Ralli

I came back from the quilt festival Sunday afternoon, but I think the most amazing quilts I saw that weekend weren't on display at the convention center. Well, at least not this year. A few years back, there was an exhibit of Indian rallis or quilts included at quilt festival. I remember seeing them and just being bowled over by them. The color palette on these quilts was pretty limited, but they were intense and saturated. The patterning was graphic and the surfaces were heavily stitched. There was an energy to these quilts that was raw and very powerful.
Ralli quilts didn't make an encore appearance at this year's festival, but I did find a terrific book about them and their makers.


There were so many inspiring quilts in this book that i really had a hard time deciding which I would photograph. The book features quilts that are patchwork, applique and embroidered.


And they're all big because they're all strictly functional.



Check out this two page spread!

This one is an example of an applique ralli. I couldn't get over how much it reminded me of Matisse's cut paper works.


I could have included so many more quilts because they're all terrific. If you're interested in learning more I found this website where you can view some of the quilts and even purchase a ralli for you very own self. Also, the book is available at Amazon. Happy reading!

Two Words

Two Words:: Quilt Festival.

When the dawn breaks tomorrow I'll still be in the pool. But right after that I'll be heading to Houston for the International Quilt Festival. This has got to be my favorite day of the year. This year, my almost giddy joy will be doubled as I'll be spending the weekend at my folks' house and will get to attend on Friday and Sunday. Usually, I drive up the first day of the festival and drive back the same day. This year, a wonderful confluence of events has allowed me to go for the weekend. Can you tell I'm excited?

Two Words:: New Coasters


The second photo is actually the backs of these coasters, but I liked the way it looked so I included it.


Two Words :: See Ya!

Revisiting

It all began with that shirt. I dyed this tiny garment more than ten years ago for my as yet unborn littlest one. And she wore it home from the hospital. I really wanted her first clothes to be something I had a hand in making. For a while after that I dyed a fair amount of children's clothes, both for my own kids and to sell.


That was actually the beginning of my little business. I used many of the same techniques and certainly the same dyes to color and pattern these clothes as I did fabric for my quilts.


At the time making these clothes seemed so right. I had three little children and I wanted them to wear clothes that I had made special for them. It seemed to make sense to make a little more for fun and a little profit.
I don't have such little children anymore. In fact, my eldest, my Halloween baby, turned 16 today. But I've been thinking about these clothes lately and baby items in general.


I've decide to try my hand at these again. This time pairing them up with hand dyed flannel blankets that are bound with my batiked fabric.


I'm going to be adding these four items( I've made two sets) and some others to my shop tomorrow.


I have plans to make these baby items in colors appropriate to both genders.


These have been dyed into one color and are awaiting a second dip. Maybe in a blue?

Fabric foursome

Abi suggested that I start offering four packs of quarter yard pieces of fabric in my store. Her reasoning was that people might want more than one color way, but not want to buy four separate half yard pieces. I was pretty impressed with her business sense and this grouping is my first follow through on her idea. I'm planning on making more color ways and more patterns, but, for now, this is what I have. I've also got some plans for new items. More about that later. Have a wonderful weekend!

Tuesday walk

Every afternoon around 3:30, the girls and I get in the car for the trek to their various swim team practices. Through a confluence of events, the two older ones belong to one swim team and the youngest swims somewhere else. Luckily, one pool is on the way to the second, but neither is exactly around the corner. Most days, bringing the various swimmers home is not my responsibility. Usually, my husband retrieves the little one and the older ones get a ride from a fellow swimmer who lives nearby. This is the case most days, except Tuesday. And, most Tuesdays I drop off my charges and head home to get an hour's worth of studio time before going back to the pool. This Tuesday, I decided to do something different with time I had free while Abi swam.
Not too far from where Abi's team practices is a park. I used to take Abi there when she was little, too little to swim, and the older girls were at their practice. Most of my previous experience with the park involved the playscape, but I knew that there was a nature trail nearby. This Tuesday was a good day to explore.


The two year old in me has always loved the way bodies look in shadow. When you see yourself this way you're always elongated and exaggerated. It always makes me smile and think,"Hey, look how tall I really am."


I made a new friend.I got to enjoy a luxurious hour or so wandering the paths behind the swings and messing around with my camera. It was a lovely way to "wait" for Abi.

Mola book bag...finally

A while back (and by that I mean months ago), a friend commissioned me to make a book bag for her using a mola she had purchased in Honduras. She wanted the mola to function as the flap to the bag.
Sometimes, when I'm asked to make something and then told that there's no deadline, I fail to make that item in a timely way. And sometimes, that's a good thing.


I didn't so much as ruminate over the design of this bag as put it out of my mind. But, like I said, that was a good thing. When I returned to thinking about this book bag, an event which was prompted by my friend wanting to know when it would be done, I realized I didn't want to make it in the same way that I'd made others. I opted to piece the flap, back, bottom and front together and then quilt them as one long piece. I quilted the side pieces and sewed them to the other, already quilted, parts.


I finished the seams on the inside with binding and then bound the flap, sides and front. All that means I didn't need to create a lining for the interior of this bag. It's quilted inside and out.


I really like this simpler construction. And there's something about the quilting line that reminds me of Japanese fireman's coats. Apparently, before the advent of fire retardant clothing, these garments were intensely quilted and soaked in water to protect the firefighter.
OK, it's possible only I see the connection, but, nevertheless, my friend picked up her bag this afternoon and seemed pretty pleased.

9 to 5

Here's my "work day" in pictures (and some words):


8:30 am: I came home from swim team to find this moth afloat in an orange dye bath. Despite my sympathy for the moth, I had to capture this beautiful image.


9:30 am: I spent about an hour or so waxing fabric. This was the first bit of stamping I did. I love how crisply this stamped image came out. I knew it was going to be a good day.


10:30 am: My fabric peaks out from the dye bath.


11:00 am: Washed, dried and folded, the fabric from last night's dye session is ready for use. In that pile are two pieces of flannel that I ordered from Dharma Trading and dyed with the intent of making baby blankets for a friend's new arrival. I spent the next couple of hours working on these blankets. My plan was to dye the flannel and then bind it with some batiked strips.
1:00 pm: (No Picture) I met some friends at a local yarn shop, Hill Country Weavers. Believe it or not, I didn't buy anything. I was there helping my friend and her daughter pick a pattern and yarn for a sweater I'm knitting for the daughter.3:30 pm: Back home and ready to finish the blankets.
5:00 pm : Posting here with a big smile on my face. I've had a lovely day and am looking forward to a great weekend. I hope yours is wonderful too.