Small Finish to Share

I cut a 40" length from the 115" panel and made myself a new utility mat to cover my keyboard overnight - it lights up when the computer does its automatic back up at midnight throwing a lot of unnecessary light into the darkness.

I had an older runner that I've used for years (near-solid black with oversized flying geese) and realized last week that I wanted something with a happier vibe.

I backed the runner with a WOF cut from one of KF's prints adding the pinkish feathers on black to enlarge the backing for quilting purposes.  

Before changing Max's thread for Vellichor's adventure under the needle, I went ahead and quilted the runner using the Amethyst from Esperance.

During the daytime, the runner hangs over the back of my computer chair.

The quilt on the wall behind my monitor is one of three that I made during Vicki's 2014 HSTeria QAL.  Two of the three were gifted but Oasis has continued to live with us.  

Elsewhere in the house, our October seasonal decor is being enjoyed.

There are fairy lights in the wicker basket from DH's mom's house, the wood vessel that DH made, and in the white tulle runner that lives on the mantel.  With darkness arriving earlier and earlier each day, I greatly appreciate these little lights.

The buffet in the dining room - I re-discovered the long runner I made years ago with leftover pieces of Marcia Derse fabrics and love how it suits this month's colors.

The quilt many of those leftovers came from is on the foyer chair.  The old green cabinet houses many of DH's most detailed wood art pieces (you can see more detailed photos of his work on his blog).

* * *

Time and easy access to my studio rooms were pretty limited over the past few days due to the stairway wall in the foyer and the entire upstairs hallway being painted.  Hoping to get back to stitching this coming week.

Quiltdivajulie

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"We do not escape into philosophy, psychology, and art; we go there to restore our shattered selves into wholes."

Anais Nin 

Happy Birthday

I am super pleased with the way this idea played out.

The panel quilted up beautifully and I had the perfect binding leftover and ready to go.

Quilted with my liberated all-over spirals using Glide thread in Ivory.

If someone had told me a few years ago that I could do this kind of quilting, I would have shaken my head in disbelief.

Practice surely does make a difference.

And here a view of the finished wall quilt.  

We'll hang this in the dining room whenever we celebrate with a family birthday dinner.

24" wide x 44" long

* * *

P.S.  DH has a new post on his blog sharing the many-month process of creating Eternity, his latest piece of wood art.

Quiltdivajulie

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"I long so much to make beautiful things.  But beautiful things require effort - and disappointment and perseverance."

Vincent Van Gogh

Collaboration with DH - Part II

HIPPIE DIPPIE aka HIPPY DIPPY

(spelling depends on whether you are describing

George Carlin's 1970s weatherman character

or the descriptive term for anything related to hippies)

Open-top thin-wall cylinder

turned from Bradford Pear

All three of today's pieces were wrapped

using reclaimed silk sari yarn.

(yarn made by a women's co-op in India)

WHISKERS

12" tall overall which includes

DH's signature frayed wire finial

5" wide at upper edge of wood hollow form

The hollow form was turned from Bradford Pear.

SPENCER

(it's a long story from DH's college years . . . )

14" tall overall which includes

a slightly larger frayed wire finial

5.5" wide at upper edge

Hollow form turned from Bradford Pear

(for those who are curious,

like the pieces shared here,

I start wrapping at the bottom

and use Aleene's Original Tacky Glue -

it is definitely not a quick process)

* * *

We also used this technique back in 2013

when we created Reclaimed

The results are just as intriguing this time around.

Quiltdivajulie

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“I love to make you laugh because I have never seen a sunset with as many colors.”

A.R. Asher

Collaboration with DH - Part I - The Newsroom Series

Introducing The Newsroom Series

DH did the woodturning

and yours truly did the exterior wrapping.

(polished stones came from northern Lake Michigan -

gathered by our boys when they were young)

This is the newspaper yarn that I used.

The hank in the back looks nice and neat

but when it is opened up - oh, so tangled.

(each hank weighs 100 grams

and contains over 80 yards of 'yarn')

The 'yarn' is made by a cooperative of women in India

using narrow strips of newsprint that is tightly twisted.

(I bought the most recent hanks from KnitSilk on Etsy but

previously I had purchased from Darn Good Yarn)

This is YESTERDAY'S NEWS.

It measures 8.5" tall with an 8.5" diameter at the top

and was turned earlier this year from Bradford Pear.

This one used up a full hank all by itself.

This is OFF THE RECORD.

The wood hollow form was turned in 2004 (Holly)

making it one of DH's earliest turnings.

As the wood aged, it had lost its character

so now it sports a whole new vibe.

7" tall with a diameter of 5.5" at the widest point.

 

And this is LATE BREAKING NEWS.

Created in 2012, this was the first in our series.

5" tall with a 5" diameter at the top.

(for those who are curious,

I start wrapping at the bottom

and use Aleene's Original Tacky Glue -

it is definitely not a quick process)

* * *

There's a second group of collaborative pieces

waiting for their turn in DH's photo cube.

As soon as I have those pictures,

I'll share Part II - in the meantime,

if you'd like to see more of DH's work,

you can visit his blog HERE.

Quiltdivajulie

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“If I don’t have red, I use blue.”

Pablo Picasso

State of Affairs

(the tied quilt on the end of the bed was made  for our older son
when he was four or five -- my first attempt at quilt making)

The quilts that are normally stored 

in our bedroom on two rolling metal shelf units 

have been relocated to the guest room upstairs until

the pending bathroom renovations are completed.

(we're still waiting on a third estimate)

There are six of the large totes

with the overflow quilts piled on top.

Maybe I need to do some editing

when these come back downstairs . . . 

For those who wanted to see the second iteration

of DH's latest woodturning series -

this is Crop Circles.

We both like this one a lot -

so much so that it now hangs above the mantel.

(elder son may take Learning Curve

for his office at the hospital)

And for those who are curious, here's a photo

showing part of DH's studio/workshop.

(he cleans up the shavings daily if not more often,

so I had to be quick to get this photo)

This lathe was his retirement gift to himself -- 

it's a serious upgrade from the one he started with 15 years ago.

* * *

And yes, since I'm sharing so many 

not-quilting photos, you would be correct 

if you guess that I'm sick again.

This time it started with a head cold

and has shifted to my not having any voice.

And then there is the cough.

Clearly my immune system needs some TLC.

In happier news, Little Man (who is now 2-1/2)

is finding out that the playground 

is even more fun than it was last year.

He mastered this kind of climbing ladder

after only a few attempts.

And he conquered the zoo's playground wall

that eluded him all last summer.

(his 1-1/2 year old legs weren't 

quite long enough for this one)

Go Little Man, Go!!

(but please don't go too fast . . . )

Quiltdivajulie (aka Mee Mah)

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"I will let them be little, fill their hearts with laughter, help them grow wings, nurture their sense of wonder, inspire them to believe, and love them like there is no tomorrow." 
Julie King

Major Change of Plans and a PSA

This is DH's latest woodturning work

hanging above our mantel.

Learning Curve measures 32" square

and features woodturning, reverse beading, 

pyrography, and a variety of surface finishes

and represents an entirely new approach

beyond what he has done up until now.

I think it is absolutely wonderful.

He already has two variations he wants to make

which is always a good sign.

(double click to enlarge the photos

so you can see the detail work)

* * *

So why am I featuring his work instead of mine?

Well . . . 

Here's my story which includes 

an important PSA note for all of you:

I've been down and out with a UTI since Saturday the 16th.

My doctor called in prescriptions on the17th

but by Wednesday the 20th it was obvious to all

that things were not going in the right direction.

Blood work, urinalysis, and a

pelvic/abdominal CT happened

while the 102+ fever raged on and on and on.

The blood work came back nearly normal.

The urinalysis confirmed that I did indeed have a UTI.

(the symptoms are pretty hard to miss)

The CT ruled out a case of diverticulitis.

(so grateful)

But I still felt H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E.

And then late Saturday afternoon

my doctor called with an additional set of test results -

a urine culture test 

which involves a 3-4 day turnaround.

It, too, confirmed the UTI

BUT

it ALSO showed that I had a RESISTANT UTI.

(go read the article - you need to know about this)

No wonder the fever was still raging.

The antibiotics used for a regular UTI 

have no impact on a resistant one.

Now that the antibiotic has been changed,

I am starting to think a bit more clearly,

my vision is less fuzzy,

and my appetite is beginning to return.

Oh, and the fever is decreasing.

I am no where near back to normal and

have had to cancel my local trunk show

and my visit to Scrap Club 

hosted by Kevin the Quilter in MO.

I've not been in the studio for over a week

and the pile of paper that has come into the house

for sorting, paying, and filing is getting taller by the day

so hopefully in a couple three days . . .

* * *

My parting words of advice to each of you

are that if you have what you believe is a UTI,

ask your doctor to run BOTH tests

so you find out sooner if you're dealing

with a resistant version.

Quiltdivajulie

Another Collaboration Completed

This is Burning Bush ~ the latest collaboration with DH.

Including the frayed finial, it measures 14" tall by 13" wide.

Photos will supersize if clicked, then clicked again.

Here's a detail of the upper edge, top, collar, and finial base.

Here's a detail of the frayed finial itself.

(DH made it and I "arranged" it)

We both love this one!

You can see Burning Bush in motion here.

You can see more of DH's work at his blog

and in his gallery album.

* * *

Back to the studio ~ more things to work on . . . 

Quiltdivajulie

Beauty and the Beast

Belle and The Beast in the garden

DH and I have been collaborating again ~

this time for entries into the Woodturners America 

Beauty and the Beast contest.

The Beast in the garden

DH turned the two Cherry closed hollow forms

(the larger form is 12" tall while the other is 9-1/2").

Belle in the garden

I then "dressed" our couple using my segmented batik method.

Beauty and Belle

They're posing above on the ballroom dance floor ~

you can watch their video here.

Voting begins after the entry deadline (September 6) 

and requires a simple, free registration with Woodturners America.

There is one category for Beauty and one for Beast.

There will also be voting set up for photos of each entrant's couple.

You can view our registered entries right now through the category links above

(additional formal portraits are within each entry).

Once voting begins, we'll share the links again.

Even with only the earliest entries online,

there are already many interpretations of the contest's theme!

(the numbers you'll see are viewing "hits")

* * *

We're delighted with these collaborative pieces . . . 

and we have plans for more (including one named Burning Bush)!

* * *

Thanks for stopping by!

Quiltidivajulie

Time to Regroup (again) ...

Courtesy of Google Images

So it's Monday, again.

That is a good thing, 

but it is also a sad thing because

I needed more days in my weekend . . . 

DH and I are working on a pair of collaborative pieces

for entry into a contest by the Woodturners of America.

I can't show photos until after our entries are submitted,

but as soon as that happens, 

you WILL get to see the seven submission photos. 

 [And when voting time comes, I'll pass along the info.]

Brush Strokes

Our family of five enjoyed a movie/dinner outing

with a matinee of Cowboys & Aliens

followed by dinner at Olive Garden during which

Brush Strokes, created for our eldest and his wife,

was gifted in honor of their 5th anniversary.

But mostly, I dealt with so many thoughts

that I filled multiple pages in my working journal ~

ideas for the trunk show I'm giving in September,

ponderings for a long-delayed quilt project that remains in a box,

ways to improve the work space in my studio,

storage ideas for waiting projects,

realizing more collaborative possibilities with DH,

sketches for my rapidly-gestating quilty guardian angel wallhanging,

[not to mention those pesky non-art related thoughts and to-do items]

and on and on and on ~ 

until I feel like Calvin -- HELP!!!!!

Now I need a weekend to recover . . . 

It will be interesting to see how things develop this week.

Quiltdivajulie

Secret Project Revealed

Synergy (2011)

Our collaborative "secret project" is finished!

DH turned this 16" bowl from a freshly-cut sweet gum tree.

Once the green-wood bowl had dried and been sealed,

 I spent several (!) hours embellishing the bowl with batiks.

Defined as two or more things functioning together 

to produce a result not independently obtainable, 

synergy usually arises when two persons 

with different complementary skills cooperate.

Before and after

This photo shows another, slightly smaller log section

from the sweet gum tree, to give you an idea of

"where the bowl came from."

You can see more process photos in the web album here.

We're both happy with the results of our first collaborative piece.

Quiltdivajulie

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p.s.  You can see some of DH's other recently finished wood turnings here.