Linda's Art Journal

Eddie's Rooster

2011-12-22T16:16:00.000-08:00

“Luck blossomed from the first. A dusty Rhode Island red rooster who had wandered too far from his own farmyard crossed the road and Eddie hit him without running too far off the road.”

(John Steinbeck, Cannery Row, chapter 13)

In Steinbeck’s book, the chicken ended up in a pot of soup with “a sack of carrots which had fallen from a vegetable truck, half a dozen onions which had not.” I have put the truck far enough down the road to give him a second chance to leap out of the way.

Merry Christmas!

Working on Perspective

2011-12-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

The perspective rules I had known about weren’t allowing the car to look like it was driving downhill. I learned yesterday to raise one of the vanishing points for slanting objects. The proportions seem off a little, but I think I won’t let it bother me in the interest of getting the painting done on time.

I will scale my drawing on the computer to fit the composition, and then trace it onto the watercolor paper to save the step of redrawing it again.

“And then Eddie driving, they backed up over the rise, over the top and turned and headed forward and down past Hatton Fields.”

(John Steinbeck, Cannery Row,chapter 13)

Lee Chong’s Model T

2011-12-08T17:25:00.000-08:00

Our final project for watercolor class is supposed to be based on something we’ve read. I’ve chosen a passage from “Cannery Row.” This is a value study for part of the painting. I have been working on redrawing this truck so it has the correct perspective to fit in the final composition.

“The body of the car was so battered that its next owner cut it in two and added a little truck bed.”

(John Steinbeck, Cannery Row, chapter 11)

Completed Again

2011-12-07T15:58:00.000-08:00

There were a couple things in this painting that were bothering me too much, so I made a couple of fixes. The middle line on large pot is now following the curve of the pot better. And I’ve darkened the shadow near the bottom behind the lavender vase.

Still Life Completed

2011-11-26T15:02:00.000-08:00

My watercolor still life is completed. Looking at it smaller on the computer is a bit like stepping back to view the painting as a whole. I immediately saw a couple things that I would change if I were in love with the painting. Not being totally in love with this one, I am calling it done.

Classroom Still Life

2011-11-21T19:21:00.000-08:00

We are all painting from this still life in my watercolor class. I didn’t like how the candlestick was dividing the composition in half, and hiding most of the grapes, so I scooted it over in my drawing. I need to darken the shadows, and add some detail to the large pot and the bottle. I’ve printed a greyscale copy of my painting, so I decide what to do with the background.

Figs for a Crow

2011-11-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

I composed my latest quilt on watercolor paper, and then enlarged it onto fabric to make a quilted version. The quilted version is finished. I have started painting the watercolor version. I plan to build up the darks, and add some purple to some of the figs. Here is a detail shot of the in progress painting.

Hayward Quilt Art Exhibit

2011-11-05T22:42:00.000-07:00

The online Synchronized Chaos Magazine has a well written writeup and some nice photos of the art quilt exhibit "The Quiltessential Event" currently at the Cinema Place Gallery. The show will be up until November 12th.

Sunday, Nov 6, 2011:

The Synchronized Chaos site seems to work fine from my Firefox browser, but seems to have trouble displaying content with Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

If anyone has a better answer than blaming Microsoft, let me know.

Tis the Season for Costumes & Carnivals

2011-10-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

I made Camilla a crow costume for a party. It was also the perfect costume for our booth at the church harvest carnival.

Our booth was based on the Parable of the Sower. I had originally done this booth with whiffle balls thrown into flowerpots. Since the carnival was moved to outside, I decided I didn’t want to chase balls all over the parking lot.

I decided to make seed packets out of fabric, fusible scraps, and fabric pens. I did some free-motion stitching just to make sure the fusible didn’t come loose, and added some batting and interfacing for stiffness.

A pathway, thorns, and rocky soil were added with sidewalk chalk. The kids were instructed to get the seeds in the Good Soil (the flowerpots) or the crow would eat them.

2011-10-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

A few of us did demos at the Cinema Place Gallery last Friday.

Here is Denise Oyama Miller working on collages. The piece in the foreground is a background for an underwater scene which she created by fusing strips onto a background fabric. She is planning to add fish to it. The sunflower is made with fabric and colored paper held together with acrylic medium.

Franki Kohler is showing how she creates fabric postcards. That’s Franki’s book she has on display.

I created a very simple landscape before I went, so I could demonstrate free-motion quilting.

Here I am painting the fig quilt. I made the fig color up, and then realized later that figs aren’t really as purple as I was imagining. I think I will go back and dull the purple down some, and add some green highlights.

I also have a larger fig quilt in progress.

The show will continue until November 12th.

New Quilts for Demo

2011-10-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

I've been asked to do a demo at the Cinema Place Gallery in Hayward tomorrow. I’ve been scrambling to get some work in progress, so I have something to demo on. This fig quilt has been painted, cut out and stitched to a background fabric. It is half quilted. I will be doing some more quilting and painting on top of it at the gallery tomorrow evening.

Art Quilt Show & Watercolor Class

2011-09-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

A new art quilt show has recently opened at

Cinema Place Gallery

1061 'B' Street

12-4 Wed & Sun, 12-8 Thurs-Sat

Most of the pieces are from SAQA members. I have three pieces in the show. I was there last week. It is a nice space, and I was impressed with the quality of the work displayed. It will run until November 12th. I will be going to the reception tomorrow night, which will be from 5-7pm.

This photo is a sampling of what I have been doing in the watercolor class I’ve been taking.

I have no great masterpieces yet. Most of our paintings so far start with copying the instructor’s sketch, so we have a starting place to practice techniques. I would rather do more original work, but am happy working this way while we are still learning techniques. Having the basic composition already planned does take the pressure off of coming up with subject matter. The top left sheet with two landscapes on it are my own compositions. I am learning to plan ahead to preserve the whites, since watercolor is transparent. I think learning watercolor will make me more aware of value in other work as well.

Strange Bird

2011-09-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished this piece. It just needs a sleeve, so I can hang it.

It is titled “Strange Bird”, because the yellow bird in the tree thinks the flutist looks like a very strange bird.

We finally got the remaining trim on the house painted. I just have the porch and steps left, but I am procrastinating on that. I have the paint for it, but it will wait for me until I am in a house painting mood again.

A Day Off For Gardening

2011-07-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

Painting just the trim has been a bigger project than I thought it would be. I overestimated the amount of paint we would need, so we are painting the back and sides as well. Why the front was in worse shape than the rest of the house, I have no idea.

I’ve been spending the evenings working out the final details for this quilt and stitching down pieces.

I started this morning pruning a bush back to make room for the ladder. Which lead to pruning back the neighbors apple tree which was hanging over the fence and brushing the house where I would need to paint. Which lead to pruning back an aeonium succulent that was taking over. I thought it was choking out my kangaroo paw plant that was nearly hidden by the succulent. But after I took out the aeonium, I found it thriving and looking as good as it ever has.

We ended up going to the store for potting soil and perennials. I repotted an aloe vera, some Christmas cactus cuttings from my mom, and some broken stems I rescued from a sidewalk. Camilla arranged a small succulent plant with some small snippets in a larger pot. The perennials got put into two large pots that needed attention.

Why I Haven’t Got Any Sewing Done in the Last Week or Two

2011-07-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

I’ve been climbing up and down ladders, scraping away peeling paint, priming where bare wood was showing through, and finally putting on the first coat of trim on the eaves. Doug’s been helping on the weekends doing the really high stuff, but Camilla and I have been getting a lot done during the week. The paint on the stucco part of the house still looks good, and most of the trim only needs repainting in the front.

I talked Doug into choosing new colors. A teal for the trim that almost matches the trim on the back and sides of the house so it doesn’t look to peculiar when seen from the side, and a lighter green for the bit of wood siding on the front of the house. We picked the colors inspired by the virtual paint job I did on my Illustrator assignment I did last February.

Hopefully things will move along quicker as we move downward, and don’t have to move ladders around as much.

New Hairdo

2011-06-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

Here's my second try at creating hair. I think I like this version better. What do you think?

Struggling with Hair

2011-06-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

I asked someone if she liked the latest project, or if it was just strange. She says, “It’s a departure of style for you.” Yes, that’s probably true. I think not her style either, and it’s probably why I have been struggling with new components since I laid the face onto this quilt. But I am enjoying the process.

My first struggle was the body. Trying to be too realistic with the stylized face just seemed out of place. I think I like what I have now. I think it’s stylized enough to look like it belongs with the face, and representational enough so you can tell it’s supposed to be a body. I will need to deal with hands later.

My current dilemma is the hair. Half done in this photo, but I guess you can see where I was going. Too much orange. Reducing the contrast between the figure and the background. And hiding the angles on the face that I was contemplating leaving. I think all that orange I just cut out is coming off, but I don’t want to leave her head totally bald.

I’ve started looking through my fabrics for something that could substitute for traditional hair. Maybe she would like to be adorned with flowers and leaves.

Tink

2011-06-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, my name is Tink! I’m another of Camilla’s creations. I really like jewelry and other pretty things. My necklace and bows make me feel wonderfully amazing! The bells in my tummy make me very magical, and I make jingly noises when I flitter about.

Summer Sewing Projects

2011-06-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

School is out for both Camilla and me, so we have time to do some sewing. Camilla is working on another sock creature. I decided to try my own hand at creating a stuffed creature of some sort. I began by looking through my scrap bag for an interesting start to a face, and continued with no plan and no expectations. Now that the face is done, I’ve decided it should be part of a quilt, and not a dimensional creation.

Then I set it on top of this quilt. I started this quilt three years ago in a Pamela Allen class. It has been on my design wall since then, because it needed something and I wasn’t sure what. Maybe it needs a colorful figure. With wild orange hair? And a guitar? Or a flute? Or a …? And a colorful bird in the palm tree? There’s a temptation to cut the face into a more traditional shape, but I think I like it cut with the wonky angles straight from the scrap bag.

Invisibility Spray – the Gardening Version

2011-06-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

For my final Illustrator project, I decided to reinvent invisibility cleaning spray for use in the garden and create an advertisement. I added weed killer to the product, so that weeds can be killed while they are invisible. Now your garden can look instantly better, even while your weed spray is still doing its job.

I used bits from my Illusion Spray concept design and bits from my Dandelion Wine illustration.

I got a bit frustrated mid-project, having given myself a near impossible task of creating a focal point which looks like it’s vanishing. Making the whole dandelion semi-transparent was the first idea, but made a weak focal point, and turned the flower a strange orange color as it blended with the curtains behind it. I think my final partially filled in line drawing has enough contrast for a focal point. Does it look like it’s disappearing?

FisherPoet CD Cover

2011-06-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

Has it really been nearly two months since I’ve posted? I forgot I drew that tree house. Our next project had nothing to do with perspective. The next assignment was creating a cover for a music CD, so I went in search of an actual CD that might need a cover. My brother-in-law Jon Broderick, who organizes the yearly Fisherpoet Gathering in Astoria, produces a yearly CD of FisherPoet songs with his friend Jay Speakman. There lastest cd can be downloaded from this page: http://www.sesameandlilies.com/links.htm

Jon sent me a list of songs which will likely be on the next CD along with some photos. I would have liked to put a relevant photo on the cover, but the assignment required a photo with higher resolution than I had. I ended up using a public domain salmon drawing from Wikimedia, and used it to create an underwater scene. I don’t know yet if they will decide to use any of what I have created or not.

"Those Days Before the Mine" is also a song title and refers to the proposed controversial "Pebble Mine" copper and gold mine in Alaska which is in the area where Jon fishes every summer.

Tree House Sketch

2011-04-10T22:40:00.000-07:00

We have been learning about the perspective grid in Illustrator class. I'm guessing our next assignment will involve using the perspective grid.

I created this tree house today just for fun. Not with the perspective grid, but with the pencil tool mostly. If it fits with my next assignment, I will use this one as a guide for drawing it properly. Although I think it may loose some of it's character if I square everything up. If it doesn't fit with the assignment, oh well, I had fun today.

Revolutionary New Concept in Cleaning

2011-04-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

A concept design for a product that doesn’t exist yet.

Invisibility Cleaning Spray doesn’t work like magic; it is magic. It will render dirt, grime and clutter invisible. It is formulated to detect clutter from normal stuff, so normal things will remain visible. It is ideal for quick cleanups when unexpected company arrives.

Develop the formula, and you could make a fortune selling this stuff. When you do, I want royalties for developing the original concept.

(image updated with some minor changes 4/10/2011)

A Turkey Vulture Pair

2011-03-29T11:16:00.000-07:00

The assignment is to create two drawings. Use the same exact lines for each, but make them different by using different colors and different Illustrator effects.

All of my Illustrator projects so far seem to fit into similar color schemes. So for this assignment, the first drawing was made using my usual comfortable colors. He looks happy and content. For the second drawing, For the second drawing, I used a more neutral color scheme with bolder lines. I did my best to make this vulture the evil twin of the first. Although, I don’t think he looks evil; he just looks like he’s waiting for spring to come round again.

A few photos from the Exhibit

2011-03-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

Our exhibit is in glass display cases distributed throughout the fifth floor of the library. There are maybe three dozen quilts displayed. The exhibit looks great. It was worth the effort we all put into it. Here are a few photos from the show. I'm afraid my snapshots don't give it the proper justice it deserves. The exhibit looks much better in person. Fill in the missed names in the comment section if you can.

Sonja Jeter and Dolores Miller next to the exhibit sign featuring digital images of some of the quilts.

Top left: Quilt by Madlyn Jones
Bottom row: quilts by Julie Stiller, Nancy Riffle, Diane Carver, & Linda Cline

Terri Thayer next to her quilt

Clockwise from top left: Quilts by Diane Carver, Virginia Schnalle, Debbie Wambaugh

Amy Witherow with her quilt

Left to right: purse by Jaye Lapachet, nest by Bronwen McInerney

I will go back on April 17th for the reception and to see the panel discussion. All of the promotional material says that the panel will talk about how the quilts were made, but from the discussions on Saturday, it sounds like they will be talking more about why the quilts were made, and what they were thinking when they were creating quilts to go with the theme of the show. The talk will be accompanied by a slide show.

"Primal Green" Art Quilt Exhibit

2011-03-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

This week's assignment was to create an event flyer. I decided I might as well advertise my own event. I had fun manipulating a photo of my quilt for the background of the flyer. This is the show that my CQFA group has been working hard to get together the last few months. We will be meeting there as a group tomorrow, then going out to lunch.

Dandelion Wine Illustration

2011-03-07T17:25:00.000-08:00

Choosing a quote from a book to illustrate was harder than I thought it would be. Many of the quotes I found were very descriptive, but also very abstract, and I co uldn’t get a good mental image. Others were so detailed in the imagery, I didn’t know if I could create an image that would live up to the words. Maybe I was making the task more complicated than it needed to be.

I finally chose a quote from "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury:

“Dandelion wine.
“The words were summer on the tongue. The wine was summer caught and stoppered.”

This was one of the required reading books when I was in high school. I remember liking it then, but didn’t remember much about it, so started reading it again last summer. Then I got distracted, and never finished it. I think I will pick it up again and read it through, and maybe read the sequel “Farewell Summer” which was published a few years ago.

Lily Pads, Illustrator, and a Quilt

2011-02-26T10:34:00.000-08:00

I took this photo, and a few others, of the Lily pond in the Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate Park a few years ago. There is a glass wall around the pond, which allows you to see the pond below the water level. I thought it interesting how there is a reflection on the surface of the pond above the plants. Here is my interpretation in illustrator. I added a crayfish based on one I found in Wikimedia.

I used the same photo in 2007 as inspiration for a Fast Friday Fabric Challenge.

My House in Illustrator

2011-02-18T12:04:00.001-08:00

Back to Illustrator.

Here is my house. The lawn needs mowing, and there is a spider web near the kitchen window. I don't really mind the spiders, as long as there aren't too many, they stay outside, they don't spin webs across walkways. I gave it a virtual paint job, so it looks better here than it does in real life.

I left out many details. There are no vents on the roof, no drainpipes, I simplified the roofline quite a bit, and left out most of the rose plants. Overall, though, it is a fairly good representation of where I live.

Arrowhead Marsh III

2011-02-15T21:33:00.000-08:00

I had to take a break from Illustrator so I could finish this quilt and enter in a local show.

Noisy Baby Toy

2011-02-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite baby toys from when Camilla was little. A baby actually has to put a little effort into making the toy make noise, unlike the more sophisticated toys with batteries which will play some little ditty over and over again with just the push of a button.

One of Camilla’s favorite was a caterpillar (known as a “catter-pitter” and a “pitter-catter”) which taught the alphabet. It would say individual letters and sounds, but also sang the alphabet song (over and over and over . . .) Oh well, annoying as it was, I kind of liked the “pitter-catter” also.

For the current Illustrator assignment we needed to create an assembly drawing to show how to assemble, use, or repair a piece of equipment. My instructor says if he sees another iPod drawing he’ll scream, so I decided to have a little fun and draw this baby toy.

Hopefully this toy is intuitive enough to learn without instructions (as all baby toys should be), but to fit the requirements of the assignment, instructions were added.

Puppet Factory

2011-01-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

My sewing room turned into a puppet factory this afternoon while we made puppets for a school project. I might have made my own pattern, but I found it already done for me at this website: http://www.puppetsforministry.com/Free_Patterns.htm. I needed to modify the hair just a bit, and then I made clothes for them.

Adobe Illustrator Self-Portrait

2011-01-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

I tend to shy away from drawing people, because it is so hard to get a good likeness. I guess that means I should draw them more, so I can get practice. But then, often enough, there is a challenge or an assignment that requires a portrait.

I am taking an Adobe Illustrator class at the local community college from the same instructor I took Photoshop from a couple of years ago. The first assignment is a self-portrait. The portrait is supposed to say something about our self, which is why there is “quilting” added in the background.

The expression isn’t quite right. I look happier in the photo I was drawing from. Otherwise, I am happy with how it turned out.

Spirit Week

2011-01-22T17:34:00.000-08:00

I’ve tried freezer paper as a stencil for painting today. Spirit Week is next week at Camilla’s school. I drew the stylized version of the school mascot onto freezer paper, cut it out, and ironed it over the side seam of an old pair of jeans.

Some white acrylic paint, and now she has a custom pair of pants for spirit week.

I tried this technique once before, and had trouble with the freezer paper coming up while I was painting, so did a test before I got out the paint this time. It worked just the way it was supposed to. Perhaps the difference was in the paint. I had used Setacolors last time which are a bit thinner than the artists acrylic I used today. Also, I was careful when moving the brush across the paper.

Arrowhead Marsh III In Progress

2011-01-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

I put all of the names from the last two posts into a hat, and pulled out two. They will be going to Teri Stegmiller and Doreen Kinkaid. They will go out in the mail this week. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and visiting your blogs.

Since Arrowhead Marsh II will be travelling for a couple of years, I decided to make a second quilt based on the same photo.

This quilt has more texture in the water than the last Marsh quilt. I ran out of the fabric used for the water in the first, and couldn’t find anything similar at the store. I ended up buying a couple fabrics I probably didn’t need. I used a new peach colored floral, and combined with some similar colored fabrics I had on hand for the water. I also used a new fabric for the mudflats. Otherwise, the fabrics are the same as I used for the last Marsh quilt.

"This is a Quilt!"

2011-01-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

“Arrowhead Marsh II” is destined for the SAQA trunk show titled “This is a Quilt!” It will be traveling to various SAQA events through 2012.

I have given away four of the bookmarks as gifts. These two are left. Leave a comment on this post or the last one to be entered in the drawing in a week or so.

Bookmark Giveaway

2011-01-02T21:50:00.000-08:00

Arrowhead Marsh II wasn’t coming along as anticipated. I hadn’t considered enough how the paint colors would blend. So I didn’t hesitate to cut the quilt into bookmarks. I embellished them with shapes cut from pre-fused scraps. I like the bookmarks much more than the quilt, and glad this was the smaller of the two quilts I at this later stage.

I have recipients planned for four of the bookmarks, and will have two left over. I will draw two random winners in two weeks. Leave a comment in the comment section if you would like to be in the drawing.
I'm making a second try at the same quilt. I’m learning what not to do, and what works well. I’ve made more conscious decisions with the initial fabric choices this time.

More Arrowhead Quilts

2010-12-31T14:13:00.001-08:00

Two more quilts are in progress inspired by this photo from the trail at Arrowhead Marsh.

These are less about the marsh grasses, and more about light on the water.

This small square is quilted and ready for painting. It is intended for a travelling SAQA exhibit.

A larger piece inspired by the same photo is also in progress.

Painting the Marsh

2010-12-13T15:28:00.000-08:00

“Arrowhead Marsh” is completed. It’s always a bit of a surprise for me to see how a quilt changes after I paint it. I was expecting to put more orange in this one, but I let the orange stay near the bottom, and added more green. I like the gradated area that resulted. When it was nearly completed, I added some blue into the bottom section to relate it more to the top section.

This quilt will be in the CQFA show
"Primal Green: Environmental Art Quilts"
Opening March 2011 at San Francisco Public Library
Reception April 17 , 2011

Piecing a Background

2010-12-07T15:18:00.000-08:00

When I first began painted on my quilted pieces, I was inspired by the work of Deidre Adams. Her work has wonderful variations of color and texture which is achieved with paint on top of quilted cloth. I was able to see some of Deidre’s work in person last month at SAQA’s 12 Voices exhibit. For some reason, I had thought she started with all white fabric and layered on different colors of paint. But in fact, she starts with a very colorful assortment of fabric which contributes to the subtle color variations in the finished pieces.

I decided to try piecing some fabrics together to create a rather abstracted version of one of the photos I took last month. It will look very different when I am done painting over the quilted fabric in mostly oranges and yellows.

Environmental Quilts

2010-11-19T11:10:00.000-08:00

My quilt samples for the educational display at our quilt show are completed. Now I need to write up some text to go along with the display.

I have a piece I made a few years ago which will fit the theme of the exhibit since it’s made mostly of repurposed materials, but I’m also thinking about a current piece that would go with the environmental theme.

I went to take some photos of Arrowhead Marsh just up the road at a shoreline park in Oakland. The colors from the late afternoon sun were quite spectacular at about 4:30 until the the sun dipped below the horizon twenty minutes later.

The origins of the marsh are a bit of a mystery. It wasn’t there in 1855. They think perhaps it is the result of silt washing down the creek from construction of the Lake Chabot Dam in the late 1800’s. The resiliency of nature despite the carelessness of man resulting in something so beautiful fits the theme of the exhibit quite nicely. Although to be honest, I am more interested in the gorgeous colors than making a quilt with a strong statement. I think there could be several quilts to be made just from the images I captured this week.

Progress on Leaf Quilts

2010-11-04T15:50:00.001-07:00

I have painted two of the leaf sample quilts.

I think the image in the right quilt came out a bit more distinct at this stage. I will add a backing, and quilt a portion of it.

I will quilt the other quilt, and then add more paint to show the finished project.

2010-11-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

My CQFA group will be having a quilt show at the SanFrancisco public library titled “Primal Green: Environmental Art Quilts”. It will be opening March 2011.

Three other members and I are putting together an educational display designed to show what an art quilt is, and how it is made. We are each making three small quilts in varying degrees of completion, so we can show the progress. Here are my three pieces started. One of them will stay as is, and I will be working further on the other two.

Fashioning and Re-Fashioning Clothes

2010-10-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

I’ve been working on clothes for a couple of weeks. I made a pioneer dress (McCalls 9424) a couple of years ago for a parade. It was still quite functional, but so old fashioned and costumey looking, that it hasn’t been worn since. I made a couple of attempts at restyling it until I came up with the final skirt. It’s just above knee level now. It looks good on her. I think it won’t be taking up space in her closet anymore.

I also got talked into sewing another dress for my daughter. We picked out McCall’s 6159. We found some plaid fabric in the closet which I forgot I had, and then Camilla found some gingham which she wanted for the collar and facings. And it’s a good thing she insisted on the contrast fabric, as I wouldn’t have had quite enough fabric otherwise.

This is a quick fabric postcard this morning. I used some scraps from the current dress for the background, and pre-fused scraps for the appliqué. It was fun to make.

Strange Birds & Other Things

2010-09-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

The tie dying party last April left us with a few extra shirts, so Camilla invited a few more friends over last month. I tied a shirt into a spiral this time. I thought I had used plenty of dye, and ended up with more white than I expected. Next time I will know to use more than seems necessary, and work it into the folds a bit when the fabric is tied up thick.

Camilla spent one week of her summer afternoons at Art Camp. They completed several fun projects in bright, cheerful colors. The instructors put the results up on their website. You can see Camilla’s work here.

I went to my CQFA meeting yesterday morning. We spent a good part of the morning doing some planning for an exhibit we are putting together which will be showing at the San Francisco Main Library next Spring.

After lunch, Sonja Jeter led us in a short workshop about working in a series. Our first task was to pick some colors, and write down vertical and horizontal objects we see every day. Then we painted backgrounds on index cards.

Sonja passed out a handout with a little cartoonish bird on it. Draw it about thirty times. Easy enough, but wait, you must draw it with either your non-dominant hand or with your eyes closed. I tried some both ways. Either way takes the pressure away from trying to create perfect copies, which was entirely not the point. Some of the birds looked more like fish than birds, but each bird was unique and had personality.

We chose some of our birds to trace onto tracing paper while incorporating the vertical or horizontal surfaces we had written down earlier. Birds on a fence make sense. Birds on a bed seems a more random idea, which I resisted at first, but it became an interesting little drawing.

We glued our tracing paper drawings onto the backgrounds, and then painted them some more. The cards with the larger birds are drawn directly onto the backgrounds, because I ran out of tracing paper. These were mostly done in an hour or so during our workshop, I added some more color when I got home.

These are just little studies, and I have no plans for developing them into larger pieces. But it was great just to have permission to play for an afternoon, and maybe I will bring some of the processes over to future artwork. Sonja suggested that the technique we used with tracing paper could be done in fabric with organza overlays in place of the paper.

August Block of the Month

2010-08-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

The cream colored pieces mixed up a bit when I put together this blocks for this month. I decided the coloring mistake shouldn’t matter at all in the overall scheme of the finished quilt, and I like the variety it adds to the individual blocks.

The title of the pattern is called “Squares Within Squares”, which makes it sound a lot simpler than it actually is. The dozens of half-square triangles in each block made these blocks come together a lot slower than the other blocks of the month.

I like the secondary squares on point, which will show when a quilt is assembled from these blocks.

New Pajama Top

2010-07-29T16:33:00.001-07:00

I had less than exciting results from my leftover dyeing experiment. I got lighter colors than I expected, and the color didn’t show at all on my skirt.

The shirt dyed okay, but the embroidery seems out of place now. After I got the dye rinsed, I found a small hole near the center of the shirt. Too small to show in the photo, but noticeable enough in person. I think I will patch the hole and turn it into a pajama top.

The rest of the dye will get tossed, and I will start fresh the next time I do some dyeing.

Dyeing Experiments

2010-07-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

I dyed a skirt a few years ago, and have hardly worn it. It’s a bit bright, and the colors are uneven and splotchy without any distinct patterning. I thought maybe I could improve it with over-dying. I should get some vertical patterning the way I’ve tied it.

I thought I might also improve this shirt. I think it’s probably a cotton/poly blend. I’ll see what happens.

I’m also testing out leftover dye from April. I thought maybe it would still be good. I’ve read that dye has a pretty long shelf life as long as it isn’t mixed with soda ash. But then I noticed an ammonia smell which wasn’t there in April. Info found on Paula Burch’s website says an ammonia smell means the urea has begun to break down and the dyes are no longer useful. I will find out tomorrow. I will likely need to do it all over with a fresh batch of dye.

Succulent Persistence

2010-07-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

Succulents tend to be pretty hardy, often thriving even when they don’t get the best of care. Despite their hardiness, I managed to kill off a small potted one a few months ago. The top rosette still looked like it had some life left in it, even though the roots either rotted or dried up. I tried rooting it in with a different houseplant. My attempts at reviving it failed, so I threw away the dried up leaves. I seem to have missed one leaf. Look what’s happening now, with no help from me except some occasional watering.

Gluf is Born

2010-07-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

Gluf is another creature inspired by the “Stupid Sock Creature” book. Camilla created him last week. She learned to use the sewing machine to sew the long seams on the arms. The rest of him is hand sewn. He has four arms, three eyes, and a wacky hairdo made from toe socks. He insisted on a hat made from leftover sock fabric.

The green pillow behind him is one I made about 30 years ago when I was about Camilla age.

Block of the Month & Strip Quilting

2010-07-09T17:33:00.001-07:00

This month’s block of the month for the Piecemakers guild was to be done in gold colors. I stayed with a relatively “safe” color scheme this time. Last month one of my blocks did stand out quite a bit from the others (I wonder if it will be used). I played around a bit with the arrangement in anticipation that I might go home with the blocks. Set together in straight rows and columns would result in a diamond pattern. Offsetting the columns by half a block creates some interesting possibilities. Someone else went home with a dozen or so blocks.

We played “strip poker” at the meeting this week. This involves no stripping, and it isn’t even really poker. Everyone comes with a set of 2½ inch strips of fabric. A very simple card game is played, which involves absolutely no strategy. Everyone has fun, and everyone goes home with an assortment of fabric strips.

I found a few strips from last year to re-play, and had to cut a few more to go with them. My daughter came with me this month, so I had to cut some strips for her also.

I decided to actually do something with my strips this year, so I began piecing some blocks. I found some more strips after I began, so I have quite an assortment of strips. I don’t know yet how big it will be. I will stop when I run out of strips, or I decide it’s big enough.

Pincushion Wildflowers

2010-07-06T16:50:00.001-07:00

I was surprised to find large drifts of purple wildflowers in the local hills. They are mostly dry brown grass by June. I think these are a variety of pincushion flowers. This spot is just a short drive away, and was a nice weekend stroll.

International Quilt Study Center

2010-06-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

I’ve been catching up on my reading. I’ve just finished looking at the SAQA newsletter from a couple months ago, and was excited to find out that my quilt “Succulent IV” was chosen to be part of the permanent collection at the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska.

The quilts have been traveling since January 2009 in SAQA’s 20th Anniversary Trunk Show. 183 SAQA members created eight inch quilts which were mounted with archival mat board. Three of the 56 quilts chosen for the collection are featured this month on the IQSC website.

Redefining Red, White, & Blue

2010-06-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

The block of the month at the Piecemakers Guild meeting today is supposed to be in red, white, & blue colors. I expect most of the blocks will be typical patriotic colors. I decided to try something a little different. I had fun picking out fabrics for the first block. My second block is made with “safer” colors, but still not traditionally patriotic fabrics. I hope they don’t clash too much with the other blocks that are turned in.

Grab Bag Challenge

2010-05-09T16:02:00.000-07:00

I’ve been too busy with my day job lately. I haven’t had time to work on the latest Grab Bag Challenge. A week or so ago, I decided I better get started on it since it’s supposed to be done by June 1st. I have a photo that is to be used for inspiration and a bag of fabrics and embellishments. Many smallish and medium sized pieces means I am doing piecing instead of the whole cloth painted quilts that I’ve been doing lately.

I made a few sketches, laid the fabrics out on the table, and have been letting myself have an hour or so now and then to do the piecework. I let myself have most of Saturday to work on it, and now it is well on its way to looking like something. I am interpreting the photo rather abstractly, and am using the sketch as a guide rather than making a pattern.

I was discouraged last night as a laid out a large piece of hand-dyed fabric with lots of color variation behind the main shapes. It wasn’t relating to the composition the way I had intended. The darker colors weren’t in the right place, and were hiding behind the foreground shapes. This morning I gave the background fabric a quarter turn, and now I feel good about it again. The dark area is now at the bottom of the composition, and adds a lot of depth to the piece.

There are a few more colors I want to piece in. I will get out my paints to add in a few shadows, and I will probably get out my paints again after it is quilted.

Tie Dyeing Party

2010-04-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a birthday party for my daughter. One of the things they did was dye t-shirts.

Camilla did her shirt in a spiral (top left). The other girls shirts all turned out quite different, but they all turned out great. They all fun, and they all have shirts they will be proud to wear.

I was trying to get mine done quickly, so I scrunched it up from the bottom and added a few rubber bands to create simple stripes. Camilla’s grandma did some internet research on tie-dyeing folds and came prepared with a plan. She folded hers to create a “V” design before tying.

I collected the dye runoff from the shirts in one container to dye some fabric in neutral colors. Can you believe that the dye for this started as a very neutral gray color? Somehow the colors separated while reacting with the fabric to create purple and turquoise. I will probably overdye the two lighter versions of this fabric another time.

Whisper Challenge Slide Show

2010-04-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

All of the quilts from the 2009 Whisper Challenge can now be viewed on the blog for The Northern California & Nevada Region of SAQA:
http://saqa-norcal.blogspot.com/2010/04/2009-whisper-challenge.html

It's good to be able to see all of the quilts together.

Blue & White Resist Lines

2010-04-01T13:33:00.000-07:00

The paint is dry, the glue resist came out easy with a good long soak and a cycle through the washer, and I have begun quilting my latest project.

A couple of people pointed out that I won't have "white" resist lines, since I started with blue & white fabric. Yes, you're right. I have blue mottled resist lines that look like my base fabric. I added some interest to the brown areas by sprinkling salt while the paint was still wet.

Waiting for the Resist to Dry

2010-03-30T15:48:00.001-07:00

Using washable blue gel glue as a resist before painting fabric is a popular technique right now. I tried it a year ago on a very small scale for a nametag, and decided to try it on a much grander scale for my current project.

I have used “Elmers Galactic Glitter Glue”, because I happened to have some on hand. The glitter and the glue will both wash out after I have painted it, and white lines will be left.

I have some down time now while I am waiting for the glue to dry. I will have more down time this evening after I paint.

Another Challenge

2010-03-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

I've been too busy with my day job to do creative projects lately. And the next couple of projects I'm not allowed to show, because they are challenges.

This morning I splatter painted a piece of white fabric. This will be the base fabric for one of the challenge pieces, and likely the only photo I'll show of it until the challenge is over. I expect the finished piece won't resemble this fabric at all after I layer more paint and imagery over it. It feels good to get out the fabric and paint. Now I need to squeeze out enough time to get it done.

42nd Annual Textile Exhibition

2010-03-23T21:39:00.001-07:00

I will have four of my recent pieces in the Olive Hyde Art Gallery for their
"42nd Annual Textile Exhibition".

April 2 - May 15, 2010
Thursday through Sunday, 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm.
Opening Reception on Friday, April 2 - 7:00-9:00 p.m.

The Olive Hyde Art Gallery is located at:
123 Washington Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94539

Whisper Quilts Revealed

2010-02-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

I went to the regional SAQA meeting Saturday in Elk Grove. The main feature was the revealing of the Whisper Quilt Challenge. I forgot to hand my camera over to someone when I was holding up the group of quilts I was in, but managed to get this snapshot of the quilts stacked on the table afterwards. I will talk a bit about the quilts shown here. I believe better photos of all of the quilts will soon be up on our SAQA blog. I will link there when they are up.

Four different groups all started with the same photo of a desert garden, and all went in four different directions.

Marjorie Johnson’s quilt is shown on the top of the stack. You can see her full quilt on her website. She says she had a hard time trying to find cactus fabrics to add to her collaged desert landscape. And then she added some animals to put life into the quilt.

Cynthia Long did a value study of Marjorie’s quilt, and discharged a piece of silk to replicate the pattern of values she saw. She then added lots of wonderful detail with additional paint (or dye maybe?) and lots of wonderful hand stitching.

Carol Larson focused on some painted and stitched details from Cynthia’s quilt, and made it the main focus of her own quilt. She worked in similar colors as Cynthia. Just a hint of the original landscape is showing in the green hill-like shape at the bottom of her quilt.

Liz Berg did away altogether with the landscape idea. She continued with Carol’s circle motif, and added some long curvy shapes. Her full quilt is shown on her blog at the bottom of this post.

My first thought about Liz’s quilt was of sea kelp and bubbles, but I didn’t wasn’t real interested in doing kelp, and waited a couple of days to see if any other ideas would emerge. The colors and shapes in Liz’s quilt reminded me of a piece of fabric I had with random circles printed across it. And then the fabric reminded me of a lone allium plant with two straggly leaves growing down the street. I pulled out lots of coordinating polka dot prints, and added a drift of circles behind the main flower. Liz’s long curvy shapes became the stem and leaves of my allium.

Photos and Fabrics for a Grab Bag Challenge

2010-01-20T16:46:00.000-08:00

A new Grab Bag challenge is beginning. I will need to get my fabrics chosen to send off. I think I am not supposed to share the bag I send off or the project I am working on until the challenge is complete. This year we are to choose our fabrics from an inspiration photo which will get sent with the bag. The photo will be used as the inspiration for the quilt which will be made, but doesn’t have to be interpreted literally.

I wonder if having photos to work from will stifle the creativeness of some as they try to interpret too literally. But then, having a photo will maybe give a jump start to the creative process. Certainly choosing fabrics from the photo will make for more coordinating bags.

I have a photo I took a while ago, and haven’t known what to do with it. It will be fun to choose some fabrics inspired by it, and see what someone else makes of it.

I will share the photo when I get back a quilt inspired by it, not until June.

Upholstery Swatches

2010-01-14T08:10:00.000-08:00

I acquired a handful of upholstery swatches last weekend, which I thought I would play around with as the base fabric for a succulent quilt. I arranged the pieces, and then overlapped them just enough to zigzag stitch them together.

I’ve been trying to talk myself into the next step, which was supposed to be to add imagery in thread and paint to add to my Succulent series. But I like it the way it is. I could add just a bit of quilting, and turn it into a purse or small bag of some sort.

I think I will leave it on my design wall for a week, and see what the theme is for next Friday’s challenge. Maybe I can incorporate what I have started.

Sketchbook Excercises

2010-01-11T07:36:00.001-08:00

Saturday was a CQFA day. Jaye shared her journals with us, and then gave us some prompts to get us sketching.

Jaye instructed us to draw a line, enclose it with a curved shape, and draw small shapes around the larger one. I made myself fill the page after I got home with various textures.

She also gave us some word prompts “spiral”, “flame”, and “arches”. My spiral ended up with leaves, and then I put a candle on the same page for a flame. And then I filled this page also. My arches aren’t worth showing. I think I will paint over it and try again another day.

I like to use pen for sketching. If I use pencil, the temptation is too great to do lots of erasing to fix mistakes. Since perfect drawings aren’t my goal when I make sketches, the pen works fine. If I need to, I can start over on a clean sheet, paint over it, or go over the lines I do like with a colored marker.

It’s good to get the sketchbook out again. I haven’t done anything in it for nearly a year. Maybe I should put it in my tote so I can sketch at odd moments.

Completed Kalanchoes

2010-01-03T21:36:00.000-08:00

Succulents IX and X are completed. These will probably end up matted and framed similar to the last two Succulents.

Kalanchoe Project Started

2010-01-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I started the Fast Friday Challenge announced a week ago. I’ve got a good start on two small 5 x 7 pieces.
We are supposed to pick a color scheme from product packaging. I purposely let the yellow and blue run together to create some green.

Christmas Preparations

2009-12-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

We finally got a tree put up last weekend. I kept the branches trimmed from the bottom of the tree, and tied them into a wreath. My daughter decorated it with a beaded garland and added a bow.

I’ve been on a tote bag sewing marathon. Mostly for gifts for the small nieces and nephews. I picked out a different upholstery fabric for each one, so each would be unique. I have a couple more to get done.

Have a great Christmas.

Chocolate Cake with Ganache Topping

2009-12-18T11:51:00.001-08:00

I had to make chocolate ganache after thinking about it for several weeks for my Photoshop project. A birthday cake for my husband last weekend was the perfect excuse. The sides are frosted with whipped cream.

Ganache is wonderfully rich, and super simple to make. Equal parts Chocolate and cream (I used semi-sweet chocolate chips). Bring the cream to a boil, pour over the chocolate, and stir until the chocolate is blended in.

A few more Photoshop projects

2009-12-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

A tinted black and white photo, and the same photo colored with Pantone color spots.
The product and brand on this Photoshop label are completely made up:

The raspberry photo I used on the label is by Stuart Whitmore. It is a free photo downloaded from http://www.morguefile.com

The label I created was turned into a 3d object for use in this advertisement for my final project:

The chocolate cake photo is by: Clara Natoli. It was also a free photo from http://www.morguefile.com.

The Highlight Gallery in Mendocino

2009-11-25T17:48:00.000-08:00

This weekend, we took a weekend trip to Mendocino. It's a great small town for a weekend getaway. I wish we had more time to explore the town, hike the bluffs, and do some beach combing.

I took several of my quilted pieces to a gallery owner who is interested in them. My work can now be seen at The Highlight Gallery. The gallery has a wonderful collection of art pieces including woodwork, pottery, mosaics, jewelry, paintings, and textiles. I am honored to be included among them.

Composite Photo of Alviso

2009-11-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

My current Photoshop project was inspired by two photos from a photo excursion in the Alviso neighborhood of San Jose. Two buildings on neighboring plots caught my attention: a well kept Victorian house, and an old run-down business of some sort with the name “Skin Deep.” I decided to move the two buildings closer together.

A bit of web surfing revealed that this is the Tilden-Laine house and the remains of Laine’sGrocery. I used a photo of the nearby Alviso marsh area as the background for the two buildings.

Midnight Garden

2009-10-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

Deadlines are great for getting projects done. I wasn’t very inspired by my latest project, so I procrastinated on quilting it. I like it now that it’s finished. Some white paint was added after the quilting was completed. And it was completed just in time to enter into a juried show.

Frames for my Latest Succulents

2009-10-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

I've gotten Succulents VII & VIII in their new 8 x 10 frames. I think they look great. I will plan on doing some more smaller framed pieces.

Working with Scraps

2009-10-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

Our Fast Friday Challenge theme this month is outer space. We are supposed to use unusual materials or embellishments. My plan is to follow the requirements for this challenge while making a piece to submit to a show asking for art made from scrap, recycled, or repurposed items. I got started a week late for the challenge, and haven’t been working all that fast, but deadline for entering the show is still a couple weeks away. I think I have a good start with repurposed old jeans, garment sewing scraps, and pattern cloth scraps.

Innsbruck, Austria

2009-09-30T09:18:00.001-07:00

I'm still in California, but I enjoyed working with this photo from Innsbruck, Austria this last week.

We were given a choice of a few photos to work from for our latest Photoshop assignment. The original I chose is shown here: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/181026. I didn't alter this photo much at all. Mostly, I only enhanced what was already there. I selected the foreground, midground, and background separately so I could adjust the levels of each separately. And I changed the bright green shirt in the bottom corner to a dull yellow to better fit the color scheme in the rest of the scene.

Old Things are New Again & Dorothy’s New Dress

2009-09-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

Our last Photoshop project required less imagination, but taught us just how powerful adjusting the tonal range and color balance can be. We needed to start with an old photo scanned into digital format. I picked one from 1967 of my husband and his family picnicking at the Hood Canal in Washington State.

The original had a lot of scratches and spots which I was able to remove digitally. For our final project we needed to remove an object, and change the color of an object. The two boats on the left are now gone, and my mother-in-law now has a new digital dress and sweater combo. I will keep a version without the boat removal and dress change for the family album.

Loose Plans for a Bed Quilt

2009-09-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

At the CQFA meeting last weekend, we had a time scheduled to work on individual projects. A few years ago, I started a bed quilt with a very loose plan sketched out on the computer, and had made about 60 blocks. I grabbed it to work on at the meeting, since I didn’t have any newer projects in progress. I made a handful of blocks on Saturday, and made another few today. It’s a great project to play with color and value, and doesn’t require any planning. I plan to get out my bag of green and orange strips and small scraps occasionally and make a few more squares. After I have made about a hundred more, I will see how I can fit them together. I figure in about 20 years, maybe I will have a quilt to show.

I also got the sleeve put on my “Whisper Challenge” quilt today, and now I have a bright new quilt hanging above my sewing machine. Still can’t show the full quilt yet for a few months. Maybe if I get ambitious, I will make a hanging slat which is the right size.

Tea with a Chipmunk

2009-09-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

Would you believe that my daughter is only about six inches tall? Or that a buffalo and a chipmunk followed us home from Yellowstone this summer to have tea with her in the Hayward hills? No, I suppose you wouldn’t. I did however have fun playing with scale in my latest Photoshop assignment. And Camilla had fun helping me act out the scene which I had imagined.

Photoshop Portrait

2009-08-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

I have survived the first two weeks of school, and have completed my first Photoshop assignment. Interestingly, this Photoshop project required no photos. Our task was to create a self portrait using the editing tools in Photoshop (selection, fill, paintbrush, …), without importing any photos. It is supposed to be recognizable (but not necessarily realistic), and say something about our self.

I used the profile photo on my blog as a reference photo, changing my hair and glasses to what they look like now. I’m not all that happy with the face, but the due date was fast approaching, and I decided it would have to do. Maybe I made the eyes too big, and maybe they could be quite a bit improved with the addition of some eyelids. And I was at a loss of how to deal with teeth.

I do like how the background turned out. I used the paintbrush tool to add “stitching”, and then placed a drop shadow behind it.

Back to School Sewing

2009-08-08T17:32:00.001-07:00

Camilla goes back to school in two weeks. We’ve done some back to school shopping, and I’ve been making a dent in my fabric stash while creating some back to school skirts.

I was thinking I would make a tiered skirt out of this stripe fabric, but Camilla wanted something different, since I had made a lot of those for her in the past. I sketched out some options, and she picked out which one she liked. She says the skirt is “super cool.” I wonder if I will still hear this about home sewn clothes in a few years when I have a teenager.

There wasn’t quite enough of this green plaid to make a skirt the length she wanted, so I did a little more digging in the stash. I’m glad I didn’t have a larger piece of the main fabric, or I probably wouldn’t have added the contrasting trim at the hem. I like it better this way.

I have a half-made skirt for myself out of blue chambray. It has been tucked away for a year, because I got bored with it being so plain. Maybe I will give it a contrasting hem like this one.

I’m going back to school next week also. I will be teaching again part time in the Office Skills Computer Lab at the junior college. I’ve also decided to take a couple of classes. I will be taking C++ computer programming and Photoshop. It probably won’t leave me a lot of time for sewing or artwork, but I will probably manage to make a little time for some creativity too.

Camilla’s “Flower Garden” Quilt

2009-08-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

Camilla finished quilting on her “Flower Garden” quilt.
The picture is her own original design, painted with fabric paints. She has finished quilting with embroidery floss, made a label, and picked out some fabric for the backing and binding. I helped her fuse the back onto her quilt, and sewed the binding for her on the sewing machine.

Succulent VII & VIII

2009-07-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

I got two 5 x 7 pieces out of the current project instead of the one I was planning. I am looking for a good source for pre-cut double mats for framing.

And I had some scraps leftover to make ATC's. Two of the ATC's have some stitching to join some of the smaller scraps together.

Looking More Like Succulent Plants

2009-07-28T18:52:00.000-07:00

Nearly done with this one.

I'm thinking about adding a pale wash over parts of the flowers to define better where there is a bit of overlap. Then I need to decide the best way to crop it for a finished piece.

These are Not Flowers

2009-07-27T17:41:00.001-07:00

My current work in progress looks a bit like chrysanthemums or Dahlias to me. The plan is to add green. Maybe it will begin looking more like succulent plants then.

Radial Symmetry

2009-07-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

This month’s Fast Friday Challenge is to be based on radial symmetry and colors from nature. I didn’t have to stretch my mind at all to fit succulents into the radial theme, and colors from nature could mean anything.

Imperfect symmetry is more interesting to me than perfect kaleidoscope type symmetry. Nature is full of not quite perfect symmetry, and rather lacking in much that is perfect.

Radial symmetry makes me think of circles, so I began by painting some white fabric with circles. This will be an under-painting when the quilt is complete. Many of my green succulents have a bit of red or yellow in them.

I have traced some succulent shapes onto interfacing. I will place it behind the batting, and quilt the shapes from the back, and then add more paint.

When I am done, I plan to select a section which can be matted and framed, and turn the remainder into ATC’s.

Tinta & Chiqui

2009-07-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

We've made more sock creatures.

Camilla made Chiqui. She is made from chihuahua socks turned inside out.

Tinta is made from an experiment gone weird involving Sharpies, rubbing alcohol, and instructions for tie-dying socks. I didn't wear the resulting socks much, but they were perfect for a creature.

Camilla put a heart in with Chiqui's stuffing, and cut out a heart for my creature also. But I forgot to add the heart in before I sewed her up. Tinta now wears her heart proudly on her outside.

Dinah & Dino

2009-07-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

Hi! My name is Dino. I’m the blue one on the right. Camilla made me, because Mom brought home a book called “Stupid Sock Creatures” by John Murphy from a garage sale this weekend. The green one is Dinah. She’s my best friend. Mom made her. I have a tail, but Dinah doesn’t. We’re modeled after Wronky, but look nothing like him. There are no patterns in the book, just instructions to eyeball everything. That makes each of us a little different, just like God made creatures.

Camilla did most of the sewing on me herself with just a little help. Mom sewed our arms on the sewing machine, because there were a lot of layers to sew through, and she wanted to make sure they stayed on well. Then Camilla and Mom got a little tired of all the hand sewing, and Mom used the sewing machine a bit more on both of us.

Camilla says she had lots of fun making me, and might make a pet for us.

Summertime Excursions & Projects

2009-07-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we visited relatives & friends an hour away in Tiburon. We went for a couple mile walk down the bike path for lunch. That’s the Golden Gate Bridge poking up out of the fog. On the way back, I picked up some succulent branches that were broken off of the landscaping along the path. I am going to see if I can get them to root.

Ten year olds get restless after school has been out for a month. I let Camilla use my fabric paints. We have added batting, and I showed her how to add quilting with embroidery floss. No backing yet, because this way it is easier to sew through, and we can hide all the knots at the end. We will add a back when she is done.

Artist Trading Card Swap

2009-07-12T21:56:00.001-07:00

I have traded my trading cards at my CQFA meeting yesterday, and now I have several from the group I belong to which I can admire.

Top row by:
Bronwen McInerney and Virginia Schnalle

Middle row: Nancy Riffle, Bronwen McInerney, and Terri Thayer

Bottom row: Diane Carver and Jaye Lapachet

Georgia O’Keeffe, Ansel Adams, & Whisper Quilts

2009-07-09T23:03:00.000-07:00

I am in a Whisper Quilt challenge with SAQA. We are divided into groups of ten. The first person received a photograph, and was required to create a quilt inspired by the photo. The second person gets to see the first quilt (but not the photo) and makes a quilt inspired by it. The third person gets to see the second quilt… and so on. It’s a bit like playing “telephone” where something is whispered from person to person, and by the time it gets to the last person, the message is completely changed. I got to see the results from the last Whisper Challenge (this link loads slow, but it’s worth the wait). Three groups went in completely different directions, and all of the quilts were really wonderful.

I am creating a quilt based on what Liz Berg has done. I had an immediate first impression of her quilt, and my family had similar thoughts. But, I put that idea away to see if it might lead me in other directions. Then I remembered a piece of fabric which seemed to relate to Liz’s quilt, and the fabric lead me in a new direction, and everything seemed to fall into place…until I got it all pinned together and it just didn’t seem right. The separate pieces weren’t relating to each other. Time to put it away for a day and come back to it later.

I went to San Francisco the next day to the SFMOMA to see the “Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams” exhibit. The exhibit showed works by both artists and compared their art. I hadn’t known that they were friends, or imagined that their work could have any similarities. Actually, I knew little about the work of Ansel Adams beyond a dozen or so of his most well known photos. I now have a better appreciation of his work after seeing the exhibit. I enjoyed seeing O’Keeffe’s paintings up close. I began noticing areas in her paintings how a shape or a line might be clearly defined in one area, and then fade into obscurity. I wondered if adding some obscurity might make my quilt better.

The following day, I got out my fabric paints. I darkened the background in part of the quilt to lower the contrast between it and the foreground. I added some visual texture to the same area which seemed to relate to the rest of the quilt. It’s been rescued from the “what was I thinking stack,” and now it’s one of my favorite quilts.

Sorry, I can’t show pictures. It must remain Top Secret until the last people have finished their quilts, and we are allowed to reveal them to the world. I will be taking it to my small CQFA group this weekend to share. There are two other Whisper Challenge participants in that group, but one has finished hers, and one said she won’t be there this weekend, so I think it will be safe to whisper a few secrets in the small group. The last person is scheduled to finish in December, so look for pictures in 2010.

New Succulent Plants

2009-07-04T15:21:00.001-07:00

There is a garden in the neighborhood with the most amazingly beautiful succulent garden. I stopped there today, because there was a plant sale in progress. I bought five dollars worth of succulent plants which would rival any nursery succulents I've seen. They will be a welcome addition to my garden, and should add nice variety to my succulent series.

ATC's are finished

2009-07-04T08:57:00.001-07:00

I've finished my Artist Trading Cards for next weekend. I like these work better as smaller pieces than I did as the one large piece it was a couple of days ago.

Transforming a Rejected Succulent

2009-07-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

Quite a while ago, I began a succulent for the SAQA Auction, and then set it aside as a reject.

I cut it into rough squares a couple months ago, with the intention of completing the Fast Friday Challenge which was supposed to be based on grids with an accent color. I picked out the fabric for the accent color, but then couldn't satisfy myself with the final arrangement, and it got set aside again.

This months Fast Friday challenge is to work with pattern or texture and triad color scheme. My rejected project was already the right colors.

I sewed the squares together at random, quilted, and then used orange and white paints to bring out the texture and add some dimension. Then I cut it apart again, and inserted orange veins.

This was a fun experiment. The current plan is to cut this into trading card size pieces to swap at my next CQFA meeting.

Succulent VI

2009-06-17T09:01:00.001-07:00

12 x 12
This is my piece for the One Foot Square SAQA Benefit Auction. I started with a piece of hand dyed fabric with blended turquoise, green and yellow.

I really should get some more photos to base my succulents on. I keep reusing the same favorites and doing them in different colors. Then again, why not repeat a good thing until I tire of it.

Neutral Challenge

2009-06-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

"Succulent V"
11 x 9

My fabric has been luring me to get back to some creative quilting. This month’s Fast Friday challenge was to work with neutral colors. I wondered if I could do succulents in neutral colors without them looking dead. Cynthia did a wonderful landscape in blue tinted grays which made it look like it was drenched in moonlight, so I thought maybe a blue tinted gray would work for me as well.

This piece started with a bluish gray which now seems nearly achromatic. I added a bit of yellow to the final painted highlights to add a bit of warmth to it. I prefer the brightly colored succulents.

I will post the piece I am making for the SAQA auction tomorrow.

Color Matters

2009-05-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

I am making progress on building the Piecmakers website. I wasn't confident with the colors I had chosen to work with. So I decided to create several mockups with differing color schemes. I will then poll the Piecemaker members, and let them choose our website colors.

In my search for palette inspiration, I came across COLOURlovers which is a great website for anyone who loves working with color.

I really like their COPASO tool, which allows me to upload a photo, and then pull colors from it to create a new palette.

I have several palettes on COLORlovers now. Next week I will pick a few of the palettes and begin working on the website mockups. Which are your favorites which you think would be good colors for the website?

This week I need to finish getting my work ready for the show at San Leandro History Museum & Art Gallery. And I need to sew a pioneer dress & bonnet for my daughter to wear in the Rowell Ranch Rodeo parade this weekend on the school float.

April Happenings

2009-04-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

I've been taking a bit of a break from creating new textile pieces.

My current focus has been on updating my programming and web design skills to make myself more marketable in the job market.

I have been learning Java programming, and have been updating my HTML and CSS skills. My current project is redesigning and building from scratch the website for the Piecemakers Quilt Guild. This work in progress can be viewed here: http://www.piecemakersguild.org/new. I still have a lot to do loading content, and fine tuning the layout.

To make my post quilting related, I have two pieces juried into the "Images of California" art show at the San Leandro History Museum and Art Gallery:

320 W. Estudillo Avenue, San Leandro, California
May 14 to Saturday, June 27
Artist Reception: Saturday, May 16 from 1:00 am - 3:00 pm
Thursday through Sunday, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

March Happenings

2009-03-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I went to the opening reception of the “41st Annual Textile Exhibition” at the Olive Hyde Art Gallery in Fremont. I have my three painted succulent pieces in the show. Several other artists working in quilts were represented along with artists working in other fiber mediums. The show will continue through April 18. Details are on the Olive Hyde website: http://www.ci.fremont.ca.us/Art/OliveHydeArtGallery/default.htm

On Saturday, I went to the CQFA meeting in Santa Clara. One of our members invited Margaret Nivin, a painting instructor, to come talk with us about critiquing. We had our normal show and tell in a variety of techniques and styles, and Margaret guided us in critiquing the pieces. It was good to talk about each piece beyond the customary “oohs & ahhs” and the “how did you do that?” types of questions.

I’ve been trying to put together an interview outfit, and finding that the suit I have from 15 years ago (and the other one from 20 years ago) no longer fit. I found a jacket I liked, and made a plaid skirt to coordinate with it. Then Saturday night, I went to a clothing exchange at a Zocalo’s coffeehouse to find a good home for the old suits. I think there were no takers for my suits, so they will go to a local community service organization. I found a nice pair of slacks, a jacket, and a nice blouse for eveningwear.

I’ve started a twelve inch block for the SAQA auction, but I let my colors run together and become muddy. Now it reminds me more of an artichoke than a succulent plant, so I plan to start over.

Echeveria Forest

2009-02-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

I have finally finished this small succulent quilt that I have been working on. It is about 8" x 10". I don’t want to name it Succulent V, because it doesn’t seem to be part of the same series as the other succulents. I have given it a working title of “Echeveria Forest”, but don’t know if the name fits. Any better suggestions for names? I have satin finished the edges instead of using a facing or a binding. If I hang it, I think I will mount it behind a mat.