Little Bites of Creativity

I could go on about how busy life has been for me in the last few weeks, but hey, we ALL lead busy lives and busy-ness is overrated!

So instead, I thought I'd write about how I've been trying to squeeze in my quilting and art in little bits and pieces around the big chunks of 'life'.  I miss quilting and creating when I don't make time for it - I get a little grumpy - so I've had to think up ways to be creative in small bites.  And these small bites make a big difference to my mood.

So what have I found?

Handwork, in this case, embroidery on hand-dyed batting squares.  I can pick up my little embroidery kit and take a fair few stitches in 10 minutes.  I set myself a theme of circles so I don't have to think about what to stitch, I can just start.

Working in my sketchbook.  Particularly sketching on pages that are already prepared.  Or I can put together a collage of leftover practice mono prints on paper.  Me and my gluestick can make a beautiful composition in about five minutes flat!

Looking around at the world.  I can feel frustrated or I can let my imagination run wild while I'm busy painting white walls in my boat.  I can look at the ship's wheel and imagine how it would look on a quilt, superimposed over an image of the porthole.  And I can take photos of inspiring objects - whether it be for shape, pattern or colour - in about 30 seconds.

When I have a little more time, say 15 minutes, I can doodle free-motion quilting designs.  I often draw out the block I want to design a motif for and then I can draw over it in pencil until I find the right one.  I could do this on the computer too in a photo or drawing program, but pencil and paper are quicker and more portable round the house.

Then if I leave my quilt spread out under the sewing machine, I can sit down and quilt one block in about 10 minutes.  And those 10 minutes add up - all 28 of my 16 patches on my big blue and white quilt are now quilted.  It's time to move onto the 18 bordered square blocks.

How do you fit creativity into your life?

Basting the Beast

Well, you guys voted and so I took on the challenge.  The giant blue and white quilt is basted, my knees are busted and I've pretty much worked out how I'm going to tackle the quilting designs.  And now I need a cup of tea.

Podcast Episode 6 - Hand dyes and History

Shownotes for Episode 6 of The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady Podcast.  

In this episode I goof up and tell you it's Episode 5, give you an update on myself, what I've been working on quiltywise, a book review, and a short synopsis of the history of quilting in New Zealand.

The photos below are of my ombre hand dyes.  The first set are of the two navy pieces.  The fabric on the left is PFD Kaufman Kona Cotton.  The fabric on the right is PFD P & B Muslin.  And the fabrics were layered together and dyed in exactly the same process at exactly the same time.  There isn't much difference, although the Kona is slightly darker overall with a very slight yellower overtone.

The next photos are of the warm black dye.  The fabric on the left is the General Products Cotton Sheeting that I often use because it takes paint really nicely.  But it's interesting to note how lighter in colour it is from the fabric on the right, which is PFD Kaufman Patina Cotton Poplin.  However, the poplin is very light weight and it sucked up that dye so fast it's given it horizontal striations.  Again, both fabrics were layered together and dyed at exactly the same time with the same process.

The poplin.

The sheeting.

Ok, selfie time.  Here is the linen blouse I was talking about.  As soon as I put it on I realised that my plan to perhaps wear it belted is not happening because that will cover the wicking line.

My kids took this one of the back for me.  I was hamming it up as daughter was getting annoyed that I wasn't doing the proper 'model' poses.  Ug, she watches too many girlie cartoons.

So let me know whether you think this technique is a keeper or whether I should chop it up for a quilt!

And here's your next vote.  Above is The Big Blue and White Quilt.  Below is Creme Brûlée.  Which one should I baste and quilt next?

Links that I talk about on my podcast:

Jaye from Artquiltmaker blog and her podcast with Sandy about Graduation.

Book, 'The Visual Guide to Working in a Series' by Elizabeth Barton  (Elizabeth's Blog here)

Radio New Zealand Podcasts - The Social History of the Wool Blankets
                                                - Quilting (Quilt Symposium 2009)

Book, 'Warm Heritage' by Pamela Fitz Gerald

You can listen here on Podbean.

Or subscribe to my podcast on iTunes here.

And ..... May the Fourth be with you!

Sweet, simple cushion

I'm enjoying working on lots of little projects at the moment.  The little purses from my last post were great fun, I've been hand-stitching down some binding on a couple of little bassinet quilts to donate to the maternity unit and then there was today's project, to finish this cushion:

I had some pre-fused blue leaves left over from my big blue and white quilt (top is finished, I just need to tie off some threads from the appliqué) and I had this fawn/stone coloured fabric (closest to this colour) and I needed some new cushions.  So it all just came together and I love it!

The back is a 3 button flap closure made with some really yummy linen/hemp screen printed fabric that I bought when I was in Australia.  I found this lovely little shop called 'I just love that fabric' on the Gold Coast and it was filled with designer decorating fabrics, oil cloths and some beautiful linens and cottons.

I broke out my sewing machine manual and actually made buttonholes for the flap closure and put in these jean buttons.  I don't know why I get hesitant about buttonholes, they are just so easy.

The leaves on the front were appliquéd and quilted at the same time and I quilted a couple of additional leaf patterns either side.

It was simple and easy and it used up scraps to make something beautiful and useful too.  Winner!!

My Oldest Work-In-Progress

I think this is my oldest WIP, but I'm not about to scrummage around in my cupboards to prove it one way or another.  I know it is at least four and a half years old because I have pictures of it laid out on the floor of my old house...so perhaps five or six years?  Ok, I just went and checked the date on those photos.....2003.  Hmmm, needs to get finished.

It's big.  So the design floor was brought into use.  There is actually not much to do.  I have to finish buttonhole stitching (machine) some of those leaves in the border, then attach the border to finish the little bits of bell flower applique in the corners.

And I want to rework the bird's wing.  This central design is from one of Material Obsession's books.  I can't remember which one - it was from the library.  But my husband said it looks like a chicken drumstick, and now that's ALL I see!  Blast him!

So I wonder how old those little yellow bits of post-it note are?  I've had to safety pin them on because they've lost their sticky, but they've marked the corners well, I would have been in a pickle with which corner was which if I didn't have them.  

My goal is to have this top finished by the end of the week.  Then it can move into the waiting-to-be-quilted pile.  Shall we look at what's in that pile?  No, that could be overwhelming....!

And thank you for your thoughts on my last post.  I think I just need more doing and less thinking ;)

Work in Progress Round Up

I thought I'd do a little round up of all the projects I'm working on at the moment.  Mainly so that in a year's time I can look back and gasp at how much I achieved is still a work in progress! ;)

My current project that I'm working on almost exclusively.  It's called "I don't feel lonely" and is an entry for the Beneath the Southern Skies exhibition.  Must be finished by the 25th of January.  No pressure or anything!

My 'night shift' quilt.  This is slowly turning into something that I really like.  And the vast majority of it has been done in the quiet bits of night duty.  All the rows except one (the one with little bits of paper pinned to it) are sewn together.  Now I just need to work on setting triangles.

A couple of bassinet quilts for the maternity unit.  A friend made the tops and gave them to me to baste (check), quilt (check) and bind (yet to finish). 

This sucker is just so big, it takes up my whole kitchen floor.

My big blue and white quilt.  No hurrying on this one.  It sat for a couple of years without even being touched.  Then I did a little flurry on it last year.  A few more flurries and the applique on the sides might get done.  Then it will be a marathon of flurries to quilt it - it's huge.

This is my hand-piecing.  I last showed this to you in a completely different layout.  I decided I didn't like it that way, took out all the squares that were part of the design and turned the diamonds into doves (or turtles as most people think they are).  Recently I've decided that I liked it better with the squares but I refuse to unpick all that hand stitching so one day I might cut a whole heap more diamonds and do another of the original layout.....one day.

I need to add another round on both these medallion quilts for a round robin sort of thingee I'm doing with my sister.  No hurry on this one, it's taken us a few years to get to this point!

I have a project that I'm enthused about that is still in the design stages and will use lots of my native bird and plant applique designs I've drawn previously.  I also want to make a quilt using some beautiful Japanese fabrics that my sister in law brought back from Japan with her.

There are other WIPs I have floating around, but writing this down has made me realise that I'm never going to finish those ones so they may as well get donated/chopped up/re-purposed.  It sounds like it's time for a UFO purge!

What have you got hiding away in your cupboards?

How many projects do you have on the go?

Sorry, my photography isn't the greatest, but I wasn't really up to running around finding the perfect shot yesterday.  Feeling better today though.

So here's what I got up to on the weekend.  My big blue and white quilt made an appearance - I finished putting the borders together (not attached yet) and started the applique on one of them.  I'm using machine buttonhole stitch on raw edge fused fabric so it doesn't take too long once you have everything in place.  The trickiest bit is laying out and stitching the bias strip so that it's smooth and even.

I finished the background of a quilt I'm making for a friend's little girl.  This started off with the one pink Dove in the Window block I made for a block game we had for our guild.  My husband kindly pointed out that 'there are lots of big blank spots'.  Don't worry, darling, I'll be filling them in with pretty appliques of birds, butterflies and flowers!

And I appliqued all the signature blocks onto the back of the 21st quilt and it's now pin basted and ready for quilting.  Next decision - how to quilt it.  I'm thinking a simple diagonal grid as that's fairly 'masculine' and if I start to free-motion I'm inclined to flowers, spirals and 'girly' patterns.

Last but not least, I used my new pink rotary cutter (how opportune that my old one gave up the ghost after six years of hard labour just as Olfa brought out their pink cutter to support breast cancer research) and cut a whole quilts worth of Old Maid's Puzzle blocks.  I'm calling this my night duty quilt as I wanted something simple that I could just sit and chain piece on night duty.  I'll keep you updated as I go.

And Julia - I stayed in a little kitchen cabin which was $60 a night winter rates.