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Archive for the ‘Bird’s Eye View’ Category

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Fussing and Fusing

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

I finished putting all the pieces on the design wall today. I kept standing back and checking  how my eyes moved around the piece and then I would rearrange or change a fabric. I love the colors in this. It makes me happy to work on this during this dreary month of February.

I took a photo and changed it to gray scale to check the values. Looks pretty good.

So, I carefully pulled it off the design wall and placed it on my ironing table and started fusing it. I dropped  my Panasonic iron  too many times and it has died. So, I was only able to tack the pieces with my sealing iron.

Tomorrow, I am heading down to Trinity early in the morning for a nuno felting class. So more fusing will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon.

I am feeling much better today. I had trouble getting out of bed, but I got dressed in leaving the house clothes instead of my sweats. I was talking to my wise daughter on the phone about how punky I was feeling. She reminded me that every one in Portland feels that way in February!! So I got out early and did food shopping for the rest of the week. I took a walk with Scooter and Mr C. And, then, I enjoyed a great afternoon in the studio.

Posted in Bird's Eye View, Fusing, shibori | 6 Comments »

Still Going In Shibori Circles

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

I have made some progress on this piece. I also made a mess in my studio, auditioning my hand-dyed fabrics for the background. Everything is pinned on the design wall so it is still very much a work in progress. I think it will be a fun piece and the quilting should go very quickly on this as I will do simple lines.

I spent a lot of time today moping around, not feeling very good. I am dealing with the clogged sinuses and vertigo. I also think I am having some problems related to a change in my thyroid medication. I have taken dessicated natural thyroid for years and the lab that made it can no longer get the stuff and has changed the formula. It is a big deal for those of us who found relief from the natural type. I can barely get out of bed in the morning and I am freezing cold all the time even with layers of clothes. I took a nice long walk with Scooter in the sun today, which made me feel better.

While moping, I got a quite a bit of hand stitching done on the silk circles. I am really loving that piece.

I bought some black fabric at Walmart (ugh) the other day. It discharged with chlorine to this very lovely color. I have to try it with thiox, now.

Posted in Bird's Eye View, Discharging fabric, shibori | 10 Comments »

Shibori Circles

Monday, February 1st, 2010

I had a meeting this morning and a class tonight for which I crammed this afternoon, but I read the wrong lesson, oh well! I am still happy that I had time to cut some more circles for the second irrigation circle piece.

My studio is a mess because I have been auditioning fabrics for the backgrounds.

I am trying to stay calm and just keep working because I have so many deadlines coming up. So now, I am going back to the slow cloth — the hand stitched silk circles.

Posted in Bird's Eye View, Slow Cloth | 1 Comment »

Going in Circles Again

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

I am starting on the second irrigation circle piece. It is a bit larger that the silk piece, which I am stitching by hand with hand-dyed thread in my spare moments. I am going to use my shibori fabrics for the circles on this piece.

I marked out the grid on a piece of felt. It is sturdier than batting and will not stretch out of shape.

The last few days have been full of various activities. I have done some cooking — a Key Lime Cheesecake for a dinner party last night. Tonight, I made White Chicken Chili and cornbread muffins for a family dinner.

This morning, I took Scooter for a walk in the Rhodie Garden. It is certainly beginning to look like spring.

Daffodils are on the way.

The first Rhododendron blooms .

And some cherry blossoms are beginning to burst out.

When we moved from upstate New York to California in 1976, one of the things I loved most was having spring come in January and February. This is a bit early for Portland, but I will enjoy it.

Posted in Bird's Eye View, My neighborhood | 7 Comments »

Back to Reality

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

We arrived home on Tuesday night, and it has been difficult to get back in the swing of things. I had quilt show entries to get done; housekeeping to do as I have a meeting here tomorrow morning. Ya da Ya da! Part of me is longing to be where this is the philosophy!

Here are few photos from the last couple of days. We had an absolutely gorgeous last day on Monday. We took a 4 mile round trip hike down to Tunnel Beach, so called because in the winter the surf often forms tunnels for the expert surfers. But, it was pretty calm when we were there.

Here is the sunset on Monday evening, not spectacular, but very lovely.

On our way to the airport, we stopped at an overlook of one of the wildlife refuges. It was so lush.

While on Kauai, I did lots of reading and some hand stitching on my silk irrigation circles. You can see a sneak peak up above and here. It is slow going. I am not sure that I can get this done in time for the High Fiber Diet show.

Scooter stayed at a dog boarding/day care out in the country. I think he had a great time, but he was a mess. His long coat was matted and dirty. No one was brushing him!! So I took him to the groomer today, and now he looks as if he was on a crash diet. She even had to trim his bushy tail!

I am going to do a little reading  — I am so close to finishing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Then, it is PR!!

Posted in Bird's Eye View, Scooter, Slow Cloth, Travels | 4 Comments »

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