Robin Ferrier – Hand Dyed Fabrics – Contemporary Quilts

Kristin LJanuary 27, 2012 - 8:09 am

It’s amazing how the quilting really gives life to the quilt! It looks so new and fresh now even though the fabrics and pattern are so obviously vintage.

JodiJanuary 26, 2012 - 5:37 pm

I love, love, love this quilt, and the baby quilt. Your sentiments are thought provoking… I Also listen to Dylan frequently.

01.24.2012

{something old… something new}

In my efforts to clean up old projects around here, I’ve mounted on my machine an old quilt top that I got from goodness-knows-where. It’s old. Completely hand-pieced, I had my reservations about quilting it on my machine, but reality sunk in; if I didn’t “deal” with this now, it never would get dealt with. I feel less guilty about quilting it on the machine because really, this is no award-winning piece.

The fabrics are all muted prints and solids. Turkey-red is perhaps the brightest color. Along with it there are many small-print blues and browns. I’m thinking this is a depression-era top given the small pieced blocks and lack of border. I’m using a low-loft poly bat which will make the end product drape well and breathe. I’m thinking it will be the perfect summer bed cover. Seeing it here I’m getting downright giddy with anticipation… who knew something sitting on my shelf all this time could bring such thrill!

Meanwhile my husband and I have been converting a bunch of his old family slides to digital format. These shots were taken in the 50′s and 60′s and they are mostly pictures of camping vacations in the Sierras as well as sailing photos. We’ve downloaded over a thousand photos and have burned them onto CD’s which will be sent to each of his siblings. It was a task doing all this but I feel better now knowing that these have been dealt with properly. It was a sort of treat watching my husband see the world of his parents when they were younger.

The chickens are coming along quite nicely. They are in that awkward teenager stage where they haven’t fully lost their young feathers and not all of their adult feathers have formed. You can see a hint of that silly tuft of feathers they will get on the tops of their heads in this shot. I’m rather enjoying having chickens again! I’m even looking for a couple of larger-breed chicks. Hope you are well! Happy Chinese New Year… or, Kung Hee Fat Choi!

Posted in New Projects

by robin

4 comments

Kristin LJanuary 24, 2012 - 3:11 pm

Kung hee fat choi to you and your family too! And happy teenhood to the chicks. It’s so funny how teen-like they actually are in their awkwardness. I’m loving half square triangles these days and your rescued quilt definitely appeals to me. You’re right, it will be a wonderful bed cover. Kudos to you for getting it done!

My hubby had some of his family’s old film converted to DVD two years ago. It was definitely worth the effort and money.

robinJanuary 24, 2012 - 12:42 pm

We used this: http://www.brookstone.com/instant-slide-and-negative-scanner-iconvert?bkiid=SubCategory_Electronics_Printers___Scanners_Photo___Negative_Scanners|SubCategoryWidget|649236p&catId=L3_Scanners|L2_PrintScan|L1_Electronics

I don’t have anything else to compare it to. It worked fine for us and the cost was something we were willing to assume. I’m sure you can find a cheeper one on e-bay… we’ll be selling ours there soon!

joan sJanuary 24, 2012 - 12:35 pm

that quilt is coming to life with your quilting!

now about the slides. can I ask how you converted them to digital? we have a similar situation and can’t stand the thought that the slides might eventually be lost.

Daphne HarwoodJanuary 24, 2012 - 9:48 am

The half-finished quilting looks terrific!

I picked up an old triangle piece not unlike yours. It had some japanese fabrics in it too. To die for, the whole thing. It had been tied with wool ties, I assume not by the original maker. I took those out and gave that quilt top several lives.

01.15.2012

Perfectly not perfect

I’ve been thinking about how things don’t always turn out perfectly. Take this quilt for example… I mean, just look at it… there is nothing “perfect” about this quilt. The shapes are irregular, I ran out of one color and had to add others, those borders are unusual, the quilting a little wild… but in the end I’d have to say I LOVE it with all it’s imperfections! They are what gives the quilt character… a sort of personality if you will.

Now, this is a little hard to talk about so I’ll take this as gently as I can. This quilt is for a baby soon to be born into what anybody would classify as “less than ideal” circumstances. I thought I’d have a hard time with it… making this quilt that is. To know this baby is coming into this world without the absolutely “perfect” set up, could have been a problem for me as I pieced those seams or laid down those quilting lines. I was afraid this monkey-mind of mine would be filled with thoughts of worry and sadness. Turns out, I had no such problem. The quilt went together quickly… that is, once I got really into it. I LOVED every aspect of it… piecing, quilting, binding and signing. All of it joyful and soothing. In my head were thoughts of love and cheer for this tiny little baby soon to be born. My heart swelled as I recanted my own joys of having a newborn around. Once I got into it, I quickly realized that a baby, is a baby, is a baby. They are all good and deserving of as much love as we can give them.

As I attended the shower today I noticed it was much like all the others I’ve been to… silly games, food bulging from every counter, a round-tummied mama struggling to open gifts with cheerful ladies gathered around. Yes indeed, this baby will have many loving arms to be held in and an even larger community of people to watch over him… what’s not perfect about that?

The quilt, pictured here, is wrapped tootsie-roll style as I’ve come to wrap most of my baby quilts. The real gift however was the one I received. I realize now things don’t have to look perfect to be perfect.

In the end it always boils down to one simple thing… LOVE.

Posted in New Work

by robin

6 comments

NatalyaJanuary 20, 2012 - 4:49 pm

I love the way the red just jump out at me! the kid is gonna love it!

Vivien ZepfJanuary 19, 2012 - 10:23 am

Love the quilt and the post.

Kristin LJanuary 17, 2012 - 8:55 am

An imperfect quilt for an imperfect situation = perfect acceptance and and a wonderful start in the world for the baby. The quilt is adorable and the shower sounds like fun.

Pam sadlerJanuary 16, 2012 - 7:19 am

Thank you for sharing your story, wonderfully said, and quilt as well…

MicheleJanuary 16, 2012 - 5:09 am

It’s a beautiful piece of art! So creative and fun.

Sharon TJanuary 15, 2012 - 6:37 pm

Amen! Well said. Beautiful quilt!

01.14.2012

{outside and inside}

I’ve always enjoyed having chickens around, but a certain dog of ours seems to REALLY like it! So much so that having free-range chickens was out of the question. Finally, thanks to Craigslist, we found the perfect enclosure for them. And a new cage can only mean one thing: new chickens! These are just a few weeks old and I can tell they like their new home very much! Fully grown, they will be medium-sized and will give us small-ish eggs. They are Silky chickens, or as I like to refer to them they are the poodles of chickens due to the fact that when they are fully grown they will have feathers sprouting from the tops of their heads and all down their legs. Silly looking things. We have room on the other side of their pen and I’m holding out for a couple more… maybe some Rhode Island Reds or Ameraucanas… ooh, how I love those tiffany blue eggs! Anyway, raising chickens is such a fun adventure and I’m really looking forward to fresh eggs!

Meanwhile, inside I’m working on a different project. That baby quilt (due tomorrow, ahem) is completely quilted. All that’s needed is the binding which will more than likely be blue. For the back I’ve chosen a dot fabric by Hoffman from their “It’s a Jungle Out There” line. I’m not sure when it was printed because the store I shopped at is known for moving their fabric slowly… it’s a Maui thing. No matter, it goes well with the front of the quilt because of the colors. Now that it’s almost finished I can begin to really appreciate this little gem. It’s a bit more primary than my usual quilts, but working with this palate is a little bit of an indulgence for me. How can one possibly look at this quilt and not feel cheerful! Hope your weekend is cheery as well!

Posted in Uncategorized

by robin

2 comments

Tonya LittmannJanuary 15, 2012 - 8:23 am

We just got chickens for the first time last Monday. Our Golden Retriever is also very interested. I’m not sure how this will work but I hope to let the chickens out while the dog in locked out of the backyard.

DebbieJanuary 14, 2012 - 4:59 pm

Looks great! I really do like those cheery colors

01.11.2012

{a pause}

In the midst of a hectic day, I looked out a window and this is what I saw…

… the sight made me pause and reach for my camera. Life may get tiresome and mundane, but nature is always breathtaking and refreshing. I’m hoping you too are able to pause from time-to-time and notice what a beautiful world this is.

Posted in Uncategorized

by robin

1 comment