when birds walk in concrete

Rooftop Gardening in Brooklyn

2011-07-09T21:17:00.009-04:00

So, I have officially ventured into the world or rooftop gardening and it's thrilling. It all started with a conversation with my neighbors who revealed that there was no longer a padlock on the door to our roof. I'd been busy planting around the trees in front of my apartment, had approximately three 3'x3' plots to my name. They were all nearly filled with flowers. So, last week I begin rooftop gardening.

Some of the things I learned from my online research were:

Use lightweight plastic pots - or be creative with plastic waste baskets or storage
Good drainage is essential
Plan on watering daily
Use mulch as a top layer to keep soil damp.

Knitted Floor Cushion

2011-05-22T23:36:00.000-04:00

This pattern is from Last Minute Knits by Joelle Holverson. I used Lion Brand Wool Ease in Navy (which made it much less expensive).

Scrappy Log Cabin Baby Quilt

2011-04-12T16:54:00.002-04:00

Close up of free motion quilting.

Baby boy quilt, a present for my cousin's first baby.

String Doll Quilt, Many Blues

2011-02-08T13:34:00.004-05:00

A teeny little doll quilt for my friend's little girl, who has been known to pick up a bathmat and use it as a blankie for her doll. The squares are about 4" each.

Antique Quilt Collection

2011-01-16T04:09:00.005-05:00

There are a number of antique quilts at the building I work in. They are used as decoration for a few of the conference rooms. I don't have information about the history of any of them, but wanted to share.

Baby Stars Quilt

2010-12-06T00:13:00.004-05:00

This is a baby quilt made from 1/2 square triangles (used something called thangles and they were amazing, a super fast & easy way to make them http://www.thangles.com/). I used Microsoft Word to create the monogram and then embroidered it using a satin stitch.

Blooming Nine Patch Quilt (actually four patch)

2010-10-15T12:11:00.006-04:00

I took yet another class at the City Quilter in NYC on making a Blooming Nine Patch quilt. Our teacher has made a number of them and came to realize that there is no visible difference between a nine or a four patch. So, of course I took the easier option. This was a gift, so I used warmer color choices than usual. I used this company for longarm services (http://www.thequiltstudio.net/index.htm). They were great, inexpensive (one flat rate for all designs), helpful in picking out a border color over the phone, and kindly walked a novice (moi) through the process.

Shibori Hand Dyed Fabric Pillow

2010-10-15T11:43:00.004-04:00

I took a fabric dyeing class at City Quilter here in NYC. The class was fabulous and included some arashi dyeing. This was done using the Shibori technique and then sewn into this pillow.

Work in Progress String Quilt & Temporary Design Wall

2010-08-03T12:56:00.006-04:00

A work in progress string quilt. I'm also using a temporary design wall which is nothing more than a 99 cent store table cloth taped to the wall with duck tape. It's working beautifully! It took two rows of duck tape, including the sides, to make it stay.

Quilts from the Smithsonian Museum

2010-07-16T12:54:00.009-04:00

"Art is a birth, and you can't go to a teacher and find out how to be born... you have to struggle... until that image, the one that comes out of your need to create, emerges."
Malcah Zeldis 1978

This quote was written on the wall at the Smithsonian Museum in the Folk art section, appropriate because folk art is consider work by artists with no formal training. Here are a couple quilts I enjoyed from the Folk Art section. They have a fairly large collection of quilts at the Smithsonian, but aren't always able to have them all on display. So, their website is a good alternative for viewing them.

Untitled
1986 Cora Meek

Coke Covers the World
1992 Otesia Harper

Technicolor Dream Blanket

2010-04-23T00:37:00.007-04:00

This blanket is made entirely of scraps using a knit stitch throughout. I'm holding two strands together when switching to a new yarn in order to avoid weaving in all the ends.

Amish Quilt from American Folk Art Museum

2010-04-23T00:15:00.008-04:00

These photos are from the American Museum of Folk Art in New York City, a delightful, pint-sized museum next door to the Museum of Modern Art. This Amish quilt was made in Lancaster, PA using a traditional pattern. There are some great quilts displayed on their website that were not on display at the museum. http://www.folkartmuseum.org/

The picture below is a photo I snapped of a JCrew window display. Prior to being aware of Amish quilts in the style above (although, probably subliminally aware of them), I thought that this would make a great modern quilt design.

American Folk Art Museum Quilts

2010-04-22T23:33:00.010-04:00

These are a few quilts I saw at the American Folk Art Museum in New York, a charming and very tiny museum next door to the MOMA. The plaque next to the first quilt said that the makers name was so prominent in the quilt, because there were few ways for women to get recognition at the time. Also, labels were necessary for practical reasons as textiles were expensive. http://www.folkartmuseum.org/

Chartreuse Cowl

2010-04-22T23:12:00.008-04:00

This cowl was made without a pattern. I just cast on 16" size 10.5 circular needs until full and used knit stitch throughout. It became looser/larger and I was able to wrap it around twice, which I prefer. The yarn is LB Collection Silk Mohair in Sunbeam, available here: http://cache.lionbrand.com/

Manly Cable Scarf

2010-02-25T15:33:00.006-05:00

Cabled scarf made from free pattern from Lion Brand (avail for free on their website) using their Alpine Wool.

Purple Migration Quilt

2010-02-25T15:00:00.007-05:00

This quilt started off with a few fat quarters and a desire to play with color. I just kept collecting shades of purples, blues & pinks to merge with one another. It's machine quilted with two different shades of variating thread.

Baby Kimono Sweaters

2010-02-25T14:40:00.005-05:00

I love making these little sweaters. I'm currently working on my fourth. The pattern is from Greetings from Knitcafe. I used a Lion Brand Yarn (LB Collection Cotton Bamboo), which made it a particularily enjoyable knit. More details at Ravelry. http://www.ravelry.com/projects/afaulhaber/judys-grandmothers-baby-sweater-2

Berlin Scarf

2009-12-01T15:41:00.009-05:00

Scarf made using the Berlin scarf, pattern avail at http://www.purlbee.com/. Made with Alchemy Migration yarn in Hummingbird colorway.

Antique Quilt

2009-12-01T15:37:00.004-05:00

Photo of an antique quilt owned by my cousin, who's also an avid quilter.

Knitted Hat

2009-12-01T15:34:00.005-05:00

Little hat, knitted as a gift from the book Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Holverson (of Purl). Available at http://www.purlsoho.com/.

Citrus Coin Quilt

2009-12-01T15:30:00.004-05:00

This is a little baby quilt, a commission as part of a crib set. It was fun to make and came together very easily & quickly. I machine quilted around each row of coins, which was also simple and fun.

NYC - View from the Subway

2009-09-30T16:33:00.002-04:00

Portland, OR - Classical Chinese Garden

2009-09-30T15:35:00.003-04:00

This gorgeous, authentic Chinese garden is located in Portland, OR. It was created as part of a "garden exchange program". Read more here, http://www.portlandchinesegarden.org/

London

2009-09-30T15:30:00.003-04:00

Green

2009-09-30T15:27:00.002-04:00

Just a lovely, to me, little scene, very green and movie set looking.

Woolen Mittens

2009-09-30T15:15:00.003-04:00

These little brown mittens were a request from a friend who wanted brown mittens suitable for snowball fights.

The yarn is Organik (70% organic merino, 15% silk, 15% baby alpaca) and it was lovely to work with, also had a nice heathery color tone, which I love.

The pattern was from a book, The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, purchased at Purl in Soho New York and avail online: http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/305. I have used this book many, many times and would highly recommend it as it allows you to use any type of yarn you like. It feels like the step before creating your own patterns and has helped me to understand better how a pattern works.

Antique Pillow

2009-09-30T15:05:00.002-04:00

This lovely little pillow belongs to a friend of mine. I was so taken by it that I had to share. I'm inspired by the rainbow of sophisticated colors and the time that must have been spent making it. I believe I've seen this technique (tiny protruding triangles) used as edging in quilts before, but do not know the term for it. Anyone? Thanks you for the response, these are praire points!

Baby Boy String Quilt

2009-09-30T14:29:00.002-04:00

This is a string quilt made entirely from scraps and string tied. It was incredibly fun to make as the process was a free form one.

Cathedral Windows Pincushion

2009-07-08T11:03:00.000-04:00

Here is a little pincushion I made, my first attempt at Cathedral Window quilting. It is a time consuming process, but worth the effort for smaller projects. I have aspirations to make a white silk pillow with purple, blue & white hand dyed, almost a tie dye style, fabric "windows".

I used the book Cathedral Window Quilts: The Classic Folded Technique and a Wealth of Variations. It's well written and easy to follow. The difficulty comes from the complexity of the process, but the author has done a great job simplifying it and including step-by-step illustrations. The author is a true artist and has explored, and I believe, invented a number of variations on this technique, so there are several other great quilt patterns included. The book is available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cathedral-Window-Quilts-Technique-Variations/dp/0715327135/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Baby Boy Quilt

2009-07-07T12:07:00.003-04:00

I'm afraid that this is the only rather bad photo that I have of this quilt. The dark portions turned out a bit too dark so the patterned details aren't showing up. This was a commissioned quilt, using quite a few Japanese fabrics.

Fabric Card Obsession

2009-07-07T12:04:00.001-04:00

Here is yet another set of fabric cards. I love making them as it's such a freeing creative process, the small little cards are a non-imposing palette. I would like to someday use this method to make an entire quilt, foundation piece each square as it's own little entity and then join them together with sashings.

Wool Quilt

2009-07-07T11:58:00.001-04:00

Here is a wool quilt I made for a friend of mine, based on her design and fabric choices. It's made from felted wool, purchased from City Quilter in NYC. I actually used a linen fabric for the backing and was worried about working with it, but it worked out fine. I also used a walking foot when piecing the quilt as the wool was quite thick, particularily the plaid squares.

Toadstool Baby Rattle

2009-07-07T11:45:00.001-04:00

I have made so many of these, but neglected to photograph them. They are easily made from scraps of Koigu yarn (which I love to use for making the baby blanket from Stitch & Bitch, photos to come). The pattern is available from Purl Soho here: http://www.purlbee.com/toadstool-babyrattle/.

Little Tote Bag from SEW: sew everything workshop

2009-07-07T11:31:00.000-04:00

Here's a little tote bag I made for a little girl using a pattern from the book SEW: sew everything workshop by Diana Rupp. It was an easy pattern to follow, next time I would attach the handles on the inside for a neater look. The fabric is from the "Drawing Room" series by Anna Maria Horner.

Baby Bib

2009-07-07T11:23:00.000-04:00

A little baby bib, made using pattern from Etsy (http://www.jcasa.etsy.com/). The pattern was quite simple, and I loved that it included some quilting and soft batting. I was a little confused on attaching the binding, but made it work.

Koigu Knitted Baby Blanket

2009-06-25T17:08:00.001-04:00

I adore making these baby blankets. I have made at least a half dozen of them. My favorite part is choosing the yarn color. The pattern is from Stitch 'n Bitch by Debbie Stroller. It's a great book, and my go to book for instructions as it has clear, cartoon-style illustrations of various stitches.

Turquoise Waters Quilt

2009-06-25T17:03:00.001-04:00

This quilt was a fabric driven quilt. A few fabrics I'd been collecting called out to me, desirous of being made into a quilt. The pattern of partial log cabin blocks, blending together of one pattern into the next, was also fabric driven. It's hand quilted, which surprisingly didn't take that long. At the moment, I prefer hand quilting to the idea of stuffing a too large quilt under my sewing machine and manoeuvring it.

My inspiration came from the book Log Cabin. I love this simple, tiny book and constantly refer back to it. It does not contain any patterns but rather, a great number of variations of Log Cabin type squares, which allows for individual creativity. I particularily like how they show a multitude of arrangements and how the design shifts when the color is varied. It's available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Patchwork-Log-Cabin/dp/0715310844/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248193348&sr=1-8

WIP - Japanese Squared Quilt

2009-06-25T11:33:00.001-04:00

This is another work in progress. I have been obsessively purchasing Olympus fabric packs from Purl Patchwork (http://www.purlsoho.com/) and City Quilter (http://www.cityquilter.com/) in Manhattan. The are packaged in such a way that you never know what gorgeous fabrics you're going to get. I feel like a little kid with a present. The squares are approx 3.5" and I used leftover wool coating to make a 1" sashing.

WIP - Grandma's Flower Garden quilt

2009-06-25T10:53:00.001-04:00

This is very much a work in progress. I have been working on this quilt since April of 2007. It's nearly a throw size now, but I'm hoping for something closer to full size. I'm using lots of Liberty of London fabrics as it only requires a tiny amount of each fabric.

My inspiration was this antique quilt. I think the small pieces made it incredibly soft and cozy.

String Quilt

2009-06-25T10:16:00.001-04:00

This is a string quilt made entirely from scraps! I was inspired by this string quilt: http://www.filminthefridge.com/2009/04/24/a-colorful-string-quilt/. This was an incredibly fun quilt to make, also so satisfying to use up scraps!

Habu Yarn Cowl

2009-04-02T16:00:00.002-04:00

This is a little cowl I made out of necessity, having only a small amount of Habu yarn. I purchased the great round clear buttons from M&J Trimmings (http://www.mjtrim.com/), a truly amazing and inspirational store in New York City.

Camara Case

2009-01-08T15:42:00.000-05:00

Here's a little bag I made so my camera will survive in my purse (after one fatality). I just quilted two pieces of fabric and made a little pouch based on the sizing of the bubble wrap bag that came with the camera. I sewed binding, in quilting fashion, around the edges. It was very satisfying to make exactly what I needed, and not have to use an extra large black camera bag with straps and side pockets.

More Fabric Coasters

2009-01-08T15:36:00.000-05:00

A few more fabric coasters, made from my favorite 4" Japanese fabric packs. They sell them at the counter of the quilt shop (City Quilter in NYC) where I love to go to on my lunch breaks. They are completely sealed up so one can only see two of the many fabrics contained inside. It's such a tease I always end up buying one. I'm planning on making an entire quilt from them (I have enough).

More Fabric Notebooks

2009-01-08T15:22:00.000-05:00

Just a few more fabric cards. I made these using my favorite Moleskin notebooks, the small
3.5" x 5.5" variety. These ones have graph style paper.

Fingerless Gloves

2009-01-08T15:12:00.001-05:00

Here is a little pair of fingerless gloves I made, using instructions found here (http://www.purlbee.com/greenaway-fingerless-gloves/). I omitted the eyelet edging near the fingers and also made them a bit longer as I had extra yarn. I used one skein of Alchemy Yarns, Hand Painted Sanctuary, a lovely wool & silk blend.

Fabric Notebooks

2009-01-07T10:39:00.000-05:00

A few notebooks I made, based on the instructions in Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Holverson (available here: http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/our_books). For the first two, I used iron on vinyl to give them more strength. I recycled a few dead quilting ideas in the process (first: paper piecing a million purple hexagons together, third: a log cabin quilt using black & whites w/olive green centers). These measure 5.25" x 8.25".

Vintage Japanese Fabric

2009-01-07T10:26:00.000-05:00

This fabric has lovely white sashiko style top stitching along the edges and down the center. I purchased it from Kimono Lily (http://www.chuu.com/shop/dc/home) at the Brooklyn Flea Market (http://www.brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/), which is so fabulous. It embodies everything I love about living in Brooklyn, great down to earth people living in a huge city as if it were their little neighborhood.

Embroidered Drawstring Bag

2009-01-07T10:01:00.000-05:00

I used the instructions here : http://www.purlbee.com/lucky-gift-bags/ from Purl Bee for an embroidered bag, but altered it slightly. I omited the top stitching, and I used Microsoft Word for the font for the initials.

Golden Globe Vase

2009-01-07T09:57:00.000-05:00

This is a small pot that I made. I love how "mistakes" can add to the creative process. The small bumps near the rim were added to cover a blemish and I ended up loving them.

Modern Crazy Quilt

2009-01-07T09:42:00.000-05:00

This is the quilt born of scraps from the quilting class with Denise Schmidt. I added some black and white fabrics and used a few curved seams for interest. I quilted it in straight lines and the backing is an electric blue.

Denise Schmidt Quilting Class

2008-12-16T08:50:00.000-05:00

I had the privilege of attending a Denise Schmidt (http://www.dsquilts.com/) quilting class last spring. It was an amazing experience, even the train ride from New York to her studio in Bridgeport, CT was delightful. I incorporated my patchwork squares from this class into a quilt, still a work in progress, so no photos yet, but it's nearly finished.

About Town

2008-12-15T17:18:00.000-05:00

Just a few things that struck me, some in a humorous way. I have had a lovely daydream of traveling around the country photographing all the different varieties of rideable (for children that is) animals, spaceships, etc in photo #2. Perhaps someone has already done this and made a coffee table book out of their photos?

Abstract Subway Art

2008-12-15T17:06:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately for those of us who live in New York, the subway system is not in the very best of repair. Fortunately for me, the layers of old paint mixed with rust make for beautiful abstract designs.

Lavender Quilt

2008-12-15T17:04:00.001-05:00

Small quilt with fussy cut centers, hand quilted down center of "logs" or strips.

Blue Sky

2008-12-15T17:01:00.000-05:00

1) Sculpture outside the Louvre in Paris

2) Trees in Manhattan

3) Row of trees on grounds of Versailles

Colors

2008-12-15T16:56:00.000-05:00

1) Fruit stand in Paris (even fruit looks better in French!)

2) Flowers in Madison Square Park

3) Flowers on grounds of Castle in Poland

beneath my feet....

2008-12-15T16:49:00.000-05:00

Landscape-like scenes carved into beaten sidewalks. Some of them strike me as the perfect inspiration for random square/rectangle quilts.

Twin Quilts

2008-12-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

My cousin had twin baby boys, so I made them soft, fluffy yarn tied quilts.

Golden Yellows

2008-12-15T16:10:00.000-05:00

1) Storefront in Paris

2) Wallpaper at Grand Trianon on Versailles Grounds

3) Marketplace in Krakow, Poland

4) Rusty barrel, NYC streets

Wedding Cake

2008-12-15T15:55:00.000-05:00

I made my friends wedding cake! After many, many trial runs and force-feeding friends samples of frosting, it's finished! I used the book Wedding Cakes You Can Make by Dede Wilson; although in retrospect I think it was a bit too detailed for what I needed. Aka, this cake, and particularly the frosting, were built to withstand extreme temperatures, but the wedding was in the Fall in Brooklyn, so perhaps not necessary. I made white and dark chocolate leaves interspersed with the roses for decoration.

New York - Photos Around the City

2008-11-11T11:44:00.000-05:00

View of the city and the Manhattan Bridge photographed from the Brooklyn Bridge. This was a glorious day for walking.
The little pond in Madison Square Park near my office.

View of the Empire State buidling

Knitting Needle Case

2008-11-11T11:39:00.000-05:00

This is a little knitting needle case that I made, using a pattern from the book Stitch and B*tch. It allows you to customize the pockets so they fit your needles exactly. I used Japanese fabric for the interior and soft as butter, turquoise suede fabric (recycled from a dress I never wore) for the outside, so it's very durable.

Fabric Coasters

2008-11-11T10:55:00.000-05:00

Here are a few coasters, made from Japanese fabric pack containing a gorgeous array of 4" squares, purchased at City Quilter in NYC. I used a temporary basting spray (which I adore and use for all my quilts, no more hand or pin basting for me!) to attach the batting to one side of the coasters and then simply stitched them up as you would a pillow.

Fabric Notecards

2008-11-11T10:34:00.000-05:00

Here are a few notecards with their coordinating envelopes made from fabric scraps and paper, a variation on a project in Denise Schmidt's book Quilts. I used Claire Fontaine note paper for the card because I loved the color. The gorgeous colors helped to inspire different fabric combinations.

Color - Green

2008-11-11T10:33:00.000-05:00

A few shots of saturated green, love the lushness of it.

Lavender, Pink & Turquoise Quilt

2008-11-11T10:21:00.000-05:00

This quilt was made from the same pattern as my black & white quilt, by Denise Schmidt. This is actually the very first quilt I ever made. I later learned (in quilting class taught by Joelle Holverson of Purl Patchwork) that "solids allow your quilt to breath", an important lesson, as I was imagining a sophisticated quilt when I'd picked out my fabrics. This ended up with a more tropical, fun feel to it.

Crazy Log Cabin Quilt

2008-11-11T10:17:00.000-05:00

This is a crazy log cabin quilt, inspired by another adorable baby in my life, Maxwell. I simple cut small strips of various fabrics and sewed them onto fondation squares. This was a fun, creative process, although a bit tedious as I'd cut very tiny pieces of fabric, but I think that added something to the finished piece.

Here is a close up shot of one of the squares.

Pinwheel Quilt

2008-11-11T10:00:00.002-05:00

Another small quilt, designed for a baby, inspired by my cousin's daughter Riley. Making this was a fun process, as I just used fabrics I had on hand and allowed my idea/vision to evolve as I went along. I'm finding that method works best for me (at times I do run out of fabric, but I view it as one of the hazards of creativity).

Here's a close up. The striped fabric in the center is by Alexander Henry, one of my favorites! I had it long arm quilted by New Pieces in Berkley, CA and was very pleased with their work. http://www.newpieces.com/about.php

Color - Pink

2008-11-11T09:41:00.000-05:00

Tropical incredibly pink plant on vacation in Puerto Rico.

Pink, pure unadultrated petunia pink, actually nothing more than the painted edges of a screens at a neighborhood bodega, but beautiful to me because of the intensity of the color.

Black & White Denise Schmidt Quilt

2008-11-07T23:38:00.000-05:00

Here are photos of a black & white quilt made last year using a pattern from Denise Schmidt which is available for free on the Free Spirit website. It is also included in her book, "Denise Schmidt Quilts" which is wonderful.

Treehouses in the Park - Tadashi Kawamata

2008-11-07T11:31:00.000-05:00

This lovely exhibit by Tadashi Kawamata was recently installed in Madison Square Park, which I view as "my park" since I walk through it twice a day to and from work. It was marvelous to smell the pine boards and watch with wonderment while these works of art were being built high up in the trees. According to the New York Sun, Mr. Kawamata creates "site-specific sculptural installations." Please google him and look at his other works which vary amazingly.

PS - The squirrels in the park seem to love the tree houses as much as I do.

Pink & Brown, Japanese & Batik Quilt

2008-11-07T11:21:00.000-05:00

Here are photos of petite quilt I made last year from Japanese and Batik fabrics. This was a wonderful creative experience for me, the two patterns "sang" when placed next to each other. I hand quilted this one using a bright navy thread.

Rectangle Log Cabin Quilt w/Japanese Fabrics

2008-11-07T11:05:00.000-05:00

Just completed this quilt for my friends' wedding gift (I believe Miss Manners says you have 1 year to give gift after wedding, right?). This is a rectangle log cabin quilt made from primarily Japanese fabrics, purchased at my favorite store Purl Patchwork in Soho New York. I hand quilted this one at a rate of about 1 square per 2 hours.