tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109913942012-01-26T19:51:38.668-05:00Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.comBlogger6811100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-54491670813485281162012-01-17T16:32:00.007-05:002012-01-17T17:13:15.611-05:00

"Stalled out" Dear Jane resting on my sewing machine My Dear Jane Quilt patiently waits for me to get back in the mood. Today, I got an email from a quilting friend who keeps egging me on. (You know who you are and I thank you for every ounce of encouragement! I need it!). She sent me this link to a collection of 30 photos of Baby Jane quilts made by quiltmakers who belong to a Dear Jane group

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As my brother says: "We grew up observing Chanukah, but magically Santa Claus would make a delivery. Our house didn't even have a fireplace, but he would figure out how to get in." When I was six years old, I decided I wanted bunk beds for my dolls. The problem was, no one was selling them. (Perhaps Matell should have hired me as a consultant.) During the weeks before Christmas, my dad was busy

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Tutorial here.

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Tutorial here.

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Tutorial here. I think this image works really well when it's BIG! Click on the image to enlarge it.

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Tutorial here.

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Tutorial here.

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-72445206071256463812011-12-20T08:06:00.000-05:002011-12-24T08:19:11.103-05:00

Tutorial here.

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-16934395693386913092011-12-19T08:03:00.000-05:002011-12-24T08:18:49.381-05:00

Tutorial here.

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What's better than red? Red on red. These arrangements remind me of golden bird's nest with berries and roses. I'll post some more pictures tomorrow. Tutorial Makes 4 complete floral arrangements Equipment Scissors Knife Large vase to hold flowers while they wait to be trimmed -- filled with plain water Supplies dozen dark red roses dozen bright red roses bag of fresh cranberries 4 glass

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Taken about 5:30 PM.

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E12 - in need of a better pressing. Note arrows. I was ready to attach the sashing to this Dear Jane block, E12 - Mary Ruth's Corset, and noticed my sloppy pressing job. (Look for the blue arrows in the first picture.)  I suspected it had something to do with the softness of my ironing board, so I pulled out my handy-dandy pressing board given to me by my dear friend, Sherry. E12 -

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All the Row D blocks have been joined. The pink block, D-9, is rotated a quarter turn. If I rotated it back, it would help emphasize the Trip-Round-the-World arrangement because it helps move the eye in the direction of the "trip," but it's likely I'm the only one who will notice, so I'm going to leave it. Here are two more close ups. To enlarge the photos, double click them.

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Block C13, Jane Stickle quilt, Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT Last Sunday, I finally visited the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont, and spent some quality time with Jane Stickle's quilt. I wanted to examine a few blocks closely. C13 - Lakota Sioux was one of them. It's those blue squares in the corners. I've tried inspecting photos in Brenda's book and photos posted online

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Block B13, Jane Stickle quilt, Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT.  Yesterday, I visited the Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT. You know why I was there! The Jane Stickle quilt is on display every September and October, and I was determined to finally see the quilt this year! The quilt is rotated one-quarter turn each year to minimize the effects of gravity. This year, the "top" (we all

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At Last After years of talking about it, I finally got to the  Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT while Jane Stickle's quilt was on display, which is every September and October. What a thrill! When I first spotted it, it looked a little smaller than I expected. It's 80" x 8o" so it's no "shrimp" in the world of quilts. No matter the size, tears came to my eyes. Mysteries Revealed This is just a

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After much delay, another row of Dear Jane blocks has been joined together. For the first time, some of my blocks are set-in on all four sides. It's turning into a quilt top! Click the photos to enlarge them.

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H9 - Snowflake Melt For a long time now, I've wanted to replace this low-contrast Dear Jane block, H09 - Snowflake Melt . . .to  go from blue flowers to tigers. The Fabric For starters, I did not like the fabric. It's not just the blue color and low contrast; the fabric quality is rather awful. It was purchased at a well-known national chain of fabric/craft stores, is thin and

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The blocks are real. The quilt is virtual. View close-ups of the blocks here.

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The Dear Jane blocks are real. The quilt is virtual. I love red and pink together! View close-ups of the blocks here.

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I made several virtual quilts tonight using photos of my Dear Jane blocks. Here's one of them. View close-ups of the blocks here.

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Woven Sashing: The effect is still pretty subtle. Ironing might help! Explaining I'm now sewing together Row C and I finally have a true rhythm with this woven sashing!  That means I have some explaining to do because I gave inaccurate info in my earlier posts! Sorry. The effect is still pretty subtle. Ironing might help! The Diagram Diagram and count of pieces to cut. Click to enlarge. The

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Note: More details on the woven sashing are here. As of August 25, Thursday night, I stitched together all the square blocks in rows A and B. Since then, I've started row C. Best of all, I've found my rhythm for this woven sashing. NPR talk radio helps me get through the tedium. You can see my line-up of the next three pairs of blocks, including my newest block, Waiting for Irene. Here's a

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I love to make virtual quilts on Mosaic Maker. This one turned out better than expected. Click the photo for a closer look.  BTW, I renamed this block last night to commemorate Hurricane Irene. Wouldn't it be great to have a real quilt like this? If I alter the blocks just right, I could make the pink and red areas appear to be woven. In fact, if I made the red checkered areas from one piece

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I remade one of my early blocks, C6 - Ashley's Aura, made when I had little confidence in my ability to sew tiny curved pieces. Waiting for Irene While waiting for Hurricane Irene, I decided to remake this block. Piecing the block using three different fabrics makes it far more interesting and layered. In fact, I think the two blocks barely resemble each other. I have no regrets about this

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Diagram of Woven Sashing for Dear Jane Quilt (click to enlarge) More details on the woven sashing are here. My older brother helped me out and turned this image into a JPG so I could post it here and show you the plan for the woven sashing. (Thank you, D!) The diagram was created in Excel, converted to a PDF, and then to a JPG. Colors All the sashing is done in ivory. The diagram is in color

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Note: More details on the woven sashing are here. This is the only subunit possible for this woven sashing: two (5x5) blocks with a (1x10) sash; together, they make a T-shape. Here's a stack of them . . . and here they are waiting to be sewn into place. I'm just checking the placement before stitching my seams. See the diagram for the sashing here.

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First Row Is Done Row A is all joined up -- plus a few additional blocks. Already, the quilt is spilling off the sides of my bed, so I ran it down the length of my bed. Woven Sashing As expected, the woven sashing does not show from a distance. I keep wondering why I'm bothering joining 169 blocks and 168 sashing pieces in a complex pattern. Typically, I sew half way down the 10-inch length, and

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Beginning to join blocks for Row A Note: More details on the woven sashing are here. Woven I started sewing together my blocks this week. Should we be surprised that I've decided to do something a bit complicated? The layout will emulate a woven pattern. The strips are 10 inches long -- except at the edges of the quilt where they are 5 inches long. Diagram See the diagram for the sashing

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Rain on Spider's Web Click on the images to enlarge them. Rain on Spider's Web

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Scanning Done I finished scanning my Dear Jane blocks (see previous post). I did not rescan the reject blocks; it's time to focus on what I have instead of what I undid. Color and Value Some of the colors still seem off but I hope I at least have a closer representation of lights and darks. Aside from all I learned about making blocks, this quilt has been one big lesson in color and value. More

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It's so nice to have the blocks all done! I'm a bit distracted by the difference in the blocks that were scanned versus those that were photographed . . . so . . . I've decided to scan the blocks that were originally photographed. I'm going row by row. You can see, I've done four rows. It looks like someone turned the lights on, or washed the quilt! I know, it's a bit crazy but I figured once I

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I have completed all 169 square Dear Jane blocks! It's kind of an odd feeling. Check out my stats at the end of this posting. Thank You's I want to send out thank you's to two fellow quilters: Anina and Stephanie. Anina's blog, That Quilt, and That Quilt Flickr group really helped me get going on this project after I left it sitting for many months (or was it years?) Months ago, Stephanie showed

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I can't remember what this installation was called. It was massive, well lit, and easy to photograph. I visited the Chihuly exhibit twice. In all, I took over 200 photographs. Now I'm sort of Chihuly'd out; I'm losing steam. I hope to upload all my photos to Flickr but I'm not sure when. I still want to share the massive piece that the MFA is going to keep.

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The next room was filled with chandeliers - in varied colors and forms. The chandelier exhibit was the largest collection ever of Chihuly's chandeliers in one place. That includes a red chandlier at the entrance to the exihibit. The lighting was set to throw wonderful shadows on the gray walls. See more chandeliers on Chihuly's website.

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See more Persians and read about them on Chihuly's website. The glass was overhead resting on thick clear glass supported by dark rafters. It was standing room only but it would have been great to lie down on something with wheels and just drift around the space. White octopus - click to enlarge Among the large pieces were wonderful surprises - like this white octopus. As with all

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After the muted colors of the baskets, I found the vivid colors of the Mille Fiori jarring. The variety and density of the collection created a constantly changing view. The enormous pieces are set upon a reflective surface. It can read like the surface of a pond . . . or the ocean floor. The room was dense with people. How can I crop them out? See more Fiori on Chihuly's website - both

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The nested baskets were in the same room as the other basket forms. A sizable collection of Native American blankets was hung on the wall. Ghostly It's not just that you can see through them. It's that you are not sure what you are seeing. Collapsing How did they capture these shapes in mid-collapse? Barely there . . . . . . and yet they throw shadows. Fragile I love the contrast of the

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Favorite Room This was my favorite room at the MFA Chihuly exhibit. I could have come back daily - for a long time. Click on the images to enlarge them. Catch more of the blanket cylinder series here and soft cylinder series here. Read Chihuly's statement on his Trade Blanket collection here. Serene Light The lighting created a serene mood. The baskets forms were displayed on wooden

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The next room was very dark with lots of reflective surfaces -- the blown glass, as well as some of the walls and counters. I found it difficult to know what I was looking at and what I was photographing. Cropping the photos has helped a lot. A peek into the next room Reflections The crowd was moving too fast for me. People seemed eager to move into the next space. I wanted to linger. but

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Glass Boat by Dale Chihuly, MFA, Boston The entire show was beautifully lit. Everything was arranged to maximize the textures, colors, and reflective surfaces of the glass. Often, the rooms were very dark with spotlights fixed upon the glass. We were free to take as many photos as we wished as long as we did not use a flash. Glass Boat at the MFA The exhibit began with Ikebana Boat, a boat

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"Chihuly: Through the Looking Glass" at the MFA! What a great exhibit! I took more than 100 pictures! Visit Chihuly's website to see photos, essays, and more about the seaforms here. This is the beginning. It's on the lower level and approached from a staircase. Can you guess how large these pieces are? Here's a hint: Dale Chihuly likes to work with a team of up to18 people. In this

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I had a great birthday this year! The celebrations have been going for a week! Dinner out, flowers, surprise lunch, lunch out, museum trip, chocolate, cards, gifts, flowers, and great company. I am blessed!

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I was surfing today for camea info for a friend and tripped over Shoot the Quilt. What a great site to learn more about quilt photography!

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L13 - Harvest Moon is my next-to-last square block! Redraft of L13-Harvest Moon Redraft I redrafted this block to get the proportions to match Jane's block more closely . . .  and, I did not want the seam and seam allowance from the outer circle impinging upon the sashing seam. Usually I do my redrafts on graph paper but since circles were involved, I used the draw feature on MSWord. It was

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Stephanie Drake (r) and her Dear Jane quilt. Read about the Gathering of Janiacs here. Pretty in Pink Stephanie Drake gets to see her Dear Jane quilt every day -- it's on her bed. I nicknamed it "Pretty in Pink" because I love the quieting effect of the monochromatic color scheme. I'm contemplating following her lead -- using solid fabrics for the triangles rather than piecing. If I go that

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I attended the Gathering of Janiacs at the New England Quilt Museum last weekend and finally met Brenda! I enjoyed hearing her stories and seeing all the Baby Janes she and some of the attendees brought along. Finally, A  Few Decisions I finally have made a few decision on my quilt! I will go ahead and piece the squares and sashing. I am hoping that as it comes together, I'll have an epiphany

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I've looped back to the beginning of my San Diego trip. When I first arrived, I took a taxi directly from the airport to the Visions Art Museum (VAM). My hotel was in the opposite direction and I wanted to make the most of my time. The VAM often shows quilts but May through July they had two exhibits about fashion: Fabric-Free Fashion and Evolution Transformed. More about that later. The San

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This is my best shot from the zoo. Here are a few more of the panda shots. Remember, for a closer look, click on the photos. Panda, San Diego Zoo Panda, San Diego Zoo Sleeping Panda, San Diego Zoo

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Elephants are always impressive. They cannot have real trees in the display because the elephants would demolish them rather quickly. Instead, they have these cement "trees", which are showing a bit of wear and tear.

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Cheetah and Companion Dog, San Diego Zoo Look closely for the cheetah lying on the ground next to the white dog's legs. This is a companion dog. He helps keep the cheetah calm. They are paired up when both animals are young. Sorry for the poor quality photo. I was a the back of the bus and by the time I was near the cheetah, the driver was speeding up. This kept happening and was rather

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Hippo, San Diego Zoo (follow the pink arrows) Blogger does not like it when we post a lot of photos, so I just created a Part 2 for my San Diego Zoo posting. I will likely have several more postings to get all my animal shots loaded. Remember to click the photos for a closer look. Momma Hippo This first shot is a momma hippo. I stayed by her tank for a long time, waiting for her to move,

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Balboa Park, San Diego Balboa Park, San Diego I wandered around Balboa Park looking for the entrance to the San Diego Zoo, and was happy when I found a sign which lead me to a a palm-lined path. In San Diego, the weather is usually perfect, but standing around the zoo at midday, it's hot. That means lots of animals are sleeping -- proof enough that they are smarter than us! I saw quite a

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Balboa Park: via El Prado approaching the Museum of Man 1,200 Acres -- Loaded Last week, I visited San Diego's Balboa Park, a cultural center with museums, an art colony, botanical building, Japanese garden, theatre, beautiful landscaping, and the San Diego Zoo (more about that in my next posting). I did not have enough time to see it all. I'm eager to return! Balboa Park: San Diego Museum

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Delicious Beach Coronado Beach was delicious! I thought I was just taking a trolley ride; I had no idea I was going to the beach, too! I was so taken with the experience that when I got back onto the hotel sidewalk I did not want to put on my shoes, so I walked around barefoot for a while. When I did get ready to put on my sandals, I realized that I had lost one of them! I headed back to the

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The Hotel del Coronado is a beautiful wooden building with lots of history. This link tells much of that history and includes some wonderful photographs, too. The lobby is covered with dark wood paneling -- the walls, balconies, and ceiling. Sorry about the crooked pictures. I took a quick video of the lobby elevator but Blogger can't seem to load it. You can watch it here. Many famous people

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San Diego Bay from the Coronado Bridge I was in San Diego last week, and especially enjoyed Coronado -- the bridge (Coronado Bridge), the city, the beach, the hotel (Hotel del Coronado). For a closer look, click on the photos. The ride over the Coronado Bridge is breathtaking -- especially when you're barreling along in an open-air trolley (with no seat belts). The beach at the Hotel del

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Snow in July? Well, not really. I'm just now getting around to uploading photos off my cell phone. This one was taken in the winter, when the snow seemed endless. A large snow storm was imminent. To protect the roof at work, they brought a large snow blower (the kind you ride) up to the roof of the building to clear off the collected snow. I am loving this warm weather and seeing this picture,

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I'm a Slow Poke quilter. After I was many years into my Dear Jane quilt, I learned that the book recommended the wrong amount of background fabric. To be concise, here's a Brenda Papadakis quote from the Quilting Board (which they attribute to Brenda's site, but I could not find the quote on her site): In the book , I suggest 5 yards for the entire quilt. This is an error on my part. If you are

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A12 - Framed Fancy was slow going but now it's done. Yeah! A12 - Framed Fancy: Redraft and Fabric Redraft On Jane's block, the diamond points touch the edges of the block, so I redrafted it and quickly had a guess why Brenda had not drafted it to match Jane's block -- it's hard to divide a square or diamond into even thirds with a standard ruler. I wish I had one with 1/3-inch markings. I do

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I love this shot. My father is positioning the tassel on my cap before we head to one of my graduations. He was pinning the tassel in place -- something he routinely did as a photographer. Notice his hair; he had long hair before the Beatles! This shot reminds me of my confidence in my father's ability to get thing right, his attention to detail, his pleasure in helping others, his pleasant ways

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When I photograph a quilt block, I align my block with the edge of something straight -- in this case a slider track. When a block is shot at an angle, it can appear warped. For example, in the first photo, the pink border does not align with the edges of the paper and the green border does not align with the edges of the block. In the second photo, the pink border aligns with the edges of the

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-11644041681572708202011-06-13T08:26:00.001-04:002011-06-20T07:41:19.221-04:00

Using a point-and-shoot camera, I was able to get rid of those heavy shadows. Read the details at my earlier posting.

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Click to see quilt block with (L) and without (R) shadow from window screen. I wrote extensively on quilt block photography here.  I have since purchased a scanner that produces great photos without all the fuss, but if you are taking shots using available light, try the link above for a detailed description of my method for shooting blocks. Even with a scanner, I still use some of the

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Apparently, the name for this block, A2 - One Two Buckle My Shoe, is based on an earlier naming convention, when both the columns and rows were designated by numbers. Since this is the second block in the first row, it would have been 1-2. Redraft Jane's original version of this block had 44 pieces. I reduced it to 40 pieces by combining two pieces in each corner -- to accommodate the

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I could rename this block "Fans and Rosebuds, but that has more to do with the fabrics than the block pieces, which is how quilt blocks are usually named. With the completion of A1 - Pinwheel Gone Awry, all four corner blocks are done. The end is looming large and I have a lot of decisions ahead of me:Sashing size and color? Triangles or not? If yes, do I piece them or just put in solid fabrics?

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K13 - Brandon's Star is my last yellow Dear Jane block -- unless I decide to make the kites and triangle blocks. Otherwise, I have only 5 blocks to go. After all this work, I'm beginning to think I will miss  making these finicky little (4.5 inches) blocks. Redraft I redrafted one part of the block - those large yellow triangles are two smaller triangles in Brenda's draft. I followed Jane's

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M3 - Fireweed Flower has been a major stumbling block for many a Janiac. It's all those Y-seams; they are murder -- especially on a sewing machine. Luckily, I hand-piece my Dear Jane blocks. The Name What is a Fireweed anyway? Have a look here. G11 - Decisions, Decisions Fabric I have very few yellow fabrics. Long ago, I decide that it was OK to repeat fabrics in this quilt but I do not

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-4462790709589511942011-05-30T00:01:00.005-04:002011-05-30T15:07:57.376-04:00

The final image in this series is a close-up of a shot from two days ago. It's my favororite. I'm so glad I went to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden that day in spite of the rain. It was too soggy of a day for bees  but . . . How much do I love peonies? When I see bees practically rolling in peony pollen, I'm filled with joy and touch of envy.

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All of my peony shots from last week were a victory over the weather and a dying camera. This one was taken the same day. The rose-colored effect (thanks to my camera) can be cool but it is completely out of my control. The uncropped image (below) shows what the rain really did to the peonies. Of course, the rain also makes the flowers possible. I also think the short life of peony blooms is part

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-60921308160525702522011-05-28T00:01:00.007-04:002011-05-29T12:54:11.891-04:00

This was my favorite shot of the day . . . bringing to mind word like . . .    Fresh.Clean.Delicate. Soft.Pure.Magic.

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Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-34946646409794813042011-05-26T00:01:00.003-04:002011-05-27T06:26:33.563-04:00

I love peonies. Their color, their shape, their petals, their scent, their diversity, their size -- and most of all, their lushness.

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-80621350978724925122011-05-25T00:18:00.006-04:002011-05-27T06:26:33.566-04:00

The primary reason I wanted to go the Brooklyn Botanic Garden last week was to see the Peony tree collection in full bloom. Peonies are my favorite flower. The collection is a gift from the Japanese town of Yatsuka-Cho in Shimane Prefecture “to bring peace of mind to people in the United States” after the events of September 11, 2001. The week of rain had taken it's toll, Peony petals covered

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I call this block The Flying H. Brenda named it L12 - Sally's Pride. Imperfect, But Done Those tiny appliqued triangles are killers; I almost skipped them. Eons ago, when I started this quilt I was good at applique. Still, I skipped this block, probably because of the tiny piecing. All my other appliques were done using the freezer paper method, but that did not work on these narrow 45-degree

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-92033052988066184922011-05-23T00:01:00.002-04:002011-05-23T07:37:49.124-04:00

A close-up of  Patrick Dougherty's living sculpture, a temporary installation at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It was a wet day and that made everything all the more beautiful. Click photo for closer look.

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-13363430847761377902011-05-22T01:09:00.001-04:002011-05-22T10:29:57.230-04:00

Looking up into the sky through Patrick Dougherty's living sculpture at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Learn about the construction of this temporary feature here. I love the bits of last season's foliage. It will look quite different in a few weeks when it's covered with green leaves. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

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Windy, Drifty, Wooly, Jumble, and Tangle. A closer shot of Patrick Dougherty's living sculpture. Read about the creation of this temporary feature at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden here. I named them yesterday (see yesterday's caption) but their windswept quality which is more evident in this shot has inspired a whole new set of names (see today's caption). What would you name them? Click the

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-43923951198897923022011-05-20T09:36:00.006-04:002011-05-22T10:33:02.733-04:00

 Stoic, Sloper, Tilter, Lumpy, and Whimsy.  Isn't this grand? You can walk inside and look up at the sky. To see how Patrick Dougherty created this installation at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, click here. Learn more about the installation here. Click on the photo to enlarge it. I've named them (see the caption). What would you name them?

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-86124301963633916462011-05-19T09:21:00.001-04:002011-05-21T10:23:36.276-04:00

Another shot of the Bluebell Wood from my recent visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Click the photo to enlarge it.

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-18699209767437710382011-05-18T21:10:00.000-04:002011-05-21T09:24:49.188-04:00

Another photo of the Bluebell Wood at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Mass plantings of a single flower fill me with a mix of repose and excitement. Click the photo to see it better. This path was inviting but, in the end, we did not explore it because the day was short and we still had not reached our planned destination -- the peony trees.

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May 17 was an overcast, rainy day at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This shot was taken in the Bluebell Wood. Visitors were scarce, the lighting was beautiful, and everything was fresh-washed with rain. Just lovely. Truly.

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-65128138923308808662011-05-02T00:04:00.005-04:002011-05-04T07:55:47.298-04:00

Winter felt endless this year, so it's fitting (on this first day of May) that my most recent Dear Jane block is L2 - Stephanie's Snowflake. I really love the colors in this block, but I'm not sure the image conveys the colors and textures. Have I ever mentioned that the theme fabric is a sateen? Redraft, Fabric, Construction In Brenda's draft, those long pointed pieces are cut up as a rectangle

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Every once in a while, Jane kicks my butt. I've been making Dear Jane blocks since forever, and sometimes they still come out wonky, like this one, L1 - Widow's Pane. Maybe I should rename it Minka's Pain! Pressing Board After scanning this photo, I ironed it a bit more and it seems to have gotten a bit better. I tried to scan it again with no luck. What's going on today? For one thing, my

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While the center is assymetrical, the story behind my fabric choice for this block, M13 - Lynette's Diamond, does have some symmetry to it. The centerpiece is made from the same fabric used for my very first Dear Jane block, B1 - Bachelor Buttons. I didn't even have the ivory fabric yet and I certainly had no color plans -- and no plans to make the whole quilt! It would have been perfect symmetry

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-54406859203440234822011-04-26T20:52:00.005-04:002011-04-27T07:02:40.763-04:00

Another corner block is complete: A13 - Starlight-Starbright! Fabric I used four fabrics for this block: the ivory, the monkey fabric, the semi-solid sage green (it has a subtle texture and the color is actually a gradation so I get a whole range of sage greens with this one reversible fabric), and the theme fabric with the pink-red flowers. An entire Dear Jane quilt of the theme fabric would

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My first completed Dear Jane block in five months! My first completed block for this calendar year! It's M1 - Dogwood Days, one of the blocks I wrote about yesterday and said I'd be making from the theme fabric -- which this is not! Since that fabric is so precious and the 29 pieces for this block are so small, it seemed a waste of precious fabric. I could have made the block and had nothing to

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-49555545341586680642011-04-23T16:34:00.015-04:002011-04-24T11:02:58.832-04:00

Under construction: M13 - Lynette's Diamond Lost and Found For quite some time, I abandoned Jane; I've not touched the project since November.My theme fabric is a tiny bit of fabric, which I used for the center block (shown below) and I was saving for the four corner blocks. I was working from the center out so I had time to find it. When I had only 13 blocks to go, I knew it was time to pull

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The StoryIn the 1970s,  Sherri Smith challenged me to design a woven coat or jacket -- modeled here by my beautiful niece. See Sherri's current work here. The Design It's a relatively simple cotton twill, with a few (vertical and horizontal) reverses of the chevrons to create details on the back yoke and up the sleeves. It's a nice medium weight. With a heavy sweater underneath, this jacket is

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Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-44525143135797360402011-04-20T19:40:00.000-04:002011-04-20T19:40:42.118-04:00

I realize that this could be any table, but I know it's my seder table.

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-61801319806297816462011-04-19T09:32:00.001-04:002011-04-19T09:33:44.894-04:00

A glass cake platter was used for the seder plate.

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-91148439260667598302011-04-18T22:10:00.001-04:002011-04-18T22:11:01.160-04:00

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This link has more information on the Infinite Variety quilt show, which was described in my previous post. I've just started to explore all it has to offer. Be sure to check out the videos (scroll down toward the end of the list). The photo is not in the show. It's part of my Valentines for Jane series, a collection of virtual quilts made with photos of Dear Jane blocks. You can view the

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This week, the American Folk Art Museum in New York City has a special showing of quilts: "Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts." The show is free!  The 651 red and white quilts are part of the collection of Joanna S. Rose. Location: Park Avenue Armory, New York City Dates: March 25 - 30, 2011 Times: See the show website For those who are not fortunate enough to

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My niece took a wire wrapping workshop and produced two pendants. Both change their look as they spin. This first one is a turquoise stone hanging from brown suede. She hammered texture onto the wrapped metal that encircles the darker side of the stone. I don't remember the name of the purple stone for the second pendant. It hangs from strip of gray silk. Click the photos for a closer look.

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As I mentioned yesterday, my niece and I had a beading marathon this week. We spent a good part of her five-day visit either making jewelry or talking about it! She brought along a gorgeous necklace (a gift from her mother) made by Ayala Bar of Tel Aviv. These photos do not fully convey the impact of the lovely mix of textures and colors resulting from the clever use of metals, beads, and fabric

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-33183415158132295032011-02-24T22:50:00.000-05:002011-02-27T17:31:44.860-05:00

We had a jewelry marathon going here this week. I'll start by showing two bracelets I repaired. Both bracelets had been loved to death and needed new elastic. This Scandinavian bracelet is from the Viking House, Concord, NH which has a great selection of gifts from all over the world. I think the dark wooden beads were black when the bracelet was new. Anyway, I love the lustre and color they've

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-51324793836451975432011-02-04T23:06:00.002-05:002011-03-06T10:00:30.332-05:00

I made these several years ago for my mom. I don't remember too many details but I think maybe I used two different yarns. When I tried to felt the mittens, they did not seem to want to be felted. I tried everything. I put them on my hands and pretended I was washing my hands using lots of detergent. Next I tried putting them in the washing machine with several loads of wash . . . more than

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10991394.post-37145958095677922062011-02-03T22:15:00.009-05:002012-01-22T18:37:48.406-05:00

Finally finished (after many years of sitting around waiting for my attention)!  I used a variegated sock wool that's so soft my model did not realize it was wool! This pattern (from my friend Cynthia) could easily be used with other yarns and gauges. The number of stitches per diamond could also be modified to suit your taste. I considered adding beads but this project has taken long enough

Minka's Studiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01475472888411008059noreply@blogger.com2