Hever Castle Quilt Show
September 13, 2007
Well the quilts are up and the moles are mostly down. I think we only scared one today. Imaging emerging into a marquee full of women, poor beast. Here is a picture I took last year of the castle. You can see one of the mazes here as well. It really is an amazing place to visit.
I wish I had taken my camera with me today. I went down quite early so the morning mist was still covering the countryside. I saw so many amazing landscapes on the way. I was told that the mist on the lake is well worth seeing as well so I might try and get there fairly early on Sunday when I go to collect our quilts.
Unfortunately Mariko didn’t behave well when hung. I am going to have to figure out more ways to quilt faces without them looking aged. Although I am not sure that more quilting would have helped much in this case.
Busy and feeling crummy
September 12, 2007Well I suppose I can’t complain, I didn’t get a cold while I was finishing off for the NEC so as timing goes it could have been worse. Still it isn’t what I wanted, I will be off to Hever early tomorrow to help hang the quilts and deliver a couple at the same time, so I am really hoping I will feel better by then.
As you can imagine the cold has slowed me up a bit, but I have still been making good use of my time. I have been worried about keeping ‘Nude with Rope’ rolled up. She is too long for me to roll her from the top down and I am sure rolling side to side is doing no good at all. While I was quilting yesterday I realised the, I missed her being on the wall where I could see her when I worked (she lived there until she was quilted) and that I had a set of stick on brackets I wasn’t using. I had tried to stick the brackets to the bedroom walls but they aren’t flat enough. A couple of minutes work and she is back in place, and probably a lot better off for it.
I don’t think I can claim it is the most elegant hanging system, but the rod to the left is usually hidden behind my blocking board so it isn’t too bad. The really nice thing is the brackets are easy to take down again as they are just stuck to the wall with special strips. They aren’t cheap but it beats filling the wall with holes. Hmm filling with holes doesn’t sound quite right does it but I guess you will know what I mean.
Carrying on the decorative theme I also hung up ‘Guide Me’. It is hiding the quilt pile for me. Always an improvement. Although it won’t be there long, I have to send it to the Edinburgh show before the end of the week and I guess I will have to find another quilt to take it’s place. Still I did take this picture of it which is the best I have managed so far. I guess the lighting in here is good for it, so before it goes I may try and get one of the whole thing. It won’t be easy it goes floor to ceiling and I can’t get more than four feet back to take the picture, but I have to try.
Lastly here is a picture of the quilt I am currently working on. This picture was taken a day or two ago so things have moved on a bit since then, but given the show is this weekend I think you can wait to see the finished version. The Hever show is a lovely one to take the family to, there are two mazes at the castle and lots of gardens. I haven’t looked around the castle itself so I can’t comment on that, but I know there was more than enough in the grounds to keep us busy for the day. If you take a camera there are lots of potential quilt inspirations. I have a pattern for a quilt I drew up after last years show but I haven’t had time to make it yet. Maybe I should think about it for next year.
When I am working on pictorial quilts I take a lot of photographs of them. I find I can’t see the picture after a while and taking a picture makes it clear to me again. This one was taken just after I put her nose in. It didn’t look anything like a nose when I first stepped back but I was quite happy with it when I saw it in the photograph. As you can also see I don’t work on finishing one are before going to the next. I find I get bored when I try to do that so I often jump around a bit. The only rule I do have is to work from the back forward. I can only do an area if everything behind it is done. Even so there is a lot you can get away with. As you can see the parasol handle is in but I haven’t finished her clothes, which are behind it. This piece is called ‘Mariko’ it is loosely named after the very kind lady who emailed me the entry form so I could actually enter this show.
Not think about quilting – is that possible.
September 10, 2007I did try at the weekend to do less quilt designing honest. I even left my camera in the car which normally helps. Still I kept finding wonderful design inspirations, so much so I was told off several times by those around me. One of the best was the disk breaks on a bicycle. They were so pretty with a spiral pattern and lots of circles. I am sure that will come up again in something. I was also reminded that I really want to look for more scientific images, there are so many interesting things we have images of now I would love to use them in art.
Looking at the parts of the cars, the engines, the clutches and even the tools is just so inspiring there is so much potential. The drag strip itself is in a great location and often has very pretty cloud formations. As Tet went out first round I got to be a spectator on Sunday so I had a look at the photographs the other people had been taking. Spectacular skys are common and popular in the prints for sale. I think that is something else I would like to try in a future project.
Still today is a work day and I am back at it so all is well, now I can think about it as much as I like.
Harrogate Show
September 7, 2007If anyone is going to the show this weekend and could take pictures of any of my quilts hanging there I would really appreciate it. I love having pictures of them out and about. I have three in the show, ‘Red and Blue Tulips’, ‘Blue Moon’ and ‘My Fat Quarter of Paradise’. Thanks
Go hug a writer
I can’t believe how hard it is writing a show report. I have a new found respect for those writers who fill our magazines on a regular basis. I don’t know how they do it. I certainly didn’t expect it to take so much thought but with a show the size of the Festival of Quilts there is so much to try and say in a small space. My truly lousy memory isn’t helping either. I have written stacks of notes and I am still having to constantly look things up in the show guides. If anyone from Twisted Threads is reading please please consider putting back the index. It would have made my job so much easier to be able to look up an artists work from their name rather than hunting though the sections listings. Fortunately I am better at remembering where a quilt was than the names of the quilt and quilters. I also feel very sorry for the editor. I think she will be needing to make good use of her delete key when dealing with my piece. I am sure it is far too long, but I figure she has a better idea than I do of what should be covered so giving her too much is better than too little right?
I hope this is something I will get to do again, as it has been fun and interesting, but I am glad I don’t need to do it every month, it is hard work. Thank you to all those who have the stamina to do this on a regular basis, I will be reading your work with a lot more appreciation after this experience.
Poop, my spell checker isn’t working, so please laugh quietly at my errors.
Exciting Qualifying.
September 6, 2007So the latest update, Tet managed to run over Robin, or Robin managed to throw himself under the wheel of the car, depending on how you look at it. It was while the car was being backed up after the burn out, so low speed and no damage done to human or car. typical driver, Tet reported it felt odd and one wheel felt a bit high. Yes stuffing your crew under the wheel will do that. The run was a good one though at 8.91, and the medical center after telling Robin off agreed he was fine.
Next run they took things a bit slower and avoided a repeat, unfortunately they also avoided getting a time as Tet went before the tree ran. They are just heading down for the sixth round of qualifying today.
On a quilty note, I am working on an applique quilt which needs a lot of dense quilting to make it pop. I’ve done about between an eighth and a quarter in a bit over 4 hours. It’s a big job this one, but it does seem to be starting so sing. Hopefully I can get it finished before I go to the track on Saturday.
News from the track.
I’ve just heard that the ‘Ugly Stick’ has run a 8.906 on a 8.900 dial in. That’s really good and means that Tet should qualify well. There isn’t much room on that for people to do better. It is the European Finals at Santa pod this weekend and as soon and my dragon of a boss lets me I will be off to join them there. I admit it I am a real slave driver when it comes to customer work. Now if the car can just hold together and the weather stay good….
What do quilters want?
As some of you will know I give out pencils with my contact details on. I think they are a lot more useful than a business card and I like them. From the feedback I get so do quilters. Today I got the catalogue from the company that made them for me and I’ve been trying to think of a different idea for next year. So far I can’t think of anything better than a pencil I guess I should add I still have a reasonable number of pencils so I won’t stop handing those out anytime soon, the debate is do I get more of them made or something new and hopefully exciting.
Out of the hundreds of options I have come to the following, pens, bags, post-it notes, sweets or torches. Now the problem is, I can think of good reasons against all of those too. The pens (to me at least) don’t look as good as the pencils and I bet they will run out faster too, oh and they are made of plastic so less environmentally sound. Yup even though I love my cars I do consider environmental impact important. The bags are all, almost big enough to be useful for carrying quilting supplies, each one just needs a small change and it would be great, as is they aren’t. The post-it notes would be a great seam guide, which is why they appeal to me, but do other quilters do that? Sweets are actually not the draw of the sweets 
They come in a little tin, which just looks too handy, they are tins that shut really well so I have used them for pins in the past. Of course I know a lot of quilters who can’t eat sweets so maybe that isn’t such a good idea. Mini torches are great for peering into your sewing machine. How people live without one (or indeed several) is beyond me, but will they be ‘borrowed’ by the men in a quilters life and never seen again?
So there you have my dilemma, and here is your chance to influence the decision. Of those which would most appeal to you? Which would you be most likely to hang onto and so have my contact details on hand? Should I just stick with pencils, or is there something else I haven’t considered?
Insomnia strikes
September 5, 2007
I can’t sleep so I have been working on some new designs. I don’t like sewing at this time of night I figure I have too great a chance of messing up, so I use the time to work with photographs or drawings. Then I realised I haven’t shared this quilt with you yet. This is a customers top with my quilting on it. I delivered it today (yesterday?) so I can now show you. It was a really fun quilt to work on, I love doing all the patterns used in the body of it. I have to admit I am not such a big fan of the border design, it’s tricky to do and I find it a bit stressful, still a challenge is a good once in a while. One of this things I like most about working on other peoples quilts is the great variety of colours and designs I get to work on. I get to experience so many more designs options than I could possibly come up with on my own, which in turn inspires my quilts.
Oh yes, my portfolio is now working again (as far as we can see) it was indeed and issue related to my ISP moving my site to a new server. I am really looking forward to being able to take my web site hosting in house, it will mean we have total control over any upgrades and changes. It will also mean I can move my blog onto our servers, which will make me feel a lot happier. I like to know things aren’t going to vanish or change without warning.
Oh dear it must be late, my cats are now trying to get me to go to bed. Guess I should try to humor them.
Portfolio Updated
September 2, 2007I’ve finally got my portfolio on my web site updated, which is great, except we have a nagging suspicion I have forgotten some quilts. It’s worrying that I could forget a quilt, but I guess when they are coming thick and fast it is a risk. So if you can think of one I have missed out please let me know.
Also is anyone going to the Harrogate show next weekend? If so would you be able to send me a picture of my quilts there. I have three pieces in the show, ‘Blue Moon’, ‘Red and Blue Tulips’ and ‘my Fat Quarter of Paradise’. I just hope the last one is going to behave, it is rather large and I suspect it won’t fit the frame very well. I wonder if the judges make an allowance for the frame being too small for the quilt.