Using Fat Quarters

After trying many, many planners and systems I came upon the bullet journal system and love it. I use an inexpensive composition book which looks a bit tatty after time. That got me started using composition books for just about everything. I have one in the kitchen I use for recipes, one that's a dye journal, one for quilting projects, one for stitchery projects and one for actual journaling. I flipped through my stack of fat quarters and covered the journals. Then added some machine stitching. I'm not embarrassed by my books any longer!

I'll also share a great composition book I found on Amazon that's perfect for design work. It's got a grid on the top half of the page and lines below. It's perfect for quilting design so that you can sketch above and then do all the calculations and notes below. Highly recommended!

Mead Graph Composition Book, Square Deal, Black Marble, 7.5 x 9.75 Inches (09000)

ACCO Brands

Buy on Amazon

Best Stitching Kit I've Ever Seen

Check out this amazing stitching rig. I, of course, had immediate tool envy. I have many small bags, boxes, and organizers that I need to locate to find whatever tool I'm wanting. How great would it be to really get it all organized in one spot and have it ready to pick up and go?

The first step is to find the box. This one is years old and I couldn't find it at any local hardware or sporting goods shops. So, after a ridiculously long search on the internet, I was, of course, able to find if not exactly it, something very similar on Amazon:

Tackle box, soon to be stitchery kit

A picture is useless without a link, so to save you the silly amount of time it took me to find it, click here to go to the Amazon page.

If you're inspired to try this, share your photos. The kit is only the first part of the solution, it's the organization that's key!

Newest Work - Sashiko Stitched Pillow

Geometric patterns that express elements of nature and daily life have been central to the Japanese aesthetic for centuries. This pattern is called Fundo Tsunagi (or sometimes fundoutsunagi) and is a design that dates at least to the Nara period (645-794). It has been used in woven textiles such as twills and brocades, along with dyed textiles and sashiko.

The design and the name come from the shape of one of the traditional counterweights used on scales in Japan. Fundo literally means “weight” and tsunagi means “link”. 

I bordered the embroidered panel with a japanese cotton printed with traditional Japanese patterns that  I picked up somewhere some time ago. I'm happy to find something in my stash that works so perfectly. The more things I stitch up the fewer things I'll need to move into my new studio.

Rei Kawakubo at the Met

I didn't make time to get up to the Met last week to see the Rei Kawakubo show, so I was really happy to find these photos on Google. I highly recommend spending a few minutes looking. The photos are amazing!

A kimono is made from one piece of narrow fabric

I've just discovered another rabbit hole to fall into. There's a series of visual stories about the history of textiles and fashion.

Today I learned about kimonos. The common size of a kimono fabric roll is 0.38m × 13m. 

Riley Blake Creative Rockstar Fabric Challenge, Spring 2017

For the second year in a row I used fabrics provided by Riley Blake to stitch up a crib quilt. They sent 6 different prints:

Riley Blake Rockstar Prints

I've been playing around with improvisational quilting a bit, but never tried to use it formally in a quilt. I thought it would be interesting to take the prints, cut them up, piece them together and then repeat the process until they had become a new pattern. The process of piecing them was really engaging. Each round brought a new pattern, and it was hard to know when to stop. Ultimately it was the calendar the drove my decision. I ended up with 4 blocks and a couple of strips.

Improvised block using Riley Blake Rockstar prints

Riley Blake Rockstar prints used in improvised piecing

Improvised piecing in orange and turquoise

Pieced quilt block

I came to these blocks through a circuitous design process, but that's a post for another day. For now I've got to get back to work.

Indigo Dye Services Available

One of my fellow teachers at Quilt 'n Things, Ginny Mateen, had tried weaving a few pieces in the style of Catharine Ellis's Woven Shibori. She hadn't had access to an indigo vat and I was happy to toss her work in with mine. She used Perle Cotton, which took the color very nicely. After dyeing I let them oxidize completely while they were still drawn up, then did an acid wash (to balance the ph after the iron vat) and let them dry, still drawn up. After they were completely dry I pulled out the binding threads and found that the puckers and pleats added an interesting texture. I pressed the square on the lower left, but left the others for Ginny to decide how she wanted to finish them.

Do you have something you wish was indigo, but don't have access to a vat? Let me know, I'd be happy to provide a quote to dye your project. There are many possibilities. Let's talk!

Close up of woven shibori by Ginny Mateen indigo dyed by Carlyn Clark

Cotton woven shibori by Ginny Mateen, dyed with indigo by Carlyn Clark

Carlyn Clark dipped this woven shibori perle cotton by Ginny Mateen

Learn About Indigo

Indigo in the Early Modern World

Oldest indigo-dyed fabric found

Making Woad Balls

shout color catcher sheets