Paintings

Purchase Greek Alphabet Pattern Set

Last week I mentioned making a couple of pillows out of these extra alpha and beta blocks, I got to work on them shortly thereafter. I wanted to make 16″ pillows and my Greek letter blocks are 5″ x 10″. I was looking for a very simple look for these pillows without any additional colour. So I added more of the same background fabric and turned them into 17.5″ squares.

Greek Alphabet Quilt Pattern | Whims And Fancies

Then came the harder part, deciding how to quilt it. Since the quilt itself has horizontal line quilting, I wanted to continue that theme of straight line quilting but with a little twist. After a bit of playing around I settled on this L-shaped quilting.

Greek Letters Quilt Pattern Quilted Pillow | Whims And Fancies

I didn’t want to quilt the beta pillow exactly the same as the alpha pillow. So I kept the L-shaped quilting from the alpha pillow and inverted the design.

After trimming the quilted pillow-tops to 17″ squares and sewing the backs, I had my pillow cases. That’s my April’s one monthly goal already finished.

I will be linking up with One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts at the end of the month.

Spring Time Fabric Stash | Whims And Fancies

I only had one 16″ pillow-form at home, so a run to the store was in order. I have been sewing from my fabric stash lately. Last time I purchased fabric was in July of last year. I had fun choosing some new fabrics for paper piecing.

Tim Holz Fabric Stash | Whims And Fancies

I found these two novelty prints by Tim Holtz, I have special plans for them. I also picked up zippers for bags and replenished my thread supply. All in all, not a bad haul. Oh yes, I picked up a 16″ pillow-form as well.

Greek Letters Quilt Pattern | Whims And Fancies

Purchase Greek Alphabet Pattern Set

Here it is! My To Hellenikon or Greekness quilt and the two pillows. After finishing the first two letters of the quilt, I changed the quilt layout which required me to order more fabric. In the meantime however, the dye lot of the fabric had changed. The khaki background fabric mismatch resulted in the extra alpha and beta blocks, but I am calling it serendipity. I would not have the pillows otherwise.

-Soma

I am also linking up on Through My Lens, Our World Tuesday, Wednesday Around The World, Seasons, and Friday Photo Journal along with other linky parties on my Events And Links page.

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Spring is definitely in the air. Although I love finding little colourful wild flowers and photographing them, it is also the worst time of the year for me due to severe pollen allergies. I still try to find a little time to be outside to enjoy the bright flowers swaying happily during the windy March days. Last year, in my attempt to learn wild flower photography, I went to a few local parks in search of new flowers.

Napa Northern Califiornia Wildflowers | Whims And Fancies

I took this photo of the wild flowers at our local park. When I posted it here as part of my Wandering Camera monthly photo collage, Janine mentioned it looked like a painting.

Van Gogh - Green Wheat Field with Cypress

Ever since I was a child, I have been drawn to the Impressionist/Post-impressionist paintings. I didn’t know them by that name at the time. I remember loving the small brush-strokes. I specially fell in love with the paintings of Van Gogh. Initially all I knew of him was the very crude introduction as an eccentric artist who cut his ear off. As I got older I learned a lot more about him and how much he was tormented by his own demons. If I don’t keep my emotions in check, his life-story makes me extremely sad.

“The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too.” – Vincent Van Gogh

This is “Green Wheat Field With Cypress” which he painted while he was at the asylum of St. Paul.

Wildflowers Sennelier oil astel painting inspired by Van Gogh | Whims And Fancies

One rainy Friday, as I was looking at the photos of his paintings, I thought of what Janine said about my photo. I often wanted to paint something of his style without directly copying his work. I recently acquired a set of Sennelier landscape oil pastels. Soon afterwards, I found myself working on this painting using those oil pastels. It has become one of my favourites because of the emotional tie I feel.

Sometimes the state of the world makes me very sad, but if I have learned anything from Van Gogh, it is that even in the midst of torment and sadness, a speck of peace and beauty can be found.

“Sometimes I long so much to do landscape, just as one would go for a long walk to refresh oneself, and in all of nature, in trees for instance, I see expression and a soul.” – Vincent Van Gogh

Happy Spring,
-Soma

I am also linking up on Life Thru The Lens, Through My Lens, Our World Tuesday, Wednesday Around The World, Seasons, and Friday Photo Journal along with other linky parties on my Events And Links page.

A Little More Greekness

A Master And An Apprentice