Sebastian Designs

Jupiter Rising

2012-01-27T16:52:00.001-07:00

This art quilt evolved from a class with AndiPerejda. When I look at the circle of illusion I think of the planetJupiter. The stars and blue backgroundhelp anchor the planet in the sky. Quilting and embellishment is by Cindi Ugarte. My original design.

Liberty Medallion

2012-01-27T16:49:00.002-07:00

This small wall quilt is a practice pieceinspired by a class taken with Sally Collins. The block design is from SallyMorg. My goal was to practice precisionpiecing, narrow bands, color harmony, and free motion quilting using manydesign motifs. My focus fabric is Liberty of London.

New Mexico Skies

2012-01-27T16:32:00.001-07:00

New Mexico Skies: New Mexico isthe Land of Enchantment but her history is made in the skies. The Ancients first marked the winter andsummer solstices with the sun dagger at Fajada Butte at Chaco Canyon. Later the Spaniards brought Catholicism andOur Lady of Guadalupe to New Mexico. And finally the last 100 years we haveTrinity Site, the Roswell incident, the Very Large Array, balloons andSpaceport. What next?

Ms Mouse

2011-09-03T17:26:00.001-06:00

Everyone was knitting these little guys so I had to knit one also. I call her Ms Mouse. Don't you think she needs a pink tutu?

Tessellating Fish

2011-08-04T20:28:00.000-06:00

Tessellating fish quilt started in California. Finished in New Mexico. Donated to charity.

Brian's Quilt

2011-08-04T20:23:00.000-06:00

Brian's quilt is foundation pieced using scraps from a tessellation quilt that I bought way to much fabric for. The colors are much more intense than the photos. He decided to hang it on his wall.

Jewelry

2011-07-02T15:38:00.002-06:00

Haven't made any jewelry for awhile so decided this 4th of July weekend I would make some necklaces from some of the beads collected on my travels. Two necklaces feature chevron beads and the other one is amber and hematite.

Red hearts, cinnabar, chevrons

3 different examples of amber, hematite
Note the coloring of the center amber bead

Red hearts, chevrons

The Aggie Scarf

2011-05-20T11:19:00.000-06:00

Had some grey yarn so decided to knit Sydney an Aggie scarf. The pattern has large holes that I wove a maroon yarn through. Because Sydney is still in China I needed a model so enlisted Serena. I have determined Serena will not be one of the finalist on "Next Top Model". She was barely co-operative.

A Sweater That Fits

2011-05-12T10:35:00.000-06:00

At last a sweater that fits. It takes a lot of knitting to figure out what you are doing. This is a top down pattern made with Elesbeth Lavold Silky Wool. I used a # 5 needle and thought I would never finish it. My next project is a nice bulky weight that will go much faster.

Sydney's Texas A & M T-shirt Quilt

2011-03-26T16:18:00.000-06:00

T-shirt quilts are not my favorite quilt to make but the joy they generate in the grandchildren is worth the effort. I have my own version of making the quilt. I cut the motifs out as close to the design as possible, then add strips of different colors to make them a size that will make rows for sewing together. I am not too fussy about sizing just as long as the rows are parallel. Sometimes I sew two designs together if they are small. Because it is knit fabric I sew all the blocks on the serger to keep the fabric from stretching. Once all the blocks and rows are assembled I place the top on a piece of fleece that has been pieced to fit. There is no other batting in the middle, just the two layers. I then tie the whole thing together at the junctions of the blocks. The fleece is then trimmed one inch larger than the top and folded over to make a binding. I use the multiple zig zag stitch to sew the binding down. The quilt has a very scrappy look when finished.

"By George" Challenge

2011-03-26T16:02:00.001-06:00

Las Colcheras Quilt Guild has an annual President's Challenge. The challenge for 2010 was titled "By George". The fabric for the challenge was designed by George Mendoza, a blind artist living in Las Cruces. The quilts were displayed at the Brannigan Center in Las Cruces. Because of a rare cold front that put the area in a state of emergency the opening reception was postponed by several days so I missed seeing all the quilts on display. I was at home battling frozen water pipes and waiting for a plumber. Ribbons were awarded but I did not receive a ribbon. However, I did receive a greater honor (in my opinion). Mine was one of the quilts chosen to travel around the US with the fabric manufacturer.

Mogollon Flowers Quilt

2011-01-14T11:12:00.002-07:00

This quilt started out as just a sample to play with log cabin blocks and color. When I assembled the blocks I got a cross that made me think of Easter. Then some time later I visited an old cemetery at Mogollon Ghost town. There was a wooden cross with rose like flowers cut from what looked like old tin cans. I decided to add a collage of flowers to my sample quilt using raw edge applique. One never knows where the creative process will end up.

Recent Projects, Fall/Winter, 2010

2010-12-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

Playing with Stripes

Playing with Detail

Blocking the Shawl

Shawl Detail - Center Back

Shawl Detail

New York Beauty Quilt

2010-11-14T20:52:00.001-07:00

Since I am new to the quilting process I am easily impressed with all the possibilities of making something stunning. I have been collecting fabric, rulers, books, and etc. for years and finally am committed to actually doing something with all this stuff.

Last month when Claudia showed us how to make the New York Beauty block I immediately fell in love with it. Little did I know that it dates back to the 1800’s. I have only done paper piecing once before but this also rang the bells in my creative belfry. I suspect that much of the precision work I have admired over the years just might be paper pieced – not that one can’t do fine work otherwise. Once I started playing with the blocks I realized I have seen them in some spectacular art quilts. Now I will be looking for them everywhere.

Whenever I learn something new I make it a policy to follow the instructions exactly the first time around in order to be clear on what I am doing. Once I gain confidence in the process and proceed to work my mind automatically starts thinking of ways to improve on the process. I decided to make 20 Beauties from assorted fabrics and play with the arrangement as I go along. This is giving me lots of opportunities to explore color and value. More importantly my mind started drifting to easier piecing strategies. At first I abandoned the individual rectangles and started using strips of fabric that I cut just before pressing each piece. I discovered that my add a quarter ruler didn’t really need the extra cardboard attached. It hugged the fold line just as it is. Next I played around with the quarter circle and outside trim and made new templates from oak tag. By gluing two sheets of oak tag together with rubber cement I found I could make a nice template. Because I am making 20 blocks my mind had lots of time to work on improving the process. As I worked along I started thinking that I was throwing away a lot of fabric. Then it dawned on me that if I cut the striped a bit wider I could trim them and have enough to make another section just by flipping the cut piece. After all, the pieces are triangles not rectangles. My scraps were now an acceptable size to throw away.

I still have a ways to go before all the blocks are finished but my design board is a delight to see as I add new blocks. And yes, I have ripped a few out. But it wasn’t as bad as I thought.

Bargello Spiral Quilt

2010-07-17T18:39:00.003-06:00

I like the way color flows in a bargello quilt pattern and wanted to design something that was a less traditional bargello pattern. I liked the idea of a spiral. One didn't seem sufficient so I reversed a second spiral and off-set it on the ground fabric. I chose a grey scale for the spirals and a muted orange with soft grey for the background. Once I had the line of the spiral established it was easy to place the strips. The line was first drawn on graph paper. Then quarter inch squares of paper strips were pinned to a piece of foam core to determine if it would translate into a true spiral.

I used a 12 step value scale and made the initial strips one inch wide. These were then sewn together and cut into half inch, one inch and two inch strips to sew together for the spirals. These are the finished sizes not cut sizes. About half of the fabric needed to be used on the reverse side in order to get all of the values.

Monochromatic Quilt Design Exercise

2010-07-17T18:19:00.001-06:00

This exercise involved making a small view finder by cutting a rectangle from a piece of paper and moving it over a larger design to find a pleasing section to enlarge. I was not inspired by any of my selections and have decided that I do not like to work with fused fabric. Rather than agonize over it I just picked a random design. I did a value run of a nice turquoise and thickened it with sodium alginate. Then soaked a small piece of fabric in soda ash before painting the design in the manner directed. I then did a variety of stitch patterns to finish it off.

Back side is a bubble wrap screen print scrap of muslin.

Garrett's Crocheted Cell Phone Case

2010-07-17T18:08:00.001-06:00

Garrett learned to crochet a few years back and works a very even stitch. During a recent visit he learned to make a pouch. He designed and made a cell phone case.

Antique Quilt Blocks

2010-07-07T20:15:00.001-06:00

These are a set of eight quilt blocks, circa 1850, that I inherited. The red is turkey red and the yellow is known as cheddar. The green is achieved by over dyeing blue with yellow. You can see a bit of blue showing on the green leave. The pattern is princess feathers with star. Each block is hand cut and hand appliqued. No two are alike. I framed each block and gave to children and sister so all could enjoy a bit of family history.

Fractured Quilt

2010-07-07T19:58:00.000-06:00

This fractured quilt is made with hand-dyed fabric and demonstrates color values and placement.

Trevor Learns Art

2010-06-19T12:35:00.001-06:00

Trevor and Garrett came to visit. We took a road trip to Truth or Consequences, White Sands, and Las Cruces. The boys did a tube float down the Rio Grande, went to the hot springs and several museums. Trevor discovered Flo Art at Studio D in T or C. He bought the kit and I figured out the formula. The paint seems to be water based gloss house paint, diluted with water and some detergent added to allow it to migrate and flow across a black painted piece of masonite. The effect is rather cool.

Using up the Stash

2010-05-06T13:25:00.002-06:00

The fabric for this jacket has been in my stash forever and a trip was the inspiration to finally making it up. I had a larger piece of the rust and a smaller piece of the blue. The design was modified from a pattern from Green Pepper. A wedge was cut to insert at the side seam with the straight of grain sewn to the back and the bias side sewn to the front. The back insert piece is about 3 inches longer than the back for interest. The trim was cut on the bias and stitched with one seam. When washed it will fray and have some texture. Buttons were made from polymer clay as there were no buttons to be found in my remote area.

Expensive Scrap Project

2010-05-06T13:17:00.001-06:00

This a very up scale "hoodie" made from scraps I bought from Carter Smith several years ago. I will be taking a workshop with him so felt I needed to do something with the scraps. Scraps were fused onto a very light weight fusible knit and then stitched at about one inch intervals to further secure. Fabric was then sewn as usual.

Color and Composition Exercises, continued

2010-05-06T13:09:00.001-06:00

Still working on the color and design exercises.
Contour stitching and cutting

Line and shape exercises: These I like.

Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter by Katie Pasquini Masopust and Brett Barker

2010-04-19T11:56:00.000-06:00

Chapter 1 - Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter

Judith and I agreed to do all three exercises the first week and we succeeded. My drawings were not as good as I had hoped for, but then I hate to draw even though I know I am capable of drawing. I used larger paper than specified and my drawings were smaller than I expected. Will try to draw each day. On Sunday I drew Kneeling Nun – a good exercise. Also will look into a drawing class at Western. Nothing this summer but maybe in the fall.

Color Mixing Class for Procion Dyes

2010-03-29T09:13:00.002-06:00

No more happy suprises or colors by accident. In this class students learn to mix the colors they want for their fabric. Students use small amounts of procion dye to make their own color wheel and formulas for colors they want to mix for dye projects. Six primary colors are used to mix infinite colors rangeing from bright vivid colors to muted earth tones.

Qualifications

2010-03-25T09:23:00.006-06:00

Donna has been sewing since she was three years old. She earned a degree in Fashion Design after retiring from public school teaching. Donna teaches classes in custom sewing, pattern drafting, and fabric dyeing. She has taught at local fiber guilds, community colleges, and the American Sewing Guild.

She established a couture level dressmaking business serving the Inland Empire in Southern California. She has designed and created period costumes, wedding gowns and street wear with an emphasis on good fit. Donna now lives in Silver City, New Mexico and dyes fabrics for her new interest in quilting arts.

Education

Chaffey College, Rancho Cucamonga 2002, Associate in Science Degree, Fashion Design, Certificates - Fashion Design

California State College, San Bernardino 1981, Master of Arts Degree, School Administration

University of California, Riverside 1975, Teaching Credentials

California State University, Fullerton 1973, Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology

Riverside Community College 1971, Associate in Arts

Fees

2010-03-25T09:09:00.000-06:00

My fees are competive and reasonable for most fiber guilds that are looking for qualified instruction in sewing and dyeing. I am open to negotiating my fees in order to make a productive learning experience for your guild. Your costs will include my fee, transportation cost to location, and lodgeing in a quiet, smoke free establishment. I am open and welcome being hosted by a member of your guild.

Fabric Dyeing (these classes can be linked into a series of classes or taught separately)

2010-03-25T08:54:00.003-06:00

Color Mixing Using Procion Dyes and Water Color Paper (hands on)*
Learn to mix secondary colors from different primary colors for either earth tones or jewel tones. Learn how to gain control over color by making a working notebook of color experiments. This class is ideal for "color challenged" students who want to learn more about color mixing

Color Wheel Samples Using Procion Dyes (hands on)*
This class is a companion class to Color Mixing Using Water Color Paper. The two classes can be linked to make one class. You will learn to make several color wheels using two sets of primary colors, brights and earthtones. Value gradations are included in this class. Students will have sample sets to use in future dye projects. With a few simple processes hundreds of colors can be mixed. This class is ideal for quilters and weavers who want to dye cotton and rayon fibers. With some modification procion dyes may be used on silk.

Procion Dye and Resist Techniques (hands on)*
Resist is more than tie-dye. Learn to use string, clamps, marbles and other items to make interesting one of a kind fabric. Can be used for quilting, garments, scarves, etc.

Screen Printing With a Thermofax (hands on)*
Screen-printing is simple and easy with a thermofax screen. Customize a T-shirt or any other garment with a design of your choice.

Discharge Fabric (hands on)*
Taking color out of fabric is just as much fun as putting color into fabric or maybe do both. Learn different ways to take color out of fabric for interesting effects not always predictable.
______________________________________________________________________
*Demonstration classes are half day; hands on classes are one day or longer.
When classes are linked they are to be offered as one class over multiple days.

Sewing Classes

2010-03-25T08:46:00.009-06:00

Bog Coat (hands on)*
This class is an all time favorite and what you make may be and evening wrap, sport jacket, night gown or ?
The bog coat is a simple garment that can be made from whole cloth with very little waste, and requires only two cut seams. It can be made from almost any fabric and designed to fit close to the body or loose. It is the perfect garment for embellishment. New skill taught in my class is the magic dart for a more custom fit.

Basic Sewing (hands on class, multi-day, TBA)**
This class will take the "home made" out of your sewing. With the methods I teach you will be able to take your sewing to new levels and gain confindence in your ability to make professional looking garments.
You will make a simple shirt from a commercial pattern and learn the skills for successful sewing.
Skills you will learn:
   How to prepare a pattern for use
   Essential pattern markings
   How to cut a pattern and fabric
   Alterations for your body
   Professional construction practices

Welt Pockets, Bound Buttonholes, and Other Inset Features (hands on class)*
Finish that finely tailored garment with these elements. You will learn simple, easy to learn steps for making welt pockets and bound buttonholes.

Embellishments From A to Z (appliqué to zippers) (hands on or demonstration)*
Embellishment can personalize and bring your garment to life without looking “homemade”. Subtle touches are more powerful in making a statement about your wardrobe.

Seams and Hems for Professional Results (hands on class*)
Seam finishes and hems are the structures that hold a garment together. By learning what technique works best on a specific garment and fabric you can obtain a more professional look in your garments. Learn French seam, felled seam, slot seam, hems for sheer fabrics and more.

Sewing for Weavers (hands on or demo)*
This class is especially for weavers who want to make more than scarves and shawls with their hand woven fabric. The skills can be applied to any fabric. You will learn which seams to use on specific weaves, when to interface and how, and when and what lining to use for different weaves. Sources for hard to find materials will be given. Weavers bring fabric they want to sew into a garment.

_______________________________________________________________________
*Demonstration classes are half day; hands on classes are one day.
** Classes require multiple days and number of students and the skill level of students affect number of days. These classes have maximum numbers to be taught effectively. To be negotiated with instructor.

Black Range Danger

2010-03-01T11:46:00.001-07:00

Judith and I went to a quilt show in TRC. Just as we entered the Black Range we were stopped by a pile of boulders on the highway. Judith took photos and I was inspired to make a couple of quilt samplers of the event. The samplers are made from silk from a vintage kimono lining and stitched with cotton thread. Both front and back are silk and the batting is cotton.

Vintage Crocheted Doilies

2010-02-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

A friend gave me dozens of crocheted doilies made by her mother. Not sure what I will do with all of them but as a thank you I dyed some of them and applied them with a raw edge applique flower to a denim shirt for her. The applique will need to be washed several times to rough up the edges for the right effect.

Shadow Applique

2010-02-16T13:45:00.001-07:00

The fiber guild I belong to is doing a Textile Project. This is a prototype of one of the samples I will contribute. The design was taken from a stained glass pattern book. The sample is made from silk organza and satin stitched with rayon embroidery thread.

Snow Dyed Bags

2010-02-16T13:40:00.002-07:00

Two bags made from snow-dyed fabric. Will use for knitting projects and Vibram five finger shoes (yoga shoes). Fronts and back of bags, not 4 different bags.

Completed UFO 1/2010

2010-02-16T13:35:00.001-07:00

Started as a scarf five years ago and ripped out to make socks. Finished 2010

Snow Dyeing 2010

2010-01-20T16:11:00.002-07:00

Well I have been reading a lot about snow dyeing so prayed for snow and finally got it . It doesn't snow much here and when it does it looks pretty for a few hours, then melts so I had to work fast. My snow was really wet stuff - don't know if that makes any difference.

Pajamas from Sheets

2010-01-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of pajamas I made from high thread count sheets (300 and 500 count). I used twin flat sheets from http://www.thecompanystore.com/ I have been purchasing my linens from this company for years and they sell sheets as individual items not sets. I went to the sale page and found some colors I liked and ordered them. The T-shirt tops are from a dye project.

2010-01-17T18:43:00.002-07:00

The local fiber guild I belong to did a program on hyperbolic crochet and coral reefs. I made my own coral reef a few years back when I learned about this remarkable subject and project. The year I crocheted these little darlings I thought some of my friends were ready to certify me to the funny farm. They are addictive once you get started. Every time I found a new yarn I had to make another and another... For more information check out http://www.theiff.org/

By the way that is Sponge Rob, no pants, Bob's evil twin.

and even a star fish

Bobotie - reciped from South Africa

2010-01-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

I wasn't planning to include recipes, however one dish I really liked in South Africa was bobotie (think fancy meatloaf) I scoured the internet and came up with this version. It was a bit labor intensive but worth it. Friends raved about it so I will make it again.
Bobotie

Introduction
The origins of Bobotie can be traced back to the eastern influence on South African culture. The Cape Malay society are famous for cooking this dish and it is usually served with yellow rice.

Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef or lamb (750 g minced meat)
oil (for frying)
2 slices white bread, normal thickness
1/2 cup milk (125 ml)
1 large onion or 2 smaller onions
4 teaspoons curry powder, very mild (Cape Malay is the best) I used a masala mix
1 tablespoon breyani spices, generous, crushed* (see note below)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tomato, ripe, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 apple, peeled and coarsely grated
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
1/4-1/2 cup seedless raisin (this is for you to decide) I used 1/4 c
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons apricot jam I uses an apricot chutney
1 egg
3/4 cup milk (200 ml)
12-16 almonds, whole, blanched (or use split almonds)

Extra
1 egg, plus
1/2 cup milk, and
1/3 teaspoon turmeric

Directions

*It might not be easy to find the breyani mix of spices we can get here. But it is only a mix of some or all of the following spices, which you could mix yourself and crush or process coarsely: fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin, pimento berries, cardamom, black pepper, star anise, bay leaves and cassia or cinnamon sticks. I mixed ½ t each and ¼ t black pepper corns. Pimento berries are what we know as all spice

2
Set oven at 350 deg F/180 deg Celsius For fan/convection ovens the heat can be 10 deg. lower.

3
In a small bowl, tear up the slices of bread roughly, and pour over the ½ cup milk. Set aside.

4
Peel and chop the onion. Heat about 3 tablespoons oil in a large pot. Fry the onion over medium heat until translucent.

5
Add the curry powder, coarsely crushed breyani spices and turmeric. Stir, and let the spices fry for a few minutes. Add more oil if they stick: usually quite a bit of oil is needed.

6
Add the chopped, peeled tomato, sugar, grated apple and lemon rind and stir through. Fry for a minute, then add the meat.

7
Break up the meat so that the ground meat is loose. Add the salt. Stir often, and mix through with the spice mixture.

8
Add the apricot jam, and stir so it melts into the meat mixture.

9
When the meat is sort of medium done, remove the pot from the heat. Stir through and let cool a little.

10
Take the bread which has been soaking in the milk, and break it up into wet crumbs. The bread will have absorbed all the milk. Add the milky crumbs to the meat mixture, and mix through.

11
Break the egg in a bowl, whisk, and add the milk.

12
Add this milk-egg mixture to the meat as well.

13
Turn into a greased oven dish, and stud with almonds on top. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

14
Whisk the last egg with the milk and enough turmeric to turn the mixture a nice yellow colour. Take the meat out of the oven, pour over the custard, and bake about 15 minutes longer, or until the egg custard has set.

15
Serve with Yellow Rice (Begrafnisrys), a green vegetable such as broccoli, and a salad.

16
After tasting the bobotie, feel free to play around with the spices next time!

Nelson Mandela Blouse

2009-10-26T21:20:00.000-06:00

On my recent trip to South Africa I bought some cotton fabric like the local woman make their dresses from. The brand is 3 cats and the fabric is called shwe shwe. The print has an oriental look and is a very sturdy fabric. They use an excess of dye when printing the fabric so it required two washings in Synthropol to remove excess dye and sizing. Off the bolt it felt like it had been heavily starched. Once washed it had a nice hand. I was taken in by the people's love of Nelson Mandela so decided I needed to incorporate some of the Mandela fabric into my finished garment. I designed and drafted a shirt pattern to use the three different prints and made the pockets from the Mandela fabric. As a contrast I used a red print to edge the front, pockets and sleeves.

Local South Africanwoman with brown print dress and yellow pearl cotton hand embroidery. She is very elegant, I think. For more on shwe shwe go to http://shewearsshweshwe.typepad.com/she_wears_shwe_shwe/2009/07/index.html

Label on genuine shwe shwe fabric

Pink Blouse

2009-07-19T13:10:00.001-06:00

Every now and then I buy a really cheap piece of fabric and put more time in it than something of more expense. Cost of fabric - $1.00 per yard. Now that is cheap. This is a piece of nylon or polyester purchase at the big box store we all love to hate. (refuse to mention and give them any credit) Very difficult fabric to sew

on and had to baste many areas to keep fabric from sliding apart. Pattern was a Kwik Sew that I made some alterations on including re-drafting the sleeve for a better fit. Sleeve came out better that expected. I used vintage mother of pearl buttons and made small fabric rose on each collar point. I used silk organza for the interfacing as any fusible I had was too heavy. To add to the difficulty of construction I sewed all the seams at the wrong allowance and didn't discover this until almost done so I carefully re-sewed each seam and pulled out thread on incorrect seam allowance. Came out better than it should have. The only area that defeated me was sewing on the blind hem machine. Fabric just would't feed smoothly so I did sleeve hems by hand.

Three silk pillows

2009-05-22T22:45:00.000-06:00

These are a series of three pillows using gutta resist and acid dye to paint on silk. the pillows have been backed with flannel and machine quilted on the background to create a frame for the silk painting.

Shibori Blouse

2009-05-22T22:26:00.002-06:00

A variety of shibori techniques were used to make this blouse. The fabric was first dyed a rich golden color then various shibori patterns were applied and dyed with a dark grey color. The back is a folded and dip dyed tortoise pattern. The yolk was tied with string and dyed with a darker color. The front (not shown) has a stitch resist patten. The sleeves are dyed with the charcoal color.

Bamboo Wall Hanging

2009-05-22T15:51:00.001-06:00

Muslin fabric was dyed with procion dye then painted with thickened procion dye. Leaves were stitched and the background was echo quilted to enhance the image. A border was added to complete the design.