Color Workshop - 1/4

Last week was the first workshop in a series of 4 at The Pine Needle quilt store in Lake Oswego.  Sarah and I took an Art Bowl class there not too long ago and it was so informative and fun that before leaving the store I signed up for the last available opening in a color class.  This workshop is being taught by Pam Raby and is sanctioned by Jean Wells (my all time favorite), a quilt artist who does amazing things with fabric and color.  The three hours was not disappointing and I left on such a high.

The workshop is being taught from Jean Wells book:

Can you tell what direction this is going?

We all left class with 6 fabric color strips that were 5 1/2" x 43".  I was too faint hearted to cut into them right away.  So the next day I used the solids that I brought with me when at Sarah's.  I had her do the same exercise and we both had so much fun playing with color. 

And this is where I am now with my practice piece....

The lighting does not do justice to the colors.  The outside borders are in light and dark browns.

So much to think about: color, placement, shape, finished piece.....the brain can only hold so much before it just goes into reflex mode....

This is still a work in progress.....The enthusiasm is running high so it should be finished (for better or worse) by Sunday. 

Thanks for dropping in.

Happy Quilting to the quilters!

The Bowl Class

This was meant to be blogged weeks ago except I was having problems with the computer, downloading pics, the blog.....etc. But it was such a fun mother/daughter day that I knew I just HAD to post it. 

On Feb. 19th (almost a month ago) Sarah and I took an Art Bowl Workshop at The Pine Needle quilt store in Lake Oswego, OR.  I drove up the day before and Sarah took a day off work.....and we both think it was well worth it. 

Thursday morning we loaded up her car with sewing machines, canvass, thread, fabric, and as much enthusiasm as could cram in the car and away we drove.  There were a few pictures of us there but I lost those when playing with the camera a few weeks ago.  So what you are getting are some: 'mmm, how would you do that', Sarah's almost finished bowl, my finished one, and one I am working on.

Before the class:

 

 

From the class:

 

 

Sarah's (everyone liked her scalloped edge!) Her final use of color is pretty awesome!  Way to go girl!

Mine (which was borrowed from an on-line picture - oop's) but I like it anyway.

 

 

And the present one I am still working on. 

 

 

 

 

 

These bowls can become very addicting....

 

 

Happy quilting.





New Project

This one we can blame on Chris (quilting friend) as on a quick visit she shared a new quilt book she picked up at Joanne's.  We both need more quilts books like we need  an extra hole in our heads...... the next trip to town, you know who, also had to pick up the book.

Don't you just love the quilts on the cover!

 

 

The quilts in the book are really wonderful so who wouldn't want to try one.  Maybe just a small one or two....

 

 

So last week I loaded up the old sewing machine and headed over to Chris' for a few hours of sewing.  She had her green fabrics out and I brought my greens over.  I just went for a simple 4 by 4 block setting with solid colors.

 

 





 

 

Chris went for the more creative look and combined prints with solids and placed the trees for a table runner. 

 

 

We both are a bit puzzled on how to bring out the best with top stitching.  Now I've read and been told that the best way to work with drop-the-feed dogs and free hand it was to practice the stitching by drawing it....mmmm.  Not as easy as it sounds. 

 

 

Out came the sketch book....and with very little patience for this it was off to the sewing machine and then it was off to sit and rip out.

 



 The more you do the better you get or the more you do the more lost are the errors in the free hand stitching!

 

 



This is after days and days of sitting with the sewing machine.  It is not that is hard but just rather boring (oop's, did I say that of art!).  The 4 x 4 has turned out to be 25" by 17"....rather large so with wanting to have a background to mount this piece on means something larger than what I usually work on.  This could turn into a monster.....

Happy creating!

Kayla is Turning 10!

Today is the day....the big 10 for Kayla!  Happy Birthday to you!

But the fun and games were a few days ago on the weekend.  What better way to start it off but with a birthday breakfast complete with decorations, balloons and gifts.

 

And who better to help with the decorations but big sister Kenzie and dad (all done the night before).

 

On to the birthday girl....and a birthday breakfast....

 

 



The theme for this year was owls....and if you have been to any of the girls parties than you know that means, piñata and cupcakes made to look like owls or whatever the chosen theme is.

 

...problems with downloading more pics.  So Happy Birthday girl for now!

 

 

 

 



 

 



A New Year with Old Starts!

Lets start the new year off with a much muttered "I wish I could print out all my blogs".  I started this blog on Sept. 6, 2011 six days after I retired from my job at ODOT.  I never realized that three years later I would still be blogging about bits of family, friends, trips, quilting, etc.  It has become a journal of my last 3 years.  It doesn't matter that there are few readers but I wanted a way to recover in book form what mattered to me since I retired.  I had asked a few friends and the answers were always "screen print".  Having a lap and a laptop computer we spend a lot of time together.  Out of curiosity I googled 'blogs, printing, books' and came up with a site that prints books from your blog webpage.  You only have to enter your blog site and the day/year in the from and to boxes.  I did and this is what arrived in the mail.

 

 

Okay, so the cover isn't creative.... I am so thrilled with the book and wish I could give you the web address of the wonderful company I used but I tossed the invoice.  The only info is on the back page which has "SharedBook".  I can see this will become a yearly now! 

 

 

The best news is I am back in the loft again sitting with the sewing machine and feeling creative enough to pull out old projects and working on them.  It is like seeing old friends again.  The center of the yellow, black, and white wall hanging is filled with tightly stitched lines.  It is the most boring thing to do with a quilt but the over all effect is quite stunning.  The binding has been made and has sat on the table for over 6-7 months.  I did blog it once before a loooong time ago.



 

 

The following one was started at the Jan Krentz workshop given by the Umpqua Valley Quilt Guild back in November.  Most of the fabric matches Sarah's bedspread quilt that she made for the new house in Portland.  This will eventually go up on their wall in her and Joe's bedroom.  The center is complete and because it is on-point the corners have now turned into the challenging part.  It is a piece in progress.....

 

 

The weather has been bitterly cold for the end of 2014 and the start of 2015.  The sun came out yesterday and both Bill and I migrated outside to enjoy the brief spell of above freezing weather.  Who would have thought seeing a 40 would make you feel warm!

 

 

Happy New Year and may your next 12 months be wonderful.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

To all our family and friends, Bill and I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 

 

 Happy Holidays!

Jan Krentz Workshop

Time moves slowly, time moves quickly!  November 5th seemed so far away until the calendar turned the page and then the 5th was here before we knew it.

The Umpqua Valley Quilt Guild brought in Jan Krentz, a well known, published quilter, to give a workshop.  Chris and I had signed up for it months ago and never thought the day would ever arrive.  But....it did.

 

Didn't take long to load the back of the car with the needed supplies...yep, sewing machine and one little bag of material, rotary cutter, lots of enthusiasm, and a set purpose in mind.  How little I knew of what to expect from six hours of working with Jan!

 

 

Chris and I arrived a bit early and soon had our design batting sheets in place. (Notice there are no sewing machines in place!)

 

 

These are two of Jan's quilts to give us inspiration!  We had a couple of group sessions with Jan and her presentations.  She was a wonderful instructor and shared a wealth of information and hand-outs.

 

We were fortunate to have a large area to spread out in.

 

 

Chris and the start of hers (to the right).

 

 





Mine without the foggiest of where I am going with it!

Sharon with a clear vision of what she wants.

 

 

It was a wonderful day and who would have thought that a room full of ladies could spend six hours cutting and playing with placement of fabric and be so happy.  My biggest surprise was that none of us ever got to the point of bringing in a sewing machine and sewing one single piece of fabric!

Happy Designing!