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This is a departure from my normal post, but this subject keeps recurring and I am perplexed. I like to wear linen in the summer. I like linen because it is the most comfortable of all fibers when it’s hot and humid; it breathes. By comparison, cotton will suffocate you and stick when it’s hot and humid. I just walked the Basset-in-Chief in 103 degree heat and I was actually comfy in my linen dress. So this linen thing was fine until I moved to the west coast 11 years ago. Now, when I wear linen here, people seem compelled to comment directly…
Recently I’ve been working almost exclusively on my Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) annual Benefit Auction quilt-a mere 12″ square piece. How hard can that be and how long can such a tiny piece take? I discovered the hard way that it took a LOT longer than I thought. Each year SAQA asks for its members to donate a piece no larger than 12″ square to their fundraising auction. Design is not my forte-I have to work hard at it. Although I started playing with different ideas several months ago, none looked that promising. As the deadline approached, I realized I just…
I’ve finally found a decent foot for my Baby Lock Jane Straight Stitch Only machine-a Janome plastic open-toe darning foot-who knew? I’m not totally in love with it but I do think it’s the best possible solution currently available. It makes a huge difference in the ease of quilting on the Jane. At least I can see where my needle lands, I can see better for backtracking, and it’s open in the front-all those are huge improvements. BUT, the plastic foot wobbles even though it is securely attached to my machine and I wish it could be attached in a more svelte manner-there’s a big…
Sorry I’ve been gone so long-so much has happened. BRAG ALERT: Son #2 graduated from Univ of California-Santa Barbara and most importantly, HE HAS A REAL JOB! It’s even in the field he studied-Mechanical Engineering. He is off our payroll and he’ll have insurance, vacation, everything! While we were visiting, his girlfriend volunteered to take me to the Santa Barbara Zoo-I was thrilled to go. Because she volunteers at the zoo, she knows every animal, their story and odd little tidbits about each one of the animals. It was a delightful day spent in good company and gave me an intimate view of…
For a quilter, getting a new sewing machine is like starting a new relationship. There’s the initial infatuation, a time of adjustment and then hopefully, a long period of mutual satisfaction. I’m not overstating this am I??! . . I am breaking in my new Straight Stitch Only (SSO) machine, a Baby Lock “Jane” , as I work a queen-sized quilt that will eventually be donated to the Sutter Breast Cancer Quilt Auction. I rarely do bed quilts so this is a little out of my league. My quilting is really off in some areas on this quilt and I really…
A lot has happened since my last post: I’ve been to the Studio Art Quilt Associates Conference (SAQA) in Denver, visited my Mom and Sister there also, and attended the annual Jazz Festival in Old Sacramento. I’ve got a ton of links in this post so be sure to check them out. Now, where do I start? SAQA CONFERENCE IN DENVER I am positively vibrating STILL over the SAQA conference in Denver! There was so much to learn, so many awesome artists to meet, so much art in Denver. For some inexplicable reason I did not take many photos while…
I have been playing with sheers for the last few days-this is something I have wanted to try for a long time. I cut out bits and pieces of various sheer fabrics and lay them upon a plain sheer backing. A layer of netting over that secures them in place. Then I place a top sheer over that and quilt away. It’s great fun! Uh, do you think this qualifies as a “quilt”? I’m going to do some traveling over the next few weeks so my posts may be sporadic for a time. I do expect to come back excited and inspired.…
I’m working on a summer wardrobe and I’m thrilled to have actually finished this dress. I used Vogue 8232. It’s from the Very Easy Very Vogue line which is my favorite place to find a pattern-I like the “easy” part, grin. I chose a tweed-patterned linen that I purchased from Tayo’s, ahem, a “few” years ago, lined it with Bemberg rayon and underlined with silk organza. TheBemberg makes it feels wonderful on, smooth and cool, perfect for our unforgiving Sacramento summers. I have underlined linen before and I love how it controls the linen, allowing a bit of “patina” while keeping it from…
This may be the last of the spring shows in my area (sniffle)-the Pine Tree Quilt Guild Show in Grass Valley. It was a delightful show with a good mix of traditional, contemporary and art quilts as well as some great fiber art. If you click on the pictures you’ll get a better view of each quilt. I confess-I tried to record the names and makers of each quilt but I blew it! At any rate, let me take you on a tour of what caught my eye. Silk always attracts me, so of course I loved this quilt with its vibrant use of color.…
I’ve been looking to buy a new machine for awhile-one that would better handle the larger quilts that I do. After looking at what was currently available, I chose a Baby Lock Jane. It’s a straight-stitch-only machine with way more room in the harp to accommodate larger work and a motor that is almost twice as fast as standard machines. .. I really did not understand why people were buying these machines until I looked into it. Here’s the math: my Bernina’s harp area measures 7.5″ wide by 4″ high. The Baby Lock is 8.5″ wide by 6″ wide. That doesn’t seem like a lot…