Tag Archives: progress

Bike Boys Surge Ahead

The outer world has settled down and I find myself back in my studio for a long weekend of work on the Bike Boys.   I quickly discovered that time away has doubled the time it takes to get up and running. When working on a piece, there are routines that develop.  When the routines are broken, it takes time to re-establish them.  The second day back in the studio is so much more productive than the first.  I’ve heard other artists speak of the value of practicing one’s art daily.  Today I’m acutely aware of that wisdom.  It’s not so important to produce art, but to be in actively involved in in the process; to stay connected to one’s learning.  I’ve posted a picture of my progress, but the progress viewed is not equivalent to the effort expended.

As the bike boys surge forward, a couple of other problems are developing.  First,  in my process, I build the piece by putting together small sections, and then join them to make larger sections, and then put those together on the foundation fabric.  Nothing goes together perfectly and the small imperfections I’m working through at the beginning, compound into 1/8 or 1/4 inch gaps by the far end of the piece.

coming undone

It’s becoming a real challenge to fit everything together which leads to my second problem: the fusible isn’t holding tight.  I’m trying not to be heavy handed with the iron, but after heating, repositioning and re heating, the product is loosing it’s ability to hold.   As the piece becomes larger it’s also becoming more delicate to move around.   I’m hoping that I can get it all together and onto the long arm before it turns into a pile of scraps on the floor.

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Bike Boys Going Nowhere

Lea @ Rd 2 CA

It has been an exciting couple of weeks, but I’ve made precious little progress on the bike boys.  Last week I made a quick 5-day trip to London to drop off a couple of quilts and to reconnect with 2 good friends that I met 20 years ago in Turkey.  Of course the days before a trip like that are full of preparation=no quilt work. The trip included high tea at the Goring Hotel, a musical, “From Here to Eternity” at the Shaftsbury Theatre, a new hairdo at the salon in Selfridges, and a bit of shopping on Oxford St. Then, the next couple of days are all about recovery and getting the sleep schedule back in place=no quilt work.

On Tuesday, I received the exciting news that my quilt “Panning for Gold” had won the prize for “Best of Show from a First Time Entrant” at the Road to California Quilt Show.  I’ve never actually been to this show, so I thought this was a great excuse to check in out in person.  Working out travel details and preparing for a substitute teacher at school took up the next couple of days=no quilt work.

With a flight delay, I found myself home with a day to work in the studio.  However, with a deadline looming for the SAQA trunk show, I sprung into action on a different piece: “A Horse of Course”

Me, I’ve been all over the map these last 2 weeks, but the Bike Boys are going nowhere.

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Bike Boys not ready for Road Trip

I’ve spent the last week on the road visiting family and friends.  It was my hope to take the bike boys with me and continue to make some small progress.  I spent a good bit of time in my studio selecting a section of the composition to take with me.  When I started making a pile of the fabrics and tools that I would need to carry, I realized that it was just too much.  

My plan B was to take the pattern with me and work on it.  The full size of the piece is about 3 x 6 feet.  I’ve had to make the pattern in two 3-foot sections.  It was taking ages to draw and mark, so I started putting fabric together before it was completed.  Now, I’ve progressed to the point that I have to finish the rest of the pattern and attach it to the first section.  I carried  the pieces with me, and my family is pretty understanding, but there aren’t many places where one can walk into someone else’s house and spread out to work on a big project.  In the end, I decided that it was more important to put my project away and just be present with people.

I’ve been back home for 2 days and have been trying to finish up the pattern.  Parts of it are quite intricate and cause me to question the wisdom of this project.  However, with each section that comes together in fabric, the volume of the nay-saying voices is diminished.  I think I’m reaching the point of no return.

Here is a look at the pattern.  I draw the sections and assign numbers to designate value, and then use red pencil to mark the edges that will tuck under.  I also outline the different figures with highlighters to help me know what set of fabrics to use.  It is a tedious and time-consuming step in the process.  I’ll be happy to have it done.

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Front Man

This week I’ve been able to add the front rider on the bicycle built for 6.  When I stepped back to view my progress, I was not as thrilled as I had hoped to be.  It doesn’t pop according to plan.  As I evaluate it, I realize that the colors are warmer than the background, but the chroma, or intensity, is not as rich as it should be, and I don’t have the value contrast that I need.  I may try to infuse and add, or over-fuse with bits of very dark and light fabrics to make some changes, but that is risky.  I run the chance of pulling the piece out of shape or fraying the raw edges.  I’ll have to give it some thoughtful consideration before I make that kind of move. 

I think a better plan, for now, is to move forward with the next 2 riders and create a bigger context for this front man.  Maybe I can compensate with those characters.  I also have the option of waiting until I’m in the thread-painting stage to try to make the needed adjustments.  That, however, is a long way off.  If I wait till that stage and it doesn’t work, I may be hard pressed to  find another option.

Another minor setback: I’ve lost a pattern piece for the toe of his shoe, and have spent a good amount of time sifting through all the little bits of paper in my trash to no avail.

On the up side: I do like the red bike.

You might have guessed that this is the time when the nay-saying voices are singing in my head. Stumbling and struggling in front of others is very humbling.

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New Project: The Bike Boys

After months of delays and distractions, I’m finally putting fusible to fabric to begin my next pictorial piece.  My original goal was to create this piece over the summer, but I still haven’t completed the pattern.  In my defense, it is a pretty complicated composition with several characters and lots of small pieces.  It is, by far, my most ambitious project to date.  The intimidation factor is high. There are lots of voices in my head asking if I can really do this, or suggesting that it will not be as grand as I hope and that I should give up now before wasting a lot of time and resources. 

 To counter those voices, I’m going public.  I’m putting it out there for all to see with weekly updates on my progress.  I’m hoping my readers will cheer me on and encourage me when times get tough.  I’m also going to use this as a forum to write about the design decisions that I will make along the way.  I’ll share my thought processes and tell how I do what I do.  I hope it is interesting and brings you back.

The ultimate goal is to have this piece finished in time to submit it for consideration in the pictorial quilt competition at Houston next year.  I’ve been in special exhibits in Houston, but have never entered one of the competitions before.  (Scary stuff that prompts more nay-saying voices in my head.) That deadline comes in June.  Given that I first conceived of this project over a year ago, I’m going to have to pick up the pace.

Here is a picture of my first character.  He stands in the background looking on, so he is a minor character.  This piece will be done in neutrals with some pops of red.  To that end, I’ve given this guy a red vest. Because he is in the background, I’ve used the coolest, or pinkish reds, that I could find in my stash.  When warmer, or orangey reds appear in other parts of the composition, that contrast will help to push this guy to the background.

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