Quilt Fest in La Conner, WA

Two of my quilts were accepted to the La Conner Quilt and Textile Museums Quilt Fest Show next weekend.

I want to make a series out of both of them. I think there is more to explore!

Steam Punk and small purses

I made two small messenger bags for a friend who is going to a big Steam Punk conference. The theme is "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", so I gave the bags an undersea and Jules Vern look. My small purses with the snap tape measure closure are selling at the La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum. Here are a few. They often have slightly different patterns on each side. I haven't been able to make enough for the museum shop AND etsy, so etsy is on hold for now. I have two small quilts in the Quilt Festival in La Conner the first weekend in October. I'll post those when I'm at my home computer!

New venue for bags

Just a quick note to let you know that The Quilt and Textile Museum in LaConner is selling some of my messenger, tote and small purse bags. More news soon!!

Card Weaving with Linda Malan

I took an all day workshop with Linda Malan (from Edmonds, WA) last Saturday.  This is her with some of her woven straps. She was a wonderful teacher and card/tablet weaver extraordinaire.   She is well-known for her "neck pieces".  You can see the cards lying on the table between her hands.  We learned one technique, Diagonal Double Turn, but one can make several designs with it.

Here is what I did. Those are two patterns: One is diagonal
 across the whole piece and the other is overlapping diagonals.
 As you can see, it takes practice!!

The threads at the top of the picture are attached to something secure such as a C clamp, the cards do not have a rubber band around them when you weave. They have four holes, one in each corner. You can see the third pattern (diamond) at the top.

Meanwhile I am madly sewing bags for the Garden Affair craft fair in Stanwood on April 2.
Back to the machine!

Turning 60 with lots of fiber

I don't usually post about personal things, but today feels like a very important milestone....my sixtieth birthday! Those of you over age 60 understand the mixture of emotions one feels at reaching the ripe old age of 60.  Those who are younger may not appreciate the amazement, fear, gratitude and bewilderment that some of us feel.  I'm incredibly lucky to be healthy and alive at 60, but I can't believe I'm that old! {I've noticed from my Stats for this blog that a few people have found it from a dietary search ( fiber - get it?).  It seems appropriate to mention that I have all kinds of fiber in my possession these days!!!}    I feel about 35.  If I'm lucky, I've lived 2/3 of my life. I'm thinking about the next 1/3 a lot now. How do I want to spend the remaining time???

My goal is to keep a sense of humor and be grateful, purposeful and full of wonder each day.

Finally, a bag of my own

The good news is that friends have been "ordering" bags and keeping me busy.  The bad news was that I didn't have my own bag to carry around as advertisement!  I finally made it.  I added a colored zipper and a color coordinated inside zippered pocket.   I plan to add a zipper to the inside pockets from now on. Having my own bag has made me more aware of little things I've probably missed on some others - mostly random threads still hanging around! This bag's art quilt pocket design is an assortment of African themed fabric.  When we were in South Africa, we used some really interesting white on black dinnerware at a bed and breakfast. I loved it and  tried to buy some at the local department store but they wouldn't send it overseas and didn't have an online store. This fabric reminds me of the designs on the black dinnerware.

My design process

 I am having the time of my life making these journal-page size artquilts for my bags on etsy (franciful.etsy.com).   I love playing with different colors and designs and I enjoy the puzzle of coming up with a design I like.  However, I find it particularly difficult to design a quilt or bag for a friend or family member.  I care too much and get bogged down in indecision.  My friend Jean commissioned a black messenger bag with an Asian artquilt pocket.  All I knew for sure was that she didn't want a bold red and black look.  So I went to my many Japanese quilting books and found some basic designs in this book by Kitty Pippen. Just looking at her lovely quilts was enough to get me started!

Here is my first design.  I decided it was too symmetrical and balanced.