Conversing Squares

"I love sewing and have plenty of material witnesses..." ( unknown)

I am so sick of sewing squares.....hundreds and gazillions of squares! Every colour, every pattern, every kind of fabric under the sun. But these squares are special. They are from fabric used to make dresses for the girls, when they were quite little . They are from fabric used to make quilts for weddings, birthdays, Christmas, for friends, all across the country, some across the sea.

When I look at all these squares I remember those friends.

Just for fun, I sewed squares in long strips ( took me two weeks ....arrgggh). Then, because I was tired of squares, I got the bright idea to sew them together in a haphazard way, and give the appearance of being woven like lattice. Kind of like they are conversing with each other.......one endless long distance call!

Squaresville

"Before Prozac came into this world.....there was quilting...." ( Quilting Bee)

Thousands of little squares, put them together in long rivers of fabric, then string them all together one after another, any which way you want. Sooooo fun.

Green Fiend

This is one of my favourite uses of silk cushion covers for a messenger bag. I went to a local craft fair and picked up a couple of ornate cushion slipovers. Wasn't sure what to do with them, until I was messing around with this messenger bag pattern. I used the slipcover to make the over-flap . Then pieced together other fabrics to make the main body. I just love it. Added beading and there it is. Best thing about the bag , is that you are hands free, if you sling it across opposite shoulders.

My green fiend, I call it....and the whole world is going green, so I'm right in sync.

Total length of messenger bag, with front flap up, measures about 24 inches.

Bag itself is about 16 inches across with 11 inches depth.

Strap is 44 inches long , 2 inches wide.

Inside has various pockets.

Bag is lined, with inside filler for stability on bottom piece and all side/ flap pieces.

Bag can be made in different colour variations/specification, and beading.

Cost is about $90 ( give or take, depending on the detail work)

Postage is extra.

"Too Hip to Be Square"

Mini Trip around the World

"I have not kept the square, but that to come shall all be done by the rule." (Shakespeare)

Hundreds of 2 inch squares....a lot I've had for at least 10 years. Time to use them up. Ooodles and oodles of possibilities. I recognize some of the fabrics from dresses I made for the girls, or quilts . The red swirly squares at the bottom of the corner, are from fabric brought all the way from Singapore. Kind of cool.

I'm Bagged.....

"Imagination is the beginning of creation.You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will." (George Bernard Shaw)

Go wild with anything that you have at hand....fringes, beads, coins, metallics.........it's all good.

(Messenger Bag 2010)

So, after you've stripped............

End result is a tote bag, front and back. What? You were expecting something else? Read on for visuals..........yes......there are pictures. Now don't get too excited, you might fog up the computer screen.

After cutting strips you've sewn together, resew them as checkerboards.Make sure that you alternate colours, and you can cut off the end pieces later. A little time consuming, but what else are you going to do with your time?

This is how it all starts. Sew the humungous long strips together....17 at a time, to make a panel. Then you can cut them up into whatever size checkerboards that you wish. Makes for an exciting time, on those dark and stormy nights.........get your friends together for a stripping party.....use different fabrics, alternate darker with lighter colours.

What to do when you strip........

Pouch purse. SO easy! 8 1/2 by 20 inch rectangle, sew strips and trim onto the foundation. Fold in half, add a lining, a strap, and voila.......great way to use up those fabric strips.

Stripping..........

"Sewing fills my days....also the closets....the living room......the kitchen.....the downstairs....." (unknown)

I went through my stash of fabric strips, decided to use them up. Ironed every single piece, then cut them all into 1 1/2 inch wide strips. Now they are incredibly useful. Either that, or I really need to find another hobby............

I'm going to try and see how many things I can make .......and post the pictures.....probably a lot of purses, totes, etc. to start with. They will be useful to sell at craft fairs, or gifts. But this year, I'm making it a lot easier on myself. Keeping it simple. So, here's the Strips.........

Tomatoe Soup 2008

This is one of my favourite wall quilts.....called tomatoe soup, because the fabric colour combinations resemble tomatoe soup with cream swirls. Pearls are sewn along the ditch to help create a 3-D effect, and the centre four blocks form a triangle motif. Applique leavs and vines are meant to be the scraggy aftermath when tomatoe plants are near the end of growing. Love the softness of colours against the pearls and roses sewn into the four corners of centre square.

CREAM OF TOMATOE SOUP

(Cream of tomatoe soup should be soothing. Adding baking to the tomatoes keeps the milk from curdling)

5 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

4 Tbsp flour

4 cups milk( or 3 cups milk and 1 cup cream)

1 1/2 tsps sugar

pinch of salt to taste

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 cups chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned

Melt butter in a large pot, add onion and cook until clear. Sprinkle flour over the butter mixture and continue to cook a little longer.Add milk, sugar, and salt, and cook till slightly thickened.stir the baking soda into the tomatoes.Add the tomatoes to the milk, bring to a simmer.Remove from heat and put through a strainer, if you wish. Taste and correct seasonings. Do not freeze this. So good.

Under the Sea

Made in 1997 for Nancy and Peter Scott. Appliqued fish along the border.....blub...blub....blub. Supposed to resemble the bottom of a pool. I see our old Whrr cat supervising like she used to.

Fabricating 101 (#1 and #2)

#1 #2

So here's the thing.......too much fabric.....silly to buy more, so why not try and see how many combinations I can make up. Here's the fabric pieces I took off the shelf, and what came out of it was a lap quilt top(#1), and two table runners#3).

For Christmas ,some of us want to do a craft fair ( not sure how that will all unfold), but if I have the tops done, then I can pick and choose.

Maybe next I'll try doing a couple of bags fo #3 ......shiny fabric is calling.

The Stash

I just realized that I have a lot of fabric.

Everywhere, in fact. Organized. But everywhere.

In every nook and cranny, shelf, box, chair, that can be had. A lot of trims, gold, pearls, sequins, laces, fat trims, skinny trims, buttons and beads. Fabric is cathartic. It's the gingerale in the pineapple juice of life.

SO many fabrics: velvets, brocades, sequins, crunchy cottons, prim polyesters ( though not great to quilt with, they have their place). Fabrics with sheen, with texture, embroideries that dare to be cut with a pair of sharp scisssors. There is nothing quite like dipping your hand into a box of beads, and sequins, or buttons, and go rummaging for buried treasure.

Sooooo many possibilities.....Hmmm....but there's a lot of it, staring out at me. I've thought of a way to start using some of it up......I think I will start making all sorts of quilt tops, not the actual quilts, just the tops, and see how far all of this stuff can go, and post the panels as I go along. Make it into a game show of sorts.......besides......It's time .......I don't want to end up on one of those reality t.v. shows, buried alive in buttons........

Irish Chain 2002

I love this Irish Chain two tone! I remember trying to find a nice light colour fabric to go with the red, and could only find this pale, butter yellow, which turned out to be just right. Irish Chain just works so well with a simple colour palette , because of its geometric shape. So effective. The back is pieced into Amish design strips , so this becomes reversible. Two quilts in one.

I made it for my oldest when she was 12, but I think the experience was lost on her, though, as she was more interested in the ice cream cake, then this quilt. Even to this day,I hang it on the wall, because the pattern is so visually striking.

"Teach this child to follow in your footsteps,

And to live life in the ways of

Love, faith, hope and charity." (Gaelic Blessing)

Quilting is a Journey

"Walking on the road, I realized something amiss,

On turning back I saw my shadow had disappeared,

Leaving me as I went towards the light." (Faiz Khan)

This was supposed to denote a journey across the ocean to Africa, in 1996, for a friend who was going on a mission trip to help in village hospitals. I'm showing it here, because some quilts are a work in progress. I could have done more with it, but she was leaving really soon, and I kind of rushed. Well quilting is a journey, an experience.

This was my first attempt at trying to piece together different ideas......always interesting to see earlier quilts. I got the girls to dip their hands in fabric paint and make handprints all along the border.....they were little, and wanted to help. That part really was fun, but so much experimentation with fabric, textures, and ideas sometimes do not work. And as you get more creative you tend to find your way, and the medium becomes much more solid.

My friend still liked it, but now when I look at this, I realize how much more I had to learn.But the handprints were really cool.

Winter Solstice

"I was surprised my quilt and pillow were cold,

I see now that the window's bright again.

Deep in the night, I know the snow is thick,

I sometimes hear the sound as bamboo snaps." (BaiJuyi, "Night Snow")

Blazing star, broken into sections, in reds, greys, blacks and white......sharp colours for winter. Sewn in strips, then cut on the diagonal.....was really difficult to piece properly. The applique was sewn with invisible thread through the vine sections. This quilt took about 7 months to make, in 1996. Discovered that if I hang it on the wall, the cats can't sit on it and knead the fabric.

Purple Passion Wall Hanging

Purple embroidered silk/satin, bordered with a purple , gold emblazoned sari.....draped together to spice up a bare wall, with colour that shimmers. My friend Christine gave me both of these, pieces. I didn't know what to do with either of them at first....would have been fun to wear somewhere...even shopping, but figured C. River wasn't ready for it.Thought about quilting it, but was concerned that the fabric was too fine, too beautiful to ruin with stitching. Sometimes, it is best to leave well enough alone. I DID cut the brocade in half ,to make it wide enough to match the embroidery on each panel, threw it onto the quilt rod, tossed the purple sari over the edges, and presto: SHAZAM!

Thanks, Christine........you are one in a million.

"Some people weave burlap into the fabric of our lives, and some weave gold thread. Both contribute to make the whole picture beautiful and unique." (Anon)

Easter Quilts (commissioned 1999)

#5 #4

#3

#2



#1

These massive quilts were commissioned by a church in St. Albert, Alberta, June 1999, but never reached the sanctuary walls. I suppose they were a little over the top, designed by an artist, and my job was to make the drawings come to life in 3D. I got a group of friends together to sew pearls jewels all over the panels. It was so fun to be ultra creative, but in the end were a bit too "colourful".

The fabrics used were silks, satins, velvets, draperies, jewels, beadings. In Quilt #2 you can see how large they were......my friend,Linda, is dwarfed by the panel.

I really don't know what the church did with them,in the end. They may still be hanging in storage, but hopefully they got a good home.

Quilt #1 MAGNIFY AND WORSHIP ( 1 John ). Signifies Jesus coming down from the cross. Some people did not like the double arms. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.He was with God in the beginning."

Quilt #2 EVANGELISM (City in Heaven) You can see how large each quilt panel was....Linda had to lie on the face of the quilt to attach beads.

Quilt #3 MINISTRY (Sheaves of wheat) Jesus is preaching, sheaves of wheat, dove above His head symbolizes the Father. "Serve one another in Love."

Quilt #4 WORSHIP ( Cross with draperies) Psalm 150.The purple cloths were attached outside of the cross, to hang down. This is after the resurrection, so people are worship and celebrating that HE lives. "Praise God in his sanctuary, praise him in his mighty heavens."

Quilt #5 DISCIPLESHIP ( Tree of Life) Leaves are falling to the people who kneel beneath the tree of life. Notice the dove.

Sarong panel from St. Lucia

Gorgeous sarong fabric woven from Terivole. Effective as a wall hanging, even without being quilted. Terivole feels like silk, and is often mistaken as such, but it is a true polyester , and considered better for warmer climates, like St. Lucia.

Diagonal Trip Around the World

"DIAGONAL TRIP AROUND THE WORLD" Easy enough to do, it can be strip pieced, but I decided to cut out individual little squares and piece them one by one.......old fashioned way. Then I soaked the finished top in strong tea to dull the colours a bit. Didn't dull nearly as much as I'd hoped. But still turned out older looking. Turned the colours on the diagonal, and gave decided to keep it.

"Ask not what your fabric can do for you,but what you can do for your fabric."