Ring out the old -- bring in the new

I guess it's time for a summing up of last year's creative pursuits as well as plans for the coming year.
I went back to my previous blog www.daveha.blogspot.com and scrolled through the images to give myself a picture of what I've done during the past year and surprised myself with how much I had done.
If I start with conventional quilting, I had a pretty good year. My first quilt top, which I started two years ago, was quilted by my friend Dee. I did the binding and am quite pleased with the result.
I made two quilt top from fabric I had held onto since the birth of my eldest daughter 35 years ago. The blocks are identical, the borders different. And I am working up the nerve to quilt them.
I also made another quilt top from fabric colours totally outside of my comfort zone and I am hoping to gather enough courage to free motion quilt them before this year is out!!
Continuing with my embellished quasi-crazy quilting, I made several shadow boxes. A set of four fuschia, pink and white textured fabrics, embellished with threads, ribbons, beads, buttons, jewellery etc.
I took part in the Pomegranate Guild's 25th Anniversary exhibition with a blue and white themed shadow box, as well as showing my chuppah (admittedly not made this year but still, on display for all to see). I also had on exhibit two pieces I had made with felt applique, one of which was based on a family photo and the other based on the four sons from the Hagaddah, and both framed with quilted borders. And the "four sons" so that was pretty exciting.
I had the great honour of making a tallit for my niece's bat-mitzvah. And a small wall-hanging in honour of my work colleague's bat-mitzvah. The Pomegranate Guild also had a members' challenge with a monochromatic theme and I made a small landscape in textured whites. And I also made a challah cover, oven mitts, coasters and a few other odds and ends.
I am rounding out this year by working on art quilts which are a challenge of the Fibre Arts group I joined in November.
So I feel productive, bearing in mind that I do have a full time job in a legal office.
But what about next year?
Well, I'm hoping to continue and grow artistically. I want to try thread painting, fabric portraiture, and more art quilting. To be more disciplined, and learn how to use my new sewing machine to its full potential. To use my new found skills where possible in a Judaic context. To sell work if I can and donate work if I can.
I'm off work on Monday so I'll have four, count 'em, four days of fabric fondling and hopefully will be able to finish off a project or two and maybe start a project or two.
Just in case I don't post before New Year's, have a good one.

Small bites

During the week, I have to do my fabric work in small bites. I have about an hour in the morning before I leave for work and about an hour in the evening if I'm not too tired after work and before Coronation Street starts...
I decided to make another 14" square piece. Since the last one was squares and rectangles, I decided to make this one with "waves". I have seven horizontal wavy strips, all duppioni silks. I am now auditioning squares of textured background fabric, plus a bit of Klara's fabric and overlaid them with sheer fabrics. I may just combine this one with embroidery stitches along the wave lines. Not sure yet. I'm making it up as I go along.
I am also toying with the idea of doing some sort of journal quilting in 2008. Perhaps according to the Jewish calendar.
And of course, trying to finish WIPs (aka UFOs) while remaining on my fabric diet.
Ha ha. Talk about ambitious.
Anyways, as soon as I can get Menachem to take a photo, I'll post my progress.

Let it snow, let me sew, let it snow

It started snowing this morning, heavily. Everyone who sees photos of the winter wonderland ooh and aahs. I do too but I also spent an hour outside shovelling and it barely made a dent in the accumulating amounts.

On the other hand, when there's a snowstorm, we don't feel compelled to go out shopping or visiting, so I have time to play.

So this is what I did this weekend. I finished a challah cover using strips left from Menachem's quilt. I am unhappy with the binding which I did by machine but since I have already ripped the binding twice, enough already. And I am ambivalent about the central part with the Hebrew lettering (not sure if the letter size is right for the background fabric. I had originally planned to give it as a gift but I'm not sure I want to because of its imperfections. But maybe I should anyways. They can always say they knew me when and that they have one of my earlier works...

The shadow box (propped under a photo of my mother and my daughter) is a Xmas gift for Gwen. The trees were an experiment in free motion embroidery with silver and gold threads over very thin silver and gold ribbon. I like how it turned out.

And the final piece is what started as the Toronto fibre art challenge piece bag. I'm finished except for the binding. I think I will leave it as a wall hanging. I have an idea for another one using the same colour palette. So maybe I'm not making a bag per se but I have been inspired to push my personal envelope. And I'm happy with the results so far.

Into the 21st century

So I did post after all. I had prepared this new blog site to start the beginning of the new year but being technologically challenged, my posts came here automatically. I left a note at my old blog so I hope if anyone is actually reading, they have will follow me here.

Now if I could just figure out how to take and upload my own pictures...

I wrote about the new Toronto fiber arts group I joined. We have a challenge to make small art quilts to be (perhaps) turned into bags. I am well on my way. I have assembled a 14" square collage of fabrics, covered it with tulle and it is sandwiched awaiting quilting.

This morning (it's Saturday 11 a.m. and I'm still in my pj's...) I have been experimenting with freemotion quilting right through press ands seal. I like it! And it doesn't seem to be problematic to remove. I think I may just quilt from the back. That way, if any P&S sticks, it won't pull the tulle or stitches when I remove it. Now I just have to finalize my freemotion pattern and decide what kind and colour of thread. Maybe a variegated metallic...

Thursday evening, Menachem and I were up in Newmarket at Evelyn's, for a basic how-to for my new Brother NX450 which I am starting to really love!! The class covered mostly maintenance, threads, needles, tension, etc. In the new year, there's supposed to be a class specifically for the NX450, to show all the machines features and stitches. I'm looking forward to that.

I bought a copy of Quilting Arts magazine last week and have decided to get a subscription and try some of the techniques shown. For me this will also be a challenge because I'm more of a visual learner and I'd prefer for someone to demonstrate rather than me read how to. Just for the eye candy it's worth it. And considerably cheaper than buying an issue at a time.

Don't have any definite plans for today during the day -- Menachem's working and I'm busy-ish playing in my studio. This evening we're going to Mintzy and Rafi's. I haven't seen them for over a month because of the flu I had which appears to be gone (tfu tfu tfu).

I posted my shadow boxes on craigslist. It will be interesting if I get any response.

And that's about it for now.

That's odd. I was sure I posted since last weekend.

I am sure I posted late last week but it doesn't seem to be there. Oh well, to recap, Thursday evening I was at the inaugural meeting of a new fibre artists group. There were four participants and one person who couldn't make it. I was apprehensive about the group because I found the group on the Art Quilt list and since I have never made an art quilt, I was doubtful what kind of contribution I can make to the group. But the women were very welcoming, each with a different focus but also each with either some or considerable experience in innovative techniques. We decided to meet once a month (next meeting at my place) and bring a project which we have completed based on an idea in Quilting Arts Magazine.
I started on the project this weekend. It's supposed to be a bag made from a 14" quilted square. It's a good thing there were explicit instructions because I wouldn't have had a clue where to start.
I based my colour scheme on an approximately 32" by 24" strip of fabic given to me by Klara when I visited and met her in Israel last fall. I used fabrics I already had -- duppioni silk (I bought it on sale at Fabricland a while back with no immediate plans to make anything but I couldn't resist the colours and the price), some fabric from sample books that Gwen brought to the Pomegranate Guild last year and no one else seemed to want), some sheer fabrics : blue organza from Carmit's detritus, some ivory organza left from Dori's chuppah, and another shimmering and sort of opaque creamy organza which I bought because I couldn't resist, and also some of Klara's fabric strip itself. I added one or two gold trims and created a collage of rectangle and squares. Once I have everything positioned the way I want it (I'm not sure I'm there yet), I am supposed to put a tulle overlay and quilt the sandwich. Once that's done, I'm thinking of adding hand embroidery and beading. But I'm not sure that I'm going to make the bag in the end. I may just leave it as an art quilt wallhanging and make another one. Anyways I'm really excited about the group because I already feel energized and motivated to create.
On Friday, I pulled a Christmas card out of the garbage at work because the design was lovely and I wanted to see if I could replicate the design in fabric. It was fir trees covered in snow and glitter. I tried making it from some silver and gold ribbon I bought ages ago but didn't use because it was too flimsy for the type of work I was doing at the time. I did a sample putting a triangle of silver on navy blue tulle and free motioning in silver thread on it. And it turned out not too badly. But the blue tulle was not necessarily a good colour choice. I have to check my stash and see if I have fabric which will make a background for the trees. I may just make a postcard-sized piece using that idea.
I asked Menachem to photograph my shadow boxes so I can post them on craigs list or ebay to try to sell. He uploaded the pics but they're upside-down and I don't know how to rotate them. He's at work so I'll ask him to fix it when he gets home.
So I'm off to try an idea I just had to enhance the art quilt.

Fibre Arts Group

In my recent flurry of new things, I joined the Art Quilt list. One of the members asked if anyone was interested in a GTA fibre arts group and again, I signed up. Yesterday evening we had our first meeting. There were four participants (one couldn't make it).
It looks like it will be interesting. Each of the women do different stuff but everyone's open to learning, experimenting and exploring new ideas and techniques.
Each of us brought a sample of some things we've made and we discussed the samples, asked questions and enjoyed. At least I did. We sort of decided to meet on a regular monthly basis and do mini challenges between meetings and show and tell at the next meeting. We will meet in January at my place. We're going to make something based on an idea in one of the "Quilting Arts" magazines. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

News Briefs:

I was at the doctor's Wednesday for my lingering bronchial problems and new sinus infection and have now started on a course of antibiotics which hopefully will improve my physical well-being.

On Sunday evening we're getting together at my mother's for a family Chanuka get together. We were asked to bring -- nothing!! But will probably anyways.

Next week, I have a class/lesson on my new sewing machine at Evelyn's where I bought it. I have been using it gingerly but would still like to learn a lot more about the machine.

And the following week, we have a guest coming to stay with us for several months. She's filling in for the shaliach until the new shaliach arrives in April. We've been here on our own for the past two or more years so it will be interesting to see how we adjust to someone else in the house longterm.

I'm hoping to have a productive stitching day tomorrow.

And that's about all for now I guess.