I finished up two more postcards for Virginia Spiegel's Fiberart for a Cause this weekend! I haven't done the quantity that some others have managed, but happy that I can contribute something. My Journal Quilts have kept me busy, but they are now safely in the hands of the International Quilt Festival staff in Houston.

Here's the two I completed: First, Tropical Heatwave II. This time I remembered to put the beads on before I backed it!



And the second: Moonlight Gingkoes.



Both of these used pieced fabric I constructed in Judith Trager's workshop this summer. I stared at it on my design wall for a couple of months, and then decided that I couldn't imagine what I would make with it- so I cut it up for postcards. I think it was a good decision, I've been happy with the ones I've made with it.

I owe thanks to some quilters who have posted on the QA list about satin stitching around postcards- I think Gerrie Congdon was one, I honestly can't remember the rest. I've always done just one pass with the satin stitch edge- sometimes it looked good, sometimes just ok. This time I did a multiple zigzag first, then a less dense satin stitch, and finally a dense satin stitch. I think it looks better. I also learned to do the sides separately on the last pass, not try to turn the corner. That way you can use the thread ends to tug on when you are getting started on the next side. That too worked better than what I'd been doing previously.

On a not quilty note, Sadie and I took a very long hike yesterday- from Bridal Veil Falls up Provo Canyon, all the way down to the mouth of the canyon at Borders. I figure it was about a four and a half mile hike. We had to share the path with lots of bikers, runners, and roller bladers, but it was fun. Just next time I won't go on a Saturday afternoon. It was perfect for walking- sunny, but not hot. The mountains still have snow on them from last week's storms, and had a lovely mistly cloud cover when we started.



I can't stop noticing weeds, after basing most of my Journal Quilts on them. I've never seen these before, wonderfully "hairy" weeds!



I think these are rose hips, the leaves look like the wild roses we see around water here.



This part of the Provo River Trail isn't as scenic as the upper part I did last time. The noise from traffic on the highway up to Heber is fairly loud, and you don't have that feeling of being away from it all in the woods. And, this is what you see as you come out of the canyon:



I'm sure if I looked at this as lines and shapes, I might get an interesting abstract design out of it. But, I much prefer the lines and shapes I see away from urban landscapes!!

It was a nice walk, though- I figure I got in 10,000 steps, and then some. Sadie was definitely pooped and ready to get in the car when we got to Borders! And the drive home took about as long as the walk- the BYU football game ended while we were walking, so traffic was a nightmare.

I've found a drawing in my sketchbook that I'm going to try using for my luminosity "assignment". Next step is to scan it into the computer, so I can play with it on EQ5. If I get anything interesting, I'll post them. Now to get ready for the work week. . .

It hasn't turned out to be as gloomy and stormy a weekend as the weatherman had predicted- it has been cool, but sunny today- perfect walking weather.

But, I had promised to post the results of my most recent dyeing foray. I did another group of sequenced overdyes, but instead of using one of Katy Widger's color recipes, I did my own. I am still fascinated with what happens when you overdye complements. so I went with a yellow to violet group. First I dyed my fabric in five values of yellow- I used Dharma's Bright Yellow, which is a switch for me since I normally prefer to use single-shade colors, and this yellow is a mixed dye. But, what the heck. Here are the pots ready to go into the washer after the first dye run.





I have the groups of six fat quarters each in mesh laundry bags, ready to wash. This was another epipany I had with this dyeing session. Katy's instructions tell you to mark each piece with a code to tell you which it is. That never worked for me, because the dark values always made it impossible to read the markings anyway. So I have tried putting each group together with safety pins, but always had tons of loose threads to cut and untangle by the time they were washed twice and in the dryer. This time I tried the bags, $1.32 each at Wallyworld. It was worth every penny, I had minimal untangling to do.

Next, you re-sort the groupings, and run them through a violet dyebath in five values. I used Fuschia Red and Sky Blue from Dharma. And, I changed one other thing with this dyeing session: instead of using the low-water mottled way, I did it in buckets, as one would dye a solid color. However, I didn't spend hours stirring the dyepots- I put in the fabric, gave it a few stirs, and let it sit from there. I found I got patterning, but generally more subtle, especially in the lighter values.

Anyway, here's the pure shades of yellow and violet-



And, here are the other 25 fat quarters in various tones of yellow and violet-



I also did my first dyeing from Ann Johnston's "Color by Accident" book. I did three pieces, in a "color parfait." First you put one piece in a smallish container, and pour in a gold color dye, then a soda solution. Let it sit for a few minutes, then put in another piece of fabric, pour in a red-violet dye and soda solution, let it sit for a few minutes. Finally, put in the third piece of fabric, add some blue-violet dye and soda solution, and let the whole melange sit overnight. When I had finished washing and drying my fabric, this is what I had, from bottom of the container to the top:







The colors and textures are marvelous, I especially like how the gold and red-violet blend in places. I liked this so much that I tried dyeing a tee shirt the same way. It's a bit harder to manage this with one pice of fabric rather than three, but it came out ok- check out my new picture at the top of the blog!

I had a couple of nice comments from Karoda and Diane with suggestions on how to keep the creative juices flowing with the end of the Journal Quilt Project. I won't be totally bereft of inspiration: I'm part of a new group of about twenty art quilters, who met for the first time in August in Salt Lake. It looks like it will be a fun group, with some very talented people. In fact, our first "assignment" was what made me decide to dye this particular batch of fabric. We are to make a journal-size quilt to show the illusion of luminosity. I have the fabric, I'll be using the computer to develop my design. So, there is September's project. And it's not like I don't have a bunch of UFO's waiting to be finished!

We don't get much in the way of national-level teachers here in Utah. The Utah Surface Design Group, of which I'm a member, did bring in Judith Trager for a three day workshop in late June- I posted about that. The state quilting guild brings in national teachers for the annual meeting every fall- but they tend to be much more traditional than I am. I'm not even going this fall. Unless you have the budget for travel, there aren't a lot of options. And, my budget is limited.

I've rambled on long enough. I'll post my luminosity design when I have something interesting.

Well, I think summer is officially over here. We've had 3 storms roll in this week, leaving us plenty of rain (for Utah, anyway). And, yesterday it was cool enough that I put shoes on my feet for the first time since May. We'll probably get a few more sandal days, but no more just grabbing for one of my many pairs without worrying about it. If you haven't yet figured it out, I'd much rather wear sandals than shoes- old lady feet and all.

In between storms, Sadie and I managed to get a nice hike in yesterday. We drove up Provo Canyon to Bridal Veil Falls, where I thought the Provo River trail ended. The falls are a beautiful landmark not too far up the canyon.


I found out I was wrong, the trail extends all the way up to Vivian Park- but it made for a beautiful walk. As we started out, the trees cover the trail. It was cloudy most of the day, so that added to the gloom. It really reminded me of places I've been in the Pacific Northwest.



The mountains are displaying all sorts of fall colors, but trees at lower elevations are just starting to change. I could get glimpses of the mountain through the trees as we walked--



Farther along, the trail follows the Provo River, which is a top-notch fly fishing river. We saw some ducks, and I was fascinated by the display of colors under some crystal clear water that looks more like a pond than a river.



All of those colors in the foreground are underwater lichens, or moss, or some underwater plants- only the twiggy thing sticking up is above water!



And here's the reward, the view from Vivian Park--



The day got a lot grayer and wetter after Sadie and I got home- this was the view that greeted me from our back patio this morning.



Yes, that is snow half way up the mountain. Mount Timpanogos, which we can usually see from this vantage point, is totally covered with clouds. I'm sure there will be even more snow on it. And I am definitely not ready for it!!

I'm also dyeing again this weekend, but will save the posts for when it is all done. My Journal Quilts are safely on their way to Houston- soon enough that I could ship them ground, hooray! Time to clean up the studio and figure out what projects need to be finished!!

I feel like I have been negligent, not posting for over a week. And, I have been busy- I finished my last Journal Quilt this weekend, and am now in the process of sewing on the labels and selecting the five to sew onto the sleeve. So, no photos to post of all my work. But, I promise to post pictures of all nine of my Journal Quilts after the Houston show starts.

It will be interesting to get back my 2005 JQ and compare them with this year's. I think my work this year has been more coherent, more focused, and just plain better. I was less concerned about trying every new technique out there, and more concerned about making a strong statement.

And, I'm beginning to wonder what I'll do to fill the void left by the lack of a Journal Quilt Project. It truly has helped me focus and refine my art. I know I have a long way to go, but I'm on the right path. I don't want to lose that focus the the Project has helped give me. Any bright ideas out there?

I do have one "art event" to look forward to this week: Wendy Huhn is giving a lecture on her quilts at the Salt Lake Art Center Wednesday night. I think that's worth a couple of gallons of gas!!

I have been on a dyeing binge this weekend- since I am having a very difficult time coming up with postcard ideas that I like and can complete, I just went with it. I think it started when I re-organized my stash last weekend. At least now I know the holes in my stash!!

I've always loved saturated colors, and my hand-dyes reflect that. So, I decided to try some more toned colors. I also need to expand my value range. Hopefully, what I did this weekend will be a start at accomplishing both tasks.

So here's the results. Two violets, one a simple value gradation, and the other a value gradation-color modulation. Katy Widger's small book "The New Color Wheel Fabric Dyeing" has more good information packed between its covers than most dyeing books twice its size. It also has some of the most interesting dyeing ideas I've encountered anywhere. The value gradation/color modulation is one of them. In this, the amount of violet (actually, light red and cobalt blue) is constant in every piece. What changes is how dilute the solution is, and how much gray is added. In the lightest piece, there is only a whisper of gray, and the solution is diluted by about 50% with water. By the time you get to the darkest piece, there is four times as much gray as red/blue, and the dye solution is full strength. I like the toning effect it has, although it is not as obvious with the violet as it is with others.
I also prefer the mottled look when I dye, not solids- which also can make it more difficult to discern value differences. I did get some awesome mottling on many of the pieces, they will read like a print in a quilt.

Next I did a simple value gradation of the charcoal gray, and a value gradation/color modulation of fire red and charcoal gray. I've never used the gray dye before, and wanted to see what it does alone.


I think I will do another value gradation of the red, with gray added as a constant. In other words, mix the red and gray dyes at the beginning, and dilute it in steps. That will give me tones across the value spectrum, instead of just at the darker end.

And, finally, my favorites. I did value gradations/color modulation with lemon yellow and gray, and then with golden yellow and gray. I love the greens I got, even more so than the greens I've made with two primaries. And the mottling on these was spectacular, these small portions of the fabrics don't do them justice.



I think I will be doing more dyeing next weekend, maybe the sequenced overdyeing I love so much. There are several I haven't done that will give me the toned colors I'm looking for, like red-violet to blue-green.

Now it's back to postcards. I have to get these off to Virginia this week. And the deadline for my journal quilts is looming- I think my last weed will look a little different than the ones I've done thus far. Maybe use some of these hand-dyes. . .

Nothing earth-shattering this weekend. . .

After spending more hours than I care to count on Friday waiting for a court hearing that had been re-scheduled - with no notification to me-- I did get to do a little bit of playing at the sewing machine. I finished my August journal quilt- which means, of course, that I can't post pictures. I'm happy with how it came out, and can't wait for the day I can post all nine of them. I think I've done a much better job of creating a coherent series this year than last.

And, because creative inspiration has been so lacking lately, I decided to pull out my whole stash and change how I sort it. I've always kept my hand-dyes separate from the commercial fabric I buy, but decided that just sorting it by color might make life easier when I need to pull fabric. It also would give me a better idea of which colors I need to add to my stash, and how my value range is in all the colors.

Keep in mind, my stash is tiny compared to many quilters. I'm lucky enough to have a decent size studio that is also set up for dyeing, but I don't have huge storage capacity. I've got a closet that is under the stairs, set up with shelving. I've got it filled as much as I can and still leave room to get into it. . .




Even the floor is filled to the brim. The large storage container is where I keep my cuts of fabric that are 1 yard or larger.


I sorted all my fabrics by color- and, surprise, surprise- I have a ton of greens. Too many for one tub, so I sorted them by warm (yellow) and cool (blue) greens. Everything else fit in my bins- I'll just need to get one to stash the hand-dyes that don't fit any particular category.

So here's my stash after sorting. . .




The bin in the lower left corner has my sequenced overdyes, something I learned from Katy Widger's book Color Wheel Fabric Dyeing. Small book, but tons of good information. And the sequenced overdyeing is fun to do. If you can't tell, I'm drawn to more unusual combinations, not something like red to violet!

And, finally, my tan/brown bin. For someone who doesn't normally wear this color, I sure have a lot of it in my stash. What to I need to add to my stash? More yellows, and more values in just about every color except green and blue. You can tell I really like the deep, rich colors, and am not so fond of pastels. But I know the pales can add a lot to a quilt when used right.



So maybe all this will get the creative juices flowing again- they have been markedly dry lately.

We did spend a nice evening Friday at the Salem Pond. DJ caught some little blue gills- here he is showing Shannon how to bait her hook. I grew up fishing with my father and brother, so when she said she'd never been fishing, I realized I have been significantly derelict as a parent. Never been FISHING!! How could I be so lax???



If you've noticed the change in my template, I'm trying to individualize my look. Like an idiot, I deleted the old template without printing it out first. So, now, I can't get the FFAC button to load. And, I'm not having any luck getting the banner I designed to load either. I'll keep trying- I've already learned more html than I ever figured I would, but it hasn't helped me yet!! So, if you blog, and decide you want to change stuff- do yourself a favor and PRINT out all the coding for your old template BEFORE you change it.

Absolutely no quilty content. . .

but this week was Bentlee's sixth birthday, and Sunday was our family celebration for her. So, Blogger willing, here's loads of photos commemorating the occasion!!

Shannon and I were up early in the morning to make the cakes: two sheet cakes, one vanilla and one chocolate, and a couple dozen cupcakes for the kids. Shannon is not a morning person, but we got them going and done in record time. Here she is pouring the cupcake batter. . .



After waiting for everything to cool, Shannon decorated-- pretty pink for the pretty princesss!


Some of the family got together for lunch before the party. Hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, and of course, DJ's famous bean dip- yum! And, best of all, it's easy to make!!

Dad and Grandpa manned the grill- while Sadie tried to talk Jaden into a game of catch-- unsuccessfully.


Jaden could hardly get his mouth around his hamburger- but don't get in his way trying to help!



After lunch, we all headed over to the pavilion-- and the rest of the birthday celebrants showed up. Bentlee had fun opening all her presents- and there were LOTS!!
Bentlee got a lei in one of presents, and treated us to a demonstration of a hula. . .


After the presents, all the kids got a chance at the pinata. . .
Bentlee

and Hannah
and Jaden, who gave us lots of verbal enthusiasm, but not a dent in the pinata. . .
After candy, cake, and ice cream, the kids all headed off to cool off on the the slip and slide. . .


Even the big kids, here's Dad hitting the water!!


A good time was had by all. HAPPY SIXTH BIRTHDAY, BENTLEE!!!

I've been in a bit of a creative slump lately- I've been having a hard time concentrating, and feel the weight of multiple deadlines looming. I've got two more Journal Quilts to finish, a journal-size entry for the Quilting Arts abstract contest, and postcards for FFAC. A rotten time to go ADD!!
I did finish two postcards. One is an attempt to use the strips I cut for my aborted abstract challenge quilt. I didn't even get beyond the strip piecing- I decided it would just be too busy, and not convey at all what I was hoping. So, here's the first attempt with the strips:
I also played with various values of green sheers- it was fun, and something I'll do again. Some parts of this work for me, some don't. But don't worry, I've got plenty of strips and sheers left!

I ended up cutting up the piecing I made in Judith Trager's workshop last month, and using the same theme I did with the first piece.


This one works a little better for me. I ended up thread painting the seahorse, after none of the paints I tried would show up to my satisfaction.

I actually didn't spend that much time in the studio this weekend. This morning, we took the grandson to Salem Pond so he could feed the ducks- which he did with great enthusiasm!!


We had a regular feeding frenzy going until the popcorn bag was empty. . .

I'd never been to the pond before, and had no idea it was as large as it is. I beautiful setting in which to spend a Sunday morning.

And now, to try to summon up the fortitude, discipline, and concentration to get all my projects with a deadline done. They're all small, so this should be doable---

No pictures this weekend, but

it has been a good weekend. In addition to continuing the work on the house quilt, I got my July journal quilt done- and that's why there's no pictures! I'm happy with this one, too, and when I look at the last 3 I've done, there does seem to be an emerging 'handprint.' I think my quilt pages this year will be much stronger than what I did last year- and it will be much harder picking my best five. Not that I don't have a long ways to go in my artistic development, but I feel like I've taken some definite steps in the right direction.

There has been an interesting thread on the QA list the past week or so- whether or not it is possible to make a living as an artist, or more specifically, a quilt artist. I think it has helped me sort out my feelings, and set some goals. I only have six years to go in the state system to have twenty years towards retirement. And, I'll be sixty-two, with medical coverage paid until I'm seventy. I would probably still have to work at something- but hopefully it could be something less stressful, that leaves me more time for my art. And, I'm seriously looking at starting to do some private practice therapy. That may be the best way for me to combine my training as a clinical social worker and my art. But, I have time to plan ---

More fun, More work!!

I've actually spent the better part of the last four days playing! Friday, Shannon and I drove up to Brigham City, about 120 miles north of us, to see the Quilt National exhibit they have. It's only part of the whole show, but I'm so glad someone in Utah booked the show. It continues to amaze me that little Brigham City does it. They museum itself is small, but this is the third fiber show I've gone up there for in a year. And, the quilts were wonderful. I treated myself to the book about the show; since I already have the Art Quilt book that is the compilation of the Quilt National shows since 1995, I now have lots of eye candy on my bookshelf.

I've managed to get some dyeing in- a three yard piece of raw silk. I'm still on my lime green kick- it just seems to morph that way. First I microwave dyed it turquoise- where the color took, it took beautifully- but it was probably too large a piece to do this way. So, Saturday I overdyed it a lighter shade of lime green, and left it to bake on the driveway all day. Since we've been having temperatures of 100 plus for over a week, it was well batched when I washed it out Sunday morning. I still can't decide to use it as is, or tone it down a bit. I'll make some sort of a top out of it--




And, I started a house quilt as a gift for someone. I'm not used to doing such detailed work, or using a pattern- but this seems to be working well. I'm doing it with Betty Alof's class, Home Building, at Quilt University. I've dinked with some of her techniques, but mostly I'm being a good student. The biggest change I've made is using Liquifuse instead of Wonder Under for the big pieces, to avoid the stiffness. Here's where I started this morning--


And here's where I am now--



This whole process has my studio feeling chaotic and messy-- my quilting/cutting table, as I've slowly cut apart the pattern to compose the house--



Not messy by some standards, but it feels that way to me. Too much mess = not able to concentrate!

We're off to the park to see what's there for Pioneer Day--