Spring Handiwork Bag

I have always admired the achingly beautiful "handiwork" and presentation bags from the Tudor and Stuart periods of English embroidery. They both have the same basic square design with draw strings and tassels.

The handiwork bags were meant to hold embroidery implements, supplies and unfinished projects. The bags themselves were embroidered by their owners. The presentation bags were the same format but they were much more elaborate. They were intended to contain an equally valuable gift, for example, a pair of exquisitely stitched and embellished gauntlet style gloves, which were a popular and symbolic present in 17th century England.

So I set out to make a 21st century version of these stunning bags. I began with a simple square of the Coleus fabric surrounded by strips of the Sprigs fabric, both from the Sunshine & Shadow line for FreeSpirit. I made two of these, one for each side. Then after adding batting and a white backing, I quilted two rows of heavy white stitching with 12 weight threads to add a little glow of light.

Then I quilted wavy lines with the feather stitch, also using 12 weight threads. I think these rows help to blend the fabrics together. Then  I hand stitched random flat sequins, a relaxing evening activity. This is another idea borrowed from the embroidery of the 1600's. I just sequined one side for show and left the other side unadorned so it could rest comfortably next to the body.

Although this bag is too substantial for draw strings to be very effective, I added them as a decorative element. They are strung through loops of gross grain ribbon. This was also a wonderful excuse to add more tassels! The tassels were made with DMC pearl cotton and my favorite felt beads from the Art Girlz.

A zipper was added for security and finished with more felt beads. The ribbon loops are continued inside the bag and turned out to be perfect for storing your knitting needles, which also help to stablize the bag.

I chose a light Sprigs fabric for the lining, so it will be easy to find what you are looking for inside. There is a wide shoulder strap for portability. I think this bag looks nice enough to hang on the wall! It would make a handsome throw pillow, as well!

Also note that Craftcast with Alison Lee has just posted our podcast interview. I am a fan of several craft podcasts, which I listen to at the gym... makes working out easier to bear! I especially like Craftcast because her guests are accomplished fine craftsmen and women. You can download the shows or simply listen on demand. I know you will find lots to explore on her site.

Pastel Productions

This has been a remarkable week of weather. It started like spring and ended like summer. No coat or heavy socks required and no time to adjust your body to so much heat. But that heat created comfortable evenings for unwinding and enjoying all the new buds and blossoms.

Greg burned our prairie and has begun to rake up the heavy layer of oaks leaves to reveal the anemic and energetic little sprouts below. The first daffodils opened yesterday and the Sandhill Crains are back exploring the cropped cornfields and waterways.

The kids were here for the weekend and Willow was in a frenzy of pillowcase production in preparation for her booth at a school May Fair. She decided to use lots of the pastel dots (blue, pink, green and yellow) from the Sunshine & Shadow line. They are perfect for childrens accessories and very refreshing and gentle colors for spring.

Staying with the pastel Sunshine & Shadow theme, here is a clever package for storing your knitting needles made by Melissa Peda, the owner of the One Hundred Billion Stars Etsy shop. The best part of the design is the extra flap at the top which keeps the needles from slipping out. Notice that she has reversed the fabrics on both sides of the flap to create contrast. 

For the outside she picked the coordinating Jack-in-the-Pulpit fabric and a double button to secure the purple gross grain ribbon. The whole parcel rolls into a slim portable bundle. A glorious display of pretty  pastels for your Easter crafting basket.

Willow is the knitter in our family and always has a project in the works. She admired this needlecase so much that she adopted it as her own! 

Jazz up your Easter Bonnet with this Yo-Yo Brooch, another cute idea from Melissa. I used to make fun of yo-yos, because they were so "old-fashioned". But they have renewed potential in the new crafty world. Happy Holidays to all!

Studio Time

Since winter is fabric designing time, I try to limit my teaching schedule during the season. It takes a lot of concentration to design a line of fabric, which is usually 9 to 10 patterns in three colorways. Sometimes the muse is illusive and takes a while to settle in, but this year the ideas flowed smoothly and I was able to turn in my work ahead of schedule. This has left me with some delicious quality time to pursue some activities that have been on the waiting list for a long time.

First of all, I have developed a line of limited edition fine art prints based on some of my favorite textile designs. Each image is printed with archival inks on heavy 8.5" by 11" rag paper, signed and numbered. Perfect for framing, the matte finish and crisp graphic make a rich combination. I am thrilled to see this project come to fruition and hope to work on some larger prints in the future.

I am also taking lessons to learn Adobe Illustrator and Bernina Artista Embroidery software. It is often overwhelming and makes my head spin. But progress is being slowly made.

After all this computer work I was feeling the need to fondle some fabric and make an art quilt. This new piece is a continuation of the Totem Series. My mind has been in a symmetrical phase lately. I wanted this piece to be filled with characters from my landscape, beginning with seeds and salamanders.

With every photo you can see a bit of the designs evolution. I began by making the initial shapes in fabric. Even if a character is eventually weeded out of the composition, I know that it will not be wasted, it will just become the incentive for another piece in the future. The design grows and shifts as the shapes begin to converse.

The spring weather has also inspired the design. The snowdrops and crocus are up and the pointy little fingers of tulips and hostas are poking through the thick carpet of old oak leaves. This brought to mind some other favorite flowers in our summer garden, hence the gaillardias and sunflower.

Our canapy of oak trees is represented, as well as the constant buzzing of the bumble bees. It is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Each character finds their proper place and then it is time to add the details.

Above is the basic composition, so far.  Currently, I am assenbling and embroidering all the independent units before they can be appliqued to the background. But as long as the characters are unattached they can still change position, so there could be some more adjustments made. Below, with the magic of a Photoshop, you can see it with the eventual black border.

Each phase of working on a quilt is satisfying. Right now I have hours of stitching to look forward to, which is a luxury, indeed!

Wonderful Woolly Willow Rug

I am very excited to show you this special project by Lois Conradi, a talented Canadian quilter and rug hooker. I met Lois during a visit to the Orchard Valley Quilt Guild in beautiful Kelowna, BC, Canada. Always anxious to have my designs translated into other mediums, I quizzed Lois about the art of rug hooking. It has been on my list of interests for many years, but have never found the time to try it. I love it's folk art quality. Luckily, Lois was adventurous enough to interpret the Wee Willow pattern into wool.

First she decided to enlarge the pattern to a 25" square to allow for better detail. Then she traced the design onto the Red Dot paper, which is like a transparent interfacing. Next she taped her tracing on to "primitive"even-weave linen, which is the backing fabric, and used a Rub-a-Dub laundry marking pen to transfer the design to the linen. The linen is also finished with a machine zig zag stitch to prevent fraying.

The whole rug is worked in "5 cut" widths of Dorr Wool from the Dorr Mill Store. The "new" black wool was washed in hot water and dried in a hot dryer to felt the wool. It is deliciously black and really sets off the bright colors. The bright wools were hand colored with Cushing or Pro Chem dyes, which created wonderfully variegated colors. The blue flowers were made from recycled wool fabric.

Here is a page from Lois explaning the size of the fabric cut. She highly recommends The Rug Hookers Bible by Jane Olson and Rug Hooking Magazine to learn the finer aspects of the art. In this detail, you can see the scrumptious undulations and subtle patterns made from little loops of wool. Even the whitish background is packed with rhythm and texture. Like little highways of tiles, these kernels of color make the surface intimately interesting.

The rug is also terrifically tactile. It is hefty, but very malleable, almost like soft chain mail. Once fondled, it is really difficult to put down! I stop by several times a day just to give it a feel.

After the rug is hooked, the edges are whip-stitched with black Briggs & Little wool around a double strand of cotton cord. Then the black twill tape was stitched on by hand to cover the linen edges and add durability. The back is almost as lovely as the front!

Lois, your work is beautiful! Thank you for your energy and effort in this project! But I can see that one hooked rug is not enough! Now I think I need one in every room!

Think Pink!

It's hard to believe that it's March already! Here in the Midwest spring is in the air. The birds are singing and the snow is slowly melting. The old saying, "in like a lamb and out like a lion"is bound to be put to the test this month... along with the groundhog's prediction. But the optimism of spring fills me with encouragement.

Spring is also foreshadowed in the shifting of seasonal sunlight. Here the afternoon sun shines through the high windows of the apple green guest room. A change of seasons requires a new look, especially for bed dressings. This pink and green quilt is definitely a refreshing transformation. It is basically a log cabin block exploded to a giant size. Rows of the Mulberry Coleus and Jack-in-the-Pulpit alternate with strips of green Fronds from the violet colorway of the Sunshine & Shadow fabrics. Black sashing and yellow corner blocks create a graphic rhythm that holds the design together. The pillows are also made from Sunshine and Shadow fabrics. Amazing how a new pillowcase can make you feel so good!

Check out this blooming bag created by my friend, Melissa Peda. It is so pretty and optimistic that it makes me sigh! She is using the same mulberry fabrics as in the quilt, but that pink lining really puts "spring" in mind. The Easy Street Bag is Melissa's original pattern and I love the scoop with the button closure. This cheerful purse and many other fun creations can be seen at her colorful Etsy shop, 100 Billion Stars. Thank you, Melissa, for your enthusiasm and generosity. Think spring and think pink!

Valentine's Finale

Here is the Valentine's Quilt for 2010 in final form. It is all appliqued and uses Sassaman fabric from this season and last. It began with the black Sprigs heart trimmed with a bias edge of pink and red checked fabric. Then I fussy cut the periwinkle Fronds, also from the Sunshine & Shadow line, and placed them to radiate from the heart and finished the raw edges with satin stitch.

The heart looked too empty so I added some red birds cut from a rich hand dyed fabric. The edges are satin stitched to add some character. The little heart and the black and white background are made from  the Sassaman Dots that appear in new colors every season. The little blocks of satin stitch, the decorative spikes around the hearts and heavy thread in the ditch are quilting, so they are going through all three layers of the quilt and add extra texture, too.

I have grown very fond of this spikey decorative stitch which, in this case, adds to the slightly subversive "tatoo" motifs. Of course, the red roots or stems also lean in a decadent direction. Just couldn't resist!

There was still space to fill so I borrowed some cicadas from last season's Teasel and Lace fabric. I filled their bodies with another decorative quilting stitch and also quilted the background with radiating pink threads. This little project is my "thank you"gift to all the readers who visit this modest little blog. Thank you all for your patience, support and enthusiasm!

Valentine's Day

I was thinking of all my quilting and crafting friends as I worked on my little quilt all Valentine's Day!
I had hoped to finish and post it for you, too. But being a perfectionist, there was always another detail to add and a few hundred more threads to bury. So stay tuned and it will appear in it's complete version in the next few days.

I wrapped up the new fabric designs this morning and packed them for shipping. It is always exciting to finish a large project and begin to anticipate the next. But first, finish my little quilt and CLEAN the studio!!