Last week I told you about my trip to Costa Rica and showed some photos of the decorative ox cart wheels that are an important part of the culture. It might be difficult, at first glance, to look at these awesome designs and figure out how to adapt them for use in a quilt. This week I want to show you images of more wheels and tell you how you can create your own design using some of the techniques that the artisans of Costa Rica use.
Each wheel is divided into 16 wedges. The design is painted onto the wedge and that motif is repeated 15 more times to complete the decorative wheel. Each artist makes their own design, all similar in style but unique to the artist. Notice the wheel shown here. The white lines indicate one of the 16 wedges.
1. This particular design has six circles. Other designs might have more or less. The distance between the circles is arbitrary, according to the artist’s whim. Start with 32 spokes and draw the first part of the design.
2. Increase the spokes to 64 and draw the remaining portions of the design.
3. Make 16 identical wedges to complete the design.
Look at these additional photos of ox cart wheels and see if you can find the “wedge”
I have just returned from a magical place……Costa Rica! Once again Jim West put together a fabulous trip through his company, Sew Many Places. We had a great group of adventuresome people and together we enjoyed time for relaxing and sightseeing.
The first four days were spent at Tango Mar Resort, a small boutique hotel at the southern end of the Nicoya peninsula. This secluded spot has a magnificent beach, beautiful scenery, a great spa, abundant wild life and so much more.
On our first morning I did the introductory class on our diamond project. That afternoon we relaxed–some had spa treatments, some walked the beach and others just read by the pool. The next day we took our excursion by boat to the Curu game park continuing on to Tortuga Island for lunch and snorkeling. On our way back, we slowly floated up a mangrove swamp area and saw a lot of manta rays.
From there we went to San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital, for three nights and had some great side trips to a coffee plantation and best of all to the village of Sarchi. This village is known for its elaborately painted ox carts. Costa Ricans have traditionally used these carts to take goods to the coast for shipping.
The ox cart wheels were first made from a solid piece of wood with brightly painted symmetrical designs, reminiscent of Mariners’ Compass patterns that we use in our quilts. Soon it was realized that the wheels would be more durable if they were made with wedges.
Each wheel is now made up of 16 painted wedges. Decorative scroll work intertwines with the geometry. My mind is spinning with ideas for a pieced and applique quilt inspired by the ox cart wheels.
Diamond workshop
I hope you enjoy this collage of photos. One thing I can say about Costa Rica is that color abounds everywhere!
It was with a little bit of trepidation that I waved goodbye to the majority of my personal quilts I have made. They were loaded into an SUV to be taken to the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg for their three month exhibit “Simple Stitches, Exquisite Quilts.” I told my friend, Bunnie Jordon, the exhibit’s curator who was driving them down, “There goes my life’s work.” No pressure there!
Many of my longtime friends helped to hang the quilts. Since this experience has been something akin to handing over my children, this calmed me…somewhat.
As you know, I make all of my quilts by hand. People think I am crazy to do everything by hand and they marvel that I do it but wonder why.
Ray of Light
But to me handwork is a solace. Sitting and stitching by hand and thinking about what is going on in my life spins the events of everyday life into the quilts. It is sort of a meditation – you don’t have to rush, finish, get it done. I can just relax and enjoy the moment. That is what hand stitching is to me.
I can look at each of those quilts and know where I was when I was making it, what was happening in my life at that time and each one brings back memories.
The exhibit will have 18 of my personal quilts including “Ray of Light” and “Windows” as well as 21 quilts from my charm quilt collection.
Sundance, Day Lilies, and Ode to Vasarely
A quilt where every piece is cut from a different fabric is called a charm quilt. Charm quilts are usually made with pieces cut from a single shape such as a square, diamond, triangle or hexagon. Tumbling Blocks is one of my favorite designs for a charm quilt and is a great hand-piecing project. I love these unique quilts and often use their many fabrics as inspiration for my fabric designs.
My exhibit at the museum runs through April 25. I will be giving a lecture, to be followed by a reception, on February 22. I would love to have you join me. For more information, please visit the Virginia Quilt Museum website.
The thimble has become an indispensable sewing tool to me through the years although that wasn’t always so. I never remember learning to sew. I’ve been doing it all my life. As a child, I never used a thimble. In fact, as an adult, I pieced my first quilt top without one. That all changed one day when the eye end of a needle went through my finger. (If you have ever done this, you know how much it hurts.) Ever since then, I have worn a thimble to protect my finger from the eye-end of the needle. Wearing one has become so natural to me that I often don’t realize I have it on. I will never forget finding a “lost” thimble in the freezer. I must have forgotten I was wearing it and it fell off when I was preparing dinner.
Finding the perfect thimble is like finding the perfect pair of shoes. What fits for one may not be right for another. Sometimes the hunt is brief but sometimes it seems to take forever to find a good fit. Here, then, are some things to consider when you are on the hunt for your perfect thimble.
Which finger do you use? Most use the middle finger of their dominant hand. Others use their thumb which requires a totally different type of thimble. The motion of your finger and whether you are piecing or quilting also affects your choice. Do you push with the tip of your finger or the side?
Closed & Open Thimble
Are your fingernails long? If so, you will probably opt for an open thimble over a closed one.
Thimbles are made with a wide variety of materials. Metal, plastic, leather, rubber and even porcelain are popular. Some cause fingers to sweat and some wear out quickly. There are even pads which stick on your finger. Of course, different materials have different costs which is also a consideration.
How do you find the right fit? It’s a little like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. You want a thimble which is not too tight, not too loose. Put the thimble on your finger, hold your hand down at your side, move your hand around a little. The tip of your finger should rest gently at the top and the base should fit comfortably on the sides of the finger with no pinching. The thimble should stay on but be comfortable enough that you don’t really notice it is there. (Remember the freezer story?)
Also, at different times of the year you may need to change sizes. We have many customers who use two different sizes of thimbles—a larger in summer when fingers swell and a smaller size for cold winter months.
It seems like a lot of fuss over a humble little thimble, doesn’t it? But if you wear one for hours and hours, you will soon realize how important it is. As with so many of our quilting tools, it may take a lot of trial and error before you find what works for you. Next time, I’ll talk about the thimble I use and love.
One of the benefits of being in the quilt profession is the wonderful places I get to travel to. Next up for me is a trip with Jim West and Sew Many Places to Costa Rica. While I’ve visited there a couple of times for pure relaxation, I have not seen a lot of the country. I’m particularly excited to go with the group to the village of Sarchi.
Sarchi is a key artisan town in Costa Rica best known for its vibrant and lavishly decorated oxcarts. These oxcarts were first used in the mid-nineteenth century to transport coffee and other goods to port cities for export overseas. The addition of painting and carving to what had begun as simply utilitarian transportation started in the early twentieth century. Don’t you just love the many compass designs?
The colors and designs are so great to look at!
I’ve always loved mariners compass-type designs and when I look at these amazing oxcart wheels I see endless quilt inspiration. What a design eye opener for all of us. We’ll definitely be talking about quilt possibilities!
The trip had been sold out but we have just had two last minute cancellations. Are you looking for reprieve from this winter? Why not come join me and my small band of fellow travelers in visiting Sarchi plus the jungle and gorgeous tropical waters? If you are interested, simply contact Sew Many Places for the details.
If Costa Rica is a little too soon for you, Jim has also just announced our last minute decision to go on an Austrailian expedition in April.
I’ve been to Australia so many times and am really looking forward to sharing my love of the country with participants on the tour. We’ll be visiting the Australian Quilt Convention, Sydney and the countryside. There is also an optional tour of New Zealand. The Australian trip is limited to only 16 people so it should be a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other. Because while one benefit of my quilting life may be the travel, the best benefit truly is the wonderful people I meet along the way.
Wow! We’ve really started the New Year off with a bang here at the Studio. It’s been incredibly busy! I suppose with all of the nasty weather across the US, many of you are staying in your cozy homes and quilting. If you’ve ordered from us, it may take us just a little longer to get your orders out so thank you in advance for your patience.
Thank you also for the fabulous response to my project with Craftsy. We’ve been getting lots of calls here at the Studio about Craftsy’s BOM program. While my customer service staffers can answer lots of questions, the BOM program is Craftsy’s so it is Craftsy who can best answer the questions. Here is their Help Centerlink where you can get answers to frequently asked questions. They will continue to add FAQs to this page.
When I first designed my Puzzle Balls many years ago, I thought of them as a great take-along hand project and as a wonderful project when teaching children to hand piece. What never occurred to me was how popular they would be with animal lovers and their pets.
Many a customer has come into the Studio or written to tell us how much their pets enjoy batting them around. They seem to be most appealing to cats and many of their owners will insert little noisemakers, like bells or even catnip inside which make them even more fun.
I recently received a letter from Amy L. from Lowell, MA. Amy is a member of the Chelmsford Quilters’ Guild. She started making a few puzzle balls for her family and friends. Most ended up as pin cushions, but one she made specifically as a cat toy for a cat belonging to friends.
Since Amy is fond of Siamese cats, friends suggested she adopt a cat through Siamese Cat Rescue Center. The Siamese Cat Rescue Center has a circle of volunteers who can transport cats all up and down the coast. Little Rumi made the 9-hour trip from Virginia to Massachusetts.
The aforementioned Rumi, he is a little camera shy.
Trying to find a quilting project to work on, Amy remembered the puzzle balls and how her friends’ cats enjoyed them. She began the Meezer Teaser project as a fund-raising project for the Siamese Cat Rescue Center who gave her Rumi. This organization works to rescue Siamese before they are euthanized at shelters and to offer a variety of information and resources related to the Siamese cat.
Using scraps from wherever she can get them along with polyester fiberfill (and later catnip) , Amy makes up little baggies with the parts for the puzzle balls so she can just grab them and her sewing case to work on them wherever she goes. The Siamese Cat Rescue Center will be selling them through their fundraising storefront called “The Siamese Store.” (Note: They are not yet on their website.)
Miko, the “action cat” playing with the puzzle balls.
What a wonderful idea Amy has had. We wish you luck, Amy, with this wonderful fundraising effort. When events in the world get a little scary, it is nice be reminded of these small acts of caring and the contributions each of us can make.
So now the best kept secret is out. Craftsy, RJR Fabrics and I have just announced our partnership in presenting the 2015 Craftsy Block of the month. During all my blogs these last eight months it was very difficult for me not to mention this project that was consuming a major amount of my time.
We worked very hard to present a program that covered a wide variety of quilting skills and each month students learn a different technique. We will cover hand and machine piecing, paper piecing, two methods of applique, mitering, working with border prints and more.
All of my summer and the better part of three more months was spent on developing this Craftsy 2015 Block of the Month. We began with preparing the outline and what would happen each month. Then there was the task of making the quilt, making all the stepouts, writing the pattern.
And finally, the production. I spent a week at the Craftsy studios in Denver and was extremely impressed with every aspect of the production and the professional way everything was handled. There were long days filming, refilming, dealing with a power outage, thunderstorms that pelted the roof so we had to stop filming because it interfered with the sound and lots more!
It was an exhilarating week and now that I see the final product I’m even more impressed.
I’ve had so many requests the past few years to do online classes for those of you who can’t travel to the Studio here in Virginia. I’m so happy to be able to present this for you. The class is free so I encourage all of you to sign up for it through this link.
Craftsy is the exclusive source for the kit. You can find all the information you need by visiting our site by clicking here. They have been overwhelmed by the response to the class and kit and sold out of their first order of kits within two days of announcing the class. If you receive that notice, keep checking this link periodically to see when they have restocked.
I hope you enjoy the class and I want to see photos of your quilt in progress!
Now about my sewing room situation which I shared with you last week. I’ve made a bit of progress……..I cleaned out one drawer. Hey, you have to start somewhere.
We love the “before” photos we’ve gotten from you on Facebook and the blog. Keep them coming. Staffer Diane shared her sewing room pics, and I realized now why I like her so much. Here are a couple of photos.
Last week I told you about my trip to Costa Rica and showed some photos of the decorative ox cart wheels that are an important part of the culture. It might be difficult, at first glance, to look at these awesome designs and figure out how to adapt them for use in a quilt. This week I want to show you images of more wheels and tell you how you can create your own design using some of the techniques that the artisans of Costa Rica use.
1. This particular design has six circles. Other designs might have more or less. The distance between the circles is arbitrary, according to the artist’s whim. Start with 32 spokes and draw the first part of the design.
2. Increase the spokes to 64 and draw the remaining portions of the design.
3. Make 16 identical wedges to complete the design.
Look at these additional photos of ox cart wheels and see if you can find the “wedge”
