WIP Wednesday and Color Therapy Thursday

First things first. I need advice on just one color of perle cotton for my Spools quilt. I decided to outline each spool with off white No. 8 perle cotton. Around the border I am going to use variegated in a swirly line, like thread. By last week I had decided to big stitch the quilting needle in the bottom border rather than applique it on. So here's the question: would you use grey pearl cotton for the needle to more closely resemble a silver needle? Even though there is no grey in the quilt itself?  Or would you use brown pearl cotton because there is a lot of brown in the quilt?

Yesterday Charlotte and Levi did a Valentine's project using this great "love mail" tutorial from Noodlehead, cute little packets, one side vellum and the other white card stock, and then stuffed with M&Ms and sewn shut (by me...). I got the Valentine's M&M assortment. While I never eat blue M&Ms (personal protest--weirdo...), I have no problem with seasonal M&M colors.

I was going to have Charlotte write both her name and Levi's name on the front of each Valentine in the "from" area. Her name is long, and while she can write it very well, she really needs a good 8 inches of paper. These Valentine's were only 4" wide. Things started out well enough, and then she ran out of room. So she just put the rest of her name randomly wherever she could find space. Her whole name is there, you just kind of have to search for it. And sorry, Levi, there was no space for your name.

Then I sewed the front and back together, just leaving an opening of a couple inches at the top. The packets then got stuffed with M&Ms.

This is what I love about art projects with little ones. You give them the rudimentary instructions, and then sit back and watch how their incredible little brains interpret what you said.

While there were four colors of M&Ms in the bag (white, red, and two shades of pink), Charlotte only wanted one color in each of the packets she stuffed. After watching her create the pattern in her macaroni necklace, it makes me wonder if she is going to favor linear and symmetrical creativity in her projects. It will be interesting to watch.

Levi, on the other hand, wanted all the colors.

This was a fun project (even though they always look so serious--art takes concentration!) and educational--lots of practice in counting those M&Ms. And plenty left over for eating...

One in Every Color--The Wedding Edition

Do you remember this adorable couple--Jessie and Luke?

And the quilt a lot of us worked on? From the many special people in Jessie's life who made a block to the friends and family who spent a weekend sewing the top together? It had a place of honor in Moscow, Idaho, this past Saturday as the backdrop for Jessie and Luke's wedding. In the meeting room at the LaQuinta Hotel.

The original plans were to get married on the golf course. Then there was a change of venue to the arboretum closeby. But then weather threatened to interfere as the forecast was for nonstop rain all weekend. Indoors or outdoors? Jessie made the decision to not worry about the weather and just plan to have the wedding indoors instead.

The quilt binding still needed to be completed.  I worked on Friday morning and afternoon (it is a big quilt) and finished the last side after the wedding rehearsal Friday night.

Decorating started in earnest early Saturday morning. The tables were in a U-shape and there was a color progression of colored water in different interesting containers, crayons that Jessie had made earlier, wedding-related quotes matted on matching paper. I wish I had taken a good picture of the tables. You'll have to use your imagine. It was really frugal, creative and beautiful.

Lots of twinkly lights. And these hung from the ceiling:

Pictures of Jessie and Luke's life on the wall:

(my favorite...)

We got a lunch break and went to Moscow Bagels. It was threatening to rain and I never turn down a chance to wear my awesome raincoat--Anna Maria Horner laminated cotton--I highly recommend it. But I digress.

Yummy. (I didn't take a picture of my bagel either so you will have to imagine that too!)

The weather cooperated in the afternoon enough for pictures. If you call freezing cold and gale-force wind cooperating. Okay, maybe gale-force is a little exaggerated. But it was really windy. It was a beautiful setting (and we all had lots of hairspray).

And then it was back to the hotel for the ceremony. I didn't take pictures during the ceremony as I was busy being a surrogate mother of the bride, which was such a special honor. Thank you , Jessie.

Instead of a unity candle, Jessie and Luke had a celtic handfasting ceremony (this is where the term "tying the knot" originated). Close family and friends each had a ribbon that we tied around their wrists, binding them together. It was an amazing part of the ceremony and really beautiful.

Jessie had made all the flowers for the ceremony, along with help of friends/family along the way. They were unique and beautiful  (I seem to be using the word "beautiful" a lot). Beautiful colors and lots of embroidery detail and vintage buttons, inspired by Princess Lasertron.

Aren't they AMAZING? Jessie's bridal bouquet is the silver and white one. The others were bridesmaids' bouquets. The three surrogate mothers each had a wrist corsage and the guys had matching boutonnieres.

It was a wonderful weekend. Jessie's mother, Sue, would have loved it.

As you start your new life together, Jessie and Luke, remember all the love that surrounds you, not just from those at the ceremony but from all the other people in your life.

Friday Philosophy

I read this quote yesterday and have been unable to find the source, but it really crystallizes a lot of what I was thinking when I wrote this.

"It's not who you are that holds you back. It's who you think you're not."

Too often lately I have been comparing myself to quilters who are able to produce so many quilts in such a seemingly short amount of time. Beautiful quilts. They amaze me with their creativity and style. Why can't I make a quilt every week? Why can't I discipline myself to even walk into my sewing room? Why can't I be improvisational and wonky?

It has been making me feel frustrated and guilty because I'm not "measuring up."

Measuring up to what? It's not a contest. There isn't a winner.

Do I want to push my creative boundaries? Of course.  But I want to enjoy the process along the way. There has been a lot of discussion lately about "modern" and "traditional" quilting.  I admire the less rigid quilting style, the kind of design-as-you go. I value the traditional construction techniques, the traditional quilt blocks that I have grown up with. They are the fabric of my heritage. It's possible to embrace both. Thanks, Crystal and Jennifer, for encouraging us to Modify Tradition!

Lately I have spent way too much time concentrating on who I'm not, and beating myself up for it.

From now on, I plan on concentrating on who I am. So far this is what I know: I am someone who adores fabric, takes pleasure in choosing it and playing with color,  enjoys the process of making the blocks, sometimes really detailed blocks, then watching the quilt top come to life by sewing the blocks together, no matter how long it takes.

So no more holding back, not just about quilting but life in general. Who I am may change in the next couple of months. But it's time to embrace that and not worry about who I'm not.

I'm curious. Who are you?

And in breaking news...

Remember my first post of the year when I said I wanted to expand my creative horizons? think outside the box?

I got an email from Cynthia last week (fabricworm/birch). The sample bolts of her fabulous line of fabric will soon be available, and she asked me to design a quilt using her fabric (and yes, that thud you just heard might have been me falling to the floor from excitement). So we have tossed around a couple of ideas, and even found out we had exactly the same thoughts when it came to a certain design detail.

I'm super excited, completely honored to be asked....and a tiny bit terrified. And I didn't think the desire to expand my creative horizons would come true so quickly! So thanks, Cynthia, for giving me a little push over the edge. I'm ready to do a little flying.

Come to the edge

I've been a "color inside the lines" kind of person most of my life. This was one of the first things I read as the new year began:

"Come to the edge."

"We can't. We're afraid."

"Come to the edge."

"We can't. We will fall."

"Come to the edge."

And they came.

And he pushed them.

And they flew.

--Guillaume Apollinaire

In 2010, I want to explore--and expand--the boundaries of personal creativity, going to the edge and jumping off myself, or if need be, being pushed by someone else...

...with a few "edge notes" to help me along the way:

Silencing the Inner Critic

Okey-dokey. I've finished the second layer of my work quilt, (which consisted of sewing on more patches, and quilting many more rows of machine stitching, both straight and zig-zag stitch). Now I have moved on to the 3rd and final layer, which consists of hand stitching, (I still have a long ways to go on the hand stitching.)


I knew from the get-go that I wanted this quilt to have a "rough" quality to it. By that I mean I didn't want it to be precious or perfect, with lots of neat and straight rows of stitching. I wanted the machine work to be a bit crude and crooked. I wanted the hand quilting stitches to be irregular, on the large size and a bit unevenly spaced.


Well, I have followed what I set out to do, but in truth the perfectionist in me, that part that likes everything just so, is really having a hard time. She is being very critical of this piece. (But my true spirit, where the child in me still resides, loves it.)

In the past I have often struggled with this overbearing, critical side of me, and have felt that although it comes in handy in insuring I make good, solidly constructed work, it also at times can be a real hindrance to my artistic self-expression. I feel that the perfectionist side of myself keeps me boxed in by playing on my fears. She knows how to keep me afraid to explore all of the ideas I want to explore. The perfectionist in me censors my creativity. I am really getting fed up with her.


I am fighting everyday to muzzle that perfectionist, appearance driven, part of me. I am pushing myself to keep going with my intial vision. I am begging myself to not get hung up on outside approval, or fear of failure. Ask anyone of my family members and they will tell you, this is a real and daily struggle for me.

So, this may appear to be just another quilt, but for me it's becoming an exercise in letting go, trusting my inner guidance, and following something that has been tugging at my heart strings for sometime.

100th Post Giveaway--Playin' the Name Game

I have reached the milestone of writing 100 posts, so I figured a giveaway is in order. You're gonna have to work a little bit for this one, but don't worry, it's nothing too hard. Mark made some really cool new fused glass items. I like to give them names. He thinks that's kind of odd, but I think it's a good marketing strategy.

Anyhoo, I need some help on a couple of these. Give me your suggestions on what these should be named and you are in the running for fabulous prizes.

Oh, and a disclaimer before we get started: don't even think about commenting on my photography. I already know the pictures are completely sucky. I did these on the fly just to get them posted. These are not the photos that will be going on the website. I'm looking for name suggestions, not photography critiques. Just wanted to clear that up. And, Aaron (our chief photographer), if you are reading this, I wanted to let everyone know that YOU were not the responsible party for these pictures. Now on to the good stuff.

Item #1: This gorgeous red bowl was slumped in a mold called "origami." So the shape is funky and fun. But "red origami" just isn't doing it for me.

Item #2: This bowl is so much greater in person (remember what I said about critiquing my photography, people). Deep chocolately brown with creamy swirls. I have two thoughts: fudge ripple or espresso with cream. Any other contenders or is one of these already a winner?

Item(s) 3: The glass on these 6" bowls has kind of a metallic look to it. The one on the left has a silvery cast to it, while the one on the right tends to look slightly more golden. A couple of weeks ago I had the perfect name. I'm sure of it. Didn't write it down, so it flew the coop. I want an "edgy" name. Something urban. However...urban oilslick, urban decay...those are just a little too edgy, and not very marketable. Ideas?

To get a chance at fabulous prizes, just leave a comment. If you become a follower of this blog, you will get a second chance to win. If you're already a follower, just leave a second comment saying "I'm a follower" and you will automatically get a second chance as well. The winner will be chosen by the ever-so-impartial random number generator, so you don't even have to come up with a winning name to be the winner. How easy is that? Comments end at 3 p.m. PDT on Monday, September 21.

And now for the fabulous prizes: your choice of either a pendant

or this slumped beer bottle, which is very versatile--a little serving dish for nuts, olives, etc., or more functional, keys, change, cell phone (sorry, coins not included--they have to go back to the petty cash box...).

So get those thinking caps on. Not only could you win a prize, but it might be your name suggestion that ends up on our website.

My First Quilt

Camille from Simplify and Carrie from LaVieEnRosie are hosting a parade of first quilts.

I come from a heritage of quilting, both from my family and from my church affiliation. I spent years flitting from one craft to another, which ran the gamut (tole painting, china painting, counted cross stitch, knitting, crocheting, needlepoint...), well, you get the picture. I would be passionate about yet another new venture, and had a husband who never complained once, not about all the new supplies I needed, about all the storage it would probably take up...never once (thanks, Mark--you're the best!). But eventually I would get bored and look for something else.

Finally I thought, why not embrace my heritage and learn to quilt? The best decision I ever made. So my good friend, Dotty, drafted out a very simple pattern, double four-patch, and I agonized over the fabric choices. Only four of them, but I spent hours running from one store to another, to make sure they were perfect. I started it in August 1994. She taught me how to hand quilt in a hoop, and I finished it in March 1996. By that time, I was working on several other quilts and had quite a stash started.
I have a lot of quilt tops in the works, but by a series of strange events, the last quilt I have actually finished was for my second pattern to be published, called Jammin' Jelly.
It's a super easy quilt to make, great for those times when you need something in a hurry.

So what have I learned since August 1994? That I have never once become bored with quilting. It continually fascinates me and fulfills my need to be creative. I enjoy nearly every aspect of quilting (with the exception of putting the quilt sandwich together for quilting....), and fabric selection is probably my favorite part. I enjoy taking time with complex quilt piecing, and wish I could learn how to machine quilt my own quilts. Quilting has gotten me through a really sad and trying time in my life. It is tactile and colorful. I have made good friends specifically because of quilting, and that group of friends is growing through blogging, and it doesn't even matter that I probably won't meet many of these new friends in person. There is a community out there that I am part of and quilting continues to enrich my life.

Searching for New Paths to Explore

(Local country farm path.)

I've been growing restless again. I finished making the School Photo series, (I will be showing the final ones in the next few posts) and have been hungering for something new to explore. I close my eyes to see what pops up in my imagination and my brain is filled with foggy bits of stitched and patched textile work. Try as I might I couldn't get what I was imagining into focus, and I wasn't sure what to do. I searched the internet, typing in everything I could think of to hopefully find some existing imagery of what I was only being teased with in my mind.

And then finally, yesterday, I found it:


Japanese Boro.
(Patched and mended folk textiles of Japan).

Maybe I should have already known about it, but I am self taught in the school of textiles and still have much to learn.
(Thank goodness, as that keeps it fun!)


These images came from Sri Threads an amazing resource of antique Japanese folk textiles located in Brooklyn, New York. (I must go!)

Finding these images made the fog lift from my head. I think they are beautiful.


I am struck by similarities between the Japanese Boro textiles and the quilts of Gee's Bend.


I am not sure what will come of it, or how long the excitement will last, (I know I can be rather fickle) but for now, (and what else is there?) I know I want to go play and explore this new/old path a bit... who knows where it will lead?

Creativity...

So says Scott Adams of Dilbert fame. And yes, I do write on my walls, but that is a post for another day.

About a year ago, Mark had the great idea of draping glass on unusual "found" items just to see what happened. Having grown up on a farm, he has always been intrigued with parts from implements, cogs, anything rusty, etc. While we were vending a quilt show last April, at the same time there was an antique tractor show and the vendors had some very interesting things. He made the rounds and came home with some intriguing possibilities.

So he fused glass in some interesting designs, then experimented with draping it over some rusty parts. Even under the best of conditions, fusing glass is always an experiment. There are so many factors that change how things turn out--just a few degrees in temperature can make the difference between something that turns out exactly like you were hoping and, well, something you weren't counting on at all.

Case in point:

First Mark fused the glass layers together in a flat square shape, with a green cross on the black background. Looked great. His idea then was to make an abstract bowl where he would just set the glass on the three little feet, fire the kiln hot enough to kind of sag it down somewhat, and voila! A very artsy bowl.

What happened instead was that the glass fused TO the form. Solid. There was no separating these two. Mark had to chip the glass off in little pieces. For some reason, once he got all the glass off the feet, the center kind of popped off in a big chunk.

Next dilemma: Toss it? Start over and turn down the heat?

Or....make a new base, use all the broken pieces to make something new and different. Not what he had originally visualized, but I love this new piece. It's name:

Broken at the cross: going green--be careful what you worship.

I think a lot about the things that are really important, especially with the economy the way it is. Cutting back. Making do. Sometimes what seems like a failure at the time can turn out being even better in the long run.