Monthly Archives: April 2012

Friday Wrap Up

I spent lots of time this week machine quilting. If I wait until I am finished with it to blog again, it might the year 2013! I feel like a turtle and keep thinking there has to be a quicker way to achieve dense quilting. (Ahh-yes, there is another unmet goal of learning to free motion quilt. I have promised myself to work on it this summer.)

Clamping and folding in the indigo pot. Nice to be able to come back to it and know how to “revive” it and work on new pieces.

Taking inventory and setting up the dye studio. Fabric has been ordered to dye but way too cold here yet!

Some indigo photos. I love how when you take it out of the dyepot, it is this deep blue green color. And then with air contact , it oxidizes right before your eyes. I really love watching it happen.

The little moons need a special piece. Maybe some hand stitching. Linen accepts the dye so beautifully.
I had bought a bolt of it years ago when a shop went out of business and sadly this is the last piece I had.
Does anyone have a source for ordering linen for purposes of dyeing?

"So how’s your …sewing going?"

I went to a friend’s house for dinner a few nights ago. She is a very productive person: mom, volunteer extraordinaire, and wears many other titles (which I can’t even begin to wonder why one person would need or want to have). After lots of conversation, I realized she was clearly at odds with how to ask me about how I was doing. But then, I realized it was a matter of she had no idea of how to ask what I was doing. “So how’s….(awkward pause)…how’s your sewing going?”

And my answer was: great. I am having the time of my life. No other explanation needed. For the first time, I felt like I didn’t need to justify what I did or who I am. It’s taken few years to adjust to being something different than my original career path. But it is just great being who I am right now: mom, wife and, most weeks, part time studio artist. I can’t imagine being anything else.

The Apathetic Blogger

That would absolutely be me! I keep thinking I have nothing really important to tell you or show you. And I get tired of telling you I am busy. But I am. Instead of 30 hours a week in the studio, I am lucky to get 15 hours. I went back to tracking my studio time and daily home schedule to see where I am missing things. I came to the conclusion that spring is all about kids and their schedules. And now I am grateful to even make that 15 hours of studio time! It kind of changed my entire attitude.

I finally finished the quilting and binding on a piece I made last summer.

Looking Through The Lens #2, 2012, 35×40

I wasn’t happy with my thread choice and the way I chose to quilt it. I felt it muted the colors out too much. But I do love the texture that quilting gives, don’t you? Now that I see it in the bright sun, I am happier with it. Why are we so critical of our work all the time?

Never leave your pins in this long-they leave a spot of rust. Of course’s it on the light fabric. Another piece done. What are you working on?

A Day of Basting

I am finally back to work this week and all the kiddos have returned to school. I spent the day sandwiching and basting the biggest piece I have in the work basket.

With the last bit of machine quilting I did, I quilted a huge wrinkle in it. Obsessive as I am, I ripped out all that stitching and re-basted. So, with this piece, I wanted to ensure it remained wrinkle free.

I might have overdone it on safety pins though. You can laugh but I have no time to rip things out this spring!

Spring Break

I have to say I feel kind of boring right now. Nothing major to show you. I am working. I am stitching but I am just kind of letting the cloth do the work and me just move with it.

Playing in the indigo pot.

Hope finds her cow at Purdue- dreaming of vet school

Park at Butler University

I have been busy with college visits for my daughter, spring cleaning and just plain spring playing outdoors. And I am okay with just going slow right now. I am not at all stuck. Just trying to figure out how to do all I enjoy doing and still making forward progress.

I love the hand aspect of it. The gentle soothing of the stitch. But how does that fit with a fast track of piecing top after top in a series and having it merge with what I want to accomplish? Do I even know the answer to that? Nope.

I don’t at all find it stressful. Just waiting for the cloth and hand stitching to meet in the middle somewhere.