Author Archives: Colleen Kole

More Playing with Color

Despite the sick sewing machines from last week, I have persevered with the two classes I am taking online. I am behind as I always have that overcommitment thing going on but I am determined to finish both in the time allotted. I can do it. Fun looking at color-billboards, advertising in magazines, artwork at galleries in Stowe while on vacation and in all those quilting books I seem to collect.

I had to inventory and organize my fabrics. I have no blue-greens, violet or red-violets. I guess because I am not good at dyeing those colors. I will have to figure out why.

Leftover paint from my Color Theory class on cotton. I couldn’t let it go to waste. I have no idea what I will do with this piece of fabric. Something fun.

I also started a color journal and have been collecting all kinds of color schemes I like and analyzing what colors they are. Have you ever checked this site out- Color Schemer ?

And then I looked on my design wall and decided to finish this piece. It fit perfectly with my color lessons. It is from an exercise in Nancy Crow class from last spring on motifs.

Color Play #1
18×22

I added some hand stitching with my hand dyed floss.

Loving all I am learning about color.

Be creative, my friends!

In Case You Wonder

One works. I hate to even say that. I am exhausted from fighting with them. Who would of thought? Two are never to be opened again. They have been said good-bye to. So of the two that are left, this is it. One is two years old and in my mind is a lemon. I don’t think I can deal with it anymore. Either they cooperate or they are gone never to see a repair shop again. Only sold for parts. I couldn’t bear to offer them to someone else.

But I have a teeny tiny confession after I sat with one of the owners yesterday-“to see if I wasn’t tugging while I did my machine quilting”. ( I wasn’t). I think we figured this out- I was using regular sewing machine needles and not the commercial ones -it’s really small printing in that little new owner’s guide. Who would think I would take the time to read it?

Lesson learned -always read the owner’s manual when you have a new machine. Commercial needles. I didn’t know. Exhausted from my own stupidity.

I am not confessing this to my husband. He already doubts my sanity. If he asks, I will tell. But he is deathly sick of talking about it. I won’t torture him anymore. I will just ascend to my studio and sew.

Thank you for listening. You may laugh. I do laugh at myself…..just not this time…..Yikes.

Be creative, my friends.

Again

I have visions on a regular basis lately. I see this big stainless steel container-kind of like a big marble although giant. And inside of it , I have stuffed all four of my current machines. Yes , I said four. The unworking ones. The ones that have just returned from two different repair shops. And then there is explosive material in there. I will light a match and inside they will all explode. Never to be seen again. Melted. Pulverized. Gone. Poof. Never to torture me again. And I would breathe a big sigh of relief because they would be gone.

And that is how my first day back from vacation is going. Dropping off machines again. The dealers agree I seem to be having lots of machine issues.

Oh boy. I guess I have to clean. So sad.

A Day of Hearts

After spinning yesterday with my sewing( I didn’t like the way the next quilt was coming), I decided to just have fun today with low expectations. And since it was Valentine’s Day, I felt like hearts.

Little woven hearts bookmarks. More than a few were made today. I am really in love with all the hearts here. Just sweet hearts made from scraps.

I found this fine line chalk marking pencil from Bohn. 0.9 mm chalk line. Great for marking hand stitching lines. I think I bought it when I went to a quilt show so you might have to search it out.

No beautiful Vermont pictures today-rainy, dreary and 40. Tomorrow -5. Brr… and windy. We leave to go home to Michigan on Wednesday so might not be back until the end of the week.

Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends. Give someone you love an extra hug or kind word today.

Dreaming of My Spring Siberian Irises

Despite the sunshine on Friday, I still am longing for those spring flowers. When I started to make this piece, I , for once had a vision as I was making the piece. Often, I just make and respond to the pieces, building one at a time. But not this time.

Dreaming of My Spring Siberian Irises
16×20

I guess I can always dream! Looks like it might be awhile.

(Hand dyed fabrics and threads with a little bit of screen printed fabric)

Be creative, my friends!

Vermont Blue Skies

I think I have under estimated the power and beauty of a blue sky.

It was really breathtaking and a great day for a walk.

Today I noticed shadows.

And more shadows.

The snow is almost to the bottom of the windows. Not the most I have ever seen here but definitely deep.

The beauty of the color blue -which means sunshine. Oh how I have missed the sun.

A great day and I was able to squeeze in about 6 hours of creating. In addition to vacation things we always do. You can’t get any better than that. Now to get rid of some of the snow on that roof.

Be creative, my friends!

Paddling and Photoless

I am having a hard time with blog posting this week. And then, I realized I have not consistently carried a camera in my purse for about 6 weeks now. Might have been the fear of adding any more pictures to my already overly stuffed file folders on my computer or just the general lack of disorganization in the photos that made me unconsciously not take pictures. Maybe I was just getting lazy. Or maybe it is just the general greyness out there. I don’t have a clue. But somewhere along the line, I stopped taking pictures.

And then there is the last 10 foggy days of no school snow days and sick kids that just really didn’t spur me on. But they are better. And the sun is out. The suitcases are packed. And we are going on vacation to my favorite photo spot-Vermont. Amazing it has all come together.

When we get there and have found lost luggage and recovered from late or missed flights, pretty pictures and maybe some art. I hope.

Be creative, my friends. Because I sure have been slow paddling against the stream to get anywhere this week.

Loving the World of Color

Time is flying by the past few weeks. I am happy to see daylight now at 6:15p.m. I know you can feel the snow melting already. I am really tired of talking about snow. So, no more today.

My little guy Ben has been really sick this weekend. The kind of sick where moms worry much more than you should . But after several trips to the doctor, he seems to be breathing better. It might wipe out a week of school though while he recovers.

I am really enjoying the process of learning how color works. I have been making little color studies with some fusible squares.

Now, I need to answer the questions. I don’t think I will finish any of these, but you never know. It looks pretty here on the monitor screen.

Also working on a small piece for a local group I belong to. It is due on February 22nd and since I wanted to add hand stitching thought I better abandon my other project for a day or two and get this one started.

Thank goodness for the seam ripper some days!

Playing with paints and trying to make a conscientious choice to use colors I am not comfortable with to see how they work.

I have been tagged by Heather so must figure out who to tag in return to keep it going. I enjoy finding new bloggers and seeing what others are doing. Thanks Heather!

Be creative, my friends and stay well!

The Questions Asked

I forgot to tell you about the questions my friend Mike asked me when he bought my quilt. ( Ah yes the one in process…) Mike was my husband’s roommate in college and is now an architect. He and I bartered services a few years ago and he designed my studio space and I made him a quilt. He wanted it hand quilted and it took me months…but he has enjoyed it. I find it interesting that someone who deals in hard materials-architectural materials-enjoys textiles so much. Intriguing.

With his recent quilt, he walked into my studio and liked the quilt on my design wall. Right away he said it was his. I was really surprised but happy. (In the back of my mind, I was thinking he is just being kind and just wants to help me out. ) I asked him why and he had very specific answers-the colors but mostly the abstract grid pattern. He, in turn, asked me about the process. Those questions are easy to answer. But then he asked me the following questions-

1. What was my inspiration for this piece?
2. What was the inspiration for the design?
3. Where was I trained?
4. What are you doing with all this/ Where do I see myself two years from now?
5. What if someone sees this quilt-am I prepared to do it for someone else?
6. Do I have a portfolio?
7. How many other people are doing art quilts in this area?

Well, those are the questions, aren’t they?

I have been thinking of them. More than enough. I am just in process right now. I just need to make more pieces to know or catch a glimpse of some of the answers. That was my answer. I am just at the beginning of the path.

A great friend asking me great questions. Very few people know what to do or how to respond to what I am doing.

Go over to Jane Dunnewold’s blog, Existential Neighborhood today. What a succinct post.

Off to take sick child to the doctor and hopefully get some quilting time in today. Marc went skiing in Vermont with his old East Coast friends.

Be creative, my friends.

Working and working

Well everyone was home on Wednesday-snowed in. My husband eventually made it to work for two hours but no phones working there. So, he came home to plow for a few more hours. 18 inches of snow is a lot of snow to remove even if you are using a snowblower.

15 minute class exercises

texture exercise

But as they came and went from my studio, they asked questions. What are you working on? What will you do next? How do you decide on thread? But at the end of the day, they said :”It takes a long time to do what you do.” And that was in between making a big breakfast, doing wash(5 loads) and then making chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate. And it was a slow relaxing day.

They truly thought that I am waltzing around the house with little to do and this is a cute little game for me. I don’t know if anyone thought that I actually do sew for many hours a day. Yes, what I do or am able to do is a huge privilege. But I am working at it for many hours at a time. And they finally saw what I do. On a daily basis. Maybe I do “work” while they are gone :).

I am about 35-45 percent done with the quilting on my “sold” quilt. It’s the point where you are beginning to feel progress. You feel guilty working on anything else because you know need to get it done. But it’s the really hard part where you need to push yourself through….really dense quilting. And I am working hard on my two classes. Really hard.

Just shoot mama now and put her out of her misery.

Naw- I am having fun.

Natasha-the rest of the story tomorrow…. I just saw your comment!

Be creative, my friends!