Project Home

I was so sad that I couldn't attend my quilt guild meeting yesterday.  It's a great group of ladies and I look forward to seeing them each month. Calico Cutters, tries to have a challenge for our members each year.  It's a great thing for our members because it affords everyone the opportunity to grow and try something new.  We also try to benefit the community at the same time.  This year we chose to work with an organization called Furnishing Hope. They help wounded veterans and with The House Project, place a small quilt in their home that features a house with an American flag.  The quilts are required to measure 12" x 16", which isn't that big.

I love making house quilts and I made one for this organization about 3 years ago.  I was excited to make another.  Since it is a small quilt, I thought I would try something a bit different.  My plan was to fuse down the appliques, layer the top with batting and a backing.  As I stitched down the appliques, I was quilting it at the same time.  It was easy and it worked.  I think it saved me a lot of time, by cutting my work in half.

First I fused the pieces for the background scenery and then layered it with batting and the backing fabric. I did not pin the layers together because it is so small.

 I top stitched around the landscape and then quilted the mountains, lake, tree and the foreground.

 

I added the rest of the appliques and top stitched them down through the batting and the backing.

I came across this cute dog fabric and decided that the quilt

and the veteran needed a cute little doggie!

I put fusible web on the back of the dog and then fussy cut it out.

 

 

I added a flag and finished it.

"A Cabin On The Lake"

Our guild had 20 participants in the challenge. I didn't get to see them because I wasn't able to attend the meeting, but a little birdie told me I won for best applique.  Yay! I'm sure Project Home will be thrilled to get that many quilts at once.

If you would like to make a quilt to decorate a wounded veterans house, here's the link.

thehousequiltproject.blogspot.com

It sure is a fun project and it's a way to thank our veterans for their service.

I Got My Art Fix

Sean Callahan had a demo on Saturday at his new gallery on Whitehead St, here in Key West.

Sean is an amazing artist.  His medium is watercolor.  I met Sean a few years ago when I attempted to learn how to paint.  He was the teacher.  He is a "learn the basics" kind of guy.  It did not work well for me. I was impatient and I felt like I was back in Jr High School art class. 

 But I think he is a great, giving guy.

He opened the gallery about 2 months ago.

It is a charming space.

Sean has been painting for 27 years and specialized for quite a while, painting dogs.  Bailey and I sat patiently watching him turn that piece of white paper into a dog.  Well, almost a dog.  We couldn't stay all afternoon.

He painted and talked and shared so many details about his journey from VT to Provincetown to Key West, including his battle with HIV.  He shared his philosophy about being a watercolorist and the years and years it takes to befriend the paints.  He told us his paint is his best friend. The things he said I found powerful and inspirational and all while he continued to paint.

When he does the dog portraits he works from a photo.  

Often he will grid the photo and draw the outline of each section with pencil.

You can see the pencil in this photo.  Then the pencil outlines just become guidelines for him.

I was not there from the beginning, but he told me that he paints the eyes first.

 It looks so realistic, doesn't it?

There was a dog portrait that is almost done.

He truly is a master of watercolor and you can see on the walls that he paints a lot of other topics. You can see more of his artistry at www.DogTiredStudio.net

What a great way to spend the afternoon.

I think I may need a painting of my girlfriend, maybe on a quilt?

Designing

Here are two more of my silk dupioni blocks that I have been working on. 

They measure 14 -1/2".  This brings the total so far to 9.  Although I feel like I have been working on them forever, it really has been about 1 month.

I have been asked to share my design process many times.  It is not fancy and it is not complicated.  

My first step after I come up with an idea is to do some sketching - some very rough sketching.  Usually this is done on a very small scale.  That seems to be the easiest for me.  

Then I enlarge the design to the finished size.  Sometimes it is technically done with something like an overhead projector or the copy machine at an office supply store.  

Other times I just redraw it free hand to scale. 

In this instance, I hadn't planned on creating this silk floral quilt when I packed up my supplies in Pennsylvania and didn't have any drafting paper, so I headed to the CVS that is a block away from our place to see if I could find some drawing paper.  I did not want to tape together the paper from the printer.  I came home with a roll of the plainest gift wrapping paper that I could find.

I cut it up into 14" squares.

For this project, once I had a few blocks designed, I started stitching.  This usually happens because to me, that's the fun stuff.  I can't wait to see my drawings stitched in fabric, but fabric can be a quirky medium.  It's not always predictable how my color selection will work. 

 Fabric value and hue are properties that affect the interaction, or lack thereof, of my color choices. The only way to find out if they are successful is by auditioning them or as I normally do - just plowing ahead.  Then I deal with the consequences. This happened with the second block.  I didn't take a photo right away when I realized my block needed something, so this is part way through the fixing step.  the block was dull and flat.
 The addition of the yellow dots on the petals gave it a pop and brought it to life. 

This Is How They Roll In Key West

I feel energized creatively being surrounded by all the bright colors and art here. 

 It's everywhere, even covering all the different forms of transportation.

Cars

Lots of Taxis

Bicycles

These bikes inspired me to do a few more sketches, including a zentangle style sketch.

Bicycles are the preferred method of transportation. 
Gas is expensive and there is very limited parking. I love the idea of riding a bike to work and everywhere else. It is a liberating experience and I feel healthy.   I try not to get behind the wheel of a car for 2 months.  It does help that my hubby does the grocery shopping!

A Couple More Silk Blocks

I have been hand stitching away.  Here are 2 more silk dupioni flower blocks.  

My goal is to have 12.  I do have a plan, but I don't want to share yet.

Sketching 2.0

We have a lovely, shaded porch here in Key West with 2 comfy wicker chairs and a table - one for Bailey and one for me.

  Even though I love to spend my time sewing, I hate to be stuck inside.  I have been working on handstitching my silk  block, and that I can do sitting outside, but that is slow going, and truth be told, I'm getting a bit bored.

For those of you that have followed my blog for a while, you know that I dabble with sketching whenever I come down here.  Last year it lasted a week!  Well, I am giving it a go again. 

Let's call it Sketching version 2.0

  I brought my markers and sketchbook with me, but I needed something to put them in.  Here's the perfect mug that I bought for myself to hold the markers.  It makes me feel like an artist.

I have the perfect place to sit and sketch

with my patient little buddy.

They love her here in Key West.  Lots of people stop me on the street and ask to pet her.

I decided not to limit myself to a once a day sketch or a theme.  I just want to experiment and have some fun.    Structure and restrictions has never really worked for me.  Let's see how it goes and how long it lasts.  I'll keep sharing as I go, if you like.

Key West Inspiration

I know some of you are having a cold and icy winter. 

 I feel your pain, BUT.... it's paradise here.