Posts made in December, 2005

Destroyed Jeans Project

Destroyed Jeans Project

With lots of nieces and nephews visiting this holiday season, it was fun to take them to the studio. I like it when projects there evolve on their own momentum. After spending an afternoon at the mall looking at $140 Abercrombie destroyed jeans, Sol and Heather decided to buy $7.95 jeans and create their own. After using a top secret assortment of Russ’s power tools and bleach, Heather...

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Happy Christmas to All!

Happy Christmas to All!

This quilt is an example of self-fullfilling prophecy. December has flown, and while working on the quilt, I didn’t get anything else done. So three days ago, Russ was indeed on a tall ladder stringing a complex light construction in the front yard and I was feeling a little blue with no other decorations up. And so… (following is sung to the tune of Twelve Days of Christmas) Two...

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Instant Gratification

Instant Gratification

The other day I bought some pre-cut mats on sale and went around the studio looking for things to put inside. I found this teapot and turquoise arc that were already cut and didn’t work in another quilt. So I made this little still-life really quickly. Almost instant gratification!

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What about the Zipper?

What about the Zipper?

Thanks everyone who responded to my post about the retro fad. I felt better after your positive comments about my style, and also I realized that although there seems to be more retro-looking designs in fabric and home decor — it’s just that. There’s no story that goes along with the designs, and that’s really what my work is about right now. I’ve done a couple of...

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Viking Mega Quilter

Viking Mega Quilter

Here’s a photo of my new Viking Mega Quilter next to my Bernina Artista 180. You can see how much bigger the area under the arm is. Great for quilting bigger projects. I won a Viking Quilt Designer II and although it’s a great machine, it duplicates many things on my Bernina that I never use. So I traded it in for the Mega Quilter and Inspira Frame (the frame probably won’t be...

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Abstract Musings

Abstract Musings

The week before Thanksgiving I worked at least fifteen hours on an abstract design for a commission, and I must say, it was really looking crappy! So bad in fact, I took it off the design wall, stuck it in a drawer, and refuse to post any photos. But the urge to play with abstract design remains strong, and so here are some other experiments on my design wall. Should I sew them together? I...

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No Two Flakes are Alike

No Two Flakes are Alike

So here’s sort of what I’ve been thinking about in the abstract department. Although it’s not exactly abstract, I have ideas for a series of pieces that are more pattern-based. Not so serious, kind of like “groovy decor for your home and office.” There are certain objects that appeal to me for some unknown reason – martini glasses, kokeshi dolls, bugs, and...

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Illustration Friday: Blue

Illustration Friday: Blue

On Monday we were installing Russ’s newest sculpture at the Washington University School of Medicine, so I haven’t had much time to post this week. But I wanted to get my Illustration Friday drawing done for Blue. It was a little inspired by the below freezing weather we’ve had lately, but also a bit of Elvis’s song Blue Christmas…. I’ll have a Blue Christmas...

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Finally!

Finally!

Actually the Husqvarna machine that I won arrived at the dealer’s shop last week just before Thanksgiving. After a short demo, I found it was very nice and had a few buttons that I would love on my current machine. But it also duplicated many things that I don’t ever use, so I asked to trade it for the Viking Mega Quilter — bigger, faster, but straight stitch only. I had to...

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