This is a photo of fabric printed with an image I made from two photos, one of a tree in Cupertino, and another of a field in San Gregorio. I created this in a class I took from Lynn Koolish at the Cotton Patch in Lafayette. Photoshop Elements has been in my laptop since I bought it a year ago. I have used several books featuring the software, including ...Elements for Dummies. But it took a class to get me started.

There seems to be an infinite amount of ways to create with this program. Next I need to figure out how to reduce the file size for posting to this blog! There were several things I created that wouldn't download and I don't think printing them and then taking another picture of them with the camera set differently is the way to go.

"Just Do the Fun Parts" - 2

What are the 'fun parts'? This obviously varies from person to person, so while I answer only for myself, I challenge readers to post their own responses. Sometimes we find surprises.

If shopping wasn't a MAJOR fun part, I'd have a lot more money in the bank and more room in my studio! I enjoy hand sewing when I can sit comfortably and listen to NPR. Though I must admit sewing on sleeves, labels, and bindings or facings are not fun because, by then, I'm ready to be done!

The part which both propels the whole project and causes the most anxiety, is choosing and combining fabrics. When I see fabric which inspires my creativity, may even be the basis for the design, the wheels are set in motion. Sometimes things work well and smoothly, other times, my idea seems to stay shrouded in mist and the fabric isn't quite right. It may take a long time to figure out what is 'wrong' and what it will take to fix it. Many projects have spent months on my design wall waiting for a solution. I can go from intense excitement to intense frustration very quickly. Hence, multiple projects are necessary, and variety of projects may actually help. If I have one project in the initial design phase, another having color or patterns being considered and a third or fourth at stages where routine sewing can be done, it allows me to go back and forth and make better use of my time. Some of the best ideas occur when I'm in the middle of something else and my subconscious has time to work on it.

The improvisational aspect of art quilts is fun for me. Not knowing for sure where it's going next keeps me interested. When I was doing garment sewing , I found 'surprises' were not usually good. With art quilts, surprises often 'make' the piece or give me an idea for another one.

Just Do the Fun Part - part 1

Half a century ago when I was learning to sew, most people who sewed did so out of necessity. Before the proliferation of Target and Walmart, one could actually make clothes for less than the cost of buying them. More women stayed home and contributed to the household economy by outfitting themselves and / or their children. Some brave and talented women went so far as to tailor suits for their husbands. But the result was sometimes children who were teased about the homemade look of their garments, or siblings with matching outfits as women maximized fabric purchases.

Fast forward to today when sewing may provide better fitted or well made garments, or a more creative fashion statement, but it doesn't save money. Unless one is comparing it to the cost of couture, it costs more. most of us who sew, do it as a creative outlet or craft. And many of us spend more on fabric and sewing equipment, than on our wardrobes. Living in casual California where comfort and ease of laundering inform wardrobe choices as much as style, I have even less of an incentive to invest time and energy into my clothes. My friends who do garment sewing are generally in better shape than I and have more interesting places to go to display them.

But the main reason I turn my sewing skills to art quilts and bags is that there are more 'fun parts'. We all have enough things in life we have to do. I don't sew because I must, I sew because I like the feel of the cloth and combining the colors and textures. I enjoy turning and shaping this 'plastic' medium. And, of course, it's a thrill to walk into a fabric shop and see the variety of colors and patterns and to choose some to take home. As a landscape quilter, I'm always looking for small amounts of fabric that 'read' grass, leaves, trees, rock, water, mountains, etc. without being so obvious that nothing is left to the imagination. I get to do more shopping and buy fabrics greater in variety. I can use things that won't be laundered or plastered across my behind. My challenges are more creative, more like those of an artist. And I don't concern myself with wear, unless I'm making a handbag.

CQFA Retreat

Last weekend was the annual CQFA retreat. This year it was in Half Moon Bay at the Comfort Inn. It seemed to be a huge success, the only negative comments being from those of us who found the beds either too hard or too soft. Between Maureen's brownies and Nancy's discovery of the 'Native Plants and Coffee' place less than a block away, and New Leaf Market, we had yummies beyond the complementary breakfast and a great dinner Saturday night at the Half Moon Bay Distillery.

It was good to have people come by on Saturday, even if they couldn't stay the weekend. A variety of projects were progressing around me. Most visible was Jaye's bright, colorful, collection of diamond shaped blocks on her portable design wall. Every time I looked up there seemed to be a few more snugged up together. At the other end of the room, Sue progressed through what I think is called 'moon over the mountain' blocks. One minute they were flapping against pins and the next, they were securely sewn together, and she was doing a collage of paper, cloth and pastels. Terry and Robin did kaleidoscope quilt tops, a la Ricky Tims, Maureen was making postcards and Madlyn produced a purse and went on to assembling blocks for something else. Riva quilted her cherry branch quilt and started on something else with tree branches. Julie's quilt was becoming larger than the bed. Dolores did an amazing portrait of her even more amazing grandmother. Diane and Debbie each seemed to be working on something different every time I looked. Sonia quilted a flower which had been haunting her for years. There was a lot of laughter and giggling, especially as the hours got later and fatigue increased. I made progress on two different projects which had been cut out and waiting for some time. Will they be done by next year's retreat? Only time will tell!

Two Classes this Week

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to take a class on "How to Photograph Quilts" sponsored by SAQA and taught by a nice young man named Luke Mulks who has been a photographer for C&T Publications where he gained a lot of knowledge and experience. This was his first class and he went to great lengths to make it a success. I learned that for $75 to $500 I could equip myself for a home studio that I lack the space to accommodate. I did get some ideas about doing what I have been a little differently. Luke provided a 26 page handout which I will be happy to share, answered my ever present tech questions, and offered to respond to future questions we have. He is a generous and enthusiastic teacher. From what I learned, I would think it would make sense for a group of quilters to share the cost of lighting set ups and either find a place to use and work as a group, photographing several peoples quilts on the same day, or allow people to pass the equipment around, figuring out their own setup. Their would also be the possibility of hiring Luke to photograph several of our quilts on the same day, either locally or at his place in San Ramon.

My other class was a SCVQA class with Sylvia Pippen, in Sashiko and hand applique. Another person generous with her knowledge, she manifests the "Aloha Spirit" of her Hawaiian home, even inviting us to come to the Big Island for workshops she teaches at her house. I'm sure that would be inspiring and a great vacation! My reason for taking the class was to learn her hand applique technique which seemed more precise than the Nancy Brown method I learned in a SCVQA workshop last fall. Sylvia uses a Mylar template material and heavy starch to get the edges of the appliques turned under, then glue bastes them in place. Since her love of floral designs enables her to use pattern pieces multiple times, the Mylar is very practical. Larger applique pieces where only the edges need to be starched might be doable with the Katie P. M. "tracing paper spray glued to poster board" method. The Sashiko is lovely but I think it takes a lot of practice to get the stitches precise and even. The traditional is white on indigo but I was reminded that I have painted the white thread in the past and liked the effect. I did learn the proper way to do it and it is a good portable "lap" project.

New Year, New Approach

My first artistic venture for the year was a trip to San Francisco to the Impressionists exhibit at the De Young Museum. While waiting for our entry to the exhibition we treated ourselves to the paintings which "live there" year round.



My favorites are always the landscapes of the 18th and 19th centuries, those which predate color photography or photography at all. The incredible detail captured by the artists, as well as the way light is always the 'star', move me. Having tried to paint a rose which seemed to be moving to open, I am in awe of those who caught a shadow moving across a plain, or an arching rainbow. Plein Air painting in the discomfort of wind, bugs, and heat or cold is even more challenging. Some painters couched their landscapes with metaphor, symbolism, or mythology, such as one with a man clinging to the side of a cliff. He turned out to be Prometheus awaiting the eagle to pluck out his liver. My companion dubbed him the "sunbather". The painting would have been magnificent without him, though I suppose he did provide a focal point.



Inside the Impressionist traveling exhibit, were works by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Monet, Seurat, Gaugan, and a few others. Not all of the paintings were what I would term "impressionistic" but were apparently of that period. I was reminded of my first exposure to these artists in college Art History class. My instructor was showing a still life by Cezanne and pointed out the inconsistencies in perspective of the different objects in the painting. I've never been a fan of the still life, and at 18 was not appreciative of a picture of mundane objects which appeared to be painted by someone who "didn't even know how to do perspective correctly." The professor explained that an artist has to know the rules in order to break them and that what made Cezanne so remarkable was that he had taken those unremarkable items and by breaking the rules of perspective and disturbing the 'eye' of the observer, he had made them almost vibrate with life. His 'still' life was not at all still. It made me look at a lot of art differently. It doesn't mean I always like things which defy convention, but I do try to look at them from different 'Perspectives'

Notions and Tips

As one who enjoys gadgets and nifty tricks for using them, I frequently use my store coupons to try new ones. But when I picked out the three I use most, I found that they came from other sources.

My orange wood stick, yes, Mom did show me how to use it on my cuticles, came from the drug store. It's the best stiletto ever! I like the ones that have a pointy end and a beveled end so they work for poking fabric under the machine and for making small creases on a turned under edge. I've also used it to 'select' on the touch screen of my computerized machine. Since it's wood, it's a little safer if it gets itself too close to the needle. And since it's cheap, if it rolls under the machine table and hides until it gets found (or not found) by the vacuum, it's no biggie.

The tweezers with the bent tip would have been worth buying on their own. I use them for grabbing the thread emerging from the needle when I thread (self-threading, my patootie), as well as grabbing all kinds of small pieces. But they actually came with a presser foot sold for sewing curved seams. There was also a roller thing that came in the packaged deal, sold at a show. It will be mentioned in a later post. But the tweezers are perfect for so many things that I use them every time I sew.

Also purchased at a show, was the presser foot that looks like an ant-sized tractor. It snaps on to the machine, or to an adaptor, and works a lot like a walking foot since the little tractor treads just roll over a variety of surfaces. It came with some attachments which I have not needed as much. Although pricey, it was less expensive than the Bernina walking foot. My Viking doesn't have a walking foot yet as I have used this foot for quilting and sewing layers, if I am not doing free motion. It came from Ray's and it was well worth the money I paid for it, and made it worth the gamble of other "show" impulse buys.

Part of what I enjoy about watching the sewing/quilting shows on TV is seeing new products and getting ideas for using them. Fons & Porter have a "Tips" segment and sometimes I will re watch those, even if I've seen the show before. Sometimes they bear repeating. One viewer suggested putting snacks in bowls and using a spoon so as not to get "Cheetos" orange on your quilts. Since sewing is about the only activity that takes my mind off food, I found this humorous. Another viewer had used rubbing alcohol to clean surfaces of scissors, rulers, etc. and was surprised how dirty they had gotten. If rubbing alcohol works, wouldn't vodka? I know it's more expensive, but it could be dual purpose. I've heard a glass of wine can relax one for free motion work, why not a 'nip'. Maybe I should stop watching so much Chelsea Handler.