The Silly BooDilly

Stitch Journals: How to Create and Use Coptic Bound Fabric Books, for Slow Stitch Exploration and Expression

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 20:21:00 +0000

Photo: A stack of hand-painted signatures waiting to be bound into stitch journals.

Back in July of 2022 during a studio clean, I found a couple of small fabric books stuck in a drawer. I had made them the previous summer, and for whatever reason they hadn't lived up to my expectations, thus in the drawer they went, the place where things I don't know what to do with wind up. I'm not certain but I think I originally intending them to be needle books. I must have had some other visual imagery in my mind of what they should look like, because obviously they had disappointed me.

Photo: This is the style of book that I had originally made and found stashed away in a drawer.

Made from old feed and grain sacks, I call them my "Rustic" style stitch journals.

But finding them again after a year had passed, I was now able to see them with fresh eyes, and this time only saw something potentially wonderful... two small books that I could turn into stitch journals.

Photos: An "invented language" stitch journal called "Book of Symbols". It's filled with abstract symbols, representing things that I see as I travel my local rural roads, such as fences, farms, barns, windmills, crops, etc.

Ever since then I have been on a journey of making stitch journals and filling them up. Along the way I have been sharing photos of them over on Instagram and have had lots of questions asking if I would do some sort of tutorial on how I make them... So, I set out to do just that.

Photo: A themed book with barns as the subject.

I quickly realized that the information I had to share was more then just one tutorial, so I began to write a course on how to create various Coptic bound stitch journals that one could use for slow stitch experimentation and self expression... which is what my journey had become about, and continues to be, as the more of these that I make the deeper I dive into this art form.

Photo: Page spread from a momigami paper stitch journal,

made from old National Geographic magazine pages.

And after now working the better part of a year, I am truly delighted to have it available for anyone interested in taking the plunge along with me.

Photo: Page spreads from two painted stitch journal.

The course is available in my Etsy Shop and can be found here. The course is presented in a PDF format, (no videos) and is broken up into 5 parts. Written in a conversational tone, and full of color photographs to help guide and inspire.

Photo: More hand-painted signatures, stacked and waiting to be bound into stitch journals.

This course is meant to be worked independently and at one's own pace, but I am available to answer questions if need be.

Photo: A cascade of stitch journals in various stages of use.

As an artist I have always wanted to fill up volumes of art journals, and in the past I've tried to keep a practice of doing just that, with sketching, painting, collaging, but none of it has ever stuck, and I always found myself feeling like I lacked discipline. Finally though, the lightbulb went on above my head... I am primarily a textile artist, so why not make textile journals and fill them up with stitch?! This obvious thought had alluded me my whole adult life, but once that light of wisdom shined on me, oh, what a joy to now have volumes of my very own stitch journals... Safe places where I can play with needle and thread, explore texture and color, save bits of vintage materials and buttons, or transform them with rust and dirt... It's been eye-opening and soul satisfying, and I hope should you join me, that you will also find the same to be true.

Happy stitching and may you always be curious. Xo

Whispered Stories - My 'In Conversation' Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 21:19:00 +0000

A few months ago Tara Glastonbury from Stitch and Yarn reached out to me and asked if I would like to be her partner in an international group exhibit that she conceived and was putting together. The premise of the show was 7 Australian quilters would each pick an international quilter to be their partner. Each pair of partners would then begin to have a conversation(s) (via text, email, Zoom, or even in person if possible) about anything they fancied. Each individual would then make a quilt that reflected what they had conversed about with their respective partner. I loved the concept, and thrilled with the chance to work with Tara (someone I have admired for a long time) I joyfully accepted her invitation.

Tara and I conversed about many things, including personal memories associated with cloth, the love of working with previously used cloth, the idea that old or used cloth holds memories, the attraction to cloth with worn holes, faded areas, marks, stains and any sign of a previous life or use.

With those and other thoughts teased out in our conversations, we each began to create our individual quilts. I started off with this pile of vintage grain and feed sacks pulled from my stash...

All of these vintage sacks were found locally and their various shades of white, along with the stains, marks and imperfections found on them remind me of the colors and patina found on the old local white washed barns, of which many of them may have once lived in a previous life...

I decided to do a 'quilt as you go' approach, creating nine 12.5" x 12.5" blocks, made up of various raw edged appliqué patches. If any patch had a hole in it, I placed another piece of fabric behind it. For an added little touch I used bits of patterned fabrics that I gleaned from a deconstructed antique quilt. I then machine quilted each block with vertical and horizontal rows of unevenly spaced lines, again, reminiscent of those old barns with all of their wonderful lines...

I joined the 9 blocks together on my sewing machine using a zig-zag stitch, and covered up those stitches with a hand-whipped satin stitch, using many different colors of variegated threads...

I also choose to forgo traditional or faced binding, and simple repeated the hand-whipped satin stitch all around the quilt's boarder....

I revisited every hole that I had placed a piece of fabric behind, as if they were an old friend. I listened to their whispered stories of how they came to be as I did more hand-whipped satin stitches around each of their frayed borders...

I added 'fence post' hand stitches (| | | | | |) around the edges of every patch. And then I added hand quilting down the middle of every space created by those previously machine stitched lines...

Once, when flipping the quilt around so as to stitch on a different section, I caught this view of the sun streaming in behind it and I do believe that quilt was quietly singing...

I mended threadbare areas with some needle weaving...

And when I was done, I had a quilt (relatively small at just 36" x 36")

made from cloth that has lived and continues to live a humble but honorable life.

Marked with stains from years gone by...

And newly mended holes and patches...

Full of old stories, and new ones, too...

And which most remarkably has now traveled to places that I have never been, and is hanging on a wall in a gallery on the opposite side of the world from me. Wonders never cease...

Here are our two quilts (my 'Whispered Stories' on the left and Tara's 'Sown Stories' on the right) hanging together side by side at the recent opening of the 'In Conversation" Exhibit in Sydney Australia, at Gallery76, where it will run from now through June 25, 2023, before moving on to its next location in Melbourne...

And despite looking different, with my understated quiet tones and Tara's bold use of the complimentary colors blue and orange, don't they play nicely together?! You can tell they share a background history of some sorts.

Much to our amazement, after our quilts were well on their way, Tara and I found out during a Zoom chat how many similarities we took in our approaches. Besides using repurposed cloth, we both featured holes, marks and imperfections. We both (without the prior knowleged of what the other was doing) opted for quilt-as-you-go construction methods, raw edge appliqué, and a combination of machine straight line quilted rows (going in various directions) with hand quilting interspersed between those rows. With so many ways to make a quilt, what are the odds that we would both choose so many of the same construction and quilting choices? We even both used the word 'Stories' in our titles.

The whole process was utterly fascinating and my hat is off to Tara for coming up with such a unique concept and huge bows and rounds of applause for organizing it, and shepherding it in to existence.

🧡💙🧡

Here's a pic of all the participating artists, side by side with their respective partner...

Starting at the top row, and going from left to right are:

Row 1: Tara Glastonbury Victoria Gertenbach Jessica Wheelahan Chawne Kimber

Row 2: Tania Tanti Irene Rodrick Diane Vandeyar Sarah Hibbert

Row 3: Phong Chi Lai Hetal Shrivastav Caroline Hadley Daisy Aschehoug

Row 4: Lorena Uriarte Krista Hennebury

For more information, behind the scenes info and a chance to support this exhibit, please visit the 'In Converstaion' Buy Me a Coffee page.

PS. I seem to be having a lot of glitches concerning the ability to leave a comment, so I've just decided to disable them. Thank you though for reading. xo

My Latest Obsession... Stitch Journals

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 19:11:00 +0000

Over the last several months all of my creative focus has been on creating handmade cloth "Stitch Journals" in which I can experiment in and fill up. Here's an example of one of them...

I began by hand painting all of the fabrics, (Jacquard Textile Colors were mainly used).

I then machine stitched the fabrics into pages to later hand-bind into the journal.

When I make the "blank" pages I like to add machine stitched lines and bits of machine stitched appliqué.

(I consider the journal to be "blank" until I fill the pages in with hand stitching.)

Those machine stitched lines, and appliquéd bits, act as "prompts"...

jumping off points for my creativity to land... places for me to eventually fill in with my hand stitching once the journal has been hand bound into a book form.

(Such as what you see in these photos of a completed journal.)

The hand-stitching creates a sort of non-verbal language. One that can be seen and also felt.

Something almost primitive, and very instinctual.

I take great joy in the whole process...

from hand-painting, to hand-binding, to hand-stitching.

All of it is meditative, creative and fulfilling.

And when it's complete, I feel so incredibly satisfied.

I hope this obsession lasts for sometime.

New Work: Ragged Series

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 18:02:00 +0000

Back in January I began a new series of small stitched works which I am calling my 'Ragged Series'...

Ragged no. 2

In this series I continue to draw my inspiration from my local rural surroundings of Lancaster County, PA. Along with my usual interest in line and shape, I am also playing with texture and taking a wondrous deep dive into exploring the very wide range of local colors, including colors found in the farm fields and old barns, (of course!) to roadside farm produce and flower stands, to the lovely colors of Amish clothing, and old painted farm tractors... It's all fair game, and glorious to me!

Above is an example of how what I see is influencing me. On the right is one of my photos of a local road with old worn barns, and on the left is one of my 'Ragged' pieces.

To achieve the colors and textures I am looking for, I begin with ripping and tearing bits of assorted fabrics of various weave and fiber content.

I then individually hand paint each individual piece with different fabric paints and inks.

The ones shown above were done with a combination of Jacquard and Setacolor paints

and Tsukineko inks.

Ragged no. 6

Here's another example of local inspiration. Please note however, I don't reference any photos while I work, as I think it would hang me up with trying to get my brain to create more literally. Wishing to keep things abstract, I rely on trusting that I intuitively know these colors, and the rural "feel" I wish to communicate, from a long time of observation and study. I admit to being both surprised and tickled when afterwards I can go back and find photos that connect with what I've stitched. It further reinforces my faith in trusting my gut.

Ragged no. 7

(Inspired by old red barns and the shadows that hide in the corners.)

Ragged no. 8

To date I have completed 14 works in this series and am currently working on numbers 15 and 16. Generally, I tend to work in small series, rarely more than 15 pieces, often less, before moving onto a new subject, as I get so damned bored so easily. It is my true desire however to keep exploring this series at least through 2022. So far, so good... I'm still curious and interested!

I think that interest and curiosity in large part is due to how much I am enjoying the process of painting my own fabric. Above I'm playing with colors and patinas found on some of the old barns, including the wood, the roofs, the shadows... so much beautiful, subtle colors.

Below are a few more pieces from the series along with a couple of examples of local inspiration...

Ragged no. 11

Ragged no. 14

Ragged no. 13

Ragged no. 13 is my only square piece to date, but one of my favorites.

When making this I was thinking about old red barns and farm fields.

~~~

So, that's what I'm up to these days.

If interested, you can follow me on Instagram where I post each completed piece once listed in my Etsy shop. (To date, as I am writing this post, all but 2 of the 14 have sold, and I hope to list more soon.)

New Stitched Talismans Tutorial Pattern!

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 15:33:00 +0000

Object of Comfort Talisman, Front View

I've just released a new tutorial pattern, now available here in my Etsy shop!

This one is on how to make your own stitched talismans using stones and shells as the base like the one shown above, (that I just made yesterday) and the ones shown below.

The idea for these first started some 10 + years ago when I was beach combing and came across a massive and beautiful pile of broken, hard-shell, quahog clamshell fragments. I gathered a bucket full of them knowing that someday, somehow, I was going to cover them in patchwork...

I just wasn't exactly sure of how I would go about doing that.

Hmmm...

That seed stayed germinating in my head for a long time before it decided to finally sprout several years ago, when I finally figured out how to do what I'd envisioned all those years earlier...

I was planning on creating a pattern back then, in case anyone else had a thing for collecting such treasures from the beach and might want to make there own. However, shortly after sharing some of what I was making on social media, Quilting Arts Magazine contacted me asking if I'd write a short how-to article on making the talismans for their Feb/March 2018 Issue.

Some of you may remember... they even made the cover...

(A true thrill and honor indeed!!)

After that, the pattern idea just got tossed on the back burner of my brain, and I moved on to other things, (because I never, ever seem to be able to stay focused on one thing for very long).

During the following years, I've been contacted now and again from someone wanting to know if I offered my own tutorial pattern for these, like I do for my Fabric Quilted Beads,

and if not was I ever planning on creating one?

The answer has always been, "No. Yes. But I have no idea when."

Honest and vague.

But now the answer is,"Why yes, yes indeed I do!"

(And that makes me so happy!)

Objects of Comfort Talismans Tutorial Pattern

This PDF downloadable pattern, (available in my Etsy shop) offers more in depth instruction then I was able to provide in the magazine article, as well as step by step photo illustrations. For good measure I've included how to make a simple talisman necklace and a tea stained version of the talismans...

The materials and tools needed are pretty basic, and no worries if you don't have a stash of broken hard-shell fragments, as smooth stones and rocks work great as well!

So, if you would like to know how, or want some more info on making your own talismans...

(Or if you just wish to clothe some stones and shells because they look cold and naked to you!)

Then hopefully this pattern will provide you with what you need!

Object of Comfort Talisman, BackView

~~~

Oh! And speaking of Quilting Arts Magazine...

Quilting Arts Fall 2021 Issue

I have a new article featured in their current Fall 2021 issue!

This article is on how to make your own Story Fragments, as shown in my previous post here.

Be sure to look for this lovely issue, it's full of lot's of great ideas and information!

Contemplating Texture and the Quilted Stitch. A Few Things to Think About.

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 18:45:00 +0000

Part of the fun of making a quilt is the actual act of quilting it. It determines so much of what the quilt will be, what it will say, how it will look, and how it will feel, (to the touch and to the heart). Because of that there are things you may wish to contemplate before quilting.

For instance, I wanted the quilts in my previous post to have a clean, modern look, with visible quilting, and I didn't want much added texture. So, I choose to machine quilt, (as opposed to hand quilt) them in a Baptist fan design, which is one of my favorite quilting motifs. In those previous quilts, the quilted lines almost seem to float on top of the surface. That's in part due to machine stitches don't create the same tug and pull of the fabric that hand quilted stitches do, so the texture is generally cut down somewhat in that regard. Side note: Solid fabrics will showcase quilted lines more than prints will, as the quilted lines can get visually lost amongst the printed design.

Other considerations are the weight of the fabrics used. I've found that the heavier the fabric, the less texture is created from the quilting. This is especially true if you choose not to wash the quilt afterwards. Washing and drying a quilt will always increase the texture due to shrinkage. Note: For those quilts shown in that previous post, I used mid weight, (quilting weight) shot cottons, and did not wash or dry them afterwards. This helped keep that crisp clean look by avoiding too much quilting texture.

Now, for this quilt, (which I simply call "Up") I wanted to go in the opposite direction and give it lots of texture. Ingrained, organic texture. And that called for hand quilting, along with some other considerations, such as the following...

1) As mentioned above, the weight of the fabric plays into how much or how little texture your finished quilt may have. Because I wanted lots of texture for this quilt, I chose to use light weight shot cottons. The lighter weight fabrics have the ability to gather a bit more closely, and pucker a bit more easily, when the thread is pulled through it, thus creating more texture (These are all Kaffe Fassett shot cottons that I've had in my stash for years. They are very light weight with a lovely drape.)

2) Choosing to set my rows close together gave me more texture than if I had set them farther apart. This is simply because with hand quilting, the quilted stitch provides the texture, so the more stitches, the more texture. (Now every rule has its exception, and sometimes I find that if I am machine quilting close set rows, I get a flatter, more stiff, less textured quilt. This seems to happen when the fabric itself is more densely woven, then if I were to use a light weight fabric.)

3) I like my stitches to be visible, so I don't make them too small, but because I wanted texture, I also didn't make them too big, as again, with hand quilting, the more stitches the more texture.

4) Afterwards, I gave it a light wash, and a few minutes in the dryer, then allowed it to air dry. Had I given it a harder wash, and more time in the dryer, the texture would have been more than I wanted... I wish there were some magic formula I could give to you on this, but practice is the only way I know of getting an intuition of what's too much and what's too little. In regards to washing and drying, when in doubt go for less texture as more can likely be added with another wash and longer dry, but once it's there, it's there.

I suppose needle and thread size also have a say in the texture created when hand quilting, but in all truth, I have been doing it the same way for so long, I don't know. All I know is I like my results, so no need to try and alter them. When hand quilting I use 12 weight cotton thread and no. 9 John James "straw" needles.

Look at that yummy texture!

Also, look at those little short lengths of turquoise blue stitching that I've place here and their in between the long rows. Hand quilting offers the perfect opportunity to add in little extras. Sometimes it may be cross shaped stitches, (x or + ), other times it may be a little mended area or extra stitches added in like I've done here on "Up". (Hmmm... maybe these random little blue stitches are floating upwards?) Again, something to think about when contemplating your stitching.

And speaking of contemplating your stitching... how does one decide how to quilt one's quilt? I always say it's best to ask your quilt what it wants. You will find that they are rarely shy and if you listen closely they will tell you exactly what they want to be. (And woe to you who is fool hardy enough to ignore the request. Quilts can be ornery little buggers if they don't get their way.)

So, there you have it. Just a few things on stitch and texture to contemplate before quilting your next quilt. And really, I do mean a few... we didn't even talk about free motion quilting, (I know the humble stipple stitch is often dismissed, but you can get some crazy good texture from combining stipple stitching with machine washing and drying.) How closely and how far apart you quilt those stipples will also play into the texture, as will the weight of the fabric... never underestimate the effect on texture caused by the weight of your fabric, and how open or closed the weave is.

To summarize, as always, experimentation and practice are key in getting a better understanding of how quilting effects texture, and how the degree of texture is affected by things such as: the the fabric content; weight of the fabric; the choice between hand quilting, machine quilting, and free motion machine quilting; the quilted motif; how closely or far apart the quilted stitches are placed; and whether you wash and dry your quilts, and to what degree if you do. Go play with it and have fun!

For more details on "Up" please see here.

I Still Love Shot Cottons

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 20:59:00 +0000

There was a while a few years back when I was exclusively only using shot cottons when making quilt tops. I adore them for their simple and unpretentious beauty. The way depth and richness is achieved simply by weaving one color for the weft and another for the warp.

"Just Beneath the Surface"

It's a marriage of color that produces its first offspring in that third created color, along with siblings born from the other shades achieved simply by the angle of the cloth and how the light hits it.

What is not to love?

Somewhere along the line though, I pretty much stopped buying commercial fabrics, preferring to be a bit more thrifty and eco-conscious and use cloth cut from old clothing or vintage textiles.

"You Plow Your Field and I'll Plow Mine"

And because I loved my shot cottons so much, I stopped using them... odd how that works. Like having Grandma's beautiful old china but never using it.

Well, enough of that nonsense.

I'm breaking into that stash and I'm going to use it up.

Here are my first offerings, three improv quilts with freeform Baptist Fan quilting.

"The Downward Flow of Water"

It feels good to use what we find beautiful.

For more info/details on each quilt, or to check availability, please click on the links under the quilts.

Story Fragments

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Sat, 15 May 2021 17:24:00 +0000

I've collected old found photos for years. I guess what appeals to me the most is their mystery. With no clue as to who these folks were, my imagination is sparked and I can fill in the story to my liking. I always feel a responsibility as well to these unknown faces... it makes me so sad that their family photos found their way into junk shops, flea markets, antique stores... discarded because no remaining family member wanted them or even remembered them?

I want to honor these forgotten people, and what better way to do that then add them to artwork? Shown here are pieces from a new series called "Story Fragments". Because each of these photos is really just a tiny fragment representing someone's life, I've coupled each photo with other small fragments... bits cut from vintage grain sack cloth and old quilt pieces, as well as small bits of vintage book cloth, and antique fabric prints gathered from deconstructed old quilts, too worn for repair, (but with so much soul embedded in-between their fibers).

Each piece is really a small quilt, (top, batting and backing) and each has been mounted via hand stitch to a piece of 140 lb watercolor paper. If interested you can click on the "Details" link below each piece for more detailed pics and availability info. I hope each of you are well and as always wish you all the very best. xo

Details

Painted Paper Patchwork Barns

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 13:32:00 +0000

I meant to post this several months ago when I first made these, but alas I never got around to it.

Better late then never though, so here we are and here we go...

My last post, oh so many months ago, had me sharing some stitched and quilted barns I was making out of vintage fabrics. I loved making those, but they were really hard on my hands as they were very thick in some areas. I was having to use a pair of pliers just to pull the needle through in those thick areas! Eventually my hands just declared, "No more!" And so, I had to stop.

Trouble was I still had barns in my system and very much wanted to keep stitching some. So I sat down and thought and thought about how I could hand-stitch barns but not cause so much pain to my hands? Then I stopped thinking and just listened and watched what popped into my mind.

(That is very much my creative process.)

And what I saw were these painted and stitched paper patchwork barns.

I got right to work, watercolor painting small bits of torn watercolor paper, (I use 140 lb). and stitching the pieces into various barn shapes, hand-stitched together with 12 wt thread.

Much easier on my hands and very satisfying to make!

After playing around with a few samples I decided that the stitched barns would look nice on painted backgrounds, which you see here in all of the photos. However there was still one element missing...

I wanted the colors, the paper, the surface, to have more... oomph!

I thought some more for a bit and then I remembered seeing some oil painters on Instagram who used cold wax medium in conjunction with the oil paint. Those works always catch my eyes as they seem to have such depth and richness to them. But would cold wax medium be compatible with watercolors?

I did a quick Google search and found that cold wax medium could be used as a final coat for watercolor paintings. Perfect-o! So, I got me some of that cold wax medium and gave it a go

and then fell in love.

In the photo above and the 3 photos below, you can see the soft sheen and luminosity achieved by applying the cold wax. Once dried and buffed, it truly gives the watercolors that beautiful richness and depth I was hoping for.

To complete the paintings I mounted them, (via hand stitch) to another sheet of 140 lb. watercolor paper, so they can be easily framed, (or if a framing procrastinator like me, propped up until one get around to such matters.) The finished pieces sort of remind me of tiles and contain so many elements I love, from subject matter to color to patchwork and stitching...

So, out of one road block, caused by hands that said, "No more stitching these thick fabric barns" a new creative path was forged through thinking about possibilities and listening to the answers that popped up.

How wonderful!

All of the barns shown have been sold,

however, I do have a new batch made, that I haven't shared anywhere yet

and will eventually list in my Etsy shop.

For now though I am just laying low, staying home and avoiding going to places that don't feel safe. And unfortunately that currently includes my local small post office, (which makes me so sad as I love the post office and try hard to fully support it). But alas, last time I was there over the holidays, face masks were not being worn by most of the staff, and that's just a deal breaker for me until things settle down and/or I can get that coveted vaccine.

(And yes, I know there are ways that you can print labels and ship without having to do it in person but I am not that savvy on the process and really do enjoy the act of doing it myself.)

One more thing on the subject of face masks... if you are reading this and are in the "no face mask camp", (as are so many of the folks that live in my area are) and are now feeling a tension boiling up and/or eyes rolling in your head over my concern for all of our safety and wellbeing, (something that face masks have been scientifically proven to be effective in)... please, keep it to yourself...

I don't need to know. We simply disagree. Strongly.

~ ~ ~

~ Breathe ~

~ ~ ~

To each of you, (if anyone is even still out there reading my semi-neglected blog.... hello???) Stay safe, stay well, stay creative. As Einstein said, "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity... Never lose a holy curiosity."

Stitched Textile Pictures: Barn Series

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 18:40:00 +0000

Back in April I began a new series of stitched barn textile pictures. Not surprising that I decided to focus on barns... anyone familiar with my work knows how much they inspire me. But I seem to especially turn to them in times of trouble. As I walk or drive past them, I've always felt that they whisper to me their own stories of happy memories, along with times of struggle, hardship and survival. They truly are like friends to me, and help me feel like I am not alone as I make my way through this life.

As for the stitched barns below, each one is made from vintage grain sack material, and bits of antique fabric salvaged from an old quilt too far gone to repair. Some also have bits of vintage book cloth, as well. All have been machine and hand stitched. Once finished, each one is then mounted, via hand stitch, to a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper.

The first batch of 8 have already sold and I just listed the second batch of 8 today in my Etsy shop. Below are all 16 in full, along with some detail shots, too.

PS. I hope everyone is hanging in there and doing ok. These are difficult times for our country. Again, anyone who is familiar with me, knows that I am aghast at our current administration. Stay safe and well. And VOTE! xo

Barn no. 1

SOLD

Barn no. 1 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 2

SOLD

Barn no. 2 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 3

SOLD

Barn no. 3 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 4

SOLD

Barn no. 4 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 5

(with eleanor)

(some are really small!)

SOLD

Barn no. 5 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 6

SOLD

Barn no. 6 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 7

SOLD

Barn no. 7 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 8

SOLD

Barn no. 8 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 9

SOLD

~~~

Barn no. 9 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 10

SOLD

Barn no. 10 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 11

SOLD

Barn no. 11 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 12

SOLD

Barn no. 12 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 13

Barn no. 13 - Detail

~~~

Barn no 14

Sold

Barn no. 14 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 15

SOLD

Barn no. 15 - Detail

~~~

Barn no. 16

SOLD

Barn no. 16 - Detail

Faded Memories

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 01:23:00 +0000

This blog post immediately feels inadequate to me. How do I post something without acknowledging what we are collectively going through right now? And yet, anything I say feels so insignificant in the face of it all.

I wish I had wise words, comforting words, words that maybe could make you laugh for a second and momentarily forget the pain, the fear, the sadness, the confusion... but I don't.

The only thing I have is my compassion for whatever it is that you are going through...

If you are a medical worker on the front lines, risking your own life to save the lives of others, sincerely I say, God bless you and protect you. You are doing an amazing job.

If you are one of the many workers, such as my husband, who is still called in to work and you find yourself in an environment that puts you at risk and seems to undervalue the service you provide, sincerely I say, God bless you and protect you. You are doing an amazing job.

If you have been laid off from your job, and are not sure if your job will ever exist again, such as myself, finding yourself in an odd state of limbo where one day blends into the next and you feel unproductive despite having more time on your hands then you ever had before, sincerely I say, God bless you and protect you. You are doing an amazing job.

If you are a parent of young children, possibly juggling work from home along with childcare, homeschooling, housework and meal prep, and increasingly find yourself understanding why some species eat their young, sincerely I say, God bless you and protect you. You are doing an amazing job.

xoxo

The rest of this post is me just showing you some pics of the piece I recently completed. It's a small piece, (14" x 16.5") started months ago... one that I would just pick up here and there and add a bit of stitch before putting down again, and now it's finished...

"Faded Memories"

Made from vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of book cloth gleaned from the covers of vintage books that I have had in my possession for 30 plus years... It was time for them to be repurposed...

Some small holes in the cloth gave me a place to mend...

Machine and hand stitched,

And patched together...

And that's all I got.

Stay safe. Stay well.

Shunned Series

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 18:16:00 +0000

In my mind a did a blog post just about a month or so ago... in reality it was 8 months ago, and here we are with just a few weeks left in 2019. So, with that realization, I figured it was definitely time to do one last blog post before the new year.

While I've made a couple of quilts between my last post and this one, (both of which can be found on my Instagram feed, I thought I'd share with you what I've been most recently stitching.

Small stitched works visually inspired from the local worn and weathered barns that I photograph on my phone as I go from here to there, in Northern Lancaster County and surrounding areas, such as these two...

Each was stitched while contemplating that, (and those) which are rejected, discarded, abandoned, deemed unworthy... But which deserve love, respect, honor, dignity, and understanding. I also pulled from personal memories of rejection, as well as reflecting on the Amish practice found here in Lancaster County of shunning those in the family that choose to forge a different path. And from those contemplations, all I can say is this...

We all have faced rejection and we have all been the one that rejected. We have all been judged, and we have all judged. We have all had love withheld, and we have all withheld love. That alone should give us compassion. Everyone is broken to some degree, and everyone is in need of some tender mercy.

Having said that, (and warning... I'm about to go political here) I admit I'd find it hard to give that mercy to some... including the person who now occupies the White House. However, should he ever grow a heart, or at least a moral compass and truly ask for forgiveness, then that is what I hope I would do. Until then, I hope his is a one term presidency, or better yet, a less than one term.

Below are the 8 pieces I've stitched so far in what I am calling my "Shunned" series. I may finish with one more, or keep going. Don't yet know.

The photos were all taken in various natural light and aren't the best, so have a bit of mercy for them.

"Fragile"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

7" x 4.5"

"Broken"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

3" x 3"

"Hidden"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

5.75" x 5"

"Labeled"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

7.5" x 6"

"Exiled"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

6.25" x 5.25"

"Discarded"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

8.5" x 4.25"

"Homeless"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

5" x 5.25"

"Omitted"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

5.5" x 5.75"

~~~~~~

Wishing you all the best for the New Year.

xo

Off the Beaten Path

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 17:01:00 +0000

If you read my last post, than you know that I have been on a bit of a fabric buying strike, but allowed myself to indulge in buying some thrifted men's shirts, (results of which to date can be found on that post as well).

Well... I also allowed myself to buy some vintage grain sack fabric found at a local Mennonite quilt sale. I figured it was fair game, as it isn't new and I fell hard for its quiet beauty, flaws, stains and all.

And on a quick side note... may I say many thanks to those that did read my last post and a special thanks to those that took the time to leave a comment. I know much time can go from one post to another, (although not this time) and everyone's kindness is always so very much appreciated!

I got several pieces of this incredibly soft grain sack fabric that has the most amazing drape. Old dirt and mildew stains speckle the cloth which I find lovely. (The fabrics all appeared to have been washed before selling, with no evidence of active mold or mildew. However, I still gave everything a thorough cleaning in very hot water and dried on a long high heat once home as well. I want those lovely stains to remain, but also wanted to ensure that no active spores were still present.)

Now that I hopefully peeked your interest, I regret to say that I am still contemplating what to do with the above fabrics, so nothing more to show you there. And I might as well be up front now, (after my last post set the bar a bit high) just ONE quilt to show this time, but I think it's a good one!

Ok, back to the fabrics, and eventually that one quilt...

I also got a stack of these low volume beauties...

I am serious as can be when I tell you that their weave, their colors, their typography...

all make my heart speed up and my mouth literally starts to salivate.

Why on earth I do not know... it's not like I want to eat them.

(Or do I?)

No, I'd much rather sew with them...

"Off the Beaten Path"

Vintage grain sacks

Freehand cut, machine pieced, hand quilted

27.5" x 21"

Out of all the quilts I've ever made I think this was my favorite one to quilt.

All the hand quilting was done in a VERY freeform manner.

No planning, no marking, just stitching.

It was, in a word, LIBERATING!

Some of the material was very gauzy and light weight, so I decided to line the whole quilt with a piece of muslin fabric layered between the top and the batting, in order to give it better stability. This also came in handy when I decided to mend two small holes found in one of the fabric pieces. I just hand stitched the edges, and left the hole openings be, allowing the muslin lining to peak thru. You can see a better close up in that photo at the very top of this post.

Oh, and here's a little tid bit...

Have you noticed that little slice of fabric that says Baltimore?

It was part of the address found on one of the grain sacks.

I put that in as an ode to where I was born.

I backed the quilt with a natural unbleached muslin and for the binding I used a gauzy vintage fabric that I got at the same sale. Then I washed it to bring out all that delicious, crinkled, quilt texture.

Quilt is currently for sale in my Etsy shop and can be found here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Waste not, Want Not - Shirt Quilts

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 17:09:00 +0000

For the last year or so, I've been on a bit of a self-imposed fabric buying ban, (with a few exceptions for buying mostly backing fabrics here and there). I mean, it's not like I don't have enough fabric, right? But then again, can you ever have have enough fabric?

With that second thought looming more prominently in my brain, I decided to allow myself some indulgence, with the caveat that all "new" fabric would actually be old reclaimed fabric.

Deal.

So off to the thrift store I went in search of men's shirts, (which we all know is made from much higher quality fabric then women's clothing, but we will save that discussion for another day).

Here's a pic of some thrifted shirts after dissecting them...

A good seam ripper and a sharp pair of fabric scissors, coupled with a little patience, is the key!

And look at all that nice fabric! We've got cottons and linen.

Shot cottons and chambrays. Stripes and ginghams, too!

And here's what I've made so far...

Shirt Quilt # 1

Cotton and linen

Freehand cut, machine pieced, machine and hand quilted.

19.5" x 14.5"

Shirt Quilt #1 Detail

Shirt Quilt #2

Cotton and linen.

Freehand cut, machine pieced, machine quilted.

29" x 18.5"

Shirt Quilt #2 Detail

Shirt Quilt #3

Cotton

Freehand cut, machine pieced, machine quilted.

22.5" x 20.5"

Shirt Quilt #3 Detail

Shirt Quilt #4

Cotton

Freehand cut, machine pieced, machine quilted.

20.5" x 17.5"

Shirt Quilt #4 Detail

Shirt Quilt #5

Cotton and linen

Freehand cut, machine pieced, machine quilted.

33" x 30.5"

Shirt Quilt #5 Detail, front and back

And to end with I shall share a little bit on the making of that last quilt.

I call it...

The Saga of Shirt Quilt #5

Compared to other quilts I've made, there was nothing out of the ordinary nor technically difficult in the making of this piece. However, I have never been so happy to be finished with a quilt, then with this one. Were it not part of this on going Shirt Quilt series, I simply would have named it "Petulance".

As a general rule, I try to listen to the work and respect where it wishes to go. This usually creates a working harmony and respect between myself and the piece. This quilt however, WHINED its desires and when I did as it requested, it threw its head back laughing, as it waved a five finger salute at me. Every. Single. Time.

The one and only thing that seemed to make it play nicer in the sandbox with me was if we listened to Johnny Cash, specifically the songs from his American Recordings and American IV albums. The quilt still stuck its tongue out at me, but at least it stopped throwing sand in my eyes and hitting me over the head with its bucket.

The only reason I didn't walk away was to show it that I am just as stubborn!

End of Year Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 19:59:00 +0000

Well, 2018 zipped by like a flash of lightening, and though it's been quiet here on the old blog, I do continue to make. So, while 2018 still has a few days left in it, I thought it'd be nice to do one last blog post for the year. (Hey, that brings me up to a full 5 posts for 2018... no slacking here.)

Take a look below to see what I've been stitching since I last posted back in June...

(Note: If you are a supporter of our current administration, you may not like the creative thoughts behind the works below, and that is ok, as we are all free to believe what we choose to believe. If you choose to leave a comment that obviously differs from my own political views, please make it thoughtful, respectful and constructive. Help me to understand your point of view. Hateful and nonconstructive comments will be deleted. Thank you.)

This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land
36" x 36",
Cotton fabrics, (Moda Grunge)
Machine pieced and machine quilted

I made this quilt while reflecting on the many ways we divide ourselves in this country, while at the same time craving connection more then ever. The work itself explores division and reunion. Using a multitude of colors helps to illustrate and celebrate the importance of diversity in America.
(Thanks to Woody Guthrie for the title inspiration.)

Divided

31.5" x 21.25"
Cotton fabrics
Hand cut, (no straight edge used)
Machine pieced and hand quilted

This quilt was made while reflecting again on how divided we are as a country and how quickly our world wide credibility is fading under the current administration. The man in the White House seems hell bent on trying to deconstruct the American values that we have held so dear while trying to refashion them into a wholly different America, and it is very alarming to me the speed at which he seems to be accomplishing this and the lack of response from republican senators and congressmen/women.

Windmill
26" x 26"
Cotton fabrics, (shot cottons)
Hand cut, (no straight edge used)
Machine pieced and machine quilted

This quilt was made while reflecting on several things: line work, local surroundings, and of course, politics. In regard to line work, that's the term I am calling my ever developing and deeper desire to explore organic line shapes and how they interact with each other and how color influences that interaction. (The piece before this one is the beginning of my intent for a more mindful exploration, and going forward in the new year you will be seeing more of that exploration.) (Until I tire of it and move on to something else.)

This curiosity of line is of course deeply connected to the study of lines in my local rural surroundings... those old barns and outbuildings still fascinate me. (Below I've posted a photo I took just the other day that has wonderful lines and is a good example of the loveliness I see on a regular basis.)

And still, my mind can not help itself from continually thinking about our current state of affairs, (fueled no doubt by news often playing in the background while I sew). I seriously considered calling this piece "Tilting at Windmills" in a playful reference to the delusional Don Quixote and our own delusional Don occupying the White House. However, It was Thanksgiving when I finished it and in a desire for rest, I refrained and simply titled it "Windmill". (I'm saving that other title though for a possible future quilt.)

See? Good lines!

And here's a peak at something currently in the works, which I will share more of once it's finished, (which may be awhile). It's not big, but the stitching is going slow. Except for the smallest circle in each fan, I am basically eyeballing it, with the intention of not perfect quilted lines, but nevertheless, unity and relative consistency throughout. Much harder then I thought it would be. .

For all of what is shown, I was going back and forth... stitch a row, then flip the quilt and stitch the next row, thus saving on cutting, knotting and burying thread every row. However, (and here's a tip if you try this yourself!) I have finally realized that it's easier for me to stitch a row where the previous row is below the row being stitched and much harder for me when flipping the quilt and stitching a row where the previous row is above the row being stitched. Having that previous row below helps me eyeball the new row much easier. So, more cutting, knotting and burying, but less pulling stitches out and starting over. (And if you are reading this but are not a quilter, my apologies for something that must sound very confusing!)

Happy New Year to Everyone!

See you in 2019!

Catching Up

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Sun, 10 Jun 2018 17:12:00 +0000

Sometimes I honestly forget that I have a blog, and those sometimes seem to be more often then not of late. Oh Instagram... you have made it so much easier to connect and share and how I enjoy you, but I had this dear blog child long before you and do not wish to abandon her altogether!

(Forgive me little blog child... I still love you!)

Ok, so what's new? Well, I had to get a couple of new self-portrait shots for a lovely interview, which I will share in a minute. But first, I am going to tell the truth about this above photo. (Which I think looks nice and gives me a rather casual relaxed air, yes?) So this is what you don't see... I was sitting on a low stool, in front of a bookcase where I suspended two long loops of ropes on either side from thumbtacks sticking into the right and left top corners of the bookcase. The quilts had dowel rods in their hanging sleeves and I stuck the end of one rod into one loop and the other end of the other rod into the other loop. Then I clothes pinned the two quilts together around the top middle section. Their was some slack which made them droop, so I then folded the top edges of the quilts over one of the shelves and placed some heavy books on top to take up the slack. Next, I worked to get my old little point and shoot Canon camera, (which is about as high tech as I go) at just the right height, (no tripod. Why, oh why, don't I have a tripod?) I accomplished this by using one coffee table, with one small stool on top, followed by several books, followed by the camera. Easy! I set the camera on a timer, leaned forward, pressed the button to take a picture, leaned back and smiled. I did this about 50 times and still wasn't pleased with any of the shots. Then the quilts fell down and landed on my head. Re-hung the quilts, and took about 50 more photos and voila! One self-portrait of me doing my best to look casual, relaxed and chill!

But see, all that effort was for a good reason, as I had been asked by the lovely Kim Soper of Leland Ave Studios if I would be willing to be interviewed for The Creativity Project, which is where Kim is interviewing 52 quilters over 52 weeks to get to the "Why" we quilt. If you are not already following along, I hope you check it out... both my interview and the others. Kim is doing a wonderful job and I was honored to be a part of it!

And as for creating, well, I've been doing a lot of playing around... much experimenting and just a few actual finished works. This is one of the finished works, a quilt titled "Seasons Merge".

It's machine quilted on my domestic with a a free-form baptist fan adaptation, a design which always connects me to the local Lancaster County countryside with its plowed fields and soft rolling hills.

And I also made this rather lop-sided punch needle pillow which I adore. In the hoop it looked nice and round, but I later realized that the hoop had gotten distorted by the level of tension I had used to keep the fabric taut. Now I know to look for those distortions next time!

And like I said, I really adore this pillow! It was inspired by Pennsylvania Dutch frakturs, which hold great interest for me. And best yet, when positioned at an angle on the chair, as shown above, or...

held just right as in this second attempt at a self-portrait,

(which went a bit smoother then the other one)

you can't even see the lopsidedness!

And in praise of things that are lopsided, off-kilter and not perfect...

This is what makes my heart sing! I am so blessed to live an an area that reminds me daily that there is great beauty in that which is not perfect. Look for it, embrace it and celebrate it!

Rag Rug Inspired

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 01:46:00 +0000

I've always been attracted to rag rugs. Woven rag rugs, hooked rag rugs, braided rag rugs. in fact, one of my earliest textile art crafting memories was helping my grandmother braid fabric strips which she then would curl around and around, stitching the braided cords into chair cushions. I liked how one color of fabric in a braid would end, and a new color would take over. My eyes would flit from this color to that color marveling at how they played off of each other. When I think back all those years ago I can still see a baby blue fabric, a dark green fabric, a brick red fabric, a bit of yellow fabric, and then some dark grey fabric, all twisted and spiraling around together. Pure magic it was, this making something from almost nothing.

So I thought it would be fun to use that love of rag rugs as inspiration in making my own version with yarn and punch needle. I've done some other posts about punch needle, (also known as needle punch or punchneedle) here on the blog, but if you are new here or missed those posts and don't know what punch needle is, I will tell you...

Punch Needle is an old technique that falls into the family of embroidery. It is done with a pen like apparatus that has a hollow needle inserted into it. Yarn, or floss is threaded through the pen and the needle. Special fabric, (not all fabrics can be punched on, and different forms of punch needle sometimes require different types of fabric) is stretched very tightly either in a locking hoop or over a frame. The needle with the threaded yarn is then repeatedly punched into the fabric on the wrong, that is to say back, side. With every punch a little loop of yarn is formed on the front of the fabric.

Punch by punch, loop by loop, the design emerges. And I marvel over the magic of it the game way I marveled over my grandmother's braided chair rugs all those many years ago.

When making this I collected the 8/2 cotton yarns in the colors that came to my minds eye when thinking back to my youth, standing in my grandmother's kitchen braiding rug strips. I started with the outermost rim of dark grey and worked my way in. I would love to know how many little punched loops it contains, but counting would have been madness. I even lost count of the hours I spent punching, but I would guess somewhere around 30. A labor of love and memory and curiosity. Wonderful, wonderful curiosity... she has been my constant friend.

And then I decided to make something else rag rug inspired, so I made some little brooches...

They were also done in punch needle, but with some beautiful Valdaini hand-dyed cotton threads that I was seriously tempted to horde as they looked so lovely in their little box...

Along with being inspired by rag rugs,

I also took inspiration from old utilitarian quilts that built their design

based on the "house-top" block, (think Gee's Bend).

It's my absolute favorite quilt block as I love it's simplicity and never ending design possibilities.

Each brooch is backed and stitched with some grey wool-blend felt that I had on hand,

and is mounted on a little card with a short intro description of punch needle on the back side...

I think the next time I print some up though

I will add a bit about the pen like tool with the hollow needle... wish I had included that on these.

Sigh... I can always find something that I wish I had done differently!

These are now available in my Etsy shop.

Cover Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 23:04:00 +0000

I love a happy surprise and last week I got a wonderful one when I received the news that some of my stitch work had been picked to grace the cover of the new

2018 Feb/Mar issue of Quilting Arts Magazine!

Pretty cool, yes?! But wait... what exactly are those?

Well, glad you asked... I call them"Objects of Comfort",

(which I actually started stitching before I began my "Objects of Curiosity"

pieces that I've been sharing in some previous posts here on the blog .)

And what exactly is an "Object of Comfort" you may ask?

Well, for me it was the idea of taking certain things that I have collected over the years and am attracted to; such as shells, beads & buttons, and marrying them together with bits of lovely fabric and hand stitching. And in doing so I found that these little talismans had been created,

each made of some things that are soothing and familiar to me,

and that I can now hold in my hand or stick in my pocket...

The idea first planted in my mind several years back while walking the beach in Cape May, NJ,

(a place that holds special meaning to my family)

when I came upon a large amount of beautiful broken hard clam shell fragments,

(such as that quahog shell above with it's pretty touch of purple).

I collected a bucket full, attracted to the soft pale colors, and their ocean smoothed edges,

knowing that someday, somehow, I would select some to adorn with fabrics and threads.

And a few months ago the "somehow" finally came to me and I set to work making them,

finding the whole process and the resulting finished talismans very comforting... hence the name.

Once some of them were were made I posted a picture on Instagram and Facebook, where they were spotted by Quilting Arts who then invited me to write an article about them...

Little did I know that they would wind up on the cover, and I gotta say it's really nice feeling

and a very happy uplift to this long cold winter, (that I admit is taking a toll on my mood)!

Here's a pic above of all of them together and showing the front side of them...

And here's a pick of their backsides.

Last but not least... if you would like to learn how to make your own,

check out the issue and find out how!

Circles and Squares

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 21:22:00 +0000

Happy New Year Everyone!

I feel like 2017 whizzed by. Personally, it was a better year then 2016, which had been a rather tough one. In comparison, 2017 was more like sailing calm waters, albeit with often cloudy skies. Those cloudy skies were what I saw when looking out into the larger picture of world events and knowing how those events effect us all. Anyone familiar with me knows how I feel politically so I will leave it at that... (what more can one say when one has spent a year voicing disbelief, and hurling profanities at the TV everyday as she watches the news unfold until her voice actually grew hoarse?) Sigh.

So about this post... I realized that I have a few end of 2017 projects that I haven't posted yet here on the old blog and wanted to share them with you. Two wall quilts, (one of them at the top of the post) and two punch-needle embroidered pillows to be specific. (I also have some more "Objects of Curiosity" items to share, but will do them in another post soon.)

Let's start with the quilts...

Here's that one pictured at the top. My guidelines as I set about making this were that
I wanted to work with small 9-patch blocks and I wanted everything to be hand cut. When I say hand cut, that could be with scissors or rotary-cutter, but no straight edge, no measuring, (outside of eye-balling it) no truing up... you get the point. The purpose is a desire to keep things more organic. It's an expansion on improv/no-pattern quilt making.

I selected these really pretty fabrics which I had in my stash for a few years. Oh yeah, 2017 was also about trying to use materials that I already had.... did great until the very last 2 weeks when I buckled while looking for curtain fabric. But I digress... I separated the fabrics into piles containing the ones that read as the darkest, the lightest and the middle of the road ones, and used those piles to make sure I had a good balance going on in each block.

Then I hand cut the squares and pieced them into the 9-patch blocks using slight curve piecing techniques following the hand cut lines of the fabric edges. Joined the completed blocks in the same manner. Finished by using my faced binding tutorial, but wanting to keep the wonkiness of the slightly curving boarder edges, I used 3" strips instead of 2" strips. This allowed me the extra leeway to cut into the strips where the curves were.

I wanted this quilt to be highly textured, so I machine quilted it with stippled stitching and machine washed and dried it for lots of crinkle texture. I wanted more hand-work to it so I added some horizontal and vertical rows of hand quilting. Trouble is they don't show up that well.

I decided to make another similar quilt, slightly larger, (22.5" x 27" to the 17.5" x 21.5" dimensions of the first one) and this time just did some vertical/horizontal machine stitching and then added more vertical/horizontal hand quilting, which is a favorite quilting style of mine...

(My apologies for the not so great photo here... different day and dimmer lighting conditions. I really do need to get a more professional photo set up. Hey... new 2018 goal!) When I have time I will re-shoot and hopefully get a sharper image as this one is really not up to snuff. Will also try to get some close-ups so you can see the quilting details. Not sure where my head was when I shot these quilt photos.

Okay... I have yammered on enough about the quilts. Now we move away from squares and venture into circles, and brighter colors.... and punch needle!

It has felt like ages since I did any punch needle embroidery and it was lots of fun to bring out the yarns and make a couple of little accent pillows to brighten things up a bit! I decided to keep playing with organic, free-form shapes and designs but added some circles into the mix.

And I really let my circular freak flag fly with this one...

I do wish though it wasn't so time-consuming making these though. Such a little pillow is this round one, (only 8") and it took 16 hours to punch! Didn't keep time on the first, but guessing similar time spent on it.

But I do like the orange... such a happy color! One of my favorites, I think, (if it's the right shade). And speaking of color... I think I need a constant mix of very earthy and muted, along with splashes of bright color in my life. Too much of one and I can go from calm to too down, too much of the other and I can go from happy to agitated. I really marvel at all the people I see on Instagram that seem to be able to stick with a color theme. Their feeds look so pretty and uniform. I feel like they are color purebreds and I am some sort of color mutt. But we are what we are and if I am a color mutt, so be it!

And on that odd note I will end this ramble of a post, saying goodbye to 2017 and hello to 2018. May it bring peace, kindness and goodwill to all. May sanity and compassion reign. May creativity flourish. And may you and yours be blessed. xo

American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast with Pat Sloan

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 23:47:00 +0000

Had a wonderful time talking with Pat Sloan today on her American Patchwork and Quilting podcast! We talked a bit about Lancaster County, PA, machine and hand quilting and my first introduction to quilts. You can listen to it now via this link: http://blog.patsloan.com/radio-shows/ or catch it sometime later after it gets posted here: http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/magazines-mo…/quilting-podcast Note: Unfortunately the sound quality of my interview as well as the guest that followed me was amiss and came out harsh and unclear... must have been a technical glitch. Some folks have told me they could still listen and understand but for others it has proved too difficult. Such is life.

Objects of Curiosity: Exhibits B, C & D

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 22:04:00 +0000

Continuing on with my "Objects of Curiosity" series

that began with my last post.

Above are "Exhibits C & D" but I am getting ahead of myself,

so let's start below with "Exhibit B"...

Another bottle is Exhibit B.

This one is clear and rectangular though.

Vintage and thrifted.

Covered in cloth and stitch.

With those porthole openings to see in,

(or out, depending on your size).

And now onto Exhibits C & D...

A found stick and river rock.

Also covered in cloth and stitch.

(Because that is part of the purpose, yes?)

... In a hopes of making the ordinary not so ordinary.

Because it never really was, was it?

(Ordinary, that is.)

Objects of Curiosity, Exhibit A

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 19:56:00 +0000

I'm starting a new project, one born out of curiosity and meant to give pause, along with a second glance and closer look, at ordinary objects that we typically pass by and take for granted.

Some of these objects may be found in the home, and some may be found in nature.

Many could be, and regularly are, discarded without thought.

What intrigues me is that by simply incasing them in a bit of cloth and stitch, they all of a sudden become something special. They are no longer ordinary, nor expected. Their status is uplifted.

They now demand at least a second glance.

I am beginning this project by exploring bottles.

This first one shown here is simply called "Exhibit A".

I hope that as you view the various angles of this one bottle, now clothed in a second skin so to speak, that you stop a bit and reflect on really how remarkable it is, and was, even before I altered it.

The beautiful curves, the symmetry, the deep amber color, the smooth and even lipped rim,

it's ability to hold something... medicine, perfume, a flower...

Contemplate for a minute the fact that glass comes from sand... how amazing is that?

And how smooth and cool to the touch it is, and that we can see through it, and that it reflects light, and that it shatters so easily and can cut...

It's always helpful to have something to reference size, and how suitable to use the humble penny, another object that has come to be a bit taken for granted, yet is still valuable in it's own way.

One more thing... in light of my last post I feel that I should mention the following:

I have no idea how this current project is visually inspired by my local surroundings, or if it is inspired by them at all. I could say that the stitching mimics the curvy twisty back roads that I often drive, but I don't think that was in my conscious nor sub-conscious at all.

If anything, the work has to do with honoring that which we so easily discard, of wanting to shine a light on how amazing ordinary inventions are. How beautiful craftsmanship is. How temporary things are in our life. And that indeed is something that I see everyday in my surroundings, with those magnificent old barns falling into disrepair until one day they are gone. I think of the way they served and the memories they hold, and I think about the honor that the ordinary deserves.

Processing Inspiration - An Attempt at Explaining My Method

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 18:04:00 +0000

Anyone familiar with me knows that I get much of my inspiration from my local rural surroundings. I am endlessly drawn to the beautiful landscape and am completely in love with the amazing worn and weathered barns, so many of which are in a delicate process of decay.

But how exactly am I influenced? How does my inspiration get interpreted into what I make?

I wish I had an answer that I could easily document... such as sketchbooks full of drawings and diagrams. Color swatches carefully pasted in and margins filled with notations and arrows pointing back to those diagrams. I love when I see artists work that way to develop their ideas.

But that process has never worked for me. My process is much less defined. More ethereal I suppose.

I begin with lots of visual absorption. I just look, and look, and look at my surroundings. I soak it in. The shapes, the colors, the lines, the textures, the various details that make up the whole, and the mood... at least the mood that is evoked inside of myself.

And I take lot's of photos. The photos help solidify the impression and mood of what I see into my consciousness, and I suppose subconscious, so it all feels like it is a part of my being. Sorry if that sounds spacey... I just don't know how else to put it.

And then I just let it come back out...

I hold the images in my mind, I feel the mood that it brings up in me, I stay open to all possibilities, and I start to work.

Below, I will show 3 of my barn photos, (all of the same barn but each one different) and three projects that express how I am influenced by this sort of inspiration. We will start with this first photo below and the following work...

Ok, so above we have one of the typical, (and yet uniquely beautiful) Lancaster County old barns that thrill me so! I see all sorts of design inspiration here, but we will focus on four areas, Line, Color, Mood and Detail.

1) Lines. Specifically in this shot, how that upper seam line wraps around the barn, the bands of wood that create the Z shape on the open door, the rusted post and metal fence part, the lines of the window panes, and the short white lines that are the hinges to the closed doors.

2) Colors. Of course I notice the bright greens of the grass, but also the areas of rusty brown earth, the subtle yellow/gold along the edge under the first 2 windows, the soft brown-grays of the barn, the deep multi colors reflected in the glass window panes, the earthy brown tones of the rock walls, the jet black of the upper window where the glass is missing, and the soft blues of the sky.

3) Mood. Organic, primitive, rustic, comforting, archeological, curious, layered, soft, hard, earthy, aged, rural, poor, frayed, old, worn, weathered, hopeful, peaceful, loved, hopeful, strong, enduring. (Note that some of the moods evoked can seem opposing, such as soft and hard, that's ok. Life is multi-dimensional. I just pay attention to everything that wells up in me.)

4) Detail. The windows, the open doorless area, the rock walls, the soft fray of the grass and plant life, the chimney.

Now below is an amulet that I made, (yup... barn to amulet) and hopefully you can see how some of this detail that I soak in has flowed back out into this tiniest example of work. Remember though, I don't try to interpret inspiration in any forced or direct way. It's all an interpretation, and that interpretation of the exact inspiration could change from day to day based on other things in my life. It's all a mix that plays off of everything else.

So here is the amulet. The idea behind it was to gather bits of objects that I have a tendency to collect and which give me comfort, (in this case shells, fabrics and beads) and then bundle them together someway. So I choose a fragment of a seashell found along the beach of Cape May, covered it with bits of shot cotton fabrics and stitching and adorned it with a few beads and a vintage brass charm.

Where some elements of the inspiration comes into play would be the soft muted and earthy colors of the whole piece. The fray of the cloth, (reminiscent of the fray of the grass). The open middle area, (that pale green place on both the front and the back and reminiscent of the open door). The long scattered stitches, (reminiscent of the lines created by the hinges). The macrame cording, (made with a hand needle and thread) that is reminiscent of the window sashing as well as that seam line that wraps around the building. The glass beads, (reminding me of the colors found in those bottom windows). And the overall mood of something weathered, old, rustic, primitive, frayed, soft, hard, comforting, archeological, curious... you get the point. (I do wish I'd had rusty wire on hand, but you make do with what ya got.) I like to think though that this amulet could have been found hanging off of a bent nail inside the barn, or found tucked into one of the stone wall crevices.

Ok, so next we come to this photo of the same barn...

So again, we soak in the details and the mood... the soft muted colors, the barren yet warm feel, the juxtaposition of that pale white wash against the dark of the weathered wood, the lines and stripes of the wood, the multi shaped squares and rectangles, the curving lines along the lefthand side of the barn as well as that slightly off-hinge door, the rural-ness of it, the oldness of it, the sense of hard-times it evokes. And look at those two small square boxes, sitting inside a larger box structure... they look out of place to me, especially that tan one... It looks like a filing box. What's in it I wonder?

And now below is a small wall quilt I recently stitched up that hopefully works as one possible interpretation. (Oh, but I believe there could be a thousand plus interpretations from this one image).

Do you see the juxtaposition of the pale against the dark? The soft muted colors? The various shaped squares and rectangles? The stripes? The soft curves of the shapes? The rural feel? The sense of oldness? The feeling of something utilitarian? The boxes inside of boxes?

Now even though I am giving you these side by side examples of photo + work, I almost never actually reference my photos while working, As I don't want to get too literal in my interpretations, (and I will definitely get hung up there if I start looking at the photos while I work). I just try to hold the image(s) in my minds eye and the mood(s) in my heart and soul.

After all of these years there are also some elements that I continue to explore and often will incorporate regardless of images I may be thinking of. One of those elements would be the windows, including the shapes, the reflections, and the visual energy that comes from the broken and missing window panes. Also, the cross shapes created by the window sashing. You can see it repeated over and over in many of my quilts, including the quilt shown above.

Another element that I keep going back to is the curved lines of the plowed farm fields, which I express more often then not by doing various interpretations of Baptist fan quilting, again as shown in this quilt example. Here as I often do, I combine hand and machine quilting, which is a nod to living in Lancaster County where the modern technologically driven world co-exists with the beauty of the world of the Old Order Amish.

Now let's take a look at the last photo of this particular barn and the connected work...

As with the other photos I am drawn to the lines, the colors, the shapes and the mood... it feels mostly abandoned to me, yet it's also strong and commanding, much due to the close up shot as well as the angle of the shot where you are looking ever so slightly up. Another thing that brings a mood of strength to this structure is the shape of the barn. The way the roof top angles out to meet the top sides of the building, which then angle inward... to me it looks like a mother, stern but loving, shoulders up, elbows out, with hands on hip.

My eye wants to go up to that window, yet for some reason keeps getting pulled down to that one little angled pole that seems to be bracing the left side door from flinging open. It reminds me that someone has been here, someone is connected to this otherwise desolate looking structure.

Below is a small mixed media piece I recently did titled "Homeward". Do you see the interpretation of inspiration?

With this piece, I'm definitely influence by the desolate mood and the connections, in all their varied forms, that we feel to home, no matter how far removed we may be. The shape of the road that leads homeward is reminiscent to that simple pipe shape that symbolized the lone human connection in the photo and also of the missing section of the door that it keeps from flinging open. If you look slightly up past that shape in the mixed media piece and just to the right you can faintly see a shape reminiscent of the window shape. The home shape is really only half of the barn shape, but it's enough.

The photo below shows the 2nd and 3rd barn photos side by side with their respective works. Seeing it this way may help connect the image and work a bit more.

And that is about the best that I can explain/show my process. It's a bit of a challenge to show what is in one's head and heart and how it gets processed into the work... again, I rather envy those that can produce sketchbooks bursting at the seams, filled with their process, but I hope this post helped to illustrate my process in some small way.

And in truth, I think it boils down to a lot of absorbing, whatever interests you, and then just staying open to what comes out. I have found that there's no need to force it, or even fully understand it, let alone try to control it. Gravitate to what you love. Trust that whatever inspiration is needed is inside and will find a way out once you show up to do what it is that you feel called to do.

I'd love to know how you process your inspirations... please feel free to share in the comments.

And here's a bit of exciting news to share with you all...

I will be one of Pat Sloan's guests on the American Patchwork and Quilting Podcast this upcoming Monday on September 25th! You can listen live, or catch it afterwards, just click on that link! Yay!

UPDATE: Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, the podcast was unable to tape September 25th's show. I will be rescheduled to talk with Pat sometime in November, so stay tuned!

Union Grove Road Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 15:19:00 +0000

"Union Grove Road"

This is the 5th quilt in my slowly evolving "Lancaster County" series,

where all the quilts are named after local roads.

Made from assorted shot cottons.

Machine pieced and machine quilted in a baptist fan design.

19" x 25"

To see the other quilts from this series, please go here.

And may I just congratulate myself on actually posting 2 times this month?

(Must be the effects of the approaching solar eclipse... today's the day!)

I am sincerely trying to give this dear old blog of mine a bit more loving and attention.

Instagram, where I post regularly, (you can find me here) has truly changed the way that I interact,

but it makes me sad when I see how little I have been sharing here.

Sunflower Power!!

noreply@blogger.com (Victoria) — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 00:44:00 +0000

A few days ago I saw the most amazing photos of sunflowers, captured by a local photographer that I follow on Instagram. I asked her where this magical field was and it turned out it was just 30 minutes from home. So I grabbed my phone, and also grabbed one of my vintage cameras, an Argus 75, and off I went. Below is a tiny sample of some of the pics I got...

This is one of the pics shot through the lens of the vintage Argus. For those unfamiliar, it's a simple technique of using a digital camera, (in this case my phone) to shoot through the lens of a vintage camera, thus resulting in a vintage looking photo. All those little "hairs" are part of the "dirt" caught inside the Argus' camera's lens and it's part of the appeal of this type of photography.

Here's another one shot through the vintage camera lens.

And another.

These last two photos shown, along with the one at the very top were just done on my Samsung phone, without the vintage camera. I love how the sunflowers seem to go on for as far as the eye can see. Being in the field felt rather magical. And though you can't tell from the photos, there were people everywhere, all taking photos and marveling in the beauty. It had a sort of "Field of Dreams" vibe to it, and it was hard to leave.

And the bees! Bumblebees were everywhere!

And seeing as we need more bees, I think we should have fields of sunflowers everywhere.

Good for the Earth, good for the soul, and good for pretty picture taking!

The Silly BooDilly

Stitch Journals: How to Create and Use Coptic Bound Fabric Books, for Slow Stitch Exploration and Expression

Whispered Stories - My 'In Conversation' Quilt

My Latest Obsession... Stitch Journals

New Work: Ragged Series

New Stitched Talismans Tutorial Pattern!

Contemplating Texture and the Quilted Stitch. A Few Things to Think About.

I Still Love Shot Cottons

Story Fragments

Painted Paper Patchwork Barns

Stitched Textile Pictures: Barn Series

Faded Memories

Shunned Series

"Fragile" Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth. Machine and hand stitched. 7" x 4.5"

"Broken" Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth. Machine and hand stitched. 3" x 3"

"Hidden" Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth. Machine and hand stitched. 5.75" x 5"

"Labeled" Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth. Machine and hand stitched. 7.5" x 6"

"Exiled" Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth. Machine and hand stitched. 6.25" x 5.25"

"Discarded" Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth. Machine and hand stitched. 8.5" x 4.25"

"Homeless" Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth. Machine and hand stitched. 5" x 5.25" "Omitted"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth. Machine and hand stitched. 5.5" x 5.75" ~~~~~~ Wishing you all the best for the New Year. xo

Off the Beaten Path

Waste not, Want Not - Shirt Quilts

End of Year Wrap Up

Catching Up

Rag Rug Inspired

Cover Girl

Circles and Squares

American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast with Pat Sloan

Objects of Curiosity: Exhibits B, C & D

Objects of Curiosity, Exhibit A

Processing Inspiration - An Attempt at Explaining My Method

Union Grove Road Quilt

Sunflower Power!!

"Fragile"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

7" x 4.5"

"Broken"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

3" x 3"

"Hidden"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

5.75" x 5"

"Labeled"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

7.5" x 6"

"Exiled"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

6.25" x 5.25"

"Discarded"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

8.5" x 4.25"

"Homeless"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

5" x 5.25"

"Omitted"

Stained and scorched vintage grain sack fabrics and bits of vintage book cloth.

Machine and hand stitched.

5.5" x 5.75"

~~~~~~

Wishing you all the best for the New Year.

xo