I hope everyone has been having a lovely holiday season!
Now that the New Year is almost here, my thoughts are drawn to what I can do to make the most of the coming year.
For a couple of years now, I have wanted improve my technological skills. Navigating the digital world has not come very naturally to me. A couple of years ago, I felt completely lost. Then I learned that you can find videos on how to do almost anything imaginable on YouTube. That helped some. I have since discovered https://www.creativelive.com/
They have classes geared towards people who are trying to pursue some type of creative endeavor. There are always many classes about photography. I have learned many things about my digital camera that I never knew. There are also a lot of classes on using Adobe Suite programs, and different aspects of digital marketing for creative people. I have always wanted to figure out how to add computer drawn figures to my patterns, instead of the hand drawn figures I have been doing. That way it would be easier for me to sell a digital copy of my patterns if someone prefers that to a hardcopy. The classes there are quite meaty. They are not too expensive, and there are lots of sales. Also, they always have about 6 classes you can watch for free. But, to see them for free, you have to watch them when they are on, like old style broadcast TV. To watch them on YOUR time schedule, you have to pay for them.
So here are some goals I am planning to work on for 2017:
1. Synchronize imagery in my blog, FaceBook page, Website, Pintrest, and Etsy site. Notice the new banner?
2. Add rest of my quilts to my Website.
3. Learn InDesign, and use it to layout patterns, and add illustrations to those patterns.
4. Start a YouTube channel-I already have several quilting related video ideas. First I am gonna have to learn to make and edit a video. Before I do that, I probably going to have to get rid of this pesky cold.
5. Make an email newsletter so I can let people know when I have uploaded a new video, have a new pattern, or quilt.
6. I have always wanted to write a book, but my quilt designs tend to be pretty varied, and I struggle with tying enough of the together with a cohesive concept. I might try to write an ebook. That way I can experiment, and not be restrained by a publisher's idea of what will sell.
7. I want to add projection to my trunk show. Sometimes I want to show a quilt I no longer have to make a point. It would be really nice to be able to project a photo of a quilt I no longer have on hand.
8. Last I hope to be a better, more consistent blogger in 2017.
So that is what I will be striving for in 2017. What will you be working on? I would love to hear what your goals are.
Here are some quilts I finished in 2016:
Sand and Sea Glass-complete
Hoopla-pieced and quilted, still needs binding hand stitched, sleeve added, and photographed
Burgeoning Spring-likewise, piecing, quilting, and binding machine attached, but I still need to sew the hand sewn side, add the sleeve, and photograph it.
Ablaze-pieced and quilted, partially bound, but still needs binding hand sewn, sleeve, and to be photographed. I have also added a boarder since this photo was taken.
Dresden plate-I haven't gotten it quilted or named, but the top is done. It will probably be the first to get quilted in 2017!
Baby quilt for Dori-completed and delivered.
Baby quilt for Madelyn- shame on me, I finished this quilt, but forgot to photograph it. In a year when I have so few finishes, I am not about to exclude it anyway!
I hope you all had a good 2016, and best wishes for all of us for a 2017 filled with good times, good friends, and good quilty fun! Thanks for stopping by!
Gosh it's been a long time!
Last winter I had 2 temp jobs. One I had to get up at 4:30 am for. I am not a morning person, and at the end of the day, my brain was so scrambled that I could barely write my own name, let alone a coherent blog post.
It has been a busy first half of 2016. Rugs to weave, teaching jobs and trunk shows hither, thither and yon, other trips and retreats. At times I went months with out even seeing my sewing machine (except and retreat-thank goodness for retreats!). Through all of that, I totally got out of the blogging habit. Just as bad, I got out of the habit of taking photos when I WAS sewing. When I did take photos, uploading, and editing photos became an obstacle. But, I finally, finally got some photos uploaded and organized.
Back in November, (shamefully, 2 whole posts ago) I wrote about starting 2 new quilts, and using them as leaders and enders for each other. Since I have to begin somewhere, let's begin with those quilts. They are both completed tops now.
This first one is already at the quilter's.
This is the quilt that was inspired by seeing the new leaves come out in the spring, and the way they look against the clear, bright blue sky, and older, darker leaves and evergreens.
I had made a couple quilts using one of these motifs in the center, see those quilts here but I wanted to try a quilt that used several blocks. I was initially planning to make 12 blocks and lay them out 3 by 4, with no border, but as I was making it, I decided that it needed a border.
The other is a just a top, but I still have to make the back.
Again, I wanted to try this motif in repeat.
This is the first quilt I made using this motif.
I also finished my Dresden Plate quilt top. It still needs a back also. I will have to feed these quilts to the quilter gradually, so I can pay for the quilting. I don't have great photo of this top yet, but I did snap a quick shot when it was on the floor.
So, that is what I have been up to lately. Thanks for stopping by!
Lately, I have been feeling like I am living in that TV commercial that says: Life comes at you fast. Fortunately, I have been doing many fun things that I should be blogging about. Unfortunately, I have been a very poor job of getting photos, either because I didn't have my camera, of phone handy, or I did, and it wasn't charged, or the light wasn't right, or it was raining. We have had SUCH a rainy fall. I feel bad about those on the other side of the country that are experiencing a drought. I think it might be because WE have all of their rain.
A week and half ago, I went to speak to the Altoona Guild in Acworth GA. I had a really great time there! Those ladies were so friendly, and welcoming. Talk about luck! I was there for the meeting where they have their covered dish Thanksgiving lunch. What a feast! What was even more fun, since they start their meeting in the morning, I got to spend the night at my friend Mary Beth's. Mary Beth lives only 15 minutes away from Acworth. It would have been too exciting for me to get there on time from where I live which was 65 miles away, during rush hour, through Atlanta.
I am proud that I have FINALLY added some tabs to the top of my blog. I think that was one of my New Years resolutions for this year.
I have done some sewing.
While visiting Mary Beth, and meeting with my friendship group, I have gotten a few more dresden plates sewn down on this quilt.
I have only one left to sew down, before I start connecting the sections, and sew down the second half of plates that I could only sew one side of since, they straddles 2 sections.
I also started another new quilt. I have written many times over the last year and a half over my wish to make a quilt about new spring leaves against the cerulean blue, clear, springtime sky. I guess this is a sort of ironic time to start that, but I have been collecting fabric for it for awhile, and I couldn't stand it any more. Here is a photo of my fabrics.
Here are a couple of photos I took of the sky and trees last spring. I was never able to get a photo that I thought really did it justice.
Last year my friend Eleanor ordered this quilt for her daughters wedding.
I have always wanted to make a quilt that used the central motif in the above quilt as smaller blocks. I am thinking I will make 9, or 12 blocks for this quilt. Here are the first 2.
Not sure if I like the brightness of the green in the block on the left. I will have to see how it fits in with future blocks. It may get the boot if it doesn't play well enough with the others.
I haven't forgotten this quilt. I started 2 new blocks. I am using these 2 quilts for leaders and enders for each other.
Ironically, both of these quilts are using smaller blocks from motifs that I had previously used to make a whole quilt. Here is the original quilt from the above motif, for those who may be new to this blog.
So, that is what I have been up to lately. Hope you have been having a lovely autumn. Thanks for stopping by!
I will be displaying my quilts at the Madison Chili Cook Off and Fall Festival on October 10th. I have always wanted to be in a show in Madison, Georgia. It is a beautiful little town. I have tried a couple of times, but the weather has not cooperated so far. I was in a show there last spring; the weather forecast was so bad that they TOTALLY cancelled it! Worse yet, they cancelled it AFTER I spent 3 hours setting my booth up. (I am a slow poke when it comes to getting that tent up, and the older I get, the longer it takes) I had not applied to the show this time because I was afraid I would be out of town, but it turns out I will be here during the show after all, so I thought I would give it one more try. Fortunately, they are able to fit me in at the last minute. It sounds like it will be a lot of fun. There will be lots of other artists, live music, family and kid activities, local produce, and fall plants for sale, and of course chili-yum. I am really looking forward to it. Wouldn't it be lovely if we had a crisp, sunny, beautiful fall, October day. Oh please please! Here is a link with all the official info in case you are in the area, and are interested. http://www.madisonga.com/index.aspx?NID=352
A few weeks ago, I went to a auction with my friend Rhea. They had this piece if slat board display, and I was the only one who bid on it, so I got it for $3! I thought it would be a good thing for hanging potholders in my booth. It sure is heavy though! So yesterday, I drilled a couple of wholes in the top. That way, I can tie it to the top cross bar of my tent. I got a couple of milk crates for it to rest on, I found a piece of fabric to hem, and cover the crates. I will take a photo of it in the booth later.
I need to buy more "S" hooks that size, or I would have put more potholders on it. I am thinking that the milk crates may be deeper than I want them to be, but I hope I can push them back in the space between the booths, so they don't show so much, otherwise, I may have to find something that is narrower. I will let you know how it all turns out.
I also worked a bit on my Dresden Plate background. Mostly, because that is the quilt I have made most of the decisions on, and I needed to finish just a bit of background, which was already cut, and waiting to be sewn together.
It seems like I used to be better at getting more of the quilt in the photo, when it is on the design wall. But for the life of me, I couldn't get that to work this morning. If I moved back, I just got more loom. Anyway, I made the rows of equilateral triangles you see on the top,central part of the quilt. There were also 2 more rows of equilateral triangles on the bottom left of the quilt, that you can't see because the loom is in the way. The background is all made, though, I still have to sew the sections to each other. I will not do that until I have all of the applique done that I can. I don't want to start holding that whole big thing while I am appliqueing, until it is absolutely necessary. I have 3 full plates left to applique. The light green plate in the top center, under the new section of triangles, the yellow one in the center of the 3 tiered plate, and a light blue one on the right side of the quilt, that you can't see in this photo. They are all the smallest 2 sizes of plate. Plus several half plates where the plate straddles 2 or more sections. I am enjoying seeing this quilt near it's completion. It has been fun, and therapeutic, having some hand work to carry around. I went a lot quicker than I thought it would.
So that is what I have been up to. Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, have I been running around a lot lately. I have been to 1 quilt show in Tennessee as a vendor, another in North Georgia, as a viewer, and a 4 day quilt retreat in between. It has been loads of fun, and I have lots to share.
First, since it's Design Wall Monday, I will show my Dresden Plate quilt. I pulled it out because I thought I would need some hand work while I sat in my booth at the Smokey Mountain Quilt Guild's show in Maryville TN a couple of weeks ago. Hard to believe that a bit over 2 weeks have gone by since then.
When I pulled it out, I was farther along on it than I remembered being. Woohoo! Here it is on the design wall:
I had the strip sets made for the strip section in the upper left hand corner, but I hadn't sewn them together yet. I sewed that together before I left for TN, and hand stitched those dresdens on while in my booth. I also added the blue plate in the lower lower left hand corner of the section in the upper right hand section. Have I lost you? I mean the smallish blue plate, just above the large 3 layer plate in the center. I made, and added the centers too. They are new. I realized that I have just a couple of background sections left to make. I have enough HST to add at least 3-5 rows to that section on the center left. Not sure how many rows I want there. I will decide after I see the first 3 added. Here is a shot of the lower portion:
Sorry it is so difficult for me to get a good photo of my design wall all in one piece. Some of you know that I am also a rug weaver, and there is a large loom in front of it. Since that is the largest, uninterrupted wall in the house, it is the best wall for my loom, and also my design wall. The loom weighs about 1000 lbs., so there is no moving it out of the way I, although, I sometimes use it as scaffolding to get to the higher parts of my design wall.
So that is some of what I have been up to lately. I will share photos of the quilt shows and retreats in future posts. Thanks for stopping by!
There is always lots of inspiring WIP to see at Patchwork Times. Don't forget to go see!
Well, it does not seem possible, but I have been home from Virginia a week. I have spent the last week doing all of those things you need to do when you have been away a week- the bank, bills, laundry, grocery shopping, unloading/unpacking (ugh!), and just generally playing catch up.
Since it is Monday, I will save showing my photos from the Blue Ridge Quilt Festival for a future post, and show the quilt I worked on in the booth while I was there.
This quilt is going to involve a lot of hand applique, which I rarely do. It is going to be my "carry around" quilt for the awhile I think. I arranged my plates at the last retreat, and have been working on piecing background sections since then.
I spent a day sewing at my friend Mary's house last week also. We wanted to get a sewing day in before the summer break is over and she has to go back to teaching. I used the time to cut out a couple of sections of background. Here is one:
There is a similar section in the lower right hand side of the quilt, so this will go in the upper left.
On the way home from Virginia, I stopped and visited my friend, Barbara, who recently moved to Franklin, North Carolina. She wanted to start blogging, and I tried to show her what little I know about setting up a blog.
I am so excited about this new blog. I think it will be wonderful. She is a very creative, and fun loving person, with many interests, and plans to blog about her gardening, and her journey in a new job and home as well as her quilting. I can't wait to see what she puts together. The name of her blog is: Silver Toad Splendid, and I have added it to my blog list ion the side bar of this blog. Be sure and give it a look.
At last, I have finished piecing Susan's quilt, both the top, and the back. I didn't take a photo of the completed top. It has been so rainy, and wet here lately, and the Dresden plate quilt was on the design wall already. I was afraid that if I put it up over the Dresden plates, I would knock them off. I send most of my quilts to Regina Carter. Excepting those that I try quilting myself, and that is rare. Here is photo of one half of it, I took before I sent it off.
So that is what I have been up to. Go to http://www.patchworktimes.com/2014/07/21/design-wall-july-21-2014/, and see how other quilters are starting their week.
Thanks for stopping by!
