As I Immerse Myself in Blues and Greens.....

I'm starting to become attached to this little blue and green homespun nine patch - so I'd better give it a name. I think I'll call it - Appalachian Mountain Skies. There is particular relevance to this name, but I can't tell you why just yet.

I would like to ask YOUR advice...

I am in the process of calculating how many blocks total I'm going to need for this (queen sized) quilt. But first - I must figure out exactly HOW I am going to put this together.

Do I want to sew all of the nine patches together for a really colorful visual impact? (left) Or,




do I want to have each nine patch separated by a nice crisp 6" white block like this arrangment on the right? (I just removed every other block and the white that is showing through right now is just flannel from my design wall) If I choose this design, I would insert a 6 inch finnished bright white on white in between every other nine patch and probably hand quilt with white perle cotton some type of design in each white block (maybe an abstract pine tree).

Whether you are a quilter or non-quilter -- please share your opinions with me as this is strictly a design element question and you guys have such great taste (Tammy, Lisa, Michelle 3rd Eye, Summerset, Andrea, Monica, Wurzerl,etc.,) and ideas. Also -- from my quilter buddies (Jeanne, Katie, Jean, Vicky, etc.) let me know which design you prefer AND how YOU would quilt either of these choices.

I haven't done that many large-scale quilts and am still a little "green!" But I'm lovin' these colors and the texture of the homespuns and am super excited that I will be able to put this into my Little Gracie Frame when it's time -- which should make the quilting much more enjoyable.

So, let me know what YOU think....

Updates.....

It's been a hot and stormy few days off and on. I love stormy weather -- the thunder, the lightning, the wind -- very inspiring. When it's not raining, it's too hot to be outside, so I've been inside working on two projects this week: 1) some hand stitching on Starry Night... (note to self: do NOT use medium when painting on needlepoint canvas which will later be stitched. It makes for a very painful %(%)$(#**! experience for my fingers -- pushing the needle through the stiffened canvas); and 2) I also began working on a new art slice quilt last week.

This is my "slice" of the still life picture that one of our cyberbee members selected as her art quilt:

I apologize for not knowing the artists name who painted this still life.

Step 1 - I selected a nice textural piece of burlap for the foundation. With a wash of medium, it takes acrylic paint well. I laid on the first round of color on the burlap, as well as painted some detail on the hand dyed orange circles I cut out.

I satin stitched (with orange rayon thread) 3/4 of each orange down (after careful positioning), and then stuffed the oranges with batting for dimension. I didn't like how the batting looked (too lumpy) so I got out some of my loose wool and used that. The wool is able to be pulled into fine tufts so it contoured very nicely. I then finished stitching the oranges. This was harder than it sounds. I did think to cut the oranges a little larger to make up for the mounding, however I had a few distortion problems because the fabric was painted -- but I think I worked those out.

The nature of this still life is a bowl of oranges with some loose oranges setting on a white tablecloth - with LOTS of shadows. I painted the tablecloth and shadows on the right side, but wanted to add a bit more texture and dimension by actually adding some fabric that I dipped in uva and water with a little starch, shaped it into the folds, gently stuck pins straight down to maintain it's shape while it air dried. Now I'm going to go back in and paint in the shadows, add more detail to the oranges and background and I'll be done. (click on this one to enlarge)

This slice quilt is particularly challenging for me I think in part because of it's simplicity, and in part because I'm just not crazy about working "still life" art. I feel I need to be too precise - and there really isn't much room for error, or to fudge with embellishment or thread-painting. In my opinion, in order for this particularly slice quilt to be successful -- the colors will needed to be matched right on to do it justice.

I should finish this today or tomorrow and will post a side by side comparison when done. We will be presenting Jean with her slices this Saturday at our quarterly meeting. After that -- there's one left to go - a poster of a "woody" car and surfboard which should be a fun challenge, as well.

As I mentioned, I've also been doing some stitching on my Van Gogh, Starry Night.

I haven't really experimented much with embroidery or hand stitching -- so I didn't really have many supplies. Sabrina has a nice collection of embroidery floss -- and I sorted through that and then stopped up at a local shop The Lazy Daisy which has an incredible selection of cotton, silk, rayon, organic, hand dyed, and every color you can imagine of flosses and threads -- and picked up a few additional colors and needles. So far so good with this and I can see where this project can take on a life of its own! I'll keep you posted.

I've been around the last week to visit a few of you and will continue to make my rounds as I have a lot of catching up to do. I am enjoying all the eye candy out there and reading about what's been going on. I've been trying to post my vacation "slide show" but the third party that "hosts" this engine is not working properly -- so hopefully it will be up later in the week.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Finally, time to PLAY! and a Mother's Day Surprise....

After a bit of a hiatus -- we are returning to the workroom as it's girl's weekend - once again - we have the house to ourselves for THREE WHOLE DAYS. The sewing machine is fired up, the paints, pencils and pens came out of hiding and we're gettin' busy. Sabrina is in school today so I'm working on a project that I've had lying around for a while - some placemats and a table runner (a gift for someone?!?!?!?) I'm not a fan of "pieced" placemats so I found this nice little example and have
modified it to suit my needs. Instead of fall colors and a pumpkin, I'm using a folk art crow/flower print for the center, complementing colors for the edges and am going to use a floral print for the backing so they are reversible. "Piecing" is not my forte' however I am enjoying the designing process along with combining colors and patterns. I'm using commercial prints, hand dies, tea dyed (that I dyed myself) and some really cool homespuns I bought when we went to Schoolhouse Fabrics after visiting the Mountain Comforts Quilt show a while back in Virginia. I should have these done by the end of the weekend and will post more pictures.

A Wonderful Mother's Day Surprise....
Finally, I just had to share with you what I received from my precious girl for Mother's Day. It seems my daughter has been following my blog and decided that the perfect gift for me would be (and how right she was!) this amazing Van Gogh -- A Self Portrait in Arts and Letters, coffee table book - wrapped in custom made wrapping paper and delivered with a lovingly made card.

This fantastic gift contains about 400+ pages of photographs and translations of the actual private hand written letters from Vincent to his brother, along with page after page of his private sketches, doodles and paintings. I know I've said this before -- knowing the background of an artist or writer or history behind a work of art or piece of literature makes the experience so much sweeter, the connection so much deeper.

Thank you little girl for your oh so sweet and thoughtful gift from the heart - you know me soooo well!! XOXO

Hippie Chic......

You may recognize this bag as one similar to the one I made for Monica a few months ago. I liked it so much I decided to make myself one. I'm always toting around sketch pads, books, magazines, notebooks, waterbottles, etc. and I typically carry small purses, and I don't like to load them up -- so I decided to make myself a cute little tote bag for my necessities. The outside fabric is a really cool batik and the blue Kaffe Fassett fabric I used for the inside lining, the trim and the peace sign. I love this combination almost as much as the hot pink and orange with black and white that I made for Monica. I liked that one a little better because the embellishment really stood out. I didn't really use a pattern this time I just winged it. (Tammy - I carry the pen you made me everywhere I go!!)

I made some pretty cool flowers in Jane Sassaman's class and as soon as Sabrina saw them she snatched them, picked out some black and white batik fabric, a bright orange print for the lining and handed them to me, gave me a big kiss and said, "pretty please!?!!!!?" What do you think my answer was?????

Love this Weather....

.....the weather has just been too beautiful around here to get anything done "inside." I have all this stuff piled up to do - inside the house -- but I just can't bring myself to do it. Spring is in full swing - everything is blooming - stuff is growing unbelievably because it's really warm during the day -- and cool and breezy at night - and flowers (and vegetables) LOVE that. Every time I finish one area of the property, or a little corner, or get some vegetables in -- I find something else to do. Thank goodness it's rainy today -- that is going to force me to do some real "work" (real estate stuff) and then maybe this evening, I can finish some of my fiber"y" stuff.

I have a bag I've been working on that, at the urging of Monica (Girl-Gone-Thread-Wild), I'm going to submit for publication and tons of other stuff in the works.

My new lifestyle (see details on sidebar) is really kicking in and giving me the most unbelievable energy. I can't stop moving - I started out exercising every other day or so - now, I find myself "needing" to do it every day or I feel horrible. It's addicting. The protein shakes, and other changes I've made are really making a difference too. And muscle has incredible memory. There was a time when I taught aeorbics classes and worked out with weights almost everyday. Some of those muscles are starting to come back. There are days when I am so sore - I can't hardly sit down!!! THAT -- is a good thing. I never got sore when I was younger - no matter how hard I pushed.

Blaise is also doing it with me and he is doing fantastic. I won't harp on this cause bottom line - if you're not ready to do it - you won't be successful at it no matter what anybody says.

My class with Jane Sassaman was A M A Z I N G. What an earthy, gentle, and authentic artist she is. She was so inspiring and I learned more about myself, and my own style during those 6 hours than I have in the last two years. Can't wait to put some of that knowledge to work. Do yourself a favor, and visit her website and spend some time getting to know this fabulous lady.

Do leave me a note and tell me what YOU've been working on as I haven't even had much time to visit my bloggy friends. I really wanna hear about -- whatcha' workin' on, whatcha' readin' and where ya' been?????????

Carpe Diem!!

And the Winner is.........

I'm NOT telling. That's right - I"m NOT telling.

I've cleaned my studio, I've packed my suitcase, and I've loaded up the car. I'm leaving this morning (Friday) at 11:30 a.m. So by the time you read this, I'm probably on my way to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival. I was debating as to whether or not I should let you wait until I get home -- but I couldn't do that. After all, I promised that Sabrina will pull a name and I would post it before I left. Well -- the deed is done and we have a winner. BUT..... I have decided - I'm NOT going to tell you who it is..... you're going to have to figure out who it is - all by yourself.

And here's your clue: As I was cleaning up and packing this morning, I took some pictures.The name of the winner can be found "somwhere" in one of these pictures. So - go find it!

Is the name on my side of the studio????? Hmmmmm??

How about in my favorite drawer of stuff??????

Maybe it's in my partially packed suitcase???? Eh????

Maybe it's in my travelbag....

Or, maybe it's over on Sabrina's side of the studio???? Do you see it?????

You don't see it??? You can click on the pictures to enlarge them and really take a good hard look. It's there.

To the Winner - please e-mail me your address by Sunday evening as your prize will go out Monday morning. Oh, and the first person who e-mails me the name of the winner (cathiejean1960@yahoo.com) also gets a little surprise. But DON'T post it here. Let everyone look for it. Have a great weekend! I'll see you Sunday. And be ready for LOTS of pictures from the Mid-Atlantic Festival. XO

Groovy Baby.......

This month the Take it Further challenge concept is the question, " What are you old enough to remember?" What a great prompt this is -- as it has already lit a fire under so many as I have seen by visiting other members' blogs and reading their posts about this topic.

I would love to do something about my Grandma Wanda, or my Great Aunt Tiny who was a Daughter of the American Revolution, but these choices are both too intimate and I know I would devote too much time to them in order to get them completed by the deadline -- so I have put these to ideas in my journal as a future projects and have opted to go with my memory of.... "The 1960's".

It was exciting to be alive during that time -- so much was happening. And while I was too young to understand alot of it (I was born in the 60's) I was fascinated by things going on around me and to this day can't pass up a documentary or a book written about the 60's, hippies, the drug culture (Haight Ashbury, Woodstock, Timothy Leary), the politics, and, of course, the music (the Beatles, Janice Joplin, Jimi Hendrix), which I still listen to and love today. (CLICK HERE and I will take you on a tour of Haight Ashbury - I've been there and it's a really cool place) But what I remember most vividly about the 60's was the fashion. I was mesmerized even as a kid by the hippie "chic" fashion and the colors. To this day my favorite pair of jeans is an old worn out pair with "peace sign" patch on the butt which horrifies my kids when I wear them out of the house (revenge is sweet!) and one of my favorite movies is Austin Powers!

So, in honor of my "continued" love of this fashion trend (and my favorite jeans!), I went through my stash and selected my "grooviest" black and white batik fabric and a "far out" Kaffe Fassett print -- threw them together. Here's what I came up with..... check out the inside.....

and the back...... And while I would love to keep this for myself as this would be great to lug around my sketchbook and various books I carry around with me every day -- I actually have someone else in mind to give this too. Do you know who it's for????? Check out the pocket on the inside.... let me know if you figure it out!

I am looking forward to seeing everyone else's projects and reading everyone else's memories. I got mine knocked out early this time -- for a change. I also worked on my iris this weekend, but want to finish it before I post a picture -- probably in a day or so as there is alot of threadpainting. Have a great rest of the weekend!

Peace.

Saturday's Progress...

After securing all the necessities for a successful quilting session (the new iron Sal bought me for Christmas, some magazines for reference AND, my favorite moose cup filled with chai tea), I began working on the appliqueing process of the iris flowers. All the flowers have been cut out, freezer paper removed, wonderunder attached to the back. Next, each and every flower is ironed down in place -- being extremely careful to place the each item along the edge "exactly" where they are on the original painting, so that when my "slice" is attached to the neighboring slice (on the left) the flowers, stamen, leaves and stems match up. I check and re-check placement as I'm working. Now - I am getting ready to lay in some white acrylic paint and some Tsukineko dark blue and black ink to highlight and outline. I use my really crappy brushes when I'm doing dry brush technique.

These cheap brushes (made in China) have long wooden handles and feel like they are made out of straw. I love them for dry brushing as the bristles stay separate and work really well for this technique.

Now comes the really fun part. I have selected several hues of blue, yellow and gold threads -- all types - rayon, cotton and silk. I use different types of thread because the way the light plays off of the different fibers (silk, cotton, rayon) adds to the texture of the piece.

LEARNING CURVE ITEM #1: I remember as a kid growing up in Ohio that every spring, our little white house was surrounded with tulips and gigantic iris. My mom loved tulips, iris and hiacynth. I remember those iris being all different shades of purple - from the lightest to the darkest, so, it naturally made sense that when I first began selecting fabrics, paints and threads for this project, I immediately went for the dark violets and purples. I went with what my "brain" told me an iris looked like rather than what Van Gogh's image of the iris was. Alas, I bought all the wrong colors. Worse yet -- I didn't even realize the colors were way off until after I had the first batch of flowers totally cut out. What I love about doing these slice quilts is that they take me far out of my comfort zone. I have to really stretch my abilities and sometimes that means doing and re-doing the same thing over and over again until I get it right. It also means that I really have to "see" things, and not just "look" at them -- and I think I'm slowly acquiring that skill. How cool is that!!!

I Know, I know....

Nothing new in almost a week. I've been regrouping (and shopping!) I've got 7 things in the works right now and had to do some planning, sketching and preparing -- which doesn't always make for the best content or photographs. But -- here are some photographs of my "purchasing" trip to perk your interest. Most of these fabrics are Island Batiks, with a few Kaffee Fassett and Modas thrown in for fun. The batiks are just gorgeous !

Oh and -- if you see your name on this list (other than Leslie because her fabric is not pictured here) chances are -- you may get a glimpse of your present in it's "BEFORE" stage!!!
Here's what's in the works:

1. Sonoma Valley Art quilt for my lovely sister in law, Leslie - fabric has been purchased, washed, ironed and ready to go. Ovesized copies made and now I'm sketching and making templates for the design elements;

2. My Iris slice - The background has been painted and flower pieces have been cut out. I'm now ready to affix the flowers and begin painting in details with Tsukineko ink and acrylic paint;

3. Wurzerl's (Renate) Echanacea - sketching and designing in process;

4. Wild Girl's trade - fabric purchased today and is in process of being painted, stamped, etc.

5. Sabrina's dress for the art show - silk dupioni tapastry print this time

6. Aunt Nancy's birthday present (the details of which I cannot disclose because she visits here)

7. A surprise for a friend - fabric purchased today and is being painted and cut - and (the details of which I cannot disclose because she visits often!!)

Here's what needs to be in the works -- soon:

1. Sabrina's art teacher's "Pop Art" tote bag;

2. MIL's 80th birthday present;

3. Sal's "Ocean" duvet cover

(FYI - All of the fabric above was purchased at my favorite local quilt shop - Wish Upon a Quilt. AND, lucky you -- for those who don't live in the Raleigh/Wake Forest area -- they have an internet store with 100's maybe even 1000's of bolts of fabric. Here's the link: Wish Upon A Quilt)

Impressionism......

I have been working on Sabrina's dress all day (cutting out the lining and the actual satin pieces) and HAD to take a break. Inasmuch as I am just getting ready to begin painting the background for my Van Gogh "Iris" art quilt interpretation, I decided during my break to do a bit of research on impressionism.

"The word impressionist was first used mockingly by a journalist to describe a painting by Monet in 1874 entitled Impression: Sunrise. Many artists recognized their style in the word "impressionism" and continued to use the term. Impressionist painters are highly respected today for their talent and innovative genius. Most impressionist paintings were painted between 1867 and 1886. The impressionist movement was touched off by painter Edouard Manet's Luncheon on the Grass, which was exhibited in 1863. Manet himself was not an impressionist, but his work influenced a group of painters who rejected the conventional techniques and concepts of painting. This group, consisting of Claude Monet, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Berthe Morisot, Armand Guillaumin, and Frederic Bazille, did not see a painting as a fixed record of an object or landscape. Instead, Impressionist painters tried to capture a moment in time because objects and landscapes look different at different times of the day. "

Again I am faced with interpreting "impressionism" with fabric (silk dupioni, organdy, burlap and batiks) -- a technique I found difficult as evidenced in my posts about the previous "art slice" quilt I did. How do you blurr the clear cut lines of a piece of fabric?? An interesting challenge and something I am going to think about for a while.

Well, back to work on Sabrina's dress I go.

Yeah - it's Friday!!!!!

Meet Eddie.... The picture to the right is my newest toy that my dad sent me last week. It's the coolest data collector/thermometer (named Eddie after my dad - NOT the company that markets it!) Eddie comes with a sensor that is mounted outside on the house which transmits data to this little device that makes him change his clothes according to the weather. As you can see -- it was 28 degrees when I took the picture so Eddie is fully dressed in his winter clothes with winter precipitation depicted. Now in Florida my dad's device (he has one too!) has Eddie all but naked (he's in his little beach shorts) with a sun shining above. Eddie has many accessories - an umbrella, a beach chair, a snowman and every morning we (Sabrina and I) rush to see what Eddie is wearing to see if it's going to snow!! I LOVE him! (Thanks so much daddy. I know you got tired of me trying to steal yours!!! )

Anyway - it's been a busy week. Haven't had a chance to do much of anything FUN except work and chores. I am looking forward to finishing up with the aforementioned (work and chores!) and getting my hands dirty in SOMETHING this weekend. We are supposed to get snow tomorrow (we'll see!) and if so that will entail some playing outside -- but aside from that , it looks like it's going to be a good weekend to grab a yummy soy latte, work on Sabrina's dress, maybe do a little painting with my new Tsukineiko inks, finnish up the book I'm reading (Mayflower), start Leslie's art quilt and cuddle with anyone who will have me -- probably Gizmo!

Have a great weekend -- find a creative (!) way to stay warm -- and check back for progress pics over the weekend!!

Fall Leaf Challenge Finished!!

A group I belong to issued a "leaf challenge" wherein we were to create a piece of fabric art encompassing the theme of leaves. Originally, my thought was to create something abstract with leaf shapes. However, during my experimentation I ended up making some interesting leaves that were more realistic than abstract. Here is a litle wall hanging I came up with utilizing those leaves and a little squirrel that I sketched out on muslin and free motion embroidered. Sabrina immediately fell in love with the squirrel and after our meeting tonight -- he will promptly be hung on her bedroom wall to celebrate the onslaught of Fall!

If You Want My Body, and You Think I'm Sexy, Come on Baby Let Me Know!!!

The first time I saw Rod Stewart I was 17. The concert was at the Hollywood Sportatorium in Hollywood, Florida -- a favorite venue of mine. Well over 20 (make that almost 25) years later -- he is still going strong, and I enjoyed the concert Friday night as much as I did when I was just 17. Even my husband - a self-proclaimed "Dead Head" enjoyed the concert. Rod Stewart has withstood the test of time by keeping his youthful spirit and maintaining his risque' charisma. He belted out one classic after another - a repetoire of 28 songs in all -- some old (late 60's) and some recent. His music - like his quirky "look" is timeless.(Yes, he still has that hair!) It transcends all generational barriers. There were grandmas at the concert, their were mothers with their daughters at the concert, there were husbands, there were wives and there were groups of singles. It was an awesome evening for me - sharing a piece of my teenage years with my husband. He and I didn't know eachother when we were in our teens. Music has a magical ability to transoport us back to a place and time we have all but forgotten. I experienced some of that magic last Friday night, as did about 5,000 other people. We were all 17 again. And while I am so very happy with my life as it is now -- it was wonderful to be a kid again (with my husband) --- if only for a few hours!

Dabbling in Watercolor....

My mom told me once that she hated sunflowers and hollyhocks. I was shocked. I couldn't imagine how a person who grew up in the country (in Ohio) could hate sunflowers. When I asked her why, she told me that out in the country where she grew up they planted them around the outhouses to hide them -- and she's hated them ever since. I still love sunflowers and every time I see one, I marvel at their splendor. They are so huge, and I don't know if you've ever grown them (I do every year) their heads are very, very heavy -- it amazes me their stems can support all that weight -- yet they stand tall and proud with their faces shining up at the sky. They are bright, they are beautiful, they are gigantic and I love them. I guess that's why they keep finding their way into my work. This is a watercolor I did (on the right) a while ago while taking an art class a cute little art studio in Wake Forest called..... The Sunflower Studio. (no joke!)