WIP: inspiration Ottawa (documentary photography)

               

   

      

               

        

   

WIP: the "Centennial Party Pack", 50 years later

Last summer, I found this pack of paper coasters. How very 1967. 

This summer, I'm going to make a plan to make a quilt to show honour and reverence to the past and to the 50 years since.  

I really like the colours and will incorporate that into my quilt design. 

Another significant work-in-progress; linking to The Needle and Thread Network's WIP Wednesday!

WIP: sea buddies

One year after finding and creating some ideas for working with my "Sea Buddies" charm pack, I chose one additional fabric and created a pattern and a layout. It is quite different than my first idea... but that happens.

work in progress: "Sea Buddies" quilt

Now I want to make the quilt larger. I have four charm pack squares left over and lots of the bright green print. Time to search for more ideas!

Linking to The Needle and Thread Network's WIP Wednesday!

WIP: Pedal Pushers

I recently added three Pedal Pushers (by Lauren + Jessi Jung for Moda Fabrics; Pattern 25085) fabrics to my stash. I think these fabrics are very pretty. 

For weeks before buying them, I repetitively looked at them with great interest. I didn't buy them because the patterns confuse me. I don't know what to do with them. I am not used to working with a collection of fabrics with pattern sizes that are so different.  

And then, they were on sale and the opportunity to figure out what to do with them was something to couldn't resist. I love a challenge.

Pedal Pushers by Moda

I would love to hear your ideas about what to do with these three! I have lots of each.

I'm linking this post to Molli Sparkles' Sunday Stash.

WIP: coffee cup sleeve

With all the rain we've had in Winnipeg, I'm disappointed with spending so little time in the studio and a lot more time.... I'm not sure where. (Watching Wimbledon play-offs, I guess.) 

Gardening (which, because of all of the rain mostly involves pulling weeds when it is dry enough, and keeping up with keeping the grass cut and edges trimmed) is done in the rare breaks between the rain storms. Environmentally, it is a strange year.

While NOT in the studio, I've been testing prototypes for coffee cup sleeves. I have this one (below) for the road and another (I don't have a photo of it) at work.

When I am not at home, I seek out one particular brand of coffee (I know some of you know what brand: you recognise the cup). So... I use only one type of mug that needs a heat sleeve. My other travel mugs are insulated.

I started with a rainbow-shaped pattern, but found that it gaped. So I cut that pattern in half to create a seam. After a laundering, the addition of that one seam seems to have fixed the problem. 

The sleeve fits tightly around the cup; just the way I like it.

WIP: Barnswallows challenge part 1

More than a year ago, I accepted a challenge. A few weeks ago, I missed the deadline. So many other things (like work, garden, and family... good things) keep me away from working on my many WIPs.

The challenge was to use the fabrics (in the photo below) and some buttons to create something. There were few parameters... so I let my imagination work away for several weeks.

My first inspiration for this project was from the "Robes of Power" catalogue from an exhibit (from decades ago) at UBC's Museum of Anthropology. So I began to collect buttons. I would attach some of the buttons with thread or yarn and some with fishing line.



I'm still working away on conceptualising the final design, but at this stage, I am quilting three layers (the outside, a middle layer, and the inside) together, by hand.

This is a view from the "outside".

And this, a view from the "inside".

I have much more to do....

It is Wednesday and I am Canadian, so I'm linking to Canada's The Needle and Thread Network, a collective of fibre art bloggers. 

WIP: introduction to felting

The week before last, I travelled to the lovely little town of Gimli Manitoba, to take a class at the newly opened Leidsla shop with Cathy from Nepenthe Studio. Cathy taught me how to felt wool.

I've read about how to felt dozens of times, but had never actually attempted it until last week. We started with selection of colours of merino wool roving...

merino wool roving

about 2 inch lengths; second layer

With about 2 inch long lengths of roving, we layered. And layered.

the final layer; before beginning the felting process

Then we began the several-stage wet agitation process. More quickly than I had imagined, I had a piece of felt!

Once the wet process was complete, we tried some needle-felting. If you look closely, you can see the tiny holes left from my needle.

after some needle punching

I will wet this piece again... to close the needle holes. I think I will frame this one.

Below are images from my second attempt. 

I'm not exactly sure what I will do with this piece. 

The class was excellent. The process is tactile... therapeutic and calming. 

WIP: postcard for Judy's Studio Million Miles postcard challenge

Finally, I've made some time to participate again in Judy's Million Mile postcard challenge.

Judy's theme for June is "Hit the Road". Even though we do have a professional baseball team in Winnipeg named the "Goldeyes", I do love to travel to MLB games as much as I can afford to do... so hitting the road in the summer, very often means travelling to a baseball game. 

Baseball conjures the voice of James Earl Jones, memories of playing scrub on the farm, watching the World Series (once harvest was finished) with my Dad, playing softball with my friends, and enjoying "a dog and a beer" with my honey.

This was a very quickly done fabric postcard. It is playful and simple, not planned, not contrived.

This post illustrative. The images below show my progress.

fabric selection