PiMai, PopUps, and More!

I've been in the Lao northern province of Luang Prabang this week celebrating PiMai, or the water festival, or Laotian New Year. 

You read that right, week! It's a 3 day celebration, and includes New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and a day in-between they call "No Day". I don't quite understand that part, but it's a day not part of either year. 

Before we ran off to Luang Prabang, I finished this cute little thread catcher as I mentioned with some simple geometry to calculate the last piece I needed to upsize the pattern. 

So while it wasn't quite what I wanted elasticity-wise (it was a bit too long) it still folds down and works great!

I also started working on a mini I've had for ages. I've been so creatively stifled I think I need a quick finish to bring back my inspiration. 

I'm making it out of Piecemakers by Moda, a cute little sewing print collection I picked up a few years ago.

I like to keep quick minis on hand to help me get rolling again. This Moda Candy book I picked up a few years ago along with some stash and I'm rolling!

The colors look a bit bland when you first crack it open, but pair it right....

And I think it will pop even more once I have the light binding on it. 

I've started working cutting my Arcadia Avenue block of the month out because I just needed to start something new this week. 

Each block contains 12 colors, including a tint and shade of each color of the rainbow, along with a light, medium, and dark color. If that sounds like a lot of cutting, it is!

I decided cutting each half yard all at once would be more efficient than trying to cut all 12 solids for each block at once. 

Cue 12 ridiculous piles of fabric in my living room and leave me a thousand miles from being ready to piece!

I also decided I have to choose a different blue, as my darker blue blends in with the lighter colors too much. 

Instead, I've relegated the darker blue to being the lighter and have ordered Bella Periwinkle to serve as my darker color. 

In less frustrating news than having to wait 2 weeks and cut lots more before I can see any of those blocks finished, I worked on a scrap basket this week.

It's called a Fat Quarter PopUp, by the Fat Quarter Gypsy, and includes a spring in it so it does, indeed, pop up!

The small PopUp does take only a fat quarter, and purchasing the pattern also gets you a spring. 

It took around an hour to complete and holds my scraps quite well.

I purchased the pattern with the understanding measurements for all sizes were included in one pattern. I also purchased a medium sized PopUp spring expecting to be able to complete more than one size. 

Unfortunately, that is not the case. In order to have one with the -one- dimension necessary to complete larger ones, the seller wants customers to purchase another pattern at $10. 

I didn't feel like that was the most honest, so here goes my next one......

Ok, well, I ended up needing slightly different fabric for it, and it's still not done, but to be continued!

Skirts and Chaos

I'm slowly getting my sewing room back in order. It's still chaos, as everything was shoved into boxes and shoved from the room, but things are slowly turning up.  

I've also been working on the Figtree wool block of the month now that the thread arrived.  Working with wool is definitely different!

I like the feel and dimension the wool creates, but it can definitely be harder to applique. Those stems in the block on the left had to be resewn because I didn't apply enough glue and the wool shifted, leaving me with a wavy vine.

I've discovered that using extra glue (a lot of it!) holds it in place better and that reducing the foot pressure on my machine helps as well.

I've also been working on catching up on the 2016 Designer block of the month by Fat Quarter Shop. 

I have to say, some of these blocks don't photograph well, but in person and assembled they're great!

Last but not least, I found this lovely skirt out and about in Vientiane.  I love the lemons, I love the feel of the material, but they wanted entirely too much money for the work that went into it - particularly here, where an entire personally tailored dress costs less than $50 USD including material.

I think the problem is that it wasn't tagged and I'm a "falang" or "foreigner" here. A friend assured me the owner doesn't operate that way, so wish me luck when I go back to get that skirt! 

Hopefully they'll just order yardage for me to make a fresh skirt, otherwise I have some alterations (like lowering the waist, as it sits under my rib cage!) to tackle.

A Great Monday!

This is one Monday I'm super happy for! We moved back in this morning and most of my fabric made it out alive!  

There were a few casualties, mostly from some fabric I'd been planning to get rid of that I had to use to try to stop the flow of water coming in when the roof started pouring. 

The great news is that at this point I've been able to dry out all my fabric and everything is looking good.

I also protected my sewing machine and most everything else, the chandelier fell but it was after we'd already noticed it was going to go soon and quickly moved the furniture out.

They're coming today to finish installing the new chandelier and do some touch ups, so in the meantime I'm sitting in my empty sewing room.  

I'm not sure the floor will ever be clean again, even after all the mopping, but I'm going to give it another go before we get the furniture back in here.

The storm happened to be a particularly violent one and terrible wind, rain, and fist-sized hail wreaked their havoc on all the homes in our neighborhood. 

We're fortunate we didn't get hit with the storms Thailand got, some 500 of their homes have been obliterated by these.  Turns out over the last few years violent storms just open up the rainy season. 

I have some photos I'll share later, sorry for the boring, photo-free posts!

We're rearranging my sewing room, (good opportunity!) so I'll share photos of the wreckage and the aftermath soon. 

...The quest for my sewing room to be clean continues!

Sad day

Sorry to say today won't be a long post.

Friday we had a freak, flash storm that may well have been a tornado. The rain and wind were mor intense than any hurricane or tornado I have ever been through.

Within minutes my power went out three times and within five minutes water was pouring into my stairwell, into my guest rooms, and into my sewing room. 😢😢😢😢

I was forced to use fabric to try to stop the water from getting to the electronics, and I've definitely lost some of it.

Thankfully, we're safe, but I was worried when the ceiling over the stairwell collapsed because I wasn't sure I'd be able to get down.

Today we're fighting the battle to have somewhere to stay for the couple weeks it will take to repair, and I'm working on saving my stash. As of current moment I've found no mold or mildew, but as Laos is already humid I'm fighting time.

Do you have any tips on how to help me save it?  I'll post photos when we're done using them for official purposes. It's quite the tear-jerking sight. 

Right now power has finally been restored and I've been laying the fabric out in front of the air conditioners here, which do act as dehumidifiers, of sorts. I'm trying to locate a dehumidifier on our continent, but am not having much luck.

My sincerest hope your week is better than mine!

Trekking for Fabric

Hi all! Let me preface this week with I'm sorry I wasn't posting on time; I had everything set up and saw it posted, but I just got home to review and it seems they weren't showing up!

On to (last!) week's read...

Trekking for fabric...it sure seems to be what I do! 

This week, I'm doing it in Europe. 

This delightful little shop is in Munich, Germany.

Its name is Quilt u. Textilkunst and it's run by a delightful lady.  

The first time I tried to visit I learned how important Fat Tuesday is in Germany because the store was closed! 

According to a family member I recently found in Italy, it's quite important in Europe...who knew Mardi Gras was so global?

Anyway, back to the cute little shop...they've been there for almost 20 years now is what owner Christine Köhne told me!

The shop boasts everything from Moda to Robert Kaufman, to Japanese designers like Sevenberry and are all bright and colorful! 

I found an adorable pattern in Burda - which I never knew had quilting magazines!

And owner Christine kindly helped me convert everything to yards so I had enough fabric. I'll share a photo of that next week, as it's packed in my suitcase at the moment.

I visited Schloss Linderhof (Linderhof Palace) as well that day. There are hardly any photos as it was raining and photos weren't allowed in the house, but I found this image online, which shows Ludwig II's bed with a hand embroidered crest above it.

Can you imagine hand embroidering something that large??!!!

I love to see how old the art of sewing is and what beautiful things have been made.

We also stopped through Budapest briefly for a concert and I saw this beautiful design on one of the bridges...I think I'll be playing with EQ 7 when we get home! 

Here's from earlier today, when we followed GPS right onto a ferry! She could have warned us, but instead we were surprised...

But, in the end we aceded and enjoyed the pretty ride...

Here's my most recent finish from just the night before we left:

It's on its way to a lucky brand-new baby who I hope will love Dr. Seuss too!

And last but not least, here's what I'm working on this week since not much else was portable...

A cute little Vincent Van Gogh cross stitch. He's been my favorite artist as long as I can remember and I can't wait to hang this in my sewing room to inspire me.

While I miss my sewing room, tell me... 

What are you working on this week? 

Fabric in Singapore

Our next foray was to Singapore. Singapore has about 5.3 million people despite the fact that it's less than 300 square miles (or 72,000 hectacres, for my overseas readers).

We were lucky enough that the train system was amazing and we took it everywhere...and I saw Singaporeans love to sew, too! This lady was sewing by hand on a moving train! 

When the urge to sew strikes, you seize it, even if it's hand-appliqueing on a fast-moving train!

Once we'd seen some other sights, we visited a couple textile markets; Mustafa Centre and the People's Park Market. 

Let's talk about the People's Park Market - I've found when people say "Chinatown" in Singapore that they probably mean the People's Park Market. I realized this the hard way. We literally walked the streets of Chinatown in Singapore looking for it. 

Now, this was not without benefits, as we saw the Buddha's Tooth Relic Temple and Museum and walked the streets lined with markets, stalls, and food galore.

But unfortunately the lovely store I heard has Liberty of London fabrics that I've been dying to see in person was closed, as it was a Sunday. 

This was my first view of the textile floor - using the word fabric gets you sent to the clothing section.

Again, since it was Sunday a lot appeared to be closed, but there was still plenty open!

You have to be a bit careful here, because if you live somewhere that already has a great fabric selection, Singapore is kind of pricey already. 

So if you pick up a pretty bolt of Cotton & Steel you may find yourself looking at the equivalent of $20 USD/metre.  No thanks!

However, stumble into the right store (like the one pictured just below) and you'll find not only a cute little quilt shop, but one with great prices too! 

This one didn't have a name that I could see posted, but it's in the very back corner right before you get to the restrooms (take your own toilet paper!) and the stairs. If you enter from the long side of the building it's back left.

It's also very obvious from outside as well because you can see white shelving and they have fabrics on the outside but there's something...quilt-store-esqe about this cute little booth that I rarely see in this part of the world. 

No material on the floor, everything beautifully organized, and kind, smiling staff. 

I picked up 5 yards of peach with little white plus signs (this one vendor was yards, the rest are metres) for only $30USD! 

That made me happy enough to run to an ATM for more Singaporean dollars. 

This next store was just down the way on the same side and had a lovely lady who greeted me more cheerfully than most of the shops in the market.

She was kind enough to permit me to take a few photos, and when I mentioned I quilt she immediately said "so this market is like candy to you!"

Her store was also beautifully organized, and I just had to have a few prints from here too!

My other fabric stop was at Mustafa Centre, which you have to see to believe. It's five stories tall, located in Singapore's Little India, and a combination of Walmart and Costco on steroids!

It crosses a road and takes up several city blocks. Everything in that store has a massive wing and things are available at all price points.

Here's a first shot of the fabric section...!!! Unlike the People's Park Market, this place is very slightly less expensive for fabric, depending on what you're looking for.

Here's another small shot of the fabric section - it was at least 4-5 times the size of this photo. 

And some pretty shots of the bolts...

Here was my haul for the day...

I've already got plans to use those awesome grey dots in a quilt pattern I'm designing!

Here are some other highlights of the trip...the Singapore Art Science Museum had an M.C. Escher exhibit. I always love to see other artists' works in any mediums, and it was a true honor to see the work of such a famous one in person.

Above is his famous "Drawing Hands," 1948, Lithograph. It's hard to tell in the photos, but this is a very three dimensional drawing. The hands appear to come off the page!

And here is his "Relativity," 1943, also via Lithograph. 

Below are a few photos of quilts I forgot to show you in my posts on Kuala Lumpur.

My husband and I enjoy experiencing other cultures, to include learning about different religions, and when we visited the Islamic Arts Museum these hung in the gift shop... 

All of these pretty pieces were sewn by hand and reflect designs traditional to many places around the world that practice the Islam religion.

My favorite part was all the detail and looking closely at the needle-turned applique pillow. It reminds me that the sewing world is able to transcend any boundaries.

Making Batiks

My last foray in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for this trip was a great tour found by my husband and it included a trip to a store where they make batiks to learn about the process!

Some batiks painted on paper displayed in the shop

I had lessons on batik in high school, but it was on paper instead of fabric and I was curious to see if it was the same process.

 

I was greeted by sights of these lovely batiks immediately. Imagine my surprise when they didn't look anything like the ones you purchase in the stores most places!

Hand painted batiks...and the wax is still inconspicuously on both!

The Malays, as it turns out, took batiks and made them their own. You won't see anything that resembles the types of batik you are used to here unless it's been imported.

The Indonesians typically create prints by hand dyeing, machine work, or the low quality batiks are only printed on one side. The guide advised if we see a batik material that is not the same on both sides it is very low quality. 

The Indonesians also usually use what the Malays call a "block print," which means it has what we in the quilting world call a repeat.

Block print (Indonesian) vs. Sketching the print, which is typically more Malay

They call laying the wax Canting, and painting of the batik Coloring

Here are some photos detailing how the process usually works:

Typically you'd start by dyeing your fabric to begin with - that color is the color that will show through once you remove the wax. So if I wanted my designs on the material to show in yellow, I would dye it yellow first. 

Once it dries, it's time to sketch and then lay down your design in wax. The wax is layered on thick enough to sit on top of the material for later removal.

Then, as pictured below, you'd dye it in the color you want to show most. So if you look at the first photo in the post, that's a mint green. 

Then you leave it to dry, and would likely use color setting methods after this.

But that's how most places do it. In Malaysia, the Malays do it ALL by hand. And they start with a blank piece of silk.

The Malays create silk batiks and their process begins by drawing the wax on by hand. 

Their wax is put on more thinly and it's designed to mesh in with the material, creating a barrier all the way through the fabric instead of sitting on top to be removed later. 

Unlike your typical store-bought batiks though, they also don't waterproof these. They recommend having them laminated or sealed in some way and then framing them.

These are usually created as strictly art pieces.

Our guide here is demonstrating how he creates batiks. 

This particular artist is so confident he never sketches by hand first but instead goes straight in with the wax...how brave!

He was then generous enough to trust me with a batik he later intends to sell!

I held my breath and tried not to screw up his art!

Unlike the Indonesians, they don't seem to have a color/technique specialty by province, and it's all interpretation based on the artist.

 Look how pretty it is!  This painter tends to use more earthy tones in his work, but Malays have a wide variety of interpretations and color sets. 

I'm honored to know "my" work will be sold when he's finished 😄 Mine is the super awesome brown one in the center. Can you tell I'm born to batik? 😂

These are some of the tools they use in the laying of the wax.

These beauties are examples of the hand-painted batiks! I fell in love with the yellow and teal beauty in the center and had to have it! 

Really, I'd have bought them all, but just like quilts are art, these are too...which means they had the price tag to match!

"Hawaiian" shirts. These are made with the low quality batik the guide mentioned. They are perfectly suitable for clothing, but not quilting!

 Here are a few more lovely examples of art I saw around the shop, all created by different local artists...

And last but not least, what I took home...

This one was by my guide...I like to think those red spots are someone else's original work as well 😉

My best purchase on the whole trip! This was just after I unrolled it.

Well, that just about covers the fabric highlights of my trip to Kuala Lumpur.

It was really an honor to meet some artists, and even more of an honor when they thought my quilts were art too! 

I think it's safe to say I won't be cutting these up as quilts, but I will be finding a way to waterproof them, as I don't really want to frame them. I like them hanging brilliant and free the way they were when I spotted them.

Did you know how they make batiks? Are you ready to jump on a plane after seeing their gorgeous hand-painting?