FMQ w/Leah Day – week 14

Finishing the whole cloth quilt was the topic for this week with Leah.

Great tips on her post – especially for using machine stitching to sew your bindings down.  I haven’t tried the machine stitched binding method yet but plan to on my growing stack of mug rugs.

Luckily, all my markings washed out (whew!).  As I used 2 different marking methods (because the first one, Sewline, evaporated) I was a bit concerned.  Slapped on the binding….and instead of using my typical (lazy) method of joining the binding with a straight line, I used the mitered method that Leah outlines.  Worked like a charm.  I don’t have the binding stitched down yet – but it’s in my stack of TV projects.

A couple non-Leah Day notes….

I ran across a cool piece of printed art a few weeks back.  It’s called “Go Now and Live”.  Here’s the link.  Go read it now.  I’ll wait……  Aren’t the words just lovely?  It was written by Jeanette LeBlanc to her 21 year old self…..what she wishes she could have told her 21 year old self.  I just love it.  I’m planning to order the signed print and maybe even a t-shirt – I like it that much.  I want it on the wall of my little house – to remind myself that it’s NEVER too late…..it’s never too late “to be wild, crazy and free”!

An update on my Klimt project:  I’m not roaring along with progress as I’ve been working on other things – but I’m slowly putting strip sets together.  I’m thinking of my fabric strips as brush strokes.

That’s all I’ve got for today…..

Eye candy – inspiration

I love this quilt by Exuberantcolor.  I love her blog too.  I’m not sure how she gets so much done – she’s one busy gal!  She has an amazing body of work on her blog to drool over.  Be sure to check out her color wash quilts and her journal covers.  I always wanted to do a color wash quilt but never did.

I think I like these kinds of quilts because it’s sorta like painting with fabric.  Wanda – thanks for the inspiration!  And for letting me post these picture on my blog.

Her crooked cobblestones quilts are also some of my favorites.  I just love the jumbled jamble wonkiness of her pieces AND her colors.

As soon as Ms. J is back from the spa (i.e. sewing repair shop) and as soon as I finish my Klimt top – and as soon as I finish my cancer hats…..THEN…..I’m going to work on something like this.  I wonder how it would look in Japanese Taupe fabrics?

tempted……

I’ve very tempted to participate in this FREE New York Beauty Quilt along from Sewsweetness…..the only thing is I will get a late start because I don’t have a sewing machine for at least another 2 weeks.  It runs from March 5 to May 7.

I’m thinking to do it either in my Japanese Taupe fabrics or the 2 bags of (nearly antique) country colors from the mid to late 90′s.

I remember saying I’d never do another one though.  And I’d FOR SURE never do paper piecing again.  However…..I love the first one I did!  I wonder if there is a way to make a wonky New York Beauty?  Something less traditional?  Off to see my friend Google!

Then again – this might just be an attempt by my critic to block me from doing something from my own base of creativity…..I think my critic likes to divert my attention.  It’s a whole lot easier to do what someone has done before than to reach within and do some authentic creation.

Klimt – My new favorite artist

I might be obsessed with this artist…..and I certainly wish I would have bought a book or two of his work when we were back in the USA – but my suitcases were at their maximum weight – I simply didn’t have room for one more thing.

Fortunately, we were able to view a few of his paintings up close and personal at the Neuegalerie in New York.  I tried to see one at the Smithsonian in Washington but it was on loan at the time.

One of the things that I like about his work is that it seems to lend itself to quilting….is has a geometric element within many of his works.  Especially the one titled Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer I.  I’m not sure but I wonder if this is one of his more famous paintings?  From what I’ve read, she was his muse.

Anyway, I want to interpret one of his paintings using fabric and free motion quilting next year.  I have all my quilting peeps digging through their fabrics looking for yellow/maze colored fabrics to share with me.  I think I only need a maximum of about a 6″ piece of each fabric as I want to use a hundred or more fabrics.  The next thing I need to decide is which one of his paintings I want to interpret.

The question came up as to whether it is right or appropriate to copy someone’s work.  I posed the question to one of my family artist and this is what she said based upon her experience and education with one of her teachers:

“[it's] perfectly fine to learn how to create a piece of art by trying to “copy” others.  (Of course, never pass it on as an original idea).”  She said she  ”learn[ed] a lot about color, form, design, technique, etc by doing that.  As long as you’re putting brush to the canvas (or needle to the fabric) you are that much closer to your own ”masterpiece”.”

So, I’m taking that as permission to play and experiment!

Here’s a few pix of a card set I bought of his work:

And here’s a link to his complete works – Klimt

If you have any bits and bobbles of yellow, maze or gold fabrics – especially those with a bit of gold in them – and want to share, let me know and I’ll email you my mailing address!

Eye candy

I like this gal’s blog – and her stuff.  I especially love the circular quilting – oh, and the wonky drunkards path blocks.  A drunkards path quilt is on my (quilt) bucket list.  I just haven’t found the one I want to make yet but oh…..wouldn’t a WONKY drunkards path be the cat’s meow?

Malka Dubrawsky – A stitch in Dye

She sells her things on Etsy too if you would rather buy than make.  Check out her camera straps!

Did I mention she dyes her fabrics also?  I’ll be adding her to my ‘inspiration’ page.  REALLY REALLY (standing on one leg REALLY) love her work.