Making Hay
Let us make hay while the sun shines.- Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote de la Mancha
So I had a pile of reds, golds, and browns, culled from the donated fabric bin at the meeting of Community First! Quilters. The fields are ripe, they said - it's harvest time.
The front and back are both improvised strip-piecing. The emerging pattern reminded me of aerial photographs of farmland.
See the burgundy? It was in my fabric stash for ages. It was just waiting for that exquisite harvest-gold botanical print to pair with.
Like, hey, what's up cheese? I'm that wine you've been thirsting after.
This spring-green patch was left over from a previous quilt.
Making Hay was my first ever longarm quilting experience. Many thanks to Jessica and Ellie at The Cotton Cupboard for their patient teaching!
What is Modern Quilting? Learn more about Mobile Loaves & Fishes What is the Community First! Village? Contribute your quilting skills to the Community First! Quilters
As the Bat Flies
As the Bat Flies
Improvisational patchwork quilt created for Community First!
Sarah Atlee, 2015
What is Modern Quilting? Learn more about Mobile Loaves & Fishes What is the Community First! Village? Contribute your quilting skills to the Community First! Quilters
The Community First! Quilters group relies heavily on donated fabrics. I love the challenge of taking colors and prints that don't look like they should go together... and making them go together.
This is my variation on the traditional Flying Geese quilt block. I call it Flying Bats. See the grey print with the little insects? Bats eat insects. There you go.
Do you know about Austin's bat colony?
I was surprised at how difficult it was to make these blocks come out how I'd imagined. After a lot of trial and some error, I settled into a method.
The back.
Stitching detail. This was my second-ever quilt finished on a longarm machine. While I don't yet feel entirely adept at the process, I enjoy the speed and flexibility of free-motion quilting.
Whee!
It's the Little Things - In Gratitude, Part 4
It's November, home of my favorite holiday! This month I'm spending a few minutes each day writing about something for which I am thankful. Batch number four is The Little Things. Food
Friday night food truckin'.
Most people come to Austin for the live music and mild winters. I'm here for the food. Fresh sushi, succulent barbecue, farm-to-table delicacies galore, and more taco trucks than you can twang a steel guitar at. Heaven has a zip code, and it starts with 787.
Rain
Our apartment is situated in the corner of a courtyard, on the ground level. When it rains even just a little, the downspout off the building's roof empties right outside our patio. It's like our own private waterfall.
Fun fact: Lots of Texans (and other folks) are grateful for the rain.
Getting Rid of Stuff
Always feels good.
Life's Surprises
We celebrated our turkey day a week early by cooking a beautiful bird from Richardson Farms. The next morning, I awoke to a cold lodged in my chest. Oh, if only I'd had a big pot of homemade broth already on the sto- WAIT A MINUTE.
Opening the Windows
Fresh breeze in the studio is a luxury I get to enjoy on occasion - not in July, but often in October.
Donuts
For when a deadline approaches and you need twelve sugar rushes in three days.
Just Being
Sit with me a moment. Still your hands. Breathe in, then out. Close your eyes and do it again. Isn't this nice?
Neck Pillow, sketchbook drawing by Sarah Atlee.
What are you thankful for? Express your gratitude in the comments below.
Read Coffee, Sleep, Paper - In Gratitude, Part 1 Read Boundaries, Bracelets, and Biz Coaches - In Gratitude, Part 2 Read Monkeys, Quilts, and Toilet Art - In Gratitude, Part 3 Read Bonus Gratitude!
Monkeys, Quilts, and Toilet Art - In Gratitude, Part 3
It's November, home of my favorite holiday! This month I'm spending a few minutes each day writing about something for which I am thankful. Batch number three. Color!
The Crayon-Bow Crayola Color Chart, 1903-2010. Click image to view source in its original interactive glory.
I may have a touch of synaesthesia, because I want to treat the above chart like a mix between a koto and the wallpaper from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Seeing Art in Person
Austin art lovers enjoying an evening out.
Anyone who's been in an art history class will have heard a professor bemoan the fact that we learn about art by looking at slides, textbooks, and, horror of horrors, the Internet. Now I don't think these media (or the professors) should be thrown into the sea. But experiencing a work of art in person really is a horse of a different color.
I live in a place where I have a lot of opportunity to do just that. I recently attended Art Night EAST, a special preview event for the annual East Austin Studio Tour.
Living With Art
I have seven pieces installed in my bathroom.
Artists don't just make art - we're collectors, too. My art collection began with small pieces given as gifts or in trade with my fellow art students. It has grown to include significant purchases and even commissions.
You know what I love? Going to someone's house and seeing art in their bathroom. Think about it - how many rooms in your home do you use every day without fail? If my art ends up over a collector's toilet or kitchen sink, my heart swells because I know that person wants to look at it every single day.
Pretty In Pink, photographic print by romy owens. Three guesses where this one hangs.
The Austin Modern Quilt Guild
You may know that when I'm not painting, I'm quilting. After moving to Austin, I googled local quilting groups and discovered the Austin chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild. I didn't know it yet, but I was already a modern quilter!
The AMQG deserves a whole post just to list all the cool things they do. I'll just say that I'm eagerly anticipating QuiltCon.
Seeing Artists at Work
Palette Peelins.
Imagine a masterpiece, centuries old, on a pedestal at a museum. It looks as though it appeared there by magic. We don't get to see all the mistakes the artist ever made before they got that one right. Unless the artist lets us peek behind the curtain.
Whenever I get to see the inside of an artist's studio or sketchbook, I know I'm learning something.
Art Blogs
The power of the Internet as a tool of communication still amazes me. It's my primary source for new contemporary art, and historical art that's new to me. If you'd like to start reading some excellent art blogs, I recommend Beautiful Decay, Illustration Art, Lines and Colors, Bibliodyssey, Robert Lange Studios, and especially:
The Near-Sighted Monkey
Do you know Lynda Barry? Wow. I mean, she's just so awesome. Want to learn things about creativity, drawing, writing, comics, and yourself? Follow along at The Near-Sighted Monkey. Barry has also published a handful of books, all of which I recommend.
What are you thankful for? Express your gratitude in the comments below.
Read Coffee, Sleep, Paper - In Gratitude, Part 1 Read Boundaries, Bracelets, and Biz Coaches - In Gratitude, Part 2 Read It's the Little Things - In Gratitude, Part 4 Read Bonus Gratitude!