kikasa

quilt in process/progress...

i'm set to teach a class next month on beginning quilting and applique...and i've been working on and working out the patterns for the past month or so.

its a bit of a struggle for me to teach classes, not because i don't know how to teach or the content, but because i have a hard time choosing what others should do...or telling someone "do this," i think i'd much rather have a class where people come along and i guide them in carrying out their pieces...

however i know the masses of people don't learn that way...i do...but most don't.

so i had to choose. 

and i figured beyond teaching the basics of quilting...i wanted to teach how to quilt in a "bohemian" "free-style" way...

i'm the kind of quilter who likes to discover along the way...who likes to not know what the final piece will be...and i'm certaintly not married to the idea of perfect points...and perfectly pieced quilts.

i love the imperfections. that's what the eye focuses on...i believe that's what the eye wants to see...and that's what really puts the show on.

those are just my ideas...my approach to quilting.

here is what i'll be covering in my class...and of course in true ki fashion...

"everything is everything..." so there is always room for any student to make this quilt their own. in fact...i took a basic traditional pattern...and made it my own...

take a look:

 

"house flower" based on amaryllis bulb quilt block...90% pieced

i started doing some "freestyle" piecing up at the top...(top left) and i originally thought i'd just square up the block...but i find that it seems to me like i should just continue piecing...and make another strip layer.

also...the border isn't fitted with 100% accuracy, my eq6 pattern was rounded to the nearest 1/8" in the cutting diagram...which means it didn't piece together perfectly...i'll have to go and take another look at the pattern draft....although..i like this...imperfection...it allowed for me to find solutions...like adding another strip onto the left hand side.

i love the surprise of the house image i get in the top left side....

i do like some perfect points...just not all my points to be perfect...i find that the "energy" of the piece changes with perfect points...i don't know...could just be me...but i find the mix between perfect and imperfect pleases me...showing skill...and also a willingness to "let go." 

there are a lot of "broken points" to appreciate in this area...along with some that are pin straight...

 

again...more correct and "broken" points...

and this is the top left area...i had a lot of fun...free-piecing pieces together...the thing about doing this is it does create some quilting "no-no's" like raw edges...in the past i've folded these in...but with this quilt i just may leave a few of those edges raw...

our bedroom...i love the bright and bold colors of the quilts against the all white walls...beautiful!

this is really the joy of quilting to me....

peace.ki.

hand-woven dishtowels....done!

newly woven hand towels...

project details:

fiber: unmercerized cotton, 8/2 

         colors: loden green, natural & charcoal 

         supplier: villagespinweave.com

sett: 10epi

pattern: plain weve "tabby"

loom: kromski 32" harp

*next time i'll keep track of pre-weaving size, and finished size...i promise*

so here is my first finished product on my new loom...what an experience it has been! i thought i would love weaving...but man...i *love* weaving.

the process is so...relaxing...and meditative...i felt myself looking forward to the beginning and end of each day where i could sit and weave...unwind...and make something. like a reward to a long day of hard work...

i learned a lot weaving this first set of towels...

beginning weaving hints:

-first things first...i ran out of warp...i intended to get 3 towels. but they were all suppose to be about 24". i did weave about an inch or inch and a half more on the first towel (the all white weft)...i got so into the process...i forgot to keep track of my length...

-i loved having little snippets of yarn hanging around were i would measure and tie at the end of a fell line* to keep track of my length...the brighter the color the better

-having a sheet of paper...better yet a weaving notebook/journal handy was wonderful...i wrote out and sketched out my warp and weft patterns...and also wrote down the length as i marked with the little string reminders...otherwise i'd end up with little sting counters here and there and not know what they referred to.

-i need to make some cardboard spacers...i thought i could use thick yarn...but trying to hem the material on the loom (before i cut it off) proved to be impossible with the yarn...lesson learned

-hemstitching is easy....easier if the fabric is still attached to the loom...and it would be great to hemstitch the beginning too...and as you go along...

-pinching the selvages while throwing the weft helped me to create even selvedges...it prevented me from pulling them in too much...or from letting them slip out...i didn't learn this trick till the last towel...or maybe it the ending of the second.

-weave with colors and fibers you love....ahh...you'll be looking at them and fingering them for a good little time...may as well make it something you love...

-all the lingo starts to make sense once your in action...

-its addicting.....so addicting...

here is the continuous fabric...fresh off the loom...i hem stitched the beginning and end...

the towels...separated...hemstitched and ready to go into the wash to be set.

i was soooo nervous at this point...wondering what would come out the wash, how delicate were they...would they look better?

i tried to tuck them into a pillow case and safety pin it shut...i washed it on a short delicate cycle...and they all managed to ink themselves out...one of the towels got snagged so there is a bit of a mistake in one of them...a loose stitch..

towel #1...i used all natural yarn for the weft...the stripes are warp stripes

towel #2, by the time i got to this towel...i was tired of the white and ready to start playing around with weft stripes...i figured it would be good practice changing my wefts...weaving in ends, etc. as you can see...the bottom thread didn't get tucked in too well...but i kinda like the imperfection...

and towel #3, the short towel...the towel wear i ran out of warp...ooh i had such a lovely pattern sketched out for this towel. by this time i was so used to changing wefts...i wanted to get as pattern/stripe-licious as i could...sadly...i ran out of warp :(

the intended pattern was green strip (4") white strip (3") blue strip (4"), repeat twice

maybe next time...in another color...

selvedges...

they washed up wonderfully...and honestly after finishing them...taking a good hard, honest look...i realized i wasn't doing so bad...i was aware that they would be an issue...there would be a learning curve so i was tackling getting them perfect from the beginning...

and finally...the weave structure/texture...

beautiful!

its is amazing to me how doing something by hand...taking the time to make something elevates something as plain and simple as a hand towel...to something wonderful! i just need some labels to sew on them and they'd be perfect!

my goodness...i can't wait to use them...yet i don't want to touch them!

after hemming them, pressing and steaming them...folding them...and photographing them...i was smitten.

i may just find myself making towels for christmas presents...i'd be thrilled to receive these...

what am i going to weave up next??

peace. ki.

p.s. the beginning of the project can be found here! i intend to do a post on warping this weekend...stay tuned!

the nomadic artist

recording the journey....

true enough i'm not the best blogger on the block. i can stand to blog more regularly and i'm sure adding some photoshop trips to my design bag would be great. but here i am starting another journal...and it feels right, a place to keep record of all my creative wanderings...

it wasn't until recently that i realized how much time and road i have to travel forward along my artist journey...

i'm still finding myself...

and like a gypsy...a bohemian soul...and a true nomad...i wander...

i wander around the arts and crafts world like a poet meanders through emotions. 

i think of myself as a busy bee...traveling from herb to flower...vegetable to fruit...sampling all that the world has put in front of me...filling myself up to make something golden...something sweet and wonderful.

so i wander. i try. i experience. i experiment.

i'm still finding myself...as an artist.

these are the years that will be listed as "periods" in my biography...the years that will overlap...run along and create the artist whom i'm becoming.

it all seems to not make sense...while at the same time painting the picture.

i'm defining myself...

i'm here. in the middle of life. in the middle of learning. in the middle of experimenting. in the middle of experiencing. in the middle of creating. in the middle of ruminations. in the middle of me.

this is my journey.

i plan to meander and stumble...fall...and run...pause and go...excite and ponder...through every single thing that excites me...that inspires me...that cause me to wanna create.

i'm going to get out...

the quilting

the appliqueing

the weaving

the spinning

the dyeing

the painting

the embroidering

the doll making

the leather working

the drawing

the printmaking

the all of my creative nomadic soul...

because one day...one day i'll make honey with all that i collect along the way... 

peace. ki.

testing..

justalittlepostingtest=)