Be*mused

Just getting started

 

...and I have to step away.  I'm heading out of town for a few days, family matters mostly, and hate to put this down.  Although it looks like I've only added a few stitches, I have made more progress that I'll share when I return.

A number of people have asked about the solid black that I'm using.  Quite a few years ago, Tonya suggested Michael Miller's Jet Black, which is a true, deep black, supposedly dyed in a different way from most darks.  In any case, I've used it since, love it and highly recommend!

The chicken or the egg?

 

I think I've mentioned before that I follow a lot of blogs in related interest areas and in July I came across a post by Pam Garrison, a popular journal artist, that featured a stitch sampler she was working on as a fun summer project.  I found others throughout the summer who were working on the same sampler and it started me thinking about stitch embellishment, which turned into an itch that needed scratching.  So I had this big idea (several, really) and a few spools of #8 perle cotton.  The idea was bigger than my thread stash, necessitating a run to the local needlework shop to augment my paltry selection. 

I had a difficult time finding these books in my quilt library and for a few panicky minutes, thought perhaps I had gotten rid of them in the great quilt book purge of 2007 when we were preparing for our move.  Phew. 

Last night I reread the texts, pored over the illustrations and finally put needle to fabric for a little practice.  This is much easier and quicker than it looks!  Tonight I'll be jumping in with both feet. 

Have you used one of these book weights?  I bought mine when I was knitting Latvian mittens and had to follow those charts in the Upitis book.  They are invaluable when trying to refer to book instructions while doing handwork.

I got my wagon wheels quilt basted up on Monday.  May I just say how much I hate this step?  But now it's all prepped for quilting and I am faced with a dilemma.  *One* of my prospective perle cotton adventures is to outline the circles with decorative handstitching.  I blithely basted it first because I wanted to quilt around that edge, underneath the edging.  But then I realized that if I quilt it first, there'll be a high likelihood of some of the embroidery stitches showing on the back of the quilt...blech.  I guess that's why crazy quilts are traditionally not quilted, only backed, after the embroidery is completed.  So, which should I do first, embroider (while basted) or quilt?  Any informed opinions?

Pie crust

Mmmm...pie crust.  I've been trying mightily to reestablish some work and exercise habits this week, with pretty good success, so far.  When I exercise regularly, which sadly has not been the case over the summer, I tend to be able to resist snacking a lot easier, reminding myself at each tentative reach for temptation that I didn't just complete a work out to be able to eat *this!*  But pie crust...mmm...just the typing of the word...  Good thing there's none in the vicinity and that I'm just referring to quilters' terminology for a rolling, rounded edge treatment. 

Years ago...ten at least...I purchased this border template somewhere.  That pie crust edge really appealed to me but like so many spur-of-the-moment purchases, it got put in a drawer and forgotten about.  A few weeks ago while appliquéing my black block, I came across it and thought it would make a perfect border treatment for the small piece, a nice complement to the top edge of the folky vase.  Like so many one-of-these-days things, I expected it to be a bit time consuming, but the four sides stitched up in an evening or two and yesterday I sewed them on to the block. 

 

Are you sick of looking at this yet?  Happily, I'm not!  The edges went on without a hitch and I would highly recommend this little template!  Each little *hump* is exactly 2", making it very easy to fit it to a border size.  The resulting look is not unlike giant rick-rack.  I'll definitely be using this again, though I'm not so sure about the other side of the tool, the scallop.  Doesn't that sharp, deep indentation look like a bugger to snip and stitch neatly?  I'd be more likely to appliqué separate little units to achieve that effect, as I did with the petals in the spiral flower.  Anyhow, the edging template is by Susan McKelvey.  If you Google her name, I'm sure you could find an online vendor who still carries them.
  
 

It was that same pie crust edge on these big blossoms that caused me to stop and study a gorgeous antique quilt at a country show many years ago.  As a fundraiser, the local quilt group was selling hand-traced copies of the block design and I made up 9 of them, but had never sewn the centers on.  So in my effort to move along on some favorite but stalled projects, I've prepared them all and am using this as a fallback project in the evening if I'm between things.  It's amazing how quickly you can finish things up if you just do a little advance planning!

In the same spirit, today I've been pulling fabrics to put together a backing for my wagon wheels quilt, another project that's been languishing in the "needs some prep" pile.  Since it's all black, I'm thinking of using a black batting to minimize possible fiber migration.  If you've quilted a mostly black quilt, do you have any recommendations?  Or have you used a particular white/light batting with good results? Decisions, decisions. 

I'm not sure why I seem to be so motivated this week, but I'm also using the occasion of the imminent Bloglines demise to weed through my very bloated list of feeds before I transfer over to Google Reader.  Like many in my generation I suspect, I get comfortable with some way of doing things online and despite hearing about the next great thing, I decide it's not worth the trouble of figuring it out until, as in this situation, I'm pulled kicking and screaming and discover it's not only easy, but, yup, everyone was right, it's the next great thing.  (Except that usually by then, it's something else!)  I hate to admit this.  It will only prompt Molly to start bugging me about AOL again.  *wink*

What?!!!

A rare, second post in one day.  And no photos, either.  A newsflash!  I just clicked over to Bloglines to catch up a bit and found a message that Bloglines is shutting down October 1.  I do follow several feeds through Google Reader but still preferred the Bloglines format, despite their sometimes uneven performance.

Oh well.  Guess I'd better get reading the 3700+ posts in my queue before they get deleted.  Heh.

Just a little bump in the road

I don't know why this Block #11 grabbed me so quickly but even as it was being spit out from my printer, my mind was racing with ideas to feature it alone in a small piece.  Although I almost never use solid color fabrics, that plump vase design was crying for some appliqué of its own so I chose the solid red as a good background. 

 

This fabbo textile is from my large archive of clipped and saved antique quilt photos.  Isn't it a winner?  I've always loved appliquéd letters and numerals and decided to use something similar in my block.
 

I started with something more loose and folky in mind, but the small area didn't allow much play space so I compromised with a freehand rendering of the year.  I know.  Pretty tight.  But with the design squarely centered in the middle of the piece...and with me being me...this was going to be it.  I was jazzed.

To keep the numerals lined up with as little hassle as possible, I made a template of the four numerals connected with *bridges*, allowing me to baste them, somewhat centered, all at once.  As you work along from one number to the next, you just clip the bridge out.  Works well, though not without other problems sometimes, as you shall see.

One of the pluses of being alone during the week is complete freedom of time and focus so once it was readied for handwork, I downed an early and quickly assembled supper...a late summer favorite, toasted English muffins topped with thick slabs of tomato from the garden topped with cheddar cheese slices, broiled to melting.  Delish.  On to the appliqué!

 

Ta-da!  Finished!  Ummm....how did I not see this coming?  The 2 was great...fat and sassy...but the other numerals were kind of puny in comparison.  Not so apparent to my eye here in the photo, but definitely disappointing after my unbridled enthusiasm while stitching away.  Don't you hate that deflated feeling after deluding yourself that things are looking great?  I could see that my original sketch was a bit off but on further analysis, I think the major problem was that I cut my seam allowances too narrowly.  Part of that was a result of my bridge template, which left me scant space in some places where the numerals were closely set.  I'd still recommend the bridge idea but you must consider seam allowances if you use that method on smallish appliqué designs.  As you can imagine, in some places my turn under necessarily ate into the numbers. 

Back to the drawing board!  It was disheartening to pick off most of the work, but for some reason, I was still excited about the numeral idea.  As an aside, it has occurred to me more than once that my decision to commemorate this year in particular is more than a little bizarre.  Everyone in our family is in some kind of transitional state, anticipating or experiencing some major change or event and I, mother/wife/daughter, have been the self-designated ruminator-in-chief.  It's been the most unsettled (unsettling!) year of my life and here I am, plastering it on this favorite project.  Maybe it will serve as a reminder in future years that I survived it!  

 
 
Anyhow, last night while watching Project Runway (boo Gretchen and Ivy, yay Michael C. and Mondo, if only for behavior), I restitched the new numbers, somewhat simplified but definitely more proportional.  I know, not the wild touch I was originally planning, but my nod to quirky will have to be the stems I chose not to extend behind the cutwork top edge on the vase.  And more to come!  But now, on to the borders!

That first post after several weeks away

 
 
Well, that was quite the break!  Alternately exhausting and restful, I'm happy to be back to what I hope will finally settle into some semblance of routine again.  (I'm sure I've written that at least once before.)  I spent a week away...more about that later...but when I returned, I got right back to my BtCT block.  This photo was taken a few days ago, before I had finished the little cutaway areas in the vase and started on the borders.  I'm cruising right along on this and will have more to say about it in my next post.  I love the way it's developing...I knew when I saw the original block that it had a lot of folky potential!  And speaking of the Beyond the Cherry Trees blocks, block #12 is available already.  A little earlier than expected...it's a beauty!  I got the heads up from Faye's blog, Mimi's Passions.  She is making the album quilt month by month and posting her blocks as they are finished.  Definitely worth checking out!

I've always been drawn to design featured on black backgrounds and last week picked up this charming vintage paper mache tray on Etsy.  It's quite sturdy and good-sized (about 10" x 14") but it has some areas, not apparent in the photos, that are a bit clouded compared to the high gloss sheen on most of the tray.  I think that an application of some sort of light wax would restore the overall sheen, and I'm wondering if any of you could suggest a product that wouldn't be corrosive to the surface?  I've never used anything like it before.

Back to my trip east.  I was gone for a week, drove the 12 hours each way with an overnight stop in Cleveland to stay with M, who's been working a job there recently.  The drive, though long, is very straightforward...about a 30 minute drive from our home to reach Rt 80 and then straight across Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania on the same turnpike.  I reached Ohio a little earlier than planned so I decided to take a little detour to a favorite quilt shop haunt of mine from our many years living in that area.  I've written about it before, but it's so much fun and only 15 minutes off of the turnpike that I decided to mention it again.  It's such a popular route when driving east to west or vice versa and the shop is a great place to visit if you can afford yourself an hour or so to stretch your legs on a long trip.

First, take Exit 91, Route 53/Fremont, off of the Ohio Turnpike, just east of Toledo.  Head SOUTH on State Route 53 for 10 miles.  The road does make a zigzag so follow the signs for 53 but most of the drive will look like the above shot.  After 10 miles, you will take a right hand turn at Route 12.

You will stay on SR 12 for 5 miles, taking you into beautiful downtown Bettsville.  Don't blink or you'll miss it! 

Drive on through and just on the other side of town you'll watch for this very non-descript barn shaped building on the left hand side of the road.  (Can you say, "the middle of nowhere"?)  That's it, The Door Mouse!  

HIT THE BRAKES!!!!!

 
Need some reds?
   
 
Blues?
  
 
Greens, maybe?

 
How about some 19th century repros?

 
30s' fabrics more your style?

It's quite a quirky shop, I think, and that's what I like about it.  Although they carry all the major fabric companies, you never know what you'll find there.  They always have a few of the complete, newer lines and quite large repro selections.  They stock lots of batiks, a big section of juvenile/novelty prints and many new Halloween/Christmas lines.  But they also have lots of older fabric, always some surprises, a very eclectic mix!  For instance, they don't have any of the last few American Jane lines, but on this visit I did find some favorites from one of her early groups.  Much of their stock is grouped by colorways, as you can see in my photos.  There are also similar aisles of purple, yellows/creams, oranges/browns and black/white.

Considering the possibilities, I got out relatively unscathed.