A Spare Moment
May 10, 2007So what do you do when you are waiting for the boss? Blog of course. Hope you hadn't thought I had forgotten you, I just haven't been at the computer much. I've got some fun work to do but it means being on a customer site.
Busy Busy
May 3, 2007Well I think this counts as a good day, although checking my diary I have missed one thing I intended to do. I’ve made and applied a mountain of binding. I have been collecting quilts that need traditional black bindings, not intentionally it’s just worked out that way. I calculated I needed about 1000″ of binding, but looking at what I have left and the quilts that still need doing I think I underestimated somewhat. Still I have three quilts to take with me to the racing and hand sew. I do wish I could find a machine binding that looks as good as a traditional hand finished, but I can’t, and some quilts really do demand this finish. On the other hand while pondering this I think I have come up with a new (to my knowledge at least) way of binding quilts. Hopefully I will get to test it tomorrow on my next urgent project.
I have also managed to make some hanging sleeves for these quilts. It is a job I hate, so I tend to leave it to the last possible minute. It usually ends up with me sitting with the quilt in it’s box ready to go to the show, as I apply the sleeve. I know it would be easier if I thought about it when I was doing the binding but somehow I can never convince myself at the time. I have one more sleeve I want to make tomorrow so I can take that with me for another quilt to hand sew. I doubt I will get it all done, but I would hate to run out while I have the time to do it.
Some of today’s work has been on my meme quilts. I have two ready for hand finishing and the third is still drying pinned out. I can’t believe how long it is taking. Still I know it will be worth it and I think it will be dry in the morning. So my first job will be trimming and binding it. After that I have to dig out my flame retardant thread, I have a pocket to repair on Tet’s race suit, and then I can get on with the new pattern I am working on. This is where I plan to try my new binding technique. If I am right it could be really good for quilts where you need to align the front and back. I guess I will find out soon enough.
Finally there is another photograph I want to share. I missed it when I went through the pictures yesterday. I was so pleased when I saw these on the horizon. There are at least thirty wind turbines off the coast. I am surprised they are not in the way of shipping, but I guess they are closer than I thought and the ships further away. Either way it is good to see green power being used, I hope they will add more turbines over time and thus generate more power. I assume that being at sea they will be exposed to more constant winds and thus produce more power than they would on land.
Mayday Pictures
May 2, 2007
Here is a view of Leeds Castle from the old fortified Mill. The mill itself if fascinating. It is made of stone and somewhat ruined. I have lots of pictures of stone that I hope will lead to a quilt at some point. I think this was the best view of the castle we saw. It is possible to walk round the lake which would provide more great views but as we had a deadline to work to we passed on that yesterday. It is one of the things on my list for next time.
This Ibis was taking full advantage of his pond and having a through bath. Take a good look at the black feathers on his wings. They are sodden and and flicking upwards. I didn’t get any pictures that really captured how soggy this bird was but this was the closest. I have seen a lot of birds bath but none got as wet as this. It was fascinating to watch and the sprays of water he created where beautiful.
I would have liked to have got a picture of the whole of the maze but the central mound didn’t get you high enough to do that. Taking any pictures was hazardous as it was full of French school children running and pushing. The building in the background is part of the breading center for the aviary. Among other things they have baby Eagle owls (who are huge). Unfortunately they are behind two fences slightly offset from each other so getting pictures was out of the question. The weather vane of a black swan which are also bred here.
I chose to show you this picture to give some idea of what is going on with these kite surfers. As you can see they jump well clear of the water (in fact this one is pretty low) and then do flips, spins and board grabs before landing. It is very impressive to watch but in most of my pictures you can’t really see how impressive it is. We were standing on a spit that at low tide goes out about a mile. It is a lovely walk and gives you a very different perspective on the sea and the coast.
Here you can see a surfer with his kite. You can probably see why it isn’t in most of the pictures. I mainly focused on the human, and the water. I didn’t realise I had another picture of the windsurfer in the background.
Pictures
Here are the second batch of pictures from yesterday. If you are looking at this at just the wrong moment they may look like the first batch but give me a minute or two and it will all make sense.
First we have the Eagle Owl. Yes everybody else had a more interesting camera. Still you can see his amazing ear tufts (nothing to do with ears) and his wicked looking beak. He was very much driven by food, I just wish I had been close enough to see him eating.
Then came the falcon. Sorry but I was right, I didn’t get any good pictures of him in flight he was just too fast and unpredictable. I suspect with practice I might manage it, but not on my first try. Here he is still wearing his hood, and it really was the only time to get a picture. Once the hood is off he is very lively and everything is interesting. Apparently as a hand reared bird he has only ever hunted one live animal. That was actually during a show when an magpie strayed into the arena. Don’t look like dinner when he is around.
After these two great fliers we got to see something land based, though still pretty quick. Apparently it is related to ostrich and emu. It runs very much like an ostrich (and maybe an emu, I’ve never seen those run). It can jump remarkably high but is not keen on flying. It only flies to escape danger or to roost overnight. When it finds a snake it picks it up and slams it into the ground repeatedly. She is a keen hunter and as well as the more obvious prey she likes painted toenails. Yes, they do warn ladies not to let her see painted toes, strange huh.
After the falconry display we went and played in the Yew maze. It was interesting, and I will go back when I have more time. Having got to the center we went down into the underground grotto. In the first cavern there is this amazing face. It does look a bit bland in the picture, which I think is due to it being very dark down there and having to use a flash. This is one of the images I think will end up as a quilt. Maybe not entirely in this form, but it just has so much potential and has given me a lot of ideas.
Finally at the cost I took several pictures of the surfers with kites and this one of a ‘proper’ windsurfer. I am quite disappointed as on the camera I thought I had go the whole board in. On the other hand I still like it in general. I like that you can see how sunny it was and the wake of his board looks great. I know that shooting into the Sun is generally considered a fault but I wanted to get silhouettes of the men. this one is almost exactly what I was looking for. I am certain I will have quilts with elements of this picture in.
What a day?
Well I think I would have to call that a success. It has been warm and sunny ideal for wandering about outside (other than the slight sunburn I have). We found Leeds castle easily and discovered the tickets are valid for a year. As we knew we wouldn't have time to see everything this was very welcome news. I had decided that I had to see the under ground grotto and the falconry today. Next stroke of luck, they are right next to each other and to get to them you visit a lot of the other attractions on the way. As we had arrived a little early for the falconry we had a chance to explore the aviary. I hadn't seen a toucan before. They are great. The star though had to be the talking parrot. "Hello, oh look at that bird" followed by a selection of giggles. Wonderful. It chatted non stop in a selection of languages then started calling like the peacocks. Had it not been for the falconry we would have stayed listening I think. The falconry demonstration started with an eagle owl who was definately playing to the crowd. He gazed at the nearest camera, much to the frustration of the handlers who wanted him to fly, but delightful for the crowd. I hope I have some nice pictures of him, I won't be sure until I get home, which may be some time the way the traffic isn't moving right now. He was followed by a peregrine falcon, who was amazingly beautiful and impossible to photograph in flight. I did try for a while but I am almost certain I failed. Sorry you will just have to go and see them yourselves. Finally there was a serema. It is a very strange bird that runs about and hunts snakes. Completely mad, but quite keen on having it's picture taken so watch this space.To get to the underground grotto you must first solve the yew maze. I think this would be more fun with more time but played for a while then took advantage of the assistance from the people already there. The grotto was indeed worth solving the maze for. It is full of images of myth and magic, and being underground delightfully cool and dark. I have so many ideas for quilts from the grotto. This left us just enough time for a leisurely walk back to the taking pictures all the way. I had worked out that to get to Canterbury in time we had to leave the castle by 3pm and we pretty much managed it. We also made it to Canterbury on time collecting some R clips on the way.I have to admit my main reason for wanting to go to Canterbury was to buy fudge. I went to university there and the fudge had been a great treat. I was so upset when the Fudge Kitchen closed. Since it re-opened I have ordered online a few times but it isn't the same. I was thrilled to find that not only had it re-opened but it is in very nearly the same shop. It was just like old times.From there we headed north to the coast. I love the sea and take any opportunity to walk by it. It was rather chilly but great fun. I saw (and photographed) somethingp new to me. Wind surfing with very large kites. I am sure it has a propper name but I haven't found it out yet. It is spectacular to watch. They are pretty quick in the water which is fun, but the really impressive part is the jumps. They can really get some height.Oh as I thought I did get told off for working on my birthday. I found a fabric shop so I had to look. Then I found some pink fabric that should make great borders for the pink quilt so I had to buy it. Then I got talking to the shop owner and before you know it, it is a business conversation. At least I didn't get told off until I was out of the shop.We are taking the scenic route home through London. Past the Tower, along the Thames, past Downing Street, and Big Ben's tower. We have just come past Buckingham Palace and are heading into all the embassies, and I think it is time to get this uploaded. I will try and get pictures up tomorrow.
Well would you believe it?
April 30, 2007I’ve never needed to do a bias binding. Isn’t that weird? I’ve just had to stop and play with different ways of doing a bias binding for a quilt I am putting into Sandown. It is the first time I have actually bound a curved edge, which I hadn’t realised until I went to cut the binding and I realised I had no idea how wide it should be or how it worked. It’s been fun playing and learning something new. I wonder if I will always end up learning new things on show quilts.
I tried to be Productive
I really did. In some things I was successful. I have managed to get orders ready and paperwork done. I had hoped to finish the borders on the pink quilt. I have everything pressed an ready, then I looked again at the fabrics. They really don’t go. Now normally I would go to my stash and have a huge range of alternatives to choose from, but I don’t do pink so I have very few. More predictably none of them work. I’ve spent a lot of time looking for a solution this afternoon (no car so I couldn’t just go shopping) but so far no joy. I think I will have to go to the shop on Wednesday. Not a problem, I have another quilt to work on, but guess what, I can’t find the fabric I want for that either. There are days when I think something doesn’t want me to make any progress on quilts.
I think I will just get on with cutting binding. I need about 1000″ of two different sizes and small amount of narrow bias. It’s not what you would call exciting but it does need doing, and I think it will be very satisfying to have it done. Also I can get some sewn to the front of quilts ready for hand stitching which I can then do in the car tomorrow.
Tomorrow is my birthday so we will be going out. I am planning a trip to Leeds Castle and Canterbury. I’ve been wanting to go to Leeds Castle (which confusingly is in Kent) for years. When we were students in Canterbury we tried to go but the entry was far too expensive, it seems to have actually come down in price since then. Apparently it has a maze and an underground grotto, which sound like fun to me. I am hoping that I might also find some more inspiration. I find landscapes and buildings very inspiring in general and at the moment I am quite keen on botanical images. I bet I get told off for working at least once tomorrow.
Quilt art Meme
Having checked I have three people waiting for pieces from me. Well your wait is almost over. Please could you contact me with your mailing addresses. I think you are Beverly, Penny and Dormouse, but one of you is showing as anonymous so I may be mistaken. the contact me form just comes straight to me if you can’t find my email address. Yes I think I do have some of your addresses but I can’t find them and I want these quilts sent.
Thanks for your patience.
I think I am a REAL business now
April 27, 2007OK so in most ways I have been a real business for some time now but yesterday I felt I became more proper. Not due to the number of calls from customers. Not due to the number of orders I was sending out. No, just from the amount of paperwork that needed doing. I’ve read lots of book saying to set aside a day a week for paperwork, but I have never had enough to fill a day. Suddenly I had enough for two days. I have battled with it and I am not all up to date again (which feels great BTW) but I think it is a sign I have made it. Funny isn’t it the signs that really tell us we are making progress.
One of my jobs was to get my entries in for Sandown. The
deadline is Tuesday so by my standards I am practically early. I am just waiting on the last picture to print now, hence having time to chat to you. I only decided on this entry at the weekend. I knew I aught to enter a longarmed bed quilt in honour of Fran, but nothing had been leaping out at me, and most of my current quilts were off at other shows. I had pretty much given up on the idea and was going to stick with the smaller quilts I have entered. Then at the shop hop I was awarded my gift voucher, and I was telling a lot of people about the new strip club. Yes that is quilt related not the other sort. So I spent a lot of time looking at the patterns for strips. One really appealed to me, Ripple Effect, so much so I had bought a copy when I had been at the Chilford show. By the end of Saturday I was tired and I just wanted something really simple to sew. So several bundles of strips and off home. I have only worked on it in between other jobs as a way to relax but I now have half the blocks finished ready to into the quilt.
I had to take a picture of it in progress for the entry form so I though I might as well share it here too. Of course the blocks won’t actually end up in these positions, as there are mirror image blocks to fit in too. The finished top will be king size, this is just the center of the single here. I am a little disappointed at the contrast. I thought the black would be darker, but I should have learned from Robin’s experience with Burning Chrome, black and white fabrics don’t read as that dark when they are cut up. I also though the batiks looked louder, but they have toned down too. Still I think the pattern is coming through and I am planning to use the quilting to accentuate the contrast, so hopefully that will enhance the pattern.
It’s never what you expect
April 26, 2007Yesterday I had one of my days out in London this time with Robin. I’ve been thinking for a while I should go to the V&A, and when I heard they had a surrealist exhibition on it seemed like the perfect time. Normally I get distracted by the other two museums near the V&A but this time I actually made it. It was my first time there so I thought I should have a bit of a nose around rather than just go straight to the exhibition. Entering the museum through the tunnel brings you out into a sculpture gallery. It was fine, but I think the Rodin exhibition has rather spoilt me for looking at sculpture. I found myself comparing a lot if it to his work, and as such it didn’t really inspire me. We then spotted a sign for a fashion display. I have heard very good things about the historical costume displays here so a quick detour had to be made. I was completely underwhelmed. There were some nice costumes there, but to be honest I think the pictures I have seen in books gave me more information. The room is very dimly lit (presumably to protect the colours of the fabric) and the commentary didn’t seem to build any narrative or interest. I won’t be going back to look at fashion given the display I saw yesterday.
The surrealist exhibition has been getting some very good reviews, which is just as well given the entry fee is 9 pounds. In particular the reviewers have complemented the theater costumes, the lips sofa and the lobster phones. Personally I would say those are the weaker aspects of the display. I really liked the large furniture. I would love to be able to tell you who made what, but the guide it just as bad as the signage and obviously doesn’t give me any useful information. It is really frustrating. Maybe I have just been very lucky with the guides at the National Gallery and the Royal Academy. Overall I am pleased I went, it really brought home how much I like Magritte, and Tromp loi, bit of which I think will influence future quilts, but I don’t think it was worth the entry fee.
After the Surrealist exhibition we went back to exploring the rest of the museum. There are two amazing sections, that I will be going back to. The materials and techniques – ironwork has some amazing pieces in it. Sadly it doesn’t live up to it’s name as far as providing any information on materials or techniques, but the pieces were very inspiring for me. I can see me making some whole cloths heavily based on ironwork. If you have any interest in locks then you really do need to go and see this section. I was enthralled by the locks, but again I would have liked more information, and less dry information. The care and attention given to even the insides of the locks was just wonderful. Of course there is no book or guide that covers this section of the museum so if you are interested you have to go and take your own pictures. The good news is they do allow this.
From here we moved on to their casts area. This is full of massive casts of architectural items. Some of the pieces are huge and really just too much to take in from the ground. We had to go up to one of the galleries above to have a look from another angle. It was well worth seeing, but (are you getting bored of this yet) they really do need better signage. I entirely forgot to look and see if they had a book documenting this collection, but I will when I go back. We could see there were a lot more smaller pieces in storage on higher levels, which I really hope are documented in a publicly available manner.
From here we went to the Science Museum. This has been my favourite museum since I was a child, yet I hadn’t been there fro several years. The difference to the V&A couldn’t be more obvious. As soon as you walk in they are giving you incentives to give them money. Their donation boxes do things, they are great. By the time we made it though to the museum proper we were already feeling quite positive about the place. Even closing the whole space exhibition couldn’t upset me. I decided on a top down approach to ensure we saw as much of the most interesting items as possible. To be honest I find most things in the museum fascinating so I couldn’t lose. Starting at the top of the building is the history of medicine. Strangely there is a quilting connection here, the Egyptians and their mummification process is covered as some of the earliest understanding of the human body. To illustrate this there were a couple of mummified cats. Their bindings were log cabin blocks! The colours were still so strong, I had not realised how colourful Egyptian society was. If you are in the science museum do make sure you get to see the cats.
Working our way down the building you come to the flight level. It has shrunk a lot over the years but is still wonderful. I love the racks of engines, they are beautiful and smell wonderful. I am also fascinated by the shapes in airframes. They seem to have lot of design potential, I really must have another look at my pictures from Hendon RAF museum. We had great fun playing with the demonstrations and watching all the videos. The government propaganda films are always interesting, they way they portray what is needed and what people have to offer. It’s so similar to modern government information, but I think they had a better idea of how to motivate people then. It’s nice to hear proper English too. The science museum was a lot less disappointing, although it has been dummed down a lot and there seem to be far fewer displays to play with. It is good to see it busy and lively, I think that is the only way forward for museums given they rely on voluntary donations. They also sell space ice cream which is one of my favourite treats, how could I not like this place.