Did a bit of Christmas knitting for a Certain Adored Young Relative. Finished it on Christmas Eve, and gave it a quickish blocking. It's BabyDrops, size 3 yrs. from Garn Studio, in Fabel. Lots of short rows, all in garter stitch, so pretty much like falling off a log.
As I laid it out, and ran the steam iron over it, I kept worrying that it would be too small, that the C. A. Y. R. wouldn't get any wear out of it....
"It's lovely, but perhaps a bit big, Maga?"
I have a friend who asks me repeatedly how I choose the colors in my quilts. One day she asked me persistently How?? The conversation preceded something like this:
Me: I just pick what I like, and don't worry if it's "right" of if anybody else will like it.
Her: I can't do that.
Me: Sure you can. Your house is gorgeous; you're always well dressed. You have an eye. Just choose what pleases you.
Her: But how? I don't know how...
OK, here's a thing about me; I don't think well on my feet. Maybe because one or other of them is so often in my mouth. So at this point I said something like this:
Me: I don't know. I guess either you're born with color sense or you're not.
Ouch. Yeah, I'm still trying to live that one down.
But the thing is, color is personal. We all have our own sense of color, and whilst my friend admires my colors, I'm admiring someone else's palettes because he's much more capable of subtlety than I am.
One of the artists whose color sense has most influenced my eye is Kaffe Fasset. Go pick up one of his books, there are plenty. Open it to a random photo.
Just the way Mr. Fasset talks about color inspires me. Here's what he says about the above photo in his book Glorious Color:
"Deep blues and greens always give me a lift, and the Islamic pots in turquoise, royal blue and clear grass green.... thrill me to the core. Everytime I see them I find them more satisifying."
Wow.
I'm just gonna lay here for a minute...
Because between the gorgeous photos, and the way he thinks and talks about color... Well, it kinda blisses me out. And then he has this trick of setting the colors off with just a hint of navy blue, and a shot of sugary lavender, without which it would be just another photo of pretty blue and green pots.
When it comes to color, context is important, even vital. I love turquoise. Maybe the word "love" isn't quite up to the task of explaining how much I adore turquoise. (Which is not to say that turquoise is my favorite color to the exclusion of all others. I think my little moment up there demonstrates that I just love COLOR.)
I borrowed this photo from Austrialian Rozie at flickr.com to illustrate a point.
As much as I love turquoise, but that's just way, way way too much of a good thing, even for a turquoise loving girl like myself. It lacks the undertones, and juxtapositions that might have made it luscious. (Though I suspect that if Kaffe Fasset and his photographer Steve Lovi got ahold of that car, they could show it in a light that would make me want one just like it.)
There's my turquoise quilt and necklace. That's how I take my turquoise; with a yummy lump of teal, and a subtle hint of khaki all at once. It's the variations that I revel in here.
Of course you might not like turquise at all. I'm cool with that. But what about your favorite color? How might subtelty and tonalities make it richer, more glorious, more luscious to your own eye?
happy luck,
pamela
I dragged out one of my older quilts to show you this time because it seemed an opportunity to think about developing as a quilter.
It started with a flag block, the July 2001 Block of the Month at the quilt guild I belonged to back then. I made one block, crossing my fingers that I'd win the whole stack of 'em. No such luck, but I loved the log-cabin flag idea and stashed it away in the back of my mind.
Fast forward to October 2001. We'd all shared our long shuddering sob. Tears still came to my eyes at least once a day listening to NPR. We still flinched if we heard more than one siren go off simultaneously. And whilst we'd all got a bit more political than we'd been on Septmeber 12, there was a wave of patriotism going.
And I was feeling the need to make a patriotic quilt. This is another of those quilts that I feel pleased with because I designed it. Starting with the flags blocks, I added houses and simple little stars.
A bit of self-editting would have gone a long way. I count no less than three differnt red and white striped fabrics! Back then I was all about more-is-more.
In my own defense that's where the border comes in; it settles everything a little; Though as you can see that self-restraint was still only just managed!
My taste has changed and I've since seen the value of a bit of breathing space. So when I got the quilt out of the closet recently, all that busyness was kind of jarring.
Meantime, I still love the flag block, and the house block too, so I'm feeling the itch to try it again. Only simpler this time. A little bit Gee's Bend, a little bit Kaffe Fasset, maybe even a little bit Jasper Johns!
happy luck,
pamela
It may be possible to do without blue-and-white china entirely. Instances have been known of women passing many, many years successively without acquiring blue-and white-china of any description, and no material injury accrue either to body or mind; but when a beginning is made--when the felicities of acquisition have once been, though slightly, begun--it must be a very strong woman that does not ask for more.
It was a fine day many a year ago that my mother-in-law said to me, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a woman in possession of her sense, must be in want of blue-and-white china. In truth, they are much to be pitied who have not been given a taste for blue-and-white early in life." *
To which, having no wish for - or liking of blue-and-white china, I replied "Oh! do not burden me with your stereotypes. I cannot be dictated to by such! One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other, and I have no understanding of the liking for blue-and-white."
"I then had the hubris to add "One woman's style must not be the rule of another's!"
Though where an opinion is general it is usually correct.
What wild imaginations one forms where dear self is concerned! Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of self-knowledge. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast. How sure to be mistaken! It sometimes happens that a woman is wiser in middle age than her daughter-in-law is in youth. For what do we live, but to make sport for our mother-in-law?
How quick come the reasons for approving what we did not previously like! Nobody minds having too much of what is too good for them, as my collection of blue and white china overflowing the corner must attest.
The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see blue-and-white china which I cannot love. To sit in the dining room on a fine day and look upon blue-and-white china is the most perfect refreshment.
Desires are foolish things. Blue-and-white china working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief. The pleasure may be enhanced, though the effort of seeking out garage sales and T.J.Maxx is often considerable.
Thought I'd show you one of the quilts I've made in the past year.
My kids' friends have been getting married for a while now, and I've been making a wedding quilt for each couple. This one is for Andrew and Stephanie.
Lots of things particularly please me about this quilt:
The loopy quilting. Don't like fussy quilting. This was done by my friend Jenny Michaels of Finally Finished.
Also the scrappiness of it. I love scrappy quilts, but all the more so when the scraps are from other quilts that were made for couples also important in the bride and groom's lives. The quarter square pieced border are bits left from Anne and Thad's wedding quilt. The hearts are left over bits from Jon and Rosemary's quilt, and Jon just happens to be Andrew's brother!
And I like that I designed the quilt too. Simple though it may be. Love that I had all those pretty greys that I used for the bricks. And I was thrilled to find that Alexander Henry print on the border of the quilt, because it brings all the greys and pinks and turquoises and yellows together in a way that kind of looks like sunlight sparkles caught in the prisms of the quarter square triangles.
That's the back. Kinda crazy but fun.
The label, featuring a doodle I did in Tsukineko inks, which I love to play with.
A few of my very inexpert thoughts on photographing quilts. I like to hang mine; you're supposed to hang them flat, but that's not always possible. My gazebo has proven to be quite convenient for this purpose. I love our foggy Bay Area mornings for photographing quilts, because the fog difuses the light, so the colors aren't washed out, and the shadows aren't too deep.
And last but not least. Don't forget to download your photos to your computer BEFORE deleting the files from your camera. Ask me how I know.
happy luck!
pamela
When the Husband is not with me, I'm pretty much powerless to resist an estate sale; perhaps because he's very good at distraction tactics when we are together. "We'll come back later," he placates. "We haven't got time," he claims. "I'm hungry and I have to eat now," he pleads. All of which means I was all the more ill-equipped to ignore the lure of an estate sale sign today.
I cannot resist little wooden boxes with dovetailed corners that look like they might have dwelt happily in Sam Spade's office.
This one is file card sized with one of those neato little snuggy-up-springy doohickeys inside.
The potential of a good DIY that will be more than the sum of the bits, and the smidge of elbow grease necessary. Twenty seven butterscotch bakelite beads, complete with their original two part clasp.
They're about three quarters of an inch long, so will make it around my neck easily. Maybe I'll string them today.
A Frankoma bowl, even if it is that brown color and I "only" collect that green color.
Happy luck!
Dear Hopeful Reader,
And by hopeful, I mean to say I hope there's still someone out there. Because I've not been blogging. But I'm starting up again because I'm told it's the thing to do. Actually, isn't blogging supposed to be dead? What's after blogging? Well, anyway.
As for what's been keeping me busy, please refer to the title of this post. I got excited and have been making things, some of which I will show in upcoming posts.
(Please forgive the sideways. I can't figure out how to turn a photo which is properly vertical on my computer. I'll fix it as soon as I do figure it out.)
A case of irrational exuberance right there. Have you seen the purses made of vintage grain sacks? So gorgeous, and so much more my thing than a grain sack pillow, or grain sack upholstered Louis chair. But with eye-popping price tags. I found one on Etsy for $20.00, but it was the size of a largish coin purse. There are others upwards of the $400.00 dollar range, made from nineteenth and early twentieth century European grain sacks. What I love about them is a combination of factors; the wabi sabi aspect of the mended, faded and well-used, and the stencilled-on text.
Having caught sight of the trend, I became obsessed. I cruised e-bay for vintage grain sacks which proved to be quite spendy on their own. That also left the problem of sewing a purse, and I couldn't find a purse pattern that seemed a classic enough shape.
One day, in wondering around the web as one does, I stumbled on a classic yet rugged thing called the masons tool bag. The first one I found was $75.00. Still pricey. But, the itch unbearable, I browsed e-bay and found the mason's bag you see pictured for $35, with free shipping! The surprising thing when the bag arrived was the weight of it! Three and half pounds! Doesn't seem all that much if you're talking a free-range chicken, but this is a bag that's gonna get a bunch of stuff dumped in! And when I say "a bunch"...
The thing I always forget to account for when ordering on e-bay is my sense of scale. This sucker is into the range of carry-on luggage. But pretty cool carry-on, because the more it gets bashed and the more travel-grime it accumulates the better it, right? And at 20" wide by 12" deep, I'll be able to stuff a ton of needfuls in there.
I do go on. Anyhow, I knew I had a couple of Husband's old leather jackets hanging around waiting to be repurposed. And an idea was hatched. In the next few weeks I'll be attempting to make my sturdy mason's bag in to a really rocking faux-vintage grainsack bag.
Happy luck!
P.S. Oh! The "get excited" poster. I found it as a free downloadable printable PDF a couple of years ago, which is apparently no more. If you still think it's nifty you can buy a version Here I don't know Matt Jones, but his poster has a rippin' cool crown made of wrenchs and stuff which mine doesn't.
Nothing earth-shatteringly brilliant about this little project. I used vintage teacups that I still loved, but which were crazed inside. Past their prime for tea sipping, they were too pretty toss away.
Didn't quite know what to stuff the cushion part with. The web tutorials I found suggested that you stuff the cushion with fiber fill, (I figured there were a couple of problems with that; polyester dulls your pins, and it's hard to stuff an object tightly enough to be pleasingly firm with that stuff, which I find rather slippery.) Alternately, batting scraps were suggested. I envisioned a fairly lumpy mess, so thought some more about it.
Finally I settled on cutting leftover batting into skinny strips, and winding those into a firm ball. I just kept winding, smoothing as I went and carefully avoiding lumpy twists, until I had a ball large enough to fit the teacup in a pleasing way. I was pretty pleased with using up batting scraps that way; one less bit of stuff to go into the landfill.
I briefly experimented with sewing a little cover of batting onto the ball of strips, thinking it would help the finished product look smoother. Ultimately though it dawned on me that if the cover were sewn on tightly enough (practically impossible NOT to do) any little irregularities would be smoothed out.
Then of course, I employed the hot glue gun to affix the cup to the saucer, and the cushion into the tea cup.
I added a little handmade strawberry with sand in it to sharpen needles and pins. Martha Stewart's website has a lovely pattern for the strawberries, with handy tips. I'd only suggest that you skip the step in which you glue the green leaf cap on the berry. The glue-stiffened felt only complicates things later if you want to put a ribbon or cord loop on the berry. Instead hold the leaf in place with a couple of straight pins whilst sewing it on.
Et voila a pincushion in a teacup. Why not?
I've been enjoying this amusing flicr group, for the fond way people describe their daily clothing choices, as well as the drawings. What I Wore Today (drawings only)
I've got a cold and I'm bored, so I figured I'd give it a try myself.
And then, since that went better than I expected, I did this too.
That is all for now.
I was planning on this post being mostly "telling," but England's Cotswolds region is so gorgeous that I think "showing" is more in order.
I will just say this: I’ve visited Cape Cod on our east coast. That area is about as quaint as quaint gets in the States, right? Nevertheless, for every mile of adorable salt box house perched on rolling green lawn, next to well kept two-centuries-old brick church, there is an equal number of miles worth of strip mall sprouting big box store, next door to Hooters restaurant.
I was thinking that the Cotswolds would be like that: miles of scenic, punctuated by miles of commercial, or maybe miles of scrubby shrubs. But no, it just goes on and on and on and on. I did eventually see one grocery store on the back street of Broadway, and then later one satellite dish in a surprising place. But otherwise, it was miles and miles of unrelenting adorableness!
This is Burford, a village which bills itself "Gateway to the Cotswolds." It's proximity to the M40 probably accounts for the crowds.
We stayed at Windrush House in Broadway. Hosts Evan and Judy could not have been nicer. The room was very comfy. Breakfast was fab, and I had two of those delicious British eggs! (The eggs alone, with gorgeous reddish orange yolks, are argument for emigration!) I soon discovered that Judy is also a seamstress, and she told me about some great fabric stores on Berwick St. near Oxford Circus. I should take some pictures of the pretty things I got on Berwick St. for another post.
After our fortifying breakfast, Evan gave us directions to get hike up to Broadway Tower, so off we headed...
...through the scenic village...
You can make out the top of Broadway Tower in the middle of the skyline...
...a relic of the coach road, I presume...
Some locals also out for a morning ramble...
Turning right at Pear Tree Cottage as instructed, we found that the Cotswold Way goes right through sheep pastures...(Randy pointing at the sheep in case you missed them!)
...and over stiles, real stiles!
At some point I began actually woolgathering, as there was plenty of the stuff caught in weeds and fences. I was hoping "scarf" at first, but soon adjusted my hopes to "hat," but I know I have at least enough for a "cell phone cozy." I did manage to find about 3 oz. of wool (before plant matter removal that is.)
...we encountered a work crew repairing a fence in the traditional manner with local stone...
..and finally caught our first site of Broadway Tower, an ambitious folly built in 1794 for Lady Coventry.
William Morris occasionally lived in the tower with his family. This is the first and only of Mr. Morris' (whose gorgeous textile design I so admire) residences I've visited, so I was thrilled.
There was a herd of red deer near the tower.
You could see for miles from the top of the tower, despite the occassional rain showers.
We managed to get a bit lost and a little wet on our way down, but found many more scenic spots, and enventually wound up at Church of Eadburgha. I had fun composing shots in the old graveyard outside.
By the time we'd both begun to tire, we found a local pub where we shared the "Squire's Lunch" and a pint of Guinness.
Our day had just begun. We also visited Chipping Campden, with it's little medieval market building still standing.And then we went off to Stanton, where we enjoyed Open Gardens Day, where we got a peak at some of the local private gardens. There were peonies almost the size of your head! But I've held you here long enough, so I'll leave you with this spectacular peony.
