wordless ~ June 4, 2014

 

 

slow stitching on some christmas stockings

the new autumn season is definitely upon us. we've had some close calls with frost and next week's forecast indicates we'll not be missed again. the tomatoes have their cold frame back up around them and although they weren't very productive we'll protect the last of what has grown.

i've been stitching on many different things over the last couple of weeks but am making progress with several christmas stockings. my wonderful daughter's stocking is getting the last of it's decorative stitching and i won't show it again until it's sewn up into something that looks like it will hold a few christmas surprises.
i am also working on some christmas stockings that will be for local fundraisers.

these two stockings have been cut from some over sized vintage pieced star blocks. the blocks were apparently done by an inexperienced hand and did not lay flat (not even a little). i can cut carefully and make a few tucks here and there to make them work out well for stockings.

 

once they were cut out and fixed up i layered them with some thin batting and did some quick utility stitch hand quilting on them. 

 

this one is being 'interviewed' with a bit of vintage linen as a cuff. the lacy bit was quite shredded in one place but i decided to try my hand at some (slow stitch sunday) lace repair which i've never done before. it's certainly not professional looking but does look nicer than it did and will hold up much better.
i'll also add some embroidery to them.
consider joining the slow stitch sunday link up and/or just checking out what it is that others are putting their hand stitches into over at Kathy's Quilts.


recent gifts include:

• the mountain just beginning to show it's dramatic fall colors
• oven roasted cherry tomato 'jam'
• the satisfying feeling of late summer/early fall garden clean-up
• an old black cat happily purring and joining me for my afternoon naps 

photo art friday

 

 it's time for the Photo Art Friday challenge over at Pixel Dust Photo Art where the optional theme/challenge this week was to create an image using one of her textures and a photo of my own. i decided to go abstract this week with my entry. 



Bonnie freely offered up
this texture for those who
might wish to use it.
she calls it "Gift". 

i added this texture
that i created from
two of my own images

and created the above abstract piece. i did some doubling up and flipping as well as some filter adjustments in order to get the final result.

i'm not sure i'm any good at 'abstract' but i had fun giving it a go.

 

 

 

 

as promised here is my finished and newly washed 'Abundance' doll quilt.
the 'Abundance' quilt-along was sponsored by Lori at Humble Quilts and was great fun.
the light is a little harsh in this photo and the colors and contrasts aren't perfect but this is pretty close.
i enjoyed this one and really appreciated that it was a simple one this time. Thank You Lori~!
Lori just happens to have some really cute little quilts (within a recent post) that she has made recently for the benefit of the AAQI. it's my understanding that they are on their way to this amazing organization and will be posted for sale in the near future. you may or may not be inclined to purchase any one of them but if you want to see how cute they are pop over there and take a look . . . it's like a tiny quilt show~!




i recently decided to follow along with Cheri on her three part primitive  SAL on quiltsbycheri. i happened to have some nine patches laying around and they were very close to the size suggested so i played along. as it turned out i really only had time for the first of the three  little quilts but i now have it sewn up and ready for some hand quilting. i'll show you more of that one on a later post.



i recently visited Tammy at Flat Creek Farm and was delighted by some bird watching that she has shared.  she discovered a way to slow down the speed of the video and she has added some beautiful music to them creating a couple of totally magical shorts that really should not be missed~! if you follow only one link from this post, make it one of these because it will totally change your day.




recent gifts include:

• snuggling with the grand dog
• beginning the spring decorating
• seeing the crocus, daffodils and iris all beginning to send up their first green shoots
• the geese that have become regular visitors to the neighborhood

a giveaway announcement and a new orchid

there's a new orchid in the house~!~ 

 

 

 isn't is beautiful? it's an oncidium "twinkle fragrance fantasy". whenever i get a new orchid i wonder if i will be able to keep it growing, and even better, get it to re bloom. i have failed more times than i have succeeded but my phalaenopsis (moth orchid) is just now beginning to present a stem with a few buds so apparently i continue to succeed with that one.

 

 

 

 i decided to use a crop from the above photo for the Photo Art Friday challenge over at Pixel Dust Photo Art where the optional theme/challenge this week is to share a piece of photo art based on any of these words: connected/connecting/connection.

Bonnie has once again freely offered up one of her beautiful textures for those participating. this one is called "Scratched Lens Texture" and i thought that it was very pretty. 

Scratched Lens Texture

Oncidium Photo Crop

 

Photo Art Friday
connected challenge

i cannot remember exactly what i did with the various blending modes but i am happy with the final image.

it feels good for me to be 'connecting' with the PAF group once again.
:-)
maybe you would like to see some of the other submissions to this weeks' challenge? there are many talented artists submitting to the theme and it's well worth a few minutes of your time if you are interested in photography and/or the image artwork created from it.

february's postcard for the wonderful daughter has been received and so i'm once again sharing those results.


there is a small pocket made of a torn bit of wax paper stitched onto this card. the pocket holds a tiny metal key charm, dried lavender buds, a piece of sheet music with a small red heart shaped bead stitched onto it and a tiny fabric/paper tag. the tag has been embroidered and written on (both sides) and is attached to the postcard by way of that small pink triangular button and some pastel thread.

i've been working on my little 'Abundance' doll quilt and although i don't have any 'master' quilting plan in place it seems that i've been able to come up with a  design for each area as i get to it. i like the look of the playful childishness of this approach and it's all coming together nicely. 
i hope that you were able to see some of the other cute doll quilts made from this most recent quilt-along at Lori's Humble Quilts blog.

Cathy at Big Lake Quilter is hosting a generous give-away of a book by the Country Threads team called "Dear Emma". i love the look of all things Country Threads and if you do as well you might consider hopping over to Cathy's for a chance to win yourself. 

 

 

 

 

recent gifts include:

painting done by Torrie Smiley
 

• restful nights in a bed that i feel comfortable in
• word from Honduras that the wonderful daughter's host parents are doing well
• the joy and appreciation that i feel for my capable hands while i stitch or hold a pencil or pet the dog . . .

12-12-12 and a christmas wish

December 12, 2012 or 12-12-12 will be the last date of it's kind when all three numbers in a date are the same. The next time something like this will happen will be on January 1, 2101. According to popular belief, 12-12-12 is a lucky date that will bring good fortune.

i hope that your holiday is a reflection of this good fortune.

within the above image you will notice that there is a sweet little flying geese quilt. i received that from Maureen of Pursuit of Quilts. she made four small wonders using some left over flying geese that she had after working on her "October Surprise" quilt (shown within this post). October Surprise was a beautiful quilt and each of the four smaller pieces were just as wonderful. she gave the first two away and did a give-away drawing for the other two. i was thrilled to be one of the lucky recipients~!!~ this little quilt has so many lovely reproduction prints within it and Maureen's work is absolutely perfect~! THANK YOU so much Maureen. i love it~!!~


i haven't actually sewn much of anything since just after thanksgiving.
the carpets were all cleaned a few weeks ago and moving everything was lots of work. i decided that since i was shifting things around (and then back again) i would take the opportunity to do some other cleaning as well as some sorting out of things no longer needed and/or wanted. this slowed things down a bit but feels good to be doing. i've also been working on a bit of face-lift magic in the studio as i go; more shelves, more sorting, more folding and organizing of the fabrics and hopefully more clean surfaces by the end of it all. i guess i have spring fever a bit early this year . . . so-o-o not a lot of sewing.
no progress on TAST at all so i have a lot of catching up to do when i get back to it.
the 15 minute challenge has been designated to studio planning and organizing as i wade through these tasks.
even my photography has dwindled down to a trickle . . .
however, i was able to snap a few still life shots using some pomegranates and that new little quilt that recently came into my life. i layered my favorite with a shot from my archives of some spiderweb that had a heavy frost on it, did some blending, added text and then added a couple of festive borders to it all to create the above christmas "card". 

in addition to all of this cleaning and sorting i've been doing the same sort of thing mentally. thinking about the past year's activities and accomplishments as well as considering various challenges and tasks that i would like to line up for the next year. still mulling all of that over but i'll have it all figured out soon.

this past week has brought me a broken heart. i had to find a good home for River to move away to. i've been in denial for quite some time about my inability to manage two large and very active young dogs. i thought that if i just kept trying and hung in there until my health would give me a reprieve, than things would get better. unfortunately that's not the way it's gone and so with the wonderful daughter's help, River is safely into a new home. i just received word yesterday that she is doing well. she now lives where she is the one and only dog which means that the attention that she craves will not have to be shared with any other dog. she will like that. there is a cat but that has never been a problem with her and in fact, she seems to enjoy their quiet company so i expect that will work out well too. the adoptive owner seems very prepared and has experience with rescued dogs so she understands that River is dealing with abandonment issues from her past as well as the loss that she feels from leaving us. River and i had a special bond and this whole thing has been much more than difficult but i am sure that the right thing has been done and that she is being well looked after. my wish is that the new owner and River will forge a bond that is just as special and that it will last for the remainder of her life. she deserves it.

meanwhile, i will continue to love and care for my grand-dog until the wonderful daughter can take over the task. life is noticeably simpler and quieter which i need it to be in order to deal with my health issues. such a bittersweet ending and so many tears but life goes on and all will be well.

i promised to share photo's of the contemporary/modern piece that i created for a good friend's birthday. it's now been happily received and i can share those.

the piece is runner sized but could also be hung on the wall as skinny art. i think the picture is a bit overexposed so the colors are somewhat washed out but the detail shot does give a little bit better idea of the color.

when i was cutting and pasting the shot of the whole quilt (within photoshop) i didn't completely crop the bit shown in the detail, which is one of the reasons that i have included it. feel free to look at any of the photos in a larger format by clicking on them.

i think i still have a lot to learn about modern quiltmaking and i'm grateful that my friend happily receives experimental pieces from me. there are so many nice examples out there of this style and clearly i need some practice with it in order to achieve those kinds of results.

i am really in love with all of that quilting though~!!

 

 

 

i also have the november postcard that was made for the wonderful daughter. btw: those edges are straighter than the border/edge treatment would lead the eye to believe. i was happy with the results and she seemed happy to receive another card. 

i have begun work on the december card which i will show you within my next post. however, i have decided that i will take a holiday blog break and won't be posting until after the new year. with any luck, i'll have caught back up on my TAST stitching/christmas stockings and have some progress to show you.

i will find time to visit your blogs once in a while as i do still want to keep up with those of you who are blogging throughout the festivities. 

i hope that your holiday season is wonderful and that you are looking forward to what the new year will be bringing as much as i am.

recent gifts include:

• finding an outstanding home for my sweet River
• the smell of hot apple cider simmering on the stove
• a mug full of that apple cider on a cold afternoon
• twinkling christmas lights
• a new little dolly quilt  :-D
• christmas party visiting

TAST week 39 & 40 ~ the 15 minute challenge ~ Photo Art Friday

the prompt for Photo Art Friday is "liquid" this week. i took some shots early in the morning when the dew was still quite frosty and loved how the lowest 'branch' on the left side cradled perfectly that bit of melting frost. i also thought that if ever the sunshine could be classified as liquid this would be a good example of that.
join in on Bonnie's blog Pixel Dust Photo Art if you would like to involve yourself in some photo art fun. i'm really glad that i started to play along as it brings my photography into more active creative play. there are some very talented people joining in and i LOVE seeing what their working on too.
this is another shot that i thought demonstrated "liquid" very nicely. it's straight out of camera other than a square crop.

i have been busy helping to build a fence around our yard for the past couple of weeks and this weekend while working hard at getting more boards sealed i completely forgot to do my 15 minute challenge for two days (!!). on the third day i woke up with a start realizing what had happened. it's been such an important routine within my day since the beginning of the year that i really didn't think i could forget. apparently too busy + too tired = whooops.
if you are interested in joining others who are committed to making 15 minutes of sewing a daily part of their lives consider joining in with Kate at Life in Pieces and link up with us every tuesday.

i did manage to get my newest TAST stitch done despite my two day lapse and both it and the previous weeks photographed to show you within this post.
the TAST challenge hosted by sharon b at pintangle is all about practicing and learning new embroidery stitches. i am making my family new christmas stockings and most of the stitches from this challenge have been placed onto those. they're coming along really well. 

week 39 ~ knotted buttonhole stitch: i worked this stitch with a dark blue medium weight thread onto the toe of my wonderful husband's stocking alongside a previously worked cable chain (week 25) stitch. i chose to position the 'prongs' of the stitch in slightly opposing directions which gave it an inverted v formation.

week 40 ~ beaded hedebo edge: i worked this stitch on my own stocking and instead of a bead i used small buttons. i used a white pearl cotton (size 8). i've never worked or even heard of this stitch before and i  was hoping that it would look a bit whimsical within my stocking and am pleased with the results.

one of the other things i've been working  on during my 15 minute challenge time over the past few weeks is a small quilted piece. i had hoped to have it finished and already gifted by now but the quilting has taken on a life of it's own and progress is a bit slower than planned . . .
 

 

the fabrics within this piece are all (except the white piece you see above) fabrics that i have hand dyed myself.

it's a contemporary styled piece which isn't what i usually choose to do but i have enjoyed it a lot.

 

 

 i will be able to show you a shot of the completed piece very soon (i hope).

 

i have other projects that i rotate around during this daily 15 minutes (minimum) of sewing time and will be showing them as there is compelling progress to report.

 

 

 

 

~!~i'm a winner~!~
little woolen pillow
by Big Lake Quilter

 

recent gifts include:

• a surprise hot air balloon in the morning sky
• winning that cute woolen pillow made by Cathy
• enjoying the unusually fabulous fall temps during our new fence construction project

 

prayer flags

did you know that Mother Teresa had this message written on cards that she handed out to those she came in contact with who were seeking answers to questions and sometimes feeling conflicted in their faith? she referred to them as "business cards".
i've been reading about her and finding that she was quite an amazing woman~! so strong. so focused. so faithful.

i occasionally find a quilt or a piece of a quilt that is advertised for sale as a "cutter" that i think i may be able to work with. this particular piece was purchased quite a while back just as you see it here (minus those grey outlines in the lower right hand corner). it's quite thin in places, the top has  worn through to the batting here and there and within the batting there is the occasional tiny brown  cotton seed. it has some seams that are damaged and the  maker didn't seem to mind that many of the seams didn't match up just right.
for whatever reason it had the one square removed from the lower left hand corner when i purchased it. old pieces like this one whisper stories of their previous lives and invite me to love them. 
invitation excepted~! 

when i acquire these types of pieces i think about  the limited time, energy and resources that were available to the quilter who created them.
if he/she were to see what i create from his/her work would that maker feel that the newly created piece continues to whisper it's own history while at the same time carrying on a new purpose? i hope so.
my thoughts focus on what my own skills and materials should bring to this history and how i can carefully morph the work into something greater than the sum of it's parts.
i consider whether i am showing the proper respect with the choices that i am making.
those first cuts are always a little bit stressful as i think about what my responsibilities are towards the original maker, the worn textile itself and my own creative vision.

notice the two separate smaller squares that have been outlined in grey in the above photo. those two squares have become my second set of prayer flags.

 

this one is for a friend who will be moving along to a new life in a new community soon. i will miss her and i'm wishing her all the best as she moves forward in her own personal journey.

i liked the way that the arcs formed of triangles within the blocks from the old quilt looked like wee banners when set on point within the prayer flags.                

 

and this next one is mine to keep as a reminder of our friendship. i will see (as well as hear) it and be faithful in my prayers for her.

 

the bell sewn to the bottom of the flags ring when caught by the breeze.

i enjoy the gentle auditory reminder even if i don't happen to be able to actually see the flag.

 

 

 

 

if you would like more information about prayer flags as well as a chance to see many more it's worth a visit to The Prayer Flag Project Blog.




you probably also noticed a larger grey outline in that previously mentioned photo . . . those were the cutting lines i used for an additional project: a doll quilt.

 

this is something that i try to do from each of the cutter pieces that i acquire. doll quilts are a favorite of mine and often the other newly made pieces go to another home. the doll quilt stays with me and becomes part of my growing collection. it's a fun way for me to remember and pay respect towards those (and their beautiful work) who have come before me.

i've just barely begun to work on the repairs that are needed for this smaller quilt. it's going to be a time consuming project and for an example of some of the mending being done you can click on the photos of the prayer flags above.
i'm excited about how i think that it's going to work out. i'll be posting more about the doll quilt in a future post.

recent gifts include:

• sunrises full of intense colors
• fly traps (~!!~)
• fabulous finds at the thrift store
• bright red geranium blossoms

Happy Labor Day 2012

i hope that this day is finding you in a peaceful place and that you are able to settle both your body and mind from all of the busyness of the summer.

i also want to share with you my newest little gem of a quilt. this one was a team effort. the top was made by Kathie at Inspired by Antique Quilts and then it was finished up (hand quilting~!!~) by Lori of Humble Quilts.
i was the lucky buyer over on the AAQI website. not much feels better than finding a quilt that you love, supporting the AAQI in their efforts to treat and cure Alzheimer's Disease AND snagging it before it's gone.

with that in mind i wanted to alert you to the fact that AAQI has already begun their grand auction affair for this month. these auctions are always during the first ten days of the month and there are some special quilts set aside and presented during this time. even if you really don't plan on buying i urge you to hop over there and see them. it's like a mini quilting show right at your fingertips.


so i've shown you the close-up for this little quilt but i would also like to share with you it's current display area.
this is a shot of part of the front porch as you go into my home. i've decorated it especially for this brief relaxing time of the year when long hot summer days begin to shorten and cool. soon the snow will be flying and the holidays will be upon us with all of their hustle and bustle. i think that these shorter days are a reminder that we should enjoy life and relax a bit. so take a seat. savor some time on the front porch, drink a tall cool beverage and calm your mind and body. 

 

btw: if you're the type to want a bit of reading material while you're out there on the front porch you should check this out:

 

 

 



and hey, if you happen to relax for a smidge too long and miss the auction you can always go to the AAQI site and see what quilts they have for sale (while they last). there is a constantly changing bonanza of small quilts to delight. something is sure to capture your heart. trust me. if you see something you like, don't hesitate. i happen to know from experience: they sometimes can and do get snapped right up. of course if your a bit too slow you can always shop for another.

;- )

 

 

whatever you do, don't think for a second that you can't make a difference by participating in some way because the AAQI is here to prove that a difference can be made and they can show you every detail of that difference as they see it currently. take a look at how things are stacking up against this disease from the AAQI standpoint~!~it's truly amazing what can happen when people work together to create a change~!!~

 

 

 

 

recent gifts include:

• being the lucky buyer of this cute little quilt (it measures just barely over 7 x 11 inches)
• being able to help spread the goodness that AAQI is working toward with a cure for Alzheimer's
• long dreamy sessions on my front porch with the hummingbirds for company and a needle in my hand
• being able to figure out and embed my very first video link~!!~