Daily Fiber

Boho Basket

Posted on May 11, 2019 by Laura Kate

I’m staring at this really ugly wire basket which has been pressed into use in my studio. You may know the kind – available through Container Store. While it is commodious, it isn’t pretty.

Poking around in my linen closet, I identified several cotton woven placemats that are refugees from the eighties. We really liked these colors back then – peach, mint green, mauve and pale blue. They haven’t seen the light of day since I moved them sixteen years ago to our present home.

I decided that the wire which ran the length of the basket would be the warp, and the cut-up placemats will be the weft. The opening between wires are 1 and 1/4 inch.

I cut up the placemats parallel to the warp, and across the weft. It is my hope that the full-length warp threads will keep the strips from fraying. I sewed two strips together so that they stretch down both sides and across the bottom of the basket. Here is the color sequence that I settled on:

After a bit of sewing and weaving, my new Boho-style basket is finished. Here it is, put into service holding yarn:

I like this . And it feels good to re-cycle stuff that’s just taking up space in a closet. However, I must admit to you, dear reader, that this project produced a bunch of lint!

knitting

Wool, Silk and Glass

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Laura Kate

Today’s fiber project combines yarn with glass beads to make a fun, easy and beautiful necklace. I like this because I can make the whole thing in an afternoon. Also, I’m always on the look-out for unusual accessories to jazz up my standard daily look of jeans and t-shirts. You see in the photograph the makings of two necklaces. I chose the purple variegated yarn and the iridescent beads in the glass dish. The yarn is a lace-weight blend of merino wool and silk called Stream from Willow yarns. The pattern, by Carol Metzger, is called Scallop-Edge Beaded Necklace. I’ll have a go at making up a design for the ribbon yarn and ceramic beads on another day.

**Cast-on and first row completed.**
**Notice that all the beads were strung on the yarn before starting to knit.**

**Necklace bound off but without the jewelry fittings**

After weaving in the yarn ends, I used all-purpose thread to sew a jump ring to one end and an alligator clasp to the other. Here I am modeling the finished work. Photography courtesy husband Bill.

**It’s so light and delicate. I can hardly tell that it’s there.**

No special skills were needed to make this necklace. I recommend that you use a floss loop to thread the beads, or buy a special bead needle from a craft store. Carol’s pattern can be found on Ravelry at https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/scallop-edge-beaded-necklace.

colorwork, hand embroidery, quilting

Vigil Scene Part II

Posted on May 8, 2019 by Laura Kate

This is the completed work of the Easter Vigil scene. I know that the subject matter is not for everyone. But I am particularly happy with this fiber object. In the first place, I was able to control the color application in order to get the result I was aiming for. The character of the marble wall in the darkened church is much as I remembered it. The statue has the ghostly quality that matched the atmosphere of the moment. And the rendering of the little dancing candlelight reflections almost capture the way they appeared to me. It would seem not possible to render the shimmering character of the reflections in this media.

I used cotton muslin, candle wax, Jacquard Dye-Na-Flo paint, Pebeo Setacolor opaque paint, hand stitched with cotton and metallic floss, machine quilted.

drawing, quilting

In the Mood to Doodle

Posted on May 6, 2019 by Laura Kate

For no apparent reason, I woke up this morning with the urge to doodle. Well, really, I was thinking about a project to offer my young fiber artists. The older group is working hard on their mini string quilts. But the five to eight year old students aren’t ready, skill-wise for such a complex task. In the spirit of quilt-making, I decided to let them design 4-square blocks using fabric markers. Hence the desire to try it out for myself. I started by cutting a 9 by 9 inch square of muslin, then ironed in creases to divide the block into four 4-inch squares (plus seam allowance.) So here I am, staring at a blank canvas. I found the experience slightly unnerving. Ultimately, I let the sights of nature in spring-time inspire my doodles.

Here is what I came up with.

I have to admit that sharing these drawings is not easy for me. I am still such a novice at it. But I’m told that to improve drawing skills one must practice daily. I struggled with the markers bleeding a bit. The fish were the most fun to draw.

hand embroidery, quilting, sewing

Fiber Arts Class String Quilt Sampler

Posted on May 4, 2019 by Laura Kate

Dear Fiber Friends,

After five days of baby care and two days of travel, I have insufficient creative energy to start something new. So it’s a good time to finish up the works in progress. Primarily on my mind is the string quilts that my students are working on. It is my practice to have a good example of a finished work for my students, both to inspire and instruct. As I previously posted, I had finished the top. Today I completed the backing, quilting and binding of this sample. Here is the piece squared-off with the backing fitted and pressed. This piece will be self-bound by folding over the backing.

**Wonky perspective is due to my odd camera angle.**

I decided to use as many different (beginner) quilting techniques as possible, so that the students could see the possibilities. The image below shows the piece after quilting is done. I used hand quilting and some machine quilting.

Quilting techniques include knot-quilting, buttons, running stitch, and contour quilting by hand; and stitch-in-the-ditch and parallel lines by machine. And here is the finished sampler with binding blind-stitched. I used folded corners, since I consider mitered corners to be a more advanced technique.