Artful Homemade Quilts Have A Way

[BDBoop]

Here are a couple of examples of small log cabin worked as:

Managed attachment1: "Dirty Windows" Log Cabin arrangement

Managed attachment2: "Snowy windows" Log Cabin arrangement

They were found when I loaded the two names in what I remembered as being named that, from who knows when in the past in separate searches. Note: if you are new to USMB, by clicking "Attached Thumbnails," the managed attachments saved in a "My Pictures" file come up in another tab in a large enough form in which you can see either prints or batiks more clearly than in the thumbnail versions. If you would like to post something at USMB by using the "Managed Attachments" button in the advanced reply block, you can practice in the "XXX File in Arts and crafts that I initially set up for practicing silly arts without using any pictures, just centering and XXX for cross stitches. The only downside to that little schema was that the width and heighth of the "X" in the alphabet is not square and will result in an image such that you will have to view your bed quilt from a side angle on the bed, since the image is distorted 20% using the Verdana font.

You can access "XXX Arts" practice thread by clicking here: http://www.usmessageboard.com/arts-and-crafts/194513-xxx-arts.html

xoxo the one on the left. <3

 

[freedombecki]

Here are a couple of examples of small log cabin worked as:

Managed attachment1: "Dirty Windows" Log Cabin arrangement

Managed attachment2: "Snowy windows" Log Cabin arrangement

They were found when I loaded the two names in what I remembered as being named that, from who knows when in the past in separate searches. Note: if you are new to USMB, by clicking "Attached Thumbnails," the managed attachments saved in a "My Pictures" file come up in another tab in a large enough form in which you can see either prints or batiks more clearly than in the thumbnail versions. If you would like to post something at USMB by using the "Managed Attachments" button in the advanced reply block, you can practice in the "XXX File in Arts and crafts that I initially set up for practicing silly arts without using any pictures, just centering and XXX for cross stitches. The only downside to that little schema was that the width and heighth of the "X" in the alphabet is not square and will result in an image such that you will have to view your bed quilt from a side angle on the bed, since the image is distorted 20% using the Verdana font.

You can access "XXX Arts" practice thread by clicking here: http://www.usmessageboard.com/arts-and-crafts/194513-xxx-arts.html

xoxo the one on the left. <3

I liked that one, too, but haven't done one in greens and blues for some reason. I'll have to get back to that one once I use up the red log cabin blocks, the houses, the kites, and 3 others I have partially done left in various containers that are starting to stack up the sewing room into pathways.

It's awful to have a long list and forget what you did with the box you had the turquoise quilt stock in... ... then run across it 3 months later on a super cleaning binge, which comes to an abrupt halt when you find it and get glassy-eyed about the turquoise quilt you will make next. The trouble with having monochromatic quilts as your favorites is missing the fun of doing chromatic ones.

Since work didn't go as well as I wanted due to having to do too many other things, I can only report a little progress on the house quilt which I brought out this morning. Some other things around here need attention, and that stops progress dead in its tracks! Oh, well. A woman's work is never done!

I lost one of the house fronts in a stack somewhere. I guess I'll have to replace it with a city park scene, and when I do find it, will have to surround one house by a lot of park scenes. That's how it goes! I'm thinking of making the 11 houses Shakespearean style with dark brown slats over beige outer walls with windows upstairs. For some reason, when we toured Germany in the 80s and 90s, twice, when we won trips there for sewing sales, we saw a lot of amazing Shakespearean Houses along the road to Neuschwanstein Castle from the tour bus our group went on. I want all the houses to have those kinds of tops. They're kind of enchanting in my memory, as the hallmarks of everything lovely we saw there on our two trips.

Well, bless all the beasts and the children. We've had lovely rains almost daily for the past week, and it's been a little cooler, thankfully. The pines were starting to show a little red for the 100-mile round trip to and all the way around Lake Livingston the other day. We only hit ferocious rains for 15 minutes near a precious little town East of Lake Livingston called Coldspring, TX. It really looked like a place where you could set down roots if you decided to move to the perfect small town that still has Victorian houses that could have been built 100 years ago, and a little bit of everything else. The population there was around 840, if memory serves me right from reading the official city sign which tells population. Didn't notice any Shakespearean tops on any houses, though. I was too busy looking at the greenery and wonderful trees and tall pines in the area.

 

[BDBoop]

I don't know where you live, but do your leaves change in the fall? Because if you look at for instance upstate NY - that would be one beautiful quilt.



Green side borders, blue top and bottom for lake and sky.

 

[freedombecki]

oh, I just had a thought on "of making the 11 houses Shakespearean style with dark brown slats over beige outer walls with windows upstairs," with re to the park square I'll have to substitute for the missing house--I could put a pond with a swan in it to commemorate Shakespeare and "Neuschwanstein" Castle. In Ashland, Oregon, there is this amazing Shakespearean festival that goes on for most of the year and attracts visitors worldwide. They have Shakespearean and Elizabethan theaters, and near the Shakespearean theater there used to be a pond that supported Swans year-round. It was so beautiful, too. No, my quilt square will probably not be beautiful, but I'll see what I can do about finding a swan fabric or other image, if I have to piece it from scratch for the block that has a park in it. I went to school in Ashland Oregon just before we moved back to Oregon, 1982/83. What a beautiful gem of a small city in the foothills of the Oregon coastal range, probably near the Siskiyous.

Oh, I found a couple of pictures of Ashland--here's Lithia Park in the Shakespearean area:

Credits: Lithia Park, Ashland Oregon | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

And here's one of Ashland, nestled in the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains (click on thumbnail to enlarge):

 

[freedombecki]

I don't know where you live, but do your leaves change in the fall? Because if you look at for instance upstate NY - that would be one beautiful quilt.



Green side borders, blue top and bottom for lake and sky.

That is so beautiful, and I've been through the state when the leaves were turning. I did two or three sugar maple leaf trees when I got back home! However, I love your photograph, and it adds the sky to the mix. I'll see what I can drum up one of these days, BDB! Thanks!

 

[koshergrl]

Inertia has taken ahold of me...I didn't do the august quilt, and I have food that I need to can, but I'm not canning it....Love you becki & sunshine though and I am looking forward to starting some projects. I can't believe Christmas is just 3 months away!!! I'm thinking little fabric birds for all...may manage to get a few pillow cases. I also have a grandson coming in February, so I have to get off my ass (pardon) and at least make the little fellow a blanket!!!

 

[koshergrl]

Ohmigosh Beckums! 10,000 rep!!! AMAYZING!

 

[freedombecki]

Yes, thanks to everyone who participated. Spoonman put the finishing touch on it--on purpose. I was just trying to catch up on repping the people who've been so good to me along the way today. I had no idea the scales would tip. I'm gonna faint!

Everybody here made that possible. I am humbled because every one of my friends here likely deserves to have a lot more rep than me and I'll do what I can to make that happen!

So everyone do your part and avoid th' pink thingy, okay?

 

[Mr. H.]

Y'know, I pop in from time to time not only to see the amazing work you do but to learn a little bit more about The b. You're some kinda gal. You too, Boops and Ms. S. (with your newly-attendant shade o' pink ). WTF with that?

Hey- my quilting friend recently had a pro revamp of her website and it's pretty dang cool.

Deborah Fell Art Quilts

I might have mentioned that I visited her at a gallery she shares. She gave me insights into the "why" of her work - inspirations and interpretations. I like that because that's where it all starts- in the mind and in the heart. Then bam! It's transformed into physical form.

Some years ago I bought a 3-panel painting done by an Aboriginal artist. Saw his works in a gallery in St. Louis. I had missed the guy by a few hours, so I asked for his card and by golly I eventually called him and picked his brain regarding my purchase. It was a trip learning about what was going through his noggin' when the brush was strokin'. Here's a pic of them...

 

[BDBoop]

I don't know where you live, but do your leaves change in the fall? Because if you look at for instance upstate NY - that would be one beautiful quilt.



Green side borders, blue top and bottom for lake and sky.

That is so beautiful, and I've been through the state when the leaves were turning. I did two or three sugar maple leaf trees when I got back home! However, I love your photograph, and it adds the sky to the mix. I'll see what I can drum up one of these days, BDB! Thanks!

You know. Like you don't have enough to do.

 

[freedombecki]

Yep, BDB, and today, very little was done except me sniffing about @koshergrl being so busy these last few weeks.

I got to missing her beautiful embroideries, and after today's trial-by-error, I miss her pretty stuff even more! At Walmart, when I was buying brown for the slats on the houses, I noticed they sell embroidery floss, so I bought some, put some colors back, bought some more, and in general, wasted an hour piddling around. I couldn't find a hoop at home, so I had to go back, buy a plastic hoop and some real embroidery needles. On the way to lunch, I embroidered away. By the time we got out of the small restaurant we visit, I'd done a little more, and did a little more on the way home.

Then I was going to come here, but instead went to ebay to look to see if I could find some of the pretty colors koshergrl used! I hated the royal blue. It looks blackish on this fabric that came in another pack from ebay the other day of assorted childrens embroideries I found. For about $6 I got quilt top embroidered part, and can decorate them with postage stamp borders if I'm feeling frisky when the embroideries are done! I'm like sunshine and her embroideries--except I really bit off more than I could chew!!! I have got to erase ebay out of my mind for a while. I found an estate sale of all DMC cotton thread and got a whole bunch, because I think I gave away my stash a couple of years ago to someone who was doing a lot of charity embroideries.

I have no idea where any of my embroidery supplies are, because I did machine embroidery for so many years. And I really loved all the little line embroideries koshergrl did that remind me of my mother's life's work when she wasn't sewing or ironing our school clothes for us.

Here it is, and my lack of progress was aggravated by my little mini shopping spree in the bargain estate bins that had a smaller hoop. Today I sewed some of the other squares onto the back of my work. I haven't hand embroidered in so long, I'm making all the beginner mistakes again. I bet koshergrl doesn't ever do that. Fortunately, I caught it after one stitch.

Paint samples--the blue on the left is what the royal blue thread looks like en masse. Unfortunately it looks too dark against the white, and you'd have to put it in the noon sunshine to see blue. I don't know why it did that.​

I'm pretty certain this one will wind up in the car, because at the rate of one quilt every 10 years, I don't think I can keep up with last year's quota of 110 charity quilt tops to the charity bees club. I'll have to embroider in the car and waiting for food at the restaurant we visit. It will be a different break from the sewing machine, anyway!​

 

[freedombecki]

Y'know, I pop in from time to time not only to see the amazing work you do but to learn a little bit more about The b. You're some kinda gal. You too, Boops and Ms. S. (with your newly-attendant shade o' pink ). WTF with that?

Hey- my quilting friend recently had a pro revamp of her website and it's pretty dang cool.

Deborah Fell Art Quilts

I might have mentioned that I visited her at a gallery she shares. She gave me insights into the "why" of her work - inspirations and interpretations. I like that because that's where it all starts- in the mind and in the heart. Then bam! It's transformed into physical form.

Some years ago I bought a 3-panel painting done by an Aboriginal artist. Saw his works in a gallery in St. Louis. I had missed the guy by a few hours, so I asked for his card and by golly I eventually called him and picked his brain regarding my purchase. It was a trip learning about what was going through his noggin' when the brush was strokin'. Here's a pic of them...

You have an eye for artistic work, Mr. H. Great cartoons, other artists, and Deborah Fell. I visited her work at your link and went to the gallery. She has grown a foot taller this past year since you shared her stuff before. I kind of thought she was ready to put traditional behind and reach for the stars. She certainly did. I love her new stuff! I'm indebted to you for sharing her link. She's a total aesthetic in the modern field, and does amazing things.

 

[BDBoop]

Yep, BDB, and today, very little was done except me sniffing about @koshergrl being so busy these last few weeks.

I got to missing her beautiful embroideries, and after today's trial-by-error, I miss her pretty stuff even more! At Walmart, when I was buying brown for the slats on the houses, I noticed they sell embroidery floss, so I bought some, put some colors back, bought some more, and in general, wasted an hour piddling around. I couldn't find a hoop at home, so I had to go back, buy a plastic hoop and some real embroidery needles. On the way to lunch, I embroidered away. By the time we got out of the small restaurant we visit, I'd done a little more, and did a little more on the way home.

Then I was going to come here, but instead went to ebay to look to see if I could find some of the pretty colors koshergrl used! I hated the royal blue. It looks blackish on this fabric that came in another pack from ebay the other day of assorted childrens embroideries I found. For about $6 I got quilt top embroidered part, and can decorate them with postage stamp borders if I'm feeling frisky when the embroideries are done! I'm like sunshine and her embroideries--except I really bit off more than I could chew!!! I have got to erase ebay out of my mind for a while. I found an estate sale of all DMC cotton thread and got a whole bunch, because I think I gave away my stash a couple of years ago to someone who was doing a lot of charity embroideries.

I have no idea where any of my embroidery supplies are, because I did machine embroidery for so many years. And I really loved all the little line embroideries koshergrl did that remind me of my mother's life's work when she wasn't sewing or ironing our school clothes for us.

Here it is, and my lack of progress was aggravated by my little mini shopping spree in the bargain estate bins that had a smaller hoop. Today I sewed some of the other squares onto the back of my work. I haven't hand embroidered in so long, I'm making all the beginner mistakes again. I bet koshergrl doesn't ever do that. Fortunately, I caught it after one stitch.

Paint samples--the blue on the left is what the royal blue thread looks like en masse. Unfortunately it looks too dark against the white, and you'd have to put it in the noon sunshine to see blue. I don't know why it did that.​

I'm pretty certain this one will wind up in the car, because at the rate of one quilt every 10 years, I don't think I can keep up with last year's quota of 110 charity quilt tops to the charity bees club. I'll have to embroider in the car and waiting for food at the restaurant we visit. It will be a different break from the sewing machine, anyway!​

I've always wanted to embroider, but the tremors preclude it.

 

[koshergrl]

Beautiful, Becki! I was looking wistfully at my unfinished sock monkey, and my basket of pillowcases today. I make all sorts of beginner mistakes, lol. Those little line embroideries were so much fun, talk about whipping out some work fast...so gratifying and fun. That's probably what I will end up doing this year for Christmas for everyone again, since my plan to have quilts and monkeys and fabric birds and pillows and pillow cases didn't exactly come to fruition, lol. What can I say...I spent like 4 hours cleaning huckleberries last night. Love you!

 

[freedombecki]

Fast?

Well, no excuses.

Here's the slight amount of progress:

 

[freedombecki]

In quilting, there is quite a bit of difference between royal blue and Copen blue. I don't know why but both of the two shades look too similar against white.

Here's (1) Copen and (2) Royal according to Kaufman's Kona Cottons:
........(1)....................(2)

.....

The DNC Colors 796 and 798 do not show up. Chart is here: http://www.camelia.sk/dmc_3.htm

But on white, I can't tell them apart even close-up:

So I bought more colors. The next one will hopefully not have this little problem.

I also have the option to finish out this with the lighter colors I bought. I just feel like I have to do something. I did get the edges overcast with a zigzag so the little white feathery edges don't get bound up into the back. I'm not used to working on blends, but nobody would put their prints onto Kona cotton because of the cost.

I'll be glad when this square is done. Hopefully I learned a lesson that what works in pieced quilting does not result in a mastery of color that an experienced embroiderer like koshergrl has.

BDB, sorry to hear about tremors. A lot of my sewing machine customers in years past resolved that issue by getting an embroidery machine that does the work of months in just a couple of hours, depending on the number of stitches. Seems I had a couple of counted cross stitch works that put over 100,000 stitches down, but it took all day unless you were really on top of the color changes (i.e. 32 color changes). It didn't help when DMC shut down their line of 250 machine embroidery colors to 100, but OTOH, you have to have tremendous sales to make things right. Unfortunately, doing things well is also expensive, and when laborers cannot own their own homes for under $400,000, there's no cheap labor in France, where the company used to do all the work. That changed in the last 20 years, when they farmed out work to places in South America. However, they still maintain hundreds of embroidery colors but have raised the prices from $.29 per skein to about $1.00, I think. Nobody puts a price on their tables containing the DNC any more, so I'm not sure the price I paid yesterday. Duh. I didn't look at the receipt.

 

[Bloodrock44]

In quilting, there is quite a bit of difference between royal blue and Copen blue. I don't know why but both of the two shades look too similar against white.

Here's (1) Copen and (2) Royal according to Kaufman's Kona Cottons:
........(1)....................(2)

.....

The DNC Colors 796 and 798 do not show up. Chart is here: DMC Color Chart

But on white, I can't tell them apart even close-up:

So I bought more colors. The next one will hopefully not have this little problem.

I also have the option to finish out this with the lighter colors I bought. I just feel like I have to do something. I did get the edges overcast with a zigzag so the little white feathery edges don't get bound up into the back. I'm not used to working on blends, but nobody would put their prints onto Kona cotton because of the cost.

I'll be glad when this square is done. Hopefully I learned a lesson that what works in pieced quilting does not result in a mastery of color that an experienced embroiderer like koshergrl has.

BDB, sorry to hear about tremors. A lot of my sewing machine customers in years past resolved that issue by getting an embroidery machine that does the work of months in just a couple of hours, depending on the number of stitches. Seems I had a couple of counted cross stitch works that put over 100,000 stitches down, but it took all day unless you were really on top of the color changes (i.e. 32 color changes). It didn't help when DMC shut down their line of 250 machine embroidery colors to 100, but OTOH, you have to have tremendous sales to make things right. Unfortunately, doing things well is also expensive, and when laborers cannot own their own homes for under $400,000, there's no cheap labor in France, where the company used to do all the work. That changed in the last 20 years, when they farmed out work to places in South America. However, they still maintain hundreds of embroidery colors but have raised the prices from $.29 per skein to about $1.00, I think. Nobody puts a price on their tables containing the DNC any more, so I'm not sure the price I paid yesterday. Duh. I didn't look at the receipt.

Am I looking at a quilt and a plate with the same pattern? Oh cracky...I see you are embroidering. Goodness...my eyes deceived me. Did I tell you my wife is German? She was a school trained men's tailor. But she can sew, knit and embroider. She also does silk scarves. She is so talented. She never worked a day in tailoring. She came to America, got her degree and is a 1st grade public school teacher.

 

[freedombecki]

Am I looking at a quilt and a plate with the same pattern? Oh cracky...I see you are embroidering. Goodness...my eyes deceived me. Did I tell you my wife is German? She was a school trained men's tailor. But she can sew, knit and embroider. She also does silk scarves. She is so talented. She never worked a day in tailoring. She came to America, got her degree and is a 1st grade public school teacher.

Mrs. BR44 may have done her embroideries in a more professional-looking, beautiful, hardwood German hardwood frame or hoop, Bloodrock. She sounds delightfully pragmatic as well as artistic, too.

My hoop is inexpensive, clumsy, plastic. I didn't know if I would get through the first square. I still haven't, but made a little progress last night:

 

[koshergrl]

Pretty pretty pretty....
Ok I have dug out some of my handwork to work on. It's dirty and rumpled, but I think I'm going to start hitting it tonight.

My huckleberry jam didn't set and I'm pissed.

 

[freedombecki]

I'm sorry about the huckleberry jam, koshergrl. That's a lot of work to do to have it not perfect. Keep in mind nothing better than soupy huckleberry jam on Swedish pancakes. If you take a teaspoon of the soupy jam and mash it up with a fork with a teaspoon of real butter, the spread is better than good.

I've been playing DJ in oldies tonight. I need to get the threads out and get busy.

This morning I had to face the music and contact the Sheriff's office about a dishonest handy man/con artist who stole equipment from our garage and pawned it. He also "borrowed" our trailer and hasn't returned it. That leaves us with no way to get our equipment to the repair shop, which is why we bought the trailer a couple of years ago.

I'm so heart broken. I don't like trouble, but criminals take advantage of seniors when the man has dementia. My medicine dulls fibromyalgia pain, and I'm getting forgetful lately. *sigh*