Posted in quilting

SAHRR 2023 Round 5: Square in Square Saga

Posted on by Laura Kate

Now I know why this quilt along is called a challenge. Round 5 proved to be the most time-consuming and frustrating of all (so far.) My decision to use recycled quilt blocks turned into a bad idea. You see in the photo above the results of many hours work harvesting suitable fabric pieces for square in square blocks from the pineapple blocks. Oh boy! By Saturday, I had made enough blocks to build two sides.

I plan to edge these pieces with gray strips, bringing the finished block size to 7 inches. Six blocks will fill a border, with an additional two at top and bottom points. But first I attached a two-inch coping strip.

Here is the proposed lay-out for round five.

I bought the squiggly line print because it made me happy, and it looked like a nice transition between the pale grey and dark gray. Next, I assembled my first border.

And here is how it looks attached to the quilt

If you are enjoying the SAHRR Quilt challenge and want to check out the work of other participants, visit Emily’s blog, The Darling Dogwood.

http://thedarlingdogwood.blogspot.com/

There will be one more round. If I survive that, then I think that I have the ability to finish this quilt.

Posted in knitting

Friday Finish: Cheers Shawl

Posted on by Laura Kate

One of the resolutions I made to myself for 2023 was to clear up my backlog of UFOs. Today I celebrate another finish from the knitting category. This shawl, designed by Laura Nelkins….

http://www.nelkindesigns.com/index.cfm/gallery.page/265888.htm

….has been hanging around in its unfinished state for at least three years. I was working the beaded version and got into trouble by choosing beads that were too heavy. Anybody out in blogland work with beads on knitted garments? Let me know if you had any success. For me, the beads were so weighty that the shawl was pulled considerably downward. Sorry, Ms. Nelkin.

Anyway, I still loved the colors and the lace edging. It blocked out to 72 inches.

The beads weren’t totally wasted. I learned how to work them into knitted jewelry, eventually teaching a class on the technique, using up a few beads in the process.

This beadless shawl pairs nicely with my blush-colored boiled wool jacket.

Last time I looked in my craft room closet, there were still three knitting UFOs to finish. I hope to get them marked off the list before summer arrives.

Posted in Uncategorized

Inspired by Photographs: A Collaboration

Posted on by Laura Kate

My imagination was captured by the 100 Day Project Challenge. The idea is simple: choose a creative project, do it every single day for 100 days, and share your process on your social accounts using the hashtag #The100DayProject.

https://www.the100dayproject.org/

After thinking about aspects of my work that I want to improve, I hit upon the idea of collaborating with my husband, Bill. He is a dedicated photographer who carries his Canon with telephoto lens everywhere he goes. Consequently, he has an immense library of images. So here is what I suggested to him:

Process: From his library of photographs, he will curate several dozen into collections with prompts generated by me. From that point, I will create artwork based on the images, working daily for 100 days.

Guidelines: There are almost none. Back and forth consultations between photographer and artist are encouraged. I agreed to publish his photographs only if they are stamped with his mark.

Here are the prompts I provided to Bill:

  • Atmosphere
  • Best of the Birds
  • Creatures Great and Small
  • Faces
  • Gardens
  • Kids’ Stuff
  • Light Effects
  • Mineral
  • Photographer’s Choice
  • Rural America
  • Seasons
  • Transportation
  • Urban Architecture
  • Vacation Favorites
  • Waterscape

My plan is to work daily, but post on this site only once a week. I have no idea how many paintings, drawings, sketches, quilt blocks or knitted swatches will be made, so it seems easier just to group them.

And here are the images I have chosen for study the first week of the challenge.

BIRDS
MINERAL
WATERSCAPE
WATERSCAPE
SEASONS
FACES

Photographs by Bill Riley, reuse by permission only.

Posted in painting

Taking a Break from Quilting

Posted on by Laura Kate

The last two weeks have seen me working intensly on two quilts. One is finished (yay!) So today I am taking a break from quilting, if not from thinking about quilts.

It’s time to get more watercolor postcards painted. I have some new watercolor paper made especially for postcards that I am excited to try out.

A sample of this 100% cotton paper by Winsor and Newton was included with an order from Dick Blick. Since I liked the sample, I decided to buy this packet of 15 sheets. It seemed affordable and is the perfect size for postcards.

In perusing my library of reference photos, I came across an image of a quilt that really appealed to me. I described it as a log cabin flag quilt. I saved it with the idea of making a similar quilt.

But now I think it’s the perfect subject for a geometric watercolor painting.

I started by dividing my paper vertically into three columns. Determining that the angle of the flags is sixty degrees, I drew several intersecting lines. The painting process was slow and relaxed. When I was satisfied with the color, I grabbed a black watercolor pencil to reinforce the lines and darken a few of the blocks. Done.

What do you think? It’s not a slavish copy, more of an interpretation. Where the quilt has patterned fabric, I chose to allow colors to mingle.

SIDE BY SIDE.

I used all my reds, which included Pyrol scarlet, alizarin crimson, quinacridone red and magenta. Blues are cobalt and prussian. Rounding out the paints were quinacridone gold and Winsor green blue shade.

Posted in quilting

SAHRR 2023: Scrappy Geese

Posted on by Laura Kate

Anja, of Anja Quilts, suggested flying geese for Round 4 of this year’s Stay-at-home quilting challenge.

https://anjaquilts.blogspot.com/2023/02/stay-at-home-round-robin-round-4.html

I was feeling very much up to the task. Two years ago, during the SAHRR, the flying geese block was brand new to me. It didn’t go well. I made a bunch of them that ended up the wrong size. This year I wisely followed the tutorial of Quilting Jet Girl. She even provides a fabric cutting chart for all sizes of geese. Her technique yields four blocks at a time. Check it out:

https://quiltingjetgirl.com/2022/09/30/updated-four-at-a-time-flying-geese-tutorial-and-sizing-tables/

My particular take on the goose block has me cutting down my scrappy pineapple blocks to make the feature fabric of the goose block. This was a time-consuming task, but I was absolutely determined to make it work. Here is my first group of four:

Using the 2-inch wide block size will require 20 geese per side for my quilt. After experimenting with placement, I l felt that a continuous line of that many geese causes too much visual motion in the design. To break it up and create resting places for the eyes, I inserted plain gray squares. I also made a block of two geese in solid yellow at the border’s midpoint. This image shows the two resting spots sewn up with the scrappy blocks.

POOR BUNNY DOESN’T LOOK VERY CONFIDENT THAT I CAN PULL THIS OFF.

Okay, so here goes. This photo shows three completed borders.

View of the border from on point,

Close up of one border.

My quilt has now reached my desired width. For the 5th and 6th borders, I will be building up and down from the mid-point, inserting setting triangles as needed. Anyway, that’s the plan for now. It’s all an experiment, so subject to change.

To see what other quilters are making, follow the link to the Linky party.

https://anjaquilts.blogspot.com/2023/02/stay-at-home-round-robin-round-4.html