projects i'm still working on

I love finishing a project as much as starting one.  There's so much satisfaction in knowing that I made something with my hands that can be enjoyed by others.  I also feel a great sense of accomplishment after finishing a project, especially one that takes days or weeks to complete. 

Then there are those half-finished projects that sit at the bottom of my closet for months [sometimes years!] due to a creative hiccup, life's distractions, or diminishing fervor.  Thankfully the closet is small, but it still bothers me to see some of my creative work on a long-term hiatus.

Today, I thought I'd share with you a few of those perennial works in progress.  The montage below shows snapshots of the projects when I first wrote about them on Habit of Art.

I started crocheting a mini blanket last January when I found out I was going to be an aunt again.  I'm nearly done with this blanket (top photo), but I have another blanket to start for the other twin! I'm determined to finish both blankets by Christmas, before the babies outgrow them.  It just wouldn't be Christmas Eve without me madly working on handmade gifts.  

One evening in the Fall of 2010, I had a sudden creative surge.  I grabbed a piece of plywood from the shed and started painting this landscape scene.  The mountains were painted in oils and the background in an ink wash.  After the first stage of painting had cured, I sadly discovered that the plywood had bowed.  I'm assuming from the ink wash.

At times like this, scrapping a work of art seems like the easiest solution (out of sight, out of mind).  But, the teacher in me would not approve at all.  I have fished many works in progress out of the classroom trash can and urged defeated students to embrace problem-solving opportunities.   

After talking with a couple of handy wood craftsmen, I now have a plan of action to fix the warped wood.  I'm going to rewet the front of the painting and then place it face down on the ground with some weight on it.  Once the board dries and straightens out, I'll then attach it to a wood frame. We'll see if this works!

I have a history of taking years to finish quilts.  Then again, that was when I was handquilting blankets.  The quilt shown above, which was started in April 2010, was originally designed to be a queen size duvet cover.  Although I was using a sewing machine, it was still a time-consuming project.  I got about half way through the project and then it sat untouched for over a year.

Fast forward to spring of 2011.  I'm watching two additional cats for a few weeks, and I discover in horror that my basket of fabrics had been used as a cat litter box!  Even if I wanted to try to get the cat urine out of the fabric, I couldn't get past the idea that my face would be snuggling up to it every night. 

So now, the duvet cover will most likely become a twin size duvet cover, thanks to one very misbehaved cat.  

My Weekend

it's getting a bit chilly at night, so i brought out an extra blanket for the bed

i started stitching the quilt by hand in college and finished it my first year of marriage

{i have only handquilted small blankets since then!}

brought home a package of scrap chipboard from the art store and drew these a few hours later

i've been wanting to do something with this beautiful yarn from my swap-a-thon,

then i saw kenzie's lovely yarn wrapped branch at the little winter market

i already had a branch in my house that was perfect for this, 

and i wrapped it last night while visiting with a friend

i think i'll hang it above my work desk and string from it 

a few origami cranes folded by my late grandmother

Artists I like: Gunta Stölzl

Outside of quilting, I don't have much experience in the fiber arts, but I secretly fantasize about owning my own loom and knitting machine one day.  I even periodically check craigslist ads just to see if there's a "meant to be" sale (shh, don't tell my husband).

And then the logical side of my brain eventually kicks in, and I realize that I don't have the space or time to learn another art form.  So I wait, and I continue to drool over amazing wall hangings like these.

 
What is it about textiles on the wall that make me so weak in the knees?  Kathrin from Annekata first introduced me to the works of Bauhaus artist Gunta Stölzl, and my heart skipped a beat!  How could I have not known about Stölzl's art after years of art history courses?  I questioned the academic integrity of my alma mater for a moment while I was in utter awe of Stölzl's works.  

Everything about Stölzl's wall hangings excites me- the colorful palettes, the dynamic pattern displays, and the various woven textures.  It's hard to believe that the works shown here were created in the 1920s.  They still look so contemporary in design.

Stölzl's wall hangings span over six decades.  I love these two pieces completed in the later years of her career. In the second piece, the movement of lines is so much more organic.  And the colors pop against a neutral background, creating a sense of dimension. 

Stölzl's beautiful wall hangings and fabrics are catalogued here.  Also included are Stölzl's design studies.  Here are a couple of my favorites.  The one on the right looks like it could be a quilted piece.  I can see different block patterns, like the flying geese and the nine patch block. 

Turn your old jeans into a laptop bag

Jeans are a staple in my closet.  It's pretty much what I wear every day.  This summer I replaced my white jeans with a newer pair,  and I decided to salvage the old denim.  I went back and forth on project ideas, including a picnic blanket.  Ultimately I decided on a laptop bag, and here's how I did it.

First, I chose a complementary material for the bag's lining.  I just happened to have a nightie made from vintage linens that I was going to deconstruct.  I proceeded to cut out two 13"x 16" blocks of fabric.  (The bag is designed to fit a Macbook or any other laptop equivalent in size.)  I then created two 13" x 16" blocks of denim by piecing together scraps.

To protect the computer, I added two layers of batting.  With the right side up, I pinned one of the denim blocks to the double batting.  Repeat with the other denim block.

Wait to trim the batting until after you have stitched the layers together.  Using a non-permanent marking pen, draw a design on the denim.  (I digitally enhanced the blue marks in the photo so that you can see the chevron design better.) This design will hold the three layers together.

Stitch over your marked lines, but leave 1/2 inch allowance at the top (you will be folding the top edge under).

Before sewing the lining fabric together, I added a little pocket feature. You can see it best in the first set of photos above.

To sew the lining of the bag, pin the two lining fabrics right sides together.  Sew all sides together except the top.  Notice that I used finished edges for the top.

To create a wider base on the bag, sew a 3" line perpendicular to the bottom seam.  The new seam should be about 1.5" from the corner.

Now, for the most challenging part of the project.  You're essentially going to repeat the above steps with the two denim/batting blocks.  Your machine will be put through the ultimate sewing test as it sews together two layers of denim and four layers of batting at once! Remember to leave the top edge open and to sew the additional seams in the corners.

If you made it through this part, congratulations! You're almost there.

Turn the denim and batting so that it is right side out.  Fold, press, and pin the top edge down about 3/4 inch.  Carefully cut the excess batting so that it is 1/8 inch shorter than the denim edge.

It's ideal to have the straps cut from one long piece of fabric, but I had to piece mine together with denim scraps.  The width should start out at 3.5 inches to 4 inches and the length depends on your preference (no more than 24 inches for each strap).   Just iron each outer edge to the center of the fabric, and then fold the fabric in half.  Press and sew along both edges.  Attach the strap ends about 3 inches from the side of the bag.  (Another idea I had for a strap is the waist of the jeans!)

Once all the strap ends are pinned, sew along the top, about 1/2 inch from the edge.  Secure the ends of the straps by sewing an "x".  (See the very first photo.)

Take the lining and place inside the bag.  Make sure that the side seams are aligned.  (I took in my lining seams a tad at this step.)

Pin and sew about 1/8 inch from the top edge.  Your new (well, recycled) laptop bag is now complete!

Inspired by sashiko

My favorite pair of jeans had been stashed away for nearly a year due to an indecent tear on the backside.  Several weeks ago, I finally felt inspired to mend the tear when I came across an image on sashiko stitching.  Sashiko is a Japanese technique of mending clothing using the running stitch.  It is usually identified by cream colored stitching on indigo colored fabrics.  Sri Threads has an amazing collection of sashiko pieces here.

I absolutely love all the geometric patterns!

You can tell sashiko has been on my mind lately, as seen in my most recent art piece, sunset.  I'm also thinking that I'll use sashiko stiching in the border of my latest quilt project. But, maybe a pillow is more realistic? I do love the example below. 

[image sources: This and That From Japan, Tiny Happy, and Fancy Tiger]

I am currently reading The Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook as a how-to guide, and The Purl Bee, as usual, has a wonderful tutorial. 

The art of pojagi

[image sources: Jung Yul Park, London Korean Links, Sri Threads]

A pojagi is a Korean wrapping cloth, normally hand-pieced together from fabric scraps.  For many centuries, pojagi wrapping cloths have been used in common and royal homes.  In this post, I mentioned digging out from the cedar chest the pojagi my grandmother gave me (top right photo).  My grandmother was a teenager when she made it, so I'm guessing it dates back to the 1920s.

When she first showed me the pojagi, she pointed to the center and said the flower was one of her first embroidery works.  I was amazed by the precise and even stitching.  Embroidery has a long history in Korea, and it's not uncommon to see it adorning household items and clothing.  I recently read here about a debt that a Korean ruler owed the emperor of China during the medieval times.  The emperor requested that the most skilled Korean embroiderers be sent to his court, and this settled the debt.

Whenever I see a tied pojagi, it brings back a lot of childhood memories of my grandmother wrapping containers of food and articles of clothing.  I didn't realize there was such an international following of the art of pojagi until just a month ago!  I was browsing art blogs one morning when I came across two separate posts on pojagi. The Brooklyn-based textile gallery, Sri,  posted these beautiful images on their blog:

And here's a video on pojagi that the Rhode Island School of Design put together.  If only they offered  a class like this when I was in school!

Show and Tell: Keepsakes of my cedar chest

I have a cedar chest that my mother-in-law bought me when I was newly married.  Today, I was reorganizing my sewing paraphernalia, which was all stacked on top of the cedar chest.  It has been at least a couple of years since I've opened the chest, so going through it this afternoon was a joyous rediscovery of old, treasured things. 

I store my wedding dress in the chest, and next to the white satin gown was this little yellow knit dress that I wore as an infant.  I can tell it was loved as there is a nickel size hole near the hem, and the inside tags are worn and unreadable. 

Another keepsake from my childhood was my brother's baby blanket, which I've always adored.  I based the first baby blanket I made for my daughter on the sweet checkered design.

As I dug deeper into the chest, I was thrilled to find this quilted wrapping cloth that my grandmother gave me several years ago.  She was just a teenager when she made it, embroidery and all.

My grandmother passed away a year ago this time, so this piece is very sentimental to me.  I don't embroider as much as I would like to, but it was serendipitous that I had worked on a little piece this morning before finding my grandmother's embroidered work.

While rifling through piles of fabric, I found some sawtooth star blocks that I handquilted years ago.  I thought that I would spruce them up by adding embroidered designs.  This is the first piece I completed this morning.

My week

 i like to stop in on weekends at this neighborhood greenhouse

strawberry plants for 50 cents each

 . . . . . . . . . .

my latest mixed media piece Discovery

visiting a local artist's studio

making progress on the quilt

. . . . . . . . . .

photo shoot of expecting mom

Marie Watt's studio

One of my very favorite things to do is to visit the studio of an artist, even more so than going to a museum.  It's the place where ideas are born and masterpieces are created.  Yesterday, I spent a couple of hours in the SE Portland studio of artist Marie Watt.  I first mentioned Marie's art a few weeks ago (read post here).  Marie has this amazing gift of turning old wool blankets into stunning works of art.  She is currently working on 50+ cameos for her Forget-me-not installation.  Each piece is a meticulous process of cutting and sewing, as seen in the above photo. 

I love browsing the walls of artist studios.  Shown here is Marie's tag installation that was recently on display in a museum.  Above the water cooler are three works in progress. 

One of the reasons I stopped by Marie's studio was to see a shelving unit that used to be in my shop.  They were originally designed and built by craftsman Ben Hull. They look great in the new space! 

photographs: Tom Nutt

This is Marie's 2008 Forget-me-not: Mothers and Sons installation featuring cameo portraits of men and women who made a significant mark on our community and culture.  The display is 20' in diameter and 10' tall.  To see the complete collection of cameos, visit Marie's Flickr page here.

Quilting a duvet cover amongst other things

 

I have always loved Marimekko's Unessa fabric and have wanted it as a duvet cover.  Over the last few months, however, I have been collecting a number of other fabrics and decided to quilt a duvet cover instead. I started the new quilting project just this past weekend. Using muslin as a base for the quilted top, I started sewing thin strips of fabric onto the muslin.  The strips run vertically on the duvet cover, alternating from all black to patterned.   

 

The last time I made a queen size quilt was over ten years ago, so I forgot how much room was needed to work on it.  Right now, I have the top sprawled out in the middle of our family room, so I'm constantly shooing the cat off of it and reminding family members to look out for pins.  

I estimate that I'll need around 55 strips to complete the top, and considering each strip takes 45 minutes, I've got my work cut out for me.  I also haven't decided on the fabric for the duvet's back yet, but the Unessa is definitely on top of my list.  

Although I'll be busy the next few weeks with the quilt, I'm still dedicating time at my art desk working on sketches, playing around with my new printer, and enjoying the beautiful spring weather.  Here's a look at some of my other recent works.

 

left, clockwise: 

1.  Photo of a mill in the Columbia Gorge.  I'm thinking about adding it to my Etsy shop as part of a set.

2.  Sketching in my new Canal Paper sketchbook.  Pastels blend beautifully on the paper.

3.  Drawing more trees and patterns

4.  Blossoming apple tree next to our house 

It's a small world indeed

Marie Watt, Marker: Complete, 2010

In recent months while searching for art on the internet, I have stumbled upon a few artists who attended the same university as I had two decades ago.  I find this to be quite coincidental, as the number of fine arts graduates is minimal.  In my graduating class alone, there were only nine studio art majors out of 400 undergraduates.  So I thought that I would display some Bearcat pride today, and feature the art of some of my fellow alumni. 

Marie Watt is a multi-dimensional artist who sculpts, prints, and sews.   Her current work is an exploration and historical study of wool blankets pertaining to indigenous people of the Northwest.  If you live in Portland, you can see her new works featured at PDX Comtemporary Art through March 27th.  

Watt, Marker: Axis Mundi, reclaimed wool and satin binding, 14.25" x 14.25", 2010.

This is one of my favorite pieces of hers. It's hand sewn! 

Watt, Custodian, reclaimed wool, 107" x 112.5", 2007.

I saw Adam Stennett's work on Artist A Day, a great website that features a different artist each day. The detail work in his paintings is pretty remarkable.  His photorealistic paintings have been displayed in various galleries and museums across the country and internationally.  He has a video installation, Mouse Swimming Overhead, showing in the Portland Art Museum through May 16th.  It's part of the exhibition DISQUIETED featuring some of the more prominent contemporary artists today. 

Stennett, Soothing Syrup with Two Poppies, oil on wood, 24" x 24", 2010.

Stennett, Underwater Mouse 1, oil on linen, 72" x 72", 2003.

I was browsing the artists featured in Sebastian Foster when I came across the works of Elizabeth Bauman.  Although she studied sculpture, she primarily paints now.  Her work is inspired by early American paintings and portrait photography. She is currently showing at Tilde in Portland. 

Bauman, The afternoon walk, acrylic, 12" x 12" panel, 2009.

Bauman, A cold day for a drive, arcylic, 8" x 16" panel, 2009.

Bauman, Lila and Fern on a holiday, acrylic, 10" x 10", 2009.

Piecing together the old and the new

I'm about to embark on a new quilting project.  I picked up a great set of vintage squares (handstitched!) at an antique store and am trying to figure out how I want to piece together the rest of the top.

Looking for some inspiration, I turned to the internet and found these beautiful modern quilts.

source: blairpeter.typepad.com

source: 1167littlebird.blogspot.com

Sherri Lynn Wood, Color Study 306, 45" x 50", 2008.