Spring Flowers and Spring Cleaning

Last year I worried about my big Magnolia tree because it had perhaps 20 blossoms. I think it got confused during a warm spell during the winter that year. This year its back to its old self.
And my "cherry pit" tree is in full bloom. It is called that because I lived here for 10 years before I knew which kind of cherry tree it really was. When the thousands of cherries it produces begin to ripen birds descent in hordes and the tree looks alive for a few days. They just leave pits all over the ground.

And my new fenced in yard is patiently awaiting my purchase of some cool outside furniture. In the meantime I am back at work trying to clean up my sewing room mess. This is a pile moved into the hall in the hopes that it might disappear somehow.

The hallway is becoming so narrow the cat can hardly get through. Perhaps I should just get a thinner cat.
Looking from the hall into sewing room number two. Piles of "stuff" are being pulled out of here as well in the hopes of some future organization. I can almost see the top of the sleeper sofa.
In the "real" sewing room the cutting table is still obscured.
And this corner pile needs serious work.

Another school jacket and back to Marcia's

Another school jacket almost done. Here we are just fitting shoulder pads before the lining is sewn in.
Then it was back to Marcia's great studio with Beth and Barb to sew and chat. Today I added "pick up sticks" to my quilt top. A black border will be next.

Beth began working on an orange/blue quilt she was finishing up then switched to a new jacket.
My Nepal quilt came out again so that I could make some color choices. I want to use hand dyed fabric and didn't have enough of anything so the sashings will have a mixture. Barb worked on a quilt she started in Pat's class Monday.

And another one which looks sort of like a butterfly. Or desert trails. You can see a bit of Marcia's new Jet Trails quilt on the bottom corner.

More Quilting Activity

On Day 2 we all made much more progress. Here Marcia is showing a top she made in another class. My quilt was cut and stripped more after this shot.

Its all beginning to come together, more or less.
The walls are great for auditioning fabrics.
Today I went to Marcia's again and trimmed up my piece. I also added a couple of black and white zebra striped pieces which Marcia gave me.

I am also going to add some skinny sort of pick up stick pieces and a black border.

A Finished Jacket and the Beginning of a Quilt Class

I finished the "Just a Basic Blue Jacket" over the weekend and am pretty much pleased with it. There is a beaded band on the front which is hard to see in the photo as well as an embroidered hmong strip on the front and sleeves. Almost all the fabrics are batiks. The back has an embroidery which I purchased on Ebay, two beaded bands and four hmong bands. The lining is a tiger fabric.
Today I began a two day class taught by Pat Pauly at Marcia's studio. These are two stripped pieces which I made as the beginning of the process.

They were then cut and stitched together randomly
Tomorrow I will need to do more cutting and adjusting and adding more fabric. It was a lot of fun.

Nepalese Embroideries

I have had a number of questions regarding the dragon embroideries and the scary face which I posted a few days ago. There are numerous tee shirt shops scattered around Thamel...the backpacker area of Kathmandu. They usually have a few shirts made up for sale but the usual process is to pick out a pattern, indicate the size and color of your shirt and wait a few days. On recent trips I have had the designs sewn onto fabric to use in clothing or quilts. This is a typical shop.
Note the treadle sewing machine. And the lack of heat in the shop on a chilly winter morning.
Note the treadle machine in the background and the men are leaning on another machine. There are no presser foots used on most of the embroidery. Some shops are so small that the designs are also displayed on the ceiling.

Another Fun Day at Marcia's Studio

Beth began by basting another of her beautiful quilts. This one is made from 30
s fabrics and she is going to quilt it in two pieces. I have been collecting batiks from Nepal for a number of years which feature local people in their various activities of daily living. I brought the piece of green to give it some color on the white wall.
The scene in the center is a Hindu wedding. Actually I like the green background and may use a similar color.
The brown piece is a famous Potters Square in Bhaktapur a city in the Kathmandu Valley.
Marcia is finishing her jacket. We were doing a final look here before adding the band.

The finished version will be more like this with bands of Guatemalan fabric on the front. There are Indian shisha mirrors and hand made applique pieces from Thailand and embroidery from Vietnam on the jacket. Truly international. Marcia's jet trails piece is in the background (in process...she has made several others)

Cleaning out the Closets

I've been poking around in my crowded closets today trying to avoid doing my taxes and some other chores. These beauties were made in Nepal and intended for use on a long vest. When I go to Kathmandu I scout around all the tee shirt makers to see what designs are current. I long ago stopped buying embroidered tee shirts after all my family and friends had an oversupply. Now i take several yards of black RJR Cotton Sateen and when I find a design I like have the tee shirt maker embroider it on a piece. These dragons took three days to complete. They have been "lost" in my closet for the last three years. They are too long for a jacket and would have to go on a coat or vest. Perhaps there will be a "just your basic dragon coat" in the future. Here is a closeup. The workmanship is quite outstanding. Notice the texture in the "scales". These pieces are done on treadle machines and the stitcher just traces the design on the fabric ...usually just an outline.
I had this one done twice on my trip last September. I had it put on a tee shirt for myself and also on fabric. The only problem is that the horns are brown and don't show up. I didn't notice that when I commissioned it. I will have to outline them. I am quite familiar with the Buddhist dieties but don't recognize this one.
This interesting mola emerged from a box stored with a "vest in progress" 8 years ago.
Here is the front panel of the vest which I put away because it had "design issues" and I got tired of working on it. The piece on the right is stripped and edged with gold.
I was going to just throw it away but have decided to rescue it and perhaps convert it into a bag. I have been threatening to make some bags for several years and have yet to make one.

Quilt Group, Jacket Class & Sew In Day

Thursday was the monthly Genesee Valley Quilt Club meeting. The speaker was Lura Schwarz Smith and as always, we had a great show and tell. This beautiful quilt was made by Pat Faulkner.
Julie Brandon made this one as a sample for a competition during our 2008 Quilt Show
Pat Pauly made this dramatic one.
Friday saw me back to work at the local school and the senior jacket class. This one is all finished and a super job.

And later off to Marci's and more work on the "just your basic blue jacket" The outside is all done and everyone voted on the tiger print for the lining. With luck it should be finished next week.
Beth has most of the Seminole Patchwork completed for the quilt border.
And Marcia is adding embellishment to her jacket.