Links to Enjoy #37 - Words, Art, Sewing Machines

These are a few links and two videos I've enjoyed over the past few weeks.  I hope you'll enjoy one or two of them, too.  


With simple graphite lines that appear to have been quick strokes, the artist created the most amazing drawings of cats, both at rest and in motion.  If you love cats, you'll probably enjoy these.  If you don't love cats, maybe you'll be converted to their delightsomeness.  (Or not.)


I thought this was a sweet reminiscence of sewing, made by Singer.  I learned to sew on my mom's old black 201 Singer, and it's the machine I still use.



If you've been reading this blog for a while you may have noticed that I love words and their etymology so, of course, I thoroughly enjoyed this post, Linguist clearly demonstrates how 'thinking is walking' in English.  He says, "Our minds "race" or "wander," our thoughts "stray," and we "arrive" at conclusions," all words we also use when we physically walk.  Maybe our minds do walk, figuratively speaking.  Fun!


I've always admired hand-painted signs with their near-perfect letting.  Here's a short demonstration of round hand lettering.  Amazing!


Enjoy!
Nancy.

Autumn Nine-Patch, an Owl, and the book *Still*

Summer is slipping into fall here in central Ohio.  The leaves of trees are in their slow transition from green to bright autumn colors, and the honey locust leaves are already blanketing the ground in gold.  The groundhog tells us whether we'll have more winter or spring will come early but, as far as I know, there's no animal that tells us if we'll have a long fall or an early winter.  I'm okay with that.  The seasons change all in due time and I know autumn is nearly upon us because the days are growing shorter and shorter.  I love this season of early dark and longer evenings and nights, of cool, crisp air, of bright colors reaching toward the sky, then carpeting the ground.  For me, it's a little heaven on earth. Do you love autumn?  

I've not done much sewing, or quilting, or much else, either.  I don't do much, as in my days are not busy, and I still know where the times goes.

I finished this 9-patch top a few months ago, sans border, was ready to be done with it, and put it aside.  

I decided to use double gauze for the backing and realized that this quilt really needed a border, so added the dark maroon.  I chose a teal backing, but it shrank in the washer and dryer so I had to remove a row of blocks from one end of the top so it would fit on the backing.  Then I reconsidered that backing's color and thought maybe orange would be better.  When I bought a longer length and washed it, it shrank even more than the teal.  I decided against it not because of the shrinkage but because the color was too bland.  This quilt had mostly autumn colors but it has plenty of tiny teal squares, too, so I think the teal back will work.  You can see that the batting is also just barely large enough, and I hope it will be enough.  It will get quilted very simply with big stitches using perle cotton.  With all its challenges, this quilt might turn into nothing worth the time!  (I started hand quilting it last night and the gauze grabs the needle so it may be slow going.)

Instead of more greens and blues for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks, I pulled out some fabrics that lean toward army green and some that lean toward golden browns.  I pinned them last week and will sew them this week.

My daughter and I went to the Ohio State Fair in August.  The Natural Resources area must have had a youth art competition because there were many drawings and paintings by children. 

This gorgeous, primitive-style owl captured my attention.  I thought it a fabulous drawing.  (I think the white fluffs in the sky are a reflection on the glass/plastic covering the drawing.  Ignore them and delight in that gorgeous owl.)
 
Have you seen the book Still by Mary Jo Hoffman?

When I saw it recommended and looked at the cover, I guessed it was a book of nature essays in a small format.  I was wrong.  It is a gorgeous book of photographs of natural objects--seed pods, leaves, shells, flowers, etc.--and it's about 9" x 12".

In the photograph to the right, she has arranged stems from a tree into star-like shapes.  This captured my attention because we need a new star for the top of our Christmas tree, and these seem just about perfect.  I need to borrow the book again to remind myself what tree these are from.

I cannot tell you what kind of branches/stems/grass she used to create the arrangement to the right but it intrigued me, as did many of her photos.

If you like seed pods, seeds, branches and stems from trees, and other nature bits, you might enjoy this book.

Hoffman takes a nature walk every day, quietly looking at the detail of whatever holds her interest.  She brings the objects home and photographs them, capturing details.  Often her photographs look like flat lays, with leaves or nuts, seedpods or flowers carefully arranged.  Some of the photographs are of objects that she's gathered over time reflecting their growth from spring to fall or that show the variety found in an object. 

She wrote and included several essays as well as clear, concise details about how she photographs the natural objects.  

This is the kind of books that makes me wish I'd thought of taking photographs of the natural things I collect!

I'm going to bed soon, but I should go and DO something so I can write an interesting blog post!

What have you been up to?

--Nancy.

Links to Enjoy #36

Maybe you'll enjoy one or two of these links:  corn sounds, word connections, upcycled animals, or Smokey Bear.

Did you know corn makes a noise when it's growing?  When I first heard this I thought, Really?!!!  Now I wish I'd paid closer attention when I was a child, standing in my uncle's cornfield.  (Be sure to have the volume up for this video.)


From the video description:  

This time lapse photo sequence from a Nebraska corn field allows you to see and hear corn grow.  It's thought that the crackling noise is due to tiny fractures that occur as the plant stretches, breaks, and grows again.

I have also heard that growing corn (in acres and acres) increases the humidity in the air....  

Pathfinder shows a  line of connection between two things in four ways and three steps.

I love these upcycled, recycled, adorable, creative animals made from mostly wood by Kirsty Elson.  A pig, a lion, a cat, a bird, a gorilla, and a few dogs.  Which do you like best?  (I can't decide.)

Did you or your mother or grandmother hang clothes outside and use clothespins to attach the clothes to the line?  I remember helping my mom and grandmother hang the clothes and, for many years, I had a clothesline.  And we all had clothespin bags similar to the one in this tutorial (except all of ours were deeper, and some of my mom's and grandmother's looked like little girls' dresses).  I'm thinking about making one of these.  I have a narrow wooden hanger 6"-8" wide that would make the cutest "peg bag."  Wouldn't one of these be great for other purposes, too -- miscellaneous ribbons, notions near the sewing machine, thread,...?  

My introduction to Smokey (we called him Smokey the Bear instead of his real name, Smokey Bear) was probably in TV commercials in the 1950s.  The Ohio State Fair has a 15" Smokey who greets children by name (with a little help) and who used to invite children to sing with him.  Smokey's Story and  Smokey Through the Years  are fun websites to learn more about this famous bear.  Who knew there was really a Smokey?!  At the website you can also watch some of his commercials.


--Nancy.

Links to Enjoy #34

I haven't been getting around the internet much recently so I'm sharing just three links this week.  Enjoy!

I love this high energy Vivaldi on Marimbas.  Wow!  These girls really have it together!




I think it probably takes a steady hand to decorate these cookies to look like ancient art.


I enjoyed these paper quilts made from maps and old currency for their visual interest.


I hope you found something to enjoy.
--Nancy.

Links to Enjoy #25

Here are a few finds from around the internet that I enjoyed.  Maybe you will enjoy some of them, too.

Thanks to Daniel Mennerich for this beautiful photo of the Northern Lights.

  One cold winter night in December many years ago, I saw colored lights dancing in the sky while my husband and I were travelling in Upstate New York.  It is the only time I've seen the Northern Lights and was amazed at their beauty.  I always thought they were a winter phenomenon and was surprised to see photos of them this spring.  Did you see them?
   Learn more about the sun, the Lights, and upcoming solar events here.

When nature and art meet....  See more of Susan Bauer's leaves with crochet additions at her website.

What do you think?  Agree or disagree?  The Biggest Mistake Quilters Make.

I love upcycling, especially when found objects become creative folk art.  See more of Kirsty's art on Instagram.

There are fads among teen orcas?  Probably.  But they're not much fun for humans and their yachts.

I hope you find at least one interesting post.

--Nancy.

Bramble Blooms and Little Outings

A few weeks ago Audrey posted the prompt for the final border for Bramble Blooms I.  I anticipated the repeated block but I did not anticipate 4-, 9-, or 12-patch blocks.  Her quilt looks fabulous with 12-patch blocks and so do several others I've seen online.  But mine?  I'm not so sure.  Does a picnic blanket or a gingham tablecloth come to mind?

I'm faced with two challenges.  The first is that I forgot to add a half inch to my measurements to allow for seams.  Right now what I have measures 40" x 48".  (Not 40½" x 48½"!)  The other challenge is that I want a quilt that is at least 60" x 80".  If there is only this last border, it will have to measure at least 10" on each side and at least 16" top and bottom or 32" divided two ways for the top and bottom borders

This is the first iteration, just playing, seeing how the colors look, etc.  The border squares in the photo are 3".  Much too large, far out of proportion.  So those are a no.  But what to do?  I feel like I've backed myself into a corner with the large appliques and that wide brown border.  Hmmm.

Maybe the quilt needs several narrower borders.  Maybe the squares won't have right-angle corners.  Maybe I should try a variety of reds, maybe without alternating lights.  Perhaps a medium width teal border, then 2" squares into 9- or 12-patches, and another border, maybe with applique.  Do you ever begin a quilt of your own design with strong ideas about how it will look when it's finished?  Me, too, but this isn't that process. 

I don't know what I'm doing.  I look at this and I think, "Oh my gosh, what have I done?"  At least I still love the center.  And I remind myself of Audrey's thought (paraphrased) that out of the three quilts in this series we're bound to fall in love with one of them.

I put this on the floor last week, took photos, and picked it up while my daughter and her kitties were here.  They're gone again and I have exactly two weeks to consider and hopefully make some decisions until I have to pick it up.  They'll come again in two Fridays. 

If you've read this far, thank you!  Please know that this post is a thinking-out-loud, rambling in my brain post, but I would love to hear (read) any thoughts, suggestions, or observations you may have for this quilt in progress.

The Little Outings

Our local library offers "culture passes" which are checked out like books and allow library patrons to visit various places of interest at no cost.  When we only want to spend an hour or two somewhere, it's great to have these free passes.  I suppose this tells you what I've been doing instead of sewing.

Two weeks ago we went to the Columbus Museum of Art.  It was a beautiful old building, and part of it still is, but they built a modern addition around part of it.  I love it when architects maintain the integrity of old buildings, but at least they didn't take down any of the old walls.  There's a section where the outside of the old building is now inside the new addition. 

This green and white quilt was on display.  The information called it "Sawtooth Diamond in a Square Quilt" and told us it was made of wool challis by an unidentified Amish maker between about 1910 and 1940.  The first photo is a detail of the quilting in the corners and the next is the whole quilt.  I think the quilting is an unusual motif on an Amish quilt.

This is part of the ceiling in the old building.   So much detail!  I'm generally not a fan of blues but they are perfect in this setting.

I think museum directors of Columbus love Dale Chihuly's work.  This is one of several pieces we saw at the Museum of Art.  I'm sure it has a name but I didn't see a sign.

This past Tuesday we went to the Franklin Park Conservatory.   It is a huge, mostly glass building filled with plants, art, and, at this time of year, there is a garden room with butterflies.  My photos of the butterflies and chrysalises did not come out well, but there were at least 50 varieties.  and because this post is so long, I'm not including many plants.

More Chihuly.  This was in a stairwell.  I think the circles are between 18" and 24" but they could be larger.  No small feat to invisibly suspend that much weight of fragile glass!

This is another Chihuly piece that was suspended from the ceiling.  They are individual shapes grouped closely together.  Thank goodness there's no wind in the building.

And the last Chihuly photo.  These shapes are at least 36" across.   They were beautiful!

The Conservatory is divided into rooms with various growing conditions.  I thought these orchids were beautiful.  They reminded me of old, aged silk. I took a few photos of other plants but this post is already so long....

Great news is that spring is in evidence all around me.  Daffodils, crocuses, forsythia are in bloom.  And many of the bushes have sprouts on them.  Have you ever noticed that spring turns green from the ground up?  First the grass, then flowers that are close to the ground then taller flowers, then bushes and shrubs, and finally the trees leaf out into green glory.  Isn't nature amazing?!

I don't know what kind of blooms these are--maybe witch hazel?--but I thought they were fun.  Almost like starbursts. 

We've had some sunny days, partly sunny days, and cloudy, rainy days these past weeks.  We've also had snowflakes and weather into the 60s.  An Ohio spring!  Except it's earlier this year than most years. 

Thanks for visiting and reading!  (And leaving comments, if you do.)

I'm linking this post to
>  Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts
>  Off the Wall Friday at Creations by Nina Marie (any creative effort)
Thank you for hosting, ladies.

--Nancy.

Links to Enjoy #21

I found some interesting posts about books, nature/weather, a quilt, Daylight Saving Time, and some tapestries.  Maybe one or two will be of interest to you.

I've always loved all kinds of paper and books, even when I was a child, so of course, this video about Sophia Bogle, book restorer, appealed to me.  Her work is amazing.  You can read more about her here but I think this video is better.



Here's another book highlight, this time about a library of handmade miniature books.  Read a post about Tomas Mayer here. 

How cold the temperature must have been for these geyser spouts to freeze when hitting the air!

Here's an interesting quilt post from a quilt restorer:  A Tale of Two Victorian Crazy Quilts - and a Fabric Mystery

How do you feel about Daylight Saving Time?  I'm one who intensely dislikes it.  Why Daylight Saving Time Messes with Your Brain is an interesting post citing research of its effects.  

The tapestries at this post, Communal Art-Making Is at the Core of Sanaa Gateja’s Monumental Paper Bead Tapestries, look like fiber to me.  Who knew paper beads were still a thing?

Enjoy!
--Nancy.

Links to Enjoy #13

There are just a few links this time--architecture, pearl buttons, a sculpture, an old photo album, and some interesting sidewalks.  Oh, and a digital photo organization program. Enjoy!

I especially love the arches at the ruins of Stack Rock Fort in Wales.  What a beautiful structure.

I enjoyed this post about the history of pearl buttons.

I think this sculpture is beautiful and I appreciate the sculptor's attention to supporting the environment.

Do you have thousands of digital photographs which may--or may not--be organized?  This post explains a program called Mylio Photos which will help organize them.  I have not tried this program (and have no affiliation with it) but this post makes it look promising.

This Victorian-era photo album from the 1870s is interesting, curious, and unusual.  What do you think about the page with bats and a spider?




I would love to see and walk on these sidewalks in person.

I hope you found something interesting.
--Nancy.

Links to Enjoy #12

This post is short and sweet because I wanted to publish it before August 30. 

There will be a Blue Moon which will also be a Super Moon on August 30.  Read more about why this moon is so special here.  Even tonight, August 29, the moon looks full.  And beautiful, of course.

I think these flower arrangements are both unexpected and delightful!

I love David Zinn's sense of humor and light-heartedness in creating his adorable chalk characters.  How he creates perspective is amazing to me.  The drawings at this link seem to be some of his newest, and you can see even more drawings here. 



Enjoy!
--Nancy.