A Germ of an Idea--post one

Panel for the project

Goal number eight on my March list was to figure out what to do for our next book club quilt. We are reading "The Dressmaker of Khair Khana" by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. I had read the book a couple years ago. RecentlyI listened to it through my library's Libby app. I tried to become inspired. Some books are easier than others. This story is about a woman who figures out a way to thrive under the Taliban rules for women in Afghanistan.

I was inspired by the color green because it was the green gate that was outside their home. Crossing through it meant they were safe at home. I was also inspired by the tiny flower the dressmaker made on her first project. I thought about all the handwork the women did. Perhaps, I could incorporate some beading and embroidery in this piece.

I'm trying to use from my stash. A couple years ago during a Zoom sew session, a friend shared some panel prints that she hadn't done anything with and was ready to let them go. I said I would like them. She gave them to me. It cost me the trip of driving into Portland to pick them up. 

Backing fabric for panel

At first, I was going to use them all in one piece. . .then, I thought of other options until nothing came to me and I stored them . . .out of sight, out of mind. . .until, I thought about a project for this book! This print with the green background is "it."

I have a backing fabric and will need to quilt it as the beading and embroidery will be embellishment. I was going to use a Warm and Natural type of batting. Instead, I will use wool batting because it will be easier to add the embellishments. I may call it "Fleur." I have other projects in the works---as is usual for me--so I may need to let the idea percolate for awhile. At least I have the germ of an idea! 

While I'm on the subject of books, my two favorite reads/listens this month were "Good Night Irene" by Louis Alberto Urrea and "Women in White Coats" by Olivia Campbell. I am reading/listening to Patrick Taylor's series which begins with "An Irish Country Doctor." 

New York City--Rockefeller Square

On another note, Blogger may have changed something which makes commenting on my blog impossible. I'm sad about missing your comment. I did goggle the issue. What did we do before google? I tried changing my comment settings which had no effect.  You might try emptying your cache to see if that works for you. Please let me know if it does! Thanks in advance!

A stuffed bear

We did enjoy the granddaughters' visit last Thursday. They didn't arrive until 11am as they wanted to sleep in! I was the one who baked the cookies and the sourdough rolls to go with my homemade chicken noodle soup. They did enjoy lunch and there were enough leftovers that I could put together a care package for my friend Wendy who had come down with a nasty cold bug.

The Eiffel Tower

The younger granddaughter and I did go for a swim at Wendy's pool; but the older granddaughter had time with Papa because she was getting over a cold. We did some art. We were prompted to find an inspiration. Miss K chose a photo from her trip to New York. Miss J chose a stuffed bear. I chose a piece of pottery.

We drew a resemblance of the inspiration. Then we played with taking a shape and making something else out of the shape. We added words. It was fun and a great way to journal a trip or an activity. We spent about half an hour on the activity. While we worked independently, we chatted as we worked which was fun too!

Linking to Frédérique at Patchwork and Quilts and Cynthia at Oh Scrap!

Zen Tangle with the Grands

Giving a thumbs up that we can see the screen

Yesterday, Sarah Vedler of Meaning of Life Designs, hosted a free introduction to Zen Tangle via Zoom. It was about an hour and 15 minutes of description, practice and lecture. We did not purchase the recommended items to make the drawings because we we were unsure if we would want to make more drawings at a later time.

Work in process

It is fun to make art together because we all interpret the directions differently. So to see view each other's art is great! As you can see from the photo, our ages varied. The youngest was 2 1/2! 

Top: Miss A; Middle: me; Bottom Miss J

We decided we liked being able to switch up the ink colors. Miss A didn't want her work photographed. She drew a lot of the shapes and spent at least 35 minutes working on her art. I was impressed with her focus!

We had fun drawing and we found the practice meditative. We all said we would do it again! For me, it was a lot like free motion quilting except, we lifted our pens off of the paper! Sometimes, when I free motion quilt, I warm up with doodles. Sometimes, when I want to make a new to me design, I'll draw it on paper until I have the rhythm of the design.

To that end, Linda at Flourish Palms posted a link to a free motion quilter that I has developed some all over designs that she can quilt on her domestic. 

Creating Art with the Older Granddaughters

Miss J's elephant first session . . .lines

Goal number nine on my October list was to document the art that my two older granddaughters created. For a number of years, I've participated in a free online course called Sketchbook Revival that spans a few works with two classes released each day. Classes can use acrylic paints, color pencils, crayons, watercolors, pens, inks, pencils as materials. Participants may draw, paint, collage any combination of all! Each video presentation is between 30 and 60 minutes. 

Miss K's turtle first session

Miss K and Miss J came for an overnight the weekend before my surgery. The online course was in full swing so we watched and participated in three lessons. They brought their art kits which contain watercolor paper and watercolor paint. 

My horse first session--pencil, color pencils

Carla Sonheim led the first session of drawing some lines on the paper with a pencil and then turning the lines into something. I like her approach. We all had different animals at the end! We were all surprised that we were able to draw "something" recognizable. Most important, we had fun!

The set-up

The second presentation was about using different art supplies to be inspired which Janine Vangool led. We all liked how Janine gave us a variety of examples of how to incorporate various supplies into her work. We stuck with what we had before us. 

We painted colors of emotion for the second presentation

In the third  presentation, we watercolored some flowers with Tamara LaPorte. Tamara is one of my favorite presenters. I always learn so much from her. Again, our work was similar, it was also different from each other. Miss J is so fast with her movements. Miss K takes more time. She said she liked darker/bolder colors. I was trying to practice the blending. Again, we had fun. 

Watercolor poppies 

The girls are coming over for an overnight this weekend so we will be making more art. I'm not sure how much I'll physically be able to participate as I am still in the early stages of healing!

Sleeves and "Stained" Glass

Daughter's first quilt

In 2020 when Oregon was on fire and we were under a warning to be ready to evacuate, I had packed up all my finished quilts. When I unpacked and inventoried the quilts, I had two that didn't have hanging sleeves. I placed them where I could see them and thought that I would get to that project "soon."

Three years later, the quilts hadn't moved. It was time to ask myself what was holding me back from the task. Q: Why hadn't I done it already? A: I dislike putting sleeves on the quilt. A: I didn't have enough of the backing fabric to make a "proper" sized sleeve. A: I would have to locate a fabric for the second quilt. A: I had other projects that I would rather stitch.

Sigh. . . . .

The Road Home

The first quilt is one my youngest daughter stitched in 1996.  The fabrics were scraps from her quilt that I had made her and from a vest that her sister had stitched for herself. Nicole did all the cutting, piecing and quilting on the project. While I hoped it would be the project that hooked her into quilting, it wasn't. Although, I still hope that the "quilt pox" is latent and will appear later in her life!

This little quilt had hung on her door from the time she had finished it until we readied for the evacuation. She had thumb tacked it to her door. It is an Eleanor Burns Quilt In A Day pattern. I had to locate a fabric for the sleeve. In my blue chunks of scraps, was a piece that was a little larger in width and the perfect length so I stitched the sleeve and pinned it into place on the quilt back.

Scrap for the sleeve

The second quilt is one that I started in a "Quilt Til You Wilt" workshop that was held at a local quilt shop. Once a month, the shop would hold a class that started at 6PM and went until midnight or until you wilted! The shop closed many years ago; but, that was such a fun activity to attend. Rarely, did I last until midnight! I finished it in 1996. 

My husband's favorite aunt had a cabin at the coast. She would travel from her home to the cabin often. She regularly spent about half her time at the coast. We spent some time there with her as well each year. We played a lot of pinochle and took walks on the beach. It was a great place to visit. I used to tease her that she had driven that road so many times that her car knew the route! 

Width of sleeve

I named this quilt, "The Road Home" and thought that she would use it as a lap quilt. Instead, she pinned it to her wall so all who came to visit would see it. When she died, her son-in-law asked if I wanted it back. He let me know that it really wasn't a quilt because it was machine pieced and quilted. Additionally the design was an abomination. 

He was going to make a traditional nine patch. . .hand piecing and hand quilting because that would be a "real" quilt. I know he made his nine patches; but, I don't know if he ever finished his quilt. I was happy to have "The Road Home" back!

I had enough of the backing fabric to make a two and three quarter inch sleeve. I decided that this size sleeve would work because I use a dowel to insert in the sleeve when I hang quilts in my home. I made the sleeve and pinned it to the quilt back.

Nicole's quilt

Last week, I spent some time hand stitching the sleeves to the quilt backs. It didn't take forever and as I finished, I chided myself for the length of time it took to complete the task! Putting it on my monthly list definitely was the key to finishing the task!

This was goal number eight on my June list. I used about a quarter yard of fabric so I've now used seven yards of fabric from my stash. When I went to hang "The Road Home" quilt, I laughed at myself. I don't have a dowel/rod in my house wide enough to accommodate the width of the quilt!

Since both of these projects were made from scraps, I'm linking to Cynthia and Oh Scrap/Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework.

Goal number nine on my June list was to document an activity my friend Theresa invited me to attend. It was a lot of fun. We went to the Red Chair Farm in Estacada, Oregon. We made a stained glass window in a two and a half hour class.

First, we placed glass on our window. Then, we picked up each piece of glass and added a little bit of glue to hold the place in place so we could grout our piece with sand.

Beginning the process

The instructor had made up the grout ahead of time so when we were ready, we placed the grout between and over the glass pieces.  Then, we spent time gently wiping away the group from the glass. When we were finished, the instructor screwed hooks into the frame and gave us some chain to be able to hang the piece at home. 

Allowing the grout to cure

Before we hung it, we were to leave it upside down for a day to allow the grout to cure and dry. I've "auditioned" my piece in a number of windows. Rather than hang it, I'm planning to leave it propped against the kitchen window. 

It was a fun activity to do with my friend! It makes me smile every time I see it!

Finished window