How many sheets to change a bed?

Finally closed the door to make the bed.  3 bottom sheets and 2 top sheets.  Muddy feet.  oh my!  I forgot how hard it is to raise a puppy the size of a small horse.     just can't please a person. Moan and groan that we don't have enough daylight. Sunrise 7:47 am. Where is the sunshine? Now that the days are getting longer (have you noticed?). My Lily gets up at dawn every morning to clear the backyard of invisible monsters: then she comes flying in freezing cold w/ muddy feet and pounces on the bed expecting me to get up and clear the monsters out of the house w/ her. We were up today at 7:30. Oh Joy! Can't wait until sunrise is at 5:05 a.m. 
By 5000 BC fiber-producing plants:  flax and hemp were domesticated from Iraq and Iran.  by 3000BC spread to Syria ad the Egyptian Nile to Switzerland and Germany

                                         Muddy Feet?  Who Me?

                                                          I'm innocent
                        Flax Plant

threads

The polar uses 62 thread colors and the rooster 32.  I always thought three colors and your done.  No wonder they always looked flat.  Can't wait until I'm done.  Have about two hours left on the roostr and days on the polar.  Fact:  the silk trade rode was 7,000 mile long.

Waiting for the New Year 2016

Ever since I started taking art classes last year I have been fascinated by fabric and art.  In this stage of my life I love being a fiber artist.  I almost have the rooster and polar bear done.  I've learned I have to be fresh when working on them or I tend to do sloppy work.  Now that the baby and t-shirt quilts are done I am concentrating on paper piecing.  Never done that before but the wing of the eagle is gorgeous.  Hope i have enough fabric:  its a kit.  Fact:  humans were producing cloth from both linen and cotton 8000 years ago.

to be so innocent and sleep so well.  our baby lily.  one year at thanksgiving

struggle

paint class almost killed me and now drawing class is wearing me down.  I almost quit!  Today was the first time I could actually draw.  We started w/ sharpie,  then ink washes, just finished graphite and now started w/ charcoal.  The great masters learned using only one color.  Teacher has only let us use black medium and white paper.  She was oh so correct.

from the great masters

after visiting

after visiting with security at museum.  Basically if it hanging on the wall from the great masters I can make a quilt of it and enter it into a quilt show.  No copyright violation.  I put my name down and then say the master painter inspired me to create this.  Oh Lord!  can't wait

inspiration

Looking for inspiration and a way to jump start your creative juices.  check back this week for ideas.
My art class, George and me went to several museums in Dallas today.    Here are my favorites

 check-out the last photo.  last photo outside.  this view looking inside

so little time

I practice and practice.  Must have drawn 50 squares and 20 rectangles.  Then I drew circles inside the rectangles.  practice ,   practice.  Now that I understand washes:  teacher shifted to  graphite.  She showed us a black and white drawing of  drapes.  That's what the masters used to learn subtle differences in tone, shape, value etc.  They were able to draw w/out hard sharpie lines.  Not enough time.  I need more practice w/ washes.  My pear and apple actually look like fruit but my banana looks like a zucchini.

ink wash.

In Paint class I struggled w/ "washes".  I finally got it today in drawing class.  I drew my ink wash  shapes w/ both a bottom and back reflection.  Awfully ambitious.  took me 2 days.  It needs lots of work but looks good.    I now can use washes in my painting and thread painting.

field trip

Went on field trip w/ my art class.  Had a great time in Fort Worth, Texas.  Beginning to Understand line, color and actually looked at how the museum mounted the art.  Oh My!  It was the museum of modern art.  Never thought I would like modern art.  But, teacher said it was really post-modern art.  Oklahoma museum is having a quilt exhibit in November.

lettering

my how time flies.  Drawing class is killing me.  1/2 way and I'm just starting to get angles and proportions correct.  But, it is fun.  What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. 
Experimenting w/ text on lettering.  First choices of paint.  oops! transparent textile paint.  All that work and I only have  ghost image.  Trying again today.  Directions will follow if I can make it work.

Art Class

Taking drawing 101.  Same teacher I had for painting.  Now to have things slow down.  Got 3 baby quilts and one t-shirt quilt to finish before Christmas.  2 talking to me on my design board.  I can't wait until I get back from Santa Fe.  Going to start my next art quilt.
Looking for guilds to teach or do programs for them. 
Here are the photos I chose for the art association photo contest:

 I love my art teacher look how much i have learned

teaching

Looking forward to teaching again.  I teach quilting every Monday nite at a church w/ seniors and will be teaching art quilts to a group in a itty bitty town in north texas.  At least there won't be any kids.

 commercial and my hand dyed fabrics

Thephotoquilter.com :  programs and workshops

teachers

taking my second art class at MSU.  Drawing 1. We have a portrait and still life to do on Thurs.  It will be interesting to see you can draw and can't.  20   -  19 year olds in class.  My favorite was...  I just graduated H.S.  and my other teacher would give an assignment but he let me do it my own way or something different.....Will you do that?     Our sketch books are 18 x 24.  egads!!!!!

Can't believe I made this

design boards

if you haven't made a design board yet :  or you don't have room:  Here is a lightweight one to dry..  Go to local hardware store and ask "the guy" to cut a 6' piece of 1/2 in insulation into 3rds.   When hanging blocks use a reg pin.  No need to use table cloth or batting.  Mine is 4 years old and still going strong.  I just lean the 2 or 3 pieces up against the back wall in front of sewing machine.  I hide in closet when not using.

Lyle Smokey and Emily

to blog or not to blog

I don't know what I do all day but I don't have time to spit!!!   Where does it go?  Part of the problem is I am reading.  What a concept to read!!!  Working I read but not I read.  I'm reading these foreign authors.  I get them through Inter-library loan.  What a great service.  But!  I have to return them on time because I am a frequent flyer of the service.  Right now I am on my 2nd book by Amos Oz.  Foreign authors never have Hollywood characters or Disney endings.  Photos belong to another place I spend all my evenings

 the water game:  every nite during dog days of summer

Man! I've been having issues all day.

Yesterday, I went from couch to sewing machine to back to couch.  Today, I have been sad all day.  Thought it was the dog days of summer.  Forced myself to go swimming today.  While swimming my 9 laps (1/4 mile) it hit me.  Didn't drink any water.  Just moping around.  After July 4th for the past 30 summers I would dread having 5 weeks of summer left before school starts.  Lo and behold!!!  Lily caught a hairless 6" baby rat.  Smokey brought home an 8 lb squirrel and I realized...I don't have to count weeks. I'm fully retired.  It felt like someone?  Smokey? Lily? George?  was going to take away my retirement and make me go back to that classroom.   Got a glass of water w/ lemon and a sewing machine ready to sew.  Almost done w/ top of white quilt.

 no more simple blocks for me.  I took the free Craftsy class by Laura Nownes

take the time

that's what i learned most of all w/ teacher Laura Nownes.  You can find her on line.  What an amazing artist.  I always said:  "i'll get back to it" and Laura is right.  I won't and I don't.  I can't wait until this quilt is done.  Its so beautiful.

thank you laura.  thank your craftsy.

binding.

Spent the evening teaching binding.  S l o W.  mitered corners.  stuff the binding.  meas. 3x cut once.  who came up with these rules?

check these pts out.  took class from Craftsy.com  its free all online.  i can't believe what people post.... why is teacher doing it this way?  I like this method better.  Egads!

a block a day ha!!

Now I know why no one has tried to complete a block a day.  Some of these blocks you will see have taken me 2-3 days to complete.  Sadly I can continue making simple blocks or move back to the art quilting that I love.  The block a day program is kaput! As I begin and complete projects I shall post.  I highly recommend star blocks.  Yup!   Star blocks almost killed me but the skills I learned are invaluable and I now use every single moment I'm sewing.

                                   this took 3 days to complete

a new art quilt.  Slightly pale peach fabric.  quilting in gold thread

dog days are a barking

dog days of summer are here

just to hot to breathe.  just to hot to sleep.  just to hot to walk dog.  not to hot to sew.

fun block and actually is 12 1/2" if you a make sq.  not quite 8 in and trim down.

3 squares stack on top of each other and cut pt to pt.  4 triangles  7 5/8  (i did 8 ")
stitch lt to dark.  stitch med to light

4 rectangles 2 1/4 x 7 (remember rectangles don't need increase in measurement)

tools

Went with photo club to dog agility.  Oh how much fun.  I love watching the dogs jump and run through tunnels.  Learned how to use my camera today.  ISO, Aperture, manual.  oh my!!!!  All the stuff you forget when you get lazy and let the tools do the work for you.  Teacher even had me use a tripod.

fun block to do.  So if it's 12 1/2"  each segment (1/2 sq triangle) has to be 4 1/2 in.  So Again:  I cut each sq. 5" and then trimmed to the perfect size.  What a great secret.

a conundrum

having an art exhibit coming up in Sept.  Small pieces.  Can't decide?  mini quilts, animal quilts?  embroidery, etc. etc.  should it be monochromatic?  a theme?  whimsical.  Have to make up my mind this week!!   8 pieces.  Yikes.

a fun block to do.  4"   middle.  2 x 4" retangles and the rest are 1/2 square triangles.

a block a day. Ha!

This little sucker took me three days to get it right.  Stars are not for the weak or feeble.  But, as I work through these I am discovering improved skills 10 fold. Slow. Stiletto.  No tapering (your dead if you let your hands release)  Pressing not ironing.  But its done.  Spent a lot of time w/ seam ripper

Finally finished.  So when these 12 beauties are done:  I think I will wait a few months for the skills to sink in and try again.

life just happens

Looking for inspiration for quilting blocks and have found lots and lots of people have quilt blocks in all sizes and colors.  Geez!!  I guess everyone wants to attract traffic to their websites.  Me...I just like quilting and being inspired. 

 There has to be an easier way to do this w/ the center on point.  ended up w/ lots of biases.   dark center 4 3/4 in.  corner sq 3 1/2 i and then two 5 1/8 squares cut to make 4 triangles.  UGH!  light 3 7/8 cut to make 4 triangles. 2 5 1/8 sq cut to make 4 triangles.  The photo doesn't do it justice. It is a beautiful block:  took me all day.

This block was hard to construct.  All the angles. First try I flipped the brown.  Then I did not have enough left over at the points for a clear 1/4 inch seam.  I just gave in and moved on.  Blues:  5 4 1/2 in squares (don't need to cut larger).  2- 4 7/8  sq. (i made a little larger than 5 inches.  Yellow 4 7/8 sq (not mean I sewed 5 in sq).  brown 2 -  4 7/8 sq (5in)

Actually and easy star to do.  Looks complicated.  So if its a 12 in block:  The corners need to be 4 in.  Cut strips 2 /12 in.  That means you need a 4 in middle.  But you can't cut a 4 in sq.  One of those math phenomenoms: Directions say 4 7/8.  Me I cut them a little larger than 5 inches.  I have room to wiggle to trim to a perfect 4 1/2

The 411.

How many of you remember 411 or 101.  Like Eng 101, Sci 101.  And then we had 1-411.  Then 1-800-411 and then the Phone Co. started charging for 411. (we stopped dialing 411)  For you young people 411 was telephone information phone numbers.  In songs you still occasionally hear:  I got the 411.  Eng. 101 was how college classes were listed Eng 101, Eng. 102  now you have 99, 888 and even 64132 section.  So here is the 411 one my first 12 1/2 " star block.  Stars ain't for beginners.

The size is 12 1/2.  I cut the squares an extra quarter which is not necessary.  Only the triangles have to be increased in size. Unless you go slow and can make a perfect 1/4" (not me)  The sq are 3 1/2 and rectangle of flying geese is 3 1/2 x 6 1/2.  However the 3 1/2 in  geese become 3 and 7/8.  I made them 4.  Then I had wiggle room to cut the goose straight.  the points actually match and was easy to sq up