Author: -N-

Another Bag – The Rockport Tote

Between Inktober 2018, watercolors, tasks and errands, I have been working on another bag.  This one is in need of massive trimming of threads – so is the Boxy Tote – before it is done.  Then, it will be shipped off to a friend of 45 years “just because”!  It’s not perfect, but then nothing I ever do is, so that’s life, eh?

This bag is done with one piece of material and quilted every half inch on the body.  It’s called the “Rockport Tote” from Aunties Two.  The pattern is clearly written, and even better, there are videos to accompany it.  If you are interested, follow the preceding links and you will find them.  This project took me awhile to do – it spanned about 3 weeks, and in between a lot of stuff, I was champing at the bit to finish it.  I’m going to start another one next week – bags are in the works for Christmas presents.

The bag comes in three sizes – small, medium, large.  The small is tiny, perfect for little gifts and using up scraps of fabric.  I made the medium size.  The large is a bit bigger, but this one is a nice size to carry around.  Also, I was really happy to find this ceramic Celtic knot work button in my button box – it seems perfect for the bag.

 

One thing I am enjoying with my time off is the actual ability to have time.  If I was still working, I would be rushing and feeling pressed to finish this bag, and I think the whole project would have become a point of aggravation.  Slowing down requires having time, and in the time I have, I am finding I am enjoying working on things that would otherwise become frustrations.  My sewing skill is far from good, and my own rather casual approach to things doesn’t help.  Still, I do have time to do handwork (hand sewing) and picking apart seams or other bits that might not please me.  I have time to think about what I want to do, and time to set aside a project with the time to return to it.  All of a sudden the rush-rush-rush of my former daily life is gone.

And thus, another project completed.  I start a 5-week introduction to quilting class at Quilty Pleasures and another 2-day class to make another Rockport Tote.  Yes, you read that last right – I figure I would make one Rockport, and then make another, learning from my own experience, as well as that from Betsy, who taught the Boxy Tote class I took last month.  And, though I profess to dislike quilting, my thought is that learning how to cut and sew precisely, as needed for a good quilt, won’t hurt me or my sewing skills.  I can only improve.  And I know I will have a lot of fun in the process (and probably some frustrations, too.)

Inktober #31: Slice

Okay!  Today is Halloween, a day of gore and horror.  Inktober is not making this a “safe” subject for today, either – SLICE!  Really?  You can get pretty gruesome with that one.

So, with a hail to famous or infamous quotes, a slur on red velvet cake (which I dislike intensely), I bring you a slice of history, a slice of cake, a slice of the macabre, a slice of my own sick sense of humor, and best wishes for a fun and scary Halloween.

Creating My Own Watercolor Palette

Books abound about colors to use and to choose and why and wherefore.  The fact is that to understand them you have to use them.  Years ago, my palette was filled with the traditional cadmiums and earth tones and blues and such, and I am very comfortable with them.  I still love those colors as they are old friends with history and familiarity.

Today I decided to choose 18 colors.  Some are new-to-me (like quinacridones) in the past year, and some are old buddies, like the earth tones.  Here they are, as arranged on the palette:

  1. Burnt Sienna (Holbein)
  2. Burnt Umber (Schmincke)
  3. Raw Umber (Winsor & Newton)
  4. Raw Sienna (Daniel Smith)
  5. Quinacridone Gold (Winsor & Newton – last bit, along with Daniel Smith)
  6. Hansa Yellow Deep (M. Graham)
  7. Perinone Orange (Daniel Smith)
  8. Quinacridone Rose (Daniel Smith)
  9. Alizarin Crimson (M. Graham)
  10. Carbazole Violet (Daniel Smith)
  11. French Ultramarine Blue Fine (Daniel Smith)
  12. Cobalt Blue (Daniel Smith)
  13. Manganese Blue Hue (Daniel Smith)
  14. Colbalt Teal (M. Graham)
  15. Green Gold (Daniel Smith)
  16. Hooker’s Green (M. Graham)
  17. Sap Green (Holbein)
  18. Lunar Black (Daniel Smith)

Some of these paints are old and little is left in the tubes.  I took a chance and mixed two different brands of Quin Gold together – it might be interesting to see their differences when I use them on paper.

All of these colors sit really nicely in the wells except the Cobalt Teal, which is very runny and puddles.  I want to use it up and try a different brand – I have a tube of DS sitting in the wings – but it produces an extraordinarily beautiful green when mixed with Quin Gold.  Having used neither color in the past, that was a fun surprise.

Other new colors include Green Gold, Perinone Orange, and Carbazole Violet.  I’ve never had a violet on my palette until this past year!

When you think about it, modern chemistry and color chemistry affect us everywhere we are, from the colors of our clothes, to neon signs (replaced now with LEDs), to food, to who knows what!  Thus, it makes sense to use modern colors in a more modern watercolor palette.  Additionally, many of the colors made today are much more lightfast, which means less if any fading, compared to the more traditional colors.  A watercolor of 100 years ago was probably far more vibrant then than it is today.

Old friends include Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Raw Umber, Raw Sienna, Alizarin Crimson, French Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Manganese Blue (now a hue)), Hooker’s Green, Sap Green, and Lunar Black.

It was really difficult to choose these colors – like a lot of painters, I read about or see a color and go off to buy a tube.  There are some that are incredibly beautiful – but for a travel palette, even 18 colors may be a bit much.  For myself, I prefer to have a stable of greens rather than mixing them a lot.  I haven’t really taken the time to do it as the Sap and Hooker’s have been in the color stable for a long time.  Green Gold is totally new to me this year, so I thought I would include it.  This forced me to narrow down my blues and reds to a degree, as well as the addition of the Perinone Orange and Carbazole Violet.

Over the next several days I plan to use these colors, perhaps make some swatches and grids to see how they react to each other.  A “good” artist is inclined to do that . . . me, I get antsy unless I make it a goal!