Getting There

My sewing room is coming along. Gary and Alex have the walls up, the outlets in and hooked up, the light fixture up and Gary has started mudding the walls. Wish they would dry faster! Soon I will be able to paint. Can't wait.

I know it will all be worth it but I'm really missing my sewing room. I want to finish some projects and have some ideas for some new ones and I can't start them. I can't even find all the boxes with my fabrics in them. Oh, well. It will all be worth it!!!! Did I already say that? I have to keep reminding myself.

New Walls Started

Here is what my sewing room looks like right now. Needless to say, I'm not getting any work done. But the thought of having actual outlets to plug everything into is exciting. We even have leftover paint from when the house was built, so I will be able to paint the walls a nice light green color. It's the same green we have in the kitchen. Can't wait!!!

This is the view from the bottom of the stairs looking toward my sewing room. It was really interesting trying to pack everything up and move it all to another part of the basement and leave Gary space enough to build the walls. Guess when I move stuff back, I'll have to go through everything and get rid of some stuff.

Fiber Divas Challenge

Here is the start of my quilt for the Fiber Divas Challenge. I mentioned the challenge in an earlier post. We received a piece of fabric from everyone and had to make a quilt using those fabrics. Look here to see the fabrics.

I'm finding that I am having lots of fun exploring these circle quilts that I've been making. I don't think I posted an updated picture of the purple, orange and green circle quilt I started last November. I'll have to get a picture of it. I have the top completed. Just need to back it and quilt it. That one was all machine stitched. This challenge top is all fused. I'm trying to decide if I like the black yarn between the blue and the green squares or if I just want to leave it plain.

Oops gotta go! I have to leave for work soon and still need to get dresses and make my lunch!

After looking at this picture on my blog, I noticed that the lower left "green" square doesn't look so green. Didn't show up as much on my design wall. Since it is already fused together, I guess I will try painting the square with some dynaflow to see it it will add just a touch more green to make it blend in better. I proabably won't have time until next week when I'm on vacation. This weekend I will be straight out at work since it is Easter Weekend and people are rushing in to get all the goodies for Easter dinner!

Finished Landscape

I have finally finished the landscape I started in Sue Benner's class. I really like the way it turned out. I had fun making it. What makes this piece extra special is that the inspiration for it came from the landscape around Bennington College while I was there taking the workshop.




This circle piece is a piece I was just playing around with to practice free motion quilting. Still need a lot more Practice!!!! I also used a satin stitch around the edge to finish it. I'm still not happy with the way the edges came out when I use this method. This piece was all fused. I used a lot of silks and polyester clothing in it. That is one thing I like about Sue's work, how she combines recycled clothing with her own hand dyed fabrics. For the sashing, I used a small blue ribbon that I had.

Better get to bed now. I have to get up at 3:45 to get to work at 5 tomorrow morning! I hate these early mornings! Oh, well, someone has to get up to make the donuts and other breakfasty stuff.

Table is Done

Don't have any new quilts or progress to show. Gary did finish my sewing table so my sewing machine is now level with the table and has no gaps around it. YAAAA!!!!

I did get a lot of cleaning done down in my sewing area especially since I had to vacuum up saw dust.

Tuesday, the Fiber Divas met here at my house we had a great time. Unfortunately Susan and Anita were not able to make it. There is a nasty stomach bug making the rounds up here. Marilyn and I talked about the workshop in VT we went to and showed off the quilts we made.

For our challenge this year, we each brought a yard of fabric which we divided into sixths so everyone received a piece. Here is what we have so far. Susan still needs to bring hers.

The challenge is to make a quilt using a part of each of the fabrics. We can make it any size, use any technique, dye, paint, etc.

That's about it here for now.

Still Waiting

I'm still waiting to be able to use my sewing machine. I would really like to start quilting the quilts from Sue Benners class. Instead, I've been fooling around with this piece that I started before I went to VT. I've been wondering what would happen if I did some surface design and fusing to the background piece before I put the cheesecloth over it. Lots of possibilities. I can't really get my paints out right now so, I fused down the black circles and the lighter leaves. I still don't know what I'm going to do to the top. The leaves on top now were just thrown on. The 3 bigger leaves I fused out of different fabric scraps from the class.



This background, I fused from scraps from the class also. Just need to figure out what to do with it.
One of the things I really liked about Sue's work was her use of recycled clothes. Now when I see someone in a really great blouse, I keep thinking, that would look great in a quilt! Will have to keep my eyes open for some at the second hand store in town.

Mess of a Work Space

I was doing really well after getting back from my workshop with Sue Benner. Then it all came to a crashing halt! This is what my work space looks like right now.




For my birthday, Gary bought an insert to go around my sewing machine so I will have a nice level work top. Because the table was custom made for Gary's sister by her husband, we couldn't just order an insert to fit a ready made table. The insert goes nicely around my machine and Gary is now modifying the table and insert so they fit together. Hopefully it won't be too much longer.
I am using this time to try and clean up and reorganize the basement. The basement started out nice and organized but over the last year, it started spreading and getting messier and messier. I have to find space to put a recumbant exercise bike. I want it in my work area so I can watch the tv while I'm riding it. I know myself. I will be more likely to use it if I can watch tv.

Funny thing about my birthday... It was the Friday while I was at the workshop and I was so caught up in everything that was going on that I completely forgot it was my birthday. Then I couldn't keep track of the days and dates during the workshop and kept thinking my birthday was on Saturday instead of Friday. When I finally remembered and figured out the correct day everyone got a kick out the fact that I'd forgotten it. I did buy myself a nice birthday present. Sue had some of her hand dyed scarves. I bought a beautiful silk one. I'll have to get a picture of it and post it soon.

Views from Bennington College

Here are some views from around the college.

This one is from the dining hall looking towards the building that the bookstore is in.

This is one of the views from the arts building where we had classes.


Our last morning there we saw a beautiful sunrise.

Then just a couple of views from around the campus.

I'd really like to see the campus in the fall when all the leaves are in color.

Sue Benner

I'm back from North Country Studio Workshops and my class with Sue Benner. What fun!! We worked our fingers to the bone but learned so much. Sue is such a great teacher. I would love to be able to take one of her other classes sometime.

This was the first time I've taken a class that was longer than 1 day. What a difference that makes!! You can cover so much more and really work on your projects. I still didn't finish any since we made 3 different quilts. This was her Composition Trilogy: Three Techniques for Fused Quilts. This was also different for me in that there weren't just quilters there and the other classes were other art forms (pottery, book making, encaustics, photography, etc)

Onto what we did in Sue's class:

This is the first quilt we worked on. We cut rectangles of different fabrics, kept some of them whole and cut the others into "frames" and then moved the pieces around. I decided to cut my frames with wavy edges. Since mine are so busy, I decided to add sashing between the blocks so it would be a little less confusing. I started trying out just one type of fabric (the one here is blue). I tried a couple different colors but nothing seemed right. I had it sitting up in the design wall and kept looking at it but nothing hit me as being right until the third day when I picked out the red fabric with the square spirals. I cut the squares out in a strip. I liked that and looked through my fabric and found the black fabric with white circles. There is a blue fabric with brown squares but it doesn't really show up. I will use the circles between the square and the squares around the outside of the quilt.


On the second day we worked with curvilinear shapes. We started out with an inspiration photo. That day my photo just wasn't really inspiring me so after staring at it for quite a while, I just tossed it aside. Found the black and white fabric in the pile of shared fabrics and decided to make a vase out of it and just have fun playing with a nonrealistic flower arrangement. I freehand cut and placed things and had fun.

The third day we worked on landscapes. I didn't find an inspiration photo to bring with me. Instead, I took a picture from the parking lot where we parked at the art building. I drew a rough little sketch that night, taking out the building and adding in the mountains that were all around us. I'll put up some more of those photos tomorrow.

This was a fun landscape to make. We used some of the scraps of the edges we cut off and then fused more fabrics to cut into strips to use. During the critique, Sue suggested adding little slivers of lighter brown to the edges of the trees to highlight them and make them stand out a little more. I also decided not to add all the trees from the photo.

Now to finish these up. Need to quilt the flowers and landscape and put the sashing in for the squares and then quilt that.

I took today off of work to give myself a chance to come back to reality and work on the quilts while I was still energized from the workshop. Tomorrow it is back to work and reality.

Off to Bennington

Marilyn and I are off to North Country Studio Workshops in Bennington, VT tomorrow. I'm really excited. Can't wait to start the class with Sue Benner. I had a hard time paring down my fabric to take. I wanted to make sure I had enough selection to work with for the 5 day workshop. This is the first time I've taken a class that is longer than 1 day.

This is a piece I started working on. It is a lot darker than it really is and a lot more red. The actual color is sort of a dusty pink and brown. I want to try adding something to the pieced background before quilting it with the cheesecloth over it. Here, I've cut out some leaf shapes and put them under the cheesecloth. What I actually do will have to wait until I get back from Bennington.

I do have a new finished piece but I can't show it since it is a present for my sister. Hint, Hint, Debbie!!!

Happy New Years!!!

Happy New Years!!!

I don't make resolutions for the new year but I try to set goals. I haven't really had a chance to sit down and think about my goals for 2012 yet. I do know that one of them will be to continue working on my quilts, trying to do at least a little each day, even if it is only 15 minutes.

Here are a couple of new quilts I've finished up. This first one is a little quilt mounted on a quilted background. I've been trying to figure out a way to display small quilts and I like the way the small quilts look on a larger quilted piece.

Here is a closeup. Once again, I've used painted cheesecloth over a strip pieced background. I think it gives it sort of a painted look.

This is one of the circle pieces I started a while ago. I experimented with using the decorative stitches on my sewing machine.

Three Trees

Here's my latest project. I just finished it up tonight. Wanted to post it tonight before I go to bed or I don't know when I'd get a chance to.

Now I've got to get to work on a piece for the silent auction at the North Country Studio Workshops in January. I'm really looking forward to my class with Sue Benner.

In the Works

Just a little teaser of a new project I'm working on. Have to get ready for work so can't say much about it yet.


Tuesday was the Fiber Divas Christmas party. Lots of fun, food and friends. I was so inspired after getting together that I spent the whole evening down in my work area. I also spent most of yesterday down there too. Now back to reality for a little while. Work and Christmas stuff to do. Gary set up our old tv and a dvd player for me downstairs so now I can play movies while I sew. I'm one of those people who works better with something to watch or listen to. Sometimes music is ok but other times I want something more especially when I'm downstairs for a long time.

Better get moving. More later.

Work Space

We have the town sand pile at the end of our road. The other morning when I took Alex to catch the bus, he noticed this face in the sand. Thought it was funny so made sure to take my camera the next time I went out.

This is what we woke up to this morning. SNOW!!! I'm not ready for it! Although the trees did look pretty outlined in white.

This is my sewing area. I decided I might as well take pictures of it now because it will never be really picked up since I'm always working on something. I'm still figuring out how to arrange it best for me. On the right behind my chair are a couple of small bookcases. Someday I will have better lighting but we only have 2 outlets in the basement, so I have an extension cord running from halfway across the basement for my sewing achine and iron. Because it is a Habitat house the basement had to be unfinished, so we only have an outlet for our washer and dryer and and outlet for the cold air exchanger. Gary is planning on putting more outlets in as we get money and he gets time. Someday we will also have finished walls but hey, the blue styrofoam insulation panels work great for a design wall! Or should I say walls since I could use the whole basement as 1 big design wall if I wanted!

This is the sewing table my sister-in-law gave me. It is great! Lots of shelves underneath to store stuff on. I used clear plastic shoe boxes to put yarns and other embellishment stuff in. I sorted them by color and even have them labeled. There still is a pile of stuff to the left of the picture that I need to figure out where to put.

And the other side. A nice place to put my Matchbox Car storage containers which hold my thread. On the other side of the chair, I have some baskets to put things in.
What a difference this is from having all my stuff in the living room like I did at my parents or sharing the loft with Kara when she was home from college. The loft was really tiny and putting all my sewing stuff and all her furniture and stuff in there, it was cramped!! Now I can leave my projects out and can just start where I left off when I come back.

I keep forgetting, my exciting news..... I'm taking a 5 day class with Sue Benner this January. Its the North Country Studio Workshops in Bennington, VT. I've never been but Susan and Marilyn from the Fiber Divas go just about every year. I received a scholarship which made it possible for me to go. I'm so excited! I don't think the end of January can get here fast enough! I have really admired Sue's work for years and never thought I would have the chance to take a class with her.

Work in Progress

I'm still here. Just been working on a couple of things but don't have anything finished. After pulling out that piece from my scrap bag (see here). I decided to pull out this piece that inspired it. I started this one in a class called Still Life with Bottles. I can't remember who the teacher was but she taught a lot of hand applique. These bottles were hand appliqued on. I took the class a long time ago, before I started blogging, and never finished the piece. I always like the colors and the look, I just didn't know how to finish it since it needs something like plants, flowers or branches in one of the bottles. The 2 small squares on there are just stuck on to test some colors for borders. I didn't remember to take them off! I do have borders added to it now. I thought whatever I put into the bottles, I might like going off into the borders. Just need to figure out what is next. I'm now thinking maybe I should have shortened the top a little before adding the borders! Oh, well, guess I can always rip out and resew if that's really what I want to do.

At the last Fiber Divas meeting, Susan was getting rid of some of her fabric and we all went through it. I decided I wanted to use some of the oranges I picked up from her. Once again, I decided to use colors I don't usually use and picked purple and green. I just needed something I could sew without really thinking about it so I decided on circles. Because I wasn't thinking I made this project a lot harder than it had to be. I wanted each piece different so instead of sewing circles together then cutting them in quarters, I cut circles out then cut them into quarters before sewing them together. I was going to fuse this together but was so into getting it started, I started cutting out before I put the fusible web on. I tried sewing one together with raw edges and didn't like it, so I'm now turning the edge under then machine appliqueing it. Oh, well.

Well, I'd better go. Have to take Alex to the Tilton Outlet stores to look for some casual dressy shoes that he needs for Tuesday. Of course he didn't tell us this until Friday night!! If I had known Thursday, we could have stopped at the outlets in North Conway when we went to his ortho appointment.

New Quilts

Here are some of the new quilts I've made. This is the sketch that the first quilt was made from. Doesn't really look like much. I drew this after looking at pictures of our house construction. All the framing for the walls both inside and out gave me the idea for this.

This is the final quilt from the sketch. I went with totally different colors than I usually use. I always fall back on the colors I'm comfortable with and find easy to use and wanted to challenge myself to use something different. That was one of the first comments the Fiber Divas made that it wan't my normal colors. This one I called Construction.

This is actually 2 separate quilts. I took the idea from Jean Wells book, Intuitive Color & Design, Adventures in Art Quilting. She calls it Portrait Finish, where you make a simple quilted piece to mount the actual quilt on. It acts like a mat for a painting. I think it gives smaller pieces a much more finished look. Some people mount their pieces on painted canvas or mount the actual piece onto stretchers. I've always thought some of the smaller pieces that I've done look unfinished and needed to be presented differently. They needed something more so people would think of them more than just fancy potholders!!

This is a closeup of the quilting in Construction. The quilt itself was made with hand-dyed and painted fabric. The background piece was made from batik and hand-dyed fabrics.



I have always wanted to try my hand at more abstract work like Jean Wells. I've also admired Robin Ferrier's work and Liz Berg. Theirs is more abstract also.

After I finished Construction, I again hit a blank. I'd go down and pull fabric out, move it around and nothing! Didn't help that I had an awful head cold and was all stuffed up! I finally decided to just start pulling stuff out of my scrap bag and just start sewing. Well, as I was pulling stuff out, I found the piece with the vases on it. I had started it years ago and never did anything with it so finally just tossed it in the scrap bag. I also found the pieces to this border in the scrap bag. Something I had started in a class I took with Carol Taylor 3 or 4 years or so ago. I started by sewing all the pieces to the border together. Had no idea what I would do with the finished piece but just started sewing. I then decided that the border would look interesting around the vase piece that I had pulled out. The border might be a little too big for the center but oh, well, at least I was sewing again!! I do love how the colors of these went together. I doubt I ever would have thought of doing this if I hadn't come across them in the scrap bag. It did need something between the center and the border so I picked out the tan and black batik. Now to just finish it. I think I need to add something on the upper right to fill in a little of the space. I'm thinking some sticks (not real, maybe embroidered) or pussy willows. Something simple.

Last Saturday the Fiber Divas went to the Belknap Mill Quilter's Guild Show in Laconia, NH. Lynn Elkinton, one of the Divas, was their featured artist. She does such lovely work, it was great to see it all in one place and see some pieces we hadn't seen before. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera!

I just took a look at Carol Taylor's site so I could put the link in my post. I love the new work in her linear series!!!

Beth Who????

Yes, I really am writing on my blog. In case you have forgotten, I'm Beth and I live in NH. Life has really been crazy! We finished building our house and moved in the end of last October. I can't believe it has almost been a year. Took us a while to get settled and organized and get back into a routine. But lately I really haven't had an excuse. I even have less of one since I now have my own sewing area. I thought when we moved here I would have to share my daughters bedroom and use it for sewing while she was away at college. Neither of us were really excited about that idea! Our basement is unfinished but they put so much styrofoam insulation panels up that it stays really warm in the winter even with no heat and stays nice and cool in the summer. To top it all off, my sister-in-law moved and didn't have room so she asked if I wanted her sewing table.. Let me say that this sewing table is really NICE!!! Her husband, Brett made it for her. At first we thought there was no way I would be able to get it, because we didn't have a truck or van to drive out to Syracuse, NY. Was I really excited when they called to say that Brett and their daughter were driving to Maine to visit relatives and could bring it out!!!! I will have to take pictures of it and my sewing area to post.

I haven't done too much quilting. I did make curtains for our dining room and living room. Really simple, just valences. We live out in the woods and want to see out. Still have fabric that I need to make valences for Kara's room! I did finish up a couple of pieces to put up in the house since they went so well together and with the wall colors.

This first one, I started in 2006? Give or take a year. It's been sitting around as a top that I kept pulling out to try and decide how to quilt it. Right now it is just quilted in the ditch but when and if I decide to, I can add more quilting to it. It is over my couch. I have always really liked this one.

This second one, I started out just playing with colors, I think I had posted it when I finished the top. I finally quilted it. I still have trouble deciding how to quilt things and then hesitate because I worry that I will mess up and ruin it. I'm trying to push past this! This one hangs in the dining area on one side of a window.

On the other side of the window hangs my Birches quilt. This is another one that I always liked and am glad I finally have a place to hang it up.

We still have a lot of empty wall space. I found that a lot of stuff that had been in storage for 14 years wasn't really my style anymore.

I have one piece that I have recently finished and need to get a picture taken. After that piece I really had a block and couldn't come up with anything. I would go down to my sewing area and just move fabric around and not come up with any ideas. I finally decided to pull things out of my scrap bag and just start sewing without any idea of where I was going. I found a couple of pieces in the bag that I had started sometime and never did anything with them. I decided to put them together and finally have something going!!!

Even though I haven't gotten much done I have, I think, defined my "style" a little bit. I have done a lot of exploring, trying new things, mixed media techniques, etc over the years. Just in this last year, I realized I wanted to pretty much stick with fabric maybe with a few added embellishments if it needs it. I tend to like simpler quilts and simple quilting, I like to let the fabric talk and be an important part of the quilt. You tend to see a lot of heavily quilted pieces and I always struggled because I felt that is what I had to do but I've come to realize that No, I don't. I prefer my pieces quilted simply. I also like to make and use my own fabric whether by dyeing, painting, discharging, etc. This is almost as fun as making the quilt itself!

Well, I've rambled on enough for tonight. Now to get some other things done. I will be back soon with more stuff!!!

New House, New Blog

Once again I will say, I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted. I've been busy here. Just not quilting and it will be getting even busier. Kara came home over Easter and went back to school. She's now home again with all her stuff but will be leaving again for a month traveling in the Balkans with her honors program class. They get to see what they have been studying. In between her coming and going and coming again, Gary, Alex and I went out to Ohio to Gary's parents house. Their tree was in bloom outside their house. I just had to take some pictures of it.


We spent a day touring through Amish country.


And the big news, just before we left for Ohio, we found out that we had been picked for the Habitat for Humanity house that is being built this summer in our area. Since we live the country, they only build one a year. We are so excited!!! It's going to be a busy summer between work, family stuff and the build. I've started a blog to journal about it and to keep friends and family updated (and anyone else who would like to follow along).
If you would like to see it go here.

Well, I'd better go get some sleep. Work comes early and it's getting late. I hope to have some new things to show soon, since I want to make some new things for the house.

Finally Framed

I finally finished up a piece I started in a class last year on Joggles with Jane LaFazio. I knew I had this frame and it would be perfect for this piece, I just couldn't find it. I bought this frame 3-4 years ago at a yard sale for $1. I new it would be perfect for something sometime!
It has glass in it so I couldn't take the picture so that it looked square. But I was able to take it at an angle so you could see the work and not the flash from the camera.

And, no Kara, you can't take this one back to college with you. I'm finding a place to hang it here at home!

Just a Little More Snow Dyeing

Here are the results of my last batch of snow dyeing. Really nice colors! I'm always so amazed at how different they come out than what I think they will. This first one was a combination of black and fuschia. I thought it would have more black in it. There are a few spots with black. The rest turned out more blue gray. Next time I will add more black and a little less fuschia.


This one was a combination of orange, fuschia and brilliant blue - I think. Of course, I didn't write the colors down. I thought I'd remember them but did I? I should have known better! The colors are a little off in these photos. The actual piece makes me think of a flower garden.


These were some cloth napkins that I picked up at the second hand store with the intent of dyeing or painting them some day. I used fuschia, sun yellow and indigo.

This closeup shows the pattern in the weave of the napkins.

I probably won't have a chance to do any more snow dyeing for a while. We are getting a little short on snow outside! Pretty sad for New Hampshire. I think we are one of the few areas in the states that hasn't gotten a lot of snow recently. We can see bare ground outside. The upside to not much snow will be that mud season shouldn't be too bad this year!