Winter Wonderland

Snow is something that just doesn't happen in the California Bay Area unless you drive to the mountains.

This weekend there was a rumor that it might be cold enough to snow, but it didn't ever happen.  So much for our snowball fight plans.  

I'm amazed by this guy who made a multi-colored igloo for his girlfriend.  Check out the cute story - link to video.

Building an igloo is probably not on the menu in my backyard, but hunkering down to do some handwork certainly is.

I'm in the thick of quilt binding today and making some progress.  Starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel on this quilt.

When it's finally finished, you'll be the first to know. 

Quilt Binding: Little Pieces of Heaven

Is it a normal practice to use more than 10 different fabrics when binding a quilt?  

Have you ever used more than one?

I think the most I've ever used has been around 6 different fabrics.

For the quilt I'm working on, I have a ton of cool fabrics that I'm going to combine together for perhaps the most funky binding of all time.  

Is that crazy?  Maybe.  Why not though.  Life's short.  My work is starting to get a bit more crazy the older I get.  Stay tuned for the results!


There are a lot of 'how to make quilt binding' tutorials out there.  I couldn't find one that was exactly the same as the method I use, but the one by Crazy Mom Quilts is a pretty comprehensive one. 

In searching around, I'm getting tempted to create my own 'Ultimate' binding tutorial.  Hm...adding that to the to-do list. 

If there is a guide out there that you use every time, let me know your favorite!

SFMOMA: Family Day

We had an awesome time on Family Day at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

There were tons of activities for kids, and we got to walk through this cool installation by Tauba Auerbach that looked a lot like a quilt to me.  It consists of these extremely bright lights spinning around on the ceiling slowly and a floor that is 50% white and 50% black.

Makes for good running around for kids.

We also did a bunch of art projects with the kid docents.  

The highlight was an installation called Frequency and Volume by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.  You can run around in this shadow room and different radio stations are played according to your orientation in the room.  We had to basically drag our kids out of there.

It's been a busy year so far, even though it's just getting started.  I'm working on a quilt binding, and I finished a funky scarf/shawl think that my beautiful friend adopted.  She is so pretty that it makes my slightly odd perhaps poorly executed hand knit look like a million bucks.  Nice to have supermodel-esk friends.

Finally, since this is my first post this year, I'm picking out a theme for 2013.  Not a resolution, but a theme for the year.  This year it's 'Togetherness'.  More time with family and friends is on the agenda.

A Warm and Cozy Send Off for 2012

Are you out there in Time Square this year watching the glowing ball drop?  Are you going to ring in the new year with a million friends at a big party?

If you are, enjoy a bit of the wild rumpus for me too.  I'm here in my warm and tiny home with my warm and tiny kids celebrating in a much more quiet fashion.

It's nice to look back on 2012 and think of all the things that happened.  So many incredible moments.  

As much as I love excitement, my favorite times over the last year have been spent with my family, often at the dinner table.  We often like to ask each other to share the best and worst part of our day.

The worst part of this year was the pace at which it flew by.  I guess I'm starting to sound like an old person here, but it's true that time passes too quickly for my taste.  My little small kids are already not so small.  The 7 yr old is starting to wonder how much longer it will take to become taller than me.  I'm thinking, not that long.

The best part of 2012 for me was the family vacation to Japan.  Sometimes it's not easy for me to find a clear winning part of the year, but this year it was pretty easy to pick.

Here's hoping that your New Year's Eve is cozy and that 2013 brings you peace.

Snowflakes

When we have more than a handful of guests over for dinner, it's handy to have some place cards to let folks know where their spot at the table is.

This year for Christmas, our 7 yr old son cut out snowflakes and I wrote names of the guests on there in my funky writing.  People liked it, and we have fun making them.

Maybe next year we'll up our game and make them in the shape of Star Wars figures.   That would be too cool for skool.

We are still eating left-overs and enjoying playing with our new toys.  My favorite Christmas gift is a new drop spindle that is super light, allowing me to make lace weight yarn.  It was a real surprise to receive it since it's almost impossible to get.  My DH was pretty clever this year.

Merry Christmas 2012

Christmas this year was good and full of family and friends, as it should be.  

Our little one was a bit under the weather, but he has come back full force with enough energy to play with all the toys he got and also with those that came for his brother.  

He was up coughing on Christmas Eve, and was very worried that because his cold was keeping him awake, that Santa would not come to our house.

I assured him that Santa is very VERY fast, and that there was no way our house would be skipped by the jolly old elf.  He of course did come and visit us and the happy smiles and shouts of, "I always wanted that!" were music to our ears.

I'm already starting to think about 2013, and what it will hold for our family.  I hope that it will allow for a bit of creative time for me in between all regular life things.

 

Christmas Calm 2012

Just before Christmas comes, when all the wrapping is done, all the Christmas quilts have their binding already sewn on, and all the food is in the frig just waiting to be put in the oven..... you can capture a glimpse of the Christmas Calm.

In my house....we are not quite there yet.

Some years, our Christmas Calm last for about 30 seconds.  Other years it might be as long as 24 hrs.  

I've got a little (ahem) wrapping still to do, and a teenie bit of shopping still pending.

I'm here hoping that my own Christmas Calm is longer than 30 seconds, and that yours is at least more than a whole day.

Holidays at Home

Some travel for the holidays, and some stay at home.

As much as we miss the family that doesn't live in town, we opt to stay right here, curled up in our own tiny house. 

I wouldn't say that we are totally prepared for the holiday yet, but we're getting there. 

I know some of you are still wondering if I'll ever finish hand quilting the baby quilt.  I am unfortunately still wondering the same thing. 

Other activities have jumped in the way of my creative time lately, but I won't see the baby girl until after Christmas.  I'm clinging to a small glimmer of hope that I'll have some time next week to put the final touches on it.

If you're busy addressing Christmas cards, like I am, you're not alone in the world.


In 2005 we Americans sent 1.9 billion Christmas cards.  Not sure how many will be sent this year, but let's just say that I'm doing my part.

Guess What I've Been Up To Lately

Does the photo give you a clue of what I've been up to for fun lately? 

Some of you may be thinking - is she going to audition for Stomp?  



Perhaps you're wondering if I'm considering becoming a waste management specialist?

Those of you who have played around with ceramics may recognize this as a firing technique called Raku. 

We basically put a few small clay pieces that we had previously thrown on a wheel, and took them up to 1800 degrees F inside of an hour.

When the ceramics got super hot, our instructor took them out and put them in these trash cans full of newspaper in order to expose them to carbon and darken them in color.  

There was fire, smoke, glowing hot ceramics...when I showed the below video to our 7yr old, he asked if he could come and take the class too.

More photos of the finished pieces later.  Once they cooled off, they looked quite pretty.  Dark, almost black in color, with rainbows all over.  Pretty cool...or maybe I should say pretty hot.

If you live in the California Bay Area, had have an urge to throw some clay around, Higher Fire is the place to be.  Awesome studio, super friendly students, good dirty fun.
 

It's in the air...don't miss it!

The holiday season is in the air these days, but the spirit is not limited to joy and cheer.  It comes with a little extra traffic, some rushing around on top and I've noticed a few extra tailgaters in my rearview.

Well, time to slow down and enjoy the rest of 2012.  Drive carefully, give people some space out there if you wouldn't mind.  Better to get where you're going than to rush too much.

The little plant in the photo here is an air plant.  All it really wants is some light and a sprinkle of water now and then.  Simple life!  There are many different kinds of these little guys.  I browse for them over at Flora Grubb.  Proof positive that plain air is almost enough to thrive on.

I want to someday make a quilt for my bathroom that will match the purple walls.  When we first moved in, I asked my husband to paint the walls this lavender color.

The movers told him, "Wow, sorry about the bathroom wall color!"

He said, "Not as sorry as I am.  I just painted them that color for my wife last week!"

For those of you who have 'normal' colored bathroom walls, you can probably make a tiny wall quilt in whatever colors you choose.  For me, I'm going to have to eventually get creative.

Baby Quilt Label Conumdrum

The sweet dreams I had before Thanksgiving of finishing the baby quilt for my niece didn't exactly play out as planned.

Things got busy, as they usually do, and I only finally finished the quilting part of the project a few days ago.

One thing I always try to do for baby quilts is ink in the baby's name, birthday, weight, and other interesting info about the little bundle of joy.

For this quilt, it is a simple 9-patch, so finding a little place to tuck in the letters was more than a small challenge.

I went back and forth and was thinking of putting a little applique butterfly or a bug on there with the name.  I eventually started flipping through Baltimore Album books and found a traditional geometric looking Victorian paper-cut block.

Elly's Beloved Baltimore Album Quilts is the book I ended up using for the pattern.  There will be plenty of space to write inside of the cutouts.

The fun part will be inking directly on the quilt with permanent ink.  No pressure.

Quilt Museum photos

Finally Flickr uploaded all my photos from the current exhibit at the San Jose Quilt and Textile Museum.

It was a bit of a slow process, much slower than usual.  Anyhow, enjoy the slide show, or just click around in the photo stream.

Oh, and if you are looking for something fun to do this holiday season, I just saw the San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker production.  It was pretty awesome.  Sitting next to our 4 yr old was priceless.

Ok, and if you don't live here but love dance, check out this this video on the making of new photography book, Dancers Among Us, by Jordan Matter.  It captures dancers in awesome poses and everyday life situations.

Look Who's Turning 35! San Jose Quilt Museum Celebrates in Style

If I threw a rock from south my back yard, I could not quite hit the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, but if I had a really nice paper airplane there would be hope.

They are celebrating their 35th birthday and have a pretty cool collection of quilts up on the walls right now.

Many of the quilts are antiques, some are more modern.  If you like old quilts, this show is for you.  

My favorite part about this show is that because it is made up of pieces from their permanent collection, you can take as many photos as you like.  It's really nice.

I took a few more photos, will post them for you to see.  

If you live in San Jose, California, I'd call this one not to be missed.

2012 Holiday Gift Guide for Quilters, Knitters, and Spinners

Not sure what to get your quilting friend for Christmas?

Looking for a link to give your DH a not-so-subtle hint? 

Here's the first annual Quilt Otaku 2012 Holiday Gift Guide for Quilters, Knitters and Spinners!


Quilters:

For the space constrained - I have a tiny house and a tiny space for my quilting.  In the interest of keeping it 'small' - how about a gift that doesn't take up any space?

Q1)  Creative Bug:  This is on the top of my list for Santa.  With videos from Alabama Chanin, and Christine Schmidt from Yellow Owl Workshop, you couldn't go wrong with a gift subscription to the awesome classes here.
 
Q2)  Calligraphy Class:  I Still Love Calligraphy has a class that would help you ink on quilts in style.  Your labels would probably never be the same.  You may even find yourself inking all over your quilt tops and fabric.  I haven't taken this class...but you know I kinda want to! 

Q3) Tote Bag:  I have a couple of tote bags that I like, but the one available at The General Store in San Francisco is the cleanest looking large one that I've seen in a while.  You could fit a pretty big hand quilting project in there.  For sure a baby quilt.  Made locally.

And for the tool junkies -

Q4)  Pin Cushions:  I find it hard to believe that Foxtail Creek Studio can keep pincushions in stock because they are so well made and so affordable.  This is my top pick for cheap thrill, and they look like hours of time have gone into their creation.


Q5)  Scissors:  Sajou makes so many beautiful pairs and you can find them all at Bagsmith.  You can pick up a super tiny pair for around $50, or a fancy pair that has been on my 'someday' list for ages in the shape of a horse and cart for $180. 

Knitters:

K1)  Learn to Knit:  Purl Soho just came out with a really cute learn to knit kit.  Even an older child could really get into using this cool kit.
 
K2)  Lace Yarn:  I have used a lot of lace yarn in my knitting life and nothing is nicer that the Reliquary II from A Verb for Keeping Warm.  It's merino and silk, and for under $40 you've got almost 900 yds of pure joy to whip into just about anything.
 
K3)  Needles:  Chiaogoo Interchangable knitting needles set has gotten rave reviews out there.  Pointy and coming in a very impressive variety of sizes.  If you're looking for a set of needles - look no further.
 
K4)  Sock  Yarn:  Willing to get up on Saturday morning in order to purchase yarn balls on Etsy?  If you're as crazy for striped socks as I am, you'll love knitting with this yarn.  It's an addiction really.  Maybe you should stay away from Twisted Limone.


K5)  Sock Needles:  If you knit socks, you need to check out Blue Sky double pointed needles.  They are my favorites.

Spinners:

S1)  Spindle:  Who isn't after another drop spindle?  Bosworth spindles are both beautiful and start at $55.

S2)  Fiber:  Local bay area dyer Pigeonroof Studios has some very cool color combo's for spinners who like a little variety in their yarn.


S3)  Wraps Per Inch:  Knowing how thick your yarn is turning out is really important.  I like the card that comes with this Wraps Per Inch tool from Nancy's Knit Knacks.  It tells you WPI info for various yarn weights.

S4)  Fiber Basket:  When you spin a bunch of fiber, it's hand to have a bag that can hold it but won't snag it.  Baskets made out of cotton cord by Doug Johnston are perfect.  Order quick for holiday arrival.

If that list doesn't keep Santa busy, I don't know what will!

Falling into Winter and Getting Tagged

Saying goodbye to fall is bittersweet for me.  I will miss the leaves changing colors and the crisp weather when you can get away with going out without a coat.

We still have some fall-ish colors on certain trees, but its starting to look like the holidays already with folks putting lights up.

Recently, Cynthia over at A Quilter By Night blog tagged me with a little me-me Q & A.  I'm not creative enough to tag other folks, but check out her post and see the links of bloggers she tagged.  They are all quite cool.


I have probably answered most of the questions already, some of them recently, so I'll answer a couple of them here:

1. What was the first quilt you ever made?
   I made a flying geese quilt, and it turned out in this very odd non-rectangle shape.  I didn't want to lose any of my hard work though, and refused to cut any of it off.  It's still on my bed right now, with one corner that hangs down a little longer.
2. What is your favorite city?
   I cannot pick just one, but I love Kyoto, San Francisco, and Austin.  Don't make me pick!
3. Do you have a favorite museum?
   SFMOMA and the de Young are up there for me.
4. What is one of your favorite easy dinners to make?
   Roasted Chicken w/ Carrots - a quilting friend turned me on to this one...yummy!
5. How would you describe your quilting style in three words?
   Japanese Hand-quilting-with-lots-of Applique
   

Pearls on the Red Sea: Birthday Shawl

My mom's birthday hovers either on or around Thanksgiving. 

This year I wanted to fancy it up a bit for her, so I knit a beaded shawl from this book called Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders.





The pattern didn't call for beads, but I couldn't resist trying my hand at working with them, so I put a few (million) on there.  I named the project Pearls on the Red Sea since the beads look like tiny pearls.


It turns out that my mom loved the gift and was really surprised that I actually finished it.  Not as surprised as I am!  I was wondering for the last 9 months if I would ever finish this project. 

Truth be told, I've been doing a lot of hand quilting instead lately.

Anyhow, it was a pretty simple lace project, so I would recommend it.  Add some beads to the mix if you would like to drive yourself crazy, stab your finger with the world's smallest crochet hook, and risk never finishing it in your lifetime.

Link to more info in Ravelry.

The lovely and beautiful model shown here is my dear sweet little sister.

I know, she looks like an actual model.  She always kinda has.

 (Thanks for the free modeling services, Sis!...HBD Mom!)

My Friend the Quilt Artist: Carol Current

I have had the pleasure of knowing quilt artist Carol Current for more than ten years, and it is a treat to enjoy not only her friendship but the visual feast of the quilts she designs.
Ages ago I started quilting because my mom is a quilter.  It's always interesting to learn how other people started and what inspired the spark.

For Carol, she started sewing when she was little by making clothes for her dolls with a neighbor friend.  

As adults Carol and her sewing childhood friend luckily found themselves at an art quilt show on campus at Boston University in 1987.

Carol was amazed by the quilts there, but the most memorable were a crab quilt by Ruth McDowell (photos of some of her quilts can be seen around), a piece by Judith Larzelere, and a quilt titled "Unwinding the MBA" by Caryl Bryer Fallert. 

She basically took up quilting then and never looked back.
I don't have a copy of  "The Quilters:  Women and Domestic Art, an Oral History," but it comes recommended by Carol so it's on my short list to check out and perhaps on my list for Santa too!

Carol designed the small quilt above as a gift for a good friend.  I was trying to steal it from her before it got to her friend (who I'm sure is a lovely person, and deserves it very much), but you can't blame me for trying.  It's an amazing piece, stunning in person.

The design was inspired by a fireplace screen and she used a lot of Japanese fabric and embroidery in the creation of the quilt. 

I cannot restrain myself from putting a second detailed photo in:

Thanks Carol for sharing your quilt with the readers, and your story of quilted inspiration.

If others would like to share your story of why you started quilting, I'd love to hear about it.

Finishing Quilts: The End Game

Hand quilting is a relaxing process that should be savored and generally calming to the person doing it.

When the needle and thread are in my hand, I am relaxed and always having a good time.

I'm sure we usually move forward with the quilting process in the same general order, but here are some of my thoughts about what happens along the way:

1)  Your Quilt Top is Complete:  At this point you need to have a little party for yourself and your quilt.  Many quilters ship their top off to be quilted now.  I can see how that simplifies life, and I have had long arm quilters do work for me, but these days I love hand quilting too much to delegate it.
 
2)  Baste it:  Yes, it's time to put those 3 layers together.  I like this process for one reason only.  My DH usually helps me!  It's always some late night quality fun time together.

3)  Hand Quilting:  This is by far, my favorite part of the process.  I like it much more than designing the quilt and piecing the top.

I put a lot of thought and effort into planning the quilting design.  I often quilt a message into the quilt using the quilting stitches themselves.  I try to put the person's initials in there with quilting if I know the quilt is for a specific person.  

I can hand quilt a queen sized quilt in 30 days flat, but that involves heavy work on weekend days, and also heavy work every night (at times until 1am).  I haven't tried to pull that off in a while, but it's good to know how long it takes to quilt a quilt.

4)  Trim up the quilt and bind it:  I enjoy squaring up the quilt, and putting the binding on is not all that bad.  I don't really enjoy making the binding, but I do enjoy the 2nd part of hand stitching the binding down on the back of the quilt.

5)  Make a label:  For goodness sake, all quilts need labels.  If you are out there making quilts with no labels, you are doing a dis-service for your quilt!  They are much more valuable with labels, and they are so much more personal this way.  I do a lot of planning when creating the label.  I either do calligraphy on them, or applique, or both.  Put your name, where you live, when you made the quilt, who it was for, a poem...get creative!

6)  Take it off to the quilt show:  Ok, not a required step, but wouldn't your friends want to see it hanging up in all it's glory?  Think about it.  Share it with the world.  Who cares about the judges.  Let the people photograph it and be inspired!!!


Anybody out there think I'll finish my niece's quilt in the next week?  I am pretty close....I would love to have it done for her sooner rather than later.
 

On a Finishing Jag: Clara Dress

When the weather starts to feel a little bit colder, and fall starts to roll in, I sometimes get the urge to go nuts and finish up a bunch of projects.

It seems that old familiar feeling is back because I'm knocking them off one by one.

The first thing to be completed was the Clara Dress above.  I knit it out of a ball of sock yarn, and it didn't even take the entire ball.  It was a really fun knit, very easy and fast.

The color of the yarn is a gray/lavender/pinky color.  Same color as my security blanket when I was a kid!  More details on Ravelry.

I also finished a secret project for a secret person, so more about that later.  It was wondering if I would ever finish it, but I did and it turned out even nicer than I was expecting.

Next up is the 9 patch quilt for my niece.  I only had borders to quilt and binding and label to make and put on.  The quilt itself is quite small, and taking me around 2-3 hours per side to quilt the border.  

2 of the sides are done already, so I'm on a roll.  With any luck, the momentum will keep on flowing.

And in the mail, arrived the cutest pair of scissors on earth from my favorite Kathie.  I'll be playing around with them on my applique projects that I have in flight in order to put through their paces.  Stay tuned for a full report on Karen Kay Buckley's "perfect scissors".

In the Spooky Darkness

Halloween is the day where every girl is a princess and every boy is a super hero in my town.

I was amazed to learn that a Snow White costume does not prevent one from riding a scooter to school, nor does a Cinderella costume prevent one from riding a bike to class either.  An impressive bunch of athletic princesses were out in force.

I have never walked the kids around door to door to trick-or-treat before.  That has been historically the honor of my DH.

Staying home means "oooh-ing" and "aaaaahhh-ing" over kids costumes as the come to the door, so I never felt I was missing any of the fun.

However, my DH was a little under the weather this year, so it was me walking them around the neighborhood.

Oh the treat of it all!  At times it was wall to wall kids on the sidewalk, running past each other, trying to get to the next door first, elbow to elbow.

Some of the houses were so well decorated (including laser light show, spooky self-opening front door, smoke machines...) our kids were terrified!

I remember feeling like that when I was a kid too.  What fun.

I also realized that I still get to see tons of kids in costume running around our there.  

Should warn my DH that his reign of being the tick-or-treat lead may have come to an end?

Hope that you had a spooky one too.