Three Cups

I decided on a more subtle suggestion of the origins of this piece by including the wrapper writing upside down along the bottom. Part of me argues 'not so subtle' when the word coffee is printed in the lower right corner and 'freshly ground' along the left edge but my original placements were definitely not subtle. My hopes are that others may also see the aroma of fresh coffee coming up through the cinnamon sticks from the whole beans. Whether this piece suggests coffee or not I'm happy with the experiment.

For those wondering about the making and finishing of the piece, I machine stitched blanket stitched the foil binding in place along the inside edge, then blanket stitched the whole piece to my fabric along the outer edge. I discovered something I really like about working with coffee foil; it doesn't stretch out of shape as you stitch it! So there were no bubbles as I reached the end of stitching even though I used only a couple pins to hold each side in place.

I serged the edges of the fabric and stretched it over a 12 x 16" canvas frame after debating whether to add batting and backing and create a traditional quilt. Finally I stitched my clay embellishments in place.

I emptied a package of coffee this morning but of a different brand. Another discovery; not all coffee foil packages are created equal. This mornings package had a lot more glue holding it together so it ripped as I opened it out. Also the plastic freshness 'port' is permanently in place and I could not simply lift it off the foil. So if I want a full package of foil with no holes or rips I need to be careful which brand I choose at the store. This may become difficult as I try to please both my husband's coffee taste preference and my foil preferences!

Teapots!

If you live or are visiting near Rockville, Maryland this weekend you may want to visit Visart's 'The Art of Tea 2009' for an incredible exhibition and sale of one-of-a-kind teapots. Check out some of these teapots!