granny love: show it off

This past week I've been busy getting my website all ready for the world to see. Lots of balancing in awkward poses to get the shot, but it was fun seeing all my finished pieces. I realized that I never showed this quilt, all bound and beautiful on the blog, so here it is!

You can read all about my process with this quilt in this post.

little scrappy quilt

Happy Thursday Lovies! First of all, I want to apologize for being so absent lately. If you saw my last post, you already know that my sweet dog, Solomon passed away recently. It has been so incredibly difficult for me. And the only way for me to stay sane is to throw myself into work. So, that makes for a really sweet baby quilt. This is the fastest quilt I've ever made, which is really surprising, because the whole thing is hand quilted. I know. I still can't believe I did it either.

I made this quilt in 18 days. And I think it's safe to say that this is my favorite quilt I've ever made. It has so much personality and I think it really shows a lot of me in it. This quilt began at our Savannah Modern Quilt Guild's "use up your scraps" Retreat. That's the best part- all of these are scraps! And I think in the end it looks like confetti, so that's pretty awesome. 

Alright, get ready for one big scroll party! See the Little Scrappy Quilt from start to finish.

A few days into the hand quilting, my elbow was killing me. I honestly believe I had "quilter's elbow," you know, like tennis elbow! I'm telling you, quilters are hard core. 

It needed a little POP!

All quilted! Each piece is quilted with a white pearl cotton, with about a 1/4 inch border. There are 4 scraps that have a radiant orchid border- gotta love that pantone color of the year!

 

Hand stitched binding, as always!

And it's done!

 

woven

I'm so excited to share some pieces from my portfolio! This is my collection of three. I designed three jacquard fabrics, wove them myself, and then made some awesome pillows. This has to be one of my favorite projects. Don't get me wrong, I obsessed with quilting, but this is something that I will probably never be able to do again. Well, that is, unless I can get my hands on a jacquard loom. Guess I have to do grad school at scad? Anyway, I can't explain the feeling of watching your design come to life. I drew these repeat patterns, and have loved them on the computer and paper, but to see them woven was unreal. I loved how each pass of the shuttle gave me another line of my pattern. Watching it grow was amazing. Eventually, I will put up all of my portfolio pieces, but not today. I only have TEN more days of college! So, I better get back to work.

And here are some process shots:

two weeks

That's how long I have until I leave this sweet village. Two weeks. I will be on a plane home to my family and I will have finished college. It's hard to wrap my head around that last part. Some days, I feel like these 4 years have completely passed me by, and others they couldn't go fast enough. But, I am so excited that they are almost over. 

It's been a stressful four years. Art school may seem like a cake walk, but it's really hard to put your work out there for people to so easily knock down. I put so much of my heart in each piece, and I want everyone to love it and respond to it like I do. When they don't feel the same, it's hard to swallow. Clearly I'm very excited that after these two weeks, I won't be graded anymore. I can make a quilt and not obsess over all the seams lining up. Although, knowing me, I will.

Wish me luck in my final days. We both know I'll need it.

lauris

Today we visited Lauris, another small town in Provence. We came to see the Jardin Conservatoire de Plantes Tinctoriales. It was such a beautiful trip. The garden is absolutely stunning and this isn't even in full bloom. We got an early tour since we are leaving before it opens, officially. Can you imagine how amazing it will be in a few weeks? This conservatory grows plants and flowers and then uses them to make natural dyes. Can I work here?

in a week

 Chef Fabrice held a cooking class so we could learn how to make some traditonal Provençal dishes.

::::::::saturday::::::::

 I came across this hunting store, and it obviously made me miss Bradley. He would have loved this.

::::::::sunday::::::::

 I pass by these beautiful pansies multiple times, everyday. They always cheer me up.

::::::::monday::::::::

 Today, I slept in. It was wonderful.

::::::::tuesday::::::::

 Today, we dyed with woad. And then the rain started.

::::::::wednesday::::::::

 We found this poppy field on the way to a fabric store. A great little moment.

::::::::thursday::::::::

Today, we went to Nîmes, and then to the Pont Du Gard.

::::::::friday::::::::

lyon

Last week we went to Lyon for one day. We left Lacoste at 5:30 am- so excited about that. By 8:30 we were in Lyon and ready to see Prelle! I could have taken four times the photos that I did and I still would have missed stuff. Everything here was gorgeous. Prelle is a family run company that has been in business for over 200 years. They specialize in handwoven fabrics. They have made fabrics for Versailles and the Biltmore Estate that cost about $4000 per meter. And Marie Antoinette looked through those swatch books below to decide what she was going to wear. No big deal.