Dec 8 post, I have a photo of my #13 Kawandi.  I was conflicted about turning it into a tote bag.  I have gone and done it!  This photo is showing the front of the bag.  The photo below shows the other side.  I hand stitched two pockets inside, so I have a little bit of organization.  One I measured specifically to hold at least one rotary cutter.

I attended an art quilting class in May (Amy Carter) and learned about dying fabric and painting on fabric and using Misty Fuse.  I have been experimenting with this.  Two of my art quilts, I made specifically for 'calls for quilts' by Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA).  One I donated to their annual fund raiser auction.  The other I made specifically for the "Story Quilts" trunk show sponsored by the Idaho/Montana SAQA Region, which I belong to.  Doing these two art quilts helped me stretch and learn!  This year I made a total of 29 art quilts, 12 doll quilts, three regular quilts, and one regular quilt top that is at my long-arm quilters at this moment in time.  I designed and built an American Girl Dolls and Friends Quilt show that was showcased in the Home Arts Dept. of the Western Idaho Fair, last August.  I became well acquainted with banjo fabric and learned how to make fork pleats.  I made a wood table and chair for the quilt show and all the pipe and drape.  I spent wonderful hours, in my backyard, painting safety cones with spray paint and Dawn dish soap, while having my camera on a tripod, standing by, so I could take photos of hummingbirds visiting my multitude of Zinnias, none of which got entered in The Fair.  I also made two tote bags, two zippy bags, one Unruly Award, and a set of clothes for Raggedy Ann and Andy.  This was also, my third year of working in the Home Arts Dept. at the Fair for most of August.  Getting ready for the opening day is exhausting, so is taking it all down and getting it ready for pick-up by the entrants.  I have made some good friends working there.  I also continue to meet my cousin most Fridays to play violin with her.  It has been a busy, creative, and fun year!

Tiny Quilt

Last night, after we watched Scrooged, I found some odd pieces of fabric in my design book.  I decided to rearrange them and make a tiny quilt with them.  After I pieced them together, they were kind of wonky, so I left that as part of the quilt character.  I added a little embroidery at the bottom, then I found a piece of backing fabric that matched one of the half-square triangles.  In my embroidery/handwork bag, I found my tiny spool of tatting/crochet thread, that I bought at the Re-use Market.  I decided to use it to hand quilt the tiny quilt.  It went pretty quick, then I went to bed.  This morning, I turned the edges of the backing toward the front to create my cheaty binding, which I whip-stitched into place. Ta-da!  All finished in a few hours.  

It measures 4.5" X 5.5".  This could be something I could do to get rid of all the little half-square triangle blocks I have.  Isn't it wonderful?  Have a merry Christmas!

Christmas Kawandi!

Greetings and Merry Christmas!  I have been on a Kawandi journey this year.  I have made 13 Kawandi style art quilts this year.  I do think each one is better than the last.  I know it is a style I will return to often, as it is so fun and improvisational.  This Christmas one took me three days to construct.  The quickness of this method is one of the main attractions, but also just how different you can make each one.

I feel like I have received good feedback on this one and I have it hanging in our entry hall.  It has so much bright fabric and fun in it, and that is what I truly appreciate in any quilt.  Of course, the word "Joy" was made using my ghetto reverse applique technique.  30" X 38"

Using Fabrics with Selvedge Edges

In my recent tidying-up activity, I found a nice piece of woven fabric that is sturdy.  I have made another art quilt with it as the backing.  I used flannel for the batting and 505 fabric spray-adhesive to hold the batting in place on the backing fabric.  My whole intent in making this piece, was to fold it in half and make a nice tote bag out of it.  I like it so much, on my wall, that I am not sure the tote bag will ever be a thing.  The whole reason for using the nice woven fabric was for it to be the inside lining.  Hmmmm . . .

I may have to take it down and audition it with a strap to see if I could actually make myself make it into a bag.  Yes, it is another Kawandi, and I used scrap pieces that had selvedge edges on them, almost entirely.

There are four pieces in it that do not have selvedge edges, excepting the square silk and batik bits I placed on top at the time I laid the quilting in.  I have a decision to make, so meanwhile, I will work on a Christmas Kawandi!

Teresa 59

Sometimes waiting to do a project is a good idea.  You may want to do something special, but the mood has not struck.  In this case, my waiting yielded more skills being learned during the wait.  I have recently mentioned my tidying up of my quilt studio.  I came across a number of "Teresa fabrics".  Teresa fabrics are 1) fabrics that actually belonged to Teresa; or 2) fabrics that remind me of Teresa.  Fabrics that remind me of Teresa are fabrics with cows, bunnies, dogs, polar bears, and those of Victorian and Edwardian period styles.  Her and I collected black and white fabrics for about three years, so I still have a nice stash of those, as well.  The ones I ran across last month were of the cows, bunnies, and dog varieties.  

I have also started doing more hand-stitching in my projects and have thought about doing the long-stitch in actual quilting of a project.  Materials, time, and new stitching and quilt design skills have finally arrived at zero.  I dove in head-first, and for four solid days, worked tirelessly to complete a totally hand-sewn quilt as a tribute to Teresa, who passed away at the early age of 59.

What's On the Design Wall in November?

It is the same thing that has been on my design wall since June.  Not much has been happening on the design wall since things got busy in the summer.  Actually, I am close to finally finishing the big scrap quilt on the design wall.  

This is the project that got left hanging, while I made a lot of art quilts.  I have completed 25 art quilts in 2024.  I am going to quilt this scrap quilt on my home machine and see how I do.  It looks like it will be 70 inches long, and I may add some more on the right side to make it a little wider.

This is part of my the "tidy-up-the-studio" dance, so I want to get it done and I have started two more smaller projects, that I will be posting soon.  One of the small projects has to do with some more "Teresa fabrics" that I ran across while tidying up.  It is totally hand-stitched and hand-quilted, which is totally not me, but I am beginning to see the beauty in creating such things.  Yes, I am losing my mind.

Tidy Up the Quilt Studio

I have done a bit of tidying up, and that meant taking fabric off three of the shelves in one of my cabinets.  I went through all those fabrics and weeded out some of the bits and refolded everything else to fit better back in the cabinet.  The non-cotton bits went in a bag to the ReUse Market.  I started a bag for the Artisans for Hope.  At a recent quilt retreat some of us were wondering how much fabric in a pound?  I neatly stacked up some various sized scraps, into a bundle about the size of a small loaf pan (fruitcake size) , and weighed them.  They came out to 1.5 pounds, so I wrapped them in a red ribbon and labeled them.  I donated them to Artisans for Hope, to put in their little gift shop.  

I placed my tea mug next to my loaf of scraps, to show what 1 1/2 pounds of fabric looks like.

I managed to make room in my cabinet for most of my solid color fabrics, so I could get them out of the basket sitting on the floor behind my sewing chair.  What is it Mary Poppins said, "Once begun is half done?"  I don't think that applies here, as it feels like one percent has been completed.  I will persevere and continue using up my fabric and completing UFOs.  

I Made a "Pam" Zippy Bag

Happy election day!  I voted, got my flu shot, and made a "Pam" zippy bag.  I also got the tarp out to cover up the picnic table, when little bits of hail or something started falling and big gusts of wind jumped up, as if trying to prevent me from succeeding in my mission.  I managed to resituate the tarp and placed a large rock on top to hold the tarp somewhat in place.  It is now covered for the winter, as the finches continue to visit my thistle feeder and drink at the water pump.  Fall is definitely in full swing!

Meanwhile, after I finished my last project, where I had specific fabrics to use, I had a little bit left over of the wild dots fabric, so I made a zippy pouch for the quilter who shared that fabric with me. 

I hope she did like that wild dot fabric she shared, as she will now have a sweet quilted zipper bag with her name on it.

 

Kawandi #12 is Complete!

My Kuna quilt group did a "Tear and Share" activity last January.  Each of us ended up with five different fabrics to use together in a project that is due at our November meeting.  I felt the five fabrics I ended up with did not really go together.  Two went together and the other three went together, but they did not all go together.  The one that really did not go with the others, I used for the quilt back, so no one is going to see it anyway.  That, by the way, is the fabric I took to the "Tear and Share".  Since I have taught the Kawandi method of quilting to three different groups of quilters, I decided I should make another Kawandi. 

It is a good thing I decided on Kawandi, because the magic of Kawandi is whatever fabrics you put together just seem to work!  I did not think it possible, but it holds with the thoughts of Margaret Fabrizio, who I believe is the west coast guru on Kawandi.

These are the five fabrics I used to make the project.  The pale blue, fans, fabric I used on the back, as it was the largest piece (1/2 yd).

I auditioned some other fabrics to see what would bring these four fabrics together.  I did not use the blue charm square on the left, but I did use some of the periwinkle on the right.  It turns out the blue periwinkle is polyester, but it worked just fine.  Looking at my creation, a couple days later, I decided this is a "now" piece of art quilting.  The past is melded with today to make the now.  Some of the fabrics in this piece are old and some are new, which makes the now.  Contemporary is now.

Four Art Quilts Completed This Month!

After completing "Spooky Houses" Kawandi style art quilt, I realized I had a chance to enter an art quilt into the Idaho-Montana Regional SAQA Trunk Show.  The trunk show title is "Stories".  I did a couple sketches in July for this, but things got so busy I entirely forgot about it.  Then there was another call, extending the deadline to October 15, so I thought about it on October 5, Saturday night, and decided to do a simpler sketch.  On Sunday, I got busy creating.  I finished it up on Monday night and had it in the mail on Tuesday.  It is a part of my childhood story of growing up on the Boise National Forest.  The piece is titled:  The North Cabin.  It is the required 7" X 9", for the Trunk Show.  I am pleased to participate.

I still had all my Halloween fabrics out, so I decided to do another Kawandi.  I wanted it to be light-hearted and different.  I used my ghetto reverse-applique technique on some of the words, some raw-edge applique, some over-dying, as well as Kawandi techniques.  I just had to have some cake in there!  I completed it on October 15.

Of course, I attended the Fall Frolic up at Cascade, last week.  I did a demo on Kawandi style, then on our last full day, I started another Kawandi.  I had brought my scrap bin to share in case anyone was inspired to try it.  Three people did!  We were all working on them simultaneously, which was a lot of fun.  I worked in some red scraps, I was given about five years ago, and it took me longer than I expected, but it was worth it.  It is titled:  Fashion Statement.  It is also my tenth Kawandi this year.

Fashion is ever evolving, just like quilting!

To be an artist, one must work in more than one medium.

Oh, these last few months have been extremely busy for me.  My art quilt group had a big display at the BBQ Show on the last weekend of September.  I was so inspired by all the amazing creativity displayed at the show, it inspired me to come right home and make another Kawandi quilt in three days.  Oh, then I received an e-mail on Oct 4 about an extended call for art quilts in the Idaho/Montana Regional Art Quilters (SAQA).  So, I made an entirely new art quilt in three days, that I just got mailed out to Montana on Tuesday.  You can see that quilt here.  It is titled: The North Cabin.

Meanwhile, I finally had time (one afternoon last Sunday) to go out and obtain a new printer for my computer.  I got an EPSON ET-3850, and my wonderful husband got it all connected up for me.  I Love My New Printer.  Then of course, I was also contacted to pick-up a truckload of quilt fabric from another amazing quilter who has gone on before; Vesta Bergen.  Her sons had it all in boxes and they put it directly into my pick-up.  I need my pick-up next week to load up and head up to a quilting retreat in Cascade, so I rallied my Piecemakers of Idaho to do a fabric sale this Saturday at my house.  It is happening!   I need to clean my house! and sweep out the garage and muster some tables, etc!

That is what a madhouse it has been for me lately.  Back to the new printer . . . the old did not work so well, so it had a stack of crap on top of it.  I went through said stack of crap and got it all handled, including an 18-month-old clay project for another group of ladies that I belong to.  Done!

Here is my completed clay project, using every bead that I made and decoupaged.  I spray sealed it yesterday and strung it all together last night.  I hung it next to my latest Kawandi, which has a Halloween theme.  It is okay to call it a Kawandi (instead of Kawandi quilt), because Kawandi means quilt.  I love my Spooky Houses Kawandi and my clay Hope art piece.

A Truly Unruly Award!

I am so glad all the Fair stuff, and the many other things in my life that occurred in August are over.  I worked way too hard and long at the Fair and a strange thing happened to my ankles.  Truly feet and concrete do not mix!  So, being ill this past week has allowed me some creative down-time (after three days of being a vegetable).  I made a special "Unruly Award" ribbon for the Unruly Quilt Artists to award to some lucky individual at the Boise Basin Quilt Show coming up on Sept 27-28.

I actually drew a plan in June, but I through that out the window and started fresh!  How refreshing!  I went looking through my grandmother's sewing cabinet, which has resided with me for thirty years, and found some amazing 'vintage' things that might go into an amazing award ribbon.

The fabric measure tape was the item I was hoping to find.  So glad I found one!  Then there were some large metal bobbins, some amazing plastic shower curtain hooks, a pack of three sizes of metal thimbles, made in Germany and only 33 cents at Skaggs!  Looking at said goodies, one asks if one should open that thimble package or put it on Ebay.  I have been on a bent to use what I have, so those thimbles will finally feel the air of 2024 upon them.  Yes, I am going to cut up that fabric measure tape.  If I just hold on to these things in the museum of my grandmother's sewing cabinet, who knows what will become of them after I am dust.  Let us use what we have on hand, instead of running down to the store to buy some cheap, (but oodles more expensive than 33 cents!) made in China, thimble.  

looks like an electrical project gone wrong

I have long held the idea that using what you already have makes you more creative.  I keep proving it to myself.  I dug out my old box of ribbon and found some amazing stuff to bling up an award.  To add strength to the award, I used actual batting and a wee strip of stiff interfacing in between the back and the front pieces.  The front piece has a contrasting fabric below, so I can cut a bit out of the top layer of fabric to reveal that which is beneath.  I am just copying a technique that Kirsten used on all those name tags she made.  Oh, yes!  I used some of the hand-dyed fabric, I made in May, for the front and back pieces of the award.

Here is a truly unruly award!  I used the thimble, measure tape, and bobbin, plus a strip of creamy yellow rickrack to pull it all together.  The little bit of measure tape, up top, is a loop to hang it with.  I really outdid myself; it must have been all that cranberry juice!

Busy, Busy!

Greetings!  I have been busy helping the American Girl Dolls and friends realize their wildest dreams.  They wanted to have a quilt show, so they are having one!  I made a floor that sits on top of a standard six-foot folding table. It is 7 ft long and 4 ft wide.  I made the pipe and drape for the quilt show.  I purchased all my materials from three different Ace Hardware Stores, Lowes, and Canvas Etc.  

I ordered 23 yards of banjo cloth to make the drape part of the pipe and drape, and to make the skirt that went around the 22-foot circumference of the "floor" of the quilt show.  

Last February, I met with the Superintendent of the Home Arts Department of the Western Idaho Fair.  I told her about the "doll quilt show" and she granted us (the dolls and I) a showcase, in the Home Arts section at the Fair.  So, "we" got busy and built a quilt show!  Above is a photo of the banjo cloth I carefully measured and cut.  I am so glad I was careful, as I used all but six inches of that 23 yards.  

I had never made pleats before, so I practiced on the "admissions table".  It was very slow going, so I worked out a way to make pleats with the fork method.  I needed a half-inch fork, however, so my husband used his Dremel tool to cut two tines off of a fork to make it a half-inch wide.  It worked like a dream!

By making the pleats 1/2 inch with a quarter inch between each pleat, I only needed 44 ft of fabric to go around my 22-foot circumference board.  Once I got it on my machine and stitched all the pleats I had pinned, I was able to just make pleats as I went, with my fork, and kept sewing and sewing and sewing.  This was truly the most daunting part of the entire not-quite-sane project. 

The banjo cloth really made this showcase come alive and look neat, clean, and professional.   This shot was taken while the set-up was still in my quilt studio.  It has since gone off to The Fair.  It looks marvelous there, and I have had so much positive feedback and excitement, even, from Fairgoers both young and old, women and men.  I am truly satisfied with my efforts to help those quilting maniac dolls finally have a quilt show.

There are 19 doll quilts displayed.  All of them are of different designs, except the two red, white, and blue ones on the end.   Both quilts are of the same design and same color pallet (red, white, and blue).  By arranging the colors differently, or in different quantities, perhaps combined with fabrics of different color saturations, the results are totally different looking quilts.  To view more photos and information about the Good Friends Quilt Show, visit czdollquilts.blogspot.com by clicking HERE.  Those dolls are blogging all about it.

Shark Week! Shark Fabric!

My friend A wanted to go to the grand opening of the re-opened quilt shop in Caldwell, Stitch n Giggles.  So, we went.  They had some great buys, and I found a piece of amazing shark fabric for $3.00!  It is about a yard and a half.  And just one day prior to "Shark Week"!  It was meant to be.

I feel a Hachi quilt coming on!  This is fabulous fabric and I feel I am on target for Shark Week this year.  How did that happen?

Thoughts Among the Clouds

Have some thoughts about "Thoughts Among the Clouds".  I think those thoughts are streaming by on the breeze.  I hope you like it!

I have embraced the dark blue polyester thread and more cut layers.  It is totally amazing when viewed as art should be; at a distance.

Art Quilt Update!

I have been having so much fun with my color wheel as of late.  It is not your average color wheel.  It is a "Stampin' Up" color wheel, that I misplaced several years ago.  I have made two new art quilts with the aid of my color wheel (CW).  Here is the pallet for the most recent one. 

I decided to use cut layers.  I made the backing, added batting on top, then put my layers on and stitched the layers together.

Then it is ready to be cut.  I cut out the insides of the letters.  I use a straight pin to lift the top layer away from the next layer down, so I only snip the top layer to reveal the one underneath.  If I want to go to the next layer, below that, I repeat the same process.  Be aware of what your final layer is, so you do not snip through it.  The photo, above, was shot on my ironing surface that is in front of my east-facing window, so it has some shadows, but I think it looks cool.

Ta-da!  Here is the final product.  I am quite pleased with the sharp outcome.  CW is not doing me wrong.

Scrappy Happy Strip Quilt Completed!

I started this strip quilt last October, at the retreat in Cascade.  I made it a specific size just for me.  I needed a quilt with a flannel back, but a scrappy top to encourage sweet dreams.  I wanted it big enough to cover just me and not lots of extra on the sides, but long enough to cover my feet and my shoulders.  Sometimes I like to sleep in my recliner, because of my back problems.  This quilt is perfect, except now that it is finished the weather is too warm to use it.  It will be perfect next fall/winter.

It has scraps from my friends Annita, Elverta, Betty Ray, Teresa, and my mother.  In addition, I have included bits for memories of my friends Hope, Caryl, and Leni.  Besides my "Zinnia portrait" (in the top row), I have Zinnia portraits of Hope and Caryl.  The blue floral L is for Leni.  To quilt it, I did the stitch-in-the-ditch method.  It is so cozy and fun!

String Pieced Quilt Completed

We are half-way through May already.  Below is another barn photo with a quilt in it.  After I completed it, I took it to show Betty, who's eleven string pieced blocks got this whole project going for me.  She did like it, but she does not recall the eleven blocks or quilting at all.  She, her hubby, and Mimi the pooch now reside in assisted living.   

We just came back from a week-long trip to Ely, Nevada.  I feel like the quilt on the barn photo could have been taken in Ely, but I took the photo before our trip.  There really are interesting things going on in and around Ely, and no crowds.  We had a great time and were not ready to come back home, but we had to, or our plants would have died.  I took my sewing machine and a project. I took three books to read, but I read zero.  I did zero sewing.  I darned one sock and a nice size hole that was in the seam near the left knee of my favorite pink jeans.  I glued a bunch of buttons onto a lunch box that I spray painted blue.  It was such a relaxing and fun week!

Ebony and Marsha came with us.  Ebbs is getting better about not spending the entire trip under the quilt on the bed.

Marsha has not posted any of the photos of herself on the doll quilt blog yet, so here is one.  

We visited the Nevada Northern Railway and we rode on the train pulled by the steam engine.  I love the noise it makes. 

 Ward Charcoal Ovens.

The road back to Ely (heading north).

At the White Pine County Historical Museum.

On the main drag.

Green Monochromatic Art Quilt is Completed!

I take photos of all my completed projects.  I have completed twelve art quilts, so far, in 2024.  That is an average of three per month.  I will not be keeping up this pace.  My most recent completion is my green monochromatic quilt which celebrates a couple of special occasions in April; Earth Day and Arbor Day.

The quilt is actually much more vibrant in person, The stippling, in conjunction with the teal green tulle, really creates some depth.   To make this quilt, I used the skills I learned from Susan Carlson's Spiral eWorkshop.  I have signed-up for her new Fish eWorkshop.  Try the spiral to learn new skills and techniques. 

Monochromatic Art Quilt

Greetings!  I belong to the Unruly Quilt Artists, based in Meridian, ID.  At our meeting, earlier this month, we each chose a number from one to ten.  I picked nine.  I got the top tray, which had all green fabrics on it.  We were each given a piece of foam-core board to pin our pieces to.  This is a wonderful challenge!

I kind of knew what sort of thing was going to happen, so I came prepared with my backing fabric and a piece of batting, so I was a step ahead on that.  Above is what I started at our meeting.  I picked some of the fabrics I liked and trimmed them unevenly.  The one fabric reminded me of planet Earth, so I made an Earth.  Then I thought, all this green is for trees, so I made a tree trunk.  

When I got home, I pulled out my little stash of green fabric scraps, (I have very little green), and found one piece of mottled green that would work as a total background to work upon.  So, I removed everything, then added the background, the Earth and tree trunk back in.  Then I thought about orbits around the Earth.  I cut smaller pieces and made the tree top and some orbits.  I need to add more of the very deep green for darkness and depth.  I also want to add some words.

I recently bought a book of art projects for kids, using cursive.  Creative Adventures in Cursive, by Rachelle Doorley, copyright 2018.  I like this method of making a cursive word template.

Use a Friction pen to trace around the template, any ink left on the word will disappear when hit with a hot iron.

I think it is going to look amazing, when I get it finished.  You'll have to check back in a couple weeks to see the end result.

More Kawandi Quilts!

Greetings and happy spring rainy stormy days!  Last month, I finished Kawandi #6, but I never posted it, so I am doing that now.  I used a mostly green and blue pallet. I just really wanted to use that blue with chartreus bubbly looking fabric, but I ended up reining it in a little, which I think was a good decision. 

A couple friends came over, today, to have a sew day at my house.  It was just good to do some catching up and sewing.  I decided to make a Kawandi quilt with solid colored jelly roll strips.  I planned the layout with the solid fabrics, but I just could not do it completely solid.  Using solids is fairly new for me, as I love wild prints.  I used one, non-solid color fabric.  I really think it did come out better with my modifications.  Below is Kawandi #7!

At first, I was hesitant to put that pink in, but it really goes with the print I chose.  I made the pink strips one-quarter inch narrower than the other strips.  I think that toned it down a tick.  Also, it helped move the composition a little to the right, so it is not exactly centered.  I was excited about trying a Kawandi with strips instead of odd sizes of rectangles.  

I am considering challenging myself to use all the left-overs in another Kawandi quilt.  Just thinking . . .