There is A Lot Going on This Week!

There is a lot going on this week. I'm spending time catching up on paperwork, cleaning up the studio, putting supplies back from a workshop with Deborah Boschert, and working on a few little projects. Today as I work on a few little projects, there are men downstairs taking the old tile out of the master shower....the drain pan is leaking. By the end of the week we will have a new shower with slate tile, so yum, I'm going to feel like I'm at a spa.
Last week I finished the "Outside In" quilt. There aren't any pictures to show you the finished quilt, my camera is at the manufacturer being repaired. Monday I have an appointment to have it professionally photographed, along with "The Truck Quilt" and "Sunflower with a Passion for Color". So, stay tuned, next week there will be pictures!
When it warms up a bit tomorrow or Friday, I'm going to get back to dyeing fabric for the next series of quilts. Hopefully I will be able to start on the first quilt next week.
Okay, just wanted to pop in and give you an update!

Quilt in Progress

Just thought I would post a few pictures of my quilting and mixed media techniques on my current quilt "Outside In". As I posted earlier, the initial intent of this quilt was to mimic the hydrangea's outside the window, but my husband thinks this quilt looks more like the depth of the ocean. My quilt, I win....it's "Outside In". I'm not done yet, but I"m getting there!

Relief Efforts in Japan

This morning I awoke hearing the increased devastation in Japan. I can't imagine what the United States would be like if we had experienced this tragedy. The American Red Cross is in full action in Japan and they need additional funds to meet the increased needs of those they are serving. As of today, and until I feel the immediate need has passed, I am donating 50% of all sales through StudioJules ArtFire shop and StudioJulesArt Etsy shop to the American Red Cross.

Let Me Interrupt This Time of Creativity to Blog....

I just have to post a few quick pictures of what I'm working on. I have a quilt back hanging on my work wall that is going to be an art quilt for our family room. We have a dark corner and I want to brighten it up. Anyway, it's been hanging for awhile and I have been pondering what techniques I am going to use on it. Well, last night was a turning point and I fell asleep dreaming different techniques to use today. When I was digging through my drawer of textile/acrylic paints and things to use to paint with, I found an empty spool of thread! What a great idea for this quilt! You see, this quilt is going to hang next to a window where you can see all of our beautiful hydrangea's. The end of a spool of thread is similar to hydrangea blooms! I've also pulled out chiffon, organza, organdy, and silk to use to make artful hydrangeas.


Okay, I need to get back to work, but I also wanted to show you the fabric I dyed yesterday in preparation of the next four quilts I'm going to work on. I still need to dye more, but this is a start!

It's Been Slow Around Here Lately....

Well, not really. After I finish a quilt I have been working on for a while, I have to have some down time and catch up on things around the house and family. This past week I've picked up some of the trails I left off several years ago with my genealogy research. I'm working on my family and my husband's family. My dad's family has been hard to research because my great-grandfather ran away from his father at a young age, during the Civil War. This week I have had a break through on this trail and I'm so excited! But I'm putting this research work aside today and going to continue working on the patterns for my next 4 quilts. Three of them will hang together and one will stand alone. The one that stands alone has a lot of detail to it, so it will take me a good part of the day to trace out the pattern.
This past Tuesday the Dallas Area Fiber Artists had their "Meet the Artist" night at The Pointe, (C.C. Young) in Dallas, TX. It was a wonderful evening. The residents of C.C. Young who joined us had lots of questions about art work and were amazed at the variety of techniques used in our art and the Mini-Art Quilts made by the SAQA-Texas members. We even had a couple of DAFA members say they are going to join SAQA! Bonus!
Tomorrow is the first day of the Dallas Quilt Celebration. This show kind of snuck up on me! It's the first time in, gosh, 6 years that I haven't been working at the show in some fashion, either with the Bernina of Dallas store or the Dallas Area Fiber Artists. I'll be going tomorrow, can't wait to see the quilts (and shop)!

DAFA Workshop with Deborah Boschert

I'm excited to announce and encourage you to join the Dallas Area Fiber Artists this next month for our workshop with Deborah Boschert! Deborah is one of our favorite people, she was a member of the Dallas Area Fiber Artists before her family moved to Maryland. The workshop is "Techniques and Truths: Inspired by 12X12", on Saturday, March 26th, from 9am to 4pm. If the Saturday workshop fills, Deborah has agreed to teach an additional workshop on Sunday, March 27th. Click here for more information and the registration form.

Deborah will also be the program presenter at the DAFA monthly meeting on March 28th and also lead our mini-workshop prior to the meeting on Illuminated Letters. And one of the big bonuses about Deborah coming to share with us....we get to have her sign her new book Twelve by Twelve: The International Art Quilt Challenge!

This past Monday, Janet Reynolds, presented a wonderful program on photography at the DAFA meeting. She shared wonderful information to help us with our photos and how to present them for upcoming shows.

DAFA in April? Well, my dear friend and artist, Kathy Mayhew and I will be presenting a program on the benefits of being a Studio Art Quilt Association member and Trunk Show the SAQA-Texas Mini-Art Quilts that are touring the state. We will also be leading the mini-workshop before hand on Quick and Easy Mini-Quilts. The SAQA-Texas Mini-Quilts are the combined efforts of several SAQA members, from Texas, that were displayed at the 2010 International Quilt Festival. The only parameter we were given was that they had to be 9x12, the rest of the creativity was left up to the artist. The variety of artistic inspiration is awesome! Most of the time I just stand there and think "Why didn't I think of that?" or "Wish my brain would think that way....maybe I'll take that idea and spin it off...." It is so wonderful to be able to display the mini-quilts and inspire more people into stretch and challenge their creative side! We have them on exhibit this month with the DAFA show at The Pointe in Dallas. Our "Meet the Artist" night is March 8th, 6:30pm to 7:30pm. Join us!