Another Tree Corner

Here is another tree corner. 

Actually, I have progressed way past this stage. I don't like the middle print with the geometric design.

I do ♥ the dark blue floral that was from my skirt and I enjoyed all the stitching around it. 

I am also enjoying Jude's Magic Diary class and I am getting what I had hoped from it. Which is a focus and inspiration to continue with Tim's cloth as I will never get it finished if I only work on it during the cold months.  

One Feather

I stitched Sunday the 7th.

In the chair zone all day.

A tree was added to this forest after the connection was made.

And then, just a lot of straight stitching...

and one feather.

About the beast, they don't really feel like "me".

This one had a face change and is more to my liking.

I'm still undecided about all the beast.  I have to keep in mind that the reason I was adding them is because this is Tim's cloth and he would like them; however, at the same time, it has to feel like me.  I can't remove these central beast but should I add more, they will feel like me.....

Forest Components

 The forest grew over the weekend.  I made the connection.

 And also made another tree corner component, stitched it and connected it too. 

And then I made these beast with Inktense. I'm unsure at this point if I will add them to the cloth or not. I've become bored with stitching for now and will fold it up for  a while. 

Maybe. That's how I deal with the edge of a decision. 

Back away.

I ordered some Harem Cloth as recommended by Jude to use as backing cloth behind my woven components; however, I've not yet decided if I like it for the backing cloth. It is true, it stitches like butter. That I like about it. But I found it hard to rip and get same sizes. It doesn't hold its shape as well as I would like. And for my purpose, it is a little too thin. I'm using the backing cloth as the middle of the sandwich between the design layer and backing layer. 

To use or not to use.

Another decision to back away from. 

I keep wanting a good black cotton fabric and find none in my stash so yesterday, I found just what I wanted at Walmart. There was a very small amount on the bolt and it was priced at $2.68. But I was charged $3.44.  I questioned the cost but accepted her explanation. 

Now I don't know why.

Weaving A Connection

I acquired more scraps. Well actually, I ask for them from a dear friend because I knew she was all done with them.  Thank you Terri.  The 1960's-70's wild and crazy prints were gifted to her and she made a beautiful quilt with them. When she showed me the quilt, I ask about the leftovers.  You can do that with dear friends. 

I selected a few and ran them through the dye pot just to take the edge of of them so they would incorporate into Tim's quilt. 

Here is the first tree corner component.  I have woven some of the new scraps with old one and I find this is a great way to introduce new fabric to the quilt so that it looks cohesive. 

I decided to go ahead and conjoin a forest component with this new corner because in the past, I have had a plan for a component and then forget the plan.  I love the connections.  Today, I stitch.

My First Beast

My first beast.  And my first effort at needle turned applique.  I hope for improvement on both creating beast and needle turned applique. 

I worked on this guy yesterday here at the desk-in-town.  He's not finished. 

Layering and Conjoining Method

This past week, I enjoyed a visit from my brother and family who live in Arizona.  Saturday we invited a whole bunch of family for dinner so they all had a chance to visit with Mark.  We had a great time and my Aunt Sue and Aunt Irene came.  Sue is Granny's daughter and Irene is Granny's daughter-in-law.  I enjoyed showing and telling them about Tim's Quilt.  They both have made many quilts but nothing anywhere similar to this cloth I am working on.

So, just touching the cloth again after a few months made me want to do a little stitching.  Well, that and the fact that I am quietly involved with Jude Hill's Magic Diaries class.  I liked the slow format that she planned for the class and thought I could focus on the continuance of Tim's quilt.

Sunday evening, I picked up these two forest components for the ring of trees and finished the raw edge applique stitching.  Then I conjoined the two.  I'm showing my method of layering the two edges and then stitching to conjoin.  

Four Seasons

Fall trees ready to stitch.

Spring trees ready to conjoin.

Pencil line in before stitching.

Summer trees conjoined.

Winter Trees

For the most part, I played all day Saturday with fabric and planing the four sides of the forest. I expected to stitch just a little while and then move on to something else. Instead, I stayed in the chair zone stitching Sunday and Monday.

The Dye Pot

I wanted to document some of the fabrics before throwing them into the Rit dye pot.  The discovery of over dying any fabrics in my collection to incorporate them with and into Tim's quilt is exciting. 

So much so that I jumped up one morning this week and ran this second batch through the dye before leaving for the desk in town.  Then, if you look closely at the above fabric on both sides you can see a floral with a bird of some sort.  I like the think I discovered a partridge in a pear tree and that excited me so much that I managed to rinse and dry this batch and select some of the pieces to take with me to the desk in town.  I composed the third forest component and have it ready for stitching.  

I'm leaving the moon unstitched on the Second Forest for now.  And of course there is a lot of stitching to add to all of these components.  But first I want to get four or maybe eight forest components ready before adding the embellishing stitches.  One reason for that is the stitching inspiration hasn't shown it's self yet.

I am gonna love this Forest with the birds in the tree.  It is all ready to stitch down and I'm sure to find myself in the chair zone this weekend.  It is cold and drizzling rain.  Perfect for siting and stitching.

My Winter Memories

Back to the cloth.  There is something inside me that just has to play with cloth and quilting during the cold months.  I think it might have something to do with growing up helping my grandmother make quilts.  My memories are "winter" memories because my job was to iron the quilt scraps with a real "iron".  It was not electrical and was heated by sitting on top of the cast iron wood burning stove in the living room.  Granny made the most beautiful quilts that all began from tiny scraps.  I spent hours pressing them flat so she could cut out the pieces.  I suppose she mostly quilted in the winter because during better weather, she would have been out chopping cotton, pulling corn, feeding chickens, hoeing the garden, or maybe frying chicken and making biscuits for supper. I suppose.

Feeling the cold and the urge to play with my cloth, Saturday, I started pulling out more fabric from the sewing studio stash to incorporate into Tim's quilt. 

The black and green gold checkerboard component has become problematic as I can't seem to incorporate it with the other components.  I decided to surround it with a forest of trees and make it the center of the quilt.  For now that is my plan.

When I started playing with the possible composition for the first forest component, I got so frustrated.  I am committed to only using what fabric I already have and yet nothing seemed to work in a cohesive way.  I doubt Granny ever purchased fabric for the sole purpose of a quilt other than maybe for the backing.  Furthermore, I'm pretty sure she never got frustrated with her scraps not being cohesive.  That, I know and have evidence of it.

So, I walked away from the pile until the next day when I had a thought to just throw all the pieces in a big pot of avocado Rit dye.  (You will remember green is the theme I started with)  It didn't matter what is was I put it in the pot.   I am so excited about the results.  I will be dumping more in the dye pot soon. 

My first forest component is not finished and I'm not sure these photos really show how lovely and cohesive it is but I'm so pleased and that makes me want to keep going.

Random Stitching

I have spent more hours in the chair zone stitching random thoughts.  I have finished the initial stitching of this new section and will weave another component next.

This looks like it could turn in to a face.

The Connection

It's true, I haven't stitched since June.  However, the cloth side of me always gets the urge when cold weather arrives. I wouldn't say it is cold here but is cooler for sure.  Other than the obvious reason for this urge, which is sitting all cozy with the cloth in my lap,  I think I'm also reminded of the times my Granny let me iron the quilt scraps for her.  The iron wasn't electric.  It was heated on the wood burning stove. I have great winter memories of this with my Granny.  

So, during the past weekend when this urge hit, I wove another component for Tim's quilt.  Before I put it all down in June, I had worked out how the components I had finished would go together.  Beats me.  Now it is like a puzzle and I couldn't remember or figure it out again.  So, I just made the above and went from there.

I really like "the connection" of two components.  I like that it isn't obvious at first glance.

I hope to make great progress this season.  We will see.

The Cloth Side Of Me

The cloth side of me sat and stitched most of the weekend.  Not really, I did make plum sauce and a little house blessing. Surely not enough of that.  I seriously need to put this stitching away for a while and we'll see if I manage that.  The thing is stitching is something I can do during the evenings while sitting which seems to be the only thing I can manage in the evenings.  I'm worthless after five after dinner. Stitching does keep me upright in the chair.  I have nearly finished stitching this large component and have it ready to connect, merge, integrate, fuse, unite, blend, with another component. 

Thread Beads

Adding thread bead to the bead moon.

An Unplanned Plan

Yesterday, during my morning ART period, I did another component weaving.  It will sorta match up to other components that I have already shown.  I just really "needed" to do it. Maybe you know what I mean. I don't know.  I don't have a painting started and didn't have time to start because the "start" was not in my head.  But the "start" of this was in my head and so I did.  I first had this laid out with the same size strips, but when I was weaving the other direction, I changed my mind and added the wider check.  It seemed to really go with my unplanned plan.  Then on a whim and knowing I would be late to the office I "needed" to do the weave within a weave with the black.  Middle bottom of component.

Last night, still feeling a bit stretched and "needing" to just sit in front of the big screen, I basted around the edge with the hidden baste stitch and did a little stitching in the double weave.

I really thought this chartreuse green moon would be perfect here .... and I do like it but then I thought of the skirt I used in this piece and sure enough, it is more perfect.

Maybe you really can't tell with the close up instead of seeing the whole component.  Don't worry, I'll be showing again when I get all the stitching done.  I find the stitching so relaxing at night and today I'm feeling less stretched. 

Another Connection

Another Connection.

Actually, I made this connection of the first and third component during my Monday holiday. I left my toes for perspective but this is approximately 28+ X 14+.  All the grand kids were here but I didn't tell any of them what I was doing.  Tim usually ask and is always very interested but he was busy fishing and playing games on the computer with his cousins.  This cloth will be Tim's.

I find stitching in the evenings very relaxing.  Just as I find my best time to paint is in the mornings.  That is pretty cool but I do have a hard time balancing them in my head.  You know?  The push and pull and up and down of balance that is mostly constant in my thoughts.  It is a struggle inside which obviously  has an effect on the outside. I guess.