my creative week

 

this was a week of sewing, writing, and watching video lessons... with one drawing 

hand sewing hexies, tiny quiltlets from scraps, and one drawing

 

the sewing primarily was "middle sewing"  involving a lot of putting blocks together, basting a quilt, finding appropriate fabrics, making design decision that take time but don't show well in a round up.

I now have completed the squares for two RSC block sets made last year... I added an entire row of black and white squares to go with the colorful scrap blocks done last year, but like the first set I'm reluctant to show it until it's done, but here is one

and each time I made one black and white block, I cut away little triangles, which I then decided to sew into hourglass blocks. No measuring, just sew odd shaped triangle to odd shaped triangle,

until I had a lot of them. I don't know if this is considered improvisational, but it feels that way.

I played with arrangements but when I noticed this fabric left from my big blocks...

just a fat quarter (of a yard) and saw the musical cats, I decided to set the wee blocks (2" square) into a frame

yep, that's cool. They were not tidy nor even, but I didn't let that get in the way of making this for my husband, the guitar player who loves cats 

finishing about 7" square

for table scraps... he's playing "notes"

no scrap too small, no scrap wasted. I miss being part of a quilt group in Maryland that gave me bags of what they considered too-small scraps. These came from making the large person sized quilt on the wall

the hexie project is together, pressed flat, layered with batting, with felt as backing... I'm quilting it now, and went through two discarded thread choices before settling on gold metallic. So far I've gone around the finished edge twice with straight stitch, after unpicking the buttonhole stitch I tried in the beginning

I wanted to be finished with the quilting before sharing it but it was part of my creativity this week. 

I trim the felt close to the edge as a finish. I've gone through several choices for quilting the center but think I've decided on straight lines radiating from a center point, maybe. 

Making art is not linear. 

there are many decisions, all the way to completion. 

I've never liked the phrase, " it's not over til the fat lady sings" having battled with weight all my life, but it's not over in art-ing til the last detail is on and the artist is satisfied. 

 this little lady is my true triumph this week. I LOVE her. She came from my heart, my mind, my spirit this week, a woman secure in herself, wearing a daffodil in her hair. 

It is much MUCH more difficult to draw with pencil than paint, IMHO. Drawing is intentional, one must look closely, and call the shot before putting down a line. Paint can spread, move, blend by itself, it is often impressionistic in my world. I could paint the idea of a portrait, but this black line on white paper is strong. 

I did an initial drawing, then went back, layer by layer, additional flick of a pencil, an erasure, a blending of graphite to shadow. Another layer of hair added... and she had slightly different eyes that felt somehow wrong to me. 

After looking at her through the week, between sewing blocks, as I passed by, I erased one tiny area of her eye changing the shape slightly, rounding it just a millimeter more and suddenly she looked different. 

I've grappled with noses, and lip lines. I like hers. I am always learning about shadow. Clothing and shoulders are often challenging. Not having a picture to go by is challenging. 

I love this bit so much...

Her necklace. I want one like this, gold with three drop pearls. The face has been my go to design for years. I painted large now framed art with stars like this in the past. I'm glad I could give this to her. 

Even now, in this photo I see I should remove some shadow along her chest line. 

Isn't it wonderful to learn by doing? 

I " spaved" this week with threads. 

These are daily functional  3 ply cotton threads 50wt from "connecting threads"... and they are a great price from the online store. I find them to be smooth, strong, and gorgeous colors. If I were going to quilt stores I might purchase Metler for daily piecing but these are great and to me, in my usage, stronger than the aurofil the young quilters seem to favor but I find breaks too often.

I was visiting the blog (https://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/) and she recommended these threads for hand swing EPP. I ordered the set right away from amazon, a great price at only $3 per spool in the 6 spool set of gorgeous colors

they are called cottonized poly, are 80wt so thin as a hair almost, very very very strong for pulling repeatedly through epp pieces, smooth, disappear in the stitching but the colors are wonderful. I'm glad I risked getting them sight unseen!

as a video treat, and I haven't tried this yet, I leave you with this

..... a cool method of joining the final binding ends

 https://youtube.com/shorts/F2N6QelobsQ?feature=share

 

 

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com

https://thejoyfulquilter.blogspot.com/2023/04/april-2023-abc-table-scraps-link-party.html 

patchwork Sunday   

oh Scrap Sundays

slow stitching

https://quiltinglearningcombo.blogspot.com/ 

design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts

http://www.inquiringquilter.com/ Wednesday wait loss

Midweek makers wednesdays  

http://www.myquiltinfatuation.com/ 

https://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/ 

off the wall Fridays   

face off 

peacock party

tgiffriday

finished or not

https://beadwright.blogspot.com/ 

https://myblog-lunchbreak.blogspot.com/

 

Hexi Stars the dark side

I don't have enough time in the studio to create, as I'm dismantling it. (sobbing!)
I have made some hexi stars for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge  this month, and thought finished or not, I'd show you what I made.

The chosen scrap color this month is darks.

I've used some pretty black scraps for the outside segments... and the











Inside stars... I just adore the black and white around the points and the way it sort of comes and goes with the white parts next to the strong black centers

Very sparkly points, and swirly starry centers.

In fact I am intrigued with the interplay of shadows on all these stars.
When I chose the pattern I didn't realize just how much it would teach me!
Here are three more neutrals in progress

 the striped one counts for a dark brown for me. I love the color shading and radiating lines. It was a skinny strip before I made a "point" of it!

 I like the little tree in center of this one. Life is in the details.
A couple more I finished

I like the mix of white and cream and beige in both blocks...







 I keep components like basted points and edges in my travel box

 Note the brown points in progress.. Love a dot!

 My little cardboard lunch box holds a lot of basting paper shapes, fabrics pre cut, needle, threader, scissors, threads, and finished components. When I lay them out to sew together I use this little cardboard insert salvaged from the recycling bag...

 and the whole thing reminds me to....

 did you see my list of likes this week??? Check here...http://lapaylor.blogspot.com/2017/11/i-like-thursday-64-thanksgiving.html

linking to parties on my links page including these:

busyhandsquilts.blogspot.com/
 Free motion by the River Tuesdays   
https://stitchallthethings.com/ to do Tuesday
design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays

orange scraps turn into stars

Thought I would share my car work with you.
As you might know, I am doing the Rainbow Scrap Challenge again this year. I learn so much by exploring one color each month.
This month is orange.

We were in Colorado when the color was announced. I asked what it would be so I could take those scraps but never found out, so luckily my friend Mary opened her orange scrap bin to me so I could do leaves and stars.

There is a large mix of tone and pattern. I may do a few more now that I'm home again.

It's coming on to Fall and Orange is the natural color of Fall.










I also worked a lot, while listening to another digital book, which was engaging, while traveling thru the heartland of the USA.

 Each star takes a long time. Each segment is basted to paper patterns, then whip stitched together long tiny points protected. I had plenty of time to sew the ones already in progress, as well as make two orange ones from Mary's scraps.

More on stars next week.

linking to among others
http://www.sewcanshe
oh Scrap Sundays 
 slow stitching Sundays
design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays
Main Crush Monday
the mop link party mondays
 

Neutral Stars

We are to use our neutral scraps for the Rainbow Scrap challenge this month.
My hexie star blocks are already using beige and white neutrals mixed up for center stars as well as outside the brightly colored stars.

So, I use the month to focus on the suggested color.

How about a bonus NY beauty block in neutrals? I love making these blocks especially with created fabric from scraps! 

Everyone seems to be seeing the word neutral as equal to the colors beige and white and tan.
We all know from clothing, neutral is a color that allows most other colors to shine.
Black, gray, brown can all be neutral.

If we use the word neutral to mean background to important shapes, then my favorite lime green is a very good neutral!

I have planned out some very low contrast blocks this month, just didn't get them done in time. These components will have to do...

Grey both light and charcoal

Different light colored points to go in a neutral gray background

the start of another gray and black pointed center
These are all photographed on the lid to this mesh, spring basket... the kind that can collapse, but spring into shape when released

I just love this container! It's like a magical flower. What's it holding at the present you ask???

other containers, and a heating pad! I just gave away the clothing yardage I'd had in here for years.
This little vintage  IKEA container is coming with me!

Linking to these parties among others
 scrap happy Saturdays
sewcanshe Saturdays
oh Scrap Sundays 
 slow stitching Sundays
design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays
Main Crush Monday
 Free motion by the River Tuesdays     
Esther's blog Wednesdays 
Let's be social Wednesdays  
myquiltinfatuation Thursdays 
off the wall Fridays  
can I get a whoop whoop Fridays   

Hexie Star blocks in Blue

And this is why I love color! All the colors together are so very happy! And this is just the ones already finished, there are ones ready to construct, and ones in my head!
Anyway... this month at the RSC focuses on using blue scraps, so here are the ones I have done

 close up so you can enjoy the fabrics

 hee hee
look at the fabrics left when I made a stack and whack years ago!






 little lizzards! One of these is not like the others, haha

 I am having trouble setting this one, I think it needs mostly plain white around it, not the body parts

or the one I planned for it

too beige-y and wallpaper-y

http://nelliesniceties.blogspot.com Pattern source

Note the millennium fabric from 2000. Those scraps have been in the box a while! I might just use this setting anyway...

As I was photographing these I placed the plain star on a background without the hexie effect and thought how cool just appliqueing them all touching would be!

linking to
http://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/
lovelaughquilt.mondays
Main Crush Monday
the mop link party mondays
oh Scrap Sundays 
 slow stitching Sundays
 scrap happy Saturdays
sewcanshe Saturdays