Monthly Archives: February 2010

Different but the Same

I am being tugged between two entirely different things right now and feel kind of at a crossroads. I love quick improvisational piecing and the gratification of finishing a top. But I also love the satisfaction of handwork on a piece. Which we all know takes much longer. So rather than feeling as if it is a conflict and I need to choose, I am going to see if I could make it all fit together. Like the piece I made at Christmas time called Fire. But a little less fussy.
Seems funny to take a class online but that’s how I learned to dye fabric so why not. No extra fees for staying somewhere and for food. So I signed up at Joggles for Mark Making with Hand Dyed Embroidery Threads with Melanie Testa last week. I know, kind of impulsive, aren’t I? And there was a bit of eye rolling at my house when I told them I would be in the garage doing thread dyeing. Ok, even my 10 year old son said -I thought you could just buy it at Joanne’s-like hundreds of colors Mom-whatever….But I had fun.

You wrap your floss around little floss holders and squish it around in a plastic baggie. And you have beautiful colors.

I was afraid of making them too dark but now realize I must have some darker colors and some greens. Maybe some deeper yellows. I used cotton DMC floss, perle cotton and some yummy silk. This would be easy to do when you dye your fabrics.

So why dye my own floss? Because then it’s my own colors dyed by my hand. So simple. Why don’t they get it? 🙂

Happy sewing, my friends-off to conquer last night’s list.

Catching Up

Well I am very relieved to have my own laptop back! And working well. Lots of yucky things were going on but they seem to be resolved. And my mom did well with her surgery. No fun to have just one hand to use. She’s getting a teensy bit grumpy.

I have been having lots of fun playing this weekend. Paintsticks, dyeing, etc.

Don’t panic really fits this week. I seem to have lots of pieces under way but not one finished. And I have a few deadlines this week. Ok that’s an understatement. Because I leave to go to Vermont on Thursday. I think I need a list.

1. Label for the Jeans Quilt
2. Finish piecing the barn top
3. three small works (take with me)
4. artist statement for show-DUE WED
5. Determine size I will use.(yes I have started it) DUE Feb 22

Oh yes and I must have food cooked/bought for three people staying here! Yikes…

My sweet niece met me at her art school downtown and showed me how to mix acrylic paints to paint a canvas. I want to mount my piece on a canvas. It was hard to mix the colors(yah I think that’s why she is going to art school!) but kind of fun to paint the canvas. It’s down my basement drying and should be ready for me to work on once I get back from vacation. I owe her some paints now. She seemed to think my piece would be cool mounted on a canvas too. We’ll see if I can make it work.

I am taking an online class and I’ll let you know about that tomorrow.

Happy Sewing, my friends. I am glad to be back.

You Can See The Moon

Despite my post from yesterday, I had a great time when Paula from PaulaArt recommended me for a Treasury at Etsy. It’s a means of putting together a group of items, displaying them for a short period of time and having people vote on them quickly. Take a look at the Treasury West and see all the great items. You can then click on all the items and the treasury with the most votes gets to be on the front page of it-until the next round. So easy to get lost there that it was nice of her to look out for me. Thank you Paula!

I just wanted something simple. Any suggestions for the edge/binding? It’s over dyed upholstry fabric so I think it will be too thick for a flat art quilt binding. It’s for a simple home.

Happy sewing, my friends!

Do you ever wonder?

There are no pretty pictures of what I have finished. There are no cheery thoughts today. I only have questions-deep burning questions that are bothering me to the core of my being. I am a physical therapist by profession and loved helping others. I was always gratified by my job-sure tired and frustrated by paperwork but always rewarded by the joy that comes with helping others. I feel a little selfish right now with only doing things that make me happy. And this was before I heard Eric speak this morning.

Eric is a minister who came to speak at my kids school this morning. He just got back from Haiti. He has been going there for 20 years to serve in various ways. He went to help with intrepretation for a medical response team. As tears ran down my cheeks after seeing the pictures and hearing the stories I am asking myself:

Could I sleep in a tent? I don’t know.
Could I eat tuna fish and crackers three meals a day? Could I live without a shower for long periods of time?
Could I not wash my uniform for days on end?
Could I help move a stretcher-yes
Could I help bandage a wound-yes
Could I do it if the patient didn’t have any pain meds?
Could I debride a wound? it’s been a long time
Could I give a bottle of water to a thirsty child?
Could I teach someone how to use crutches or to wrap a stump? When will there be crutches? are there Ace wraps?
Could I stand their pain? Could I hear their stories?

Could I be used in any way-here or there? I don’t know but I need to ask myself some serious questions and pray about how I can use what I know and what my hands can do. I know it’s more than just dropping some money off. And it doesn’t involve adopting a child. They need to be in their country for now. They have had enough trauma.

I will sew today. But I am not sure it will be happy sewing. What would you do for another?

A Play Day

I had a day which was completely empty. Including having leftovers for dinner-good leftovers so I knew there would be no complaining. I just started opening up drawers and my favorite little treasure box.

Sparkly things which just need to be tried on. As part of my quilt.
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A little light I think…

A little better but just not right yet…

So easily distracted. Thank you Natasha-all I needed was an “s” for my Etsy link-ok at least -I told you even though I am embarassed. Must go to put some binding on,

Happy Sewing, my friends.

A Month of Red

I know that January did not exactly look like a productive month if I am just looking at my quilt production. I set a yearly goal of finishing three pieces each month. Doesn’t matter the size but just finished. So close on two pieces but so close doesn’t count.

I have achieved a few things this month and for me they seem huge. I have taken pictures of all pieces and priced them. So many times, I have people interested but never know what I would sell them for. Secondly, I have set up an Etsy shop . That with my limited computer skills is another huge event off my list. I know Etsy is huge and easy to get lost in. But , even if I don’t sell anything there initially, it is a visual place where people can do some window shopping.

I have had two people ask me-just what are you doing with all this? I Why are you blogging? Why are you selling? And the answers continue to be 1. to journal my progress 2. to offer what I make to others for purchase(what will I do with all of them?) 3. to keep in touch with friends I have made . So that’s a start to the answer. I’ll let you know where else I would like to go as I figure it out. Oh -to enter some shows eventually- I have never even submitted anything to my local guild show!

So to pop the champagne -over the store- I have cut into some of my precious hand dyed fabrics. To sell here to see if you might be interested on a larger scale. And to celebrate the beginning of Februrary, they are red. and gorguous. They measure approx 18×24. Email me if you are interested in them. Don’t know if I will sell them on a routine basis on Etsy yet. They are a pretty candy apple red and bubblegum pink. I have double washed them in Synthrapol but I would wash them again -just because we all know how red is.

1. 5 pieces- 18×24 3 red, 2 pink-25$
2. 6 pieces-18×24 3 reds 3 pink-30$

I will pay shipping. So why didn’t I put them in my Etsy shop? I can’t figure out how to link the badge on my blog to the shop….despite help from several computer savvy friends….I have to bring my computer in today-maybe I’ll ask my computer guy… The shop is set up -just can’t link it…seems silly to tell you about it today but I wanted to offer these fabrics to you in time for Valentine’s Day.