While Enjoying the Pause

It has been great fun to let my dear Irish Cottage sit while I catch up on a myriad of other projects.

It has been quite a bit since I straightened up my stash. I had installed some storage shelves about 18 months ago with an eye to organizing my fabrics. Needless to say, buying new material and pulling the old in and out took its toll on the organization factor. So, over the past week, I have gone through many of the cubbies and re-sorted things.

One of the rewards for my perseverance was the discovery of a small piece of gray silk that was exactly what I wanted for part of the roof of my cottage.

Another project that I tackled was a donation for the upcoming SAQA auction. I really didn't think that I would have the time to create a piece for it, but then this break magically appeared. The auction is a main fund-raiser for an organization that has supported me wonderfully as I have evolved as an art quilter. All pieces in the auction are 12"x12" and it is a great opportunity to collect art by some amazingly talented artists. The online portion of the auction will be begins on Monday, September 9th at 2:00 PM Eastern Time and concludes on Sunday, September 29 at 2:00 PM Eastern. (There will be a separate auction at the IQF in Houston.)

 This piece is a machine quilted digital image, adapted from a photo that I took this winter in Aspen. Here is a detail view of some of the quilting.

Sure hope that someone bids on it during the auction!

It is Off the Wall Friday, so please check out other posts by artists at Nina-Marie Sayer's blog.

By the way, Elaine Quehl has a great article on copyrights on her blog.

Enjoy!

And here we will rest a bit....

I have gotten the Irish Cottage foundation stage completed. Since a trip to grandchild will be coming up at the end of next week, I am letting the cottage sit for bit. The next stage of quilting will be quite intricate as I plan to add in a lot of shading etc as I proceed. Once I start quilting, I like to work continuously over a number of days to completion. That just isn't going to be possible before I leave town, so the cottage is resting. This will be the last you see of it for a bit.

Resting is a good thing. It gives me time to contemplate and revise. I have already changed one of the shrubbery fabrics since this photo was taken and added on in some other areas. I have the cottage on a portable design wall that is now sitting in our dining room area. I pass by it many times a day and consider tweaks as I glance at it. 

A Cottage Begins to Emerge

I have made it to the construction stage of my Irish Cottage quilt.

I wrote about the piece first on February 20. Before my last trip, I had a small sketch made from the photo. Now I have a full scale diagram on mylar and began by first adding a sky - I found the perfect fabric out in Spokane for that.

In the past day, I have begun to add in some of the landscaping and a bit of the cottage.

Hard to imagine the cottage just yet, but I suspect it will grow quickly in the next few days. I can't resist once I start. My next task is the roof!

A Good Week!

Had two pieces of nice news last week.

Illuminated Albizia has won first place in the River Walk Artists Gallery International Juried Exhibit in East Grand Forks, MN.

Ice Flow and Keeping Perspective are currently on exhibit in the PAQA South ARTQUILTSwater Exhibit in Cary, NC.  The exhibit will next travel for viewing during June at the gallery at the East Carolina University in Greenville, NC.

Ice Flow

Keeping Perspective

Quick and Easy Bag Pattern

Last week I decided to adapt the idea behind a bag I bought in India in one of the markets for a new bag. I was attracted to the general idea behind the bag as it used strips of fabric with a creative twist.

For a start I chose some fabrics remnants that I had which were all longer than 23" and wider than 2 1/2". I cut strips sufficient to make two rectangles about 23" x 30". The fabrics were color coordinated and joined with 1/4" seams. I used roughly equal width fabrics but I could easily have varied the widths of the strips.

I then made a simple pattern and cut mirror image shapes from the rectangles.

 I joined these two pieces at the sides and then folded them as in the photo below.

 I also made slighly smaller lining versions of the shape and joined them similarly.

 From there it was a simple assembly task. I created the handle out of left over pieces of the rectangle, lined the handle strip, and then attached it to the body of the bag.

 This patterns probably has an infinite number of variations. The bag I purchased in India was heavily embellished. The same general concept would work in a variety of sizes. It is a fun way to use up remnants and create handy bags for miscellaneous tasks.

Remembering Carol Miller

The creator of Quilt University, Carol Miller, passed away from cancer in late February. Her husband, Robert, wrote everyone in the March newsletter. My heart goes out to him and I mourn the loss of someone who was pivotal in my development as a quilter.

I never had the opportunity to meet Carol but she began the online Quilt University at just the right moment for me. I was traveling a great deal for work at that time and interested in learning more about quilting. My travels made it too difficult for me to take more than one-day workshops locally. Quilt University offered exactly the flexibility I needed - weekly assignments and the ability to interact with the instructor and other students online as my time permitted. It was through Quilt University that I discovered Dena Crain, the instructor who guided me into the world of art quilts and has remained a friend. Without Quilt Univerisity, I have no doubt that I would not be where I am now as an art quilter. Thank you Carol for opening the door to this now passion for me.

Please take a moment to say a prayer for Carol and good energy to Robert who has taken up the mantle of director of Quilt University. Carol will be greatly missed.