I'm a Winner!

I have just received word that I have won third place in the Art Quilt XII show out in Chandler, Az. I am so excited! It gives me a gift certificate to a quilt shop I haven't been to before, and there is talk of taking the show on the road ... another venue in Phoenix.... and I'm guessing Sky Harbor may be it. Lots of exposure! WHOO whoo

catching up

Hi.... it's been awhile. Our trip was wonderful! And we have been quite busy in the past couple of weeks just catching up.

I spent today demoing at our local JoAnn's where I am planning on teaching a "thread painting class starting in January. Found myself in a quandry wondering how in the world Do I work? And as far as I can tell, I fly by the seat of my pants with probably the most influencing factor being the desire to try some new technique or two.

I found myself being baffled by how to get a pattern onto the front of a piece - yet I know I do that all the time. I rarely work from the back. I am going to have to work with a pen and paper in hand to figure some of this out.

I have gone back through some of my magazines to see if I recognize any of the processes being described, but there is little to go by. Finding "my style" is like finding a needle in a haystack. There are no rules in art quilting, and that is why I like it. It is very freeing to leave edges unfinished, no points to be matched, no counting stitches in every quadrant.

I tend to make appliques that I incorporate into segments and then put together as a whole....and there are more baffling issues, I'm sure.

For now... off to chill out for a little bit

We are nearly ready to scoot out of here for our trip. Couldn't be soon enough for me. It has been a really hot summer with only a slight reprieve the past couple of weeks. Heard from DH's folks today that it got down to the mid 40's last night. That's winter for us here in the valley of the sun! I have been trying to conceive of what that may be like ... no easy task when it is 116 outside. Its only in the 90's now so it will not be quite the stretch.

Since I have put on the weight and haven't been able to exercise much my wardrobe is in serious straits. We made a body double with duck tape a year+ ago. Finished it off with the lovely purple colored version of the tape. Ended up with the "Great Grape"! Such fun! Just make sure you have a bottle of wine handy. We incorporated a heavy wooden hanger into the neck area and I have a heavy brass chain hanging in my studio, secured directly to a support in the ceiling. The whole thing is on the heavy side, but does fit nicely in the closet when not being used. This takes care of fitting the top part.

But the bottom half still needs help. Called in the troops for pattern assistance!! Figan to the rescue. We labored laboriously to make a stylish, mostly well fitted (OK..try wrapping something around a beach ball) pair of slacks. This wraps up most of the necessary sewing.

So of course, I have to try to squeeze in a larger bag (purse) for traveling. It's a Butterick pattern and has a couple that would do. It means I have to scoot to the store for a couple of zippers.. oh geeee.

Better get busy....will post as soon as I can... love the new camera!

Jewelry Sample

For the past several weeks I have been working on getting ready for a trip back east. Think its called a vacation. This will be a catch up trip to see family and friends for both of us. We will be encountering a big variety of events, some which are rather fancy (by my laid back standards).



One of the events will be a wedding for Ron's niece, so we have had to do all this shopping and sewing and planning. Of course, besides the outfits is the need for accessories. That's where some of the jewelry making (that I mentioned previously) comes in .

For my outfit I chose to make a crystal drop necklace inspired by one in the latest "Stringing" bead magazine. I also had to incorporate a pair of earrings, of course. I am pleased with the results.

There was a need for a little evening bag as well and you can see that on my wearables page as well a another necklace or two that has snuck in with the creative process. Enjoy!

Delivery day !

Getting ready to deliver "Bisbee" to the Art Quilts XII show this week. Glad it is in the area so I don't have to ship it. The idea of shipping and all the hazards involved makes me nervous. Of course, driving clear across the valley at 5 pm isn't so swift either! LOL

We are anticipating a vacation shortly so I have been busy with making newer stuff, shopping - which I don't like doing - and even making some jewelry pieces. It has kept me from starting anything new, but in the meantime I am doing some design work on a couple of previously started quilts.

DH and I were at friends for dinner last week and their 12 yr old granddaughter was sharing some projects she has been doing in the past months. One drawing will make a delightful wall hanging...so I am going to see if she and her grandma would like to tackle a fusible project possibly for use as a donation to a pet shelter I like to help from time to time. It won't happen though until the end of Oct.

Whoooo Whoo!

Just got word that "Bisbee" was juried into the Art Quilts XII show for this fall!

This is really exciting for me, since this a class act show.

Beading interruption

Took time out for a beading day.

This is a long standing hobby that I started over 15 years ago. Needless to say, there happens to be a large selection of goodies now at my house. Now my experience is being sought so I am offering a workshop day at our local JoAnn's a couple times a month where people can bring in projects they have started and not completed. I am also starting a beginning teen class to share with teens how to properly use the tools and create a simple project.

For the demo I did on Saturday, I was wearing my Orphan Earring necklace. Got a fair amount of attention with it (will post an image as soon as I get a new camera.) Most of us lose an earring now and then, so what to do with the remaining one. After collecting them for awhile, it became apparent that colors and themes were appearing so I used them as "charms" and designed a necklace to present them.

In the meantime, some family and friends are joining me at home for a similar day. We are going to have the kids and guys catch up with us later for a BBQ and games. We should have a great time.

Chasing after Dragons

A delightful diversion for me this past year has come in the form of some wonderful mystical beasties. DRAGONS

Dragons have been a source of inspiration for a number of members in my family. I always thought them fascinating; my son has developed a couple of really awesome dragons in his artwork, and my grandson has been the recipient of a number of dragon items, largely handmade.

I could be found lurking at a wonderful vendor booth at several of the quilt shows for the past several years. Their name is Small Works and they have an extensive array of lucious fabrics, all kinds of doll embellishments and lots of patterns for all kinds of fancy tea pots, bird houses, witches, faries, and of course, several dragons.

I bought their Kells Wyvern dragon patterrn and the rest is history. It takes a while to work one up...truely giving birth to this creature. Mine have let me know when they weren't happy with one element or another and insisted on their own individual look.

And now their "cousins" are moving out of the recesses of my imagination and largely based on Small Works construction concepts, one is starting to take shape. My biggest problem to date is the sheer size he is taking on. I am now in my third downsizing and he is still huge. I have done a lot of the design work on the computer so conceiveably I should be able to overcome this. We'll see!

And another one is already taking on serious shape. Not to mention, my granddaughter is going to need some follow up mermaid imput. It is interesting that once again a similar look is going on. Keeps me busy.

Met the deadline!

Few things are as frustrating as facing a deadline and ALMOST being ready. I'm not supposed to place myself in stressful situations so I probably should have pulled back sooner. However, I was soooo close that I perservered. With the help of my dear Husband, photos were taken and processed appropriately and now all I have to finish is some paperwork. This will be sent in, along with Bisbee, to the Art Quilts XII show.

It is a juried show so I hope they make it. I am relatively new to shows so I am working hard at meeting all the requirements. Don't want to win prizes but I would like the exposure and priviledge of hanging alongside others in a show.

My newest (as of today) is called Autumn Canyon. I love trees and they frequently show up in my work. This design was calling me from some place way back...30 yrs or so actually. While working on the piece I stumbled across a pastel workup of this image that I had not remembered keeping. Amazing!

Tomorrow I clean up the studio. Somehow I find that really calming and restorative. Somewhere along the way in the past few years I have had to give myself permission to make messes when doing these quilts. So there are piles of scraps of yellows and golds, larger selections of blues and browns and fluffs of tulle (used for shading areas of the work) on top of every surface, under others and generally invading everything. There is order in here - some of the time. I just need to find it and get focused and finish some of my other projects within a reasonable amount of time.

Breathe!

Pet portraits in thread painting

At any given moment I seem to have 5 or 6 projects going. My personal theory is when you hit a bump in the road, go on to something else and let the answer push its way to the top. I mix up projects as well. Right now I have a garment that is nearly finished, a purse that is 75% done, a wall hanging that needs finishing SOON, and I am spewing fiberfill from a dragon all over the studio. Oh, and did I mention the free form crochet items on the design wall that I have to hide or nothing else gets done!

I'm just glad that, for the moment, I don't have a commission to complete.

I have had such fun doing different techniques. One of the most satisfying is thread painting. I have usually applied this to the pet portraits that I have been asked to do. Using a photo(s) of a pet and and working up a "portrait" is the typical artistic endeavor one would expect. I have taken it a step further.

Picking out fabrics from my stash, I try to find the color, pattern and value that most closely matches my subject. I fuse down the larger pieces and start defining the shapes with thread that usually matches the area I am working on. I do have to be careful so I don't overwork any one area or the whole image distorts. A smiling goldfish doesn't have much appeal. After many thread changes...whewww... I end up with an applique that I can add to any other item, like a jacket, tote, or additional fabric that can be made up into pillows. I can customize any of these to suit any decor. Here are a couple samples of how this all turns out.





Hope you enjoy them as much as I do when making them.

Photos of work

I'm going to try to upload a picture or two of early quilts and the one I have just entered into competition.



Little Mermaid, 2004












Vasuki, mover of mountains, 2004










Ode to Bisbee, 2007
Available for purchase

just getting started

Hi and welcome to my spot. I hope you will bear with me as I wind my through all this "stuff". I hope to be able to share some of who I am and what I am doing, and I hope you find it a bit entertaining and interesting.

For the past several years now I have moved from a strenuous career as a successful faux finisher and muralist to a much tamer combining art with fabric. Guess that makes me a fiber artist in at least one sense of the word. Because I can't seem to do the same thing twice, much less follow a pattern, doing one-of-a-kind projects seems suited to me.

To date I have done a number of twin sized, original quilts; a variety of wall hangings; some pet portraits with thread painting (mostly in pillow format); some wearables and purses; and dragons. As soon as I figure out how to publish photos I will include a few.

I have always loved fabric! Mom placed a needle and thread in my hand when I was 3 and I can't remember when I wasn't using it. Yesterday it was used on the current dragon I am creating. So much fun...such agony. I love the challenge and can be caught up for hours. Not really productive at times, but this is going to be a prototype so its all right to fuss with it.

I hope to share some of my excitement with you and most of all, encourage you to utilize your own creativeness in whatever way you can.

Blessings!