Studio Kandinsky--My Wall Quilt for the Studio

I have worked on picking out the fabrics, tracing the fusible pieces, and making some of the fusible appliques for the Kandinsky-style quilt I'm making for my studio. I don't have enough pale blue fabric for the background; I guess I'll have to go fabric shopping! I chose fabrics for the appliques from these stash fabrics.The pieces I have finished so far are shown below. I'll have to stitch around the layered pieces and cut excess fabric from behind them. I won't be able to do much more without the background fabric. I'm going to try to pick that up tomorrow. I'd love to have a hand-dyed piece of light blue for that, but I have a zero chance of getting that around here. If I can't find a suitable commercial fabric, I'll have to make an Internet order.
If you'd like to see my rough drawing of what the quilt will look like, check yesterday's blog entry. See if you can match my appliques to the drawing.

Art for the Studio

I guess I'm really excited about "seeing the light at the end of the tunnel" in my quilting studio, because I worked all afternoon on a full-sized drawing of the art quilt I want to make for it. I LOVE Kandinsky, and it seems I always go back to him when I want to make art for my space. I drew on some Kandinsy pieces and on the art of Frank Lloyd Wright for this drawing. It will take me some time to gather the fabric to make it. My collection of solids is not very big, and this quilt will be made of all solids. I'm thinking I'm going to have to get busy and do some dyeing. Anyway, here is the rough drawing. It will be hung on a navy wall. In the drawing, the background is white, but the background in the quilt will be a very light blue. What do you think?

Another Studio Update

My son-in-law was here ALL day--6:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m.--working on the studio. Anyway, the room looks much more "finished." I'll be getting an estimate on the floor on Monday. I'm hoping they can get that put in sometime within the next two weeks. After that, Scott can put up the floor trim and the cabinets and shelves for my coffee/food nook.I worked on getting the bathroom (to the right--just out of this picture) painted today. I'll be putting another coat on later tonight and hope to finish it up tomorrow.

Quilting Studio Progress Update

The quilting studio work is slowly coming along. My son-in-law (who is doing all the work except the flooring and painting) works a full-time job and is doing this every other weekend and every other Friday. I'm amazed at how much he gets done each time he is here to work.

I got all the painting in the main room and the bedroom finished last week. I still have to paint the bathroom walls and bathroom cabinet. I have to finish that before the flooring is put down. Home Depot is coming on Monday to give me an estimate on the floor. What I'm hoping I can use is a product called Allure. It is a "floating, resilient plank flooring" that has the look of wood. It is 100% waterproof, which is a necessity for me in the basement (just in case).

This picture shows the "nook" in my quilting studio. I'm planning on putting some cabinets and shelves here. I want to put a small refrigerator under the countertop. I'm thinking I'll also locate my "coffee station" here too. I thought it was a good picture of the ceiling. I just love it--it looks really industrial and the light reflects off of it (which is an added bonus). As you can tell, there is still a lot of work to be done. As for any quilting/textile projects I'm working on...the only thing I have worked on lately is my last UFO (unfinished object) for the UFO Challenge. It is due in November. I like a lot of quilting on my work, so I marked it with lots of quilting lines. Now, I'm not so sure how wise that was! It is just taking me "forever" to get it done.

I Won! I Won! Check out "Color Mastery: 10 Principles for Creating Stunning Quilts"

I went to my mailbox this morning, and look what was waiting for me--the Turkish Delight fat quarter bundle of fabric I won from Maria Peagler (the ColorMaster herself) author of "Color Mastery: 10 Principles for Creating Stunning Quilts." Here it is...I thought I'd separate it and take another pic, so you could see the fabrics a little better. I really like them. Thank you Maria!

By the way, you should check out her Color Mastery book. It is really a good book on the use of various color schemes in quilts. She has lots and lots of useful tips to help you choose colors and develop your own sense of color style. There are exercises to do and patterns for several small quilts to illustrate color concepts. She also has a website--www.colormastery.com. You might check out her blog too; it is a good one--http://quiltsandcreativity.com. Let me know what you think.

LAFTA Hosparus Project Finished--not Mounted

I've been mentioning the LAFTA piece I committed to do for the Louisville Hosparus-Counseling Center. Well, I finished the quilting and decided I would try to mount it to the 10" X 10" canvas today. I looked and looked for my staple gun and couldn't find it. I guess I'll have to borrow one. Anyway, I have the piece wrapped around the canvas and taped on the back, so it isn't as tightly mounted as I hope it will be.

The piece could be any type of art medium. I decided to stay with what I know and do a quilted piece (rather than try something new for this). The symbol of the Hosparus is an oak leaf. This represents the seasons of life. I didn't include an oak leaf, but my design is based on the grain of a piece of oak wood.

Oak was specifically chosen because of its symbolism. The oak is a common symbol of strength and endurance. In Celtic mythology, it is the tree of doors, believed to be a gateway between worlds. Oak is an emblem of virtue, strength, resiliency, longevity, and re-birth. It represents inner fire, courage and nobility of spirit.

The colors were also chosen for their specific meanings.
Blue is the collective color of the spirit invoking rest causing the body to produce chemicals that are calming. Soft, soothing, compassionate and caring, blue is an introspective color. It is the color of the Throat Chakra and encourages spiritual communication.

How the color blue affects us physically and mentally
Ø calm and sedate to counteract chaos or agitation
Ø to open the flow of communication
Ø solitude and peace

Green is seen as tranquil and refreshing and is considered the color of peace. In several religions, green is the color associated with resurrection and regeneration. Green is the color of balance, learning, growth and harmony. It symbolizes the master healer and the life force. Green also has a calming effect and symbolizes hope, peace, gentleness and modesty. It is soothing, refined and civilized with great healing power. It suggests stability and endurance. It is the color of the Heart Chakra which bridges the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds. Opening the Heart Chakra allows a person to love more, empathize, and feel compassion.

How the color green affects us physically and mentally
Ø Soothing
Ø Relaxing mentally as well as physically
Ø Helps alleviate depression, nervousness and anxiety
Ø Offers a sense of renewal, self-control and harmony

I included a closeup of the quilting below. This piece is machine appliquéd and hand quilted.

Where Did I Get Those Patterns? and a Thank You Too

I've had some questions about where I got the patterns I used to make the quilts for my great-nieces and nephew...well, I looked back through past blogs and found that all the pattern numbers are listed in the Tuesday, December 9, 2008 blog entry. Check it out at http://quilterbeth.blogspot.com/2008/12/i-finished-dog-rag-quilt-for-my-great.html


That one Simplicity pattern makes the dog and the cat; all you change are the nose and the ears. They have even more besides the dog and cat, but I don't remember the pattern numbers. They have a bear, butterfly, and ladybug that I remember. I made my youngest niece a simple rag quilt made with squares from the left-over fabric. I put some chenille flowers and letters of the alphabet on hers. They all really enjoy them, and they were lots of fun to make.

I'd like to thank everyone who comments on my blog. It is nice to know that people actually read it--so leave me a little note! Be sure to leave your name with your comment and an email address if you'd like me to respond directly to you. I'd like to thank Ann and Mary for their questions and comments.

In Florida

I'm sitting at a table facing the ocean at Miramar Beach, Florida. I'm using my husband's laptop (which I'm not used to). I just thought I ought to make a quick blog update.

I have been spending most of my time sitting outside on the deck watching and listening to the ocean. It is such a peaceful, beautiful place here. I'm getting some reading done--These is My Words by Nancy Turner. I am just loving this book. It is about a girl/woman from the mid-1800's and her daily joys and struggles in the Arizona territory. It sure makes me appreciate the modern conveniences I have, but at the same time makes me curious about what it would be like to live a simpler more independent life. It's a good one.

I also have spent a little time working on my LAFTA project. I have most of the quilting done. I may finish that tonight. I'll steam it when I get home and get it wrapped around my canvas. I will have to search for my staple gun to do that. With the remodeling going on, it is hard telling where that is! I'll post a picture (and explanation) when I get it finished. I'm hoping the picture will be good enough to show the quilting on the piece; otherwise, it will look really plain.

My son-in-law is busy working on the quilting studio while I'm gone. I'm anxious to see what he has done. I'm sure I will need to be painting some trim when I get back!