Sewing Progress Report I continued working on my world map quilt until shortly before my vacation. I paused in the middle of row 6 (of 13), somewhere in northern Africa, so the blocks are not quite halfway done. During vacation, I had time to hand-quilt my white vintage quilt - it's not finished, but the rest can be done without a frame. Upon coming back home, I had my hands full with daily tasks and church service music, so the only sewing I did was one quick lavender sachet for a friend's birthday. This holiday weekend is busy with music, and though no family members are coming to visit, we've invited friends over for coffee and cake on Sunday afternoon. Cooking, baking and keeping everything neat will have top priority. After that, I can get back to creative work, though not on my magnum opus. I will be spending the coming month putting my lecture for the Tolkien Seminar together - a comparison of the narrative function of music in the BBC and German radio plays. I will also be revamping a costume for a friend's birthday party, so my sewing and crafting time will be needed for that. Perhaps I should follow my favourite costume maker's example and write a list of what I need to make:

Change dress: replace blue cord lacing with black; hand sew black velvet trim on top of existing coloured trim (so I can take it off if I want the original look back). Apron: sew black/white striped fabric (already purchased). Cap: sew white fabric and lace (from stash), decorate (feather and brass owl button, perhaps, or goggles made of metal sieves). Ammo belt: cut faux leather, sew elastic to hold corks in place. Tool belt: add loops to existing belt, customize tools by using wood and/or copper self-adhesive foil. Blouse: I plan to use a ruffled long-sleeved white blouse I already have. Boots: My high-heeled laced black leather ankle boots will be fine, probably topped with something like spats - the faux fur hobbit foot toppers I've used over bare feet in sandals. Chains with old keys and/or other details: as time and material allow.

Before I start on the changes, I want to take a "before" picture of the hobbit dress... Then, steampunk hobbit cook, here I come!

The fabric scrapbook I made four years ago to collect memories of Tolkien events is full. I could take out some of the pages and replace them with new ones for this year, but I know that people love to page through past memories. I decided to make a new book for the events coming up in this and the following years. Since I don't repeat myself unless absolutely necessary, this one is different: blue instead of green, and it uses the Earendil heraldic emblem designed by Tolkien, machine-embroidered by a friend of mine. I will hand-embroider Tolkien's initials logo on the back. I am using the "Road goes ever on" poem for the inside cover again, since that accompanies me throughout my life. I've printed it (mirrored) onto transfer paper and will iron it on white fabric. Inside I'm using key rings to hold the loose-leaf pages. That allows me to add new ones as long as the book has space for them.

I've been trying out various methods and materials for embroidering the book titles - not very successfully, so far. Machine embroidery is not always even, and I don't want to use the one style of letters that my sewing machine has for everything, so I've limited it to the "CD" covers, so far. I haven't hand embroidered in a long time, so trials with threads and needles and marking pens are taking up more time than I wish they would. I'm feeling discouraged - is there any chance of finishing this project by August? Is it more sensible to face reality and quit, or should I not give up too soon? I don't know.

I've finished the music CDs for my bookshelf quilt, four different cases with one "CD" in each:

Today's work on the project: buying fabrics* and interfacings. Washing the fabrics. Maybe ironing them if they dry quickly, but that may happen in the morning. G'night! *I needed black fabrics, slightly patterned/marbled so as not to be boring (I don't sew with solids unless for some special reason), because so many of my Tolkien books have black covers.

First items

I've sewed the first pieces for my bookcase quilt.

CDs/DVDs - can you tell which is which from the stitching? And a book cover for "Tree and Leaf", which needs innards.

New Project

I don't often combine my two interests, patchwork and Tolkien, but on occasion I am inspired to do so. This time the incentive arose from the fact that I will be attending the big event "Return of the Ring" in England this summer. I've already shown the appropriate pieces I have at previous Oxonmoots, so I decided to make something new.

Drawing is not my specialty, so I usually go for geometric, abstract designs. On a solitary walk at the beach (my best place to get ideas!) it ocurred to me that I could use the technique for sewing fabric books (which I love!) to make a Tolkien bookcase. I immediately knew how it would work, because of course I want to be able to play with them. Each book will have a cover and a double page inside. There will also be CDs/DVDs for the radio plays, movies, and music inspired by Tolkien's books. The bookcase "rear wall" will have slits for the books, so that only the backs are visible when in place.

The above photo shows my sketch.

The lack of activity here is less due to lack of sewing than to a tendency to post pictures to Facebook more frequently, neglecting my blog activity. I shall endeavour to catch up and show some of the projects I completed in the past months. For a starter, here's a fun craft I did - I had quite a few small thread spools, all same size, various colours, too old to use for actual sewing. When I realized that they were essentially shaped like large oblong beads, I decided to make a necklace that I can wear to patchwork classes and other activities. Here is the result!




I have the workings for some matching earrings waiting for me to sew them together...

Non-sewing photos...

When interruptions take over

Time to update with some pictures of further interruptions. My main project is waiting in the sidelines and will be continued in the autumn.

Tulip wall hanging for the kitchen:
















Protective tote for my netbook:















Tote for my piano music:



















Reverse side of piano music tote:



















There now, that's a blog entry worth over four thousand words!

Interruptions

Big projects have one inherent problem - they take so much time that they are inevitably interrupted while in progress. Right now I'm sewing some patchwork Christmas gifts, which have the disadvantage that I can't show photo proof/eye candy, just in case. I already sewed a wool cloak, dark blue, for a medieval costume event. As it's very plain, any photos would be boring. I will sew the dress for the event after Christmas; the gowns I have so far are suited for warmer weather, and the upcoming event is in January, so I do want something warmer than I've had. Again, no photos.

General Christmas preparations are also a major interruption. I plan to spend time next week decorating and baking; then Christmas cards need to be written. After all, I love to get mail, so I have to produce some in return or advance, whichever.

Quilt sewing just may get postponed into January...

Pre-quilting

There are differing opinions on the subject of whether or not to prewash fabrics before sewing them into patchwork. Some claim that their works look better if the fabric is used as new, especially if they don't ever intend to wash them. I belong to those who think that there are at least two important reasons to wash any fabric before cutting and sewing it: possible shrinkage and bleeding.

Even if shrinkage may not seem much on a small individual fabric piece, it does add up, and using strips in various directions may result in uneveness - fabrics shrink more vertically than horizontally. Even if I'm sewing a wall hanging, I want to know that I can wash it if necessary without any detriment to its shape.

Bleeding is even worse - one fabric that is not colourfast can ruin all of the others. Who's to say that some raindrops or a splash of water will never hit the surface even if the quilt does not get washed? (Murphy's Law would warn us that it will surely happen!) Most batik fabrics and some others lose surplus colour when washed and rinsed and can be used afterwards. But on occasion, as happened to me yesterday, a fabric still colours the water after numerous rinses - and I therefore eliminate it from my choices for this quilt. It's not worth the effort I put into sewing and quilting to have it ruined by one or a few pieces.

I spent several hours last evening ironing all the pieces I washed yesterday, and discovered another good reason for preparing the fabrics - it helps me get an overview of all that I have and gets me into the mood for cutting and sewing. I really enjoyed my ironing session - additionally made more entertaining by watching "Mansfield Park" on DVD while working.

Now everything's ready to go, and I can carry on cutting and sewing the over 3000 pieces of which this quilt will be composed.

Warning to all handcrafters!

Do not use any animal pawprints in your products!! A most ridiculous but alas genuine legal problem has arisen for handcrafters who used pawprints, mostly those of cats, because a sportswear company whose logo is a wolf's pawprint has sued them. This, of course, gives them the legal rights to all pawprints regardless of their nature. Speaking of nature - perhaps Mother Nature will be the next to be sued?

Do make sure that you wipe your pet's paws carefully before it walks across your carpet - it could be mistaken for a fake sportswear product. Whatever you do, don't take pictures of that and publish them on the internet.

This concerns the Jack Wolfskin company in Germany; for more information, just google the name - you'll find plenty of blogs and newsposts, mostly in German but certainly some in English as well.

Here's a link to start with: http://fledgeflyingiseasy.blogspot.com/2009/10/reason-to-paws.html

To compete or not to compete

I enjoy challenges - in this particular case I mean the quilt challenges that are set by magazines, organisations, etc. I love thinking about a topic and finding a way to make something that is in character for me while working with the theme.

Some challenges are by their very nature beyond my abilities - geographically, by skill level, by deadline. I haven't been particularly successful with those that I have entered so far, yet I keep trying. So the appearance of the Patchwork Guild's new quarterly magazine, with three challenges for its coming 25th anniversary, interested me greatly. At first I thought about the possibility of making a planned project work for the theme of "25", but then I realized that I couldn't possibly finish that big project on time for the deadline. I will therefore work on it as planned for next year, when the triannual juried exhibition is open for entries.

Then I thought about the possibilities of making something on the theme of "25". I googled the number, finding out interesting and potentially usable ideas like the 25th birthday of Tetris (that would make a fun geometrical quilt!) and the fact that Pachisi comes from the Hindi word for 25 - I could envision a Pachisi quilt. A couple of other connections occurred to me late in the evening, and I went to sleep wondering which one would fascinate me enough to get made.

I woke up knowing exactly what I was to do - nothing! Making a quilt on a theme that has nothing to do with me would only bind up much time and energy that I could more profitably use for making one of the projects I've planned for a long time.

I did find another competition for which I will make something - a quilt shop in south Germany is celebrating its 15th anniversary with an exhibition. The quilts are to be 15 by 15 cm - that's only 6 square inches. I can do that in a relatively short time, and I thought of an idea that connects with me. My daughter lives in that city in southern Germany, and the idea has to do with her childhood drawings and with a museum in that city. Besides, it's something that will be lots of fun for me, just the kind of fussy miniature that I love to do, and playful as well.

So to answer my title question - both.

I've spent much time in the past months getting things settled in our new home, so there hasn't been as much time for sewing as I'd like to have. I'm also working on a completely different project which involves a lot of time and concentration. However, I managed to make time for one wall hanging; it's for a challenge and will hopefully be included in the exhibition called "Black and white meet colors". Fortunately, an idea I already had for a long time was suitable, and I adapted it. Let me introduce "Singin' in the Rain":















I worked with triangles set together to form hexagons on a previous project, and I like the way those look like umbrellas. I combined those with various cloudlike fabrics, another with lots of rain, and a dark pattern that looks like cobblestone pavement. Additionally, I used a fabric with musical notes to make the singing visible, then combined it with a quilted rainbow.















It is machine sewed and hand-quilted, with the addition of shiny little tubular beads to give the rain a bit more glamour.















The black and white musical border finishes it off; for the reverse side I used a colorful print with sunshade umbrellas. I don't suppose it will be noticed by most people, but I know it's there, so it's worth the effort.

The Barbie doll's 50th birthday brought back memories of my first (and only) Barbie. I was 11 years old and saved my meagre allowance for weeks, even waited for a sale to buy one (my mother did not approve and refused to purchase it for me). I couldn't afford to buy the expensive clothing, so I began sewing clothes and making furniture for my Barbie.

Unfortunately, neither the doll nor the clothing have survived, but I did unearth my first (doll-sized) quilt when going through toys for our recent move. It is not a work of art nor a perfect example of sewing skills, but it belongs to my personal patchwork history and has survived decades.

more than a thousand words...

'Tis the season - I sewed a patchwork Christmas gift, a sofa pillow case for a friend who collects mugs. When I saw this fabric, I knew I had to make something for her.















The original fabric is now the reverse side; the idea for the patchwork front was in my mind very early, since a number of her mugs are displayed on a shelf. I used the traditional "attic window" pattern, slightly changed, to give the illusion of depth. I'm quite pleased with the effect.















No more sewing before Christmas; after the holidays, I will work as quickly as I can on the music wall hanging so that it is finished before we move in a couple of months.

Here's the current state of things on my fabric book. When I pieced this page using the green/white fabric, I had no idea that it would become the background for woods. I'm very happy with the effect now, especially with the light shading at the top and darker shadows at the bottom of the page. I added some fallen leaves and suspect that a mushroom or two may show up sometime in the future.

To the left you can see the button flowers I added to the previous page. It's not quite complete yet, but will have to wait until I have time to get back to it.















Work on my fabric book is currently on ice, as a friend and I are sewing a wall hanging for our church. I designed and sewed lettering for the motto "Sing and play unto the Lord". It's all paper-pieced, and I'm very pleased with the way it looks. The letters are made of a glittery gold-patterned fabric; we have paper-pieced instruments and musical symbols for the wall hanging and are now beginning to assemble all of the elements.

Finished, yet still a work in progress

The basic (machine) work on my book is finished. Now I'm beginning with the hand sewing, embroidery, etc. that will decorate the pages that still look a bit bare. I sewed the front and back pages together (with some sturdy cotton twill ribbon as a 'hinge'), then machine stitched the whole long tube right sides together, then turned it and stitched the ribbon hinges to each other to stabilize it. I hand-stitched the open end to close it.



You can see the changes I made to the fifth page - the road was rerouted and now meets up with the rainbow rays on the last page.



The third photo shows the reverse side, which has the lines of Tolkien's poem about the future of the road on it. That's why there is no path there. I may do a bit of hand quilting to make those pages a bit more elaborate, or sew on some sparkly beads - I'm not sure yet.






The cover is pretty much finished; I added some grass around the contour of the hobbit hole and two bushes in pots beside the door - a detail that Tolkien himself sketched in his pictures of Bag End. The brass doorknob is an old button I discovered in my mother-in-law's no longer needed sewing basket, after I had searched in vain for something of the right size and material in the shops. The door opens - of course! (I'm a doll house kind of person) - to show me framed by the round doorway of the film site of Hobbiton in New Zealand.