Thursday, December 25, 2008

baby brigade



mailed the baby blankets out. they probably won't make it for christmas, but that really wasn't the point. they got mailed. finally. and i forgot to take a picture of one of them. but meh.



Wednesday, August 27, 2008

stormy seas

This past weekend when I was with my grandparents, I had quilts out that I had been working on. I'm sure I mentioned this in the last post, but at present I'm having a major ADD moment.

I need to remeasure it, but I think the Ocean Waves finished out at 108"x115"... somewhere in that neighborhood. (what was I ever thinking?!) I need to put a back on this sucker, but I kind of don't have any money to invest in fabric right now, as it stands, I'm going to have to take out a loan from the bank of mom to get binding for the three baby blankets (I might have enough flannel from a previous project to cover the back of the cherry blossom.) Initially I thought it might be really nice to try to get some extra wide fabric, but I'm having a hard time finding anything I like. I'm thinking that cotton or wool batting might be nice to try. It took me two summers to piece that sucker together, it spent this summer out of mind hanging out in a suitcase while I digested other things. A few days ago I went on a mad search for it, thinking I had lost it, and truthfully, wondering if my parents had read my mind and sent it off to be quilted for me. Not so much with the last part, but now that I've had it out, I've been easing back into the murky green waters of this project. I'm going to quilt the triangle sashes in a wave pattern, and put mariner's compasses in the squares. I'm still not sure what to do about the outside sashing, but that comes last anyway, so I'm sure I'll have something figured out by the time I get that far. And as much as I didn't want to quilt the whole thing by myself, I'm thinking that's my only option. It isn't going to get done any other way. I have to finish the other projects at hand first, but it needs to be next in the queue.

Monday, August 25, 2008

hearts and gizzards

spent the weekend with my grandparents and parents at the Crook Farm Country Fair. We had excellent weather, thank God. I was gifted with a bag full of fabric to add to my stash, which included two half completed quilts. One is a double irish chain in mauvy pinks, the other is a hand pieced hearts and gizzards with a white packground and a wide variety of pre 1970's calicos. Some look to be from the 1930/40's. There's five rows of completed blocks that, when stitched together, will be in the neighborhood of 45" wide. I think the pattern says the quilt should be 70"x90"... 98"... I was never very good with numbers.

The weaving shop was set up for the weekend, and the Bradford area spinners and weavers were set up. I think the name of their guild is Enchanted Mountain. I wasn't there last year, but aparently the Bradford area quilters had been set up and they decided not to this year, my best guess is for reasons of foul weather last year. At least the weavers had a permanent structure around them, the quilters were probably in a tent on the lawn.

Today is the first day of class. This time next year I won't be here.



I hope.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Why it's Gabriel, Gabriel sayin!

wow it's been a while...

I got hired at the costume shop as assistant for the spring semester of 2008. It was awesome. Then (even better!) I got a summer internship at Kent State University with Porthouse Theatre in the costume shop. It was their 40th season, they presented Anything Goes, Alice... (and origional adaptation of both "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass") and The Music Man, a personal all time favorite. Delight of delights, I actually got to stay for the production of Music Man because the director needed band members, and I play tuba!

I learned a lot this summer. A plethora of new sewing skills. I had such a wonderful experience at Porthouse. The people were fantastic. There were two women in the shop from Cleveland Playhouse that were fonts of information (and patience, God bless Clare and Estelle). I wasn't sure initially whether or not I would even want to come back, but as the summer progressed, I started praying that they would hire me back. I used both my comp tickets for Anything Goes and went back three more times as an usher to see it again... and again. I loved watching everything come together. Okay... maybe not loved. This small part of me was dying that I wasn't up there singing. I was kicking myself that I hadn't auditioned after all, but let's face it, I'm pretty rusty in the dance department. I was much happier as an active participant in making the whole product come together, which I was so blessed to able to do at the end of the summer. Am I "good enough" for an MFA acting program? We'll see.

So when I get some things together... which means I have to find my camera again... I'll upload photos of some of the projects I worked on. My favorite costume, and by far the most intensive, was a red and black trumpet specifically for the song "Blow Gabriel" from Anything Goes. I also found this awesome King Arthur fabric that has Stone Henge on it, and I made matching baby quilts for a set of twins in the family. Just finished a red sashed blanket for a little girl due in December. Gotta find the camera and take some pictures. Also have to abandon the 'puter, there's a caller here I'm being rude to.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

new developments

Costume and Make-up was canceled on Wednesday and one small voice beneath the cheering cried out "Nooooooooooooooooooo!" I love costume and make-up. My new favorite past time is hanging out in the costume shop.

The mesh bag is done. It's a little wonky, not gonna lie. The blue quilt is still on the hoop. I reupholstered a footstool and slip covered it last weekend.

I found these long lost patterns in the garage and repurposed an old choir dress for a new life:

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

getting into the swing of things

I started this semester with a quilt on the hoop and a knit mesh bag on the needles, and an as yet mystery project for Costume and Make-up. Let's see if they get done before the semester does.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

just keep swimming, just keep swimming, what do we do? we just keep swimming…

well last week was the push to got all the pieces sewn together and have one finished, complete top. Mission accomplished.
When I bought the sea foam green (which, incidentally, matches the living room carpet) I had done some rudimentary math and figured I needed a yard and a half - at least, I think that's the number I came up with- for the squares and large triangles along the edge. At any rate, I was standing in the shop and realized I had forgotten to include borders and binding. The shopkeeper sold me the entire bolt, which I think origionally totaled 4 yards, it's by Moda™, under the blackbird quilting line. I was going to do a pinwheel border, but I discovered a bunch of presewn units stuffed in a forgotten corner. I think what I've got now is Broken Dishes. By some happy accident I cut the first sashing larger than I intended. It accomodates the Dishes perfectly.
there's old Bill, of course, constant kitty quilter assistant and quality control the Dishes border is kind of visible in the top part of the picture- it's a Kodak EasyShare I'm working with, so the resolution isn't great.

Friday, January 4, 2008

I'm an island, you're an ocean...

surf's up dude. it's a frigid 18ยบ out thar, but the ocean view sure is pretty:


I have to stop working on it frequently, all those sparkly colors and I get dizzy after a while.