Monday Musings - Day 7

Who knew I could blog seven days in a row and still get my work done? I sure didn't think it was possible. I like that my OCD about posting something each day this month has kept me motivated. (I can't leave any gaps or I will be mad at the world, well mostly just myself for not seeing consecutive numbers in the blog archive.)

So today, is Photo Mosiac day and I thought I would share a few of my favorite things. Lucky for you, I am not into video blogging or you would have to suffer though a horrible rendition of Julie Andrews's song about raindrops, kittens and woolen mittens.

I love a good rainbow! There are few things in life that can make me smile larger than when I see a perfect ROY G BIV waiting for me to admire or cut up.

Images from left to right, top to bottom:

I enjoy doodling with Sharpies. My Sharpie art usually has abstract shapes and lots of color. This image is a bit blurry here but the original was used to create one of my earliest art quilts many years ago. It's the image I use as my photo on G+, Flickr, and other "Sewn With Curves" image icons.

The rainbow rose was recently posted on my FB page by a "guildmate" who saw it and thought of me. I took the original image which actually describes how to make this rainbow rose by cutting the stem and placing it in various food colors to achieve a gorgeous look. I cropped the image and made it a bit more bold so I can design a new fabric piece soon.

The new Kona Solids jelly roll and charm pack has been staring at me for a few months now and I think I've finally come up with a pattern worthy of it's rainbow glory. (Now I just need to somehow add extra hours in the day so I can quilt more. I've tried sleeping less but nobody wants to be around me when I get too cranky.)

Coffee is all that I really need as a pick me up. I don't always have (or need) a biscotti at hand but a dark roast coffee is a must. My French press never goes a day without making magic happen in the kitchen. I've even made a rainbow cozy to keep my French press all snug and warm so it can do its thing while keeping my coffee hot until I'm ready for my next dose.

The "lady sewing" was also a FB post from another friend who is an amazing seamstress. (Her Halloween costumes are stunning!) She posted this over the weekend to describe how she was spending her Saturday. I saved it and am still searching for the original artist. She just found it by accident on Google a while back and can't find it again. I want to remake this woman on canvas with a more curves and an afro. If you know where this from, please let me know!

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These are just some of the images and fabrics that have sparked creativity. Making this collage was a lot of fun and I plan on cataloging all of my quilts and canvas art later this year. I look forward to sharing works in progress and completed art/quilts with you when I'm done.

Sunday, Fun Day! - Day 6

I love rainy, quiet Sundays. I was able to get in a nice walk before the rain started and spent the rest of the day in my sewing room.
I finished my design of the Double Wedding Ring for the DWR Challenge. I spent a good part of the day cutting and organizing my colors so I can start sewing them next weekend. I'm pretty excited about the outcome and can't wait to show you when it's all done.

All 194 of my little "A" pieces!

 After all of that cutting I wanted to get some sewing done, too. I am working on a gift for my dear friends who will celebrate their ten-year anniversary next March. They are both gamers so I had many designs ideas. I wanted to give them lots of color and still keep it simple, too. I promised her a queen-sized quilt a few years ago so I have to get it done soon.  (I still don't know if I can fit it in my tiny machine. I may have to take it to the long arm!)

I decided to make them a Tetris quilt! It's squares that I can make really large and piece together really easily. I decided on 5.5 inch blocks then got to work on graph paper to make up a design. I haven't played with my Sharpie colors in a while so this was a lot of fun.

                                   

Once I had the design I wanted, I counted up the number of colors and background blocks I would need. (Somewhere along the way, I changed up the final design so please don't copy these numbers if you want to make one, too. It would be best to draw your own and count them up to work for you.)

I had to do more cutting which took no time (or any fancy templates!) to get this little baby going. 

 If you have a design wall (or clean floor) handy, lay out your blocks and start sewing them according to your design. I usually chain piece for faster sewing but had to take extra care to keep all rows organized. I started from the bottom and worked my way up the following my graph paper pattern.

Crossing out the row as I went, helped me stay organized.
I almost duplicated a row which would mean picking threads out and starting again. Yuck!

I used Post It Notes to keep all rows in order as I moved up the line and when they were all done, I lined them up to make sure I had my design just right.

My secret for lining up squares perfectly is to use pins. I stuck a pin in the opposite end of every other row to keep them organized for ironing. (I don't have a good pic but simply: Left side pinned in rows 1, 3, 5, 7 etc. Right side pinned in rows 2, 4, 6, 8, etc.) Then, I ironed each row using the pins as a guide for which direction to press the seams.

I iron from right to left.
I place my pins on the ironing board on this side so I can just press in one direction.
Make your preference work for you.

When you bring your rows together to sew, they nest perfectly every time.

I finished sewing my rows together and will be adding a border with some other finishing touches in the next few weeks. Here's what I have so far:

Quilting this will help emphasize the individual blocks that make up a Tetris piece and help this design pop. Since each color has a distinct shape, it's hard to tell the separation when looking at just the quilt top. More pictures to come!

I didn't plan on writing a tutorial but I saw the "Process Pledge" on another blog and think I should share how I create my quilts as I blog more this month.

I hope this gives you some inspiration for making your own pixelated design of something you'd love to see. I'm thinking about making a shades of black and green Tetris quilt next to make it look like the original Gameboy version I played when I was a lot younger.Then, there is Galaga, Pac-man, Ms. Pac-man [I would have called her Pac-woman but I digress]...I can make a long trip down memory lane using the old 8-bit or even 16-bit games we used to play.

Did you get to sew today?
(Hope your Sunday was a fun day!)

I am officially tired and heading to bed early for a change.

Simply done - Day 5

Today, I was able to spend some time with my family for a joint birthday for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. We all shared some tapas and good conversation. I was even schooled in air hockey by my 5-year old nephew. (Final score: Nephew 5 games, Me 2 games)

I made them a few items including a table runner and some trivets. I forgot to take a picture of the table runner. (It was purple with bonsai trees and running water from Japan. They are both into Japanese art so I knew it would work well with their decor.)

I also made some trivets using a few of the Halloween BOM from Wed's lottery win. (These were more on the sweet side of Halloween. I am using the scary ones for the bigger quilt I started for my godson.)

Front of Trivets

Back of Trivets

 I used Isul-brite with extra cotton batting and quilted them in a square spiral. So easy and simple to create. (I've been making her pot holders and trivets for each holiday since they lost many of them last year.)

I love when my weekends are simple again. Fall is in the air.

Hope you had a great Saturday!

My First Modern Quilt - Day 4

Flashback Friday 

My first modern quilt was made in 2004 before I knew there was even such a thing outside of traditional quilt making. I used red, black and white to make a baby quilt for friends who were researching the use of these high-contrast colors. (They later decided to do yellow and green instead so this has been in my personal collection a long time.)

I entered it into a local fair as a baby quilt in 2005 thinking it would stand out and be an avant garde design. I came in second place to a quilt that was literally pastel squares in a row because the judges said it did not look like a baby quilt. I saw that as a compliment because I didn't want to make something you would find in a store.

The Design

I was chopping up this red-striped fabric I love and started arranging them in lines. Then I would cut through them and rearrange them sew and cut again. I stopped when I came up with a panel that spoke to me. I took the red, black, and white dots fabric and made rectangles. I cut them in half and added the white. I placed them in a diamond pattern to help frame the center.  I also wanted to use black satin binding because I didn't want a light color that would show all of the baby stains it could potentially acquire. I thought it needed some color to break up some of the black before I started quilting it. The scraps from the red-striped fabric were sewn together to make a top and bottom strip to help break up all of the black that seemed to over power it. (After all, they were not Goth parents.)

Here's the front view:

I wanted to make an interesting pattern on the back and cut the stripes on a diagonal. I lined them up so they would make a diamond pattern when sewn together.  I quilted it in a spiral because it looked so hypnotic to me.

Back view:

My quilting has come a long way since this first venture into what I called an avante garde baby quilt at the time. This quilt started my love for making quilts that are not what you would typically find in books or stores.

The current modern quilting movement has given me a place to call home.

Thank you, OMQG! - Day 3

Gratitude

My New Year's resolution was to seek community. I've quilted in isolation for 12 years and wanted to meet others like me who were passionate about fabric and art.  

So I started searching for groups that met in the area. There were a few groups that seemed to follow a more traditional aesthetic which was not my style. I happened upon the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild's page and was lucky enough to be able to attend the first meeting in January. It felt like home. Everyone there was immediately welcoming and so appreciative of each other's craft. I found my people at last!

Over the last few months, I've attended monthly meetings and weekend sew days which inspire me to create more and challenge myself. I am so thankful for each of them. 

A Special Thanks to Marge!

Yesterday, the OMQG met and brought in our Halloween blocks. I really wanted to win them to make a special quilt for my godson this Christmas. He loves all things Halloween from vampires to witches to werewolves. At our table, just before the BOM lottery, Marge offered me the blocks if she won in exchange for another set of blocks I might win in the future. How generous is that?

When her name was called, we both cheered because her win meant I won, too. She gave me her blocks and I still can't stop smiling about it. 

Later, we were given a mystery bag filled with holiday fabric and patterns. We could choose to swap items and get to mingle more at the end of the meeting. At one point, they started giving me their Halloween fabric and orange fabric bags to help me complete my quilt. 

Halloween Good Bags

I have the best guildmates ever! Their friendship means more to me than they will ever know.

Thank you!

Speak Love - Day 2

About Me (Well, part of me!) Day 1

[My First Stab at Blogtoberfest!]

I have been a reader and lover of art for as long as I can remember. I started reading at an early age and stared at the art work of Rackham, Gorey, and Seuss which held my attention as much as the stories did.

Arthur Rackham's Little Red Riding Hood

I found myself lost in books for hours. I started writing my own little stories and had dreams of becoming a famous author. Somehow in becoming an adult, I decided that I needed a "real" job a.ka. - one that would pay money on a regular basis. I became a teacher to share my love of stories with others. 

About 14 years ago, I bought a sewing machine at a yard sale for $15 with my dear friend and decided that I was going to make my own clothes. (I mended a lot but never made anything that I would be seen in public wearing.) One day, my dear friend confided in me that she was pregnant and having another baby. I decided I wanted to make her a quilt. (My teacher's salary didn't cover much and I wanted to save a few bucks!) I was given a quilting book by my mother-in-law and that was the start of my love affair with quilting.

I still use my original Kenmore when I have heavy duty projects that don't need any frills like my newer Brother can provide. It's built like a steel powerhouse and will always be my first and favorite machine.