Have you gathered your yarn yet?
Ok, here's an update on the granny square project.
* I'm finalizing what will be our own version of the granny square sampler afghan this week. I am trying some new squares, to figure out sizing. Its granny square central here, as you can see.
* I will post the next granny square section, instructions, how to's, etc every Fridays, starting this Friday. Hope that works for everyone.
| | | |
| | |
Jewel Boxes, combination of acrylic and gouache, 12" x 12", on wood panel
The class theme for last week was all about composition. I've always thought that the composition in the work I've done (like quilting) happened by accident, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it can't be an accident. Things are placed with intention whether I realize it or not, color is added here, taken away there, until I like what I have. But translating that into a painting seemed challenging. Its all so subjective, isn't it?
| | | |
| | |
As I am working on the master pattern for our granny square a-long (say that to the non-crocheter and watch their face), I thought we could talk about the yarn you'll need (thanks for asking about it Erin).
You can read about the original idea of the granny square project here.
If you already own a lot of yarn, I would encourage you to use this pattern as a stash buster if possible. That's what I'm doing. With no shortage of yarn around here (a hem, the above photo is the top of a basket that currently runs very deep), I thought it would be a good challenge to impose some color limitations on myself, maybe mixing in a few I don't really love with the favorite ones I always grab. Just like I realized in Denyse Schmidt's Improvisational Patchwork class last summer, taking away a lot of the choice can yield some really fun, unexpected results.
Continue reading "first assignment for the granny square sampler project" »
| | | |
| | |
"Facets, Detail", 8" by 10", painted with a combination of gouache and acrylic, on pre-gessoed artist board
Last week's focus of the Get Your Paint On class was color. Using what we discussed in class, and the idea that I'm still very interested in painting parts of quilts I've made, I decided to try and paint a detail of the Facets quilt I designed for Stitch Magazine's Fall 2010 issue.
The original quilt was made from repurposed denim jeans, all in various shades and washes (blues, greenish blues, bleached blues, gray blues). I separated the shades based on three main color values (dark, medium, and light), then played with the different shades within each grouping, sometimes turning them over on their wrong side for subtle color variations, that's how the idea of the facets came to be.
I thought it would be a good challenge to play with these variations of blues and grays in paint and boy was it! I added many many layers to this piece, and at times was so frustrated when I wasn't getting the effect I was going for. The final piece has less contrast within the blue tones than the original quilt because when I tried to mimick the contrast of the quilt, it felt so choppy to me, not what I felt I was going for. The colors needed to blend a bit more. Lisa told us that this frustrating stage would happen, to go with it and work through it, so I did, but I really thought this one would be a throw-away. I thought about sanding the entire surface, hoping to mute the denim shades together but I was afraid of ruining the whole thing. The green was also feeling too bright, too neon, too straight from the bottle. So, I tried a light light very watery wash of a gray blue over the entire piece, even the green border. Suddenly, the denims blended together much better, and the green toned down.
What an example of working on something even thought you hate it. When I did that last painted wash, I really was thinking "OK, if I ruin it, who cares, I hate it anyway." But now, I actually like this piece. I'm glad I didn't give up earlier.
I think there are several reasons I'm enjoying painting the quilts I've made:
- So much of the process of making a quilt involves selecting colors and fabrics that blend just so, which is so interesting to translate into paint colors for me. The subtle differences and nuances are the most interesting in my eyes.
- Its so fun to study these through a different medium like paint on wood, interpret them in different ways.
- You don't want to see my interpretation of anything else, trust me. This is fairly safe territory.
- These paintings make me so happy. Some of these quilts have moved on to other homes, and now I have another way to remember them.
One unexpected challenge of this class is that I clearly need a class just to learn to photograph and scan artwork, you would laugh at the number of photos I took of this piece just to get these few, which are just eh.
(You can see week one's piece here and week two's piece here.)
| | | |
| | |
I am working on the master plan and pattern for our granny along. Will have more details soon, so get your hooks ready!
Thanks to all who signed up to get my newsletter yesterday! (You can still sign up here.)
| | | |
| | |
There has been a lot of exciting things going on here behind the scenes. You already know about the book, but what didn't mention is that that the work of repurposing, reusing, and recreating secondhand things continued after my work on the book was over. A new feature is being added to the shop for these unique items!
I won't get all chatty about it just yet, except to say I have thought long and hard about keeping every single piece I've worked on this shop update, but we don't have the room for that kind of madness at our house, so I share with you.
There will be handmade items, and secondhand items, redone by yours truly. Everything is one of a kind, which is good and bad, cause once its gone its gone.
If you would like to know when the shop is stocked and ready, sign up for updates and news. And there maybe some super secret coupon codes for new subscribers, who knows?
| | | |
| | |
If you're a regular reader, you may already know that I prefer to reuse jars and empty tin cans as storage around our house. I also hunt and gather glass storage jars with lids at thrift stores, these are what I keep my buttons, ribbons, and small trim items in down in my studio. Keeping them this way allows me to see what's inside keeps everything dust free (I hate dusting). I was doing some cleaning the other day and found myself organizing the contents of these jars. Once everything was nice and neat inside, I spruced the outsides up a little with my favorite crafty supply, spray paint. The lids were scratched, different shades, and kind of uninteresting, but a couple coats of a pea green shade later and everything is pulled together.
I love simple projects like this!
If you wanted to get even fancier, you could tape off a shape on the glass jar and paint inside it with chalkboard paint to write on.
<><><>
Tonight (Friday, May 4th) Katie Pedersen is having a reception at Island Quilter on Vashon Island to open her new exhibit, which will showcase quilts featured in her book Quilting Modern. Not that you need any reason to visit beautiful Vashon, but meeting Katie is a treat, and I've heard fantastic things about Island Quilter. The reception is 6-9:00 pm, and Katie's quilt exhibit is up through May 31.
And Shanna debuted new wall decals yesterday, so pretty! I always have wall space for another one of her decals. They are sprinkled all over our house, even my front door has one!
Happy Weekend you lovely people!
| | | |
| | |
Sounds like I need to get to working on that crochet granny sampler, thank you for all your responses on yesterday's post. We're going to have some fun. Go at your own pace, learn as you go. Don't be scared.
Last Saturday, Emma and I stopped by Katie's book signing at The Quilting Loft (which, by the way, has moved across the street from where they were in Ballard into a new, light-filled large space with lots of parking).
| | | |
| | |
Happy May Day!
Thank you all so much for the comments and tweets about yesterday's painting. I feel a bit sheepish about showing something I am so new at, but you guys are so great and so enthusiastic, you make me feel the same way about it.
Now, how about a little May inspiration wallpaper for your computer??
Download the May inspiration image here.( I only know how these images look on our Macs, so if there is ever an issue with how they look, and choosing "resize to fit screen" in your settings doesn't seem to work, please shoot me an email.)
I have had such good thrifting luck lately. I found those embroidery woolen skeins in the image (they're so teensy and cute!) and some beautifully colorful sheets. In fact, I am working out a quilt design in my head every night when I'm going to sleep that involves those pretty floral sheets.
<><><>
And let's talk for a minute about granny squares. I have been working a bit here and there on the crocheted granny square sampler that I discovered a few weeks ago. A commenter had cautioned me that it is full of errors and she was right. Some of the directions just really don't make sense, and I was getting frustrated the other day when I thought, let's just come up with our own sampler! We (you and I) could do our own crochet granny square sampler. I started writing up a pattern that would include the granny with a circle center, as well as the traditional granny, and some other variations.
Will you do it with me??
I could create a loose timetable here on the blog each week, to follow as strictly or loosely as you want, this would be a go at your own pace kind of thing. I could also include links to videos (and possibly my own videos, if I am that together) that explain any new techniques, or how to do each new square, etc. I'm not totally clear on all the details yet, but I will figure them out. We follow along, all doing our own thing at our own pace, what do you say?? The beauty of a sampler project is that its a great take-along project for summer trips, there's little more you need other than a hook and a couple colors of yarn.
If you're interested, let me know in the comment section.
| | | |
| | |
My second week's assignment for Get Your Paint On was completed on Sunday, a stylized painting of my Sunshine Medallions Quilt Pattern.
Like the first painting I did from last week, I painted this using a combination of gouache and acrylic on an artist's panel (I learned these need a lot of paint, they really soak it up). I changed the patterning a little bit from the original quilt design, to experiment with a new color placement. I worked on what Lisa talked about in class, adding and adding layer upon layer of paint. I love that idea and I must say, she is right, good things happen in those layers and it creates a lot of visual depth. This one almost felt like an optical illusion when I was done.
It was never my intention to paint quilts, but once I got started, I seemed to be excited by the idea, I thought why not? The quilts I make, as I'm sure are the ones you make, are so very special to me. I do a lot of contemplating over fabric choices, colors, how they go together, why they work together, or what is missing. Maybe that is why this idea feels so natural for me. I won't say easy, I worked longer than I ever expected I would on both week's paintings, but I am enjoying the whole process of learning a new medium.
Last week my friend Christiane and I went to see the Gauguin & Polynesia exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum. We were both surprised by the colors of the Polynesian series he did, the colors, although vivid, were not as bright as I envisioned they'd be. Interestingly though, once he moved back home to Brittany, he continued to paint the Polynesian scenery and people as he remembered them. The colors in his memory must have been more vivid. Those pieces had a vibrancy to them I didn't see in the earlier ones, as if the paintings were his way of going back in his mind to a place he wanted to be.
<><><><>
Lastly, tomorrow is a new month, and that means new inspiration wallpaper (I've been faithful to my plan of getting a new one up on the first of the month so far, yay! see the other months here), and a question for your crocheters, so stop back by then.
| | | |
| | |
