No Idle hands here

Paper Flowers

This week a movie is coming out called Paper Towns, based on a Young Adult novel about towns that may exist on the map – but don’t exist in the real world. Last week a friend mentioned something called a Paper Road, a road that exists on paper in the city planning department but never came to fruition. This friend is dealing such a road that actually runs right through her house. The hope is to remove that road from city plans – so it never does become a reality.

Paper Flowers on the other hand are real things and I had the pleasure of taking a class with Robert Mahar on how to make some of these beauties.The first flower is very large and made from simple templates that we cut out ourselves.Staples and hot glue and the flower takes shape.The next stage was to make the stamens, which is basically a glorified Turkey frill, the instructions in this link are exactly how we made this much larger version.Here it the final flower, which of course can be made in many sizes.As you can see, this one is quite large.

Then we went on and made some smaller flowers, Robert used the Sillhouette Cameo to cut the template pieces. What a wonderful tool, but I’m not going full time into paper crafts; so it’s not something I will be buying anytime soon. For the occasional flower I’d like to make, I’ll cut it with scissors.The flowers are adorable, I learned a lot in this class. Simple things like using the eraser side of a pencil while using the hot-glue gun. Any tip that helps avoid glue gun burns is a good thing! Yes there are silicone finger caps that are more effective, but once again, I don’t use my glue gun all that much.A little more size comparison. When I got home I felt the flowers were missing something. I dove into my vast button collection and solved that problem. Of course I sent Robert my adaptation, he may use this idea in another class.

At home it was time to see what I could make on my own.The purple template is what Robert cut out on the Silhouette, I made the other templates by hand.Using a colorful $1 book I bought at the The Last Bookstore I set about cutting out the flower.No, it’s not as clean and perfect like the die cut flower, also, a lesson learned from quilting – a busy print will look very different from a solid color.For a first attempt I’m very happy, of course it takes practice to get better at this flower making craft. Side by side, paper flowers can be very fun.

Crazy like Fox 1, second gift

Glenni asked for something hand knit, either socks or fingerless mitts. Off to Ravelry I went and found many patterns on Revelry, I ended up using this.I added a thumb, but used the basic pattern. For knitters out there, this little pattern calls for 3 strands in a row, not hard for such a small project. It does give the foxes their character, eyes and muzzle. You can see what a perfect match the two foxes are.Another gift, I had started fussy cutting these squares a while ago, not sure what it would become. The simplest thing is to make a little zippered pouch.Reversing the direction of the blocks.And adding a little bling on the zipper pull.

I think I really hit the mark with this one.

View this post on Instagram

Dear Leah, @leahkab ❤️ you totally got this!!!!! The knitted fingerless gloves are absolutely seriously adorable and with Aqua foxes? Hello, cutest pair ever!!! I LOVE them!!!! And the patchwork zipper bag, major swoon, and with all of those fun fussy cuts! AND the extra fabrics, mini book, the flower pen, friction pen, self threading needles (trying this out tonight!), and new stitchery threads to try. ? Thank you! Big hugs! Perfect in every way! #crazylikefox1 #xoxo #thankyouxamillion

A post shared by Glenni Light (@jeepdog1) on Jul 20, 2015 at 6:37pm PDT

July gifts delivered to Crazy like fox 1

I am really enjoying the year long Instagram birthday gift exchange. It is fun coming up with creative gifts for women all over the country. Sometimes I really tailor the item to their request and sometimes I just get creative.Elizabeth Hartman is a very detailed creative quilt designer. She now has patterns for many animals. These are all created by strip piecing, no cutting out tiny squares or triangles. Of course I made the fox.As well as some hedgehogs. These patterns work very well in solid fabrics, it was fun to play with prints and see if I could get the correct values so the image stands out.Not so much, the top left hedgehog sort of disappears into the background, out he came (I’ll find another use for that block) and another one replaced him.Much better.Practice makes better! I can really see how my quilting has improved. Here I was working with rulers to get the straight lines, that is an interesting technique. So far I’ve been working on small projects and I’m getting the hang of it.

I did use the quilting to give the hedgehogs some little toes.
The final mini, a spiral gives the fox cuter cheeks. Most of the quilting just fades into the busy prints.On the back, a sleeve for hanging.

View this post on Instagram

Thank you @leahkab for my thoughtful birthday presents! The mini quilt, fabric, pattern, thread, embroidery needles, and fabric tape will all find a special use or place in my home! #crazylikefox1 #handmadegifts

A post shared by Natalie Weaver (@threadedmess) on Jul 20, 2015 at 3:02pm PDT

https://instagram.com/p/5ZnyBfoxRL/?taken-by=threadedmess

Olaf Dress

Like all little girls, Shira likes Frozen, her favorite character is the little snowman Olaf. I’ve been keeping my eyes open for Olaf fabric. Anna and Elsa are easy to find but so far no Olaf.

Until Hawaii that is.The Calico Cat in Honolulu had this fabric – yay!! Not only is it Olaf, this fabric is really adorable.

So I went into my stash of patterns and pulled out the Roller Skating Dress and got to work. Oliver and S patterns are easy to work with, in no time I had this:Of course I had to use a different fabric for the collar, it sort of looks like snow flakes, well it does for those of us who rarely see snow.Cute from the back as wellGot to use another one of that treasure trove of buttons and I only needed the one.Nice top-stitching if I can say so myself.Putting in a lining is what gives the neckline, sleeve caps and elastic casing such a nice clean finish.
Shira just turned four and it wasn’t hard to get her to model the dress.Or to pose with Saba.

Carolyn Friedlander

The modern quilt world has it’s stars, one of them is Carolyn Friedlander, although she is so quiet and unassuming, that star doesn’t quite fit the bill.It is very rare to have our monthly quilt meeting on a Friday night, but when a special designer is in town, it’s worth going. We had a smaller crowd than I had expected – I’m sure changing the day had a lot to do with it.Carolyn trained as an architect before discovering quilting. (sorry about the quality of the picture – taken at night with my phone). She is comfortable creating house blocks, but it is much more than that, there is a certain meticulousness to her work, not perfect symmetrical blocks, just an overall feeling.Her outhouse pattern, using many of her own prints. I love her sense of color, her ability to use low volume fabrics with pops of bright. Her quilting is very well thought out, nothing is left to chance.Turns out her favorite methods of piecing are needle turned applique; seen here in the circles – or rather the rows of trees one would see on an architectural drawing. The other is paper piecing, all those house were done that way. Here she is playing with color, she had a few samples of this quilt – each using different fabrics; each one taking on a very different character as a result.She learned applique by making Hawaiian blocks (something I plan on doing very soon). She uses the ‘snowflake’ method of cutting the appliqué patch. Here she folded the fabric 8 times, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around that. The appliqué section here is cut from on large piece of fabric. This is a perfect example of using different fabrics to achieve very different results. The far left is bold, graphic and the quilting gets lost in the design. The center one is calmer, staying in the same color family. The far right is where the quilting sings, since the fabrics are all solids.

Someone asked her about using fabrics other than her own, I loved her answer – I love fabric. The fabrics here are so different from what she designs; of course she should avail herself of everything out there – just like the rest of us.Another example of needle turned appliqué, I think in this case she folded the fabric like an Thiaccordion before cutting.This quilt is what I’m talking about her meticulousness – the outer circle matches, the inner ones don’t. She has achieved a very pleasing balance, both in design and color and of course the use of quilting.This quilt is Block of the month tutorial, its’ a lesson in needle turned applique, can be purchased either as individual segments or as the whole pattern. For those who don’t like the cutesy or the juvenile one often finds in appliqué; this is a very refreshing modern approach.

Finally, our gift for showing up on a Friday nightEveryone got a charm pack (2.5″ squares) of her prints together with Kona solids that she feels compliment the prints. Mind will probably end up being combined with other charm packs, the idea of sticking with only one line of fabric, no matter how creative it is – just doesn’t work for me.

A number of my friends took classes with Carolyn, from their IG posts I’d say that she is as good a teacher as she is a lecturer, quilter and fabric designer.

Patriotism

While the other Hawaiian Islands are prettier and more relaxing, Oahu has one thing they don’t have – Pearl Harbor.We didn’t visit the Arizona memorial, saw it from across the water, we did visit the Missouri.The ship upon which the Japanese surrendered in WWII. The sister ship, the Iowa, is in San Pedro, for all people in the LA area- I highly recommend you visit.Joel is smart, a company photographer took pictures of everyone – as in 1700 people. So Joel handed him my camera and asked him to to our picture – good job!We were seated in a large tent, the back had screening so we could see the memorial. Which is why this picture is a little fuzzy.I’m actually amazed at the clarity of this photo, as the program started this rainbow appeared.And stayed throughout General McChrystal’s fascinating talk. Before he spoke, we were introduced to a Vet who was on active duty in Pearl Harbor, on the infamous day that shall live on in history.Then it was on to a cocktail party on the Missouri, with a number of docents telling us the interesting history of this ship.These battleship guns were active during Dessert Storm in the early 90s and have a lot to do with why that conflict ended quickly.Other guns are tiny in comparison.The steel chains are huge.And to my eye beautiful.Even the rust is beautiful, a rare sight on a very well cared for ship.As the sun set, the old control tower for the airport, is off in the distance – pure Hawaii, palm trees at it’s base.The party continued at the Pearl Harbor museum of flying. I wish fighter jets were still painted like this.The party went on into the night, with music dancing and lots of food and drinks. The insurance business may not be sexy, but insurance people sure know how to have a good time as well as a meaningful one.

Out and about in Honolulu

In the lobby, under glass is a rare Hawaiian flag quilt. The four Hawaiian flags were modified, the Union Jack is facing the wrong way, I think this was done so the center design would stand out more. Hey, artistic license. The Royal coat of arms in done in the traditions Hawaiian appliqué style, as well as the quilting stitches that echo the crown. These quilts are very rare and this one is in beautiful shape. Most people never saw this, although it is proudly displayed in the lobby right across from the elevators. But then most people haven’t trained themselves to really look closely at their surroundings.

Of course I had to go visit a Quilt Shop and found one near the resort. The Calico Cat was well worth a visit.Imagine my delight in finding the store in a wonderful mid-century modern building. Right next to the Good Will drip off bins, oh well, cities have a life of their own, I can’t photoshop what I don’t like out.

Joel was very happy to join me, no, he didn’t stay in the store (which gave me time to really explore and buy some great patterns and fabric), he found a local coffee shop and enjoyed watching the city go by.The big development of this area was in the middle of last century – this actually looks closer to Art Deco than mid-century. The design along the side of the building could be part of either style. The balcony is traditional Hawaiian; open to let in the breezes. Aged and weathered because that is what the tropics will do.The Queen Theater built in the Art Deco Style in 1936 has been vacant for 20 years. There is a movement to try and restore the building and use it either for film or small theater. I hope they succeed, This is one of the most endangered old buildings in Honolulu, clearly the idea of conserving and readapting the old has yet to arrive in the Islands.An old house that has an historical designation. This storybook home was built in 1928 and is well loved and cared for.

Someone mentioned the many interesting gates in the Kahala neighborhood – a very expensive beach community.Although there are some large pieces of land, most of these homes are crammed in one next to the other, so of course for privacy people have walls and gates. The perfect canvas for some very impressive artwork done in metal.Ironworkers must be doing well here, at least they have a lot of creative license.The flora and fauna of Hawaii being a major inspiration.This gate could be at home anywhere, if it weren’t for the tropical plants around it.Getting artsy with glass.Bamboo as inspiration.Sometimes a gate just isn’t enough.This looks to me like an old WWII air-raid siren. Of course it may be newer and is actually a Tsunami siren. Or maybe it is from WWII and it’s been repurposed. Whenever I’m out walking I always look up, you never know what you will see.

Hawaii, the Fauna and people

I actually brought my camera to the beach.The water is really this blue. The Hawaiian archipelago was created by volcanos in the middle of the pacific ocean. There is nothing else around but deep blue sea.Not sure how much of the sand is natural and how much is brought in. Either way, a budding sandcastle designer was busy at work.The resort has a number of interesting pools, biggest is the swim with dolphins. They were very active and busy.Yup, the tail is similar to the fluke of a whale, probably because they are closely related.

There were turtles, manta rays and rainbow fish, but I never took a picture of them. We went on a snorkel and sail, didn’t bring my camera. Some things are best seen and hopefully remembered. The nice thing is that 20 years ago there weren’t many sea turtles – today there are an abundance of them on all the islands.Many resorts have the lobby wide open to the breezes, which means that avian visitors have no problem hoping on the tables.Hawaii is a destination for wedding from Japan, there were probably 25 brides on the resort, I only captured a few. Walking in all those layers of tule and petticoats isn’t easy! This little girl was fascinated of course.Unfortunately this bride got caught in the rain, I would have loved to see the whole dress, looks like some interesting beading.Sunset with fisherman, look closely under the palm tree, he’s there.

Crazy like Fox 1

Of course I’m making things to send to all the people who sent me gifts for my birthday. Today I received a belated gift – which fun – who doesn’t want a birthday present long after the birthday.Bag, yarn and a book.Great little bag, great colors. Perfect for throwing in my wallet and phone and going off for a walk.Wonky picture I know, I was trying to capture the lining and inner pocket, once I looked at the photo I realized that Danielle top stitched the whole bag with magenta thread! Very cool.
I ‘happen’ to have some silver linen that would go very nicely with this purple.

Speaking of linen:I knit a lot on the flights as well as in Hawaii. The sweater has grown. Still looking good on the mannequin. Now I need to figure out how long I want it to be.There is a simple lace pattern, it will be visible when I wash and block the heck out of this thing.Finally, a peek into the book, yes, I need to make some of these. There are instructions for how to design your own, I think I’m going with the hard work that Abby already did and I’ll follow her patterns.

And now I have some projects to make for other people in the exchange.

Hawaii, the flora

Palm trees swaying in the wind, iconic image of Hawaii.

I was lucky to spend five days in a lovely resort on the Island of Oahu. I have been lucky to have visited most of the Hawaiian Islands, Oahu, with the big city of Honolulu has never been a big draw, but when you are offered a trip – you go. The trade winds that sway the branches of the coconut palms are what makes these tropical islands so comfortable.It is always fun to be greeted with a lei, this is some orchid that has no scent but last a long time. I know because although I only wore this for maybe an hour, it was still holding its own when we left.The resort has an incredible wall of orchids, I didn’t enhance the colors, these are well cared for orchids. I will often buy orchids at TJs’ but I have yet to succeed in getting them to re-bloom even with all the fancy orchid food.

Back to the subject of leis, the fragrant ones are made from the Plumeria flowers.The trees grow everywhere and the flowers often fall to the ground. The white flower is the most common.Delicate pink is another variety.Of course I sat out on the beach and relaxed, I prefer shade to the hot bright sun of the tropics. Looking up at the tree I was under I noticed that every so often there was a bright red leaf. It is a leaf or a bract. The flower itself is very small and insignificant, but the bract draws the insects to the flowers. Another very common bract is the bougainvillea. The flower is the tiny white center. When we moved into our house I spent 10 days hacking away at very old growth bougainvillea on the side of the garage, it is a very messy thorny plant. I do love it on other peoples property. The values of red and pin are so bright and vivid.Except when they’re not.