Intuition, Inspiration, the Muse--Whatever

All of us want more of those brilliant ideas that lead to interesting new projects, yes? But how to get them.

The July 28 issue of The New Yorker has in interesting article on this topic. Using brain imaging technology, scientists now think that these flashes of insight occur in an area of the right hemisphere of the brain called the anterior superior temporal gyrus (aSTG). I'm simplifying, because before the insight, other areas of the brain try to gather data, shut out sensory input which can interfere, and search frantically for answers to the problem, and then suddenly, the insight happens, shown by a burst of electricity in the aSTG. Then somehow the brain reorders information, and we can never go back to seeing things the way we did before.

Apparently insight is more apt to occur when we are relaxed, after the necessary information has been gathered. This is why many people get their best ideas in the shower or early in the morning when they're half awake, or in my case, as I'm falling asleep.

I'm not sure how this information helps when you're trying to think of solutions except to reinforce what we know already: things like come back to the problem later, sleep on it, etc. (A glass of wine might help, or a cookie, although the scientists didn't mention that.) Fascinating though, isn't it? Now to wait for a moment of intuition...

Half-Square Triangles Galore

I've been working on my quilt based on the arrowhead picture. I visualize it as Broken Dishes blocks set together with narrow sashing (fabric to be chosen). I've spent several days making the half-square triangle pieces to set together and then putting trial blocks on the design wall to see if my original idea of making each block one color, but several fabrics would work. I was concerned about not having too big a value difference between blocks so that the whole thing would flow. I think it will work, but the sashing fabric choice will be important.

It's also important to have precise piecing on this since the black makes the points stand out so prominently. Different quilters have their own ideas about the best method for making half square triangles. I have a real problem with the idea of Thangles (sorry Thangles fans out there); they seem to me a waste of money and materials. And as for the pencil line method, I can sew more accurately than I can draw a pencil line. For a long time I was a purist: If you want to piece accurately, just practice until you can. But I've given up the idea of practice making perfect, at least for me, and now I cut the square a bit larger than necessary and trim it down after the triangles are sewn together. For a 3 inch finished square, I cut 4 inch squares, cut them in half diagonally, sew the triangles together, and then trim the pieced square down to 3 1/2 inches. The trimming is a bit of a pain, especially when there are so many blocks, but the results are perfectly accurate.

Floor Patterns

I always take pictures of floors when I travel, thinking they would make wonderful quilt designs. I have yet to make one. Here are two parquet designs from a palace outside Moscow. Aren't they wonderful? I particularly like the second one with the Mariner's Compass-like pattern because of the secondary designs it creates. I took many pictures, hoping to figure out how it was done; it's hard to see the outline of the block, but I think I get it. Piecing it would be another matter! The other one is simpler, but uses hexagon blocks. Either one cries out for paper piecing, or English paper piecing in the case of the first one. So looks like these will be just another picture for my "If I Could" collection.

The Sights of Moscow

Having sounded a bit negative yesterday perhaps, I wanted to talk about some wonderful things to see and do in Moscow. First, you can eat. There's lots of delicious food--Russian things like borsch and caviar and blinis (crepes) with various fillings, good salmon. We also ate at a couple of restaurants serving non-Russian food, one Italian and one Mediterranean. Both were wonderful, as elegant and as expensive as anywhere we'd go in Chicago or New York.

Then there are the sights. Unfortunately I don't have good pictures because a) my camera sucks, and b) pictures were prohibited many places or could be taken only by paying an extra fee. I took two from this site to round out mine. Can you tell which are which? :)


This is a view of the Kremlin. I've heard that phrase all my life, but never really understood what it is. It's a fortress, the historic beginning of Moscow and inside its walls are palaces, cathedrals, gardens, monuments, and museums. The red brick is the wall of course, studded with towers, and the large yellow building is the presidents state residence. He doesn't live there, but uses it for state receptions and like occasions. It's apparently incredibly splendid, but isn't open to general public.

The interior of one of the cathedrals. Pictures are forbidden, and when I was there, it was jammed with tourists. They don't sell postcards either, so I was glad to find this picture.

One of the highlights of the Kremlin is the Armoury, a palace converted into a museum housing "the treasures of the Tsars." It's an incredible display of armour, crowns, icons, silverware, Faberge eggs, coronation robes, carriages, all covered with gold and gems. Truly breath taking; it's not just the splendor but the wonderful craftsmanship of these treasure that is stunning. Unfortunately, the visits only last two hours, and then everyone is shooed out, and it closes and opens again. Don't ask me why; I don't break my brain.

Here, outside the wall of the Kremlin is the tomb of the unknown soldier. Russian brides and grooms come here to place flowers. I like that tradition. Actually brides and grooms and wedding parties are visible at all the major sites of the city, posing for pictures, making toasts, getting their clothes dirty, getting wet in the rain. When someone wondered why the brides weren't offered an umbrella, Irena remarked, "They're getting ready for their hard life. Russian men are not kind to their wives." Ouch. The voice of experience, I'm afraid.


On one side of the Kremlin is Red Square, and one feature of that is Lenin's mausoleum. Yes, he's still in there, but only visible at certain times after a long time standing in line. I skipped this.

And finally, St. Basil's Cathedral, perhaps one of the most famous sights in Moscow. Amazing, like a child's toy with the bright colors and many textures. Inside it's a maze of small rooms, no large space at all.

This is just a taste. I'm so glad I took this trip in spite of the culture shock. Take time to look at some of the wonderful pictures on the web site above.

Moscow

Recognize this?

The most obvious difficulty in visiting Moscow is the language. Unless you can read Russian a little you have great difficulty moving around independently. There are few signs using the Roman alphabet; some subway maps do, but it's hard to find one. So I traveled in a tour group most of the time. This necessarily limits what I saw, and anything I say is based on limited data. But here goes.

Moscow is big--15 million people and growing. New high rises are going up everywhere, and traffic is a major problem. Everywhere we went, we spent much of the trip sitting in traffic. This is true in spite of the fact that the excellent public transportation system is also jammed. The city is extremely pedestrian unfriendly; six and eight lane roads filled with speeding cars who DO NOT care about pedestrians separate neighborhoods, even in the historic center. The only way to cross many of these roads is by pedestrian underpasses, which have no signs indicating which way to go. Almost everyone in Moscow lives in high rise apartment houses, which range from old and shabby and to new and rather expensive looking, with every combination in between. They're mostly without charm: boxy, grey or brown, no window boxes, even in the heart of summer. However, there are lovely older buildings (both baroque and Victorian) mixed in, and churches with the familiar Russian onion domes are everywhere.

Here's the skyline. The large "Soviet Gothic" building is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I think. There are actually six of these, called the Seven Sisters (number seven was never built) scattered around the city so one is visible from any direction.

This is one of the lovely churches, the Cathedral of the Assumption, inside the Kremlin walls. Tsars were crowned here.

The first thing that would strike an American about the people is the Moscow Stone Face. To say that the service industry is lagging behind there is an understatement. No hotel clerk, store clerk, or museum person smiles; most of the women have their eyebrows plucked into pencil thin arches, which somehow adds to the unpleasantness of their stare. In addition, there are many incomprehensible rules and procedures that produce cries of "Nyet, nyet, nyet," when you misstep. You need a thick skin to visit Moscow. I suppose this is a holdover from the days of Communism; when you consider the history, openness is probably not to be expected.

This picture illustrates an example. The beautiful young woman to the left was the guide for the museum we were visiting. Some places don't allow the commercial Moscow guides to conduct tours and insist on having their own person, who only speaks Russian. So the museum guide conducted a long tour, full of statistics like the square footage of the room or how many kilos of gold leaf were used for ornamentation, all without changing expression or varying the monotone of her voice. Our guide Irena (on the right), who could make information fascinating and convey excitement for the historical places and events described, was force to translate, probably gritting her teeth in frustration the entire time.

That being said, if you have any kind of personal relationship, the people are delightful. Irena had a wonderful sardonic wit; her comment about the museum people: "We don't understand the rules either. We just say "Don't break your brain, do what they say.'" (There's lots of history in the creation of that attitude.) The Russian conference organizers, who struggled with the bureaucracy as much as anyone else, were warm, helpful, and gracious. And best of all, we were invited to the home of the parents of one of my husband's post docs. His mother had prepared a traditional Russian meal, with her own home made salted salmon (delicious), home made blinis, and other snacks. A meal includes many toasts, each one to be followed by downing a shot of vodka and taking a bite of food. Fun! One could imagine the hilarity when a big party like this gets going; we were rather staid, but I hope not unappreciative! I haven't any pictures from that occasion, but here's a band that entertained at one of the dinners. They're playing traditional Russian folk instruments, and had a wonderful time doing it.


Tomorrow, I'll talk about some of the incredible things to be seen in Moscow.

Russian News and Views

We returned home from Russia Monday night, or 6 a.m. Moscow time. Most of my pictures are still on my husband's computer, but I have a few from St. Petersburg, much the best ones anyway. I'll post Moscow pictures and some comments on the experience later. In general, I'm glad to have taken this trip and to have seen the wonderful churches, art, and architecture there, and to have reviewed some of the history. But I wouldn't go back. More about that later when I have pictures to soften the commentary.



These are views of Peterhof, a palace constructed outside St. Petersburg by Peter the Great in the 1700s. The palace was behind the German lines surrounding St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) during World War II and was heavily damaged, so the building is a reconstruction. The furniture, paintings, statuary, however, were hidden before the war, and are mostly original. The gardens and fountains are breathtaking, much more appealing than Versailles. This grand cascade was designed by Peter himself, and uses no pumps, everything is gravity fed.



This shot gives some idea of the heavily gilded baroque interior. I'm trying to get a shot of the infinite view created by facing mirrors. There are mirrors along both sides and the end of the room, so the whole effect is an optical illusion making the room seem even larger and grander than it is already.

St. Petersburg and the Peterhof are full of tourists and tour groups as they're stops on many cruise ships' itinerary, so this city is relatively tourist friendly. But if you can see the expression on this palace "guardian's" face, you'll see that "friendly" is only a relative term! Our guide and many other people were wonderful, but there is definitely a grimness present all over the country which is startling to Americans. I'll talk about that later.

Looks like Halloween, but actually this is just a few pieces I've put together for the arrowhead quilt. There will be golds, greens, and browns also with the black, and I'm doing a broken dishes block. I liked the one I did for a friend so much, I thought I'd borrow the idea.

I'm also packing for the trip to Russia. I enjoy packing. It's a challenge to take the perfect number of things, not too much, and yet not forget anything important either. An extremely interesting web site called One Bag has terrific information on this. The author is a serious minimalist; the premise is how to go all around the world with one carryon size bag. Although I don't travel like that, it's still very helpful, with a handy one page check list of what to pack, and a very long annotated packing list with recommendations in every category. It's not for someone who is going on a cruise, or lounging at a luxury resort, or staying anywhere looking fab is a high priority, but for people who are actually traveling and handling their own bags, it's full of practical information. I particularly recommend the travel clothesline made out of braided surgical rubber with loops on both ends that stretches between any two convenient hooks and holds clothes w/o clothes pins.

So tomorrow I'll finish the packing, mail my Hoffman Challenge quilt, and take off on Thursday. Back in about two weeks; do good work, everyone!

Terrific Binding Technique

Recently, Debra Spincic mentioned using Sharon Schamber's binding technique as shown on this video. (There are three parts, but it's worth watching.) Sharon uses Elmer's School Glue instead of pins at all stages of the binding to hold everything firmly and it gives amazing results. I tried this out on a charity quilt that I just finished binding, and it's wonderful. Sharon says she does this for her show quilts, but I think it also works beautifully on something quick that you just want a fairly neat looking machine stitched binding. It's actually much quicker than the pinning I have to do for decent looking results, especially on the second stage. I didn't have her glue applicator tip either, just the regular tip of the bottle. You can see my results here. I didn't even try very hard, and they still look good, although they'd look even better if I had my glasses changed so I could see the ditch to stitch in better! The slightly-out-of focus first photo has the same effect :) Forgot to stitch down the miter too--mea culpa.

News Flash!

Okay, everyone! What we've been waiting for! While waiting at the library yesterday, I came across this book, and HAD to sit down and browse through it. I have mixed feelings: it's good for what it is, but part of me wants to scoff, and much of it I knew already or had decided I didn't give a damn about anyway. As you might expect, it's full of tips about clothes, shoes, makeup, hair, underwear, etc., so you can look Y & H (young and hip, I guess), rather than OL (Old Lady). The author is probably in her mid forties. Being more than a bit past that is why I don't care about some of it, but still... I did go and buy Sally Hansen airbrush for legs, a recommended product.

Thoughts on Color

Lately I've been feeling negative about quilting--much of what I see seems stale and based on current "trends", the latest techno gizmo, or hot new technique. So I've been trying to go back to basics and connect with what has always drawn me to any kind of fabric work, which is color. Looking back on what I've made, I find that the things I like best and am happiest with are pieces that I based on a particular color plan that spoke to me. Some of them have come from art or photographs.


The first is a painting by Picasso of his mistress Dora Maar. This combination is bizarre, and I can't analyze why it works, but I love it. I used it to chose fabrics for the quilt at the top of the blog. Some one else liked the combination apparently because I actually had a novelty child's fabric to use for the border.

Then there is this Christmas card, which I've used several times. It's not in the same category as the Picasso, but what makes it special to me is the zing of the red orange. Perfect!

I chose color plans from nature too. This quilt was inspired by flowers and foliage on my deck. I don't like the quilt because I didn't get the value placement right, but the effect of pink/red scattered through the different greens still pleases me.

I also like this quilt, where I tried to capture different grasses and wild flowers along the roadside.


I've wanted to make something in the muted, greyed, greens and browns of winter for a long time, but I haven't been able to decide on a design for that. Currently, I'm thinking of something based on this Science cover that I've saved for over a year. Unfortunately the reproduction isn't good; there's quite a bit of green in the stone of some of those spear points, and that's what makes it particularly striking. This would make a stunning quilt I think, very contemporary looking, and rather masculine, although no one I would make it for is hung up on that sort of thing. Maybe this project is what I need to get me out of the doldrums. I'm going to need some fabric...

Pleasant Surprise!

I received this beautiful postcard from Liz. Liz and I discovered each other through the Take It Further Challenge, and were struck by the similarity of our blog names. When I realized she was making hats, I sent her a book that I wasn't using any longer about millinery techniques. I'm always so impressed by lovely handwork like hers on this card, and the various embellishments add just the right touch. Thanks, Liz. It's a great addition to my collection.

Towel Bib

Valerie asked how I made the two bibs I showed in the last post, so here's a quick tutorial. This is pretty basic sewing, so I'm not going into much detail, just giving a general idea.

You start with a hand towel, about 16 x 24 inches, and cut it in half, crosswise. It's better to use one without the plain-weave band, but I just ignored the band and appliqued over it this time. I use a purchased bib as a template for the neck, but if you don't have one, the opening is approximately a 4" diameter circle.



Then you can decorate as you choose. There are lots of options, but for this I was using up a little piece of rather poor quality fabric that I got in an exchange. To make this oddly shaped applique around the cat, I put a piece of muslin on top of the image, drew around the shape I wanted with fabric marker, and then stitched on the line. Then I trimmed around the stitching, leaving 1/4 allowance, and slit the muslin to turn it right side out. After turning and pressing, I trimmed the excess fabric away leaving 1/2 inch seam allowance, pinned the image to the bib, and stitched it down.






For binding, I cut a bias strip 2 1/4", folded it in half and stitched it to the front of the neck. You can use purchased binding, too, but I think this kind works better actually. The curve is rather sharp, and so this is a little tricky, but there aren't any quilt police here, so if it bunches a bit, it's ok. Then I folded the binding over to the wrong side and pressed it. I did use Sharon Schamber's technique of putting a line of Elmer's School Glue on the seam allowance, and then pressing down the binding. This holds it securely and evenly so that you can stitch-in-the-ditch on the right side easily. Then, add velcro strips for closing, wash it to get out the glue and be sure it's clean for the baby, and there you are.



They're great bibs: big and thick enough to sop up lots of STUFF, and the extra size is also good for wiping the face.

Catching Up--Again

It's been a big reunion time. First, friends of ours from our long-ago days at Cornell dropped by on their way home from visiting family, then there was a family reunion in Missouri, and then a get together of the cooperative house where I lived in college. So I haven't been home, and definitely haven't had time to post or read blogs for about two weeks. And then there's all the activity on Stitchin Fingers ring, so I'm a bit overwhelmed. But here's the beautiful postcard I received from Ruth.

It's a very effective combination of texture and techniques with a bit of three dimensional embellishment too. Thank you, Ruth. My part of the exchange will go in the mail today, I hope, and then after cleaning, laundry, and unpacking, I hope to catch up on all the on-line reading. Maybe I'll sew later in the week...

The only creative activity in this time frame has been two baby bibs,

and sending my quilt, Unintended Consequences, to the AQA show in Columbus. If anyone is going to be there, say hi to it for me.
Catch you later, everybody.

Take It Further, May

Theme: What do you call what you do, or what do you call yourself in regard to what you do, or something like that. I actually have trouble answering "What do you do now that you're retired?" I'm not an artist; I don't have the training or the natural talent. I sew; I make quilts; I make "fiber art", whatever that is. All these answers produce glazed eyes.

I thought first I might be a dilattante, but the definition is someone who admires the arts or has a superficial knowledge. Maybe, but then lightening struck, and I thought: AMATEUR. Amateur: one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession, and one lacking in experience and competence in an art or science. That's me. Also the etymology of amateur is from the root meaning to love, so an amateur does something for love. And being an English Major, I immediately thought of a giant red A like Hester Prynne's in The Scarlet Letter. So here's my A for "amateur", although it's not red. Two of my amateurish painted fabrics, a bit of equally amateurish quilting, and some beads. Done by the deadline!

Catching Up

It was a perfect day here yesterday, and we had dinner on the deck, contemplating the fact that this is the first time in four years that we haven't been in Paris Memorial Day weekend. It's both sad not to be in Paris, and good to be at home. One French thing I definitely regretted at this meal is the very fresh tasting bearnaise sauce I could buy in a pouch at the Monoprix and heat up in hot water or the microwave. It would have been perfect with steak and fresh purple asparagus. I've never seen anything like that here, even with all the prepared stuff available.

On other fronts, the kitchen is done and is fast returning to its normal cluttered state. Here's a picture of the neat condition, even before the drawers are back. The speckly granite makes it impossible to tell if the counter is clean or not. Not sure if that's good or bad--



And this charity quilt is ready to bind and take to guild tomorrow. Lots of cause for the "machine quilting needs improvement" comment in this quilt.


I now have some chore type sewing: pants to hem, etc, and maybe some baby bibs.

Enjoy your holiday, everyone, and take time to remember those who died in service to the country; especially remember those veterans of this war, fought by a few, because of a few.

A Rant

Today I made what was supposed to be a quick trip to JoAnn Fabric and Crafts. When I walked in it was like a new world--they're in the midst of a store makeover; instead of open aisles, cutting table in the middle, etc., the store is filled with grocery store style shelves about eight feet high so that it's difficult to find anything. I'll keep an open mind about this; maybe it will be fine when finished. Apparently bigger stores in cities are going to this layout and we're just trying to keep current.

But here's the real point of this post: right by the door, extremely visible, (although most fabric is hidden), is a candy aisle: not just a little check-out lane candy display, but a full size, grocery store scale candy aisle. I know it's a free country and except for a few restrictions, merchandisers can sell whatever they want. But tell me one good reason why, in a country suffering from run away obesity, someone should be encouraged to buy candy on impulse when she shops for fabric and craft supplies. Recently I've noticed that all stores from hardware stores to big box electronic stores sell candy by the check out, so JoAnn's display shouldn't be surprising, but the scale and inappropriateness of it still shocked me. We all know how hard it is not to gain weight if you spend lots of time in a sedentary activity like sewing, and I don't want the temptation stuck in my face everywhere I go. Next time I go in, I'll say something to the manager, although I'm sure he will say it's a chain policy. What does anyone else think about this?

No I didn't buy any; I'd just come from the dentist. :)

Cyber Fyber Exchange Complete

Here's the terrific card I received from Susan Lenz as part of the Cyber Fyber Exchange. It's something that doesn't photograph too well, but trust me that the contrast of soft color and texture and a bit of gold stitching is lovely. I sent her one of my rose cards. Anyone who makes cards, check out the web site and sign up. It's fun.

Daily Grind

These postcards, and two more which have been sent, are all I've been doing recently. I guess it's a rose and tulip series. I'm truly in a creative slump. Next week maybe I'll come out of it and start a new project, or maybe not. In the meantime, I have half a kitchen, it's a beautiful May here with trees in full bloom, and it's also graduation weekend. Hubby went off this morning with baby blue University of Michigan cap, gown, and hood, six-inch diameter "gold" chair professor medal to wear around his neck, and last but not least, the sacred lapel pin (not a flag, but the Golden Dome). Academic regalia is an interesting throwback to past times; maybe only the military is the same nowadays. I'm off to a soup kitchen volunteer appreciation luncheon soon. Then tonight there is a graduation party for Bob's Ph.D. student. So life is busy, in a sort of day by day way.

Cyber Fyber Exchange

Thanks to Paula at Beauty of Life for an alert about the ATC and fiber postcard trading going on here, organized by Susan Lenz. This is the second exchange, but I missed the first one and only caught references to it on others' blogs. There's an interesting list of cards available, so check it out. I've already grabbed mine!

Nothing Much

May 9--the deadline for entries to Sky's the Limit. I had foolishly thought I might have an entry, but it has now officially become a UFO, maybe someday to be bound and reincarnated as an arty lap quilt. Feeling humbled, I cleared my mind by making a charity quilt for the guild, and have been trying to decide on my next project. It will be pieced and traditional. I've had enough of applique, machine embroidery, and especially of machine quilting on my less than perfect system.

In other news, the kitchen work will start next Thursday. I will be in Chicago with the twins (yay!) until Thursday afternoon, so preparation and removal of stuff from cabinets will have to be done by my husband. In addition, one of his colleagues will be staying with us until Thursday to work on a project, so he will probably get roped into that fun job. This may be awful timing, or great timing. I'm not sure. Anyway, I will do pre-pre- preparation early next week before I leave, and hope for the best.

And just so this won't be a pictureless post, here's the countertop. The real thing is a bit more yellow, I hope.