Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Dishtowel for Heike...
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Continuation of the Sexy Librarian Embroidered Dish Towels
http://debrasvedberg.blogspot.com/2009/05/sexy-librarian-dishtowel.html
My Mom had a conversation with someone at work who said no one under 50 knows what a dishtowel is. Apparently nobody dries dishes anymore.
My quilt group buddies from Cave Women said the towel with the Library of Congress Classification number looks like something from a concentration camp!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Slipper design problems...
Below are the slippers for Eric. Mostly done, but I need him to put them on to figure out what I can do to make them fit him. This particular design isn't working because it's too open over the top of the foot and the back of the ankle leans in too much (isn't 90º to the floor).
The positive point on this design is the pattern shape of the fabric it takes that is conducive to cutting it from a felted sweater. I have blue suede leather on the souls, hand stitched.
Now I've been proto-typing a different cut. A very simple cut using a long strip, which is not easy to find in a felted sweater and would need to be pieced in most cases. In the attempt below I am not using wool, but a 'quilted' style of upholstery fabric.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Cave Women Christmas Party
Cave Women...Row Robin
Monday, December 14, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Ach Tannenbaum, Ach Tannenbaum, du bist ein edler Zweig!
I'm not saying my nascent postmodernism attempt at using ugly-fabric strips to create trees is any comparison, but heck, Minneapolis woke up to snow this morning. Not a big dump of snow by any means, more like a fart; but atleast it was pretty for a short time.
One of my memories of driving through the mountains of Idaho is when the sun and the mountains were at the right angle and I was looking into the sun, the mountain would be in the shade except all of it's pine tree tips and limbs would be highlighted by the sun as if beautifully luminescent against the dark. I've always wondered how I could interpret that in a quilt. This is my first attempt at figuring out some type of structure for the trees....obviously I haven't worked on the tips and limbs being illuminated by the sun and this form might not be conducive to that. But it's a start.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Christmas Gifts, Sharpies and Death!
After each time I sat down to draw I got a headache; presumably from the fumes of the markers so I think I'm going back to crayons! The color won't be as bright but atleast crayons smell good.
While working on gifts I've been listening to cd's of Abbott and Costellos radio show...the whole "Who's on first, What's on second" and hours more. Being a live radio show, there were glitches and sometimes an ad-lib didn't quite work and the other would humorously say "What script are you looking at?"
Altho' I did tire of hearing the ads for the sponsor: Camel Cigarettes. "More Doctors smoke Camels than any other brand." I wouldn't mind hearing the ad just once for historic sake and would have been happy if they'd remove the rest of them.
What today do we think is acceptable to put into our bodies that in 10 - 20 years we'll know as poison? Even the herbicide "Round Up" can claim their product will disappear when it dries but now we know that the "inert ingredients" will kill us. But our laws don't govern the 'inert ingredients', only the ingredients that directly relate to the purpose of the product.
I'd love to go on about antibiotics and hormones in milk, why we should be eating organic produce, the war of 1812, but I'd just depress you. Well, the War of 1812 isn't depressing actually (not the way I tell it) but I'm going to get back to creating gifts and listening to my next book on tape: "Abhorsen"
Do you know how to cut a paper 5-pointed star with one cut? Click here
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Trimming loose ends...
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Creativity Every Day IS WORKING! ~~or~~ I'M BAAAAACK!
Yesterday I went to Sharons and helped her start her blog: www.sharonenglund.blogspot.com
I've just started reading "Ignore Everybody and 39 other keys to creativity" by Hugh Macleod and the first line already has me buzzing:
"The more original your idea is, the less good advice other people will be able to give to you."
It's so true, when you have something coming out of your soul, who else would know what you should do with it? Only you know what comes next....it'll pour out of you. It's your story, only you can write it.
It kind of helps me loosely redefine something else too...I think that when you're starting a project, you might not always see the path it will take you, but that's ok, it will come to you.
A few projects I've started with a base idea and I go shopping for 'things' for it and I'm always amazed when I end up using all those 'things' in it...I felt the urge to buy it, not knowing what I would do with it and it ends up having a distinct purpose. Intuition?
For me, when I'm nearer the end of the project and I don't see the path that I start to feel disconnected from it. I start asking others advice on it...the end isn't in me, I have to search elsewhere. Maybe I'm done with the project at that time. I got what I needed out of it.
I haven't totally gotten rid of that negative anal-retentive part of me that thinks all projects need to be done and that I'm not a complete person unless they're completed. I do not want to investigate the fruedian connection of infant anal retention and hoarding....ignorance is bliss! Crowded, but bliss.
The other day as we were plowing through my UFO's with a bulldozer, Sarah said "I've only been quilting for 5 years, so maybe that's why I don't have any unfinished projects." My sarcasm thinks "Well you ain't doin' it right honey!"
But of course I have a huge lesson to learn from that...but I can't see the lesson all the way from the top of this alpine mountain of UFO's.
As for the book I haven't gotten past the first page yet, just because the first line rang so true for me. This is the guys website: http://gapingvoid.com/
Monday, November 16, 2009
And Still Counting...
So Caron decided to make a 6" finished solid color quilt for each American that died, and on each quilt put 212 black french knots or black seed beads to represent each Iraqi.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Creating everyday!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Pillowcases for Jenna are completed
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Still being creative every day!
I finished listening to Three Cups of Tea by 'Dach-tor-Gah-RRR-ek' Greg Mortenson. It's amazing what one person can do for others; and to think it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't gotten lost climbing down off of K2!
Last night was Cave Women, at Sharons Cave. An evening full of laughter can not be turned down!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Third day of November
Monday, November 2, 2009
Awwww...
Too stressed out about health insurance.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
A new day, a new month...
I'll be loose on the definition of how much to do every day so I can enjoy the creativity. Today already I have worked on the lace edge of the pillowcases I'm making for a gift. And I'm still listening to the audio book "Three Cups of Tea".
Ok, so I've added the picture of the pillowcase(s)...it's one of those kits you can buy at the craft store that I bought in Watertown SD when my niece Jenna was with (she said she'd like them so I'm making them for her). The kit doesn't include putting edging on. I bought some variegated perle cotton and I'm crocheting it on. The row that's there is just for attaching it to the pillowcase. Now I have to make up a pattern for the crocheted lace edging. Hopefully they'll turn out just like my Grandmothers made.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Only a quilter!
* Only a Quilter would give the gift of a wedding quilt two months after the birth of the couple's second child.
* Only a Quilter would put hundreds of dollars worth of fabric into her fabric stash because she might find a use for it sometime, but wouldn't replace a 50-cent needle on her sewing machine.
* Only a Quilter would let three later-arriving patients go ahead of her at the doctor's office because she is on the verge of completing a block.
* Only a Quilter would rush to finish a gift quilt. Not so it's done in time for the recipient's birthday, but so it's done in time for Show and Tell.
* Only a Quilter would make a special quilt to give to her son, who would then have to attend quilt shows just to see it.
* Only a Quilter would use freezer paper in the production of something to keep someone warm.
* Only a Quilter has a welcome mat at the door to her home and an "Enter at Your Own Risk" sign on the door of her sewing room.
* Only a Quilter invites everyone to see her sewing room, then says, "Don't look at the mess."
* Only a Quilter says, "I really don't need another project," then offers to make a quilt for a friend.
* Only a Quilter will buy more than she'll ever need of one fabric for her stash, but slightly less than is needed of another fabric to complete a project.
* Only a Quilter would give a quilt book to the guild auction then bid on it to get it back.
* Only a Quilter would drive 40 miles in a hurricane to attend a quiltshow, but call out to have her dinner delivered because it is drizzling.
* Only a Quilter's family would put up with, understand and love a quilter.
If anyone knows the actual origins of these I would like to know.
Projects start out as WHIMMs (Works Hidden in My Mind).
When you make a purchase of fabric you have a FIG (Fabric in grocery sack).
When you make the purchase of pattern and fabric you have a PIG (project in a grocery sack).
At this time it may also be a brazen HSY. (haven't started yet)
Once you start,it is a WIP. (work in progress) A WIP is worked on until completion.
Once you lose interest and set it aside it's a UFO (unfinished object).
Then you're encouraged by your quilty friends to FIUP (Finish It Up) and then you can loudly shout TGIF (Thank God It's Finished)!!!!!!!!
And you can post the picture in the photos section or in the monthly contest for finished projects.
You'll also get much praise for those projects that you've FINALLY finished.
The collection of fabrics you'll use to complete your project is yourSTASH (Special Treasure All Secretly Hidden)
Occasionally you'll need random SEX (Stash Enhancing Xperiences) after finishing a FART (Fabric Acquisition Road Trips)or a WOMBAT (Waste Of Money, Batting, And Time).
And the final most important thing is to leave a SABLE (Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy) to your fabric-loving heirs.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
10 Years of Goodness
Friday, September 4, 2009
Kids these days....
Isaac: "The only good thing in there was the rubber chicken."
http://www.ax-man.com/
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Minnesota Contemporary Quilters
An MCQ member from the past, Laurie Brainerd was there visiting from San Antonio so we got caught up on her...The state of Taxes, uh I mean Texas might be big, but they score a big "F" for Art Quilters! Some day in the future when art quilting makes its stamp in that big state there will be a bust of Lauries head in the entryway as the leader of the posse of art quilting.
Show 'n Tell was so huge, I think every person there had something to show except me. Everyone has been getting a lot done this summer. I didn't catch the name of one gal who was watercolor painting, then scanning the image on the computer, and altering it, then printing it on fabric, she embellishes and frames them. They were awesome!
Leaning Tower of Pizza was our next stop. I always feel sorry for our waitress, Liz ("as in lizard" she said), she gets over a dozen middle-aged ladies laughing and chatting all at once and when our food comes she might say loudly: "Medium Pepperoni!" and nobody is listening to her.
Sharon Baker showed us a promotional ink pen from Levitra that folds in half, but then with the press of a button it erects itself to a normal pen.Is everyone aware that Wanda said the pen comes with a warning? "Please see your doctor immediately if you write for more than 4 hours".
In the end Sharon had the last word...she gave me a large cucumber.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Vivacious Lady starring Ginger Rogers and Jimmy Stewart
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Melange a Michael Jackson?
I think I should do 3 figures in bed saying "We thought you said 'Menage a trois'."
Friday, July 24, 2009
QUILT-BOY!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Melange a du plus grand nombre
Monday, July 20, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Gettin' there...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A glimmer of light...
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Blue and White Quilts
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Quilters at the Englund Cottage on Lake Minnetonka Part 1
It's the 'in thing' to do.