Butterfly Block

I spent a couple of hours in my sewing room yesterday, working on the second block in the on-line sampler series.  It didn't involve applique, yay!  But, the design was made up of 1 1/2 inch squares.  Yikes!  The finished block feels so thick because of the 1/4" seam allowance, leaving only a 1/2" of a single layer of fabric per individual piece. I can see why others are posting pictures of both the front and backs of their blocks.  Having such a tidy back reminds me of the sense of accomplishment I have felt when my needlepoint looked almost as good from the back as the front.

Anyway, Friday I gathered the fabric that I thought I would use and decided to let my choice mull around in my mind before cutting and sewing.  As I went to bed, I thought back to the color theory portion of the workshop that I had attended in Burlington and wondered if had made the best decision.  I had picked out pink background fabrics and teal for the butterflies.  If warm colors pop and cool colors recede, would the butterflies stand out enough?  When I got up, I changed the fabrics and went with gray for the background and pink for the butterflies, thinking that the pink butterflies would stand out better amid the cool gray background.

Gray and Pink Butterfly block

I really liked the block.  But then again, I have a thing for pink and gray.  My first ever patchwork project was a set of place mats that were the same color combination.  I sewed those in 1990 when I lived in New Hampton.  I still use them.  They match my china.  And I'm using the fabric scraps for this block.  Hard to imagine that I have carted around those fabric scraps through the 12 moves over the 26 years.

I love pink and gray!

Block amid the place mats

Even though the 1 1/2" pieces were challenging, I liked the block enough to go back to my original colorway.  I'm not sure if one set of butterflies (minus the antennae) stand out more than the other.   The pink butterfly fabric may have too much gray in it to make a real contrast.  That's OK, I like both blocks.

Pink and Teal Butterfly block

In the afternoon, it was so warm (56 degrees, woot!) that I went out in my flip flops and took pictures of the blocks on the driveway.  Natural light is so much better than the icky florescent lights that I have in my sewing room.

2 Butterfly blocks

While I was doing that, Mom and Heather were at QuiltCon.  For so many reasons, I would loved to have been with them.  But getting out to California this winter break was too much to figure out.  Next year QuiltCon is in Savannah, and that might be doable.  And if it coincides with Selim's school break, may be we could hit up a beach or two in Florida to make the trip appealing to my guys.

Quilting on Different Fronts

Historically, I've made myself finish a quilt project before I allow myself to start another.  I might collect fabric and look at it, but that is as far as it goes.  I'm trying something different for 2016 and letting myself go where the inspiration takes me.  I'm a great starter and middle project person -- so this will be a test to see if I can finish up a project or two as well.

On Sunday and Monday, I worked on my improv squares that I began at the workshop in Burlington at the beginning of the month.  I finished two more 16" squares.

Blocks #3 and #4

So now I have four.

Blocks #1-#4

I'm thinking of having this one be a non-traditional size.  I'm going to test 4 or 5 blocks wide by 2 blocks high and see if I like it.  The title is Sunset over Great Bay and I envision it to be like a panorama of the bay as I drive over the Sullivan Bridge.  That might end up being too weird and I go more traditional.  That alternate layout is ruminating for now.  I still have more blocks to go before I have a better feel for the finished piece.

On Friday, one of my favorite quilt bloggers, Cheryl Arkison posted that she was designing blocks for a sampler quilt found at The Splendid Sampler.  I've never done a sampler before and that piqued my interest.  The first block released on Sunday, Hearts Aflutter, has a big ole heart appliqued in the center of a 6 1/2 inch square.  Dang.  I've done some hand sewing before, but not traditional applique. Before I made my decision to quit before I started, I went to my sewing room and began pulling fabric that I might use in this year-long sampler project.  I took the map print from Kaffe Fassett as the inspiration and went all through my stash and bins of scraps.  In the end, I found too many pretty fabrics to be deterred by a little applique.

The colorful print gives me options for down the road

Fabric from my stash and scrap bins

Some of the scraps are so old, I was using pinking sheers to cut instead of the rotary cutter.  That means I used them between 1990 and 1992 or so when I lived in New Hampton and used a ruler and tailor chalk to draw squares on the fabric before cutting.  And I sewed with Mom's sewing machine on the floor because I didn't have a table big enough for it to fit on. Yikes!

Fabric from my first ever quilt project

I made the block in stages.  I constructed the background and basted on the heart yesterday.  After work I removed the basting stitches and made my way around the heart in little stitches.  It is a bit wonky in its placement, but overall, I'm happy.  I hope with block #2 we move away from applique.

Stage #1

Finished Block #! Hearts Aflutter

Fortified with that success, I went back to the bonus features on the web site and found a pincushion tutorial.  While Selim working on his math homework, I tackled that project.  I used scraps and fabric from the heart block and came up with this.

Cathedral pin cushion

Block and pin cushion

Coordinating fabrics

It may need a bigger button in the center...I'm not sure.  I'm pleased and it will make me smile as I go down this road of trying new sewing and quilting things.

I'm liking this freedom to work on projects as I'm inspired.  This is going to be fun!

Comfort in Community

Sarah Wiggins: 10/28/75 - 2/7/16

A week ago I learned the news that the youngest sister of a friend of mine had passed away.  I didn't know her that well.  She was born the week before we moved to NH and even though her brother is only a year older than I am, I don't really have many memories of her.  I had heard of her struggles with addition and her battle to live in an active state of recovery but didn't know any details.  She leaves behind her parents, aunts and uncles, brother and sister, and her 16 year old son.

With a heavy heart I drove to her memorial service at the Ashram on Saturday.  There was nothing I could say to the family except I was/am so sorry for their loss.  I have a hard time at memorials, in general, but I wasn't going to miss this because I might get uncomfortable.  And it seemed the least I could do...to be present and show my love and support at the service.

I walked into the Hall ten minutes or so before the service began.  The front of the Hall had been set up with chairs and most of them were full.  The left side of the room was filling in with Sant Bani community and school folks.  The right side sat folks that I didn't know.  I sat quietly, reading the program, and watched people stream in.  As I looked around, faces from my childhood walked by.  Just seeing my friends and extended family go past me, silent in their own thoughts, remembrances, and grief, made my heart expand and the tears flow.

A bit past two, the Wiggins family entered the Hall.  I can't imagine the strength it took to walk down the aisle made first by rows of cushions on the floor, and then the chairs to the front.  Where do you get the courage to face the loss of your child, your sister, your mother?  How do you stand up in front of all the friends and family present and express your love, gratitude, and grief?  All of us have known loss of some kind, but I can't begin to imagine having to say goodbye to my child.

Fletcher led the service.  He did an amazing job.  His voice was clear, unwavering, welcoming. He read two passages early in the proceedings.  The first, by Master Kirpal:  You do not know how dear you are to the Master.  It is he who binds our inner relation which can never be broken even after death.  Each one has to go his own way, but that inner relation can never be broken, even after leaving the body.  Our Master used to give an example of people crossing a river.  The sailor first takes one load, then another load, then a third.  Those whom Master have initiated are taken one by one.  All will go, some before, some after, but on the other side of the world, you will all meet.

Then a passage from Sant Ji:

The relationship of the Master with the disciple is very deep, it is very serious.  His job is to make us progress.  His job is to take us back to the Real Home, and his relationship with us does not end in this world, it continues even when we go in the beyond.  Where does the Master take the disciple?  He takes the soul back to the Lord Almighty.

Russell couldn't be there, but he wrote a very beautiful letter where he cited Psalm 139 which, in part, goes like this:

Oh Lord, thou hast searched me and known me!

Thou knowest my downsitting and my uprising;

  thou understandest my thought afar off.

Thou compasset my path and my lying down,

  and art acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word in my tongue,

  but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.

Thou hast beset me behind and before,

  and laid thine hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

  it is high; I cannot attain unto it.

Whither shall I go from thy spirit?

  Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

If I ascend up into heaven thou art there!

  If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there!

If I take the wings of the morning

  and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

even there shall thy hand lead me,

  and thy right hand shall hold me.

If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,

  even the night shall be light about me,"

even the darkness is not dark to you;

  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee;

  but the night shineth as the day:

  the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

There was more to Russell's letter and this Psalm, but the part about both darkness and light being the same to God struck me.  It doesn't matter to Him where I am, my struggles and my triumphs on this Earth are the same.  I've always known that He is with me always, but there was something so beautiful about that Psalm, in that setting, that gave me solace.

We sang two hymns, Abide with Me, and then from our spiritual path, Satguru Pyare Meri,

Oh, beloved Satguru, improve my life

Suffering by karma, I am calling at your door.

I have not even a little control over you.

Except You, in this world, nothing else is mine.

I have come to your shelter -- don't reject me;

I have got much suffering -- no more agony!

Cool my heart which is heated by pain.

Oh, beloved Satguru, improve my life.

I think I've been singing that bhajan/hymn for almost 40 years and this time it game me the chills.  Except You in this world, nothing else is mine.  At the end, that is the most true relationship I have and the hardest one to keep hold of, from my perspective.  He doesn't let go, but my grip isn't as firm as it should be at all times.

The other aspect of the service that struck me was the number of people from various recovery programs who were there to support David and the family.  Addiction and the obstacles to recovery are in the news every night in this state.  Death from overdose is moving up the frequency list.  Every night there is a story on overdose death or overdose and survival.  And to see so many people who struggle with the disease of addiction in the Hall was remarkable.  They were there to talk about the struggle and the battle that each of them have fought to be alive and in the Hall that afternoon.  I was so moved and consciously grateful beyond measure that battle has not been mine in this life.

After the service we gathered for food, fellowship, community, and remembrance.  As I sipped chai and nibbled on tofu sandwiches, I realized how important it was for me to be there -- in that room, with all those people.  There is comfort in our community.  I hope the family felt it, as there is nothing that I could say or do to ease their pain and feelings of loss.  

And now, in my family, we get ready to say goodbye to Aunt Kathy.  A week ago, the doctors estimated she has between two weeks and four months to live.  Uncle Bob went up over the weekend and said that she isn't eating.  Hospice is there and she doesn't seem to be in pain, but she doesn't have very many lucid moments either.  Last night Uncle Wes held the phone up to Aunt Kathy's ear so that Mom could say, "I love you."  We are encouraging Mom to head out west this week.  

This death business is so hard.  I need to work harder on my spiritual discipline and to ensure that I hug my family and tell them that I love them frequently and without hesitation. 

Improvisational Quilting Class

Friday afternoon sitting in my car, stuck halfway up the driveway, watching the snow come down, waiting my hubby to tow me up to the street -- I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to get to Burlington, Vermont in time for my Saturday morning quilt class.  I felt determined and was not going to let the unexpected snow storm stop me from trying.

"Are you crazy? Do you really have to go?" my hubby was yelling as he hooked up the cable from his truck to the front of my car.

"Yes.  I paid for it and I'm going.  I really should be OK. The snow has stopped in Concord.  If I can make it there, I should be fine."

"A quilting class...in Vermont...in the winter?  Really?

"Yes.  If the roads are horrible, I'll stop at the Lee traffic circle and wait for the plows and sand trucks to go by.  But I'm going.  I'll call you when I get to Concord."

And with that, he got me to the top of the driveway.  A hug and a kiss later, Selim and I drove off at a snails pace on the snow and ice packed road.  I'm not going to lie, the roads were still a bit dicey and I had a tight grip on the steering wheel for much of the drive.  Normally, I would not have ventured out in conditions like that.  Right before the Epsom traffic circle, we saw the back edge of the storm on the horizon and the roads started to improve.

End of the storm in sight.

In Concord, the sun started to peak out

Robert made it to our prearranged meeting place about the same time as we did.  I called Nedim to let him know we had made the first leg of the journey safely.  At 4:00 I was back on the road and happy that I still had an hour of daylight with me.  The roads improved with every mile north and west that I traveled.  I stopped a few times along the way and pulled into the hotel parking lot just south of Burlington around 6:45.

Saturday morning I drove into Burlington with plenty of time before class to get some breakfast.  I stumbled upon the Magnolia Bistro. Oh my. I ordered the coconut peanut tofu scram and ate it all.  The vegetables were perfectly diced -- fine, but in big enough pieces that I knew what I was eating. The tofu, light and fluffy. While ordering, the waitress asked me if I was either vegetarian or vegan because I had the option of butter or non-butter on my toast.  My kind of place.  I could eat there everyday and be happy.

Tofu, home fries, and toast. Yum!

Even if my class disappointed, the breakfast and the fact that I was on an adventure by myself was worth it.

I'll be back!

But my class was anything but a bust.  It was fabulous.  I had the best time.  I heard about the class sponsored by the fabric shop Nido from a quilting blog that I follow.  At first I didn't sign up, thinking that it was in Vermont, in the winter, a 3+hour drive away (every argument my hubby gave to me the day before, I realize), basically an extravagance.  I'm not sure what made me call on Wednesday to see if they had any openings...but sitting in the parent pick up line at the middle school, I made the call.  Someone had just cancelled and I got the spot. Destiny or some such thing.

Anyway, the class was taught by Heather Jones, who wrote the Quilting Local book that I have found so inspiring.  The title of the class was Improvisational Linework and Design.  We set up our machines and work stations at 9:30 and began the class at 10:00.  All of us brought 6 different solids and none of us had the same color combinations.  Some ladies' outfits matched their fabric choices and that gave everybody a chuckle.

The class was improvisational.  Not having a pattern, and cutting free hand with scissors gave some of us a bit of anxiety.  I'm so used to trying for perfection with my cuts and totally straight seems, that this other method took a bit of time to get used to.  At the end, it was liberating, not scary at all.

We were grouped in tables of 4.  I sat with great ladies.  We made a blanket apology at the onset that we were sorry for any bump or unanticipated sudden movement that caused a disturbance to the other.  There were moments when it felt like we were in a competitive cutting class or a who can sew the fastest class.  But it was really fun and made us all smile when we vocalized what we were thinking. It took until lunch time for everybody to relax and get into their own space where the motions of others didn't register too much.

Speaking of lunch -- I had brought my two Embassy inspired quilts with me.  During our break, I showed Heather my patchwork version and then told her that her book opened my eyes to the possibility of quilting with the same inspiration but not in block form.  I wasn't copying her style as I was still more literal in my own way, but her work inspired my second quilt top, for sure.  I think she was pleased to see that I had read the book and had used it as a basis for my own spin on design.

For the class, I set up my workstation with the cut fabric strips on my right and would chain sew those for a while before moving on to the next step.

All my strips, ready to go

Chain sewing

After finger pressing the strips open, we randomly combined two strips together to form blocks.

Ready to trim

Next step was trimming the blocks into squares and arranging into a bigger square.

16 smaller squares make one block

And sewing the squares into a big block of 16.  I love my first block, especially the little strip of yellow.  When I made my fabric selection, I had in mind the colors of the recent sunsets over Great Bay.  That tiny sliver of yellow reminded me so much of the sun going  down between the water and the clouds.  Not planned, unintentional -- perfect, in the improv moment.

Block #1 - my favorite part is the thin strip on yellow in the bottom row

I made two blocks and started on the third by the end of the class.

2 finished blocks

Before we packed up and left, we all taped one block to the wall.

All together now!

Visually it was so wild to see all the variation in blocks made up of fabric solids.  Even if we had all had the same fabric, no two blocks would have been the same.

What a great day.  So fun to be in community with others doing the same thing.  This was my third sewing / quilting class and I might have to make this a more regular experience.  I'm energized and exhausted at the same time. Maybe next time I take the class, I won't start out with such an inauspicious opening act and my hubby won't be so worried about me.  Other than that part, it was fabulous.

Embassy Inspired Quilt Design

I have made so much progress on my Embassy inspired quilting.  My goal last weekend was to finish the top of the patchwork quilt before the Sunday football games.  With the football season winding down, I wanted to be able to enjoy watching some of the action.  At 12:20 (in plenty of time for the 1:00 kick off), I had sewed row 4 to row 5 and pressed the last seam!

Looking at it, I am very satisfied with the overall block design.  It is pleasing to my eye.  The pattern can be expanded or shrunk very easily, depending on need.  So from that standpoint, I'm happy with my first foray into pattern design.  I also love the fabric that I chose.  There are lots of Carolyn Friedlander's architectural inspired patterns from her Doe, Botanics, and Carkai collections.  I have my new favorite geometric pattern, Squared Elements, by Art Gallery Fabrics.  I also have some grays from Cotton and Steele as well as several from my stash.  The colors go well together and it looks pretty.  So that is good.  With that said, I think that it needs more contrast for the tan window blocks to really stand out.  Next time, instead of the long green rectangles underneath the gray triangles, I think I would have a darker color -- maybe even more gray.  That would make the tan window frames pop.

I look at the quilt top and think windows, window frames, architectural detail.  Green center window panes are for the trees reflected from Grosvenor Square.  Tan window frames are for the color of the building.  And gray triangles are for the darker architectural details that appear recessed in between the larger windows. It is representational for me.  But I think I could make it up in totally different colors and still like the design.

I found a picture that I had taken to capture the horizontal nature of the building.  That was the jumping off part for my second quilt.  I wanted to try something less patchwork-y and more abstract. Since the Green Bay and Washington game got so lopsided and not so fun to watch, I went back to my sewing room and got started on the new project.

I couldn't totally give up blocks of color, because I used four shades of white when I could have used just one.  I used Bone and Snow from Robert Kaufman's Kona Solids.  The other two fabrics were in my stash.  Strips of Kona in Ochre separate the blocks of white.  Using bigger blocks of fabric certainly speeds up the process!  Before I went to bed, I had sewed the top white rows together.

Selim, working on his homework while keeping me company.

I got the idea of using 1" strips in random order from the quilt pattern Jalousie from Alethea Ballard's Maverick Quilts.  I have had visions of making this quilt with a big Hawaiian print.  I've used up the majority of Hawaiian prints that I got from Rosie's in San Diego.  Next time I go back, I'll have to get more.  I digress.  Anyway, this might have been the first time where my cutting and sewing skills were spot on.  All the rows finished at exactly 44" wide and the golden strips look straight and even.  Uuuuuunreal, as my nephew would say.

Because I'm not used to editing and editing down my ideas and I'm still a bit literal minded, I designed this quilt to have a dark base, akin to the Embassy itself.  In retrospect, that might not have been my best idea.  The top is so light and the base is so heavy.  The contrast might be too extreme.  I could have made the same size quilt with just the white blocks and gold strips and been happy.

Finished top rows, design notebook with cutting instructions, browns, my needlepoint pillows in the back.

On Tuesday I managed to be homework parent, and dinner chef, and still had time to steal some time in my hideaway room and finish the more abstract top.  It was too late in the day to take outdoor pictures.  I'm finding that the combination of my cell phone and the florescent lights at night do not good photos make.  I really miss my good camera.

I had hoped to put both quilt tops on the clothes line this afternoon for a side by side view.  But it was so windy that I couldn't get off a good shot.  I ended up putting them down in the fresh snow.  The corners flipped up, but I managed a half way decent shot of the two tops.  I think they look really cool next to each other.  They represent the same building, but in two totally different ways.  That excites me.  I have a few other buildings that I want to explore in these two different ways.

They look a little blue in the snow, but otherwise, they are unfinished pieces, ready for the next phase of long arm quilting.

Hopefully the wind will die down in the next day or so and I can take a nicer picture. Shooting light colored fabric on top of new snow does not set off the quilts very well.  But I didn't want to wait for the good weather.  I wanted to link this up to WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced and have something to show.  They are works in progress, and I can't wait to send them off to a quilter to finish!

The Meeting of Architecture, Photography, and Quilting

I'm finding it hard to even know where to begin this posting since I have been thinking about this project for so long.  I love architecture from a design standpoint, and buildings themselves for their form, function, and the way they interact with their surroundings.  I love photography.  Aside from family, I take pictures of buildings, sculpture and statues, and my quilt projects.  And I love quilting, because I get to play with color, pattern, form, function, and design.  I have yet to put all of my three loves into one project, until now.

When was in London back in 2011 and 2012, I took tons of pictures.  I wanted to do something with them, other than framing and hanging them up.  This spring I watched a program on fabric design and wondered if I could translate some of my photographic imagery into fabric.  While I would still like to do that, I need a different computer set up and chunks of time, neither of which I think I will be getting anytime soon.  So the next avenue was designing a quilt pattern based on a building that I photographed.  Light bulb moment for me.  The first I chose was our Embassy in London.

Three of the photos that I took.

The building is striking.  It is beautiful and geometric and has a repeating pattern.  It seemed perfect for my first attempt.  My third try at pattern design resulted in something that seemed workable.  The blocks aren't square. However, they are to a scale that I could make a quilt big or small, and not end up with it really thin and long or wide and short.

3rd attempt at designing a pattern.

That was back in April.  I didn't more forward with finding fabric or anything else because I had my big Birdbaths at Sunset quilt to finish and we moved.  I haven't unpacked all the boxes yet, but we're in the house and know where most of our stuff is.  I finished the Birdbaths quilt on Monday.

Pattern by Elizabeth Hartman

Tuesday I cut out the fabric for my Embassy quilt according to my pattern sheet.  I should have made it up with each size be a letter. Instead I lettered by fabric pattern.  Note to self on ways to improve for clarity when I do this again.

Recording the selvages to reference the designer

Tan for window frames, green for the windows, gray for the architectural detail

Wednesday I got Selim to Concord where I met Robert who took him back to the Ashram.  I drove on to Henniker to Quilted Threads as a treat.  I had visited their website before but never made my way down there.  Oh boy, what a wonderful shop!  I had a lovely time and will go back some day when the weather is better and the road conditions allow me to relax and really enjoy the experience.  I'm glad I made the trip, but also glad that I left when I did.  By the time I got home, the roads were slick with frozen fog and drizzle.

Beautiful shop, but at 4:30, it sure was dark.

Winter wonderland and slick roads

When I got home, I began sewing the top row.  I did all the tan window frames and green centers.  I chose green because the trees from the park often reflected in the glass.

Large windows arranged

Before I began to sew the gray triangles, my fabric rectangles looked really big.  I went back to the tutorial at the Modern Quilt Guild website and realized that I did the math wrong.  Instead of the 5 x 7 rectangles that I cut, I needed them to be 3 x 4.  Sigh. I don't know what I was thinking.  I cut twice as much fabric as I needed.  It turned out not to be an epic fail, as I was able to cut 2 rectangles out of each fabric piece with minimal waste.

This morning I brought my mug of tea down to the sewing  room and began on those triangles.  The tutorial is great and I had success on my first attempt.

Sew on either side of the pink line

Cut on the pink line and get 2 sets (I made 2 of each set).

Pressed open, and not.

Pressed and trimmed.

And now, I have the top / first row complete.

When the quilt is finished, it should measure 44 x 60.

Detail.

I can hardly believe it. I feel such a sense of accomplishment.  Granted, it is only the first row of 5 that I planned...but I did it.  My math worked; the pattern pieces all fit together.  It looks just like I envisioned.  I'm so happy.

I've read two quilt books recently that have been really inspiring, for different reasons.  The first is Quilt Local: Finding the Inspiration in the Everyday, by Heather Jones.  She has transformed her locale into beautiful quilts.  I love how she has taken elements of architecture and made a whole quilt from the sometimes small detail.  And I appreciate how un-patchworky her art is.

Since reading her book, I revisited my Embassy photographs and sketched out a second idea for a quilt that is more modern, streamlined, and not patchwork.  I'm excited to try that next.  I like the idea of using the same starting point and having two different outcomes -- one more traditional in the patchwork approach and the second, a more modern and abstract based.  I have several more photographs where I believe I can do the same thing.

The second book is Wanderlust Quilts: 10 Modern Projects Inspired by Classic Art & Architecture by Amanda Leins.  I don't plan on making all 10 of her projects -- it is seeing her photos and how she translated them into fabric that will blew my mind.  They are so beautiful.  I'm amazed and awed.  Her work gives me hope that my simple start has the potential to evolve if I stick with it.  Looking at her quilt based on photos of the Pantheon in Rome, I flash on my photos of the ceiling at the Library of Congress. I aim to develop my skills enough that I could translate my vision of that ceiling into a fabric reality.  Before I begin that one, I need to get better sewing curves.

I think 2016 is going to be a great year for project development.  I'm excited to experiment with my quilting and try new things: designing new patterns, honing my sewing skills, getting out to new quilt shops and attending a workshop or two.  And if I could figure out how to exercise, work full time, keep a cleaner house, and be more on top of the homework and school thing for Selim, rekindle my spiritual practice, and develop my creative life...now that would be awesome.