Pattern

I was wondering the other day why I like paper piecing so much and I think I might have an answer. My camera and I are inseparable. Photography makes me more aware of my surroundings. The small flower and the grand scenery that it is a part of, the colours of reflected lights, the motions or the stillness of a moment – I love to see them all through my lens. Photography, in turn, also helps me with my painting. Even the paintings I create from imagination have their roots in the life around me.

Soon after I discovered paper piecing, fabric became another medium for me for painting pictures. I start with drawing my designs from scratch before turning them into patterns. The patterns are like puzzles to me. I enjoy the challenge of trying to define shapes with minimum amount of seam alignment. I realised that paper piecing is the playground for all three things that I love so much – photography, painting and puzzles.

I could therefore hardly say no when a custom order for making this camera quilt pattern came along. However, I ended up waiting this long to make my own block. I like to take photos in the moody, grey light of stormy days. The grey leaf fabric couldn’t have reflected that any better. The dark colour is also very well suited for the travel bag I will be making with this block.

Many thanks to those who have purchased this pattern and shared the projects they made for their photographer friends and family. Fields On Camera is available in my shop.

Speaking of paintings, here’s my next set of index cards –

icad 2015 - Steampunk Wing Painting | Whims And Fancies

Steampunk Wings

icad 2015 - Night Sky Painting | Whims And Fancies

Nightscape – I love to watch the stars during camping trips.

icad 2015 - Violins Painting | Whims And Fancies

My Violins

icad 2015 - Steampunk Hot Air Balloon Painting | Whims And Fancies

Tell Them Stories

Stories have such power – pass them on!

icad 2015 - Solar Eclipse And Shuttle Endeavour Painting | Whims And Fancies

Solar eclipse viewed from our backyard

I was fortunate enough to see the flyby and transport of the Shuttle Endeavour to the museum. I added a silhouette of her on the sun as a tribute to her glory days.

icad 2015 - Paper Cutting Tunnel Painting | Whims And Fancies

Paper Tunnel

I used a white pen to draw the lines after painting the background grey.

icad 2015 - Vineyard in autumn | Whims And Fancies

Vineyard in autumn

Painted from a photo I took last year

I tried some new techniques on these paintings. After some trial and error, I think they turned out all right.

Happy Crafting,
-Soma

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Taken with my cell shortly after dinner at a pho place

The outside temperature has been around 40C (104F) lately and I am determined not to expose myself even a little bit to the hot sun. The quilts are all put away. Even my quilt-addicted kitties are rolling up their mini quilts so they can sit on the cool, bare surfaces. Yes, they bundle up their quilts with their forepaws when they don’t want to use them. Hot summer days are perfect for rummaging through photos. I did exactly that and found a few that I would love to share.

This is a photo of all the bits and pieces of discarded index cards. I had to restart quite a few of them because of mistakes and bad or unexpected results. The fanned-out stack of cards on the right is where I practised drawing circles over and over until I could draw them without having the marker leaving a darker dot at the start and stop points. I couldn’t bear to throw those cards away. When I get frustrated of my ineptness, they serve as a reminder of the age-old saying – Practice Makes Perfect.

Recently I got a set of lovely soap moulds along with a set of essential oils from my DH. The oils make the house smell amazing while the soap cures. Now I have enough moulds to make a double batch of soap.

I used the Panorama feature of my phone to take this picture. I am at the bottom left corner, being pinned down by these two kitties. I was positively cooking under the bulk of the quilt and two hairy cats. No wonder it took me so long to finish hand-sewing the binding of the Greekness quilt!

This was a few months ago. I couldn’t sleep, so I worked on the binding of the Castles In The Air quilt. I was glad of his company in those wee hours of the night.

Purchase Aran Star Pattern

Lastly, Fort Worth Fabric Studio featured my Aran Star pillow on their blog. I am stoked!!

Thanks to my friends Susie and Lara, I entered this post to Pets On Quilts 2015

I hope you enjoyed photo-rummaging with me. If you are in the area of this extreme heatwave we are having, I hope you stay safe and cool.

Until next time,
-Soma

Photography, Paper Piecing And Painting Cards

Hot Days Of Summer