Category Archives: workshops

The End of the Week

    Plenty of things going on. Nice to look back and see all the places I have been this week.  And the fun I am having.

1. Shibori Class with Glennis.

 Silk -I loved the feel of it. I loved how easily and quickly it took the dye. Which has no to low odor and leaves no stains on your hands. Dyeing silk on the first day. I can only dream of what is to come. Loved it.

     Note to self: buy or find some better clamps to get crisp edges on the shapes. Use smaller pieces  of silk to try these experiments.

2. Working on filling in all those color charts.

I never can waste any kind of paint. This is Setacolor paints from the Color theory class. Note to self: find out the  right way to apply this to fabric. Just dilute with water? A medium? I have no idea. I was just using up what I had leftover for the lesson.

3. Just a little hand stitching. Facings.

I am trying to enjoy the process and not get think too much with- what will I do with all this information and  how will I use it? It’s on simmer right now. And that’s a good place to be.

Have a good weekend, my friends!

 

Another New Thing

       My box of supplies came in the mail yesterday. My fabric has been rinsed.  I am ready to go and have been anxiously waiting for this one. Shibori Dyeing with Glennis Dolce. I know from cotton dyeing that there will be a huge learning curve. But this is the class I was most excited about of all the online classes -I just love fabric dyeing.  


    It has become the year of learning techniques for me. A perpetual learner…there is so much to learn,isn’t there?


    Be creative,my friends!


    

Tints, Tones and Shades of Color

     I always thought they were confusing terms. But now after painting and mixing lots of different colors in order to fill out these class charts, I will not forget.

Tint-add white
Tone-add grey
Shade-add black

   I have only finished a few of the colors. Thank goodness I have until April 12th to finish. This will be a huge reference for me. I must not have been processing what I was doing with colors regularly. A beautiful true yellow is  made from a lemon yellow and a golden yellow. Why did I think diluting a dye with water would produce the yellow I wanted versus trying to mix different yellows together? Stubborn I guess.

     At least now I know.  Just playing with scraps today and working on a binding.

     Be creative, my friends!

Mastering Things

Vermont Dairy Barn

     This is my year of trying to master techniques in an attempt to find some kind of personal style within my work. So, I have  been giving you snippets of my two on-line classes I am taking. I have had a few questions regarding what the classes are so I thought I would give you the links again.

1. Artist’s Toolbox by Lyric Kinard. It is given through Quilt University which offers lots-yes lots of classes- for us. This is an excellent class which has taught me basic art terms and how to look at art quilts more critically. A good intro to art theory.

2. Online Color Theory by Judy Perez. An in depth color theory class which has really helped me understand terms and color mixing which I hope to be able to apply to my fabric dyeing this summer.

Both the classes and the references they have shared will be invaluable to me. I first questioned on-line learning for such a hands on thing as art quilts. But the visuals and the free sharing of information from the teachers and the other students has really been inspiring. Both Lyric and Judy have taken lots of time to answer questions and are intent that you understand the material. Time-consuming though so don’t think it will be easy. But you do it on your own time.

     With all that being said, the only thing I have mastered this week is the art of procrastination. I worked consistently on machine quilting on Monday during our snow day and then yesterday couldn’t wrap my head around a bit of productivity. Ughh…so I tried a yoga class last night with my daughter. Alright, I literally dragged her there. The eye-rolling going on was amazing.    I seem to have this mid-life crisis going on so need to try everything I haven’t done before:)). How nice was yoga? I loved it. I am still floating so hope to be more productive today!

Well, I guess if I am not creative- today-you be creative for me, my friends.

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!

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!

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!

That’s A Lot Of Snow!!!

     I don’t think we are going anywhere today. I think we have had about 14 inches…or more last night. It’s the drifting that is so bad and it is really snowing hard yet. They have called from my husband’s office and said no one can get down the street. So he is snowblowing. Good grief- to this day I can’t believe he likes doing this. A plow service is needed this time.  I hope he is ok out there so have sent my son to do the porches. The dogs don’t know what to do as it is way over their heads.
   

     Well, since I didn’t have a machine yesterday, I figured it would be a good day to get started on my two classes. I was brave and opened the paints. Didn’t really feel right to start with but then the color just took me away-as usual. So beautiful. I have no idea whether I did this right ( the right strength on the paper) but that wasn’t the point. Just mixing different primaries and then I need to cut them out and chart them. And the information in the book she recommended-even more beautiful . I also started on a color journal cutting and pasting colors I enjoyed.

     I worked on some small projects for my other class. It took me awhile to realize they didn’t need to be perfect compositions. They were truly meant to be 30 minute exercises-studies. It felt good to just play for the sake of play and learning. I hadn’t used commercial fabrics in a long time either. I loved just looking to see what I had. From what I can see so far, both are excellent teachers and have  great written material and lessons.

    I scurried around yesterday getting ready for the blizzard. We haven’t had but one snow day so the kids and I are ready to play. And then, they called to say one of my machines was fixed!!!! I am snowed in and I have a machine. Let’s hope it really works.

    Stay warm today. Be creative, my friends!

My Monday Morning View

      I fed a total of 20 people at various times this weekend. College kids, high school kids and adults. That’s a lot of kitchen time. But, now, the house is very quiet. I have opened up my computer, my books and I am ready to work on my two classes. With my cup of coffee. How nice.
      Two classes this month:

Color Theory by Judy Coates Perez.  I took this class to become more comfortable with color-pushing me to try more colors. I feel like I use the same colors over and over. Perhaps I will gain some insight for my dye mixing this summer. What a gorgeous book. I am currently afraid to open the paints. Feels kind of scary and I am usually not scared to try anything. Weird, I know.

Art Theory by Lyric Kinard through Quilt University.  The first lesson involved drawing in my journal . Yikes, I am going to be stretched out of my little comfort zone.  Both will work us hard from what I have read this morning. That is the point, right?

     So, my view this Monday morning:

Stretching into new places.  Working on a color journal, painting colors, finding/drawing texture  and checking on the status of my machines.

Be creative, my friends!

Crazy

     I really do admit -or should I say confess, I am crazy. I know that FOCUS was a word I wanted to embrace this year. But , I am realizing that it is not necessarily a lack of focus. I am very focused on this whole thing of wanting to be good at something. Obsessed would be a better word. I think the problem lies in my underestimating the amount of time I have in a given day. And overcommitting. When I say I am going to do something, I do . Even if it kills me.  Well, I have a little confession.  I might have done it now.

    I really, truly promised myself that I wouldn’t overcommit. But, I did. I signed up for two online courses.They just happened to be at the same time. One starts today and the other February 1st.  It truly could have worked  but I had this over the top exciting sale of a quilt.

    And then,  the quilt I am being paid to complete- my machine threw up oil all over the back of the quilt..  I have never had that happen. Maybe it was me being careless.  But then it continued to have problems. It will join other sick machines in the sewing machine hospital. Seems like it happens every time I need to complete  a project with a deadline. I will talk to the dealer about a more reliable machine.  It took me hours to rip out the stitching to get the back off, wash the back and be ready to begin again. Who ever thought that machine quilting could be traumatic? If this kind of thing continues, I will look at long arm machines. Never thought I would say that but…I am reaching the limit with domestic machines that just keep having problems. Oh the new one I bought in the fall-that’s in the shop already, too. I can’t even explain this to people so sorry to confuse you. One dealer told me it was because I sew too much. :). I thought that’s what they made them for, right?

   A little completed project to keep my sanity. I know I owe some friends postcards but since they waited so long they will get little quiltlets.

Morning Winter Sunrise
about 5×9

 Well-I’m off to the sewing machine store. Be creative, my friends!