tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81531215665609718522024-02-07T17:17:19.745-05:00FloatingLeafTinyQuiltstiny quilts for living smallAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-23391890688098798762015-08-14T09:13:00.000-04:002015-08-14T09:14:28.148-04:00doneFLTQ is officially closing. It's been fun while it lasted, but it's time to leave it.
I'm happy spending my sitting time reading and writing, not producing things for which there is no use. I'm far more interested in my non-sitting time. I like getting out and walking. The trail and the ocean are calling...
I have an inventory of some tiny quilts that still need homes on Etsy. I have a small Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-2415802688677684702015-06-02T18:10:00.002-04:002015-06-02T18:12:36.920-04:00happy birthday FLTQ - what now?Floating Leaf Tiny Quilts just had it’s second birthday last month, or so Blogger reminded me. It’s been a fun two years. I’ve been able to focus on art concepts, intentionally seek out and write about art exhibits, and experiment with making small projects that are not in any way utilitarian. It was a tough move for me to go from making bed quilts (decorated blankets) to creations that began to Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-6077535073328924132015-05-31T12:14:00.001-04:002015-06-01T20:29:41.535-04:00beyond booksThis was in my morning news feed, so yeah, I spent a few minutes in visual daydream heaven.
Who doesn't love books? My mother was trained as a teacher and she also collected books. She read to me often while I grew up, nestled together on the couch with the book between us so I could follow along. Those hours on the couch shaped me into the book lover I am. She volunteered at the local libraryAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-20803952893530051482015-05-19T19:11:00.000-04:002015-06-01T20:27:19.460-04:00the shelf project - Pantone piecework
Fabric is beautiful stuff and I love playing with it. The dense saturation of color in fabric is one of the things I love about it. I love to layer colored shapes to make new images. However, when fabric is cut, the edges ravel and begin to fall apart. The cut shape loses its clean edge. The essence of appliqué is to turn that cut edge under and stitch it down while still maintaining the desiredAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-24682642008088048482015-05-13T20:16:00.002-04:002015-06-01T20:26:49.167-04:00trip report - Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal
It was a chilly, rainy April day in Montréal. My better half was attending a conference for some obscure software thingy and I had tagged along to spend a few days exploring. One of my favorite places to go in a new city is an art museum. I prefer modern art if I can get it. Montréal has several art museums within walking distance of Vieux-Montréal, where we were staying. I was off for the MuséeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-17899497945623242012015-05-05T06:56:00.000-04:002015-06-01T20:22:23.995-04:00greeting
greet·ing
ˈɡrēdiNG/
noun
noun: greeting; plural noun: greetings
▪ a formal expression of goodwill, said on meeting or in a written message.
I received a card in the mail the other day. This is a pretty unusual occurrence. It brought me joy on so many different levels.
It was from a friends whom I haven’t seen in awhile and miss. They took the time to send me concrete good Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-45505064685651395192015-04-28T19:02:00.003-04:002015-06-01T20:21:41.152-04:00dry spell
This post is long overdue. Since moving back to land and getting busy doing other things than sitting around, FLTQ has taken a dive. It’s for a lot of reasons.
Activity
Hand sewing is done sitting down. There’s no getting around that. I’ve tried doing it while standing, but sewing really needs some kind of surface to lean the work in progress on, be it a table or lap. And the sewer Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-21210018103514041482015-02-23T16:31:00.002-05:002015-06-01T20:21:23.007-04:00the shelf project - zen-dōThere are some experiences in life that change you in more profound ways than others. They become a part of your internal story. One such experience was a trip to a Zen-dō on a winter weekend for an introductory class in meditation. I dragged my (then) 16-year-old daughter along for company. I'm not saying the class changed me much on the outside, but it did bring part of me into focus on the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-26991250677632482712015-02-17T14:39:00.001-05:002015-06-01T20:20:51.683-04:00calling the baby uglyIn the real world of software project management, in which I used to be a small player on the sidelines, we used to talk quietly about calling someone's baby ugly. It's in reference to a project or a technical solution that just doesn't work well, but someone wrote it and has invested some emotion in keeping it going, no matter how inappropriate it is.
Here I am calling my own baby ugly. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-9715870909199786382015-02-05T12:33:00.001-05:002015-06-01T20:12:17.401-04:00the shelf project - hearts go outThe first exhibit of the shelf project was installed this morning. Called "hearts go out", it is a collection of 25 tiny valentines. They are constructed from colored paper, newspaper, thread, paint, glue and ink.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-47642069136105359842015-02-02T21:38:00.004-05:002015-06-01T20:11:50.643-04:00the shelf project - part oneFLTQ is starting a tiny side project. It started with a new office, an empty bookshelf that came in that office and a co-worker's suggestion to decorate said bookshelf. At first, the word "decorate" raised up an emotional barrier. I don't decorate anymore. I'm so over decorating. Harrumph. That was something I did when I had a big house and shelter magazines to pour over. Who needs to spend Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-61811305631264838272015-02-01T14:54:00.001-05:002015-06-01T20:10:55.971-04:00quilt migrationThe tiny quilts are now moved over to the second coffee shop for the month of February. While the first coffee shop had lots of windows and no wall space, this one has tons of expansive, gorgeous, accessible wall space. I could have five times as many tiny quilts and they would still fit. They look a bit lonely. (Translation: get moving, you lazy quilter!)
Here's my shameless Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-38842786459597890782015-01-15T21:57:00.000-05:002015-06-01T20:10:34.313-04:00finally, tiny quilts come out to playThe coffee shop with art space finally opened and my friend, Bobbie, and I stopped in for lunch yesterday. The shop is in Scott's Addition, in one of those trendy industrial buildings with huge glass windows on all sides - no walls to hang quilts on. So, we improvised and hung them on the staircase. One has sold (yea!) *and* the marketing manager asked me to hang them next month in their Church Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-49057374737906854522015-01-04T11:40:00.002-05:002015-06-01T20:10:10.375-04:00mending
My daughter was telling me about her mending last week. New Year's seems a good time to mend. Mending is a lost art. Most people don't have the skills, the patience or the supplies to face mending garments. She had asked me a technical question about basic sewing. You Tube to the rescue! I didn't have to try to explain it over the phone. Successful mending session.
I've been reading about Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-831703425787658922014-12-30T09:25:00.001-05:002015-06-01T20:09:47.273-04:002 of 9Here's the second one of nine. Quilt fever isn't happening right now with the holiday spirit, so this is going pretty slowly.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-5581638609569651072014-12-24T10:02:00.000-05:002015-06-01T20:09:19.422-04:00growing a quiltBlock-based quilts are fun because I get to play the same design over and over again. I like repetition. Yeah, me and Andy Warhol, twins. I have 8 more of these to make. It's soothing to watch the needle make it's way around and around. Plus, I'm starting to listen to Serial.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-66684989196878645732014-12-08T20:41:00.000-05:002015-06-01T20:08:54.803-04:00time to commitLarger quilts mean more time spent on one design. I'd better like the plan and look forward to playing with it. I pulled all the fabric out this weekend, looked at the sketches I'd stashed from last month and began the contemplation of the next tiny quilt. I like the repetition of the nine patch, but the thought of doing the nine plain circles from one of my sketches (which I do like) beganAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-63285744956307103702014-12-01T17:17:00.001-05:002015-06-01T20:08:32.558-04:00quilt fever
It really feels like a fever. You can't concentrate on anything else. You stay up late at night to keep playing even when you know you're exhausted and you have a full day ahead in the morning. It's like not being able to put down a good novel. It consumes the brain entirely. It's an intense naval gazing that obliterates the outside world. While I feel it, I know it won't last, but I have Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-76602474747026928942014-11-25T21:01:00.000-05:002015-06-01T20:18:32.171-04:00influences: Kaffe FasettBefore the internet and all the moving around I've done lately, I used to collect books on quilting and fabric and art. Many idyllic hours were spent, cup of tea in hand, browsing through colorful pages dreaming of projects to do.
One of those well-loved books was Kaffe Fassett's Glorious Needlepoint. I loved looking at needlepoint patterns, tried a few projects and ended up hating it. There isAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-22697780639510914722014-11-22T15:19:00.001-05:002015-06-01T20:07:45.453-04:00seasonal colors
I love the change of seasons. We are currently moving from a gorgeous Fall to a crisp, sunny Winter. Sadly, I don't do much skiing anymore, but snow season is still exciting to me. My favorite holiday is coming up next week, a day devoted to gratitude and food. This year my daughter and son-in-law-to-be are about to make it incredibly special, by celebrating their wedding amidst a small Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-61468010887790121952014-11-18T21:02:00.001-05:002015-06-01T20:07:23.018-04:00art? clothing? art?
The coffee shop in my neighborhood has a farmhouse theme. The baristas wear black aprons with appliqué designs on the front bib. They are bright print fabrics cut into farmhouse icons and sewn on using raw-edge appliqué, so they look worn in and homey after numerous washings. I enjoy their cheery variety. And, yes, they make me want to make aprons with tiny appliquéd designs of my own on the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-27577330903976247102014-11-10T14:26:00.002-05:002015-06-01T20:07:01.646-04:00practice
One of my favorite bloggers wrote this week on keeping up her blog and how she keeps it fresh and interesting. Admittedly, she has a much wider base of support for her topic of interest, cooking, than a blog of tiny quilts will ever get, but her writing really connected with me. She writes:
"Here's how I approach this site, and have for a long time. I think of it as my practice. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-68933902569530631272014-11-03T21:45:00.000-05:002015-06-01T20:06:31.688-04:00serendipity
I love those little moments in life that happen by chance. Call them sparks or connections or serendipity, but they seem important to notice and celebrate. One of those little star alignments happened this past week.
I made doing donuts because I wanted to use up some special fabric left over from a special big quilt, but I wasn't sure what I was going to do with her. I hadn't listed Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-57444412861281878802014-10-28T08:24:00.001-04:002015-06-01T20:18:59.815-04:00influences: Wassily KandinskyLast post's sample baby quilt was evidence that "original" ideas are seldom that. Here's my brain, back in 1979, summer semester, at 8:30 am, 85 degrees F, in the basement of some god-forsaken art building, slumped over my notebook in the dark, watching slide after slide of art masterpieces, frantically scribbling down every word the professor intoned.
Probably there was this slide. I was Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8153121566560971852.post-40383194945005605712014-10-26T20:45:00.000-04:002015-06-01T20:05:47.258-04:00baby quiltsWhile artsy-fartsy wall quilts are great fun, sometimes I feel like making more traditional block-based quilts. And since the FLTQ studio has been upsized from a sailboat cabin table to the kitchen counter of a 1-bedroom apartment, I have a bit more room to make and photograph bigger pieces.
Today I sketched up the new FLTQ baby quilt series after a bout of gazing at the competition on Etsy at Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00827103294935133734noreply@blogger.com0