Feedback

I crave feedback... but I like it to be gentle and generally positive.  It's not that I want people to lie to me but I'd like them to be reasonably not mean or too critical.

So, of course, I ask my husband for feedback.  This hadn't been going so well.  He wasn't really understanding this whole quilt thing.  But then I had him read a section out of Spike Gillespie's book Quilting Art: Inspiration, Ideas & Innovative Works from 20 Contemporary Quilters.  The particular artist that I picked is also a full-time software engineer (which is my husband's profession) and I feel like she spoke about quilting art in a way that would get to him.  And it seems like I was right.  He still doesn't quite "get it" but I can see that we're making progress.

One of the things that made it especially obvious was his feedback on my current quilt top (which I will post pictures of later).  I was stumped.  I had sewn strips of different fabrics together and I'd planned on cutting out the letters of my daughters name and piecing them into a quilt top.  It just wasn't right, though, and I couldn't tell exactly why.

When I showed the pieces to hubby, he immediately got excited and asked if I was going to cut them up again and make a checkerboard type grid thing with them. I explained how that wouldn't work because the strips weren't equal sizes (which he realized immediately as well) but talking about it like that made the lightbulb go on for me and I figured out what I needed to do.  I did cut them up again and sewed them together upside down and rightside up and slightly off from one another, still with the idea of cutting them into letters.  Finally I realized they should stay as blocks in a plain fabric background and I could find something that worked better to piece her name with some other day.  It was such a ureka moment!

I wouldn't have thought to write about this except that I read this blog post at Blue Elephant Stitches which talks about her husband's feedback.  The woman at BES talks about her husband not thinking about his taste in color and design and (to me at least) seeming to say that he doesn't really have good taste.  I hear this all the time about men but my husband has excellent taste in color and design and thinks about it a lot.  He also seems to have a better ability to distinguish color than I do (something else BES complains about with her husband.)  It worried me slightly with this project for my daughter because there are some similar colors in it that I wasn't actually sure looked good together.  I don't trust myself.  But, hubby seems to think they look good so I guess it's alright.  I know he'd tell me if they didn't - in a nice, gentle, not-mean sort of way.

So, as much as I sometimes crave another quilter's opinion, I'm super grateful to have hubby around to tell me what he thinks, even if he isn't quite as enthusiastic as I'd like.

Batik trials and Savers score

I had a magnificent success with this glue/bleach batik method once... but only once. I'm trying it again anywa.  Here's the first step, making designs in glue.

This particular fabric, not satin like the rest, really soaked up the glue more than the others.  I'm really curious to see what happens with the next step - painting it with bleach water and then rinsing.

This is what my son was doing while I was making glue patterns and photographing the fabrics below.

He's my little green eating machine.

(This is a very wide angle shot, the container isn't really that big - it only looks like he could fit in it, but he can't.

This is one of the quilts that my grandma made.  It's mostly polyester.

It has a lot of tears like this that I'd like to fix but I'm not sure how.  Any suggestions?

I'm starting a flannel collection, mostly made of men's XXL shirts, that I'd like to make a nice warm (probably ugly) quilt out of.  On Thursdays at Savers all the tags of a specific color are only $.99 no matter what the price tag says.  Today's color was orange.

I've been looking for polyester to fix grandma's quilt and I've also been looking for modern red patterns for Christmas stuff and this skirt fit both items so, even though it was more than one dollar, I got it today.

More of the orange-tag $.99 clothes to add to my black pile.

And something new: bright, spring colors.  I have no idea what I'll do with them but I couldn't resist.

The orange and yellow fabrics are actually fabric, not clothing, and they were more than $.99 but I decided it was worth it after looking at prices of some fabrics online.

The whole lot of them.

It was a good day.

Quilted name tag

I finished my quilted name tag last night.  It's this month's assignment for the AMQG and I was feeling like I really needed to get it done.  I probably should have waited until I figure out what's going on with my sewing machine.  I probably should have taken more time and worked on my technique.  But it feels good to be done.

So... the loops on the top are both decorative and functional.  They can be used to hang it up (as I've done here) hang it from a necklace or lanyard, or hang it from a belt.

I actually love the back so much more than the front.  This was originally my front but the other side is a much more traditional looking front... and it has my name on it.  I was going to applique my name onto this side so it could be a reversible name tag but I can't bring myself to do it because I think it is perfect.

Detail of my quilting and embroidery.  I definitely  need to work on my technique with both but I'm still pleased with it.  Especially with the tension or timing screwed up on my machine right now.  I just can't bear the thought of being without my machine so that it could go get fixed but I probably should do that while it's still under warranty.

The multi-strand line of quilting just above my name isn't a mistake.  I like quilting over the top of lots of threads to make this effect.  I think it would work better on a less busy background but I still like it.  It's all about learning at this point.

And another photo of my works in progress (and my son and his WIP too).  I have finished piecing the red and purple one and I'm putting the backing together - it's in the bottom right corner on my desk.  My other big project is the photo paper sewing (not quilting because it doesn't have three layers (yet)) project hanging up on the left side.  I hope to get these and more like them in a gallery show sometime soon - like in the next year or so.

W.I.P. workroom

Today I spent an hour or so getting my new workroom in a reasonable semblance of order.  I'm waiting to get some shelves before it can really be organized, but now, at least, I can find my chair again.

I had to use a wide angle to get the whole room in so it looks a little funny.  My iron isn't really bigger than my sewing machine.  The shelves will go where the orange box thing is currently sitting.  I plan on putting fabric bins like the green one next to the desk (under the ironing board) on the shelves to hold my fabrics.  I currently have a pile of them under the ironing board.

You might notice the low chest of drawers on the right of the photo (or not, it's hard to see) and the tall, light green dresser on the left.  They are mine and my son's respectively.  When we rearranged the rooms we didn't have enough space for these so they ended up in my workroom, which was supposed to be my husbands office too.  But he's still out in the livingroom with his desk and computer and my space does double duty as a dressing room too.  At least I can easily press any clothes that need ironing!

I just strung up the WIP area.  It makes a big difference.  I feel like I have an idea of where I'm at with all my little projects when I can see them and I feel like I know what I need to do next.

It's interesting to see what stands out to me in the photo vs what I notice in person.  Just looking at this photo makes me so excited.  I'm actually getting close to finishing my name tag quilt for the next AMQG (Austin Modern Quilt Guild) meeting and I feel like I finally know what I'm doing with the one on the right, which is the first one I started.

Here is the back - that's right, the back, not the front! - of my name tag quilt as I'm cutting and laying out the pieces.  It's mostly just to prove to myself that I can actually cut straight lines and do a 'normal' patchwork piece.  We'll see how the sewing goes.  The front is a scrappy, artsy little piece with lots of stuff hanging off of it.  I'm toying with the idea of putting my name on both sides so I can have a reversible name tag.

Embroidery

Lest you think this is a blog solely dedicated to quilting... I give you: my first ever embroidery:

This is the blanket I knitted for Petunia.  I always intended to put her name and some other decoration on it at some point. So, I think the embroidered name and design are perfect.

I chose colors to match the design that I knitted into the bottom right corner.  That design is abstract but is reminiscent of a wave or a bird.  Petunia really liked the colors.  After I finished Petunia's name in pink, I knew I needed to add some blues to go with the knitted design and it made sense to me to do the swirly design below it that was similar to the design on the blanket.  When I asked Petunia what she thought of it she said "It's water."  And then she went on to tell me that there needed to be a cloud up above with rain coming down to make the puddle.  I'd planed on putting stars or circles or spirals or something but her logic was flawless, really, so I did what she told me.

I'm not super happy with the cloud.  I kind of just wanted to finish it before the weekend was over so I could sew it onto the blanket and send it back to school.  Unfortunately, despite my rush job, it still didn't make it back in time.  As I was embroidering the rain, it was raining for real here in Austin and the blanket was out on the line where it was supposed to be drying but was actually becoming wet and musty.  In my hurry, I threw it in the dryer and ended up felting the wool parts of the blanket - those being the darker gray stripes and most of the pink and blue design.  I think the felting looks and feels cool but it makes it so the blanket will never be flat again.  Oh well.  It's clean, dry, finished, and photographed now so it can go back to school tomorrow.

Capital of Texas Quilt Fest

I took my four and a half year old daughter to the Capital of Texas Quilt Fest yesterday.  This is my photo journal of the day.  It is not a complete overview and I don't even include credits for most of the people who made the quilts.  It really is just my visual notes.  Not to mention that taking a four year old to a quilt festival makes it difficult to see everything or be overly serious about the thing.

At the door they suggested that we head directly to the kid's booth.  After a minor meltdown due to the overwhelming nature of the event and a lack of food (which was remedied) we made our way over there and Petunia (which is what I call my daughter online) got to draw on fabric and received a "Future Quilter" pin.

The amazingly lovely lady named Victoria who was, at least partially, in charge of the kid's booth made this quilt.  I'm particularly taken with the quilting that she did on the black fabric. 

Again, I'm drawn to black fabric and these leaves with their multi-dimensionality and haphazard balance, which really impressed me.

And then, because of the black fabric and bright color but, more personally, because of all the cancer that's been in my family, including my own, this was my absolute favorite quilt at the festival.  There is a letter 'U' actually sewed into the quilt underneath that asterix, which is pinned over it.

You can see a detail shot below this.  I am not super impressed with the quilt itself in any way but I love the idea of doodling on fabric and making it into a quilt.  And, thanks to Vicky at the kid's booth, I know how to make that happen.

There were a number of quilts that I wasn't so into but Petunia LOVED and insisted on having a photo of.  This would be one of them.

On the other hand, I LOVED this one. I hope to make quilts like this some day.

I also loved this and the following.  I have a thing fro bright, kid-themed things.  And I have a thing for space.

This one appealed to my photographic self and my more subtle self who also enjoys mono-chromatic color schemes, not just bright, bold, and obnoxious ones.  I might save the crazy quilting technique for when I have a little more time on my hands though.

Bright, bold, 3-D.  Not my favorite but I like a lot of different aspects of it.

Same with this one.  I like the beads.

And I love the colors and techniques in this one.

This was a cute Noah's Ark quilt.  I wanted to remember this quilting design with the circles and waves.  I also wanted to remember what the rainbow thread looked like.  I've been wondering

Petunia and I really liked the bright quilt behind her.  I also liked the dragon even though, as an artist/drawer, I feel like the dragon could have been depicted better.  Maybe I just don't like that particular look for a dragon.  But I love dragons.

Gorgeous art quilt.  Need I say more?

I imagine I would make things like this some day.

This one blew me away.  It's more of a non-traditional approach to traditional patterns I think and I love it.  I hope to make quilts like this too.  I also hope to make batik fabrics like the ones used in it.

Closeup of the awesome quilting and the artist statement.

I saw a number of different variations on this sun theme that I absolutely love and must do something with.

I liked this one even though I don't like pink or florals very much.  Petunia LOVED it.

Harry Potter themed quilt.  Yes, I'm that type of geek.  I love it.

Those suns I was talking about.

This will have to be part of my outer space series with which I intend to begin my quilting obsession.

My favorite colors.  And I just love these abstract quilts.  Oddly enough, I wasn't as taken with the peace symbols in the center, which don't show up distinctly in the photo as they did in person.  I prefer completely abstract.

I'm not 50 yet, I've got a ways to go, but this quilt spoke to me nonetheless on many levels.  And I think it's beautiful.

I felt like I needed to document these techniques even though I thought this was too over the top, even for me.

Um, yeah.  Petunia loves the pink, floral quilts that I find somewhat repulsive.

I was drawn to this quilt even before I read the artist statement below.

I love the modern edginess of this one even though I find the colors and patterns jarring.  The fact that I find it jarring and a little hard to look at might be part of the reason I like it so much.  I feel like it pushes my boundaries or something.

I really love this pattern even though I don't particularly care for the colors and fabrics used.  It doesn't look nearly as lovely in the photo as it did in person, by the way.

Again with the suns. And the batik.  And the cool quilting.

I LOVE this quilt.  I really love all the white on black quilting details.  Detail shots below.

Black and white seems to be a thing with modern quilters right now.  I approve.  

At the same time, I have mixed feelings about this quilt.  It's the problem that I have with many quilts.  It's just too busy and repetitive.  I love the individual squares.  I love the offsetting of the rows.  I just wish there were places for the eye to rest.  Some large black sections would be great.  An entirely white vertical row.  Something.  But still, I like it.

You know how I said that printed fabrics didn't inspire me?  Well, I'm eating my words now.  I bought four fat quarters at the show and a jelly roll of hand-dyed batik with a free pattern.  Two of the quarters were for Petunia, she picked them out.  The blue stars and blue Christmas pattern are mine though.  There are a few prints that I'm a total sucker for and these are them.

We took a break and visited the splash pad near the Palmer Event Center.

The lady who took this seemed surprised that I would want a photo in front of a quilt whose owner I didn't know but I thought it was really pretty and I think it made for a great photo.

Again, a little too busy for my tastes overall but a beautiful quilt that matched Petunia well.

I liked the colors of this one and Petunia wanted her photo with it.

This one caught my eye almost immediately and we had to go back in a third time specifically to take a photo of it.  I feel mixed about it but still love it, if that makes any sense.

Right before taking the photo of the rainbow quilt above, Petunia had forgotten the rule and touched a quilt.  She was very anxious about having broken the rule and ran and hid here behind the pillar.

The solution to her anxiety was to unfold and fold our fat quarters over and over.

This is the jelly role that I purchased.  It was an impulse purchase brought on by the fact that the vendor didn't take cards for purchases under $20.00.  Plus, I really liked the free pattern that came with it.  I have ideas for changing it up a little bit but even if I don't, it will be good practice for me to just put a nice big quilt together for the first time.

Overall, I'd say the quilt fest was a great experience.  I'm glad I attended.  I'm even more excited about the International Quilt Fest in Houston coming up in November now.  I think that this was just a small taste of what that will be like and I'm super stoked.