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Archive for the ‘handstitching’ Category

That Was Fun!

Thursday, June 20th, 2013

I had a great time spending the day with Diane Hock, yesterday. We met downtown for lunch. Steph joined us and had to leave to take Mia to visit a friend. She is really busy this week with 3191Q project deadlines. It was a bit rainy and a bit sunny, but we enjoyed walking around the Pearl district and doing a bit of shopping. Our first stop was Blick Art where I bought a tube of Invisible Glove. Has anyone out there tried this. Supposedly, you can coat your hands with this before getting into paint, dyes and other stuff and it will wash right off.

I also bought some Dyna-flow paint, some time easels for tiny art and some drawing pens.

Our next stop was Cargo Imports. This store is a visual treat for the eyes. The photo at the top is of some Chinese furniture in wonderful colors. I found some beads for my 3×3 project.

They had just gotten in a shipment of wood printing blocks. I bought these two. They are really awesome, especially that large wavy one.

We also went to Mill Ends our near my house where I found a Vogue pattern that I have been looking for.

Our last stop was the Moreland Farmer’s Market where I bought salmon and fresh veggies for dinner, some wonderful bread for Diane and Mr C and some raspberries for the freezer.

It was really great to get caught up with Diane and the happenings in my old guild and the art quilt group that I started and now has 40+ members. She left this morning for Port Townsend and then is going on to Victoria and then back to Oregon for further adventures before heading back to California.

I got the quilting done on the background of the red organza collage.

I added some of the red/black organza squares. I keep changing the layout.

I am now hand stitching them in place.

I have to keep working to reach all my goals. Life is good, but the weather is lousy. Fortunately, we only have to wait a bit for it to get better.

On a side note, my daughter Lisa, has an interview in the latest O magazine about her love of collecting. Proud of both of my daughters.

Posted in handstitching, My Brilliant Daughters, My creations, Quilting Friends, Stuff I Buy | Comments Off on That Was Fun!

The Visitor from Down Under

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

Brenda Gael Smith, one of our Twelves from Australia, was here in Portland for a quick visit with Terry Grant and I. Terry picked her up at the train station. She had been in Seattle visiting friends. We all met up at a fun restaurant and had dinner. This morning, Terry brought Brenda over to my house. We spent the morning looking at quilts and just talking about the Twelve project. We are going to show the 20×12 quilts here in Portland at Quilt Expo in September.

We then went in search of a food truck pod so that Brenda could have that quintessential Portland experience. After enjoying some Mexican fare, we went off to Powell’s book store, another necessary experience. The photo up there of the three of us was taken there in front of one copy of our book that we found on the shelf. I snapped this photo of myself with the book.

Next, we stopped in at Josephine’s Dry Goods, a wonderful, upscale fabric store. No money spent there. Around the corner is The Playful Needle, a great place to pick up embroidery type thread for hand stitching.

I did spend money here.

And these that I think will work with my current project.

Here is a detail of the stitching I have done so far.

Terry dropped me off at Whole Foods where Mr C met me and she took Brenda to the train station for the next leg of her journey, visiting friends in the Tri=cities area of Washington before she flies home at the end of the week.

It was a lovely day and a nice day away from the computer and my current work load.

Tomorrow, I am heading over to Terry’s house for lunch with our friend, Del Thomas, who is passing through town on her way home from a workshop on Whidby Island. She is bringing some new art quilt acquisitions to show us.

Posted in 12X12 challenge, handstitching, Quilting Friends, Quilting Purchases | 1 Comment »

Better Results?

Saturday, April 27th, 2013

Here is the second discharged piece after getting thrown in the washer and dryer. I did simpler stitching – just horizontal. I think I could have stitched the lines a little closer, but it has nice texture. It shrunk more in one directions than the other. It started out square. Here is a detail shot.

I am going to crop out a twelve inch square for my SAQA auction piece. I am titling it Montanas y Lunas (mountains and moons). I plan to do some hand stitching on both pieces. The other piece will be larger and titled Undulations. Here are some perle cotton auditions.

This is a gorgeous variegated hand-dyed thread by Laura Wasilowski of Artfabrik fame.

I am not sure where I got this thread. I think it will add some nice color to the Undulations piece.

I got the results of my gall bladder ultrasound, and I have a remarkably healthy gall bladder and all the other organs and abdominal parts that showed in the scan were in great shape. So, I am going to stop worrying about that. I think I have found the reason for the hives on my legs. I realized that we changed soap in the shower at about the time the itchiness started. I have stopped using it and so far so good. I will now stop being a hypochondriac — at least until the next symptom arises. I am an old lady, after all.

We have had a run of gorgeous weather. I planted by veggie garden yesterday and replenished the herb planters.

There is room for a few more herbs. Mr C came after me and cleaned up the deck.

Here is the garden bed with a few weeds and looking a little disheveled.

I went at it with the hoe and turned up the earth. Love it!

I planted lots of lettuce for now.

This year, I planted the squash and cucumber in the ground next to the planter box so that they have room to spread out.

I am going to wait to plant tomatoes, and I still have room for some other plants like eggplant and peppers.

I really enjoyed getting outside to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

Posted in Felting, handstitching, SAQA, Surface Design Techniques, The Farm, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Better Results?

Picking Up Where I Left Off

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

This is my Alternate Universe piece. I discharged this to represent how I feel some days — that I have awakened in an alternate universe that is upside down and in reverse. I was doing seed stitching on the moons and planets when my winter/spring malaise hit.

I am on a quest to pick up work that I had started and finish them. I am almost finished with the hand-stitching so that I can soon start the machine quilting which will probably be tedious. Here is a detail:

So that is what I have been up to for the last couple of days. Tomorrow, Terry is coming over so that we can get the Twelve by Twelve quilts attached to the felt panels and package them up to ship to Houston – woo hoo – it is coming up in about 6 weeks!!

Yesterday, I saw one of the eye docs and she proclaimed my eye beautifully healthy. She said she could tell that I have been using my eye drops correctly.

Posted in handstitching, My creations | 3 Comments »

Secret Project Revealed

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

At the end of June, my good fiber friend, Judy, who lives in Georgia, posted this photo of her mother and her grandson that was taken on father’s day, just a couple of weeks before her mom passed away. I just love this photo. Her mother was failing, but rallied on that day when Charlie came to visit. It just speaks volumes about our lives and moms, grandmom and great grandmoms. I knew I just had to create something for Judy with the photo as a remembrance of her mom.

Using Photoshop Elements, I created a line drawing/sketch of the photo.

I experimented with different colors of organza and background fabric and finally found the right combination. I fused the photo to the background chiffon and took it New York with me where I worked on the background stitching, a combination of French knots and seed stitch.

Here is a detail:

I decided that it needed a frame to set it off instead of having a hanging rod. I am very happy with the result.

I sent it off, priority mail, last Friday and Judy called me today, in tears, as she had received it.

I had a really nice long week-end. I managed to stitch the rod pockets for several black felt panels for the Twelve by Twelve exhibit at IQF in Houston in November. Terry has been cutting the panels. When they are all finished, we will attach the quilts and send them off to Houston.

On Sunday, Mr C and I went to the lighting store to find new pendent lights for the kitchen. We have four, two over two separate counters. They have always been a problem. The lights keep needing to be changed and finally, this week, one of the globes broke and fell in shatters on the counter and floor. Here is one of the old ones.

Here is the new one. Makes more of a statement and provides better task lighting.

Posted in 12X12 challenge, handstitching, My creations, photo transfer, Quilting Friends, Quilting Organizations | 6 Comments »

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