Pattern

I went away for a few days to the Sierra Mountains at the high elevation that I love so much. Now that I am back at home, it is strictly playing and planning indoors for me now. As I was doing just that, I thought I share with you another set of b&w photos, along with a few other things I have been playing with – paint making, quilting, bookmaking and photography.

Simple 365 – Set 11

Here is another set of Simple365 photos. For those of you who are new here – A few years ago, I took one b&w photo per day of simple little things around me for a year. I have been sharing those photos here every now and then. These were taken during July and August of that year.

Please Click on the image thumbnails to see the photos and read the captions.

I created a page with all the previously shared photos from Simple365. I continue to add photos to that page as I share them here. That way I can relive the journey through the year via black and white photos, like in an old photo album.

Since I share mostly artwork and photos on this website, one thing you probably don’t know about me is that there was a time when I wrote software for most of my waking hours. I loved it and I still do.

This is the month when I worked on the computer almost non-stop while drinking countless mugs of coffee and poring over code and art photos. Tech and art side by side. My shop went live that month. Since then, I have added my handmade journals to the shop and sold quite a few, which has been a dream come true.

Paint Making

This is only a very small subset of pigments I made last year from things found in the garden. I am planning on turning them into paint this year. I need to get a respirator first since I don’t want any of this powder to get into my lungs. I can’t wait to share more with you.

Quilt Making

I design paper piecing quilt patterns from the ground up, not using quilting software, but a vector drawing program. I don’t have a design wall, so I create the layout using a software/app as well.

I have finished making all the blocks for this quilt. Now with the finished layout, I can start cutting the rest of the fabric for sewing.

Notebooks and Journals

My husband is studying for his pilot license, and he loves using paper for his notes. So, I made this notebook for him in the style of old leather books, but with new NAT / vegan leather. I saved the trim for him to use as a bookmark.

More books are in the making as I write this.

Photography

When I am out and about, my DSLR camera is my perpetual companion. A few years ago, I switched over to using non-zoom lenses, which are incidentally manual focus only. It’s a bit old fashioned compared to the modern age of auto-focus zoom lenses, but it suits my style of photography.

I find black and white photography to be highly expressive. As the color is stripped off the scene, it becomes all about light and shadow.

I wanted to try out my recently acquired new lenses. Tavish is the only cat who sits quietly enough for me to take his photos. I took two portrait-style photos of him. I couldn’t decide which one to share since they show two completely different sides of his personality – curious and quiet. So I am sharing both.

Although I miss being outside, looking through the Simple365 photos made me want to play with new ideas, plan for the next road trip, and spend extra time with the kitties. So that is exactly what I will be doing until autumn calls me out to play again.

I hope your summer is going well!

Until next time,
-Soma

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page. Please consider paying a visit to some of them.

Leave a comment

Hi Everyone!! A very fond welcome to all my new and old visitors. I have had quite an eventful winter break. On two occasions, my husband and I first drove down to Southern California and then also to the north. Apart from being outside and travelling, I have also been busy in my little atelier with sorting out projects, planning, painting, book binding, etc. I LOVE to bake, so I have been playing with recipes too. I have one to share with you today along with my other holiday happenings!

This year I swapped out my snowshoes and outdoor boots with my city boots. I was all set to go to the Eastern Sierra to play in the snow. Then I found out at the last minute that Bowers Museum in Anaheim is hosting an exhibit of an extensive collection of Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock prints from the British Museum. As a block printer myself, I could not pass up the chance to see these original prints up close. Needless to say, it was an incredible visit and it happened to be on my birthday weekend.

Afterwards we visited a few book shops and stationary stores there. I got several incredibly beautiful Japanese inks for my birthday from my husband. I love the simple joy of playing with these inks and writing Japanese with a brush. I am excited about using these inks for both writing with fountain pens and for drawing.

I recently got a new sewing machine. To familiarize myself with the new machine, I started making something that is nothing fancy but very special – blankets for my kitties who love to sleep on them. I “quilt” them with wavy lines.

I made this bobcat pattern for a school mascot as a custom order

I used to design paper piecing quilt patterns. For non quilters, it is a type of pattern that enables me to create almost any picture with fabric, like this bobcat. The challenge in writing these patterns is that every sewing line (seam) has to be a straight line. The curves are all made of straight lines. I start with drawing the picture and then start drawing lines where the seams will go. Figuring out the way each piece connects to another is like creating a puzzle.

You can see my currently available patterns in my shop. I took a break from designing patterns, but I am excited to say that during this break I started working on a new one. I will share as soon as it is ready.

During the holidays, Rebecca Magee shared photos with me of this beautiful quilt she made.

She used my Compass Needle pattern for the stars in the middle. Isn’t the quilt gorgeous?!!

Due to severe food allergies, I can’t have store-bought fruit cakes and I am not really very fond of alcohol-steeped desert. I recently happened on a recipe from the President Truman household that was posted by the National Park Service. I made a few modifications to fit our taste and we really love it.

I am sharing both the original and my modified version with my notes. I posted the recipe on this page all on its own so you can bookmark it directly. I hope you like it.

I usually make a “official” end to my winter break with a visit to the majestic Redwood forests along the California coast. It is a very contemplative time for me. I took this photo from the car one morning. Not the best photo technically, but I love the atmosphere.

Purchase handmade journals

At home, I finished a long-awaited drawing of the redwood cones collected from my own backyard in my nature journal which I made.

These are just a few things from my winter break. I have so much more to share with you, from both my atelier and my travels. Thank you so much for continuing to visit me. It is great to see familiar as well as new “faces” here.