Rolling

The word for this week's Creative Cue is "rolling". My free-motion sketch is of my rolling pin, working on some cookie dough.

My rolling pin was purchased on a trip to Vermont, early in my marriage. It has rolled out many pie crusts, and even more cookies. Cookies are important here.

 When First Daughter moved into her college apartment she complained about not liking the rolling pins available to her in the stores. I think she wanted mine, but that wasn't going to happen (mean mom). Eventually, I found Vermont Rolling Pins, and she got her rolling pin for Christmas. Her's is much wider and heavier than mine. Wouldn't want to get hit with it, or drop it on my foot!

I found this piece very hard to photograph. The woven plaid background did strange things to the picture, especially if I got any closer than this. I wonder if any of you have experienced this, and how you have dealt with it.

It's very cold and windy here today, so its a good day to sew. Stay warm, and have a fun weekend.

Torii Gates

If you have come here from the website of my friend Mary Grace, Welcome! I hope you enjoy your visit. If you don't know Mary Grace, visit her at Hooked On Needles. She likes to try all sorts of needlework, and is very generous with sharing her knowledge.

Torii Gate

This piece from the last post is finished. It's a small quilt, only about 11 inches by 12.5 inches. It is called Torii Gate, because it reminds me of pictures of beautiful Japanese gates. I've never seen them in real life, but who knows? Maybe someday I will.

Here's a secret about this quilt. It was made from left-over strips of fabric that have been mashed into a drawer over the last 20+ years of quilting. The drawer can't even close anymore, so for the last year I have been trying to work from it. I haven't made a dent in the pile. I would show you a picture, but that would be even more embarrassing than telling you....

Another secret? This was supposed to be a test piece for something I want to do with some of my hand-dyed fabric. But, I think I like this more than the one I was planning. Maybe my dyed fabrics need to get more exciting.

Torii Gate, detail

This detail shot shows some of the quilting. I did it the same way I have been doing my free-motion stitched drawings for Creative Cue , going over the lines several times. The result is a heavier line than I usually use for machine quilting. It seems to give the drawing a stronger role in the quilt.

In place of a traditional binding, the edge was zigzagged, and then I applied an edging made of twisted yarns. I have been using this technique on some of my smaller quilts for several years now, especially when a regular binding looks too heavy. To do this, I first choose several coordinating yarns, and hunt down my spindle (that I use to spin bunny fur into yarn).

Then the yarns are twisted together.

When I get the right length, Weasley gives his approval. (Or, since he's a rabbit, his disapproval.)

In this case, I removed the yarn from the spindle, and let it double back on itself. The resulting yarn was stitched to the quilt using a tiny whip stitch that just caught one strand of the yarn. The stitches are not visible on the quilt, because the yarn puffs up to cover them. On some quilts I have used larger stitches, made with embroidery floss, that are visible, as a design element.

I encourage you to try this. If you don't have a spindle, tie your yarn ends to something solid, and start twisting. It's a fun look, and gives you another reason to grow your yarn stash!

Stunning Weaving, And What's In My Machine

This morning we went in to Boston to see an exhibit of weavings by Chriztine Foltz. It was a beautiful show, with several large pieces woven on a special loom that she has to go to Canada to use. There are also smaller works, a woven floor screen with carved posts, and some unusual felted hats. If you are near the  New England Institite of Art in Brookline, stop in to see it. And if you do visit, look at the weaving close up, and then back off as much as you can. The weavings impact you in different ways from different positions.

 

A look at what is going on here. More about it soon.

What's In My Back Yard and In My Chair

The word for Creative Cue this week is "track". My drawing shows some of the creatures that have been making tracks in my back yard recently. Probably some of them have been tracking the others. I have been following their tracks around, trying to see what they've been up to.

I made the initial drawing, copied it onto Solvy, and then stitched it free-motion style on my sewing machine. Can't you see this in an elementary school science text, maybe with some arrows showing which one is going to eat which other one?

Closer at hand, the resident wildlife spent the day in the old chair that Ginny is trying to eat, little by little. Weasley is in front.

When I started taking pictures, Ginny decided to check out what was going on.

Then, she gave me "the cold butt". That's the rabbit version of "the cold shoulder", with more disdain.

Guess she doesn't realize how lucky she is to be in here, instead of in the back yard with the coyote.

I'm going to go see what other people did for this Creative Cue. Hope you are making tracks towards something fun for the weekend.

I Bet Those Mountains Were Beautiful, If Only We Could Have Seen Them

Yesterday I returned First Daughter to school, for her last semester as an undergraduate. Despite the constant snow, it was just warm enough that the roads were only wet, and the visibility on the road was fine except for top of the hill in Gardner, Ma., and in the problematically named Florida, Ma. 

The usually spectacular views along Route 2 were pretty much invisible, however. We tried to take some pictures.

The Connecticut River was out there somewhere.

The Berkshires were out there somewhere.

North Adams was out there somewhere.

We found it eventually. And by the way, if you ever see this sign:

take the warning seriously. Unless your driving Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and are using this as your runway!

Now off to sew, at least until Second Daughter comes home from her half day of mid-terms....