Travel and Trapunto
I took a weekend off to enjoy a micro-vacation in Napa with my husband. He likes to go a fun place away from home to watch the Super Bowl. And since we don’t have the whole Gigantic TV thing going on at home, we choose our hotel based on location, amenities and…..screen size!
Drought-stricken and thirsty Northern California thinks it’s spring. We just passed the driest January on record and it’s been beautiful and warm, causing plants and trees to think it’s spring. If you’ve just endured your fourth major snow storm of the season you’re probably wondering what’s so awful about that. We are really very worried about having any water this summer.
It does make for some beautiful scenery though. The mustard growing among the vines was glorious!
I was prepared for a long sit in front of the TV. I had previously sewn on the front of the binding of four class samples and a small quilt. I got all of the hand sewing finished during the game-whoop! I even started on my trapunto cut-work.
Look what I spied on the shower door of our room: is that not the coolest pattern? Seriously, I think it will be a quilt someday.
I have rediscovered my love of trapunto. I also have two guilds that requested trapunto for their upcoming workshops. I am determined to finish this quilt fairly quickly. I am using the most glorious Radiance color-“Honey”. Isn’t that color divine?
You do have to be very mindful when cutting away the excess batting to not cut into the fabric. So far, so good. It’s a great thing to do while listening to vapid TV. Ahem, not that the Super Bowl is vapid TV….
The working title in my little head for this piece is “A Midwestern Whole Cloth”. I will figure out a more elegant name eventually. I recently came across an antique whole cloth quilt that had trapuntoed dots in the background. I am in love with those dang dots! I knew I HAD to make a quilt with dots! The dots remind me of the Dotted Swiss dresses of my youth, which remind me of the Midwest…and so it goes.
I am auditioning various fills to nest around the dots. I haven’t made up my mind yet. Stay tuned.
I’ll be linking up to Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday. Really, she just gets the best links, so check it out.
Hi Jenny,
I love the Trapunto! Would one of the guilds you are going to teach this be our ASG chapter? I hope so. I’d love to take the class!
Thanks Mary Jo! Nope, other quilt guilds in the area. I’ll be offering at Meissner’s, um, when I set my new schedule for summer/fall.
So glad you found a productive use of superbowl watching time. Aside from enclosing cording on the edge of a skirt, I’ve not tried trapunto. Well, maybe I’ll just try some of that Radiance fabric and leave the trapunto to the experts like you.
Oh Joanna you HAVE to try Radiance! It is a little fussy like charmeuse so I stabilize it with a very light weight fusible, low heat though or you’ll burn off the “radiance”.
What fun! You do beautiful trapunto work!
Thank you Roxane! I needed to get more samples going so this pushed me into it. Forgot how much I loved it.
I love reading your website and seeing your amazing work! See ya tonight.
Thank you Barbara! I can’t wait to see what treasures you have in the show.
I love reading your blog and learning new thing. Your work is amazing and inspiring.
Blush! See you tonite!
Oooh, you got to do your dots! Gorgeous! Dolores
Thanks-I am ridiculously excited about the dots! It’s almost embarrassing how excited I am.
I’ve never heard a better excuse for a mico-getaway in Napa!!!
Pretty creative excuse, aye Mary?!
Nice stitching. I love the effects that you get with trapunto, so sculptural.
YES Maggi! I know it sounds a bit ethereal to some, but to me, whole cloth work and trapunto ARE sculpting the fabric. Thank you!
I love your story and absolutely love your trapunto. I have played around with this technique and have plans to do more with it. You’ve inspired me to get this going. I am wondering, what type/brand of scissors do you use to cut away the batting? I saw a demo once using Dovo scissors, which the instructor said was worth the $ to have such sharp, precise scissors for this. Do you have a particular brand or preference for this intricate process of cutting away the batting?
What a great thing to bring along for tv viewing time! I LOVE the color of that radiance! You must order it online, as I never see Radiance in the shops.
Thanks Debby! Oh that is a gorgeous color. A few local shops carry it-Thistle Dew and Beverly’s and some at Meissner’s Folsom. I always call first to find out what they’ve got.