Sunday, March 10, 2013

Quilt-a-week update



First of all, thank you all for your comments and e-mails. I had a busy week (again some health issues) and even though I had good intentions to write to you last week, it never happened.

But here we are now, another wintery week about to begin up here, we have lots of new snow and last week had a fair amount of sunshine. Hopefully the extra cold wind that has been coming this way straight from the Arctic Ocean is mellowing down.

Last October I started to make these small (10" x 10" / 25cm x 25cm) quilts, decided to make one a week restricting myself to techniques that could be accomplished in this given time. My idea behind these was that once I would get going with these quilts, I would learn a lot about the process, different techniques and practice. Over the years I have realized that once you jump off the saddle, it is always very difficult to get back on but if I would be able to make one a week, I hopefully would establish a routine and could keep it up. I have almost been able to do it. I am one quilt behind, well, my 10th of this year is almost done but then again the 11th week is about to begin. I am hoping to be able to catch up this coming week.

I have been asked several times what I am going to do with these tiny fabric pictures and I really don't have any idea. I am doing these in the same manner I draw, once the drawing (quilt) is done, I put it into a pile and that's that. It has served its purpose, has taught me little bit and pushed me one step (half a step) forward.

They are here in the order they were made.

Noble kings, brave princes


This was the first of the year. I  wanted to use busier background and see where it would take me. I like this one, the old king is about to give his crown to the young and brave prince that is climbing up the steps to the castle. His tail is pointing up telling of his brave and confident mind while the old noble king is stepping aside.

Tree house


I prepared this background the same time as the first one and created myself a problem. The color of this fabric was very difficult to work with. When I looked at the fabric, I instantly thought of birds and that is the reason I kept it. Once I thought of the birds, I could have abandoned the back ground fabric and taken another one, but I really wanted to see if I could manage it. Obviously I could not, I could not calm it down no matter what I did with the design and colors and so I quickly stitched it down and called it done. Not successful as a quilt, but it taught me something.

Colorful harbor


I get so bored with my color choices at times and would really love to work with a colorful palette, but it is very, very difficult to me and even though I like the colors here, you really can't see the design, it is so busy.

The Castle of Sleeping Beauty


I wanted to play safe with the back ground, needed to calm down a bit and also was little tired of the concept and was not inspired at all.


 Fairytale


I like this one. Until this, I had mostly just used the chain stitch and was very happy when I thought of adding running stitches and a few French knots. This yellow was little strange at first; the striped fabric was just right for the steps.


Promise


(of spring).
White fabric always takes the stage. I started with the square of the brown leaf fabric and sort of just did what it told me to. For a long time I was not sure about the sun, but since the sun started to appear more often in my real world, I wanted to add it to this picture.


Heartland 


It was the Valentine's Day week, thus all the hearts... See the zigzag chain stitch in the big heart and along the roofs, had not thought of doing them before.


Cloud Castle


I like this back ground fabric. I have had it for a while in my stash not knowing what to do with it. I have been saving it for ages... and decided to use it then and there. I don't think I did anything new, this week was one of those with very little inspiration to work with. The main thing was to stay on the saddle.


Snow Castle


I enjoyed making this. I thought of all the snow castles in my childhood neighborhoods. All the huge snow castles or maybe caves were carefully made by the boys and very often were denied from the girls. When you passed by a snow castle, it was little scary, because you could be sure that a nasty and hard snowball would hit your back at some point and you knew where it came from but could not tell who he was who threw it. By the late spring, all the back yards were turned into snow ball war zones. 


The next one will be number ten.  Not yet done.  But once again, I am enjoying the process and I needed a short break from the knitting, I have a nasty blister in my right hand ring finger and while it heals, I am sewing.

Hope you all have a good week,
Wool with you,
Lene

27 comments:

  1. Upeita tilkkutöitä. Väritykset aivan ihania.

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  2. They are absolutely stunning! You are SUCH a talented lady.

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  3. Anonymous19:46

    Honestly, I have never really liked quilts - perhaps I find them visually jarring. Then I look at your mini quilts and you blow my mind with your creativity, skill and storytelling. I hope you enjoy making them since I love looking at them ;-) All the best.

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  4. These pieces are just wonderful. The colors studies are also very inspirational to me. I find I pick the same color families for projects and have a very hard time trying something different.

    I think this is time well spent for you!

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  5. Lene, your little quilts are so beautiful. I LOVE Fairytale. How clever of you to use the striped fabric for the stairs! But I have to disagree with you about Colorful Harbor. For me it is just gorgeous. I like having to take a second look to appreciate the design. And the colors! Oh my. Add me to the list of readers for whom you are an inspiration.

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  7. Amazing work! I was trying to pick a favourite, but I'm not able too.

    All the best,
    Tori

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  8. I am not a quilter but love reading about your process and seeing the results. Interestingly enough, my favorite by far is Tree House, the one you don't like. I LOVE it! If you want to send it to Oregon, USA, let me know what postage would be!

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  9. Wow! I enjoyed the tour of your quilt neighborhood. Thank you.

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  10. Your creativity & talents abound! What unique & gorgeous quilts.

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  11. Suzy in Idaho23:27

    As usual, we are our harshest critics. These are all wonderful and interesting and you do fabulous work.

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  12. I love the little quilts. You are so creative and thoughtful. Time well spent.

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  13. Mary in TN03:58

    Stunning! Love the one with the birds especially. And the Noble Prince is soooo cute.

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  14. Anonymous12:54

    Love each and every one! Happy you're "Back in the Saddle Again"! Thank you for sharing your art.

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  15. These quilts are absolutely beautiful. The colors are so balanced. You are an inspiration !

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  16. They are joyful, both the colour and the content. Thanks for sharing...I love them.

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  17. Wow....stunning. I,too, often make something for the learning what I need to learn, then it goes into a box, or behind the couch. Deep down, I hope you feel the stir of talent that you so graciously share with us. Your illustrations, knitting, needlework, quilting...all tell such beautiful stories. Thank you for sharing. You are a gem.

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  18. How beautiful your work! I would make a big quilt out of them and put it on the wall as a wall hanging...

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  19. Beth in Maryland23:00

    All I can say is, you set a very high bar for yourself! Thank you for sharing these lovely castles in the air.

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  20. Aldona02:47

    Thank you for sharing your process and your thoughts on the work. It's always good to reflect on results--both good and bad! (But I think they are all lovely in their own way.)

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  21. Granny Witch15:54

    I have only just discovered your blog. I was looking for writing on twined knitting and came across it that way. I just LOVE your little quilts. And harbour is MY favourite - I just love your colour combinations. You are making the sort of things I would like to make but I just don't have the imagination. Thank you so much for sharing!

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  22. Colourful Harbour is my favourite - it's like a luscious bath of silken colour for my tired eyes. Your work is just lovely and I admire it so much. It makes me want to try art-quilting but I'm afraid the finished product would disappoint, especially after seeing your beautiful work.

    Well done!

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  23. Lovely, and particularly beautiful stitching! My favorites are the same as yours; especially cloud castle and snow castle.

    I would like to see them all together in a quilt, making a fanciful city together. If that doesn't work for you, you could make wall hangings, placemats, or pillowcases out of them?

    If they just sit that is fine, of course, but to me they are so delightful, I'd love to see them have a useful life past their initial time spent teaching you.

    You are so talented, Lene. I particularly admire how strong your artistic "voice" is and how you can express yourself in so many media.

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  24. beautiful, way too nice for a child to play with, but reminds me of a lovely soft fabric book my children had, no words, just pictures, that we used to make up stories about. a friend had cut and sewed the fabric pictures. sometimes the stories changed on different nights, but some stayed the same.
    skubitwo

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  25. Lovely! Cloud castle is my favorite. The background fabric looks like falling rain to me. Love the effect.

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  26. love the Harbor quilt the best and I would turn them into a book as a reflection of the year what a memory for the children later on in life. i only ended up half making one, just no time and projects that had to get completed,A wedding shawl a prayer shawl,a baby blanket then another one, now some sewing for the grandchildren that has to be finished before we go to see them at Easter.One more folder to sew and that should be finished, now to work out an edging for the second baby blanket, the one i had is not working.

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  27. Tove19:42

    You should write a children's book and illustrate it with mini quilts. They are wonderful!

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