I like Thankful Thursday

I had a full day of teaching on Tuesday. I like seeing how people go from no clue about free motion work to being confident enough to embellish fabric. I will be showing some of the examples tomorrow. I also like that I am able to learn something, too.
Each time I teach this I have to get to figure out how to use machines I am unfamiliar with. It takes a while, but usually with the machine booklet, the student's experience with it and alot of 'what if', we manage.
success for this student and for me!

But this time, one of the ladies was having alot of problems getting her machine tensions right just so she could start working on the technique. I usually can get things sorted with just the top tensions. But this one wanted the bottom tension tweaked. This is much easier on a front loading bobbin, but this machine has a drop in bottom. I was saying to the students that I think I need a course on sewing machine mechanics! I don't really like to go too far with messing with someone else's machine. But eventually I got brave enough to dig around and learned how to adjust the tension on top loading machines! Or at least that one.

I like that teaching gives me a real buzz and I can keep going for doing much more than I usually can do. However, I also have to keep in mind recovery for a few days after. Yesterday was not good at all, so I watched Winter Olympics like a couch potato.
I like Winter Olympics! Particularly the Ice Skating and the Curling. But I also like some of the more extreme sports like snowboard and skiing jumps and things. I got interested when my son was younger and watched X Games.

This is a random photo of whatever was on telly at the time so I could put it in this post.

Today I am feeling alot better, but have a dull headache. So, here is another like - the chair table the Thoughtful Man gave me for Christmas.

It means I can still watch the Winter Olympics and use the laptop here in the lounge.

Forgot this bit:
To see what the others like today, go to Lee Anna's blog for the links.

Liechtenstein

Being as rainy as it has been, I remembered that I didn't get to show you much of our holiday in Switzerland. Rainy, because that is what the weather was like when we were there!

One day we took a coach trip. Glad that we were not out in the weather!

At one point we crossed the Rhine into Liechtenstein! It is said to be the last remaining outpost of the Holy Roman Empire. It is not a place you hear much about.

We had a quick visit in Valduz. I even got my passport stamped for 3 Swiss franks.

Above the city is Valduz Castle, where the Liechtenstein royal family live.

a model of the castle near the steps up to the town.

The Prince of Liechtenstein is known for his art collection. We saw many fascinating sculptures in the short time we had to look around.

Even in the café seating!

In the shops there were as many souvenirs relating to Switzerland as there was Liechtenstein.

And while we were there, the Swiss were playing in the 2016 UEFA European Championship. Much cheering! I understand a Liechtenstein team plays in the Swiss league.

And back on the coach as it began to rain again.

So there, you know something new!

Another finish - For Want of a Shoe

And it is even in the post.

I used a grassy print fabric with a touch of gold to bind the edge. Not easy to get right because the background print is so off grain and all over the place!

Near the bottom edge, I used a piece of the dark green from the quilt to fill in the gap where I ran out of the binding fabric to create a bit of interest. I think it helps to sort of draw attention to the date, which is the feature of each quilt in the exhibition that will tie them together.


For Want of a Shoe

And the story:
Abebe Bikila - Ethiopian, was the first African to win Olympic Gold. At the Rome Olympics in 1960, he ran the marathon barefoot because he was a replacement on the team and the sponsors providing running shoes hadn’t any left to fit him. Since then Ethiopians have become well known for their long distance running.

Challenging Technique:
Learning a little Amharic and Painting letters on fabric.

This is for the Stretching Art and Technique group. Our 17th challenge will be exhibited in March in New Jersey, and then travel through the rest of 2016 to the other Mancuso shows in New England during the summer and finish at the PNQE show in Pennsylvania in September.

And we have heard that Mancuso is willing to tour our exhibit on an annual basis!

next up

Thanks for the comments about the meal. It was wonderful. A Certain Young Man excelled at the turkey. He had read about brushing the skin with butter to create a glaze, but did it before the main baking instead and added spices. But, that meant the flavour was not just on the surface...very yummy. And he roasted onions under it as well.

And for me, hardly any stress. I had all my part ready and did not have to worry about the turkey. So, when I came back from having parsnip soup and chatting at South Hill Park with my friends, I sat and did something totally random...mended necklaces and bits of jewellery in my new beading and etc space! and following the meal, I sat and read a book, which I haven't done for sometime.
Someone asked who did the washing up. The Thoughtful Man of course! He always finishes before me anyway, so he gets up and gets the teas/coffee and on major meals does the washing up.(We use the dishwasher for most things.)

So, on to the next project...
As you can tell, I have several things on the go. It keeps me from being bored!

The revised deadline for the Stretching Art challenge is January (it had been August). So, having cleared the decks from some things and choosing to change other deadlines for a more achievable deadline. I realised I better get back to this so I can get it off.

Some things you wonder why you waited! But then, I know I was under a lot of pressure - mostly on my self - in the summer, so took advantage of the chance to quit just then.

Anyway, all that to say I have sandwiched the piece about Abebe Bikila. I had some scraps of the vintage fabric which were just enough to piece for the backing. And like the pieces I did the previous year, I have used felt for the wadding.

We recently got this message:
Remember last summer when you were furiously working to finish your quilt for the fall PNQE show in Pennsylvania, only to find out that they had inadvertently omitted our exhibit from the program? WELL....

Good things come to those who wait.

Stretching Art and Traditions - "From Whence I Came" has been invited to TOUR. Our quilts will be displayed in March in New Jersey (as originally rescheduled...), in New England during the summer of 2016, and finish at the PNQE show next September in PA.

Furthermore: The new news is that Mancuso is willing to tour our exhibit on an annual basis!
So, that is me set for January over the next several years. I actually like doing this one because
-I have a chance to be involved with something I am not running
-The emphasis is Stretching Art and Traditions - so I can legitimately try out something new to me which has a purpose.

Not that I am reluctant to try new things, as you may know if you have been reading this blog long! but my trials are welcome for this group. This one is small enough that you aren't competing for a place. And as I said, I am not involved with making up the theme, curating or finding venues.

Running man

One (among many things this spring and summer!) of the delays on this piece was that I was not quite happy with the selection of browns I had to choose from. I wanted to cut a silhouette of a running Abebe Bikila to place on the larger green piece. I thought brown would help to reference the "1st African Gold Medal winner" part of things.

Lighter brown/tan would be more like the natural skin of an Ethiopian.* And was almost but not quite the colour of the lion. But it was too pale and insignificant against the bright colours of the rest of the piece. Very dark brown was not good either. So, the option was a slightly reddish brown. I hadn't much of it, but I thought I could manage to cut the figure from it.

When I was at the Festival of Quilts, I saw that Doughty's had a wide range of solid colours for good prices. It wasn't just about green - which I also was looking for - or brown, but which green or brown! And then a reddish brown kept catching my eye.

AND...

Wow. just right.
Okay, not very obviously reddish here.
But, it is more of a darker shade of the brown of the lion. And, more crucially, if you look close in the pattern of the background, you can see it is just the right colour of brown as in the background.

The selection of browns.

Two dark browns, the tan brown, the first reddish brown and then on the right, the just right brown!

So, the running man was duly cut from fused fabric using my freezer paper template.

And here is the finished top.

Now this will go on hold to finish the sandwich and quilting later in the autumn. (Because the Stretching Art Exhibition will be at a different show in the spring.)

I am thinking that when it is done with the exhibition, I might give it to my friend who works in Ethiopia. She can hang it in the school to urge on future Ethiopian long distance runners! Which is one of the reasons why this particular event in 1960 stood out for me. Already, one of the blind girls at the children's village has been scouted for a runner in the Ethiopian Paralympics and Ethiopian Athletics have begun training her!

Basically, I could finish this piece now, but I need to get on with the next project that has been pushed back. In theory, it should go quickly because it is a technique I use a lot, but you never know till you get started.

Unfortunately, I can't show it for a quite a long time yet. If it works and fits the plan, it may be in a book!
************


*Did you know there is a creation fable in some parts of Ethiopia to explain their skin colour? Or so I read in a National Geographic Magazine some time ago. It is said that when God made people, the first batch came out not done enough, so He threw them to the North. The second batch was done too much and He threw them to the South. The third batch was just right and they became Ethiopians!

getting the angles right

I mentioned how difficult it was to align things because the print fabric in the background was printed on fabric which was not taut or was pulled out of alignment. This was also causing difficulty in placement of the pieces.

I was looking for a poster-like feel to the layout. But because of the width of my table, I had to do everything sideways. I wanted to be sure the angles of the pieces were similar...usually I just eyeball it. But it was so difficult to be sure with all those conditions.

So, I got a few of the rulers and things out that I bought when I first dipped my toe into pattern drafting. I have never used them since as they were not what was needed!

I decided the large piece would be my starting point. I am not sure how mathematical people work these things out, but I used the protractor and the set square in a 'magical' configuration, and then went with that for the rest!

I think it is 80/100 degrees, but who knows?

After everything was more or less sorted, I pinned them down. For overstitching the raw edge, I chose to use a pattern on my machine which I felt worked with the pattern in the background fabric.

And so to the running man tomorrow.

back to the Ethiopian

Before I went to Festival of Quilts, I got the piece about Abebe Bikila to the layout stage. As you may know Abebe Bikila was the first African to win an Olympic gold. He ran the marathon barefoot, due to lack of proper footwear, and still won.
Here is a part of the layout. The Ethiopian flag is the one used at the time of the Olympics in 1960.

The biggest problem was that the printed panels were printed awkwardly, so distance from edges fluctuated widely!

I need to process a few more photos to show some of the steps for putting the piece together. Hopefully tomorrow.

more about painting the letters

My friend Karin lives in Ethiopia. Amharic is the national language of Ethiopia. I remember when she was planning to go there and trying to learn the language. Depending on where you read about it, there are over 250 letters! Some say over 400! As I understand it, there is a different symbol for each syllable. But that is as far as I can tell you. For this piece I am working on, I used an English/Amharic site on the web.
If you are interested in knowing a bit about Amharic, there is a lot of information about the language at this website, including some audio clips.

Anyway, here is a bit more about how I did the lettering. I used this technique for both the Amharic and the English because of the font.

I trimmed away the top and bottom of the letters, leaving them attached in the centre.

Then I traced round the letters.

As you can see, there are gaps where the attachments were. I drew in the missing sections.

And then painted them with a small paint brush using Setacolour Opaque Black.

They look fuzzy because this is a very close image, they don't look so fuzzy even when you are standing close to the work.

So, some translations:

Ethiopia

1960

Roma (Rome)

And the clue of the subject matter:

Abebe Bilika

If you know much about sports or Olympic history, you might know the occasion this work will be celebrating! Especially with the word 'running' which is above and the clue from yesterday and in the above photo about footprints.

But you will need to wait til Monday for more details!

How is your Amharic?

The current project has been a bit difficult to get going. I had a good idea, but just couldn't work out how to make it work together with other information I needed to include.
Then the Special Advisor to Design (A Certain Young Man)came by and asked me about it. And as I explained it, I realised the bit I was keen on was the bit that was keeping everything from working.

So, now I am getting somewhere.

But for now, I leave you with some Amharic which I have painted.

What wonderfully pictorial letters!

CQ 2014 Journal Quilts

Today three of my journal quilts for 2014 went off in the post.

May - Rugby Run

July - British Cycling

and December - Goal!

They will join the work of other Contemporary Quilt artist to be exhibited in several places around the UK.

Creative Stitches and Hobbycrafts show, Event City, Manchester 5-7 February

Creative Stitches and Hobbycrafts show, SECC, Glasgow 5-8 March

Sewing for Pleasure, Fashion Embroidery and Stitch, NEC, Birmingham 19-22 March

Creative Stitches, Fashion and Embroidery, ExCel Centre, London 26-28 March

British Quilt and Stitch Village, Uttoxeter Racecourse, Staffordshire 24th-26th April


Their new owner, my son, has kindly allowed them to be on loan. I did mention they are worth more if they have been exhibited.

Grin!!

Earlier in the year January, March, and April journal quilts were on exhibit at the Spring Quilt Festival, Exeter. At this link, you can see all of the quilts together in order.

December days - 12 and finished 'Goal!'

I was able to complete the football for the December journal quilt. This is the last one of the year...and...I still have over 1/2 a month left. It does feel good to be finished with time to spare!

I figured the best title would be 'Goal!'

I am really glad how the techniques worked as I hoped. and then to finish the quilting in the green section, I echo quilted which adds a feel of movement and force (as in physics).

If you want to see the other British Sports I depicted for these pieces, you can go to this link.

I am already thinking of what theme or technique to focus on for next year's journal quilts with the Contemporary Quilt group. I have a few ideas, but it will depend on what size they choose.

December days - 11 and more of the December journal

Yesterday I had a migraine most of the day, so only got to work on this from the late afternoon.

However, I was really pleased at how the cut back technique worked for the part of the net which is in the background.

This was before I picked it up and most of the bits came off. Then it really was a jigsaw!

And with the football all fused down.

and eventually with the foreground part of the net.

I fused sheer fabric to a waxy paper that had texture. When I had cut out the spaces, I used a cocktail stick and little by little put bits of Pritt stick glue behind the 'joins' of the lines in the net to stick it in place.

Hopefully today I can get the foreground net stitched in place which will make it just a bit more solid.

And if time, I will layer, quilt and bind it.

December days - 10 and a start on the December journal quilt.

Another Christmas present in progress happening around here. Progress on the December journal quilt.

Tracing a net so that with the football, it will be a goal. I am going to use my cutting back method that I use for the Ramshackle pieces to show the background lines of the net.

And considering a sheer layer cut back for the foreground lines of the net.

The Journal quilts for this year are eventually going to a Certain Young Man, and I have done several British sports so far. He says he doesn't like football, but you can't really cover British sports and leave out football so he is having one anyway.

Some I will give to him for Christmas, some for next birthday and some will be reserved a bit to be displayed with the other Contemporary Quilt 2014 journal quilts at shows next year. So, anyway, for now I will count this as a Christmas present.

Cycling Race

As I mentioned with the Cycling journal quilt, I was also working on an A4 size piece with the same theme.

This time I used a hoop to do the thread painting which helped to keep the fabric from drawing up.

I was stitching through all 3 layers. the photo above shows the work just after  I had moved the hoop. One of the reasons I don't like using a hoop is that you run out of space. But, I will definitely consider it again if I am doing intense thread painting.

When I cut the cyclists out of the fabric, using a freezer paper stencil, I realised I hadn't fused the fabric first. I couldn't face having to trim round all those little bits, so I chose to use Pritt stick this time to temporarily adhere the cyclists to the background. Then I stitched them down with black thread.

And here is the complete piece.

I have joined up with an online group who are working to prompts every 2 months, and the size is A4. So, this will be for that group. But I can also use it for the Grosvenor shows journal quilts, which I usually take part in. The theme this time is Picture This, which can be interpreted quite broadly. and so I am picturing a Cycle race.

I specifically had in mind that the Tour de France had the Grand Depart in Yorkshire this year. So, it is called Tour de Yorkshire.

Hurrah! Blogger is working with my browser again!

Sailing By Dover - complete

I worked into the chalk cliff of the sailing piece with a white colour pencil. The added benefit is that it gives a bit of a chalky feel and look, which helps immensely with the over all scene.

And then sandwiched and quilted. I have been using felt as a wadding for these pieces. A good way to use up the scraps of felt I have hanging about.

I am quite pleased with the result! To be honest, it isn't totally sporty, but it works for an iconic Around Britain scene.

(Somehow these show up as electric blue when I upload them, even though they look the same as yesterday's in my photo programme. So, if it shows electric blue, please refer to yesterday's post for the proper colour! I am still having to use Chrome for adding photos to my blog.)