Got a Name??

I finished my piece for the June Take it Further challenge this morning, and for once I have not a clue what to title it. With these challenges,you have a choice- do the theme, do the color scheme, or both. I chose to do just the color scheme.

I've figured out that I don't do well with coming up with visual images for 'word' suggestions- unless it's one I come up with myself. I just don't think that way. So, instead of struggling to come up with something, I decided to play with shapes, line, color, and texture. I knew I wanted to do hand embroidery, and once that was done, knew I'd be adding beads. I sized it intending to mount it on foam core, and then frame it.

The full piece-



And a detail--



No matter what I do, I always seem to come back to this way of creating- cut simple shapes, play with them on a background, and use stitching (hand or machine) to add texture and interest. At least for now, this seems to be a learning process I need to work through to its end. Fortunately, I like both the process and the results!

More TIF--

I've started on the handwork, and am pleased with how it is looking. I think I am going to have to figure out a way to always have some handwork to do, I find it relaxing and energizing at the same time!!

Hopefully in the next day or so, the handwork will be completed,and the beadwork begun. I'll post a picture when I'm further along--

We are wilting with the heat. It has been in the 90's for over a week. First it seemed like summer would never get here, now we'd love a break from this intense heat. It is supposed to be up to 100 for the Fourth!

Why do we NEVER seem to get lovely stretches in the 80's????

June TIF Challenge, and some extras!!

I haven't blogged a lot about the TIF challenge recently. After a couple months of not being particularly inspired by the theme or the colors, June's piqued my interest. I liked the theme, but nothing visual jumped to mind- so I went with the colors. They are not ones I would normally put together, but they intrigued me. I started with embroidery floss, because I've had a yen to do something with handwork, something more portable than I usually do. Then I just rooted through the stash to find fabrics of similar colors.

When I don't have a specific image in mind, I like just playing with shapes and colors. This came together in fairly short order--



I have several more design elements in mind to add with embroidery and beading. DJ and I are going to an outdoor concert tomorrow night- think I will be taking this to work on while we wait, since I can count on it being light until 9 pm.

Shannon and I went out for a bit this afternoon, to see if we could get any good pictures of flowers to add to my design files. She had better luck with her camera than I did, and she seems to have a knack for getting flowers from unusual angles. But I was happy with a few, like this one of a red lily. I have played with the brightness and contrast in Elements.



I also like this pansy-



Shannon got some awesome ones of other lilies, which I will keep in the back of my mind for a design I've been thinking about for awhile. AFTER I finish some of the other projects I have going!!

On a totally different note, my church had a huge garage sale on Saturday, to raise funds to buy a church building in Uganda for an organization that works with orphans. I wasn't on the lookout for anything, but scored these items for my studio--



I now have a studio microwave,so I can warm up dye solutions, and even play with silk dyeing in the microwave. The nice litle table also holds several storage containers with various dye powders. I also got an overhead projector!! So now enlarging drawings will be a snap. It works, just needs a new bulb, which I've already ordered online.

I am looking forward to a short work week. I'm taking Thursday off, hopefully to play in the studio since I will be the only one home. Friday we'll probably go to Provo to partake of all the July 4 celebrations. If this weekend is any foretaste, it will be a HOT holiday weekend!

Take It Further Challenge- May



The last two months have not been conducive to doing much artwork- but I did not want to skip two months of the challenge. And, I had an idea of what I wanted to do this month (unlike April)- it was just finding the time to do it. So, what I have here is incomplete- I want to add machine quilting- but didn't want to leave it any longer, since who knows when I will be able to get to that.

I have read more discussions than I care to remember on the Quiltart list about quilters, and fiber artists, and can you be an artist if you are a traditional quilter, and what makes an artist. I've wearied of it all, and just decided to call myself, and others like me who find joy (and therapy!) in the process- ARTISTS. I show infrequently, I have yet to make my first sale- so, I think that puts me and many others in the same company as Vincent Van Gogh, who never made a dime off his art.

I admire the work of several artists who use words and letters, such as Rayna Gillman and Rosemary Claus Gray. I'm not pretending that this is on their level, but wanted to experiment with words. I created the words in Elements, printed them on my laser printer, and transferred them to my hand-dyed cotton with Citrasolv.

So here's my declaration to all, I'm an ARTIST!! Learning, growing, creating plenty for my crap quota- but an artist nonetheless. I think I'll hang this on the wall of my studio, something to remind myself when the discouragement hits.

Take It Further Challenge

I realized it is almost June, and I haven't mentioned much of anything about this in awhile. I opted out of the April challenge- just too much going on that month. And while I haven't started on the May challenge, I do have my design in my head- simple, direct, and to the point. If all goes as hoped, it will be done this weekend. Now, I'm off to play with Photoshop Elements to play with my design.

If you haven't used Elements as a design tool, grab yourself a copy of the latest Quilting Arts magazine. Gloria Hansen has the first of two articles on design with Photoshop and Elements that even a beginner can put to good use. Gloria is generous with her expertise on the Quiltart list, I almost always flag her posts for future reference.

More this weekend. . .

I must have spring fever. . .

of one sort or another. No blogging, because not much to post. I was gone or too busy in April to do the TIF challenge. Had a couple of ideas, but nothing that grabbed me enough to head down to the studio.

I have, however, managed to finish the puzzle that was designed by sadists, and needs a masochist to complete it.



Multiple times I swore I had the right piece in place , to find out when I tried to find the next piece that I really didn't. Look at this detail, I had to learn to quit focusing on color and sort the pieces by shape.



But, last weekend, Shannon and I got it done. It's still on the table, til I can get a piece of foam core and gel medium. Ain't no way I'm taking this apart and putting it back in the box!!

Hopefully some planned outings in the next two weeks will help drag me out of this hole I seem to be in. I'm volunteering at the Home Machine Quilting Show in Salt Lake on Friday,and will have plenty of time to wander the vendors and exhibits. Not taking any classes, nothing jumped out at me. Any my small art quilt group meets the next Friday.

I will also be serving as the next president of the Surface Design group in Utah. I love the group, and after some thinking decided it was just my turn to serve on the board. Since I don't have a lot of time to do stuff after work, presiding over the meetings and conducting board meetings seems doable. Unfortunately, I will miss my first meeting since I am out of town the entire week on another business trip!

I did spend time in the studio last weekend, painting the edges of my batting tree. Lesson learned- paint it AFTER you cut out the shape,not after- then you can get the edges at the same time, with the same paint!! Mostly I'm happy with it, just hoping I didn't botch one limb. I keep telling myself that it won't be noticeable once I get the leaves I'm planning.

That's it, I'm going to watch the rest of the election returns, and hope that Obama comes close in Indiana after winning North Carolina. Yes, he has taken his hits the past month. But nothing in my research on the issues and non-issues raised by the media has changed my mind. Also hoping for an inspirational boost from the show- but in any case, I should have pictures to post.

March TIF Completed!!!

After a lot of dithering, thinking, and just plain agonizing, I decided that this project is my March TIF. It's a small book, covered with fabric that I created and embellished. The challenge was about the details of life- what could be more emblematic of a busy life than a book to keep track of all the details??



And the back of the book--



The fabric is one of the pieces I painted with Setacolors and bleeding tissue paper last summer- see my blogpost from July 16, 2007. Then I used several different colors of Shiva paintstiks over a rubbing plate which I overlapped quite a bit. The shapes are hand-dyed silk organza (fused with MistyFuse) that I machine quilted. Lastly, I embroidered some seed stitching, using a hand-dyed floss that was a gift from Ferret in the UK. The colors are probably indicative of how color-starved we are in the desert southwest by March, and hungry for spring.

The crochet cotton I used to bind the book is also hand-dyed- I did four different values in the blue dye-pots from this weekend, and used the one that coordinated the best.

Not only is this my March TIF, it also will be part of the Pay It Forward package I will be sending to Kimmi. I hope you like it, Kimmi!

Now I can focus on getting the studio cleaned up before we leave for the weekend!

I'm playing--

maybe Ms. Muse will pay me a visit?

First, I decided to stop stressing over the March TIF challenge. If the project I'm working on now doesn't fit, then so be it. I just drew a blank with the concept, and hanged if I'm going to work in winter colors when spring is starting to make herself felt around here.

Last weekend I decided to take a couple pieces of my tissue-painted fabric and use my Shiva paintstiks over a rubbing plate to see what happened. I liked one better than the other, so that is the one I started with this morning. I've had success in the past just arranging shapes to see what evolves, and that is what I did with three colors of my hand dyed silk organza. I'm going to use these to cover another of the books I have. And this time I decided to be a little more planful in how I cover them, so I've actually cut these to size, with 2" extra on each edge. Here's how they look before I quilt them--



The colors are close, although the green is more obvious than it looks in this picture. I am playing with the settings on my camera, trying to get better at true color and value. It is frustrating at times, because mechanical stuff can drive me crazy. I just want it to work, don't confuse me with details about how it works!

I also have had the itch to dye, so I gave in this morning. I have dyed all Katy Widger's overdye formulas that use all three primaries, which results in some very interesting neutrals. Today I'm using one color in each dye bath, so I will get some beautiful gradations between yellow and red. What's not to like about "all the colors of a sunset, from pale orange creams, blushes, and golds, to deep fiery reds, brilliant corals, and intense magentas"?? (Katy's description, I love it!!)

But that means I will have to deal with the dreaded red dye pops. I have a new tool in my arsenal for eliminating them:



Katy lists a 'stiff pastry brush' as one option for mixing dyes. I have a collection of stencil brushes I got on sale at JoAnn's- so I decided to give it a try. It seems to work better than anything else I've done yet. I did have to mix, and mix and mix- but I think I ended up with a totally dissolved dye concentrate. Then I filter it through the gold coffee filter (the thing the brush is sitting in), to make sure. I'll know later tonight, since I'm only going to batch these until then. Five values of light red Procion MX, with cotton sateen fabric--



I am becoming partial to less obvious, softer patterning in my hand dyes. So I am using the formulas for solid shade dyeing, but not stirring. Kitty litter boxes make great dye buckets! I've also thrown in some #5 perle cotton thread in each bucket.

And, I'm going to try to paint the edges of my autumn mountains tree this weekend. The light colored batting showing just isn't working for me. I got some Dye-na-Flow at Michael's last weekend, we'll see how it works. I've never used it before, but it seemed the simplest thing to just do edges.

Thanks to everyone who left suggestions about ways to get the inspiration flowing again. Some I'd thought of, others never occurred to me. I just keep reminding myself that this happens to everyone, and it too will pass. But nice to have tools to hopefully help it pass faster!!

Full Circle

That would be where I am with respect to the March TIF challenge. This has been the hardest concept for me thus far, a surprise. And, there is no way I can use that winter palette with spring peeking around the corner here. So I am back to my original idea of macro shots of flowers, one of my favorite things to do with my camera. I'm feeling the time crunch, and not particularly inspired otherwise.

I am combining it with things learned at our Wasatch Art Quilters meeting last week. We worked at enhancing photos printed on fabric with Tsukineko inks. I'll do that, then add thread work. Here's the two fabric printouts, before I do anything to them--





I think I will make a small piece with all three yellow flowers, joined with pieced borders and sashes. The leaf picture is one I took in Florida last summer. I played with the colors in the filter gallery.

Right now Shannon and I are making breakfast burritos for the coming week. Our evening schedule has gotten crazier, with her starting night classes. So we need to have food that anyone can grab and go, since that seems to be how we are eating lately. Then I will head to the studio and start the inking.

I also got some Dye-na-Flow in brown and black, to color the edges of my batting tree. Those two projects should keep me busy the rest of the day!

Two Great Days. . .

full of quilting stuff, and about which I cannot post a single picture!

Our Wasatch Art Quilters group met on Friday. Suzanne went to Asilomar earlier this month, and took a class from Kerby Smith and Lura Swartz Smith. We learned some cool hints for Photoshop Elements, and dabbled with using the Tsukineko inks over photos printed on fabric. I've never been happy with the inks when I've tried to use them, so learned some valuable tips. However, I still think paints, dyes, paintstiks, and wax pastels will remain my favored way of adding color to fabric. I just feel like I have more control with them- and with the dyes, the serendipity factor is one of the things I love about dyeing!

Then today, a small group of quilters was treated to a class by Charlotte Warr Anderson of Salt Lake. It was all about geometric quilting designs,, and there were some awesome ones. This is the area I feel I still have the most to learn, so I soaked it all up. Getting to see the quilt that won Best of Show at Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, 'Star Crossed', was great. The quilt looks awesome in the photo on her website, but it is even more impressive in person. I now have lots of practicing to do, and figuring out how to put this new information to good use.

I have not posted a thing about the March TIF challenge. I have thought about some ideas, and ended up rejecting all of them. The palette Sharon picked is just too wintry for me, and not enough contrast.

But I did come up with an idea that is a little different take on my first idea. I might even be able to use the colors, or at least some of them. Time for the sketchpad, and this one would also involve a thermofax screen or printed fabric. We shall see, I will have to work quickly on this one.

Hope your weekend was a fun as mine!

Updates. . .

I don't have pictures yet, but I have made progress on the landscape for PIF. I have the mountains fused to the sky, did machine embroidery until my bobbin ran out, and then did some hand embroidery over that so I could see if it would give me the effect I want. So far, I am happy. And, I am happy to finally have a use for my Tsukineko inks and fabric markers, they were part of the process too! So maybe later tonight I will have enough done for a picture.

Sharon B. has posted the concept and colors for the March TIF challenge. I like the concept, paying attention to the details. The color palette I'm not so sure about, it looks pretty dark to me. So the jury is out as to whether I'll use it or not. It looks like a fall palette to me, wonder if that is because Sharon is in Australia, where fall is on its way? Me, I am ready for spring greens and yellows!

As for the concept, initially my mind went right to the many closeup photos I've taken since I got my Canon digital. I love the macro feature! I like nature images, and have plenty of my own to choose from. Then I cruised around the webring, reading some other posts on the March challenge. One got me thinking in another direction. Details, when I worked as a mental health therapist, it was all about the details. The unspoken information, eye contact (or lack thereof), body language- all that played into how I viewed the client and our work. How I would translate that into a visual image, I have no idea at this point- but it is something to ponder while I'm stitching on the PIF piece.

And, Karey Bresenhan announced on the Quiltart list that there will be a journal quilt exhibit this year. It will have a theme (Elements- Fire, Air, Water, Earth), and will be juried so they can control the size of the exhibit. So I googled elements, and came up with some interesting sites and information. I also found several quizzes to help you determine which element you are. Mostly, I come up as Earth. Interestingly, I also learned that Jung's personality theories are based on the early philosophers' ideas about the elements, which in turn influenced other theories of personality- like the Meyers-Briggs. I have plenty of time for this one, but it would be fun to come up an image that integrated both my love of nature, and something related to my 'other' profession.

Off to church, and then to stitch!

On the Mend- and February TIF Done!!

Two and a half days spent mostly in bed, and today I am feeling much better. Still coughing, but at least I've been able to stay vertical for more than fifteen minutes without feeling exhausted. So, I managed to get my February challenge piece quilted and faced.



And a detail--



I tried to continue the circular motif of the gears with my quilting. Overall, I am very happy with the design concept, moderately ok with the execution on the piece. I can point out a couple of places where I know I goofed. But, overall, a good learning piece.

Now that Shannon is home, we are eating well. Today she wanted to make crepes Suzette for dessert, and who was I to object? Here's the crepe making, now I'm just waiting for her to douse them in flaming sauce. I've no doubt they will be yummy!



Since I've managed to get this month's challenge done early, I need to get my Pay It Forward piece out of my head and into fabric. This one will have lots of hand embroidery. And, I've got more work to do on the tree. Here's hoping the cold really is fading away--

Feeling awful. . .

I have finally managed to catch one of the many viruses going around, a cold. Made it through work until late afternoon on Thursday, then I gave up and went home to bed. I've spent a fair amount of time there Friday and today.

In a short spurt of energy, I got the gears fused to the background. Then this morning I sent Shannon out to get a gray archival pen at our local scrapbooking shop. I did not want black for the writing, too much contrast. She succeeded, and today in another short energy burst, I got the writing done.

So here it is, with everything except quilting and edge finish done. I've noticed that many people chose one or two events that were significant to them; I went the other direction, and came up with a lengthy list of things I remember that are no longer around.




I did make a goof or two when I did the writing- it was difficult to gauge distance writing around the circles. I'm telling myself that these are design practice pieces, perfection not required.

I've auditioned quilting patterns, and have an idea of the direction I want to go. So, if I can get feeling better, maybe I can even get it done this long weekend. It probably would be better if I weren't operating on Nyquil or other cold remedies!

Progress on Two Fronts!!

While I haven't secluded myself in the studio this weekend, I have managed to get further on both the TIF for this month, and my Autumn Mountains tree.

First, the TIF challenge. Bentlee and I painted some fat quarters yesterday morning, mostly in gray and grayed blue tones. I had the idea of a stormy background, since I feel like I've lived through many stormy times, both in the larger world and my personal world. i ended up using a solid gray piece that I sprinkled kosher salt on while it dried. I wanted a stark contrast to the grayed background for the watch gears, so I raided my stash of hand dyes and found a lovely yellow/orange piece of pima cotton. So here's where we are thus far--



I like this arrangement, although I haven't yet decided about the orientation. Next I need to get the gears fused on. That leaves only the writing I want to do, and quilting. I might even have this one done early!

As for the tree, started doing some free motion zigzag to see if that would add to the illusion of bark I'm hoping to achieve. I've only done a little bit on the top part, but my question has been answered- it absolutely does what I'd hoped. This tree is BIG, so doing this stitching will be a time consuming process. And, I will probably want to use more that one color of thread. I've started out with a darkish brown (Isacord), which both blends with the colors already there, and adds definition and texture. I don't know what this is so hard to photograph, but hopefully you can see what I've done.



This work is somewhat mindless, I'm hoping I can get motivated enough to work on it at night. I need to get this on the quilt and the quilting started, since that is what I stress over the most!

And the knitting I started last week? I got plenty done while working the polls Tuesday, kept at it, and managed to finish the body today. Now I just need to sew the shoulder seams, and pick up and knit the borders. Love that chunky yarn that knits up quick, I could be wearing this next week!!

Progress on February TIf

It is early Saturday morning, and thus far I'm the only one up. I've had breakfast, and spent some time playing with the computer on my TIF challenge. I am loving the way the design process on this one is unfolding!

I continued to process my idea for circles of time during the week. Then a couple of days ago it hit me- not just circles, but the gears on a watch, another symbol of time! So now I have images of simple gear shapes in several sizes ready to print out on freezer paper which will make the fabric cutting easier. I've got my plan for te background colors, hopefully today I will find some archival jel pens to use for the writing.

Here's my computer drawing, ready for printing.




Hopefully I get quite a bit done this weekend. Since it is going to be the nicest weather we've had for some time, I also want to get out and walk! No snow! Temps in the 40's!!!

February TIF Challenge

Sharon B posted the new challenge, which I think will be a fun one. It's 'what are you old enough to remember?' I was a history major my first go-round in college, so this is right up my alley. This will pull in memories of discussions I've had with my children about what it was like for me growing up, the incredible pace of change I have seen during my lifetime, and conversations with my parents and grandmother about the same thing.

I got out my journal book, and started writing. Things like black and white TV and all the shows I remember watching as a child, the Nixon-Kennedy debates, my first vinyl records (the Beatles, of course). I remember playing jacks with my grandmother, my father's reel to reel tape player, rotary dial phones and party lines. I wrote my term papers on a typewriter with carbon paper, and prayed that I'd calculated the space needed for the footnotes correctly. If not, you got to type the whole thing over! I remember the first manned spaceflight, and the first walk on the moon. And, of course, I remember all the political upheaval and assasinations of the 1960's.

As I looked at the list, it struck me how many of the items related to circles. And that got me thinking of other circles- like, I have lived long enough to see the hideous fashions of the 70's come around again, and heard some of my favorite songs redone by artists who weren't around for the original. In some ways, I've come full circle, from rebelling against the social mores of my parents to understanding the sense that lies behind many of them.

I don't think I will be doing anything with images from all these events and memories. I think circles will play a large role in this, and I hope to find a way to include words in the design. There are some artists whose work I love that often include words in the design, and it works- check out Rayna Gillman or Karen Stiehl Osborn's blogs.

I don't think I will be working with the color scheme Sharon proposed this time. It didn't speak to me, and I think other colors will better express my feelings about the decades I remember from my growing up years. I'm also planning to take my sketchbook and pencils with my when I work the polls on Tuesday, hopefully I'll come up with some promising doodles.

And, as close to a political rant as you are likely to get from me. If your state is part of Super Tuesday, get out and vote! We have the opportunity to select a transformational president this year, I am praying the nation recognizes this and seizes the moment. Vote!!!

Is it spring yet???

Obviously not, as much as many of us here would like the answer to be a resounding "YES!" We have had a steady stream of storms blow through, most of them dumping snow on top of the growing snowdrifts. I'm sure the skiers are loving it, but we have had enough.

This is the view from our sliding door which leads to our small backyard patio. There are two steps from the house to the patio- that should give you an idea how deep the snow is out there.



Those pieces of wood by the gate are a safety gate, the kind you put in front of stairs to keep toddlers from going there. In our case, it's to keep Annabelle the cat from escaping under the fence- not that she would try it now!! Poor Sadie sinks in up to her belly when she goes out there. And we are getting another storm tomorrow- joy.

So it is a good time to stay home and play in the studio. The February TIF is posted, I'm in the brainstorm stage for that one. I think it will come together a bit smoother than the January challenge, and I'll post more on my thinking later. This morning I got back to my tree. I started to pin and scrunch the cheesecloth I'd dyed onto the painted batting, and decided the colors needed to be toned down- especially the green. So I not only overdyed the two pieces I already had, but I grabbed the couple of yards left on the roll and threw them in a 'parfait' dyepot together. I did a layer of mixing gray, a layer of Sabrecon brown, and a layer of Safari gray. I decided just to let it batch a couple of hours instead of my normal overnight, so it is already washed out and hanging on my nifty Ikea dryer.



I tried layering it over the painted batting, and I think I was successful with the overdyeing. Mayber later tonight I will start pinning and scrunching again, and since I now have plenty of cheesecloth, even layer that. We'll see.

I'm also knitting again. I've wanted to make myself a cream colored vest for a long time, and finally found a mostly cotton yarn I liked. Best of all, it is chunky, so it will knit up fast. I got this far last night--



I really wanted to find yarn to start on, I'm working the polls Tuesday and want to have something to do with my hands when it slows. So between that and a book, I should be fine- that will be a very long day!!

Some Thoughts on January's TIF

First, I want to thank all those who left comments about my challenge piece, both here and on the Take It Further blog. It is always rewarding to get feedback on something you've created!

And, what I loved about this feedback was its specificity- in other words, it gave me specific information about what the viewers noticed. Some noticed how I used the colors, some the variation in lines. My favorites noted the texture I got with the use of both hand and machine stitching, and how the foreground colors changed depending on whether they were on light or dark background. Why did those please me? Because those were two 'questions' I asked myself with this piece, and those comments told me I'd answered them- and answered them successfully.

As I've tried to educate myself more on visual expression, it's become increasingly important to me to understand why something does or doesn't work. Being told that a work is nice, or beautiful, or any of a host of adjectives is fine, but doesn't give any information that can help me improve my work. So, I love comments that do help me learn. And, I try to give specifics when I comment on work I see in the blogs and websites I visit.

If you haven't visited the Take It Further blog, it will give a one-stop way to see the huge variety in how we all interpreted this challenge. There is some amazing work there, and challenge #2 starts Friday!

Finito!!

I did the last bit of stitching and sewed a faced edge finish on this month's TIF challenge. Feels good to have it done early, now I can spend the rest of the weekend working on my tree. Got to get that done so I can finish that quilt by April!!

I'm happy with the way this one turned out. The stitching adds a lot of texture, and the colors play well together. And, as usual, there was learning in it all. Little skinny bits don't adhere well when you fuse them to already quilted fabric, so I needed to stitch them down.

Enough, though, here it is--



And a detail---



Comments and critiques welcomed!!

About done. . .

with the TIF challenge. I've got the hand embroidery about finished, and think I have to add a little machine quilting to keep the smaller elements secure. Overall, I am pleased. However, I've learned that handwork through fused fabric leaves one with sore fingers!

I have discovered a new blog - Myrna Giesbrecht's, Creative Conversations. She has a gift for language, and is generous in sharing her design thinking and processes. She's funny, informative, inspirational, and honest about herself and the work. It is like sitting down to coffee with a good friend. I knew of her through Quilt University, but I've never taken one of her classes. However, that will change this spring, I plan to sign up for her Self Expressions class. I hope this will provide some impetus, structure, and encouragement as I continue the journey to my own voice and style. Getting to know Myrna a bit through her blog has helped me feel confident in my decision to take her class. But even if you're not looking to take a class from her, her blog is a delight to read.

I hope to have the TIF piece done tomorrow- I think I am going to face rather than bind the edges. Once that is done, I'll post pictures here and on the TIF blog.