Progress Report

We have a clump of Columbine that grows by the front door every spring. They are a delightful way to begin and end the working day. And they look especially good against the new house color.

Here are two new clutch bags designed and made by Melissa of 100 Billion Stars, using a vintage Sassaman fabric and the "Jack"design from the current Sunshine and Shadow line. They are sturdy enough to carry a note pad, your check book and credit cards. I like the way she matched the design of the Jack-in-the-Pulpit on the front flap.

The strong snap also adds to their practicality. Her choice for the lining is nice, too. It is much easier to find something against a light color, plus the inner fabric adds to the optimistic attitude of these fun bags.

I have devoted a little time this week to play with my new digitized embroidery motifs. This is an idea that I have been dreaming of for years... creating an embroidered fabric to cut in appliqued pieces and enhancing the background fabric with embroidery. I am very happy with this simple experiment, as it does just what I had hoped.

In this case, I used the spiral design, which I altered directly in my 730 Bernina. Then I stitched out several spirals by rehooping a few times. I also tried some different kinds of threads. The leaves were cut from another embroidered piece. Each layer of the quilt became more exciting. The fabric, the surface and the texture can all be enhanced by this extra thread work. My head is reeling with all the possibilities!

Emerald Forest

New spring energy is everywhere. As the days get warmer the green canopy grows denser day by day.  The Farmer's Market in the town square has begun with truck loads of potted flowers and starter vegetables. The weeds in the yard are overwhelming! It's time to adjust the wardrobe and the brain to adapt to this season of rampant lusciousness and labor.

The Emerald Forest Quilt has recently returned from the quilter. I could not resist taking it outside for a photograph since it blended so nicely with the fresh spring colors. I showed you this quilt a few months ago, when it was pinned in pieces to my work wall. It is another quilt made with Jan Kentz's Fussy Cutter Diamond Ruler, which suit my large Sunshine and Shadow prints perfectly.

Here is a detail of the quilting done by my friend, Audrey Esarey in Louisville, Kentucky. She used a clear top thread which doesn't compete for attention, but adds some nice texture and movement. It also helps to blend the kaleidoscopic elements together.

The turquoise bedroom as a natural fit for this quilt, because it feels like a tree house in all seasons.

This is also the happy season for weddings and graduations. Here are two wine/gift cozies that will dress up those bottles of bubbly for the celebrations. They were designed by my buddy, Melissa Peda of San Diego. You can find these designs in other fabrics at her inspiring Etsy shop.

I think the ribbons and buttons make the presentation fun and thoughtful. The hard-working hostess will feel that she is getting a present, too.

This is the next installment of my embroidery journal. Juanita, my Bernina embroidery trainer, coached me though the hooping and stitching process. So I am pushing buttons that have never be activated before on my 730. Now I can play and compose with the designs that she has digitized for me. I am having a blast! I know it is a baby step in the Big Picture, but it is a giant step for me. I really feel that digitized embroidery designs are going to expand my work in a monumental way!

Stormy Weather

It has been raining for days. It just drips during the day but the middle of the night and early mornings have been earth-shattering. The rain seems wilder than ever and the thunder and lighting battle for hours. The fresh lush green foliage overwhelms us with it's luminosity in these dark deep days. The tree trunks are black with wetness and the few remaining pink tulips sheltered under the big oak stand out like lonely beacons. Ahhhh... what better time to bury yourself in the studio!

I have been treasuring this opportunity to just stitch and dream. I am hoping to finish all the embroidery on the center portion of my new quilt before my next job. And I have been dreaming about the design possibilities for the remaining black border.

These opportunities have recently expanded thanks to my new friend and "personal trainer". Juanita has worked with the Bernina Artista software for years and she is patiently mentoring me through the learning process. There are also classes on the Bernina website. I am a slow learner. She has digitized a few of my designs and here you see one of the first!! I LOVE IT!!!!! Move over Ralph Lauren. No more silly polo players on shirts... it's flora, fauna and critters for me!

Mother's Day

I am just back from a wonderful visit with the Friendship Star Quilter's Guild in Germantown, Maryland.
Happily, I was able to fit in a quick visit to my favorite museum along the way, the American Visionary Museum in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Baltimore.

This wonderful place is devoted to "outsider and folk art". They have a permanent collection, but also have theme shows that are always incredible. Plus it has one of most entertaining museum shops ever!

The Kinetic Art Race was the same day, so there was music, happy people in funny clothes and fantastically decorated bicycles parading by. A memorable day!

But now that I am home again, it is time to focus on the next calendar event... Mother's Day! My Mom has lots of pink and blue in her home, so we had one of my new prints matted and framed to match her decor. It turned out beautifully. Shhhhhhh... don't tell her!

Even if your mom doesn't have a coffee table stacked with Sassaman ephemera, she still might enjoy one of these limited edition fine art prints, too. Happy Mom's Day to you all!

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!