Half the Sky

July 3, 2011July 1, 2011 Elizabeth E.1 Comment

I mentioned at the end of the last post, that I’d listened to this book while working on my Red/White Quilt Squares.

This is a difficult, yet sobering book, to listen to or to read. My 83-year-old mother chose it for us to listen to because she is a far-reaching thinker and astute observer of the human condition, but because of its depictions of the difficulties that women face in developing countries, I thought it might be hard to listen to, esp. in the sections of human trafficking, female circumcision, and maternal mortality. But I’m glad I persevered. Here I was, working on cloth and patchwork and piecing–a so-called woman’s set of skills–listening to the deprivations endured by so many women across the world.

I read a quilt blog this past week where a fellow blogger linked to some of the brouhaha over whether or not there should be more racial diversity in our quilting world. While a legitimate topic of discussion, most of it trended to whining about privilege and money and bias, along with some slander here and there. I just wanted to shout, “Wake up, whiny quilters!” I thought the discussion was a curious maelstrom, considering there are those who can’t even begin to contemplate owning a new piece of cloth, let alone the luxury of pursuing art and hobbies. I told my husband after listening to this book, I realize how good we have it here in the United States, and while we already tithe to our church–which has many humanitarian projects currently going on in the world–I wanted to do some more.

My husband’s family has a long legacy of philanthropic attitudes and projects, so perhaps I’m just now coming awake to some of those possibilities. As a family we’ve talked about Kiva, which offers microloans to help others, however, I was quite impressed with the stories in the book about Camfed, which strives to educate girls in Africa. No, I just didn’t find a Do-Good Badge on the ground and pin it on. But if you choose to read this book–and although hard to read in some parts I believe all women should read it–you might find yourself at the other end of it wondering how you can help from the boundaries of your own life. I know I was moved to tears at many points, but the authors weren’t yanking on emotional heartstrings for pathos or for pity’s sake. They were informing me, changing my vision of the world.

We don’t need to give up everything and go to these countries to live as they do, although if you feel called to that mission, you will do much good. As Kristoff and WuDunn point out, sometimes our well-placed 25 bucks can make a huge difference to some young woman, or a young mother across the world. I generally have no hesitation plunking down amounts far greater than that in quilt shops, at quilt shows, or online. Listening to this has made me realize that I can do better than simply amassing more fabric for my stash. But I don’t think it’s either/or. I can do both and make a difference in a life as well.

At any rate, they have a great website, with a whole list of different opportunities that, for the price of a few fat quarters, we could leave another lasting legacy besides our quilting.

FSF–Red/White Blocks, plus a few thoughts

July 1, 2011 Elizabeth E.Leave a comment

You know how it is at the beginning of summer? It’s like I face an unmarked calendar, and I make plans galore. I want to sew this, design that, finish this, quilt that, and of course, maybe go to the beach, or read some books. It’s like we make a list and start chipping away at it, applying the habits of type-A personalities to our unfettered summer. I ran at the beginning of summer, so happy to be free of grading and lesson plans and student emails and admin requests. I ran headlong into the quilting, cutting and sewing, and photographing–and yes, of course–blogging. It was like falling backward into a cool pool on a hot hot day in July.

But now that it is July, the ol’ Get-It-Done engine has a few sputters. The “free” time left to me is winnowing down, and soon I’ll have to return to teachery-responsibilites. So, this makes my mind concentrate more on what I really want to have done by the time I head to my Orientation, and what can be left to sandwich in between teaching obligations all semester long.

I was hoping to have this quilt all done for FSF, but no–still quilting along. I did get a quilt back from the quilter, but it’s going to be gifted, so no peeks yet.

But I can point to finishing the Red and White blocks in my little swap. On the left is the block made up in Bella Solid Country Red and Kona Snow. On the right the block is made in Kona’s Chinese Red (and Kona Snow). While the Chinese Red is more brick-colored than the Country Red, when made up, you can only discern the smallest difference between them.

I use a quilting book to help me lay out the blocks, since they have a lot of pieces. I made it from cloth, foam-core art boards, flannel and butcher paper. I cut those into long oblongs (two-page size length and one-page size width; my pages are about 14″ square), layering the flannel with the butcher paper.

Stitch down the middle. Create a pillowcase-type shape a little larger than your pages, and insert one foam-core art board cut to size in the bottom. Stitch along the edge, then stitch about an inch away again, then insert the second board. Whipstitch closed. Layer everything and stitch down through the middle to secure the pages. Of course, I did it a much harder way–cutting all the pages individually, then enclosing them in the binding, but it was the first time, and I was finding my way through this. I also have ribbons on it, so I can tie this up and transport it, which I have done to quilt classes, etc. I’ve seen the use of foam-core art boards, stacked up in use at home, but I like this design because it is less bulky.

Here are the blocks, all loaded up. I carry this to the sewing machine and just work from a single page.

I sew the small parts together, then into rows, then press. I stitch rows together, then press, then true-them up, hoping not to cut off too many corners!

Whoops.

Sometimes unpicking is involved in quilting.

Here they all are, so far.

The book I listened to while stitching was Half The Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Pulitzer Prize winners. More on this in the next post.

Creating · Something to Think About

Sun, Falling Into Sea

June 12, 2011June 11, 2011 Elizabeth E.3 Comments

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, I happened on a book of Chinese Window Screen Designs. A fan of anything repetitive or gridded, I was hooked. But I wanted to make it into a quilt. A Chinese window lattice, turned into a quilt? Sun, Falling Into Sea is the result. I drew the block in my Quilt Program, then played and played and tweaked and worked the darks, lights and lines into something I could cut out of fabric, piece and stitch.

I had forgotten about Sun, Falling Into Sea, made for a guild challenge (“Patches of Blue Water” hosted by the Orange County Quilt Guild), finding it again when I decided to try and photograph all my quilts. And that was prompted by a desire to have a written record of all my quilts, which was prompted by a set of art journals that my father has made to chronicle his path from the time he first picked up paintbrushes until this day. He has four of these journals, and I was completely taken by their existence. I mean, I know they existed, but I’ve come to understand the work and history and their significance only lately. Since they have been promised to another one of my siblings, I decided that I should try and capture a little of his books by making onof my own.e

First thing to do was to sit down and make a list of the art output of my own. Certainly it wouldn’t be how many floors I’ve scrubbed or loads of dishes into the dishwasher, but something more tangible, something I could photograph. I have done some tole painting, some crafting (remember that I am a child of the 1970s and, yes, I’ve even done macrame) but it was quilting that came to mind. I made a list. Even considering the ones I have given away, I have made 75 quilts, as of this counting.

Somewhere in the early 1970s, I started quilting, and the quilt above, a whole cloth quilt with the little Holly Hobby girls outlined by thread, was where I began. I didn’t know even how to start or stop the stitching, so in some places, I simply did a few back stitches in place, the nub of thread hidden in the heel of one of the girls. I finished the edges with frilly eyelet lace. I would call it pathetic, but it’s kind of endearing in its naivete. My latest big effort was a quilt made of dotted fabrics with hundreds of pieces, chronicled on my quilty blog.

In the last two days I’ve put close to 50 quilts up on the wall, flipped them over, taken them down. Rinse, repeat. Dave helped me for the huge ones, as I had to borrow a quilt stand to get the full view. A few of the early ones I have never photographed, nor seen stretched up before me in all their glory. It was enlightening, and rewarding to regard a life’s work in cloth and thread. I’ve sent them all to Costco to be printed, and will be taking the borrowed quilt stand to Arizona when I travel to see two of my children, to photograph the quilts I’ve made and given to them.

I don’t quite know how to describe what I feel tonight, after this experience (besides tired). It’s not often that I take time to review my accomplishments, and to enjoy them. Rewarding? Humbling? Satisfying? Maybe. But all of this was prompted by my father’s books, of his journal built page by page, painting by painting, a few artful scrawls of information in his deft handwriting. I look forward to building m

Finishing School Friday · Something to Think About

Finishing School Friday

June 10, 2011July 20, 2011 Elizabeth E.2 Comments

No, not THAT kind of finishing school, but the kind where you get something done–something that won’t be UN-done, and say “Yay! I finished something!”

I told my husband that I needed to go to Finishing School today, and so I did.

You’ve heard of Northern Lights? Well meet Southern Brights–as in the southwest section of our nation. We like brights, and this bundle from Fabricworm was so fun and cheery that I couldn’t resist adding a few more to make a Bento Box quilt.

This fabric, Round Robin, reminds me of the digital game Angry Birds, with their little round birds flying through the air.

I took it to the quilter today, so I could say: I finished a quilt top, sewed up the back and got it to the quilter!

What have you finished, this fine Friday? So often in our listing of Works in Progress (which I love reading, by the way), we focus on the incomplete, those tasks that still remain heaped around our shoulders like heavy stones. And if you’re like me, you might tend to interpret every new fabric stash purchase as adding more weight to that burden. So I think it’s nice to be able to say–DONE!–even if the quilt itself isn’t done, this part is.

Here is a page out of a terrific book I have that is not used enough. (And yes, I know where it is.) It has a column of little pink boxes along the left side of the page, lines in the middle and drawing space–blank space–on the right. The pages are perforated in case the user wants to tear them out. It’s called Project Planner and it is made by Pen-Tab. I did a Google search on it (couldn’t find it), because while I am a totally digital sort of person and can make loads of computer-generated To Do Lists, there’s something so cathartic and lovely about writing down a list of steps to do next to cute little pink boxes. And there’s also something so lovely about being to put checkmarks in those cute little pink boxes. The above page is for my daughter and son-in-law’s quilt that I made them for Christmas a few years ago. I like looking at this page on those days when I feel surrounded by the Undone and feel like The Undead as I try to muster up some energy to clear the desk.

So, what can you point to this Finishing School Friday (FSF)? Decided on a quilt? Chosen some fabric? Completed a block? Or two? Stitched a few of them together? If you are so inclined, leave a comment with your blog address showing what you’ve finished, even if it is so little as “doodled up a quilt sketch during a meeting.” Celebrate the Completed.