What Should Quilters Read?

I was just reading Deborah's blog on the Artful Quilter's ring, and saw her post about the new magazine Quilter's Home. Several people thought it was interesting, but I strongly disagree. I thought it was a weak example of a "lifestyle" magazine, thin on real content, including quilting ideas. Other people commented on other magazines, not too favorably, and that led me to think about the question of quilting magazines in general. What are the good ones? This is, of course, a matter of opinion, and depends on what you read a quilting magazine for, but here are my ideas.

Quilting Arts Some one described this as "stuff globbed on the surface", and I do agree that the works in here look very repetitious after a while. But I do like the articles about new techniques and products, and many works are beautiful, or just plain fun. I'm thinking in particular of the self-portrait challenge entries in the last issue I read.

Quiltmaker Good if you like simple patterns with big pieces and clear directions. (It used to be more interesting than it is now.)

Quilter's Newletter This used to be an excellent blend of projects both difficult and simple, design lessons, how-to articles on things like bindings, and evaluative articles on subjects like batting and stabilizers. Under the new editor, however, I think it is becoming indistinguishable from Quiltmaker.

McCall's Quilting Not much to say--completely traditional.

American Patchwork & Quilting Very much like McCall's except the patterns are more challenging and they include art and designer information that I think raises it a cut above. I also like the way every pattern is shown in an alternate "colorway". (Hate that phrase!) It's my favorite of the mainstream, traditional magazines.

Quilter Disquised advertising. All patterns seem to be designed for a particular fabric line. UGH!

American Quilter This is the main reason I belong to the AQS. The technical information is excellent, and so are the design articles. It has few patterns, except for the project issue, a good thing.

I can't comment on Fons and Porter's magazine since I've only seen it once or twice, and the $100,000 Quilting Challenge is also not familiar enough. There are others also that I don't read, so I haven't included them.

I hope people will comment. I'd really like to hear opinions. Perhaps people who are serious about quilting as art or self-expression shouldn't be reading quilt magazines at all, but looking at other art forms, painting, drawing, photography or whatever. What do you think?

Good Things

1. I discovered that the open-toed foot that I bought for applique works perfectly for piecing when the needle is moved to the right.

2. At guild last night we had what we call "The Tool Man", a vendor who sells notions, gadgets, and books for cut rate prices. I found a copy of Libby Lehman's book Threadplay for $12. When I was looking for it before taking her class last spring I found out it is out of print and sells for about $85. This copy is of course used, and has some stuck together pages from spilled something, but even so...

3 For the binding of my Queen Anne's Lace piece I used the piped binding technique described by Susan Cleveland in Winter 2005 American Quilter. (She also has a book called, I think, Piping Hot Bindings.) It worked beautifully. I've done a piped binding before, and it was ok, but didn't have the precision that her way has. She stitches the piping on first using a bobbin thread that contrasts with backing and then stitches the binding from the back, using the first stitching as a guide. Perfect.

On the Wild Side

That's the title of my finished Queen Anne's Lace piece for our "How Does Your Garden Grow challenge. I'm happy with the colors and the composition, and the flower pieces are ok (my husband knew what they were when it was finished), but as usual my machine quilting is the weak spot. Not only do the stitches leave a lot to be desired, but I have trouble knowing what pattern would best enhance the piece. All I can do is keep practicing and hope for the best.

I used several different fusibles on this, some new to me, so if anybody wants a quickie review of fusibles, read on. I used BoNash to fuse the center lace medallion and that worked very well. It did not hold the indiviual rosettes though, and I had to use a glue stick for basting until they were sewed down. BoNash works well, but is messy. I used Misty Fuse for the sheer part of the flower, and although it did the job, I'm not as enthusiastic as some have been. The directions are vague, and it's hard to judge the temperature. With a synthetic like the one I was using, it's easy to be too hot, too long. For the big simple leaves at the top and the finished flower pieces I used Steam-a-Seam 2. It works in the final step, but has the usual problem of not sticking tightly to the fabric in step one, (before it's fused). So I find it unsatisfactory to use for a piece that has to be cut very accurately or with fine details. My favorite fusible, which I used for the fern-like detailed leaves on the bottom, is something called Trans-Web. A guild friend swears by it, and she gave me a piece. I have been hoarding it and using it sparingly because I can't find it locally now. I found sources on the internet, but one is out of it, and the other one has not yet shipped, so who knows. It's a great product--it holds firmly in the first step (which is fused), and the paper backing peels off cleanly, so you can make quite delicate detailed cuts without a problem. I sure hope the manufacturer has not discontinued this product. Basically, I think there is no perfect fusible--it amazes me how people do such fine work with them--their fine motor skills are obviously better than mine!

I sent off two Hoffman Challenge pieces yesterday, the purple thing I posted last week, and this one with the parrots. (It isn't really crooked, as it looks here.) Strange, I don't have much feeling about either one, except that they're done and the decks are cleared. I have two because after I did the pink one, I was curious to see what would happen if I took another possible color scheme with the challenge fabric and went dark and somber instead of bright and tropical. That was an interesting experiment, and I'm glad I did it, even though my final feeling about them both is rather flat.

Queen Anne's Lace

Here are the first stages of this project. Instead of randomly piecing the background as I first intended, I tried Ruth McDowell's idea of making piecing lines indicate stems, using templates to plan the piecing. Of course, she pieces in the details too, but as I'm not going to do that, I'm not sure what if anything the complicated piecing adds to the effect. But I consider it practice. The "flowers" are just various attempts to get the QAL look. I think the large one is fairly successful although it needs to be larger to serve as the focus flower. (When I asked my son what the flower looked like, he said "A rock with flowers on it," and my husband said, "A doily.") Argh.

It's great to be sewing again!

Roman Tile Floors

As I walked around Rome I took pictures of floors, not just because the patterns are fascinating, but because they are easy to photograph in the limited light inside churches. I loved the floors in Venice five years ago and thought I had a great idea for a quilt. But of course I've been scooped by several books and by Jinny Beyer, who did a quilt based on the central mosaic in St. Mark's. I learned on this trip that the makers tore marble from the Roman buildings and statues to make these floors. I also thought a lot about a Roman color scheme: terra cotta, rust, peach, blue (for the sky), and neutral cream or grey. This photograph is a very dull version. Trust me, the bright terra cotta of the building and the greyed turquoise of the shutters is a stunning combination.


All of this is going in the memory banks, perhaps to be retrieved some day.

Drum Roll?

Here are three views of my Hoffman Challenge piece. I used the Japanese Puzzle block which I discussed earlier on my blog, and embellished it with bobbin work, beads, and angelina fibers. I honestly don't know what I think about it. It seems unfinished somehow, although in theory it IS finished, including the facing (instead of binding). I am thinking about adding more angelina fiber, but the Hoffman people warn about embellishment that isn't attached tightly, and so I'm hesitating. There's probably nothing to lose with this piece however.

The Joys of Travel

This is what happens when you stupidly get on a VERY crowded metro train in Rome on the night of the World Cup final game! I lost my money wallet (naturally, this was the only time on the trip that I had a 50 euro bill in it) and my husband lost his coin purse, which he dearly loves, and of course the coins in it. It could have been worse, because my passport and Bob's cash were safely stowed away. Ironically, we discovered the theft when we arrived at the Trevi Fountain to throw coins in it so we could return to Rome. Since we had no coins, I guess we won't be back. Arrivederci Roma, for sure! I think the title of the map sticking out of the purse pocket (Streetwise Rome) is also an ironic touch.

On a more detached and fair note, Rome has so many amazing and beautiful things to see that it would take several stays to appreciate them all, and I am fortunate to have been able to go again. I will post some more pleasant pictures when I get them transferred to this computer. It's good to be home.

A Poem-Worthy Day

A day like today takes me back to high school and lines by James Russel Lowell that we had to memorize:

What is so rare as a day in June?
Then if ever come perfect days.
Then Heaven tests Earth if it be in tune,
And over it softly Her warm ear lays.

Not a great poem by any means, but I always think of it on beautiful June days.

We're leaving for Europe again this afternoon. At this time I'm not sure whether my husband's professional travel is a blessing or a curse. I'll enjoy myself when I'm there, but I know I will be very glad when it's July 10, and I am home for a long stretch to get caught up with all the projects I want to work on. I hope to get a chance to at least read what everyone is doing while I'm gone.

I'm traveling again, and so still can't do anything creative. I am thinking though! My guild is having a challenge based on the Quilting Arts "How Does Your Garden Grow?" challenge, (although my guild seems to be taking the expression literally--lots of flowers, etc.) I am thinking about doing a picture of Queen Anne's lace, probably with a crazy pieced background to allow for the various greens to be arranged randomly, and using real lace and embroidery for the focus flower, perhaps a sheer fabric and embroidery for the ones in the background. I love Queen Anne's lace and have wanted to do something with it in a quilt for a long time. I have old photographs which I will use (can't post them). Weeds are very appropriate for how my garden grows, LOL!

And as another thought, last week while at my family farm in Missouri, I took pictures of the now falling down house where my grandmother lived, thinking that they might be useful for the Portals challenge being discussed at Quilt Studio. We'll see. It was fun playing with the camera anyway. Too bad I don't remember what setting I used to accentuate the green moss in one shot!

Some Thoughts on Quilt Trends

I have just spent 10 days at my mother's and have done no sewing or quilting. However, I have looked at some interesting magazines and books, and thought I'd share some thoughts. This is going to get philosophical.

I read Ruth McDowell's book, Fabric Journey, which I found fascinating. There are no patterns in this book, and not even any explanation of how she does her very complicated piecing, (although I believe that is found in some of her other books). It's only an explanation of design and fabric choices. Her quilts are wonderful, truly works of art. I found her fabric choices amazing--they are so unexpected, bearing no obvious resemblance to the object they become in the finished piece.

But I was particularly struck by the way she makes subtle, or maybe not-so-subtle digs at quilters who applique pictorial style quilts rather than piecing them as she does, and those who use painted fabric or fabric printed with appropriate designs (leaf-print fabric for leaves, etc.) instead of meeting the challenge of using commercial fabric in unexpected and creative ways. She says the "structure of the piecing process gives integrity to the surface with an underlying connectedness that may not be apparent at first glance," and "...the process gives a depth and strength to my work that is not present in most other ways of working with fabric." (p. 8) Not everyone would agree with this, but I think I do. To me her quilts resemble some of Cezanne's paintings--both break objects into shapes, or blocks, instead of using a more flowing technique of shading. (My art terminology is weak here.) But isn't it interesting that she seems to feel the need to defend or justify her technique?

I thought I detected the defensiveness again in an article by Harriet Hargrave in the latest edition of The $100,000 Quilting Challenge. I can't quote this because I passed the magazine on to my sister, but to paraphrase, she seems to be defending the use of the short armed home sewing machine for beautiful machine quilting--quilters should perfect their technique and make the quilts "entirely their own"! Take that you people who send your work out to the long arm quilters!

Do both these established quilting greats feel that their position is being threatened by a new generation of quilters with new techniques who are pushing them aside? If so, are they right to feel endangered? An interesting question to think about.

Interesting book

This is one of the Japanese books I bought in Paris. Unfortunately, a scanner is on my list of electronic-things-I-need, so I have tried to take some pictures of the work in the book, with not too great results. The detail doesn't show up. Basically these are applique and embroidery, done by hand instead of by machine as you see much pictorial work done here. The applique is raw edge, held down by widely spaced buttonhole stitches, and the details are added by embroidery and couched threads of various types. I love the sketchy, apparently casual look of these, as though you could just throw one together quickly!




This third one is particularly blurry, but I'm posting it anyway because of the striking color scheme. Like the rest, the objects
are done with raw edge applique and accented with embroidery.

Home!

Arrived home last night after long, but basically pleasant flight. Just starting to unpack and organize. Bob left to go run an experiment at Argonne National Laboratory, so it is quiet here. It's good to be home, but I loved Paris. I woke up in the night last night and as I tried to go back to sleep, French phrases kept running through my head. Where were they when I needed them?

Here are some photos: my husband and I on the rooftop terrace of Institut of le Monde Arab, which has a beautiful (and free!) view of the Seine and Notre Dame; the church where we lived (see the little door to the left--that leads to flats belonging to the University of Paris Medical School); and my husband, son and daughter-in-law in the Tuilleries. As you can see from pictures, it was grey much of the time while we were there.





I took the other two pictures at a quilt exhibit I visited. It seemed to be the equivalent of a local guild show. There were only about 20 quilts of varying quality. I thought these two were quite striking, both in the colors and the unusual design. Both makers were creating an abstraction based on photographs, one of sand dunes and one of a flower bed.




I have a few other pictures which I will post later. My dirty laundry is calling.

More Paris notes

Yesterday I went to Brentano's American Bookstore and treated myself to two Japanese quilting/needlework books. They have a huge selection of books in English, French, and Japanese. I bought 156 Original Designs by Yoko Saito and another books with title only in Japanese by Kazue Saburai. This book is mostly embroidery stitches and ideas for using various threads and fabrics in embellishment. I bought it for the beautiful small scenic and abstract works, very much like what we do here for fabric postcards. These don't seem to be postcards, but just small pieces, all by hand. They are exquisite, somewhat stylized and abstract. I think they will be a real inspiration. Both books have instructions only in Japanese, but with diagrams and metric measurements a moderately experienced American quilter should be able to figure them out. The first book also contains wonderful quilted purses, everything in the Japanese taupe fabrics. These books are my main Paris purchase--no designer clothes, jewelry, etc. LOL (I've had good wine though!)

Bon Jour from Paris

After the third week here I have finally made it to an internet cafe to post. Can't do any pictures though because I don't have facilities for that. We are having a pleasant and rather uneventful stay (knock on wood). We're in the same place as last year and so everything seems much more familiar. My French is very little better, but it helps to know the ropes, so to speak. As far as quilty stuff, I have been to the Bon Marche fabric and sewing section, a true paradise, but of course everything is literally twice the price of the US, so I bought only the spool of silk thread I needed. Also have been to Le Vouvray, a quilt shop, but only looked. Went to an actual quilt show, apparently the equivalent of a local guild show. The fabrics used were interesting, not all cotton, some silkies, and the patterns were not like American ones. (I will post when I get home.) Workmanship is not up to our standards though.

Will be home on June 10--will be glad to be home, although it is wonderful here, never a dull moment.

Paris

I'm packing to go to Paris! It's exciting, although right now I'm tired. We will be there four weeks. My husband does some research with a professor at the University of Paris and we stay in a flat belonging to the university and available to their visitors at a very low (Paris standards) cost. It's basic, to say the least, but in the middle of the St. Germaine de Pres area on the left bank and walking distance from most big attractions. Besides the wonderful museums, the neighborhood is full of boutiques and art galleries and other beautiful shops. Window shopping is a real treat--and with prices what they are, window shopping is it!

Deb asked if I was going to buy fabric. "Le patchwork" seems to be of interest to a fair number of people there. I did find two quilt shops, one very near where we stay. You would think that clerks in these stores might speak English, but they don't, so shopping was interesting. I'm sure I'll find something, but I still have last year's purchases unused, and since fabric is about double the price here, I will try to use control! The fabric I bought last year was a very French looking blue provencal floral with a package of 25 cm. squares in coordinating fabrics. The shop sample showed the coordinates made into flying geese in a strippy set with strips of the blue between them and in the border. It was pretty, but not very inspiring, and waiting for inspiratation is ONE reason I haven't done anything with them yet. Interestingly, the Brentano's English bookstore had a larger selection of American quilt books than many bookstores do here. They also stock the French magazine Quilt Mania (which is beginning an American edition), and Japanese quilt magazines. So that may be a possible purchase. I have my circles to applique so that provides the quilting fix.

In case anyone is wondering, my French is very minimal, although I can read it! But we managed before and will again, I guess. This will be our last time for this trip, so I hope to make the most of it. If I can get a crack at my husband's computer for long enough I will try to post. Otherwise, a bientot, mes amies!

I made fabric postcard/Mother's Day cards for my mother and sister. As I was cutting out the little flowers to fuse into the basket for my mom, it occurred to me how like grade school the idea of a cut-and-paste flowered card was. I probably wouldn't have used that funky striped border in grade school however. The "Big Feeling" card for my sister has nothing to do with Mother's Day actually. It's just a private joke with us. We both hate that old-fashioned phrase used to describe confident people. We heard it frequently from our elders as we were growing up. We also agree that it was often used as a putdown of any woman who dared to express herself with any certainty. So--"Big Feeling" is a good thing to be! When I saw the women on this fabric, I had to make the card.

Here's my tentative final arrangement of blocks. I do have one that I have to resew to get this arrangement (center on left hand side) but then I can pack them to work on while I'm gone. This went much faster than I anticipated. I'm really happy with the results, although I know it's not going to be everybody's cup of tea!

Progress!

I can see why this is called Circle Play. It's great fun, and I'm beginning to get excited about the finished product. I intend to make it three rows of five blocks plus borders and use it as a wall piece above our bed.

I have finally begun to work with the fabrics I bought in Australia almost three years ago. By a great coincidence there was a big quilt show in Melbourne the day we were there and I not only saw quilts, I was able to buy fabric!

I wanted to use some sort of circle pattern to echo all the circles and dots on Aboriginal designs, and at first thought I would do some version of Drunkard's Path. But when I saw Reynola Pakusich' book Circle Play I thought that would be a good use for the fabric. She uses circles of the focus fabric(s) appliqued to backgrounds made out of half-square or quarter-square triangles. The idea is to echo the lines and colors of the focus fabric in the background blocks, and create an attractive "value flow" of lights and darks across the quilt. Her examples are stunning. It remains to be seen how mine will turn out. These are very difficult fabrics to work with because the colors are unusual, even garish, and the whole effect is very busy. Putting them together with backgrounds that won't make the busy-ness overwhelming is going to be challenging.

Here are my circles and the few blocks I've made so far. It's too early to see how this will work. I have actually done a few more blocks since taking the pictures, and the effect does improve with more blocks. I would like to get the whole layout finalized before we leave for France in two weeks so that I could do the handwork while we're gone. But that may not be possible because it would be a mistake to rush this step, and a little time to cool is probably a good idea.