M83 finished!

finally got m83 done.  i'm happy with the work i've done on it, but i'm not as psyched as i usually am when i finish a quilt.  i feel like the image could be more developed.  i think maybe later on after i've taken a break from it i might go back in and keep adding more detail with the embroidery.

there's also the issue of viewing.  most people are going to be seeing the quilts on a computer screen and therefore the "far away", or smaller, image usually needs to be really strong.  the thing is that the quilts read really differently when you see them in person.  i used a light blue thread to quilt the whole thing, and the stitching is lost when viewed this small.  live and learn, right?  on that note, see all the detail shots here!

anyway, i'm happy i got this guy done, and i'm really excited to dive into all the ideas i have for the sci-fi quilts!  the first one is going to be a remake of the first sci-fi quilt i made: attack on the v838 energy collectors.  now that i know a little bit more of what i want the story quilts to look like, i'd like to go back in and improve on the original idea.

detail time

just got all the quilting done for m83 and now it's on to the hand embroidery.  here you can see me matching up where the spots of color are with where the stars are to be sewn.  this one's going to be really labor intensive with all the stars and color spots on it.

i use sajou embroidery thread.  i'd tell you more about it, but the labels all in french.  it's 100% cotton and i like it because it's a good quality and thick enough to really stand out against the backgrounds.  i'm using a light blue, pink and red.

...and, i'm very excited to say that i just received the latest issue of quilters newsletter in which there's an article about me!  it's a great write up both about me and the quilts.  it's the aug/sept issue so it should be hitting stores pretty soon.  check it out!

oh, and thanks to everybody who follows me!  i just reached 100 followers!  i really appreciate the fact that you guys read my blog.  i don't know why you come here, wether for the quilts, or sci-fi, or astronomy, or all of the above, but it's awesome!

quilting time

quilting time has begun.  actually, i'm almost half way done with the quilting (thank god for smaller quilts.)  I'm using both light blue and red thread.  sometimes the backs of the quilts are just as cool in their own way.  because i wanted this quilt to be heavy on the hand needlework, all of the stitches are no more that 1" apart, most are about 1/2" apart.

here's a front detail where you can see the stitching over the drawn lines.  not too much longer and i can start embroidering the stars on.

new quilts!

i've had the last couple of days off and i've been busy.  i got the new line of quilts up and running.  i wanted to have a line that was easy to make and a way to make a little extra spending money.  my friend alex actually gave me the idea for these quilts a couple of years ago, and now i am finally getting around to making them.

they're simple bandana handkerchief quilts with a circle and star quilted on each bandana.  they've got a soft black and white striped backing fabric and red satin ribbon trim.  there's only 3 up for now, but hopefully they'll sell well and i'll be making more.

i even had new labels made for them.  (actually, i had the labels made for the clothes that i was making, but they'll work)  roycroft was an artist's colony started around the turn of the century in upstate ny that spawned the arts and craft movement.  i thought it was relevant considering how americana bandanas are.

check out all the glamour shots at my new etsy store: RoycroftQuilts!

and if anybody knows of stores in the nyc area that might be interested in selling them, i'd love to sell local.  let me know.