Creative Life Sampler

Color to Black & White ©Lauren Klementz-Harte 2020 If you're looking for something to decorate your wall, look no further than your own photo collection! Recently, I was on a search through photo files and found some pictures of every day scenes. As I wondered why I had captured each moment, I began to experiment with photo editing options.  This is my original color photo of a back road on sunny spring day: When converted to black and white, it is transformed. And, with a bit of cropping, this average, every day photo of a country setting becomes an art piece that evokes a nostalgic feeling.  There are a couple of things that make a photo a good candidate for this process. 1) Photos that have strong areas of light and shadows will translate into black and white well. If the picture relies on bright color to catch the eye, it may not be as interesting when that color isn't there.  2) Look for photos that have shapes or contours that a

Two Quilt Panels United (4 of 4) Last week I showed several options for the top of this quilt. Here is the final setting. Since the piece is square, with an even number of blocks, I elected to divide my area into quarters and distribute the blocks to each quarter so there would be equal distribution of color across the entire top. Blocks set in quarters ready to be joined.   When the four large blocks were intact, two quarters were combined for a panel and sandwiched with the batting and backing fabric. Smaller panels are much easier to quilt, so I quilted the two halves separately. Two halves quilted, waiting to be seamed. I stopped short about five inches from the edge where they would be joined in the center so the panels could be seamed after they were quilted. Batting and backing fabric were folded away from the top and the two halves sewn together. Then the batting was put back over the top. There is a choice to make at this step. If the two sides of bat

Making Progress  (3 of 4) The project I introduced last week is moving along now. The top is pretty much together and then it will be sandwiched with the batting and a backing fabric for quilting. Each block unit was created by mixing and matching two of my fabric choices in a random way.  I enjoy playing with the different combinations of patterns and colors. But the downside to this approach is that there is no predictable placement for each block within the whole when it is time for them to come together. So, I cleared a space on the floor and began placing the blocks to see which setting “speaks to me” as the final version of the quilt top. This stage can cause a lot of head scratching and I seldom settle on the first option without considering multiple arrangements. I lay out the blocks, take a quick cell pic to document it, and then rearrange them for a new setting. Here are two choices considered: In the example on the left, I grouped the blocks

Quilt Block Construction Continued (2 of 4) A complete block in this pattern consists of 4 squares with a light center and 5 squares with a dark center, or visa versa, as shown below. Now we can join our individual blocks,... keep your iron hot. Pressing the corner seams toward the darkest color makes it easier to line up these short seams as the blocks are joined. Place a dark centered over a light centered square and the seam of the block on top lays to one side, the seam on the bottom block goes in the other direction. Held between your fingers at the point where seams align, they will bump right up to each other and feel even across the thicknesses on both sides of that seam. The goal is to line up all the seams precisely,... but relax, it's just a goal! The quilt will still keep you warm at night if they don't all align. 😉 When you have a row of three, press the seams open. This will make it easier to join one row to another. Three rows create a

New Project   (1 of 4) It started with a friend’s gift: several lengths of brown fabrics carefully folded and neatly tied with a ribbon. I didn’t have much to add from my stash, so I began picking up the odd fat quarter when something caught my eye. Before I knew it, I had a small plastic storage box packed with fabrics waiting for a quilt pattern. So, after reaching one dead end after another on my quest to finish up projects in the last couple of months, I decided to tackle the “box of brown.” I was looking for a simple pattern that would come together quickly, so I could finally complete something. But I also wanted to show off the varied patterns and wide range of browns I’d collected. My quilt pattern of choice is called Melon Patch in several quilt books, but like so many quilt designs it has many aliases. (A quick online search shows Snowball is it's current favorite name, as another design is also titled Melon Patch .)  Patterns that play with optical i