Ready to Ship

Yesterday I prepared "Sunflower with a Passion for Color" to ship to the Lowell Quilt Festival in Lowell, MA. I am so excited to be included in this show. I'm looking forward to reading the judges comments on this quilt (and hoping that someone loves it enough to buy it).
I had other big news this week from the International Quilt Association, "The Truck Quilt" and "Outside In" have been chosen to be exhibited in International Quilt Festival in the November show in Houston.
Just like a finely tuned sewing machine, there was balance in my week. The great news from IQA more than balanced out the hiccup with my Bernina! BTW, the Bernina is quilting beautifully, it just doesn't want to straight stitch very well.

A Wonderful Way to Wake Up!

This morning when I checked my email I had one letting me know that my "Sunflower with a Passion for Color" quilt has been accepted into the Lowell Quilt Festival! Yup, I'm a little pumped about it. Other than having a quilt travel with the International Quilt Festival, this will be my first out of state quilt show.
I have spent yesterday and today playing in the studio with newly dyed fabrics. I have a special order for hand dyed hankies and I just took the last ones out of the dye bath and they are so yum! I can't wait to send them to my customer, I know she will be pleased with them. Since I was dyeing hankies, I had to throw some fat quarters in to take up space in the dye....it's easier to add fabric than decrease the amount of dye you make up, right? They are all beautiful. The last piece of my "Show and Tell" yesterday that I said I would throw in a dye bath today, well it turned out very interesting! I can't wait to ponder what to do with it. Pictures to come later, I know you all love "eye candy"!
Have a creative day everyone!

New Pictures!

Last week I was able to spend some time dyeing fabric for my next quilt series. Hopefully I'll be able to start on the first of these four quilts next week. My schedule is filling up, so I'm going to have to make sure I have a day or two devoted to studio time.

Today I was able to make it to the photographer and have professional pictures made of three of my quilts. You have seen two of them already, but those were pictures I took. The colors and textures the photographer was able bring out are much better than what I can accomplish. The one you haven't seen yet is my "Outside In" quilt. I've shown you pictures of the detail of the quilt as I was working on it, but here is the full picture! It measures 21" x 71". When you zoom in you can see the detail of the beading and stitching.



Here is the "Truck Quilt". When you zoom in you can see the detail of the stitching and the beading.



Finally, here is "Sunflower with a Passion for Color". The quilting, brush strokes and thread painting show up beautifully in this picture. I love this quilt, and would love to sell it!

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!

IQF, Directions and DAFA

It has been a busy week! I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Houston at the International Quilt Festival. I was able to meet up with a network of quilters I have met through the Internet networking and workshops that we have attended. And my two-day class with Katie Pasquini Masopust was awesome. I have always walked through the International Quilt Festival with awe and wonder of vision and construction. I have total appreciation for these quilters/artists. This year, was even more exciting for me since I had a quilt accepted into the “In Full Bloom” exhibit and a mini quilt in the SAQA booth exhibit.


Through the years, I have been taking steps to develop my “style” from traditional sewing (clothes, purses, craft projects, embroidery), to traditional quilting, to art quilting, to artwork. I have felt understanding and working in all these areas would awaken my “voice” and direct me to where I feel fulfillment with my work. Like many quilters and artists, there have been many struggles, frustrations and projects that I have placed in bins for another time; I have more ideas in my head than time. I can’t go to sleep for thinking and designing, I wake up early with new designs and/or an idea for one of the projects I’m working on. Don't get me wrong, I love my artwork and the paths I am taking with it. I experience great joy in the process of each project. Creating and watching fabric, paint and thread become a visual of something real going into the abstract. And part of this process is taking workshops with different instructors. It has helped me discern the directions and methods that create excitement and that I would like to explore and work with more. This past week has really touched a place in my artistic mind that will move my “voice” into the direction I’ve been seeking and will broaden my scope of artwork. Here are some of the pictures from my class with Katie PM. I’m looking forward to finishing the projects I’m working on and move on to the next brush strokes and stitches with my art quilts. I think my new motto will be "Move over Left Brain, the Right is taking over!" Thanks Katie!




After my two-day class with Katie, viewing quilts and a tiny bit of shopping on the vendor floor, I drove home to get ready for the Opening Night Reception of the Dallas Area Fiber Artists 2010 Annual Show. It was a wonderful night with my fellow fiber artists, their friends and family. The ArtCentre of Plano is a beautiful, restored historic home in Plano, TX. The artwork hung beautifully and everyone was thrilled with the venue and the quality of work. Our Juror/Judge, Amie Adelman did a wonderful job in choosing the collection and winners of the awards. Best in Wearable Art? Well, it was my Kimono Jacket! Here is a picture of me with my “Sunflower with a Passion for Color”. I was so busy (and tired from the drive) that I forgot to have my husband take a picture of me with my “Traditional Batik” quilt and the Kimono Jacket.



It was a productive and wonderful week. The networking, learning, fellowship and challenges are all priceless pieces to the journey. Happy Stitching everyone!

"Move over Left Brain, the Right is taking over!"

Getting Back to Work

I’ve been piddling in my studio lately and not being as productive as I usually like to be, but you have to have down times every once in a while. I have been busy organizing the Dallas Area Fiber Artists Annual Show that will be November 5 – 27 at the ArtCentre of Plano. I am pleased to say that the jury process is complete and three of my pieces were selected for the show. Kimono Jacket, Traditional Batik and Sunflower with a Passion for Color. I'm looking forward to the show and seeing all of our art work hanging all together in this 1920's home that has been refurbished and converted into a gallery and offices.


This past Saturday DAFA participated in NorthPark Celebrates Art in Dallas. It was a productive day, we were able to spread the word about DAFA and entice people to visit us and join! It was also a great day for me to spend with fellow members and get to know them better and talk about our upcoming show and education ideas for the coming year.

I’ve decided I like the way some of my smaller art quilts look on painted canvas, so I painted a few canvases this week to mount two of my angel quilts on. Here is the "Weeping Angel" art quilt that I just mounted.


I love the way the art quilt continues on out into the painted canvas. I had done this process with a couple of other art quilts and a gallery owner encouraged me to continue this technique, telling me that art collectors will see it more as "art" rather than a quilt hanging on the wall.

While I was piddling last week I designed and started a new quilt for the house. There is a dark corner in our family room that needs to lighten up. The wall is “blue suede” and next to the windows going out to our hydrangea flowerbed and a dark stained built-in entertainment center. I want to complement the blues and bring in the beautiful colors of the hydrangeas. Here is a picture background that I put together. I’m going to try out some new surface design techniques to pull in the blues, pinks and greens of the foliage. If you have any ideas of things for me to try, let me know! I’m open to ideas!!!!



Happy Stitching Everyone!

Sunflower with a Passion for Color

I finished!!!! I finally finished beading "Sunflower with a Passion for Color" yesterday morning, just in time to visit the quilt appraiser. I'm really pleased with the way this quilt evolved. All hand painted fabrics, hand dyed fiber for the center and hand beaded...and beaded...and beaded.....
Today I filled out the form to enter this quilt and Mexican Sunflower in Batik in the IQA "In Full Bloom" exhibit. Now it is time to keep our flower petals crossed!
Next on the list is a quilt I am creating for a charity that supports Downs Syndrome kids. I'll tell you more about it when I get further on it, but it is designed and sketched out. This afternoon I'm going to set some fabrics to dye and discharge some fabrics that I bought several years ago and haven't done anything with. We'll see what happens, so stay tuned!