More block talk - Sharon Boggon

Ever see a block and you just can't stop looking at it.  What about the block makes it so captivating?  I was asked to feature more blocks, specifically brighter blocks and I will.. But before I do I must lay out the basis for how I look at blocks...  Several years back I took a three-day workshop from Sharon Boggon and before she addressed technique, fabric choice, seam treatments, etc.,  she talked about design elements of a harmonious block and to this day I use the notes from her workshop.

It is mainly four parts...

1. Contrast - not only light/dark but also rough/smooth, shiny /dull, soft/hard, quiet/bold etc. (Contrast adds interest.)

2. Echoing - repetitions and variations

3. Movement including directional elements and rhythm. 

4 Focal point and/or theme.. not all blocks have either a focal point or theme..

And my definition of a harmonious block is when all parts complement  each other and the whole. 

And what better block to look at but one of Sharon's.  If you follow her work you see she rarely uses printed images.  I can only think of two examples.  The best word I can use to describe her work is BOLD!!!

Here the focal point of the block is the mass of embroidery lower right.  She uses these large floral clusters on a lot of her blocks and I love them.




But since it covers such a large area Sharon chose to have the entire upper left with quiet unadorned space to balance out the block...  The large print upper right look like a heavier weight and it is contrasted with the pinkish satin/silk and the gray linen.  Not everything needs to be silk... a point to keep in mind.

And the elements in this floral mass are not random.. each flower and bead works to move your eye around the block.

All the little floral beads are like musical notes whisking you along.

Notice the large print of heavy decorator fabric upper right.

This had to be her inspiration piece as all the colors of the fabrics, thread and ribbons are drawn from this one small patch of fabric.  It is a very bold print and Sharon leaves it open.

This is a great way to pick a color palette for a piece of needlework.  Just find a print that speaks to your heart and use it as a guide.

So this is a limited palette and very soothing.  But a limited palette can also be vivid and energized as I will show you soon.

We don't have to look far to see echoes and it is the flower in the  inspiration fabric.. it is repeated in various forms all over the block.

And the triangle/fan shape is repeated again and again in the seam work...  I swear Sharon can do a bullion in 2 seconds..







Her style is very unique and different than most stitching in the United States.. She wrote a wonderful article for cqmagonline and not only should you read it but print a copy as well. As I show you more blocks I plan to show you many different styles of CQ but you can find contrast, variation and movement in all of them.. 

Beth Norris's perfect little heart.

Crazy Quilt International recently held a little challenge.  Each entry had to use this heart pattern which is quite small... I believe I remember it was 4".  This entry was by Beth Norris and I was so taken with it that I wanted to share it with you.  If I were teaching a beginning crazy quilt class I could use this one small piece of needlework to illustrate all I think is important for success..  For me the main goal for  every piece I stitch is   is "harmony" and this is indeed a harmonious piece and I want to point out why in case you missed it..

 

First of all there is the color... You cannot go wrong with a limited palette as it is instant harmony.  It is the most important thing I admire about Sharon Boggon's work... She takes a limited palette and makes it sing!  Here Beth chose only shades of beige and turquoise.

 

Next is how she used the shape of the patches.  The heart pattern itself makes an odd shape patch obvious and Beth not only embraced this shape she accentuated it by using a curved design...  The needlework is working "with" the curve of the heart.

Likewise is true with the bottom of the heart.  Not only once, but repeatedly, she echoed the shape.  Repetition or echoing an element is another sure way to a successful block and I urge students to actively include this in their work...

Throughout this small piece she repeated or echoed elements.  Here in these very linear stitching techniques.

And again with the chain stitches

And in the circular shapes in the flowers and butterfly.

For me the most captivating patch was this long and narrow one.  Not a easy one to fill effectively.. But Beth did it so beautifully with this elegant fox.  The patch was not only long and narrow, it was wider at the bottom...  Notice how the shape of the fox fits perfectly.... brilliant.











Last but not least, please notice how every element moves your eye around the block.  There is not one thing that leads your eye out of the block.. even the ears and tail of the fox are directional.

I am looking forward to seeing more of Beth's work.  There is such a lot to learn and remember from this small piece.  Just lovely!!!

 

Painting again!!

It has been months since I've painted buttons and it felt good to be doing it again... To get going I have been adding some new critters and my favorite is the fawn.  These buttons are a little larger than a quarter... 1 1/8".  I have many more that will be going up over the next week.

They are available at https://www.etsy.com/shop/olderrose

 

 

 I can see well enough with my newest lamp.  But actually it's the hand rather than the eye that is critical.. People are always saying it must take very good eyes to paint so small but what is critical is a VERY steady hand...  Also the brain compensates for what the eye can't see and communicates with the hand..   If you were to take a pen and paper you would find you can write your name very well with your eyes completely closed. The brain "sees" what the hand is doing. Have you ever done those exercises where letters are all jumbled and you can still read the text...? It is the same principal.  So even with my distorted vision I'm finding that I can do it... But even still the most important thing is the steady hand...without that all is naught. 

Will the real Gerry stand up!

I've taken a break from needlework but want to get back to finishing the cottage books for the older granddaughters.  I had finished the corset books for the two youngest granddaughter except for the last page.

When I did a piece for the quilt alliance several years ago they were stressing the importance of personalizing your work for the future.  I think this is a grand idea and just now getting around to fine tuning a short narrative on me, cq, and the needle for the last page of all the books.

Short is hard... I don't want a full blown biography but am close to the  final version.
I also wanted to add a picture of myself.  I have many pictures of myself doing all sorts of things but only one of me with a piece of needlework and my chatelaine.  None actually stitching.   Lots of pictures of me cooking...my family loves to capture  me in the kitchen..  I was going to use the one in the garden as it is my semi-official photo for everything.  It is the one that was in Better Homes & Gardens a few years back.  Personally my favorite of myself is the one with the sheep.  I get warm and fuzzy feelings every time I see it.

 

Since I couldn't choose I decided to add a composite of my most favorite things.... stitching, cooking, gardening and animals...  Now back to work on the narrative.

 

The lady who used to cut my hair retired and sent me to someone else... She saw me the other day and asked if I was still going to M. and if so, she had done a terrible job on my hair.  I thought I looked fine... just goes to show ya!!!  It's grey and clean so it's the least of my worries and as I look at these pictures, it always looks terrible.

Yet another "operation rescue" plan...

Each summer I find perennials I want to rescue from the wild garden and tie a ribbon on them.  I make a list and in the spring I do move some if I can find the list but mostly I simply cannot find the plants or the ribbons.  So my new plan this year is to mark them with a huge  neon ribbon and move a lot of them in September.  In addition I have been taking pictures, making notes, and documenting where they are.  As you can see the wild garden is like a jungle when everything is blooming.

It is especially critical because many of the plants along the greenhouse (100 ft) have survived because any drop of moisture during the summer drained off the roof of the greenhouse and kept them alive... but now that the big storm took the roof off the greenhouse I doubt many of these perennials will survive...  

I have a lot of red maltese cross but this is the only surviving white one.. It is high on my list to rescue.  There is a gorgeous apricot one that I would love to have but I am resolute in never buying another perennial..

This isn't a particular favorite but it's an oddity because it has bright yellow flowers on its purple foliage

When I was marking this lysimachia I discovered a lovely small pink achillea right next to it... I have the perfect spot for it.  I used to have a red with yellow centers achillea called "Paprika" that I have been searching in vain for.

This is all that is left of a large clump of  Joe Pye Weed and it is so great for butterflies..


All in all I found and documented the position of about 30 perennials to move this fall.  Hopefully with the photographs and the locations documented this new plan will work...  If not, I am great at more new plans...

But some I will never find unless I clear a space around them immediately before all the weeds grow up.  One is this delightful dwarf, double perennial geranium.  It is a tiny plant (about 10" high) and the only double I have.  I had marked it in the spring but I could hardly find it yesterday so I will clear around it today..

And another one is a struggling little clematis buried in a huge clump of roses.  I especially want to save it but have no idea where to put it.  All the clematis  I bought this spring are doing beautifully.  I can hardly wait for them all to mature.

I am so grateful for all the perennials that not only survive but THRIVE with no water and no care and bring me great joy.. This is a large patch of knautia which is not particularly showy in the garden but it is a wonderful cut flower.. It is so unique and I never see it offered.

 Behind it is a big showy patch of perennial geraniums and a monster of my least favorite lavender, "Jean Davis.".  It was advertised as a pink lavender but is closer to dishwater grey...but it lives, thrives,  and smells wonderful..

And as a positive last thought.... The chain saw guy finally showed up unannounced one day.... covered in tattoos and in a massive pickup and he had to spit after every 5th word. ...but he worked like a demon for two days and got most of the downed trees cut up...  He would have finished but late in the second day he cut into an old apple tree and hit a yellow jacket nest.  He wants to come back so we will have him in the fall.  It will take DH until then to cut   all the branches up and haul them to clean green.. The larger stuff we will burn in the wood stove in the winter.