Becka’s Project Journal

Me neither.  But to celebrate, here’s a freebie embroidery pattern for two sweet little strawberries.  Add some french knots for their seeds. 

Work of a different sort this week.  This is the summer camp schedule for the Textile Center.  I stayed home from work sick one day last week and this is what I did while I watched the Olympics. 39 sticky notes.  Color coded for age level, letter codes in the corner for how many hours, whether or not it uses sewing machines or dye lab space, notes about who is on vacation, what teacher does what class and weeks that some classrooms are already booked.  It is an intensely complicated project.

This very well might be my favorite thing I have ever found on etsy.  I am so completely and totally in love.  The artist is Virginia from StickManJewelry. (Her shop is on vacation if you click over there right now, but she’ll be back soon.  Browse the sold items.) My dragon is tiny (1/2 inch) and perfect.  I have loved dragons for just about forever, so it took very little deliberation (about 13 seconds) before I bought this one.

When I am working on something new, I always have good intentions to do a real work in progress post and take pictures every 1/2 hour to show you the project.  Then I get caught up in working, bury the camera someplace and forget to take any more pictures.  That’s the case with this one too, but I did remember to take a photo of the fabric before I cut it up.  This is what the fabric looked like for “Intersect” below, before I cut it up in to 1 1/4 inch squares.  That piece is about a fat quarter (18×22 inches).

As of tomorrow, I will have 3 art quilts on exhibit simultaneously at three different galleries.  How cool is that??

This is “Chicken Little”.  He is currently on display as part of “A Common Thread”, annual Textile Center members’ exhibition.  8″x9″, cotton fabrics with some handdyed by me, hand embroidered, hand stitched, machine quilted.  I made it originally for the MN State Fair’s “Quilt-On-A-Stick” but then I spaced out the deadline and didn’t get it turned in on time.  So I saved it so it could be in this show.

This is “Intersect”, which is on display starting tomorrow at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for “A Foot in the Door”.  11 1/2 inches square.  My handdyed cotton, machine pieced, hand embroidered.

And this one, “Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?” is traveling with the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo and is currently in Tampa, FL.

Before I show off my art, I have to show you some Olympic Art:

The Norwegian Curling team has the best uniforms ever. Love it boys!

One of my very favorite authors passed away today.  I have read every one of Dick Francis’ mysteries at least once and several of them many many times.  In fact, just randomly, I have spent the last month re-reading all of them that I have on bookshelves scattered around the house, probably 8 books in the last 2 weeks.  (It’s winter in MN!)  He wrote interesting and believable characters and scenes that draw you in.  Reading the BBC’s obituary, I had to laugh at their description of his “crime novels for gentlefolk.”  One of the things I love about his books is that they are suspenseful without being creepy or gory.  I lift my cup of tea in your honor, Mr. Francis.

You can read more about Dick Francis here.

This is a nap-in-progress.  But Andy keeps wiggling his toes.  I thought it had been a long while since Lucy visited the blog.

These are a couple of studies?  I guess that’s what you call them.  I really loved the way my piece for the MIA Foot in the Door show turned out (there’s a little teaser of that in a previous post), so I started these two little variations on that theme.  They are each about 6 inches tall.  Machine pieced and then hand embroidered.  These are very much “in progress”, I haven’t even washed out the marker guidelines for the embroidery.  I will finish them by making a tiny quilt although I haven’t decided whether or not to finish them at this petite size or add a border of something neutral and have this piece in the center, maybe even extending the embroidery to the edge of the border.  They are just hanging out until I decide what to do with them.Then, I have been working on a new embroidery pattern for my etsy shop.  I have had a couple of requests for mermaids.  I love mermaids, so it’s an easy request for me.  Here’s the almost finished pattern page – two mermaids, a merboy, kelp, fish, a whelk and sea turtles.  I found a t-shirt at Target yesterday which has ocean waves silkscreened all over it – I think I will have to add a mermaid.

How fun!  I was browsing around catching up on blogs today and I find I have been nominated for “Sunshine Award” by Alice over at futuregirl.

“…basically the Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blog world.”

How lovely.  Thank you!

Part of the “rules” that go along with this award is a challenge to pass it on.  Here are a few blogs that I find inspirational:

Tallgrass Prairie Studio.  Just found her today actually, but then spent an hour reading her posts and tutorials.  A new favorite read.

Two Red Threads.  My friend and new blogger, Donna.  “Positivity and creativity” sums her up perfectly.

Oh Fransson can always be relied on for a bit of color on a gloomy day.

Foziewisp. Kitschy photos and Tallulah-Palooza Fridays.

…and a hive of silvery Bees. Whimsical photo essay and snippets of everyday that are easily overlooked.  Oh yeah, and she’s my mom.

Knitting seems to be the only work around this week.  I’ve been doing lots of reading and drinking tea, too, but that doesn’t make photos that are nearly as interesting.

My favorite teas come from Tea Source.  I like Breakfast Assam and Moon Over Madagascar.

This is one of a pair of fingerless gloves.  I made a pair just like this for my sister for her birthday last week.  Hers were made from Queensland Rustic Wool in light blue, mine are good old Cascade 220.  The pattern is Entwined.