Category Archives: Slow Cloth

Out Of My Box: Part 2

Last weekend I attended a workshop/ retreat called Camp Stitchalot. Two workshops were given while we were there which were optional to participate in. The first on Friday night was given by the lovely and sweet Carolyn Friedlander. I had the privilege of sitting across from her while I sewed and I came to appreciate getting to know her.

Carolyn taught us needle turn appliqué and gifted us a charm pack of her new fabric line, Doe,  soon to be released. We used her Aerial Grove pattern from her new book titled Savor Each Stitch.  She has a background in architecture and this background is definitely evident in her book which shows us her love of color and detail .

DSC_8312

 

I had fun setting my project up and basting them on. Very relaxing change of pace for me. I also really enjoyed sitting by a fire stitching with a group of women and doing some slow stitching that night. Late into the night. I haven’t done that in years!

 

Carolyn giving a trunk show

Carolyn giving a trunk show

 

Carolyn's trunk show

Carolyn’s trunk show

 

Carolyn Friedlander trunk show

Carolyn Friedlander trunk show

From the new book, the twenty or so quilts she has designed and made the last 2 years and her fabric lines, it is very obvious that Carolyn is a determined and talented teacher and modern quilter. I look forward to keeping up with her on her blog. Thanks Carolyn!

 

 

 

 

 

Small Finishes

     I have finished a few small projects that have been hanging around way too long. The first one is a Christmas present for my daughter. It is the softest alpaca and she has been impatiently waiting for it once she snuck a peek at it. She has to wait a little longer though. I just needed to rinse it out and it will be ready for the stocking.

    I also finished and delivered to our guild a little doll quilt and remembered at the last minute to take a picture of it. ( not a great picture) It turned out large enough for the doll and the girl to snuggle under-about 24×36.

 

    At lastly, I finished this small piece last night. I had wanted to practice some “extreme” stitching before I started another piece and this worked out really well for that. I also had wanted to try to mount something to a canvas and last week I found this little pre-painted canvas from Michael’s (yes, always use the coupon) which would work for it. Again, I had an awful time trying to photograph this morning as it is dark and rainy.

The Path
2011, Colleen Kole
4×4

     I enjoyed how it turned out and have a few more canvases to try this again.  I’d like to have four to mount together on a wall. And re-take the photos will be added to the to-do list.

     Felt good to finish something as it has been awhile. I have my sister’s quilt assembled on the design wall so next up this week will be sewing the top together.

    Happy sewing. It really is peaceful to sew.

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.

The Hamster Wheel

     Yes, I am on one this week. Hustling around trying to get the computer situation fixed. My computer guy is very disorganized and has cost me lots of extra time. Customer satisfaction is everything these days…Take care of the customer seems very easy, doesn’t it? One more trip back today to return something and then three will be working. I might cave and go for the big Apple for myself after this fiasco. And then my lab is sick and at the vet-she ate a cake on the front seat of my car-homemade and a gingerbread cake. Silly things -that as the vet says-she does this every December. Must not like how busy I am.

     So, very little time has been spent on quilts. I have been hand stitching on my crinkle quilt. Pieces pulled

for something like this.

. Basting done for #5 which needs to be done before Christmas.

 I think #6 and #7 might be for the week after Christmas unless a huge chunk of time opens up. Haven’t given up yet. And trying some more screen printing.  Screens from Lynne Krawczyk.

     Definitely addictive.15-30 minute bits of time in my studio.

     I am going to put some of these threads in my Etsy shop as several people have requested that I dye some for them. But I will put them here first. Two batches:

     The first one is Fire and consists of 5 skeins of hand dyed DMC embroidery thread- 10$.

              

The second is my favorite is :  Spring Sky 5 skeins of hand dyed embroidery thread-10$.      

             

Great for hand stitching on your art quilts. E-mail me if you would like them. If not they will be on Etsy tomorrow.

Whew -the weekend is almost here!

Be creative, my friends.

ADD: Hand dyed thread is sold- more to come in my Etsy shop.

Slower Things

     I have crashed after a long period of going and going. I feel as if I am walking in deep sand this week and going nowhere fast. I want to pull the covers up and sleep although I haven’t found much space for that. I have things up on my design wall but it’s not clicking. So I sat with one of my many unfinished projects. Quietly and slowly stitching. I am tired of rushing.

     Maybe some things just are meant to take longer than others. Hope to get my energy back soon. Might take a highly caffeinated beverage to make it through today though.

Be creative for me, would you? Happy sewing, my friends.

Beach

     We went to the beach yesterday for a party. Water is so relaxing and the breeze was just so soft. It reminded me of the colors in one of my little woven pieces from the cloth to cloth workshop from Jude Hill. (I am sad I didn’t join in to play on the class blog!) So I added a little bit of sun.

     And there was more sun to save for later.

     On a cloudy lazy day like today, sewing seems like a good thing to do. I am adding some handwork to my friend’s quilt. Then on to the binding and sleeve on a pretty big piece. I have promised it to her this weekend.

Happy sewing, my friends!

Slower Things

     I will show you some more pictures of my Nancy Crow workshop piece but not until it is done. I am working on two things this week. One is my commission piece and I am still machine quilting. My goal was to have it done by the 15th. We’ll see….I told her the 24th bit it would be nice to have it done sooner.

     I am also taking an online class called cloth to cloth workshop with Jude Hill. It was a five week class on developing this cloth weaving with raw edge pieces and this is the last week. Tearing, weaving, layering and hand stitching the piece before the piece is embellished. I haven’t been much of a completer but did little samples so I could have the techniques down. She has prepared great little videos for us and a blog to post your work. All the videos files have been put into PDF files so we can download it and keep it in notebook for reference.

     So why not just buy a book and save some money? (Or better yet take a book out of the library and not spend any money). 60$ versus a 25$ book? Well, I am a visual learner. I need to see someone do the technique and then I can do it. But the format that she has set up of a blog to post your work and ask questions is really worthwhile. She has spent a massive amount of time answering questions and responding to people’s work. Each person has interpeted the work differently so it inspires you.

     It was well worth it and she is a great teacher as well as talented person. I can’t wait to spend time with these techniques. A nice small project size and something to use up all the scraps I seem to be accumulating. Recycling-I love this. And the process of hand stitching is really relaxing for me.

Only crazy people take blog pictures with the birds chirping before 7:15 am! And I will need to be a little crazier than usual in order to keep working this summer.

Happy Sewing, my friends!