Walkabout in the 'Wood

I love walking.  In NYC, it can be the fastest way between two points, particularly crosstown.  Town or country, there are usually surprises to be had on a walk that you miss in a car.

I especially love walking in the fall, and seeing the beautiful art and inspiration that nature provides.  The photo is a GINORMOUS fungus I found at the base of a large oak tree.  Oak trees seem to always have the most beautiful growths on their leaves, barks and roots.  I'll have to ask one of my gardening buddies why that is.

I cannot wait to use this in a quilt!

Weekly Tip: Seams So Easy

On my website, I post a weekly tip, which I post here so they can be archived, as I take them down from the site at the end of the month. 

This week's tip is really six tips about dealing with seams that will make the back of your quilt look better, and by doing so, make your piecing, assembly, and quilting easier.  

First, a repurposing tip. Repurposing  is when I take something meant for an entirely different use and put it to work in my quilting studio.  I keep a wallpaper seam roller at my quilting table and in my class kit.  It's great for pressing seams quickly.  

If you finger press first or use a wallpaper seam roller, you will have an idea of whether the seam needs to be pressed differently, before you've pressed it with the iron.

When it's preferable not to press to the darker seam, press to the lighter seam, and then trim the darker seam.

When pressing seams in your quilt block always press the seam flat first, the way it was sewn.  This is called "locking the seam".  It sinks the thread into the fabric and reduces the bulk of the seam.  Your seams, when pressed to one side, will lie flatter.

Often, I prefer to press multiple seams open instead of to one side to reduce the bulk.

Tuesday Night Group

It's wonderful to be able to get together with friends and have no other agenda than to have a good time crafting.  Working hard, hardly working, the laughter is flowing, the critiques are helpful, and the opinions and conversation are uncensored.  Our self-designated outreach person has already lined up a charity for our charity quilts.  This group started with a bunch of us wanting to sew together on a regular basis, and has grown beyond the original few.  Whoever can make it, comes; no attendance, or membership necessary.  We recently decided that fifth Tuesdays would be reserved for one member to show the others a particular technique.  We kick in a small donation for snacks and the center.  I've included my photo holding my preemie charity quilt, hand dyed (which you can plainly see) and machine quilted (which you cannot see at all) by me.  It's a welcome change (remember, I sit on three guild boards) to get together and not have a meeting, an assignment or task to do in preparation for it.  Just sit and sew! That is my idea of what heaven is like.

At the Morristown (NJ) Atrium

If you get the opportunity to display your work, you should take it; there is always something to be gained as an artist from the experience. Even if you only show one piece, it's the chance to share and the chance to get feedback. Last night I went to the Fall Art Show at the Morristown Atrium. The Atrium's day job is the county courthouse and other municipal offices, but the atrium-style structure lends itself to artistic displays, and thankfully, the county makes the space available frequently. With parking in the building, and refreshments in the cafeteria, it's a lovely way to spend an evening.

There were many beautiful artworks, but I went specifically to view the works of four friends, who call themselves JaViWa & Jo (Janice, Vicky, Wannetta, and Josaine). They meet at a local quilt shop, Aardvark, weekly on Thursdays; when Vicky told them there was an opportunity for them to display their work, they happily agreed and began selecting pieces.  In addition to showing their work, they have the opportunity to sell their pieces on display.   To see the photos of  the quilts, click here.  The quilts were beautiful; I only wish I had a better camera with which to capture it.  They are four quilters with four distinct voices. 

One of the photos is a group shot; Vicky joined us after the photo.  While we are all quilters, we are truly all friends who support one another.

Weekly Tip: Portable Design Wall

A great portable design wall is an inexpensive flannel backed tablecloth from the dollar store; sometimes you can find yardage of flannel-backed tablecloth to make a larger wall. It’s portable, light, and you can put it up and take it down as you need to

At the Uptown Squared Show

Last night I had the opportunity to attend the opening of Uptown Squared at Gallery M (123 W 135 St between Lenox & Adam Clayton Powell) in Harlem. The event was festive, and featured a variety of media; the artists had one constraint in common: they had to do their thing on a 12 x 12 canvas. The outcome is wonderfully varied, and worth a quick trip uptown. The show was curated by Laura Gadson.

I've posted a photo of Joyce Stroman, and her piece, Meditation. Joyce is a talented artist and AWESOME dollmaker, and runs Art-Zee Sistas with her friend Minnie Curry. For additional photos, click here visit my Picasa gallery for this event.

Weekly Tip: Sewing with Black Fabric & Unsewing

This week's tip is actually two tips in one:

If you are piecing with black fabric, use black thread on the top but navy blue thread in the bobbin. If you have to unsew, and you KNOW you will, it will be easier.

Speaking of unsewing, a speedy way to do this is to use a scalpel type seam ripper, cut every third stitch on the bobbin side, then turn it over and roll a lint remover (looks like an inside-out roll of masking tape with a handle) over the top. Voila, quick unsewing!

Hand Dyeing Class Aug 2, 2009

The summer is simply awesome for hand dyeing. I can get outside, not worry about dye splatter, lugging buckets or space. It is typically when I host dyeing classes in my driveway. I have a nearby water source, a couple of large tables, buckets galore, and a long clothesline.

Having said all that, Mother Nature forced me to take my show indoors. My students (3) took it all in stride.

We started the day doing full immersion. I wanted to do this because low water immersion (LWI) is so popular and easy that it is rare to see the technique for full immersion done. Full immersion is the best way to guarantee a solid result, as opposed to a mottled (varied shading) result.

I mixed the dyes and the dye chemicals beforehand, and asked the students to choose two colors from the 64 box of Crayola Crayons. They chose: (left to right, pictured above) chestnut, mulberry, cadet blue, turquoise, orange. I added saffron (not pictured) and we also dyed t-shirts. With some of the leftover dye, I dyed a pair of cotton slippers.

The next technique was LWI; my sample is the blue fabric (third from left). I'm sure one of the things they took away from the day was an understanding of why hand dyes are so expensive, and why it is important to write things down in case they want to repeat their results.

We also did a parfait technique --I think that is what dye expert Ann Johnston calls it as well. The fabric second from the right was dyed squeezing they dye we had mixed on t-shirts.

The only color that didn't seem to be what I expected was the chestnut (far left). It seemed plum-ish...as it might in the photo, but does not look that way when I hold it up to plum colored fabrics. It does look brown. The eye can fool you. When I spoke with them after the class, they were very pleased with their results, and want to come out and play with dyes again, though I'm not prepared to do this in my kitchen!

I am preparing to use the oranges on a candy corn quilt for Halloween....stay tuned!

Singin Wid a Sword in Ma Han

You just never know when someone is gonna need a quilt. Vienna Carroll, a talented vocalist has interpreted a slice of African American history incorporating storytelling and song, Singing Wid A Sword in Ma Han. I wanted to support her efforts, offered a sampler quilt which contained several blocks mentioned as Underground Railroad quilt blocks, and she accepted.

Singin Wid A Sword in Ma Han was accepted as part of the NY Intl Fringe Festival, and is running August 16-21. Its runtime is about an hour, and tickets are at the bargain price of $15. Keep your eye on this one, folks, and you'll be able to say, "I saw it when....".

Thus I am the proud Mama of a quilt on off-off Broadway!

Introducing sacredspacefiber.net

It is finished. Sometimes, hearing those three words is as good as hearing I love you...especially when you're talking about a creative project....or a WEBSITE. After months of hemming and hawing I finished the maiden version of my site. It's simple but useful for now, and will allow me to get in front of more people...I think.

The site contains (or will shortly) a gallery, tips, links, favorite things recommendations, workshops and lectures, a calendar of quilting events, and recipes.

Please visit the site, and give me your feedback!

Tool Time: Shape Cut & Shape Cut Plus

Alright, I'll confess. I'm a gadget groupie. Whether it's a cooking tool, gardening tool, or quilting tool, if I think it's useful, helpful, faster, better, I'll try it.

With all the templates, rulers, die cutting devices and such out there, it's easy to accumulate a lot of tools for cutting straight geometric shapes such as strips, squares, and diamonds.

This week I had the opportunity to remind two fellow quilters why I keep the Shape Cut Plus in my ruler bag, no matter what the class calls for. Nothing cuts strips more effortlessly, and once you've cut your strips, you can turn the ruler without touching the fabric and cut squares, diamonds, triangles. It cuts through multiple layers of fabric. You can make multiple cuts across your yardage without moving the fabric, and placing the ruler just once. They remembered they had one at home, and wondered why they hadn't thought to use it lately.

The genius of the Shape Cut Plus is the slots which allow you to insert your rotary cutter at regular intervals. By not moving the fabric, you are less likely to have wonky cuts. You can cut faster. You are not moving the ruler, either, (which is the way teacher/author Debbie Caffrey cuts), but rather using the ruler to keep the fabric in place

The Shape Cut Plus is not without its drawbacks. You can't mindlessly cut. You have to figure out the slot i.e, if you are cutting 1 1/2" strips, it will be the 1 1/2" slot, 3", 4 1/2", 6", etc. You also have to pay attention to where your hand is and where the rotary cutter is, or you could wind up with a nasty rotary injury. Last, the slots are only in (depending on which ruler you buy) 1", 1/2" and 1/4" increments, so those 7/8" increments that you often need for triangles are not a choice.

Still, with the drawbacks considered, this is a tool I go back to time and time again. It serves it's purpose, making my cutting time more efficient and accurate.

Book Review - Fabulous Fabric Beads

Fabulous Fabric Beads
Kristal Wick
Interweave Books, 2008 Paperback, 111 pages
$22.95

I've had two opportunities to meet Kristal at IQF Samplers in Houston and Chicago. Each time, I was impressed. Kristal has finally published her first book, Fabulous Fabric Beads: Create Custom Beads and Art Jewelry. The book is most appropriately named.

Quilters are known for saving the most insignificant scraps of fabric in the hope of using them again. Kristal provides 24 different beads to try, using fabric, paper, ribbon, leather, metal, mixed media, wood and resin.

The book is broken into three sections. The first section illustrates surface designs, and you can test these methods on beads first, and try them on larger pieces of fabric later. The second section provides how-to, with beautiful, step-by-step easy to follow illustrations. Kristal provides plenty of notes for variations.

The third section is filled with projects, a beautiful section with color palettes, a gallery, a beading techniques primer, and a list of resources.

This is great book for beginners and experienced beaders who are looking for another type of bead to add to their repertoire.

In Praise of Continuing Education

My absolute favorite quote comes from British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli: "The best gift you can give a man is not to share your riches with him, but to reveal to him his own." In my mind, the perfect teacher is not the one who does everything for you, but who encourages you to ride on your own, stands there ready to steady you as you take off without training wheels, is ready to pick you up when you fall (as you are likely to do when you're learning) and cheers like hell when you've gotten the hang of it.

Carol Soderlund is such a teacher. I cannot say enough about what I learned these past five days in her Color Mixing for Dyers class offered at Pro-Chem's facility in Fall River, MA. Don't get me wrong. The days were long, and the information was, in Carol's words, relentless. But the group of women I shared the class with were wonderful, generous and gifted; that, in turn, raised my inspiration and enjoyment level exponentially. We came from different levels and styles of expression, but had a common love of color and fiber.

By day three, you have dyed the 1029 squares you will need to assemble your very own copy of The Book; when Carol says this on day one, you might be wondering: well, what are we going to do the rest of the time? Carol probably has forgotten more about dyeing than many people remember, and what is extraordinary about her, is that she doesn't keep it to herself, she shares it....all of it; I'll bet she could have done the class for seven days, and we still wouldn't be finished! Fortunately, there is Color Mixing for Dyers 2, and I will be taking that class sometime next year; I'm sure there is much more to learn.

Another wonderful feature at the Pro-Chem class is Vicky Jensen, the Director of Education. Vicky is very talented in her own right, and showed us some gorgeous felted pieces she was working on. Vicky was there to assist from the start, helping us get our stuff into the class and arranging lunch and dinner (one night in the classroom, another night at a wonderful Mexican restaurant in nearby Somerset). Though the class went through the weekend, Vicky was there, making sure everyone was getting what they paid for.

If you've seen The Book, you know that it is, simply, a monumental thing of beauty. Carol gives you the knowledge to create your own colors, and the freedom and encouragement to get out there and experiment. I'm sharing a photo of gradation dyeing we did in class, and you will get an idea of how wonderful having The Book is. To see an open copy of The Book click here.

I'm still using my training wheels, but Carol has given me what I need to keep going. Look out, world!

On Dyeing

This is it! This is the week I finally check off one workshop I have been dyeing to do, so to speak. Carol Soderlund is a dye goddess, and leads a 5-day workshop at Pro-Chem (and a few other placed as well) that teaches you how to mix a thousand different colors...no lie! When you are done, apparently there is this master book that will be yours, little grasshopper.

My adventure starts tomorrow. I'd better get to bed so I can look fresh in the photos I'm going to post of the class!

On the Renegade Route

I made the trek to Brooklyn yesterday to check out the Renegade Crafts Fair. I love the idea of an organization making it possible for artisans to market their handmade crafts to the public. Etsy is awesome, but seeing the vendors in person was a huge plus. It was a sunny day, and after so much rain this past week, NYers were surely ready to be outside in the sunshine.

There were hundreds of stalls with crafts for sale; many, many t-shirts, lots of funky jewelry, body care products, art on display everywhere. One of the things you realize is that the handmade items have a certain je ne sais quoi that mass produced items cannot match. I enjoyed strolling through a pure crafts fair, without the distraction of food and crafts that had little or no handmade touches.

Hmmm, I wonder if they've considered a NJ venue?

Where Ya At?

'Where Ya At?' is something you hear a lot of in New Orleans. Translation: whassup? how are you doing? where've you been? (Yes, a blog gives you the license to create your own contractions). :-)

Over the past couple of months I've been on the road a bit, and gearing up for classes I'm taking and teaching this summer. I went to the Spring IQF (International Quilt Festival) in Chicago, and I was surprised to see how many classes I could still get into at the last minute. Class attendance seemed lighter, but attendance was heavy as usual.

I had the opportunity to hook up with (one day I might have to change that phrase, as it doesn't mean what it used to apparently!) some African American quilting buddies that I only see when I get the chance to check into my African American Quilters group on Yahoo! We plan a lunch on the Saturday of the show every year, and spend the time catching up. The photo was taken by Jeanette Walton's camera (so she could be in the picture).

Upon my return from Chicago, I headed off to Paducah, KY for the AQS show. What made this show different and wonderful was the fact that the whole town was part of it. Paducah is, indeed, Quilt City USA. From Hancock to the National Quilt Museum, to Caryl Bryer Fallert and Eleanor Burns, everyone is all in. My only complaint, and it is a huge one, is the HORRIBLE execution of the shuttle bus. If you have your own transportation, I strongly urge you to use it. Otherwise, you will subject yourself to long waits, blank stares instead of answers, and less of the show surroundings because of a tight schedule. I was also amazed at the number of residents who had never been to a show. If I had thousands of people descending upon my tiny town like locusts, I think I'd make it my business to find out why. Go figure. I'd also train the hospitality industry a wee bit more. I had an inept Group Manager cancel my group booking, and then have the temerity to tell me she "probably should have called me". If you want to know who, and what hotel you should avoid if you want to skip that nightmare, email me, and I'll tell all. ;-) All in all, the Paducahns make you welcome, and if you are a quilter, Paducah is a trip you should complete once in your lifetime.

On With the Show!

This weekend, I had the opportunity (again) to experience a show from the hosting guild's perspective. Presenting a show gives you great appreciation for all the effort that goes into preparing, producing, and executing a (usually) weekend long quilting party. Just before your guests arrive, you get anxious, and wonder what in the world you were thinking. By the time your guests arrive, you are happy, and when it is over, you are pooped, and vow to be so much better prepared if you ever do this craziness again. The twist with a quilt show it that it is usually a new cast of characters at the helm, and they may or may not have had the experiences you did.

A show is a wonderful gift to both your members and the quilting community at large. It offers:

1. a chance to share with a wider circle of people the talents of your guild members;
2. a chance for the guild to gain new members;
3. a chance to introduce new quilters to quilting or change a person's idea of what a quilt is or is not;
4. a chance to meet other quilters from nearby areas and guilds;
   
5. a chance for the ever-shrinking group of vendors to find new customers and stay afloat in a difficult economy; and
   
6. a chance to offer speakers, or classes that attendees might not otherwise have a chance to see.

A show can be fun....for the people not involved with producing it. However, based on the comments, smiling faces, and bags I saw at the Urban Inspirations show put on by Empire Quilters Guild, it was worth it.

The Months in Review

When one thing happens to throw me off track, it is usually followed by a series of unexpected events. You know what I mean...a family emergency, elder care issues, LIFE in general?

While I have not been posting regularly (shame, shame), I have less guilt than most because I have been actively doing quilt related things. Here's the catchup:

I thought, when we (Quilters of Color Network of NY) went to Kingsborough Community College (Brooklyn, NY) in February that we would be talking to ourselves, and explaining the art of quilting to the few stragglers passing by. Was I ever pleasantly surprised. We had engaging, thoughtful conversations about quilting with a number of students and staff. One of our volunteers that thought to bring a small machine, and once we let the visitors sit down and sew....WOW. The effect was magic. The ability to sew, even for a little while, speaks to creativity, to accomplishment, to empowerment. We were all very glad we went, and special thanks go to Joanne Meyers at the school for organizing the event. We can't wait to go back!

I have completed my first full guild presentation...well actually my second. Over the years, I have been an active member of four guilds, and one online group. In addition to that, I have a sewing background. As a result I have amassed an extraordinary amount of quilting, sewing, and home dec stuff, plus the tips to go with it. In January, I showed to Empire Quilters my method of creating a database to keep you from buying duplicates of stuff you already thought was necessary to have and then forget about. ;-) The presentation I did for Garden State Quilters was called Night of 1,001 Tips. Despite some technical difficulties, I managed to keep a room of quilters interested without showing a single quilt. The tips were broken into categories: Acquisitions, Saving Money, Sewing & Pressing, Tool Tips, and the Zen of Quilting. I also included some exercises (which we actually did), because everyone needs to remember the most critical tool in the quilting room is YOU.

I am the trips host for Empire, and we have made two excursions this year: Winterthur, and the Quiltfest of NJ. Winterthur was exquisite, with small group private tours; we will surely go back. QFNJ was our first show of the year, and we were glad to get out of the city to see some of the creative pieces as well as shop. The next trip is our Paducah adventure. It is the first trip for many of us, and to say we are psyched is an understatement. I will have the computer in tow to share some daily blogging.

Lastly, two of my quilts are being displayed in the show that Empire is doing this weekend (setup was yesterday, and surprisingly, after 8 hours of lifting, reaching, walking, I am not aching...(thank you Zumba!). If you can get to NYC March 21 or 22, please come and see some awesome works of art. Show information is on the Empire site (see link above).

Now you are caught up....I am still catching my breath!

Organizing Your Stash - The Database

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to share with members of Empire Quilters one of my tips for organizing my multitude of quilting items. We commiserated about finding a hot new gadget, getting it home, and finding out you already had it. Ditto for books, templates, stencils, etc. This, by far, is the most important organizing tool I own, and it is easy enough to do. I am including a sample of my book database below, but if you would like a sample file to download, subscribe to the blog and send me an email.

A database is a fancy word for a computerized, sortable list. There are many ways to create a database; the most popular programs are Excel and Word. I prefer Excel simply because formatting and manipulating the database is a little bit easier, but the input for Word and Excel are exactly the same. I have a master database, which is comprised of several smaller databases, including books, patterns, inks/dyes/paints, templates/rulers/stencils, markers/pencils, batting, thread/floss/yarn, and notions.

Because of my formatting limitations here, I have taken a photo of my screen which appears at the top of the blog. Below are the fields (columns) in my book database, and I have provided a sample entry and described the information that I input in the column. The most important thing for you to remember is that the database should make sense to you. If you need more columns, add them; if you don't need all the columns that I have, delete the ones you don't need. I type everything in capital letters to make the inputting faster.

TYPE BOOK Is it a book, a magazine, an ebook?

TITLE 1000 GREAT QUILTING DESIGNS Self explanatory; Omit The if it starts the title.

AUTHORLAST ROBERTS If there are two authors, I enter both last names.

AUTHORFIRST LOUISE If there are two authors, I enter both first names.

CPU 22.95 Cost per unit; how much did it originally cost? This is for resale purposes.

SUBJECT M I created a one or two letter system for categorizing my books; i.e., A= applique, AQ = art quilts, etc.

HARD/SOFT H

The hard process is gathering your stuff and doing the initial entry. After that, it should be simple to to maintain. I hope this helps you get started, and feel free to answer any questions. The full database will be available on my website at a later date for a nominal fee.

Week 1 - Review: The Quilting Arts Book

If you're just getting started with art quilts, you could have no better guide than The Quilting Arts Book: Techniques and Inspiration for Creating One-of -a -Kind Quilts by Patricia "Pokey" Bolton.
Pokey, with her husband John, has transformed her love of all things fiber into quite an empire, and Quilting Arts (QA) magazine is the crown jewel. If you've never opened an issue of QA , TQAB is a great way to catch up on all the creativity you've missed. One of the hallmarks of the magazine is great photography, and the book does not disappoint. You'll also find the directions to be clear and concise. There are step-by-by step shots when needed, and closeups provide excellent support for the text directions and descriptions. While the techniques are grouped, you would not have a problem hopscotching around, trying the techniques that interest you first, and then circling back to the others. If you already have a subscription to QA, much of the text and photos used in the book will be familiar to you. However, there are some wonderful additions, and having a book filled with so many techniques to try is preferable to lugging out 29 issues of QA.

I have few improvements to suggest; if I were a beginner, I'd appreciate a robust glossary, as many of the tools and terms used may be new to budding quilt artists; the Resources and Supplier lists are skimpy, but since Quilting Arts has a well-stocked store, you could simply find the supplies and a wide selection of books through them.

One of the best things about art quilts is that the process is part of the creative journey. You may start with one idea, and the simple process of creating leads you to entirely different and more satisfying place. The Quilting Arts Book is an excellent travel guide for your art quilt adventure, and I highly recommend it.