Wednesday, January 29, 2014

January

I have decided that for this year, I want to continue using this writing platform as a way to showcase what I am making and how I bounce ideas around.... along with the things that I do in my life that I gain inspiration from, traveling, reading, exploring... I am going to use mostly instagram and photos from my phone, so that I can update more frequently. Over the past year of studio time, and part-time work I have learned that to have time to post, the editing process from my camera is very time consuming, and in the end I can convey a similar image quickly and in real-time, that is important to me. I will still photograph the finished works and other things with a real camera, I am not giving up on it completely. I am trying to get back to posting more regularly though, I hope that the more filtered photographs are still interesting to anyone that is reading. 


It has been a bitter cold start to the year with snow every week. I am not a fan of winter weather, I much prefer the regular 50-60 degree winter here in Richmond. It has definitely kept me inside sewing though, and I hope to take some quilt photos outside before the snow completely melts away. I have been working on this quilt for longer than I would have liked, with some medical stuff that came up and the holidays it was just one of those projects that has taken longer than expected. I am pleased with the way the top of the quilt turned out. I wanted a paper-collage feel to this project and I think that I have accomplished that. This week I am going to work on the back and the binding. I have decided that I want to hand tie this piece. Something about the traditional fabrics, which some are, mixed with the
un-conventional layout and the then traditional hand tying just sounds like a good mix to me. 


I love how the pieces are all meeting. 



Quilt top... I love how it keeps the eye moving around like a paper collage does. 


Also on my mind lately, the underside of textiles... how they show the structure and the shape of the piece.  


Especially loving the back of this quilt top... almost makes me not want to cover it... 

Bookworms


After watching the second movie, I decided to start reading the Hunger Games Trilogy, I know I should have read it a long time ago. I honestly did not think that I wanted to read it, until I could not wait any longer to find out how the series ends. I must say that from a book to movie conversion I think that they did a great job staying mostly true to the story. Of course there were a few details that movies left out, but for time sake, it made sense. 
I zipped through the first two books and while there were parts that were really hard to read they were a breeze compared to book 3. I thought it was so dark and sad and barely ever had a good moment, even the end was bittersweet... I was so upset with some of the people that they she killed off. I am fascinated by how such a dark concept with a dreary story line, has won the hearts of so many. I love that there are books like this that get the younger generations to read, and that now I have something that I can have a conversation with them about. Definitely worth the read.