PATTERN PLAY

Have you ever thought about a design and wish you could transfer it to larger scale--maybe on wallpaper or fabric?  After seeing the summer exhibit SPUN at the Denver Art Museum (DAM) recently, my brain began to perk with ideas.  In the Jacqueline Groag area, you view her original works on paper that were transferred to textiles!  Amazing designs!

Jacqueline was born in Czechoslovakia in 1903. She studied textile design with Josef Hofmann in Vienna in the 1920's. She designed textiles in Vienna in the 30's and received a gold medal at the Paris World fair in 1937. She designed textiles for the leading fashion houses in Paris, including Chanel , Jeanne Lanvin et Paul Poiret. In 1939 she immigrated with her husband Jacques Groag, an architect, to the United Kingdom.





What exciting contemporary fabrics these are! 

Fabric printing goes back years and years--there is batik printing using wax and stamps.  But, today we want faster and easier ways to take our designs to fabric. 

There are various ways we can transfer our own drawings to fabric in our own home--inkjet printing is one way and that involves a printer and some computer work. 

Here is an idea!  Try this!  Spoonflower definitely has the right idea!  Upload your design and you too can have that special fabric, wrapping paper, wallpaper, etc. with your unique design--what a novel idea!!
Off to the drawing board.....................................................

Wrap Yourself in This!

Another one bites the dust--Off the needles! Hurrah!! Let's all shout from the rooftops! Knitting finished!!

This was begun many weeks ago--a clue a week--another one of those mysteries that I'm so fond of.  This one came from yahoo group--summer shawl mystery.  Yes, I got stuck on shawls for awhile--I just love working those patterns and seeing those charts........

At one point, I thought this would never end, then another clue would come out and I would rush to begin knitting again.  I was behind two weeks once but caught up quickly as the stitches knitted and purled off my needles.  Then at the end of clue 5, I waited for another clue and it didn't arrive--what's the problem??  Answer--me!  I didn't read through the top portion of the clue--after row #1000+ (or so it seemed at times), bind off!   Well, duh!  We are blocking.....................

You can tell from the color change, something happen here--I ran out of the red yarn and had to bring in the stash to finish off the shawl------------

Actually, I rather like it this way! 

In between those days, I wasn't knitting on the shawl, I had these plain socks to knit--I could knit these in the dark if need be; just mindless knitting to keep the fingers and hands active.

Okay, we were in a dread--no shawl to knit--wait, there is that one in the bag that was begun earlier in the spring and brought to Colorado home and left aside thinking there wasn't enough yarn to finish

I picked that up and began knitting--oh, could there just be enough yarn to finish this, it's a good possibility!  Tally ho, knitting is good.................

 Finished!!  Yes!  And it looks great!  blocking and then ready to wear!

This was such a lovely knitting pattern--easy to follow and lovely leaves in the body--"Leaf Evolution" on Ravelry. 

Geese!! I See Geese!

Yes, I'm seeing geese--not only the real bird type geese (which will be flying south soon) but the ones you sew for a quilt. How do I get myself into these situations?? I love mysteries and this was another mystery quilt so I can excuse myself this time--I just didn't know what the clues would hold. I'm a member of a yahoo group--Quilt Mysteries--and a new mystery usually comes out every summer. Clue one--Fabric requirements Clue two--cutting instructions--cut so many 2.5" strips from each of the three fabrics from requirement selections; now, cut those into 2.5"x2.5" squares and 2.5"x 4" --you will need ONLY 224 of one color and 224 of another color!! Okay, we can do that--cutting is quick and easy...........................

My three color choices are light gray, red with gold stars and gold--thinking this will be a great QOV Quilt of Valor

Next clue didn't sound daunting--sew that square to one corner of the rectangle--okay, here I sew and sew and sew and sew--all 448 of them!  Next clue--sew another square to the other side of the rectangle---oh, yes, I see--Flying Geese..........................

Stacks and stacks of flying geese.....................

I would count, then sew, in the evening trim, then press...........next day, do more--I think I'm ready for the next clue and don't let me read there are more flying geese!!!!!!!!!!

Loom Music

Well, it's about time!!  I finally decided to do something with that 8H Macomber loom that is sitting all alone and looking lonely.  You know these decisions take some time to fully develop.

The idea had been 'perking' in my brain for awhile--why not take all those single handspun silk yarns that have been stockpiling up in the closet and make a useful item?  Yes, pretty to look at but would really be nice if I could wear them for everyone to admire.

Okay, gather them up (and by far this is not all of those silk singles), ply them together--and who cares what goes with what?  It all comes out perfectly fine in the end (we hope!)  Most of these silk singles have been spindle spun too.

Here we have the singles on the bobbins--now, you know it took some time to do that plying, don't you??

wind them on the warping board, two together, for a length of four yards.

I know it looks like a big bundle of tangled yarns--but, fear not...........

Thread through the reed--chosing 10 dent reed with two per dent..........

Through the reed now--still looking like a 'mess'............

Pull through the heddles

Ahhhh, all threaded and not a tangled mess at all--see, there is a method to my warping!

A few header weft threads to make sure all is correct--only one small problem where an extra thread was twisted in the reed--solution easy peazy!  Now, I'm thinking maybe this should be threaded to 24 epi--hmmmmmmm................................

Warped and ready to throw that shuttle-- need to decide what weft to use from the many singles still on hand to be plied..................stay tuned.

HSTS Blues!!

I've got the Blues--real true Blues! The HSTs Blues!   And you are thinking--what the heck is HSTS??  Half square triangles--yes, that is what I've got----

Just when you think all is going according to plan and you have counted the right number of blocks--BAM!  you find out that you have miscounted and you are short 4 blocks!  Well, you might think that four blocks isn't too bad, but when you are working with 80 blocks and you end up with only 76--that can only mean you will need more HSTS for those blocks; each block requires 7 HSTS and when you have been sewing HSTS for so long-----you just want it to end!!

Four blocks to the right that need HSTS period! and 20+ blocks to the left that still need HSTS along the bottom

First we need to print off the right size HSTS from Quilting and Whatnot website

The page is printed 8.5" x 11" but I cut them into thirds to have some interest in the HSTS--easy to sew on small stitch.  Then cut apart, tear off paper and you have the correct size HSTS you need for the project

Okay, this just isn't enough and you want a good variety too!

completed 50+ blocks--just 30 more to go!  And yes, we have the borders already for the final top to be assembled--only if we could finish up with those HSTS Blues! 
 

Fantasy: An exhibition of the Front Range Contemporary Quilters

In the Community Gallery of Foothills Art Center in Golden, Colorado you can view "Fantasy"!
Ann Johnston juried this fanciful quilters exhibit, featuring Front Range Contemporary Quilters.

Here I'm showing you the up close view of these wonderful art pieces--


"Deep Pool" by Charlotte Ziebarth

Susan Apte "Inner Strength"

Laurie Hill Gibb "Eternally Bound"

Margaret Abramshe "Synchronized in the sea of love"

Susan Brooks "Magnifying Glass"

Do Palma "There's a Crack in Everything"

Karen Stalgen "Fractured"

Dorothy Raymond "Persistence of Tangerine Dreams"

"Ziggy"  sorry didn't get the artist's name

"Fantasy Forest"  Karen Stalgren

Margaret Abramshe "Rumi's Two Step"

Ann Johnston "Gold"

Vicki Carlson "Points in Time"

Patti Hawkins "Mirage"

Ginger Quinn Munoz "Cirque:  Hanging by a Thread"

Jean Herman "East"

Jean Herman "Northeast"

Ruth Briggs Wilson "Security Blanket No. 6"

Christi Beckman "Warped Weft NYC"

"Red Canyon Spring" by Patty Hawkins

Now, you have seen some of the pieces up close, visit the exhibit to take in the full effect of the pieces--these artists have created masterful art pieces--well worth a trip to the Foothills Art Center!

Threads of Change: Colorado Textiles Now

Foothills Art Center in Golden, Colorado is hosting "Threads of Change"  featuring a selection of Colorado artists and their textile creations.  This is a diverse showing of fiber arts and the exhibit runs July 13-September 1, 2013.  With your small admission fee, you see some outstanding expressions and concepts of fiber art.

Check out these artists that are featured: 
Theresa Anderson

Regina Benson

Anne Bossert

Lynn Cornelius

Jo Fitsell

Kevin Kissell

Tom Lundberg

Mary McCauley

Amy Clarke Moore

Jill Powers

Sara Rockinger

Carol Shinn

Rebecca Vaughn

Sara Goldenberg White