Look what I got!

Scott of Blue Nickel Studios and I arranged a swap a while back, and here are the great artist trading cards he made for me...

There's so much detail, from little mushrooms to tiny pieced triangles, that I'll be seeing new stuff in these for ages. The edge finishes are especially cool, with twine and fabric strips inserted in the blanket stitching. I never would have thought of that!

The backs are fun, too! And Scott even matched the fabric used to wrap the ATCs (here under them) with my usual colour scheme. And threw in some great cheater-cloth-ish cat fabric!

Thanks, Scott! I sent him a bundle of vintage fabric, starting with the car fabric seen here (I hope you can use the others too, Scott!), but culling some swatches from the stash doesn't really compare to the work he clearly put into these ATCs. Maybe I'll have to experiment with a few myself and send some his way...

I found a Charley Harper quilt!

I've mentioned Charles Harper a few times before, mainly in reference to the fused bird pictures The Mother made for me several birthdays ago. The geometric, draftsmen-like quality of Harper's animal illustrations have always struck me as readily translatable into a quilt, so I tittered with delight when I saw this quilt in a 1978 issue of Lady's Circle Patchwork Quilts. Here's the caption from the magazine:

Lenore Parham borrowed from a design by Charles Harper in Ranger Rick (The National Wildlife Federation children's magazine) to create this charming wall hanging.

I was at a secondhand book shop, and this picture alone moved the magazine from the "maybe" to the "definitely must have" stack. I had figured it was just a photo to go with an article on the Blue Ridge Quilters, and it wasn't till I got home that I saw they'd patterned the quilt too! So I may just have to sew up my own version. The design is especially fun since the quadrants of the circle use the same basic shape to depict three different animal as well as trees, and the quilting is quite fun too.

My first thought, though, was that something like this could never get published today (he said, pulling out the soapbox and climbing up onto it). Such "borrowing" would never get past the copyright police; a current magazine wouldn't take the chance that some lawyer somewhere might consider the quilt an infringement. I certainly understand the need for artists to protect their work, but the stifling that happens as a result of today's voracious protection of derivative works is sad. And what's the result? Other artists can't make money off the first artist's work, but lawyers and licensing agents can make a tidy sum. An original designer (or their estate, as the case would be for Harper) may or may not be willing to allow derivative quilts or other works that don't compete with the original, but the process of seeking permission is enough to kill the creative impetus. Copyrights and Copywrongs and Free Culture (available online) make the point in more detail, if you're interested. And take a look at Wendy Seltzer's article "Craft and Copyright" in volume 6 of Craft magazine for the most balanced, reasoned, sensible advice on copyright I've seen—a far cry from the many scaremongering articles that combat quilters' and crafters' myths about copyright with more myths. OK, now I can put the soapbox away.

Hippo quilt finished!

I was binding on the plane and then on the entire train journey from London up to Grasmere (where the quilt fended off anyone who might have snagged the open seat beside me), but I managed to get the quilt done just in time! Megan seemed very pleased with it, and it was not the only hippo-related item in her wedding booty—so my fears that perhaps her fascination had faded were assuaged!

A sunny day somehow got sandwiched in between clouds and rain in the Lake District, which made the wedding even nicer. And it was lovely to catch up with my English friends, of course—and to give my binding fingers a rest!

(You can see the quilting better in this photo.)

The back

The label

Considering the rush, I'm happy with how it turned out, and more importantly I'm glad Megs and Neil liked it too. Worth every stitch!

Hippo quilt update

Sorry, no photos, as I'm getting my bits together to head to the airport for my friend's wedding. The hippos are all quilted—just in diagonal channels, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Only hand-sewing the binding remains, so I'll be that bizarre character needling away at a hippo-covered blanket in the airport terminal. Say hello if you run into such a creature—it'll be nicer than the inevitable stares!

Hippo quilt, part IV

Well, it was a late night, but I got the top done in time for my guild meeting this morning!

(Are the smaller prints doing some freaky moiré stuff on your screen, too?) The piecing was actually a breeze, especially with my amazing, wonderful, how-did-I-live-without-it sewing machine. But oh, the cutting. How I cursed myself for making a pattern with all the blocks different sizes. I'm pleased with how it looks, though, and I think Megan will like it too.

And sure enough, I discovered who amongst my guild had sold the fabric—it was Carol, who'd organized our quilt show's boutique (and probably contributed a hefty chunk of the wares). She's not a computer user, but thanks for the fabric, Carol! And for the inspiration, as well, since the colour scheme, type of secondary prints, and appliqués all came from the hippo fabric.

Now I've got a week to get it quilted and bound. Stitching in the ditch probably won't work, since some of the blocks are pretty big. I'm thinking probably some sort of diamond grid (interrupted where the appliqués are), but if anybody's got any brilliant ideas, I'm open. It just has to be straight lines—I'm still getting up to speed on free motion!