fun with Photoshop

A couple of days ago someone on the quiltart list posted a link to a site where two people had done some Photoshop image swaps. One created an image and sent it to the other, who took some element and created a new image then sent it back. Kind of a photographic round-robin. I didn't save the site or I'd post a link. But the work was fascinating and after looking at only one series I decided to play in Photoshop myself.

I found that pictures of my quilts offered great opportunities to play. Here's a picture of my "Peacock Blues" and the image, "Rose Window" that came from it.

To do this one I selected a portion of the center of the quilt and copied it to a new layer. Then I used Polar Coordinates, Glowing Edges and finally Plastic Wrap filters on it. The actual image is much brighter than it appears here, and reminds me of a stained glass window.

A second set I did is a little different. It is a photo of a palm tree I took on Tybee Island, Ga, and an alien version of it. For this one, I selected the area

around the top of the palm tree and then selected inverse. In the inverse area I did Solarize, then used Image Hue/Saturation to adjust the colors until I liked them. Then I inversed the selection again to get the top of the palm. I used Hue/Saturation to adjust the color there, used Lens Flare to add the lights, then used Spherize. Hope this inspires someone else!

A little bitty quilt completed

I had hoped for lots of sewing time this weekend, but that didn't work out too well. But I did get a few things accomplished, most important being finishing a 9x12-inch quilt to donate to the Alzheimer's Quilt Initiative. 

This was a challenge on one of my email lists, to create at least one small quilt to donate, as there is a goal of 1,000 quilts to take to the Houston show to auction to raise money for Alzheimer's research. This is a great effort and I had an idea I wanted to try, so I started work a couple of weeks ago on two little quiltlets.

Tybee Fireworks 1 is a combin

ation of pieced nine-patches, bias-pieced waves and an appliqued lighthouse. It is heavily quilted/free-motion embroidered to

 create the shading on the lighthouse, the fireworks and the ocean waves, with just a few beads to add some sparkle. 

Tybee Fireworks II, which is very similar, is almost finished, just need to add the beads.

Other than that, my quilty activities this weekend included finishing washing and folding the fabric I bought the previous weekend; selecting fabric and pre-cutting for a Twisted Bargello class I'm taking with my guild next weekend; making a few blocks for a Split Nine-Patch and working on some exchange blocks. 

I had hoped to do more, but my very elderly dog 

had a bad weekend. I was up most of the night Saturday night with her, and spent a lot of time helping her get in and out of the house, etc., all weekend. It's very difficult for me to see her declining, as she's been my constant companion since she and her sisters were adopted as puppies in fall 1992. We've always considered October 1st as her birthday, which makes her 16 years, 10 and a half months old. She had surgery last year in October to remove a tumor on her neck. That gave us a good 10 months more together, but it's still difficult. This is a picture of her shortly after her surgery last year.

A treasure trove of ideas in magazines

I enjoy magazines, but seldom buy them. For one, my budget doesn't allow, for two, I don't need anything else filling up my shelves and for three, when it comes to quilt magazines, I know I won't use the patterns in the magazines. I design my own quilts, or choose my own fabrics for traditional blocks or quilts others have designed (usually classes).

But last week my guild held a White Elephant sale as part of our meeting, and I picked up a dozen magazines. I was thrilled to find several articles on techniques that I could use right away. One technique was for curved seams and was perfect for a miniature quilt I'm working on right now. Another was part of a series on free-motion quilting, another on making rubber stamps and another on using fabric paints.

So many great ideas -- it makes me want to get busy in my studio -- and maybe re-think my "no magazine" rule.

Back to the blogging

I started this blog to discuss the sewing I do for sale, and had another for my personal sewing. But I lost the other to technical problems and never got off the ground with this one. I've decided it really doesn't make sense to have two sewing blogs, so, this is it.

Last month I made my annual trip to North Carolina for the North Carolina Treadle On Gathering and Academy (TOGA). Treadle On is an online group devoted to using "people-powered" (treadle and handcrank) sewing machines. I warmed up for the trip by completing three quilts, one for a raffle prize and two for gifts, came home with 100 yards of new fabric and tons of ideas. I've been in quilting mode ever since -- it doesn't hurt that quilting gives me an excuse to stay in the air-conditioning, always a plus in South Georgia during the summer!

I'm trying to hit a balance between old projects (UFOs) and starting new ones, and am trying out new techniques and working to improve my free-motion quilting as I go.

That's the story behind a little 30-inch table topper. I'm calling it "Pepper Squared" because my cat Pepper has claimed it as his favorite nap spot. Several years ago I got a bag of fabric scraps that included a stack of seven-inch (plus or minus) squares in several colorways of various prints, some brights, some country colors. After I washed the fabric, the edges were a little ragged and I set the squares aside in my scrap bin. Somewhere along the way I saw an episode of "Simply Quilts" with a technique for making Square in a Square blocks by cutting the corners off a stack of squares and trading out the centers. The secret was all in the measuring and marking. Recently someone on one of my email lists mentioned this technique and included a link to a clip showing it. I remembered those old mis-matched squares and pulled them out that very night. 

One night to cut and start sewing, another night to finish the blocks and assemble them into a top, a third night to square up, sandwich, quilt and bind. Fastest I've ever finished a quilt, but it was only 30-inches square. 

My challenge to myself was to use only the blocks in the pile of squares. I ended up with 38 blocks from that pile of squares, and tossed out two with low contrast, using 36. Second challenge was to try out the cutting technique, and third was to do an all-over free-motion quilting pattern. Most of the time my quilting follows the design of the blocks.

I'm very pleased with the results from this oddball bunch of scraps!

The fun is in creating new ideas

When I first decided to sew and quilt items for sale, I really didn't know what people would be interested in. I had lots of ideas, so decided to try a variety of items, eyeglass cases, zippered makeup bags, photo frames, tote bags and mini-quilt fabric postcards.

Over the past few months I've found that the most popular items are tote bags, both large and small, and fabric postcards. I guess it makes sense. The tote bags are fun and functional, and postcards are the traditional item to take home from vacation.

So those are the items I have been concentrating on. It is easier for me to make a few items, and I can spend more time coming up with the decorative elements with just a few items.

But like most quilters, I'm always itching to try new projects, and over the past few weeks I've had an idea for a wallhanging percolating in the back of my mind.

So I finally got to sewing, and was so pleased I made two, one to keep and one for sale. I call it Log Cabin Lighthouse. It's a large log cabin block, in colors of the sunrise and water, set on point, with a lighthouse, based on the Tybee Island lighthouse, appliqued on it.

It was so much fun I'm thinking of other variations, maybe one with one of Tybee Island's famous sea turtles appliqued on it instead of the lighthouse.

I'll post pictures soon, but for now, pictures and information on my other items are on my website, www.vickisvintagestitches.com

Enjoy!

Website is online

Well, now that I have my website online, I guess I need to keep up with this blog -- more chance that someone will actually read it!

We've been really busy getting ready for the tourist season on Tybee Island. My big project in February was making window treatments for Lighthouse Pizza, part of their renovation and remodeling in the dining room. I found a great fabric -- with lighthouses on it, naturally -- and combined it with yards and yards of red and deep blue Kona cotton. It was a great project, but I'm glad to get back to my regularly scheduled sewing.

Another project was getting the retail area set up in the restaurant. It was a great thrill to see all my bags and other items hanging on the racks there.

My mini-quilt fabric postcards have turned out to be popular -- not too surprising, since people tend to buy postcards when they are on vacation. I've been having a great time making them, since there are so many motifs and ways to embellish them. The lighthouses are fun, but I have a particular fondness for the sea turtles, too.

This weekend I tried out a couple of new items, picture frames and coasters. The coasters are woven top kind, that you can put the foot of a wine glass in. Lots of fun to make, since you can put together interesting color combinations.

We're enjoying beautiful weather here, with the dogwoods and azaleas still blooming. We're getting ready, and hoping the weather will hold, for the Tour de Georgia, which starts April 21 on Tybee Island. The first day they will travel through Savannah and end up in Statesboro. We're looking forward to an exciting event.

Now, back to sewing...

Fun with color and design

I'm having a great time designing the items that I will make and sell. I love color, and since my first retail location will be on the beach at Tybee Island, Ga., the brilliant blues, pinks and yellows I enjoy are perfect.

The first item I came up with are purse-size mini-totes, and now I'm working on larger tote bags. Each of these has a front panel that can be a feature fabric, a patchwork block, an applique design or something I haven't thought of yet.

For the smaller items, I've been making zipper bags with applique designs, glasses cases and, now, cell phone bags. This was an idea from a friend, who has lots of teenage relatives. She said the cellphone bags are a popular item with the teens and tweens.

So I came up with a simple drawstring bag pattern, appliqued with hearts or other designs and made in bright pinks, blues, yellows, lavenders and other fun colors. They are great fun to do. My latest idea is an eyeglass case shaped like a flip-flop, complete with straps.

I get inspirations everywhere, but have chosen not to use patterns designed by anyone else. So I'm designing my own patterns, and as I have new ideas, refining the designs or completely changing them. The colors, the fabrics and the idea of the beach and ocean are providing the inspiration.