Carolina Musings

Happy New Year and Best Wishes to Each of You

2012-01-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

You have probably noticed that I haven't posted to this blog in QUITE a while--between moving, hand surgery, illness and a mother who has declined in mental and physical capacity I just haven't felt lilke it. But it has been a time of reflection and looking forward to the coming months and, because of that, I have decided to end this Blog. The need to post has flown away--I don't know why but perhaps it's just time to proceed on to a different season of my life. I can't tell you just how much it has meant to me when people have told me how much they have enjoyed reading the things I've written and I appreciate the comments that many of you have left on my blog. I don't know what the coming year will bring into my life but I do know that each step in our lives is a preparation for the next one and I thank each of you for that part you have played in the process. Happy New Year and many blessings for each of you in the current life path that you are following.

Fast Friday Challenge 2--Notan

2011-10-31T12:14:00.000-04:00

The thing that I LOVE about challenges is that they take you places you wouldn't have gone on your own. This month's challenge is an example of that. Notan is a Japanese concept that uses the contrast of black and white to demonstrate positive and negative spaces.
I had heavy weight 12 x 12" black paper and drew a freehand design in a light colored pencil. I then carefully cut along the lines and reassembled the pieces into their original positions on a piece of white posterboard.

I then flipped each cut piece onto the white poster board and--voila--a work of art! I am told that this can be as addictive as making zentangles but I'm going to try to restrain myself. I am going to use this design to make a wall quilt but am not sure if I will use black and white or two other highly contrasting colors. Stay tuned.

Blue Ridge Parkway's 75th Anniversary

2011-10-27T12:40:00.000-04:00

Some of you may remember that I participated in the creation of a special quilt to mark the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Well, they have recently published a post card that is available at the Folk Art Center on the Parkway. I made the block with the fox and owl (double click on the image to actually see it). It was a lot of fun to be part of this project and it's really neat to see it "in print." The Parkway itself has been in its glory for the past couple of weeks with the annual showing of leaf color. (of course, the leaves in my own yard haven't been half-bad . . .)

Quilters of South Carolina Retreat 2011

2011-10-23T21:08:00.001-04:00

This weekend was the annual Quilters of South Carolina Retreat at White Oak Conference Center in Winnsboro. There were over 300 of us there and the classes offerings were varied and well received. I taught 2 classes--Introduction to Applique and Quilting Freemotion Feathers On your Home Machine.
I had some of the most wonderful women in my classes. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the Applique class; however, many of the students signed up for both classes. You can see from this first picture, that they dove right and started right to work. This was a 1 1/2 day class and it was non-stop.

And I'm very happy to say that they were so very successful and enthusiastic. I started them off slowly with easy shapes but by the end of the weekend, each of them had acquired new skills and felt that they would now be more willing to use freemotion quilting in their work. How about this first example. She went beyond the scope of the class and added a background pattern similar to the one in my quilt that was hanging in the class. How beautiful.

Gaynelle is showing the original pattern that I provided for the class and she accomplsihed quite a lot on her piece.

Another example of a beautiful sample. (I think it was Robin's)

Mary Sue spent a lot of time practicing on her motifs and did a great job rounding out the edges of her feathers.

I found out that Emma hadn't been quilting for very long but you never would have known it because of the precision with which she quilted her design.

And look here! You can even quilt feathers on a featherweight.

Donna who is in the art group to which I belong proved that she is very "arty." She decided to ignore the pattern and do her own thing, playing around with the motifs and injecting her own pizzaz into them.

Mary provided a lot of good natured commentary throughout the day but also managed to complete a great part of her quilting design.

And Nancy, who was already quite an accomplished quilter, produced an exquistite piece. Note the tiny stippling.

All in all, this was one of the most wonderful classes I have ever taught and I feel as if I made some really great new friends. Each person in the room contributed to the success of the weekend and I certainly am looking forward to seeing more of their quilting in the future.

Asheville Quilt Show 2011

2011-10-08T10:55:00.008-04:00

The Asheville Quilt Show was last weekend and this year it was in a new venue--the Ag Center. Now, many people might think that moving from the beautiful Arboretum to this location could possibly be a mistake: however, as far as I'm concerned, it was a good decision. The show was in a new building, there was plenty of places to park and all of the quilts and vendors could share the same space--without any crowding. While it's true that thee weren't any lush gardens around, it's also true that most people just wanted to see the quilts. Any move such as this requires a certain amount of time to settle into being the "norm" but I think most people appreciated the benefits.
So--here are a few of my favorite quilts. This first one is Golden Chrysalis by Terry Williams. I have seen a few of the quilts by this artist and they seem to have the same sort of theme but each one plays around with light and color in an imaginative way. As you can see, it received a well-deserved first place.-

This next one is Lotsa Merry Berries by Nicki Vick. I love Christmas Quilts like this one that can also just be a winter quilt. It was beautifully made.

This is Fourth of July in Margaritaville by Christine Regina. I love the colors.

And this one was made by a friend of mine, Sue Weaver. It is Gradation and, although you can't necessarily tell from the photo, it's a miniature. This was the first time ever that Sue had won a ribbon and she was quite excited--and it certainly was worthy of the honor. If you enlarge the picture and look in the 4 corners, you will notice that there a tiny tubes of woven fabric that make up the squares. You have to have really dexterous fingers to do that.

Connie Brown made this quilt, Tiffalipa. The interesting thing about this particular quilt (other than the fact that it well done and eye-catching) is that she and I sat next to each other in a class taught by Phillipa Naylor earlier this year and we each finished our projects. However, they don't bear any resemblance to each other. She fell a lot deeper into the creative pool than I did and REALLY made it her own.

Heartwood is made by Marge Edie--a quilter who is incredibly talented in the math side of quilting. This was a replica of the top of a box she carved for her husband as a wedding gift many years ago. I was a member of her art group while she was in the creative process of making the math of the angles and the colors of the wood come together into a thing of beauty. She really succeeded--partially because she also has the gift of perseverance. She kept at it when things didn't fit right until they did. And look what she ended up with!

This quilt, Compass Fantasy, by Renate Jaeger won the Viewers Choice Award. She said that it had 3,700 pieces. Man, talk about perserverance! The original maker and designer of this quilt is Judy Mathieson and it was on the cover of The Twentieth Century's Best American Quilts. If you want to see more of Judy's work you can visit her website ttp://web.mac.com/jackmathieson/Judy_Mathieson/Welcome.html

This last quilt I'm featuring is Dresdan Plate Fantasy by Velma Frady. No reason. I just liked it.

And, Oh, one last quilt I liked--MINE! I received Best of Show for Summer Soiree. Needless to say, I was very surprised and a very happy camper.

Fast Friday Challenge

2011-10-04T10:25:00.000-04:00

Recently, I joined an internet art group named Fast Friday Challenge. The idea is that on the last Friday of the month a challenge will be issued and a quilt should be made within a week.

One of the objects of this is to free your mind of all of the "what ifs" and JUST DO IT. This challenge was based on 35 master paintings. Each of us was free to choose the painting we wanted and use the color palette from it in a quilt. I chose James Tissot's Croquet as my inspiration and I almost immediately thought of the little leaf drawing I had done several years ago. (And that's the beauty of doing drawings and collecting pictures and putting them in a place where you can find them later). So, I took this drawing and enlarged it to the size I wanted and then decided on the rest of the layout for the quilt.

As you can see, I choose a circle for the center and went out from there. Since I had a fairly limted color palette, it was challenging to decide on the placement of the colors. I have named my piece Strolling Through The Garden. When I had to come up with a name for it I felt that there was a certain feeling of pathways so,thus, the name.
When I got to the quilting stage, I decided that it was a good opportunity to try something a little different from what I usually do so on the outside border I used circles but finished off with curved lines. You can double click this picture for a better view and the last picture is a closeup.
All in all, I really enjoyed this challenge. I ended up with a wallhanging that I really like--one that I never would have made otherwise.
Hmm . . .I wonder what's coming on the next one?

A Friend's Aurevoir

2011-09-28T13:27:00.000-04:00

When I moved from Charleston several weeks ago, it was with mixed feelings because I have so many good friends there. My Quilters Night Out group had a special dessert evening to tell us goodbye and one of the members of the group made me this wallhanging. You would have to double-click on it to get the full gist of what it's about but it's pretty special to me. On the right sidebar of this blog is a poem by Dawna Markova entitled "I Will Not Die An Unlived Life and my friend Ellen translated it into fabric and gave it to me. She just recently bought a nice Janome sewing machine and has been having fun freemotioning words onto her creations. I feel so blessed that she chose to do this poem for me. Thank you, Ellen, and "Aurevoir until the next time."

A Note On Posters

2011-09-25T19:10:00.000-04:00

I have been asked by several people about the photographs that I use for some of my art quilts. They look at the photo that I use for my pattern and wonder where I had it blown up (I recently did find out that some Fed Ex --used to be Kinko's--offices can blow up a photo to quite a large size).
However, I do the job at home and have been quite satisfied with the result.
Most printers today have a "Poster" function. Some can print out a picture on (16) 8 1/2" x 11" sheets of paper. My particular printer will go up to 25 sheets. You will find this function under Preferences in your printer menu. And I recently read an article in the February 2011 issue of The Quilt Life that show you how to go even bigger in Excel (although the directions weren't for my version of the software and I had to figure out how to convert it). So here you see my photo

printed out on 25 sheets of paper. You then have to trim off the appropriate edges and and glue the trimmed pictures together (you could also use scotchtape--but using a stick of glue is better).
And voila--here is my finished photo which now measures 37" x 50". I printed it out on the "Best" setting and was really amazed at the quality of the resolution. Someday it will be a quilt but, for now, I'm just going to enjoy looking at it.

Slow Going

2011-09-21T15:00:00.001-04:00

Things have been going pretty slowly the past week or so. We have been having some much needed work done on the driveway and foundation of the house; however, most of it has been going on right outside the window of my studio. The vibration from the backhoe breaking up the concrete has been a little much.
And this morning I was supposed to go to my first meeting with the Art Group I belonged to when I lived up here before and, instead, I ended up in the driveway digging channels in the rock and dirt in order to keep the water away from the foundation .
Oh well--one of the phrases I remember from my Spanish classes is "Asi es la vida" or "That's life." And I guess that's right. At least I have the muscles and the shovel.
Anyway, I HAVE finished the blanket stitching the fusible applique on my newest quilt, Lady in Waiting. I just thought I'd post a picture of the pinning. So many people have asked me how far apart do I place the pins. I like to place them between 2 and 3 inches apart. I think it helps to prevent those nasty "accidents" that can take place on the back of your work when you all of a sudden discover that you have quilted wrinkles into your quilt.
So now, I can begin to actually quilt something. This particular piece has been in the works for almost 3 years from the time I took the picture of the Lenten Rose. And now I can hardly wait to get it finished!

The Finishing Touch

2011-09-11T20:25:00.000-04:00

The final thing in my studio that needed to be done was to replace the formica covering for the top of the worktable.
As you can see, the large sheet of formica arrived and is ready to install. It is 5 feet wide--a foot wider than standard. We ordered extra length so the trim on the end of the table could be replaced, also.

Smokey's first task was to cut off the overhanging section. I looked up on the internet for instructions on how to do it but he decided that a saber saw was the way to go--and it worked perfectly. The problem about cutting formica is that it's brittle and can easily chip off and leave an uneven surface.

The next day, our neighbor Anthony came over to help with the actual installation. The top of the table and the wrong side of the formica are slathered with adhesive and set aside to "cure." Then removable sticks are laid down the entire table top. This is to prevent the formica from touching its surface. The adhesive is sort of like super glue and of the two surfaces were to make contact with each other when in the wrong position, it would be somewhat of a disaster because they would be STUCK.

So, here are Anthony and Smokey laying the formica out over the table, resting on the wooden stakes.

And here they are starting to roll the formica where they want it to touch the tabletop. As they rolled, they carefully removed the sticks as they went along. They rolled and rolled and rolled so there would be no air bubbles that could lead to separation of the two surfaces.

At this point, they've removed all the sticks, the laminate is in place and they're rolling some more.

This is what the roller looks like.

Next they used a router with a special bit to trim off all of the overhang along the edges. Anythony's holding the vacuum up to it to catch some of the sawdust. It actually did a pretty good job (of course I may find some later when I go through my fabric! But that can be washed.).

And here is the final, finished table top. I'll have to say, they did a better job than the man who installed the original top. And now, I guess I've run out of excuses about getting back to work. Hi ho, Hi ho.

Yes, I'm Still Alive And Kicking!

2011-09-08T10:56:00.000-04:00

A lot has happened in the last two months. And it's been pretty intense. As many of you know, we have moved back and forth from the mountains to the sea a couple of times in the last couple of years. When we moved back to Charleston, we said, "This is it. We just don't have another move in us."
Well, little did I know! Our house in the mountains hadn't sold--and most likely wasn't going to sell in the near future (or who knows when given this economy). So, we had more or less decided that we would list both of our houses and live in the one that didn't sell.
Wouldn't you know? As soon as we made that decision, someone called up and offered to buy our house in Charleston (before we even put it back on the market).

And not only did they want to buy it, they wanted to move in right away. WE packed and packed and packed, rented a truck to bring many of the boxes to the mountains before the movers came, took lots and lots of stuff to Goodwill and sold more things on Craig's List.
Given the speed and our age, the move went exceedingly well. The movers didn't break anything and they were nice and polite--and worked. Thanks to Craig's List, everything I have left fits nicely into my smaller space. There is still much to do, but I'm beginning to sew.

A few comments on the pictures. We were able to get my large table out of my old studio and into the new one. We did have to throw away the formica covering on the top, but a new piece is on order and we'll install it as soon as it arrives. I sold two of my sewing cabinets (to a VERY nice woman in Summerville) and two of my machines and that opened up a good bit of space.
Lighting has been an issue in this space. You can see the overhead light in Picture #1 and the nice flourescent that my husband replaced it with in Picture #4. It has made the world of difference and he will also be replacing the old flourescents with newer, brighter models.

Also, a comment on Craig's list. I think I was able to sell my sewing-related items for a higher price than I could have gotten on eBay. Perhaps people prefer being able to come see the actual items in person instead of relying on a photo from an unknown person in another state and then adding shipping costs on top of it. I really enjoyed meeting these people but I made sure that I wasn't home alone when they came.
We also sold some furniture and although we didn't get what it was worth really, it saved the headache of having to deal with it in the midst of a move. All in all, for us, Craig's List was a good experience but I think that listing sewing related items are less likely to draw an unwanted response than other items.

And this is the piece that I am finally getting back to work on--a Lenten Rose. I'm in the process now of anchoring down the fusible applique. And, in spite of some bumps in the road, this is feeling like home. I surely miss my friends in Charleston--I have been blessed to be part of a wonderful art group there and have also known other quilters there for quite some time. They are all special people in my life and I know that they'll continue to be so.
So, here I am--alive and kicking. I hope everyone is doing well.

More Feathers

2011-07-03T10:27:00.000-04:00

One thing I know--from a student's perspective--is that a teacher can never have too many samples for a class. Since I'm teaching classes on quilting feathers, I decided to make a more complex piece showing how you could use all of the different elements that are taught in the class. Unfortunately, my picture doesn't quite show all that I would like it to, but I hope you can see well enough. The fabric is a hand dye by Ellen Ann Eddy and I think it "confused" the camera somewhat (not to mention the quilter!).
I've been to several classes lately in which the teacher had the diffinitive answer on what needle to use and the proper weight thread. The truth is that these figures are merely guidelines and that many other threads and needles will also work--depending on the fabric and the tightness of the quilting, etc.

For this piece I used a 75 quilting needle and had absolutely no problem. The purple thread is a Superior 50 weight Masterpiece thread on top and a 60 weight Superior Bottom Line thread in the bobbin with a 2.00 tension. For the background quilting, I used Isacord thread in both the top and the bobbin with a 1.5 tension. For use in my Bernina 430, I also threaded the Bottom Line through the little hole in the bobbin case--which helped to pull the top thread down into the fabric and prevented the bobbin thread from showing on the surface of the quilt.
Of course, one of the major challenges of this piece was using a dark thread on a lighter, fairly blank top because any boo-boos are sure to stand out. There are some, of course, but overall I was very happy with the end result.

The Final Result

2011-06-30T19:43:00.000-04:00

Well, after months and months of piecing, ripping out, fusing, appliqueing and quilting, my latest quilt is finally finished. It was quite a challenge in many ways but part of the enjoyment I get from projects I begin is the "figuring out" of how to make things work (which often means even more ripping). I always come away with some lesson learned--even if it's "I never want to do that again."
So . . .Here is Summer Soiree (double click on the image for a little better view). And now it's on to the next one.

I've Been Waiting For Five Years

2011-06-26T11:12:00.000-04:00

Since we moved back to Charleston several years ago, I have been spectacularly unsuccessful at growing decent tomatoes. My last garden in the mountains was huge and organic (lots of manure, compost, etc). There I had tomatoes coming out of my ears. I canned them, dried them, cooked with them and--most especially--had tomato sandwiches--day after day and never got tired of them.
My yard in Charleston has sandy soil and there aren't many cows grazing in neighboring fields (what neighboring fields?) to provide that very necessary boost to fertility that will produce big honker tomatoes. Well, AT LAST, this was the year. These tomatoes are sitting on a dinner plate--not a salad plate--and I can tell you right now what I'm going to have for lunch today--with soft bread and mayonaise.
Whew, there's not many things I like better. I think I've reached nirvana.

Hope

2011-06-20T17:07:00.000-04:00

The Challenge for our Art Group this last quarter was to write a Haiku poem and then create a quilt based on the poem. A haiku poem is vert short--3 lines--the first line is 5 syllables, the 2nd is seven syllables and the 3rd is five. Here is my poem:
Life's many circles,
Reaching to include us all--
Containing Love's Hope.
And so I named my quilt Hope.
I had made the the petal-type shapes in a workshop with Phillipa Naylor earlier this year and felt that they could be my starting point. I then added circles--and more circles--that were connected to each other.

This is the quilt after it was quilted. If you look closely, you can see the pins where it is being blocked in order to square it up before I add the binding. Before I block it, I add a little synthrapol to coolish water and then immerse the quilt into it. I swish it around to get it good and wet and then rinse it out. I wrap the wet quilt in towels to remove the excess moisture. Then I spread it out on the CLEAN carpet and start smoothing and stretching to bring it into square as much as possible. I always need to block my quilts because of my tight quilting stitches.

And this is the finished quilt. You can't really see it in this picture, but there is a very tiny piping next to the binding, ala the Susan Cleveland method.
One thing I decided to do with this small quilt was to play with various elements as I went--and to just have as much fun with it as possible--using threads, stitches and techniques that I don't ordinarily incorporate into my work.

This is some of the beading I did. I sewed on the beads before I quilted.

And the background quilting is composed of jutting lines from variegated thread. You can also see the gold thread I used on the red "leaves."

And the quilting with gold thread went well. As a final touch before I quilted, I used my braiding foot and sewed down mettalic embroidery floss with red rayon thread. This technique joined the four corner circles and, thus, encircled the other circles in the center.
All in all, I really enjoyed myself. For me, one of the freeing and fun things to do is to participate in a Challenge and just enjoy the journey of discovery along the way.

NC Quilt Symposium and A Few of My Favorite Quilts

2011-06-10T21:38:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, the NC Quilt Symposium was held at Peace College in Raleigh, NC. It was the first time that I had attended the Symposium and it was a wonderful experience.
Part of the Symposium is a Quilt Show by the participants and these are a few of my favorites. The first one is Neutral Mini Braid by Judy Lilly. She said that it was a real challenge to work with a gradation of neutral fabrics. Evidently, the judges felt that she was successful!

This pineapple quilt, Provence Pineapples, is made by Jane Hall. She said that it was made from her collection of French fabrics that she had collected on her various trips to France. Jane was also the co-chairman for the Symposium and always had a smile when people came up to ask her questions about changing classes, how to get somewhere, etc. And she still had a smile on Sunday after all of that problem solving.

This is It's About Time by Kim Frisk. It's one of those quilts that you really have to look at closely to take in everything. She said that the brownish fabric was rust-dyed and that was the first time that I had seen rust-dyed fabric used in a manner that I really liked.

I loved the optical illusion of this quilt, Secrets of the Dark Matter by Renate Soltman and quilted by Bethany Pease. Another one that you need to study for a while to take in all of the elements.

And Amy Stewart Winssor always makes whimsical quilts and this one is no exception. Five Thirty A.M. tells the story of her early morning trip to the school where she teaches. It's dark when she starts out but the church is full of light when she arrives there.

I was drawn to this quilt, Puzzle Garden by Katie Greenwood, by the use of color and applique. Katie took what is a fairly coventional pieced pattern and really jazzed it up with the appliqued flowers and wild colors. What a happy composition.

This is All Eyes Are On you by Jane Hamrock. It is hand appliqued AND hand quilted--something I would not necessarily have expected with such a modern looking piece. It is quite an eye-catcher.

On Your Stars and Flowers by Naomi Durkee just caught my eye with its pleasing color palette and the addition of applique to the pieced star.

And another quilt by Kim Frisk, Shadow E. She said she started this as a class with David Taylor. Didn't she do a great job of capturing the curiosity factor inherent in all cats? And she really did a great job of creating a 3-D effect.

Finally, this is my quilt, Swamp Hibiscus. Was I in for a surprise! I won Best of Show---which was more than a little exciting--BUT I also won Viewers Choice. Now, that was humbling. A HUGE thank you to each person that voted for my quilt.
It was an amazing weekend.

A Thing Of Beauty Is a Joy Forever

2011-06-01T22:21:00.000-04:00

By John Keats. If you want to read the entire poem: http://www.online-literature.com/keats/463/
These are two of my favorite daylillies and they truly are a "thing of beauty" which lift my spirit each time I see them. I don't remember their varietal names as I got them at a daylily farm in Georgetown, SC several years ago and have transplanted several times since. The second lily has HUGE blossoms. In this heat we've been having, it's been wonderful to see a plant growing that thrives with the sun beating down.

On a more serious note--I have a friend whose email was compromised this week. She had to

open a new account but couldn't access her email contacts so was left with no way to let everyone know her new address. In the course of the attack on her account, a letter was sent out to her friends asking for money to get her out of a bad situation--using a similar format that probably most of you have received that was obviously a scam. It's not quite so obvious when it comes from a friend but, thankfully, obvious enough. The point of this is to suggest that you print out your email contacts or save them to a cd or memory stick just in case you find yourself in a similar situation. With all of the bad people lurking around the internet these days, you just don't know if you might be the next victim.

It's Gettin' To Be A Pretty Long Journey

2011-05-29T21:16:00.000-04:00

It seems as if I've been working on this quilt for years! Well, at least months--and months (which I have). And now I'm getting down to the final stretch. My last hurdle has been how to transfer my feather drawing to the black border. The usual way I would do this would be to use a light box and trace it with a pencil (light or dark depending on the fabric). However, that wouldn't work in this case as the drawing wouldn't show up through the black fabric. The other issue was that I couldn't mark the border ahead of time because the markings would have been rubbed off by the time I got to them.

So, what to do? I had used this Saral transfer paper in a class I took and thought it might work well in this case.

This is the pattern I drew (which no longer has the little circles).

More of a close up. In order to transfer the pattern to the cloth, I could do only one fourth of the border, quilt it and then move on to the next section, repeating the process. The process was this: I carefully folded the batting and backing back under the body of the quilt and smoothed out the black border fabric. (I'm very fortunate to have a large table where I could do this fairly easily.) I then started with the transfer paper under the pattern--but on top of the black fabric. Using a ball point pen, I traced.

This is what that looked like. I only traced the bare essentials.

And this is the design quilted. It was a somewhat messy process and the pattern was hard to hold in place--but it worked and was the only solution I could come up with at the time.

And this is the border after I've added the stippling stitching in the background.

So . . .I'm getting close. The journey's been fun but I'm sort of ready to get into the station.

And Now--For Some Fun!

2011-05-22T20:36:00.001-04:00

You know, some teachers are talented but can be Oh So Serious about their work and other teachers can be a lot of fun but somewhat lacking in talent. In Peggy Barkle, you are fortunate to have both things in one package. She came to our Guild last week for a lecture and a class. In her lecture, she showed many beautiful quilts and talked about the method of quilting she developed that is featured in her book, Blendable Curves, which is published by C&T Publishing Company. She has a wonderful style of talking about herself and her work that had us all laughing. And isn't it great to find something to laugh about these days? Laughter is literally good for the soul.
Although she talked mainly about her quilts that are featured in Blendable Curves and shared her vision for another book in her future, she actually taught "Twisted Bargello", a pattern by

Australian quilt designer, Chris Timmins. I saw this pattern years ago when it was published in an Autralian quilt magazine and had saved it for a long time with the idea of making it. Well, time passed and I didn't do it. I still haven't done it, but I did have the pleasure of being at Peggy's class (I'm the Program Chairman this year) and watching the fun that all of her students had with her.

She was very smart in that she had each student sew lots of strips together BEFORE class. This guaranteed that everyone would go home with a good start on the bargello--and would, hopefully, finish it.

You can see here that everyone is working away and there was such a pleasant atmosphere in the room. Peggy gave lots of tips on easy construction methods and helped find the "boo-boo's" that sent the design off course.

Here are a couple of quilts in progress.

And here are another two. By the end of the day, everyone had a really good idea of how their quilts were going to look and, as an observor, it was fun to see how each quilt turned out so differently. As Program Chairman for a Guild, you can spend many, many hours lining up speakers and teachers, setting up lecture spaces and classroom spaces, taking them out to dinner and escorting them around BUT it all is more than worth it when you have someone come to town who is as nice and as much fun as Peggy Barkle. Thanks, Peggy.

A Quilt Show

2011-05-14T20:41:00.000-04:00

This past Friday, I went to a wonderful quilt exhibit in North Charleston that was organized by Cookie Washington, a local artist. This was in conjunction with the North Charleston Arts Festival, a yearly event that celebrates all of the arts in the community. This exhibit was somewhat unique in that all of the artists were black women. Several of us enjoyed the show so much that we went back today to see them again. We all agreed that we liked this quilt the best--Lessie Rose by Barbara McCraw. It is really difficult to capture all that was going on with this piece. The swirling background fabrics added movement to the quilt and emphasized the motion of the women's hair.

And if you look at this closeup, you can see the hair on the women and the detail of the faces. We spent a LOT of time looking at all of the details and appreciating the skill and thought process of the artist.

And here is a second quilt by Barbara--Oya 11. If you look closely, you can see the outline of a twirling woman. And you can see a closeup view in the next picture. One of the amazing things about this piece was that it appeared that she pieced the components of the woman entirely separately from the background and then superimposed them on it. Really incredible and beautiful.

This piece is Love--Generosity & Service by Yvonne Fraer. There is gold beading around the heart that doesn't really show up in this photo.

And this is Southern Greens by Rachel Clark. Rachel was in North Charleston--from California--for several days teaching quilted garment construction and, by all reports, the classes were fun and stimulating. I was fortunate enough to attend her fashion show and was quite taken by her sense of humor--as well as her artistic and technical skill. Among other things, she loves to make clothing that celebrates Christmas; however, she also loves to make clothing that features watermelons. She showed a watermelon coat that was a show stopper and, as you can see in this quilt, she likes her watermelons there, also.

Arianne King Comer created this wall hanging entitled Oasis. She is a very talented Charleston artist who does a lot of her art work in indigo fabrics, mixing her dyes in the traditional way. I think the border of this quilt is done in that fashion. The poem at the top of this quilt was very moving and seemed to be reflective of the time she spent in Africa--we think.

Cythia Cephas presented this quilt--Strong Women. I loved the combination of the women in the panels and the style of piecing.

This piece by Pauline Barrett is called the Gift and you might notice that the woman is placing her hands on a belly that is heavy with child. I have included a closeup of some of Pauline's quilting in the next picture. Her stitching was wonderful throughout the entire quilt.

And, finally, this is Wholesness: Giving Birth To Fully Consciousness by Cookie Washington, the organzier of the show. It's quite an interesting piece.
I was really glad that we took the time to revisit this show today. The building was quiet and it afforded us an opportunity for reflection as we looked at this wonderful group of quilts by some amazing women. So many of them were telling stories about their lives and experiences and I'm grateful that I given the gift of a window into their world.

The Quilting Begins

2011-05-06T21:03:00.000-04:00

People often ask me what thread I use to quilt my quilts, how I baste them, what batting I use, what needles I use and several other questions. So, today I'll answer a few of them.

I've been working on this quilt for months and months and, finally, I have gotten to the quilting stage. I never spray baste a quilt--I pin it using the oak flooring surface of my living room to spread it out on. Why do I not spray baste? Two reasons: First of all, I don't like all of those fumes going into my lungs and, secondly, I'm not good at it. When I've tried it, I always seemed to get wrinkles and I couldn't even imagine getting a smooth result in a large quilt. So . . .I just tape the layers to the floor--pulling the edges taut but not tight--turn on my Books on Tape and just go for it. I'm fortunate that my dog knows better than to walk on it so I can leave it overnight if I need to (of course, she may not like walking on all those pins either!). The batting I'm using on this quilt is Warm and Natural. I usually choose this or Hobbs 80/20.
The quilting here is on the center section of the quilt and you can see if a little better if you click on the pictures to enlarge them. For me, the most difficult part of any quilt project is choosing the threads and the quilting stitches. With this quilt background, I decided to use a thread that was darker than the fabric so that the stitching would stand out. I'm using Superior's Nature Colors by

Hollis Chatelain ( 40 wt. Trilobal Polyester) with Superior's 50 wt. cotton in the bobbin. And I'm using an 80 sharp needle. I tried using an 80 topstitch needle but the thread didn't like it and kept fraying. One thing I've learned is that just because one machine likes a certain kind of thread or needle doesn't mean that your other machines will feel the same.
This is the first large quilt that I've quilted on my Bernina 830 and, so far, I've been very pleased--mostly because I've had zero problems with the tension. I REALLY hate it when I turn the quilt to the back after stitching a while and realize that I'm going to have to spend a lot of time taking those stitches out due to bad tension.
So, now I've finished with this thread and I need to figure out what I'm going to do next!

Hampton Park

2011-05-01T22:38:00.001-04:00

This post was supposed to have been written several days ago; however, I misplaced my camera (with the pictures inside). I searched high and low--even got depressed because I had no memory of where I might have actually put the camera. When my husband got back in town this afternoon, I was sitting in his "Men's Room" and catching up with what had happened while he was away and--low and behold--there sat the camera--black case against black background. It was a good excuse as to why I hadn't seen it, but did little to explain why I didn't remember WHERE I had put it. Oh well. On with the story . . .

Last week was our wedding anniversary and I thought it would be nice to visit a local garden since we couldn't go out of town that day. The weather was gorgeous and I suggested Hampton Park--a lovely city park near the Citadel. Hampton Park has been around for years and years--and has had many lives. In the late 1800's, it was a race track; in the early 1900's, it was an Exposition Park; in the 60's it was a zoo and it now is a large public park with lakes, trees, bandstand, jogging trails and flowers, flowers, flowers.
I first went there as a young mother to take my son for picnics and to see the zoo. It really wasn't much of a zoo by today's standards but it was fine for a

3-year old. There were alligators (up close and personal), otters, monkeys and other assorted animals. And I can still hear--and smell--the monkeys. I guess it all kind of fell away after Charlestowne Landing opened up but I have many fond memories of it.
But now the gardens have been rejunvenated and explanded and the flowers are well worth seeing although I would recommend going early in the day because the paths are not well shaded. You can see here some of the ones I saw last week. Notice the bumble bee on the blue flowers. You can also see that there were edible plants--cabbage and swiss chard.

I was especially interested in the swiss chard because it costs so much in the grocery store and is so delicious. Since there were a couple of people planting flowers along the pathway, I stopped to ask them about planting times, etc (It's a fall-planted crop here in the Charleston area). While I talked with them, I learned that every single flower that is planted in this huge garden is grown either from seeds or cuttings. They have many volunteers who do this and I would have to think that it saves the City a lot of money. And so much beauty results from all of the effort.

Cabbage

Swiss Chard

Part of the "Lake-System"

This looks like a good climbing tree to me--once you used an extension ladder to get up into it!

There has been a lot of attention paid to Angel Oak on John's Island and it is well-deserved. But look at this limb on one of the trees at Hampton Park. Can you imagine just how long it took to grow down to the ground like that?
So, all in all, it was a nice outing for our anniversary. And, hopefully, some of those flowers will end up in a quilt one day.

Sacred Threads

2011-04-24T21:28:00.000-04:00

Several months ago, I applied to have my Imagine quilt included in the Sacred Threads exhibit in Herndon, Virginia (outside Washington, D.C.) this June. http://www.sacredthreadsquilts.com/
This quilt was inspired by John Lennon's song Imagine and is about people putting aside their prejudices, territories and symbols of "rightness" to live in a world of peace and love. I have loved this song from the first moment I heard it and knew immediately how I wanted to interpret it in fabric and thread.
The application to Sacred Threads states the following:
Sacred Threads is an exhibition of quilts exploring themes of spirituality, joy, inspiration, peace/brotherhood, grief and healing. This biennial exhibition was established to provide a safe venue for quilters who see their work as a connection to the sacred and/or as an expression of their spiritual journey.

The objective is to create a dignified exhibition of artwork that touches on both spiritual and personal levels all those who view it. We want to share with others the experiences of quilters whose stories may be a source of healing and strength.
I knew as soon as I finished this work that I wanted it to be in the exhibition. It was sort of a "kismet" feeling as Herndon, Virginia was the town I grew up in and even as a young person I felt a need to search out avenues of spirituality and to seek answers to the unanswerable. I am, of course, still seeking and that is how Imagine came to be. The acceptance email I received this morning (how appropriate for it to arrive on Easter morning!) said that there were far more applications this year than ever before so I guess the seeking continues as we try to make sense of our chaotic world. I am looking forward to being in Herndon the last part of June and experiencing the entire show. I know that it is going to be powerful.

An Art-Filled Journey

2011-04-20T20:48:00.000-04:00

This past Friday, three friends and I set off for North Carolina--and beyond--in order to visit several of my favorite quilt shops and to see some other things along the way. Our first stop was in Forest City, the home base of Schoolhouse Quilts. Many of you have visited their booth at various quilts shows (they're the ones with all the books and notions). BUT, at their shop (which is located in the lower lever of their home) they also have bolts and bolts of beautiful fabric. It's well worth the effort to go there. While we were in there, our friend Diana Pickens arrived and clued us in to a wonderful bead shop just down the road. Of course, we HAD to go.

Here is the exterior. Isn't it wonderful?

And these interior shots just capture part of the entire space. There were so many beautiful beads and I'll have to admit that some went home with me.

After we left the bead shop, we headed on to Spindale where the Rutherfordton Quilt Guild was holding its very first quilt show. The quilts were nice and there were over 20 vendors.

This very unusual butterfly quilt was made by Robin Parton.

And this fabric floral arrangement was made by Amy Moye. Both of these talented women were in a quilting class that I taught in Rutherfordton last year so I was delighted to see more of their work.

This next floral quilt was made by Martha McGinnis.

And this one was by Carol Griffin. I really liked the
"mountain feeling" that it captured.

Dorothy Baird-McKinney made this quilt and it was entered in the catagory that was for people who had been quilting for less than two years. She quilted it herself and I think should be very pleased with the result.

This last quilt has a little story to it. It was pieced and quilted by my friend Jeanette Auld who lives most of the year at Lake Lure and the rest of the time in Mt. Pleasant. I gave her the leftover pieces from a quilt I had made and she used them to make the same quilt I did--only bigger. That's a real "two-fer"!
Well, we covered so much ground on this first day of our trip that we were ready to kick back after we finally got our groceries and arrived at my house in Hendersonville. We knew we better get some rest because the next day we were heading to Tennessee. More on that later . . .

Not Just One Block

2011-04-09T20:04:00.000-04:00

While I was in Murrells Inlet this past Fall, I bought a beautiful piece of fabric with Purple and Green Floral Tones. When I showed it to my friend Corky, she said that it would make a great fabric for a One-Block Wonder Quilt. I, of course, asked, "What's that?" Well, you can see from the picture, it is a pretty busy quilt made with hexagonal blocks. You have to measure how often the design repeats and buy enough fabric that you'll have 6 repeats. Since my fabric had a 24" repeat, I had to go back to the store and get more.

This is the fabric that I had chosen.

And you can see from these sample blocks the very different effect you can get from each block. Corky and Dotty came over for a day of sewing these blocks and we spent quite a bit of time oohing and aahing over each other's results. If you're wondering about the pins in the blocks, you don't sew the two halves together until you sew the rows together for ease of construction. (After all, it IS a little easier to sew a straight line than it is to sew a "Y" seam).

After I had sewn all my patterned hexagons, I decided to add cubes to add a dimensional element to the quilt. The first one took an hour to sew (due to a poor choice in a ruler and trying to "make" the cube fit), but after that they just buzzed along. I then started playing with the placement on the design wall.

A closeup of the cube.

And then the finished layout. I was aiming at the light coming downward from the upper left to the lower right.

And here is my finished quilt. I don't have a sleeve on it yet, so the photo isn't the best in the world. In my quilting, I decided to try using metallic thread on the main body of the quilt. I used a Superior Metallic Thread, a 90 Top Stitch Needle and Superior Bottom Line thread in the bobbin with a tension setting of .5. Over all, I was very pleased with the result. And, on top of that, it was a lot of fun. What more could I want?

A Perfect Afternoon

2011-04-04T08:36:00.000-04:00

Our Art Group has been invited to mount an exhibition at Charlestowne Landing this December--with the theme being, of course, Charlerstowne Landing. Last fall, we spent the afternoon there walking around, taking pictures and generally soaking up the atmosphere for inspiration. I was very inspired and took lots of pictures. Just one problem--I had inserted the memory card in the wrong direction and ended up with a huge ZERO in terms of photos by which to call forth the inspiration. (I really got some good shots, too.)
So, anyway, I've been waiting for a nice spring day to head back over there to be inspired once again. And, as you can see, I didn't have a disagreement with my camera this time. This first shot just reminded me of how I liked to climb trees when I was a young girl. Have you noticed that climbing trees are hard to find these days? It seems they're either cut down for progress or they haven't had enough time to grow into climb-able getaways in newer subdivisions. I used to climb the maple tree in our yard, hang upside down and swing (Hmm..that may account for some of my off-kilter thought processes now . . .) and just sit there and dream. Time well spent, I'd say. These three girls were having a great time.

And the formosa azaleas were at their height--and the aroma of their flowers! Formosa azaleas grow much larger than the average azaleas in our yards today and they look great in park-type situations. Another wonderful place to see them in Charleston is at Hampton Park (well worth visiting).

And this split rail fence is an example of how fences were constructed back in colonial times. Without chain saws and log splitters this effort took quite a while, I'm sure. They have a little demo area set up to show how they sawed logs into boards. Whew. . .A good muscle builder.

This wooden Indian sculpture has been at Charlestowne Landing for years but there was a plaque that said it had been restored a few years ago so I guess it had fallen into some hard times. They have changed the configuration for the park and this statue used to face you as you came to the Animal Forest. It's still in the same place but you have to walk around a little to see the full frontal view. Pretty impressive from any view.

Mrs Waring was the person who owned all of the land that now comprises Charlestowne Landing. She spent many years developing the gardens and gave the entire property to the state. This is the view she would have seen from her house. Almost like a perfect postcard. One little thing though . . .Can you see the sign by the water? It says, "Watch Out For Alligators." I don't think I'd be walking around there much after dark. There was an 8-foot alligator siteing while we were there yesterday but I'm just as happy that I wasn't the one who saw it.

And Charlestowne Landing has its own Angel Oak potential with some of its very old trees. This huge limb is propped up with steel to keep it from breaking. I don't know if they were afraid it could potentially fall on someone or if they just didn't want the limb to break but it was impressive with its size.
So, these are just a few pictures from my afternoon at the Park. The weather was so gorgeous--just enough breeze to keep away the bugs, flowers all around and, hopefully, enough inspiration for me to make a quilt that will honor this wonderful place in our part of the world.

Phillipa Naylor

2011-03-22T19:43:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure this past week of taking two classes from Phillipa Naylor from Great Britain. Her book--that I have here--is all about piecing curves. In addition, it tells of her very interesting life in Saudi Arabia, her return to England and her earlier career as a fashion designer and how it impacted her style of working in quilting fabric. I also attended her lecture where she had some of her gorgeous, PERFECT quilts.
Throughout my two days with her, one thing that really stood out was her willingness to take her time in all of the steps that go into making an award-winning quilt. I found it so inspiring and also a reminder that, for me at least, it is better to do one quilt really well than to have an entire closet of them done with little thought and caring about the process that makes them special.

We just made a sample block in the Curved Piecing class. She started out with a conventional Churn Dash block and then showed us how to make it curvy. And then once that was done, she showed us her method of piecing those curves. I really liked her method. It called for a lot of preparation before the first seam is ever sewn. As you can see by my picture of the back side of the block, there is a LOT of "V" snipping and all of the seams are pressed open to achieve a flatness to the finished piece. She also talked about threads (thinner is better for piecing) and the size of the needle (smaller needle leaves a smaller hole).
It was a great class and I came home with plenty to think about.

On the second day, we learned her method of machine applique (no pictures). Again, we did a LOT of hand work before we ever got to the machine work (actually, we didn't get to the machine work except to do some samples of satin stitching around circles). This workshop would have been better if it had been at least two days because there was so much information to hear, assimilate and use. Phillipa will soon have a book out on this topic and it will absolutely be part of my library. I plan on finishing the piece that I started and will share it later. In the meantime, I'm still thinking about all the things that I came home with and how I might use them in my own work. I know for sure that I'll be pressing more seams open than ever before and precision is always a much sought after skill. I'm working on it.

Two Finished Projects

2011-03-19T20:43:00.000-04:00

My last post showed the construction process of this abstract wallhanging that I started in a class with Gloria Loughman. Well, "started" is somewhat of a loose term because I actually started again from scratch once I got home. However, the concepts she shared were really great and I came home excited to start again. I mean, you know how it is--you go to a class thinking you KNOW what it's all about, you have your design in mind (and maybe even have it drawn out)--and then the whole thing is blown away when you find out what REALLY is going to happen in the class. I enjoyed the entire process and now I even have another design ready to interpret in fabric--after I finish a couple of other things . . .

Today at our Art Group, we had our "reveal" in our Zentangle challenge. It was great. Our members came up with some really creative zentangles. Doreen actually made a lampshade with freemotion zentangles, Linda applied her zentangles to a teeshirt, Dotty made two zentangle projects--a beautiful wallhanging and a 3-dimensional piece. Corky free-motioned zentangles that changed colors as they overlapped--and the list goes on. They were all so inspiring. As you can see, I went the 3-dimensional route. I had seen a picture of an embroidered cat in a catalogue and decided that would work for my project. I used faux leather and several different kinds of pens. I also added color. As I thought through the construction process, I realized I was going to have to insert a zipper because I didn't think that I could sew the opened seam with a hand needle after I finished the stuffing process. So, I had to draw the outlines for the two back pieces, sew the zipper and THEN draw. I wanted the cat to be able to stand on it's own, so I figured out how to make a flat bottom and then put a bag of sand in the lower one quarter so it would have stability. I'll have to say, it was lots of fun and I was glad that it actually turned out the way I had envisioned (well, almost).
Our next challenge is going to be based on a haiku poem--I can hardly wait to see what this talented group of women is going to come up with this time!

Quilting To Abstraction

2011-03-06T16:50:00.000-05:00

I took two great classes while I was in Hampton last week--both of them with Gloria Loughman. The second class focused on creating an abstract wall hanging Of course, I prepared ahead of time and, of course, I had to re-order my thinking and start all over again after she explained what we were actually going to do. Here you can see in the first drawing that we just drew some random lines across and down the paper.

We then filled in the lines with designs of our choice (many of which I changed after I moved from paper design to fabric.) I also bought some new fabrics at the show after I realized the kind of piece I was going to make.

Once I had my color pallette chosen, I started cutting out the shapes from the freezer paper and ironed them on the right side of my fabrics.I then cut out the fabric about a 1/4" out from the edge of the freezer paper. The next step was to add a piece of tear-away underneath and sew the layers together about 1/8" away from the freezer paper edge. Then, off came the freezer paper to be used again as the pattern for the individual app;ique designs--a very cool process.

Once all of this was done, it was time to sew the entire piece

together. First you had to determine which section went on top of the other . You would iron under the seam allowance for the pieces that went on top, fit the two pieces together and, using the blind hem stitch and invisible thread, sew the layers together.

As you finished each section, it began to take on a different look (like more cohesive perhaps?)

This is what it looked like with all of the individual pieces done.

This is how the piece looks after joining all of the seams. I still have to add the borders and do the top stitching--as well as the quilting. Gloria actually told us to do the top stitching BEFORE joining the pieces but since I had never done this technique and wasn't really confident that the pieces were all going to fit together as planned, I waited until afterwards. It really doesn't matter on a piece this size but it definitely would be better to do it first on something larger.

This was a class that I really enjoyed--it's such a freeing way of approaching an abstract design and I'll definitely do more of it.

Eight Quilts For Your Consideration

2011-03-03T22:26:00.000-05:00

There were so many truly spectacular quilts at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show this year that I would be hard-pressed to show all of them. So I'm just going to show eight of them (the quality of the photographs has a little something to do with it!). This first one is Sheep Wannabees by Debora Kochinsky. What doesn't show clearly in this picture is the fact that the animals are made from bits of wool--and are kind of fluffy. Definitely a novel approach.

This is Thistles by Mary Ramsey Keasler. I just think it's so beautiful and really makes the thistles look real.

Calamari Time by Karen Bue Lohrenz. She captures the feeling of movement and dimension. And the use of color is so perfect.

This is The Solace of Persephone. The flowers are made out of velvet. It was difficult to refrain from touching it--but the quilt police were definitely in the vicinity.

Elephant's Trunk Nebula by Ann Harwell. This reminded me of some of the beautiful pictures that I have seen that were taken of outer space.

Little Peace in 2 4 D by Martha Hall. I loved the precision of this piece. I would never have thought to zig-zag the strips. How cool.

Pandora's Box by Barbara Swinea. This photo doesn't really do this quilt justice. The base fabric looks as if a light is shining from the center of the back. Barbara is from Asheville and consistently makes beautiful quilts.

Witches Brew by Cathy Wiggins. This quilt is so much fun to look at and to read the Witches Brew Recipe that you might forget to notice just how much work went into its construction.

So, these were some of my favorites at the show. You probably would have had different favorites--but that's what makes the world go round. I hope you enjoyed these.

Hampton

2011-02-28T21:32:00.000-05:00

I just got back from the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show in Hampton, Va, and what a great time I had there. I had the wonderful opportunity to spend two days in classes with Gloria Loughman from Australia. She is so talented and a superb teacher. The first day was spent working on a landscape and the second day the emphasis was on an abstract design. The techniques she taught were different from ones that I have used previously so it was really good to learn something new. I was pretty prepared for each day's class--and then had to throw out everything and start from scratch as I learned what she REALLY wanted us to do each day. And what a freeing thing that was! I didn't finish either project so I can't show you what I did, but I do expect to finish one of them quite soon. Pictured here are some of her quilts and the larger one was displayed in the show--along with several others.

I was so excited and surprised when I walked into the Show on Wednesday to learn that not only had I won an award for Arabian Mystery, but that it was a First Place! So many people had such nice comments about my work--I appreciated it so much. I felt honored because there were so many really wonderful quilts there ( of which I'll post a few in my next post).

We had some extra time while we were there and decided to go over to Norfolk to The Fabric Hut. While we were getting directions from the Tourism Representative, I asked her if we had to go through a tunnel--to which she said. "Yes." Well, one of our party didn't even know about tunnels under bodies of water--much less having actually gone through one! She was a good sport though and we made it through without incident (No leaks were observed). I think this was a pretty cool picture of our movement through the tunnel.

Another friend was pleased to see the naval ships across the river as we went. The Norfolk area, is, of course, an area with a lot of naval activity with a lot of service personnel. And there is a great deal more water than there is in the Charleston area.

When we got to Norfolk, we went to the Fabric Hut and it was great--sort of like a smaller Mary Jo's. Lots of silks, satins--you name it--and oodles of quilting fabric. And look at this picture. Do you remember when they used to measure fabric through machines like this? I am going to have to admit that, in spite of all that we had already purchased at the quilt show, we simply couldn't resist the abundance of great choices in this store. And the good thing was that they had not raised ALL of their prices on older fabrics they way they did in a shop we visited on the way home today.

Sunday, we spent some time riding around Jamestown and Williamsburg and happened upon a series of these bridges along a meandering road by the James River. There were many pull-offs where people were relaxing and fishing and just having a good time on a Sunday afternoon.

And, of course, I had to take a picture of a land tunnel to go along with the water tunnel.

So, a great time was had by all. Finally, I had a very special moment while I was at the show. I noticed a woman in my class on Friday and the longer I looked at her, the more convinced I was that I knew her from high school (more than forty-five years ago!). I wasn't sure though so I decided that if I saw her the next day, I was going to have to ask. Well, I saw her and I asked. And she was. We had a great time catching up--well, catching up a LITTLE--and I felt greatly blessed by this totally unexpected moment in time. (Good seeing you, Gus. Don't be a stranger).

Classes For White Oak

2011-02-20T09:47:00.000-05:00

I have taught at our State Retreat for the past several years and have really enjoyed meeting so many quilters from across the state. In the past, I have taught mostly classes that used my original applique patterns--using them as a springboard to learn various techniques that I have learned .
This year, it will be a little different as I will be teaching ONLY techniques. People have consistently asked me to teach machine quilting and, so, this year that is what I will doing, focusing on feathers. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I had a trial run on the sample above and was very pleased with the response. I was asked to expand this class to a 1 1/2 day format, so I made another sample and will be teaching a couple more techniques. I'm really looking forward to it because it is so wonderful to see people's eyes light up when they realize that they, too, can make feathers.

The other 1/2 day class I will be teaching is a class on machine applique techniques. There are so many ways to do machine applique and many times it depends on the complexity of the work, the style of the design and the effect desired. So I will show 4 different ways and, hopefully, each person will leave the class with a new perspective on how they can suit their stitches to their own work. And, mostly, I hope everyone has a great time. That's what it's all about, isn't it?

Last Week

2011-02-16T11:32:00.000-05:00

Last week was a pretty busy week. Flavin Glover visited our Guild for a lecture and class. Since I'm the Program Chairman this year, I had the pleasure of spending some time with her as I took her to dinner, helped her at the meeting and was her "go-fer at the class. She is such a lovely person and her quilts are simply amazing. It is difficult to imagine how she can take a simple log cabin block and create such complex and beautiful quilts. I think it takes a special kind of mind to do that--one that is good at math and is creative at the same time.

This was my personal favorite. She pieced the farm land and the sky and mountains in the back are log cabins.

This was the quilt that was featured in the the class she taught although she focused on the many ways to shape and stretch log cabin block and offered several choices for the final selection of each student.

And here you can see her quilts laid out all around. Everyone was fascinated by the variety. It was a great visit and everyone who took her class came away inspired.

I will be teaching a "Quilting With Feathers" class at the State Retreat in October and my Art Group volunteered to be my "practice " class so I could iron out the bugs and see what I needed to do to improve it. We met in a Club House on John's Island on Saturday and everyone got right to work. Here is Dotty concentrating on the relationship between the speed of the machine and the speed of the hands moving the fabric.

Linda and Doreen are admiring the results of their labors. Both of these women are quite new to machine quilting and they were amazing. They jumped right in and kept up--not only kept up but excelled in their efforts

And here are Tommy and Pat concentrating on their quilting. Tommy has a stitch regulator on her machine and the stitching didn't look as good as it should have. I had her remove it and it resulted in wonderful stitches. I don't know why because I don't use a stitch regulator but she will probably get some further instruction on it to see if she can get a good result with it. After all, that's why one would want to have it in the first place. Pat had machine problems, also, but kept a good spirit in spite of it and made quite good progress throughout the day.

And here is Zoe hard at work.
It was a really great day and I was very pleased with how the class moved along with the progressive learning method I had chosen. And now, I'm looking forward to the "real" thing.

A footnote: This has nothing to do with quilting, but with quality of life. For the last few months, the pain in my hips has gotten worse and worse and, finally, I wasn't able to walk more than 50 yards without a pretty high level of pain and the pain in my foot was so bad that I was almost ready for the surgery that is going to include a one year recovery period. I was imagining hip replacement and who knows what else. Since I'm not too keen on extraneous trips to the doctor, I decided to try a low tech approach first.
What did I do? Simply, I gave up sugar. Not fruit and things like that but, certainly, all sweets and have minimized bread and non-complex carbohydrates. It's been a little over two weeks and now I can walk my daily walk with zero hip pain and much reduced foot pain. It truly is almost like a miracle. Did I know better than to eat all that bad stuff in the first place? Of course, but we do what we do, don't we? I'm hoping I've learned my lesson because mobility is worth the sacrifice. And I'm not saying it will work for you. But, if you're so inclined, give it a try--and you might lose a few pounds in the process. That's what I'm hoping!

The Patience of Job

2011-02-09T13:15:00.000-05:00

No, I don't really have the patience of Job, BUT I have learned to work on my quilts until I'm satisfied with the result--EVEN if it means taking stitches out and starting over again. After all, I'm the one who needs to be pleased with the end result.
Well, I've been work on a quilt for at least 5 months now and it has more applique than any quilt I've ever done before. I've been pretty happy with how things have been going with it, but I've had my eye on the center for quite some time . The other night I decided that I was going to have to bite the bullet and try to fix it. I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but there is a definite bulge there (the black piece of fabric is merely there for me to get the feeling of a piece of black applique in the cente)r.

So, when I got into my studio yesterday morning, I got out the sharpest little scissors that I own and started cutting away the red center--and this was definitely with heart in hand. You can see here the quilt top after I had finished cutting. I then took out all of the satin stitching that had held the layers together.

The next step was to lay the quilt over a large piece of fabric that had been taped down to keep it immobile. After I did that, I fused all of the newly cut edges to the large piece of fabric.

I then CAREFULLY took the quilt top to the sewing machine and basted around all of the raw edges. Once this was completed, I satin-stitched around the entire piece. And, wonder of wonders, the quilt now lays flat and I'm back on course.

And this is where I am now. Still a long way to go but feeling a lot better. At present, it measures about 6' x 6" but will be larger when finished.
Do I know why the center bulged? Not really. I used good stabilizer on the flowers and leaves but I suspect that the AMOUNT of stitching had something to do with it.
So, no, I definitely don't have the patience of Job and it is distressing when a problem this big occurs on a creative project. But one thing that I find very fulfilling in the entire process is the "figuring out"--the search for a solution. I am a firm believer in the lemonade theory and, thankfully, I had a large supply of lemonade made from all of the lemons in my life.

Molas

2011-02-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

I know I've written about Molas before, but I've been thinking about them recently and looking through my collection of them, so I thought I'd share a few with you today.
Molas are made by the Cuna Indians on the San Blas Islands in Panama and are a form of "reverse applique". In the old Cuna language, the word "mola" means clothing or blouse. And most of the older molas that my father purchased when they lived in Panama in the 70's had orginally been part of a larger piece of clothing. (you could tell by the way the outside edges of the molas had pieces of loose thread from being removed from them.)

Many of the older molas were more geometrical in composition than many of the later ones--as you can see in the first photo. The next two appear to be a pair--or at least made by the same person or family members. Can you imagine hand appliqueing all of those tiny, tiny pieces? And keep in mind that these women did not have ott lights when they were sewing on that black background.

Very often, the designs of the molas reflected their culture or things that they saw in their daily lives. Sometimes it makes sense to those of us who now own their vibrant handwork and sometimes it doesn't. (A good opportunity to use one's imagination!)

This particular mola is fairly obviously taken from a poster of some sort in a presidential election. But, don't you wonder why the depiction is in the mirror image?

This was one of my favorites because my Zodiac Sign is Libra (and still is, even after the NEW signs were allocated!) And, of course, Libra stands for the scales of justice which you can see here. But, again, I wish that I could know what the artist was thinking when she made her design. Does the little cross in the top mean anything? I don't know--but I wish I did.

This mola is very "card" oriented. You can see the hearts, clubs, diamonds and spades on the hats and the word "Joker" at the top. When I visted Panama City in the 70's, there were casinos--so maybe this one has something to do with that.

And fishing was an important part of the daily lives of a coastal culture.
These last two molas are modern works--very different from my older ones. My sister got these on a recent trip to Panama. From the more current molas that I've seen, it seems that the Cuna Indians still make some of the more complex designs as they did in the past, but they are also making embroiderys that will appeal to the many tourists who are now coming in on cruise ships. These new embroiderys are still beautiful--but different. Life moves on and things evolve.
Several years ago, I went to an author's luncheon in Charleston and one of the authors made a statement that has stayed with me. He said that one's Art should reflect the ground on which one stands. I think about that all the time as I design and make my quilts and think about how that connection with my personal envrionment can have a huge impact on the honesty of my work and the enduring meaningfulness of it. But I also think about how the Cuna women didn't even have to consider this book author's statement. Their work--both in the past and present--is a strong and truthful statement of their life and home. I'm grateful that I can share in a little piece of it.

Ricky Tims Seminar

2011-01-25T08:47:00.000-05:00

A group of us from Charleston went to the Ricky Tims Seminar in Jacksonville, Florida a couple a of weekends ago. What a blast it was! I went with zero expectations and came home full to overflowing (of course, my time at the Cheescake Factory helped with the "fullness.")
When we first walked into the Seminar Room, we were greeted with the rainbow of Ricky's hand dyed fabrics. Now who could resist that? Certainly not I. And if you look carefully at the upper left edge of this picture you can see that they worked out a pretty savvy system. When you stood at the counter, the people working the "store" looked at your name tag, wrote your name on a shopping bag and handed it to you to fill up with things you wanted to buy. Then you handed it back to them to pay for later OR to put more things in. It was all alphabetized so they could quickly find your bag when the next buying break occured. What a system--very buyer friendly.

And you can see that I was not the only one taking advantage of the buying opportunities.
One thing that was so great about the entire Seminar was that EVERYTHING ran on time. If a break was supposed to start at 10:30, that's when it began.

As you walked into the main door, Libby Lehman and Ricky Tims had a table where you could get a photo opportunity or get autographs or just smooze. Alex Anderson and her husband had a both on the other side of the room doing the same thing.

And the volunteers from the Guild that sponsored the Seminar had aprons made from Ricky Tims fabric.

A close up of the quilting on one of Ricky's quilts.

Ricky getting ready for a presentation. Almost everything was projected onto a large screen so everyone could see.

And there were beautiful quilts everywhere. For those who never have the opportunity to go to Houston or Paducah, it was a rare opportunity to see these quilts up close and personal--and to hear the stories behind them.

My best purchase of the weekend! This stabilizer is phenomenal. I've been using it since I got home and am converted.

Did I learn anything at the Seminar? Well, yes, I did. Nothing huge--but MANY little things that added up to one HUGE thing. To be immersed in an atmosphere of humor, knowledge, artistic genius and an uplifting spirit--well, that was well worth the price of admission--and more.

Zentangles

2011-01-16T20:12:00.000-05:00

I became acquainted with Zentangles after visiting one afternoon with my friend, Gail Blate. She was preparing for a class on creating mandalas (which is also a very interesting process) and while showing me her Power Point presentation, she also showed me a UTube video with someone drawing a Zentangle. He was doodling! Just doodling, but how magical it was to see how those doodles came together to make something far greater than the sum of its parts. I was immediately grabbed by it and wanted to draw one of my own. Immediately. I was spending some time by myself in a house with no television, no radio and no CD player so it was a perfect atmosphere. I had such a good time doing it. The time just slipped by and, moreover, I was completely taken by surprise by what a meditative process it can be. It was as if someone had gently laid a soothing hand across my restless spirit.
So . . . what is a Zentangle? Here is a definition provided by the creators of Zentangles, Rick Thomas and Maria Roberts:
Meditational Artform

Zentangle’s non-verbal language of patterns and proportions can open doors to insights which seemed locked before. Creating Zentangles opens those doors, not because they were locked, but because those doors swing on non-verbal hinges. When you create a Zentangle you can enter a meditative state in which intuitive insights flow freely. Get inspirations, ideas and answers unhindered by expectations or worries.

I was completely hooked and drew another one. And another one. And another one. (It's a little addictive).

As it happens, I am the Project Chairman for our art group challenges this year. We have a

Challenge once each quarter and I chose Zentangles for our focus this quarter with the only rule being that our Zentangles had to be on more than just paper. They could be on cloth but they could also be on plastic, metal, wood--whatever. Just not SOLELY on paper. I found this book by Suzanne McNeill that features Zentangles by several quilters and it has served as an inspiration for us.

I saw a picture of a stuffed cat with some embroidery on it in a catalogue recently and it seemed to me that it would translate perfectly into a project for Zentangles. You can see here the beginning of my drawing. For the finished project, I've chosen faux leather. It's finished and I had so much fun--not only doing the drawing but also figuring out how to construct it and stuff it. Check back later for the finished photo.

In the meantime, join in the fun--and relaxation-- and try your hand at it. Get out some paper and a Sharpie fine point marker, find a quiet place with a good drawing surface and give yourself the gift to creation and refreshment. You'll be surprised how many doodles are just waiting to be released!

It's Always Hard

2011-01-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's always hard to get back into the swing of things after being diverted by holiday events and projects. And I'm still not there. Much of my time these past few weeks has been time on the computer planning for this year and next year for our Cobblestone Quilt Guild. I'm the 2011 Vice President and Program Chairman. The Vice President part doesn't take a lot of time, but the Program part does. There are so many wonderful quilters out there that any Guild would love to come to present a program and teach workshops but, as with any organization, the factor of funds available and scheduling often limit choices. And, there really is no ideal teacher that is going to please everyone. So, you do the best you can do and move forward.
Who would be my ideal teacher? I have two of them--Ruth McDowell and Sharon Schamber. Would I be able to have either of them come to our Guild? Not likely. Ruth only teaches extended 3-5 classes and the travel and other expenses for Sharon would probably be too high. But one can dream can't one? Or go to a larger venue and hopefully get into one of their classes.
So, anyway, that's what I've spent a fair amount of time on lately. Fortunately for me, I have good help. My committee is great and our Website Coordinator posts everything I need to be posted in a timely and attractive format. How blessed I am.
One of the things I did before Christmas was to spend some time on the topic of Creativity--researching thoughts by various people and making small quilts to express them. I will share the following photos that show most of them.

Eye Candy

2010-12-10T10:04:00.000-05:00

One of the great things about having out-of-town company is that you take them to see things that you wouldn't see done otherwise. My sister was here this week and we did all kinds of things that I wouldn't have taken the time to do. We went to the Joseph Manigault House in downtown Charleston. And what a wonderful gem that is--from the general shape of the house itself to the exquisite detail of the beautiful sweeping staircase in the central hall. Unfortunately, my camera wasn't behaving so you'll just have to take my word for it when I say that it is well worth the trip.

I did, however, get my camera working when we visited the South Carolina Artisan Center in Walterboro, SC. This is a gallery filled with work of artists from throughout the state. As we pulled into the driveway, the first thing we saw was this incredible metallic tree sculpture and then, just a few step further along, was another tree--this time a palmetto. The Artisan Center is located in an old house that is composed of small rooms that seem to meander from a large central showroom. It was fun to wander around at a leisurely pace and let the surprises hidden in each room unfold of their own accord.

In my former life, I was a potter for fifteen years, so I went to a LOT of craft shows and it was always wonderful to walk through the show and experience all of the unique creativity that seem to be saturating the very air around me. And I believe it to be true that when you are surrounded by the creative force, you, too, become more creative. It doesn't have to be in your particular medium--the energy is there. You can see from my photos that there were many different mediums represented and it's always a

mazing to me to see how an artist can take a very simple material and end up with something truly extraordinary. I was particularly entranced by some of the baskets as I used to make them myself. The ones in this picture were transformed into another purpose by adding the turned wooden necks--baskets becoming vases. And each one of them had a different weaving pattern. There were other baskets, also--some of the traditional sweet grass baskets and others that started off as fired clay pieces with basket weaving added to complete them.

Everywhere I looked, there was something that caught my eye--angels painted on wood, fish made from cut tree branches, dyed and painted fabric, trinket collages, fabric embellishment, paintings--and on and on. Fine craft art is alive and well in South Carolina. We need to seek it out and relish in its power to renew our spirits and to connect our hearts to the bubbling well of creativity that lies within each of us. It's more than just eye candy.

It's Beginning To Look A Little Like Christmas

2010-12-04T20:00:00.000-05:00

For the last few years, most of my time has been spent in designing and making quilts. It has been--and continues to be--something that feeds my spirit and enriches my life. I would hate it if I couldn't do it. But, you know, sometimes you just want to do something a little different. When I learned that my friends Corky, Janice and Cindy were going to head up to Accent Sewing in Murrell's Inlet to embroider this 20" high Santa, well, I was interested in going also. I've done a fair amount embroidery but never a design with multiple hoopings (9, as it turned out). The thing that's pretty challenging in doing an embroidery with multiple hoopings is the need for accuracy--and patience. You can't just slap the fabric into a hoop and expect it to turn out right. You actually have to measure--which is sort of difficult sometimes for an "eyeballer" like me. It was time to change my ways.

Before we could begin our class, we had to buy supplies. Accent Sewing is a Bernina dealership--a REALLY good dealership--and they were well-stocked with anything we might need (and some things that we didn't strictly NEED but seemed to jump right into our shopping bags. Here are Corky and Janice discussing the merits of a set of designs for another quilt. With a 25% discount on embroidery designs that day, it was hard to resist. (I succumbed a little myself).

I wish I could say that we just breezed through our embroidery on Santa. It was, after all, mostly applique which meant there wasn't nearly as much stitching as in a regular embroidery design. There was, as it turned out, a LOT of angst in between the beginning and the end and you can see the elation on Janice's face as she and Corky held up their Santas for the camera. FINALLY. And the next two pictures are of a little closer view.

And where, you might ask, is mine? Well, as you can see in the picture on the right, I encountered a problem early in the process. Things went along pretty good until I got to Santa's red pants legs. At that point, the thread kept getting jammed up in the bobbin case and no amount of fiddling around was successful. After a while, Bob-the owner and mechanic extraordinaire--called a halt to the process and decided to give my machine the once-over. Which meant I was through for the day. Things did work out though. He fixed the problem and I embroidered my Santa a couple of days later.

I think he turned out pretty good. And I've included a close-up of his face so you can see the detail. We all agreed that we would like to make another one sometime--but not this year. I think we've had enough "Ho, Ho, Ho" to last us for a while. But, in the meantime, I might have a design that would look good on a hand towel and another that would jazz up a sweatshirt and one that would maybe go on a bag of goodies . . .

I'm So Disgusted!

2010-11-27T13:25:00.001-05:00

Well, I thought I was doing the right thing. I went to a craft show yesterday and took my camera so I could share pictures of the beautiful things I saw. Well, I saw some beautiful things--even bought a couple--but completely forgot to take pictures!
So--today I went to another craft show and took my camera AND remembered to take pictures. But there was just one problem--I had the camera on the wrong settings and took videos rather than pictures. (I guess I know how to take a video now). Again, there were some lovely and different crafts but, unfortunately, a picture truly is worth a thousand words. I can tell you all about a potter's work that had sweet grass weavings combined with the clay to make a truly unique work of art, but without the pictures . . .

I do have one picture for you though. While I was there, I bought two small purses from my friend Dotty Roberts. She is a wonderful fabric artist who makes hand-dyed fabrics and then adds other elements--which increases the dynamic quality to her work. And these are the purses: Aren't they beautiful? I think the purse on the left had decolorant used to make white areas and then she used fancy stitching within that space. And then she used some metallic thread on the solid areas. The purse on the right has several different techniques--I think some stamping and beadwork and another technique before the stamping. I was going to give them as Christmas presents BUT I'm becoming quite attached to them. They may have to stay with me.

Age of Reason

2010-11-20T21:38:00.001-05:00

My granddaughter Kate celebrated her 18th birthday today. It made me think back to my own 18th birthday--which was, after all, only yesterday. Our world is so different now that sometimes I feel as if I'm living on a different planet. Some things are better, many things are not. However, I do think that an eighteenth birthday is still special. It is the official beginning of young adulthood. College is close and the nest begins to feel a little tight. My granddaughter is so busy that her family birthday party had to be fitted in at 10:30 this morning. She had to start early to make the most of her once-in-a-lifetime day!

Anyway, we knew that she really just wanted money (wouldn't we all like a little more?) But I couldn't stand to just hand her over an envelope. So I made her a little cosmetic bag.

I saw the project in the latest issue of Stitch magazine. It appealed to me because every young woman needs something to put her cosmetics in and it so happened that I already had on hand the fusible vinyl that the pattern called for. I am a pretty experienced stitcher so I really didn't have any problems with the construction; however, I did feel that it could pose a problem for people who depend on graphics to help them to understand the written word. There was only one illustration for the entire pattern and I thought that there needed to be at least two more.
The other problem was one of my own making. The iron-on vinyl didn't add as much heft to the bag as I thought it would and I used a batik as the main fabric. As a result, I ended up with a somewhat flimsy bag. The pattern called for a paper zipper (whatever that is) but I used a regular non-metal one and it worked fine. I downloaded an embroidery design from Embroidery Library (Paisley Dragonfly Circle) and was very pleased with the way it sewed out.
But I was most pleased with the fact that Kate loved it and immediately used it to stuff all of the money she got for her birthday in it.

One Color Quilt Challenge

2010-11-14T21:23:00.000-05:00

Our art group just completed a challenge in which we made quilts that used only one color--although we could use as many shades of that color as we wanted. I chose green as my color (which I JUST read on the internet is considered the color of LOVE. Hmmm.)

This design came to me as I was waiting for my husband who was in the operating room having a pacemaker implanted. I couldn't focus on reading anything but the pencil had a mind of its own. The really weird thing about it was that the quilt design included foundation piecing--which is not something that I would normally choose to do of my own free will. I have to cut HUGE chunks of fabrics to do foundation piecing because I just don't get it. I'm always ending up with open spaces in the design because the piece I cut wasn't the right shape--or something. The solution? Cut a piece large enough that there's no way it can't work (and even then sometimes I have to rip out and do over). It's something to do with seeing backwards and my brain just doesn't cooperate. So, it was quite a surprise when I came up with this design.
At any rate, I finished it and it was fun doing it although I ultimately had to applique fabric on top of some of the foundation pieced fabric because there wasn't enough contrast in my original choices. Applique on top? You betcha--no way was I going to rip out more paper piecing and start over, Uh uh.

A New Class

2010-11-09T12:27:00.001-05:00

When I have been teaching classes, so many students have asked me if I would teach them how to freemotion quilt the way I've done it on my own quilts. Well, my answer has always been, "The way you can do that is to practice, practice, practice. And maybe have a sip or two of wine before you start! And nice music doesn't hurt either." I know that although that is true, one does need to have a point from which to begin. So I've designed a class to get students started on adding feathers to their repertoire and it is called Adding Freemotion Feathers To Your Bag Of Stitches. In making samples for the classes, I played around with several motifs and narrowed it down to two styles and then to one finished sample. This particular sample is quilted with 100 weight silk thread , a #60 microtex needle and 60 weight thread in the bobbin. There are, of course, various exercises leading up to the finished sample.

So many quilters seem to think that adding feathers to their quilts is difficult and I hope to show them that it just takes practice and the correct thread, needles, tension and an adventurous attitude.

Separated At Birth?

2010-11-03T22:22:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not a twin and no, I wasn't separated at birth from anyone--at least I don't think so. But I had the most amazing experience when my two cousins came to visit last week. Le, the cousin on the left lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Annie, the cousin on the right lives in Santa Cruz, California. (You could see a little more family resemblance if I were wearing my actual hair color!). I have seen Annie a couple of times in the last few years, but I haven't seen Le since I was 12 years old. Annie and I had gotten along so well when she did visit me before that she felt that she should really make it possible for Le and me to reconnect as Le is a quilt artist and has many of the same interests. I am usually nervous in situations that involve the unknown but, strangely enough, I was excited--in a good way. And when they came down the ramp at the airport it was as if I had just seen both of them yesterday. There was an immediate recognition of kindred spirits. So, although we weren't separated at birth and we aren't twins (however, Le does have a twin sister), there seems to be some kind of genetic, cellular link that has transcended time and distance. I truly think of them as my sisters of the heart.

While they were here, I was definitely a tourist in my own town and went many places that I never take the time to do ordinarily. We wandered around the streets of Charleston, gawking at things that tourists do; we went to the Heyward-Washington house and saw some beautiful, priceless period furniture; we went to an incredible jazz concert; we walked through the old market--and the list goes on. The weather was perfect for everything outdoors. We even watched an outdoor wedding in a local park (talk about voyourism!).

But one of the magical things that was part of this visit was the art we saw everywhere we went. This week I have been doing sort of a word study on "creativity"--looking at quotes related to making creativity a consistent part of my life. One of the quotes I came across was by philosopher, George Kneller . He said, "To think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted." And that is exactly what we did last week. We looked at cobblestones on the streets of Charleston, we took picture after picture of the gorgeous ironwork on gates (including the famous Sword Gate). We went to the incredible Angel Oak on Johns Island and marveled at its magnificence and we saw this beautiful little flower in my aunt's yard--and on the way there, we saw a huge piece of floral art made from old paint cans.. We went to Charlestowne Landing with my art group and looked at tree bark and old fortifications and they even came with me to the Tri-County Fair to judge the quilt show there. Everywhere we went, we went with enthusiasm and we saw beauty (and potential quilts). I think that I truly looked at things "afresh" and much of what made that possible was that I was sharing these experiences with others who also look at things in an artful, unhurried way. The things that I had taken for granted came alive and enriched my life. And as I look at these pictures I also am carrying with me the joy, love and downright fun I had with my two so very special cousins.

A Welcome Change

2010-10-28T21:50:00.000-04:00

Since moving back to Charleston--in the middle of the hottest summer ever--I have been looking at my walls. When we remodeled this house, I kept the colors neutral so that everything would go with it and, I think, keeping my options open in case we decided to put the house up for sale--which we did.
Well, it didn't sell; we are back--and I've been looking at the walls. And there is no time like the present, when company is coming and you want to spiff up the place to make a change. I started small--my office/guest room but, believe me, it was a BIG change.

When I showed my husband the paint chip, I could see that he was trying to maintain a neutral appearance as he no doubt thought that I was losing my everlovin' mind. BUT, since I'M the painter in the house, I get to choose the colors that go onto the walls. That's fair, isn't it? Well, that's the way it is anyway. I know that chartreuse isn't exactly what one would normally call a "neutral" color, but surely the purple that has joined it calms the whole thing down, doesn't it? Well, maybe not, but it makes me happy and I've decided that that is what is going to determine ALL of the colors that land on my walls.

And, of course, after I finished with the walls, I needed to add a little decor to tie things together. I already had made the quilts, but I made pillow cases to match and then delved into my stash of orphan blocks and came up with supplies to make two decorative pillows and a wallhanging. Several years ago, my friend Rita spurred me on to start a memory quilt--which never made it to completion. But I was really happy with the block with entwined wedding rings that I made to commemorate my wedding and now it is happily hanging on the wall as a finished little quilt. And one of the pillows represents my love of gardening with machine embroidered vegetables and the saying, "2 Percent Inspiration, 98 Percent Perspiration (pretty accurate, I think).
Well, that's all the painting for a while--except that I'm contemplating adding a little something "extra" to the walls. (My husband is rolling his eyes over that, too, but he's a good sport.) I'll let you see it when it's done.

From Junk To Transcendental Masterpiece

2010-10-26T14:01:00.002-04:00

This past week has been an amazing one for me in which I spent five days with two cousins--one of which I hadn't seen since I was twelve years old! We spent a lot of time looking at things in an artful way and sharing our hearts with each other. I will get into much of that in a later blog; however, today I want to tell about an installation I saw this morning in the Addlestone Library at the College of Charleston. I had read about it in a flyer and then the newspaper had a sizable article on it, so . . .I decided that I really shouldn't miss it (especially since I was still in the groove after five days of looking at artful things!)

The installation was a Bottlecap Mandala by Bryant Holsenbeck, an environmental artist from Durham, NC. Back in the day, when I was a potter, I used to see her at Craft Shows with her handmade baskets--but this was on a MUCH larger scale--20 feet in diameter. The entire mandala is made from recycled trash and is arranged artfully to create a thing of beauty and inspiration. It is also created in an effort to demonstrate just how much detritus we leave in our wake on a daily basis.

The first photo is the view of the entire mandala from the third story of the building. It looks quite small in this photo, but, remember, it is quite large. As you look at the pictures from the floor level, you can identify some of the recycled items that make up the structure-- beer bottle caps, bread loaf closures, powdered ink bottles, milk bottle tops, pickle bottle tops. And notice the layers of tops that form a three dimensional element. The installation was quite thought provoking in terms of all the waste we create and how we deal with it as a society. But it was also very inspiring to see what we can do with this trash when we set our minds to it. If you're in Charleston before the installation closes on November 19th, stop in a take a look. It's well worth the effort.

Gee's Bend

2010-10-15T09:22:00.000-04:00

A group of friends and I went to Columbia, SC on Tuesday to see the exhibition of Gee's Bend quilts at the main library there. First of all, let me just say that the library was amazing. Huge--by our standards--and such a wonderful space. My fingers were just itching to go into the stacks and have a look around. But--on to the main purpose for being there . . .

Like most of you, I've heard about the Gee's Bends quilts for quite a while and was looking forward to seeing them. Now, I'm not much into sloppy work, so I had a little prejudice before I went--but quickly got into the spirit of it once I was there. These quilts are so strongly graphic. They just really grab you. And although some of the fabrics they use are not conventionally used by quilters, they suit the quilts. We saw a video while we were there where some of the women were interviewed and one of them exclaimed that she didn't know what they were talking about when they described her quilt as a work of "art." She said that it was JUST a bedcover. Well, bedcover or not, the thing that struck me was that these women were letting their inner spirits be expressed while not being concerned about a bunch of rules held by conventional quilters and, as a result, ended up with a quilt that--while being made from whatever happened to come to hand at the moment--was more than just a bedcover. It was art from the soul. How many of us truly do that? Do we worry about what others are going to think about our work or do we just let it flow? Well, there was a LOT of flowing going on here.

After we left the library, we moved on to Creative Sewing--a really nice quilt shop/sewing machine dealership--also in Columbia. I managed to restrain myself there but when we got to Hobby Lobby I found myself immersed in the beads. I add beads to many of my quilts--nothing fancy--just what I feel it needs at the time. I had said myself over and over again, "Self, you do NOT need another time consuming hobby or interest." Well, I just couldn't help it. I came across a book that I absolutely could not resist. The pictures were so wonderful and, hopefully, fully explanatory that I was visualizing a wonderful necklace hanging around my neck. The book is Beaded Colorways by Beverly Gilbert. And, of course, if you get it on Amazon it is not as expensive (but I couldn't wait. And also, the last time I DID wait, the book cost more because it was out of print.). And then, of course, I had to get more beads because, after all, I am now working towards a goal of making a necklace. Oh please, protect me from myself! If I were you, I wouldn't be holding my breath waiting for the pics of the finished project but it'll be there someday.

Trunk Show

2010-10-08T20:53:00.000-04:00

Last night, I had the pleasure of presenting my trunk show to the Foothills Piecemakers Quilting Guild in Taylors, SC. Let me tell you, they were a enthusiastic group of women (and one man). Like most guilds, they had their business meeting first, along with their Show and Tell--and then refreshments. I really liked two features of their meeting. The first was a two minute segment devoted to demonstrating a technique--a monthly feature. Last night's was about the proper way to press seams when you're piecing a quilt. I know that must seem elementary to most of you, but guilds are composed of people on all different levels and this is one quick way to help each other learn. The other thing I really liked was when the person in charge of the library gave a short talk on one of the new books that were available for checking out. As he talked about the book, he really made it interesting and I'm sure that there will now be people WAITING their turn to read it.

And these quilters were a great audience. They asked lots of questions and spent a lot of time looking closely at my quilts. All in all, it was a great evening.

And this is a quilt that I recently finished--Jacobean Memories. It is a needleturned applique quilt from the book Red and Green: An Applique Tradition by Jeana Kimball. I designed one of the blocks myself and had a 2-toned background. I actually finished the top of the quilt 2 years ago and pinned it to quilt; however, it sat in a drawer for two years--a drawer that I would pull open every so often and THINK about finishing it but, well . . . .you know. But here it is--at last--out of the drawer. I think I can hear it catching its breath.

Teaching at White Oak

2010-10-04T14:49:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I taught my Snow Family class at White Oak Retreat Center near Winnsboro, South Carolina. The weather was so absolutely gorgeous that, at times, it was hard to stay indoors--but we managed to do just that. I had a wonderful group of students and, for the first time ever, had a husband-wife team. This is William with his Snow Family. He got the furtherest with part of his checkerboard border done. He turned out to be the hit of the entire retreat as he showed his VERY outgoing personality during the evening gatherings. He told us that he had been an executive chef in Europe, performing on television in shows much like those on our Cooking Channel. Well, he certainly wasn't shy.

Here are a few other wallhangings as they got ready to go home to,hopefully, be completed by this Christmas (at least I'M hoping). Mary, in the hat, is a veteran quilt teacher--much loved by her students. She has successfully battled cancer this year and this was her first major outing since her treatment. Each quilter did a great job and were enthusiastic about learning new applique techniques.

It was also my birthday this past Saturday and it was a blast to be there with so many of my friends. Late in the afternoon, I looked up and saw a huge group of people at the doorway of my classroom--my Charleston friends-- holding a birthday cake--a HUGE surprise I can assure you. And as the word got around, everyone I saw wished me Happy Birthday. And, just as I thought the danger was past ( am VERY shy), the entire group sang to me that evening. Whew . . .there's no way that can be topped next year. I felt so blessed. And I don't want to forget to mention that my husband called me up first thing and also sang to me--as I disolved into a puddle of tears. He sings eveny year and I just thought it wouldn't happen this year since I was out of town. Well, he surprised me, too. But then, he is always full of surprises.

The Last "Rose" of Summer

2010-09-28T19:08:00.000-04:00

No, this is not really a rose. But it is the Last of Summer. One day this past spring when I was in the Lowe's in Hendersonville, NC, I bought a clematis vine in a pot with the intention of planting it in my yard there. But before I could get it planted, we made the decision to move back to Charleston--so the pot came with me. Clematises don't do as well in climates with lots and lots of heat (i.e. Charleston THIS summer) but I planted it anyway and it got the same watering that the rest of the flowerbed did. And three days ago, this is what I saw--one beautiful, perfect bloom. Will it bloom again next year? I don't know but I sure do appreciate the gift it gave me right now.

Best of Show!

2010-09-23T20:50:00.000-04:00

I got an exciting call from Quiltfest in Jacksonville the other night. They were calling to say that my quilt, Arabian Mystery had been named Best of Show. To say that I was excited would be an understatement. And then, they told me that my other quilt, Say It With Flowers, had also received a First Place Ribbon. Whew! How much can one heart stand? Well, I managed--and floated on air the rest of the evening.

The only "downer" for me was that I wasn't able to go to the show this year (which I usually do every year). We have a family medical issue this year so it just wasn't possible but last night, my friend Janice called me and said that she was standing in front of a beautiful quilt that had a Best of Show ribbon on it and that she was telling everyone there that she knew the quilter who made it. I tell you, it was almost as good as actually being there! And so thoughtful of her.

Both of these quilts are my original designs. So often, people ask me if I draw out the entire design and then start working on it. I wish that I could say that I was that organized or insightful. But the truth is that I'm never quite sure where it's going to end up when I begin. I change placement, colors and designs, take off parts, add others, pick out inches and inches of close quilting. I just keep at it until it tells me it's done--and hope I'm hearing the right message. Sometmes, it works like I had hoped it would and sometimes I learn a LOT of lessons about what not to do and what to do next time. It's a great adventure, isn't it?

Dyeing For Quilters

2010-09-21T08:46:00.000-04:00

I recently sign up for a dyeing class on Quilt University with Marjie McWilliams. This is the second class I've taken with her and it is lots of fun--and ocassionally frustrating. I know that I'm not always as precise as I should be in various aspects of my life. For instance, I'm kind of a dump measurer when it comes to cooking. Sometimes, it turns out great and others, well . . .you know. But that doesn't work when mixing dyes for precise repeatable results. I'm trying though. I'm trying. Here are my fat quarters that I dyed in Week 1. Believe it or not, one of those was supposed to be totally brown. I actually did follow the directions but Marjie said in the next lesson that the green dye tends to "run" and "travel" up the fabric so you have to turn it midway through the process to try to prevent it. So, better luck next time.

In a way, this is like deja vu all over again. For the 15 years that I was a potter, I did much the same thing with the glazes on my pots--measuring, mixing, hoping for the best. There were variables but most of them tended to occur in the kiln, not in the mix and measuring of the glazes (dyes). Sometimes it was magic and other times--for the analytically inclined--you tried to figure out what happened--not always successfully (I avoided chemistry in high school--that should tell you something.).

And these are the results of my second week's class. We used different recipes this week---with everything aimed at helping us to understand how we get the results we do. My brown (upper right hand corner) was a little better--but still with a lot of green. I was really pleased with the blues and the greens (the ones that were SUPPOSED to be green, that is). And o.k., I'm working on being more precise. At least, I can always blame the water.

The Arts Company

2010-09-18T20:28:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, my husband and I went to Seneca, South Carolina (a small town near Clemson) to see a special exhibition of work from the art group that I used to belong to called Focus. It was held at The Arts Company, a gallery owned by Warren Carpenter, and had the theme of "wood" as Warren is not only a gallery owner, but also a wonderfully accomplished woodworker. Although Seneca is a small town that has lost much of its industry, it has blossomed into a community that supports the arts--in particular the quilt arts. There were 5 or 6 different exhibitions last night. The only confusing thing in this small town is getting around to the different locations. There were addresses such as 111 East South 2nd Street and 122 West South 1st Street. For the directionally challenged (namely ME) this was a challenge --a challenge made greater by the fact that some of these streets stopped and then started again a couple of blocks later. Whew! It was well worth the search though.

The first work is foundation pieced and is by Marge Edie. This picture does not begin to do it justice. It is based on a hand carved box that her husband gave her a a wedding gift on the day they were married and she has had it on her dresser ever since. She worked long and hard on the design and the choice of fabrics and I think she succeeded in achieving the three dimensional aspect of the original box (which she had displayed there, also).

The next work is a wooden fence with the mountains inthe background. It is by Veronia Moriarity who is a pharmacist in her day job. She is so talented and turns out an incredible amount of work considering the busyness of her life (Of course, it helps that her husband is the cook in the family!) I think she did such a wonderful job in her use of color in the pieced background.

Diana Pickens created this very angular forest scene. She has been doing a lot of innovative work using stripes in her pieced projects and I this also has that feel even though there are NO stripes. She has the kind of mind that can easily figure out how things can fit together in a quilt and is quite an inspiration to this "seat of the pants" quilter.

Although I didn't get as clear a photo as I would have wished of this next quilt by Marilyn Wall, I hope you can see the man hiding in the trunk of the stump (Hmm, that almost rhymes). The man is Warren Carpenter so she certainly placed him in his element. Marilyn has been doing a lot of work lately that deals with turning black & white photos into pieced faces. She has been working on getting the shading just right and it certainly works in this piece.

And this is another piece by Marge Edie which is obviously a forest of trees--with plenty of wood for Warren to use in his work. While we were in the gallery, we picked up several of his turned bowls and they were light as feathers--not an easy thing to achieve without gouging a hole in the side.

This last piece is by Bonnie Ouelette--who I don't know but I admire her work. The background is handquilted with many, many tiny stitches and the woodpecker is composed of many, many, many, many tiny seed beads. If you click on this closeup you can probably see more of the detail.

And there were several more quilts in this display--each of them uniquely demonstrative of some element related to wood. And after we had spent a while enjoying all of them, we went into the larger portion of the shop that was filled to overflowing with wonderful handmade crafts from around the entire United States and many, many people who were out for a lovely evening of cheese, wine and art.

The exhibit will remain open until the end of October.

Personal Grounds

2010-09-15T16:48:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday, our quilt art group went to the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in Charleston to see an exhibiton--called Personal Grounds-- by Susan Lenz, a fabric artist from Columbia, South Carolina. I think that each of us came away from there feeling as if we had had an experience that touched at the core of our beings. There were many, many framed pictures--each with the same background and framing to give a sense of cohesivness to the body of work. Each picture was of a real person with a real perspective. I think she put the word out and people sent her their images with their own stories to share. Susan transfered these images to fabric and then added hand embroidery and beading along with other embellishments.

This first picture shows a girl who has a college education and nothing is turning out like she thought it would. She NEVER thought she would have to apply for food stamps (and I think there are a lot of people in that same boat today). And the sceond picture is one that centers on the thought that we should live our lives in such a way that we won't have regrets later. (Click on the picture to enlarge it so you can read the smaller words). We should ALWAYS let those around us know that they are cared for.

There were far too many pictures to tell about each one but here are a few:

There was a girl covered in tattooes and the writing around her said "Marked for Life" There was a pictureof a young man and around him it said "With Dad--Again." There was a man who had a red ribbon on his shirt and the writing around his head said "Didn't Have Safe Sex." Not all of the pictures were sad--many of them were celebratory--but each one of them had a deep impact. It was the kind of exhibit that one must experience slowly so that mere images become transformed into real people's lives--lives that we are not so far from really. I came home enriched by the experience and so greatful that I had the opportunity to see it.

2010-09-12T23:03:00.000-04:00

My friend Pam came over one day last week and we each made one of these Halloween cats. Isn't it cool? It stands 21" tall and has sand in the base to give it stability. The pattern is by Threads That Bind and is called Stitch-n-Stiff Cat (#166). We both have been dealing with some health issues of our husbands and decided that we needed to do something that was just fun. (I know, I know, maybe going out and drinking margarities might be more fun, but you just have to work with what you've got).
Anyway, I read through the pattern and decided that there must be a better way. It called for black wool--which would have been nice, I guess--but I had black cotton. So, I used that and ironed on a fusibile interfacing to give it stability. And then I used tracing paper as the applique placement guide instead of some convoluted system described in the pattern. The other really neat thing I used was Saral Transfer Paper. That way we could directly trace the letters onto the fabric and use the triple stitch on our sewing machines to write them--instead of hours and hours of hand stitching. (While it's true that Halloween is still a while off, we really wanted to finish this project before it comes).
So . . .it's finished. And it was a lot of fun besides.
And oh, when you stuff a cat's tail, only stuff a tiny bit at a time and push it all the way to the tip end each time. Otherwise, you'll end up with a rock-hard tumor in the middle. Ask me how I know.

Little Blessings

2010-09-08T20:20:00.000-04:00

I think that we so often get caught up in the business of our days that we miss the beauty around us--beauty that has the mighty power to calm our spirits when in the midst of turmoil. Amongst other things, I have been really in the dumps about our continuing warm weather and waiting to see if a hurricane has OUR name on it. But yesterday my spirits were lifted by the smallest of blessings.

I was walking on the street by our house and happened to look down. What I usually see when I get the feeling to look down like that is money--a penny, nickel, dime or quarter. It's really kind of spooky sometimes. But on this day I saw a leaf--an ordinary leaf, to be sure. However, this leaf didn't belong in our neighborhood. You can see in the second picture the usual size of the oak leaves around us. And there are a couple of trees that have somewhat larger leaves. But NONE that big. So I have decided that that leaf just blew into my path especially for me--just for me--to let me know that soon autumn will be here with all of its cool, crisp days and I just need to hang on . . .hang on . .

And this same afternoon, I was struck anew by the outrageous glamor of the Beauty Bush berries with their lush clusters of brilliant purple just daring anyone to try to upstage them. This is a "freeby" plant that grows prolifically in the lowcountry as mockingbirds generously spread its seeds on their travels through the neighborhood. This particular plant is not exactly in my yard; that is to say, its roots reside in my neighbor's yard and the fecund branches drape over the line for me to see and appreciate. When our neighbors bought their house they wanted to make a clean sweep of the property line, wiping out everything that wasn't a "regular" shrub. Fortunately, I was able to convince her with a "wait and see" argument and I guess she "saw" beause the beauties are still there four later. And on this particular afternoon I was very, very greatful.

Imagine

2010-08-25T11:20:00.000-04:00

One of the great things about being part of an art quilt group is that it can make you stretch your boundaries--to step out of your particular box. My box USUALLY contains a lot of flowers. Gardening and flowers have always been a part of my life (although not so much this summer with all of this heat and sandy soil). Our group decided that our challenge for the last quarter would be to create a quilt based on a song, poem or book.

I guess I could have chosen something that was based on a flower, but that wasn't was came immediately to mind. It didn't take but about 10 seconds to come up with John Lennon's Imagine. I didn't actually hear that song until years after it was published--and most likely until after John had been killed (which made it more than a little poignant)--but when I did hear it, it made such an impression that I have carried it with me ever since.

So, this is my interpretation. I am imagining a place where differences in religions no longer cause wars and hatred. The people at the bottom of the quilt are carrying the symbols of their particular religion and offering them up to the highest power. As they travel upwards, the symbols lose their negative power and meld into a community of peace and love. Yes, I guess that you could say that I'm a dreamer.

Asheville Quilt Show 2010

2010-08-18T10:18:00.000-04:00

Each year I really look forward to the Asheville Quilt Show because it is held at the North Carolina Arboretum--which over the years has increased in beauty and maturity. This year it was hot--like so many other places--so some of the flowers passed their prime before the usual time, but it was still beautiful there and a wonderful setting for a wonderful quilt show.
The unwonderful thing was that most of my pictures didn't turn out too well. I seem to have been struck with the "shakey camera syndrome." Of course, it may have been that I didn't have my glasses on and didn't notice that I didn't have my anti-shake setting enabled. Who knows.

Anyway, I did get a decent picture of the 75th anniversary quilt that guild members made to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Those of us who volunteered to make a block were given the exact dimensions of the finished block and the sky fabric. Some of you have seen on this blog the block that I made--the one in the center bottom with the fox and the owl. Each person decided what to include in her own block--as long as the coordinator didn't say that it was already chosen for another block. And then, we turned them in--to take their next step towards completion. I was truly amazed at how wonderful the finished quilt looks and am honored to have been able to participate in this kind of project. The Blue Ridge Parkway is there for all of us to travel on and enjoy--an opportunity to slow down and appreciate to wonder of the mountains and the life they contain.

I did get a picture of my favorite quilt at the show. This is about the aftermath of the disaster in Haiti. I thought that the colors were so dynamic and the pregnant woman was so appealing. It is almost as if she's holding her swollen belly as a form of prayer and protection for her unborn child. One of the members of my art group said that when she looks at a quilt it should tell a story. I think that each of us can come away from this quilt with a powerful story.

One of the things that these recent times has brought in to many of our lives is change--some welcome and some not-so-welcome. One of the results of change in my daughter-in-law's life is that she has gotten rid of almost all of her quilting life and, as a result, I was the recipient of quite a bit of her fabric. It was a very sad time for me as I looked through and touched each piece of it because it represented so much more than the fabric itself. One thing she didn't get rid of were some of the quilt kits that she had purchased and never gotten around to making. So what I did as a thank you was to put together the Christmas block-of-the-month that she--and I--had gotten about 8 years ago. I finished and quilted mine at that time with needleturn applique and this one for her I did with the fusible applique method (I DID want to finish it BEFORE Christmas!). So, this is my thank you to her and I will get it quilted in time for the holidays--a season in which I hope we will all have much to be thankful for and will be looking forward to new beginnings in the new year.

Quiltfest 2010

2010-08-03T22:14:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I spent two days teaching at Quiltfest in Jonesborough, Tennessee--a wonderful quilting weekend sponsored by Tennessee Quilts. For those of you who aren't aware of this quilt shop, it is an experience not to be missed if you are in the area. Fabric, fabric everywhere--and not an ugly fabric in the entire shop!
I taught two classes--Snow Family and Natural Fibers. The women who took these classes were so wonderful. Everyone was of good humor and we were a little community unto ourselves during our time together. The main focus of my teaching was not necessarily to actually finish the project, but rather to learn a different technique. In both of these classes, the focus was on making fusible applique an easier and more precise process than previously experienced through the use of tracing paper and a teflon applique sheet. (I DID ask them to send me the pictures of the finished projects, however. I'm hopeful). And it was so exciting to see them excited about learning a new process. The very first thing we did in the Snow Family class was to sew a curved seam background--and the fear disappeared when they realized just how easy it was. Good work ladies!

Here are a few pictures of the partially finished projects.

The Jonesborough area of Tennessee is such a beautiful area of the state--not in the mountains but with plenty of rolling hills and open spaces. The downtown area is charming with unique and relaxing restaurants (am I sounding like the Chamber of Commerce?) And like many areas in the Southern Highlands, crafts are treasured and artists are appreciated.

There was an quilt exhibit held in conjunction with Quiltfest and it was so interesting to see how the quilt artists from that area of Tennessee responded to the theme. It was a judged exhibit with some pretty nice prizes awarded by the judge, Melinda Bula--a wonderful quilt artist herself.

And throughout the building in which Quiltfest was held, there were absolutely gorgeous quilts hung all around. I came home inspired and recharged. Ready to go again.

Fractured Landscapes

2010-07-23T19:37:00.009-04:00

This past Wednesday, I was in Asheville at a workshop with Katie Pasquini Masopust. The name of the workshop was Fractured Landscapes--based on her book of the same name.

This was such an inspiring day for me. I felt stretched and invigorated by what she offered the class and, although I'm not sure that I'll make a fractured landscape quilt, I will use the techniques I learned that day. She uses a method of applique that involves acetate, spray starch, Sulky Totally Stable, a stiletto and tracing paper--among other things. Her teaching style is forthright and organized and she gave everyone individual attention and encouragement. Each person was asked to bring a photograph that she wanted to make into a fractured quilt and then the class, as a whole, discussed each photo--about how to crop it to make a better quilt.

Katie has, of course, gone on to other things now. Here she is with one of her more recent quilts. She first paints a picture and then converts it into a quilt, using the same techniques of appliquing that she used with the Fractured Landscapes. Although her quilt deserves a better photo than the one I took, I hope that you can see her perfect use of color as a design element.

So, all in all, it was a wonderful day and I can hardly wait to "clear the decks" so I can use these techniques in a real project. Thanks, Katie--it was beyond great.

Time To Set The Table

2010-07-15T14:14:00.003-04:00

I have finally finished a pattern that I've been working on for several months. I came up with the concept for the pattern a while back but put it aside when we decided to move back to Charleston. I call it Flora Bella and it is fat quarter friendly. I will get a better picture soon as you can't see the red appliqued circles that are on each end of the table runner. And the finishing on the placements and table runner is a little different from the usual binding method. Because of the curved ends I decided to go with the "pillow cover" method and I think it works quite well.

As soon as I get the patterns actually printed out and assembled, I'll be putting it on my website for sale.

I hope you like it!

Top Of The Morning To You

2010-07-12T13:13:00.010-04:00

When I moved out of my studio last year, I had to break off the top of my cutting table in order to get the cabinets down the stairs. It was just too big to get out in one or two good pieces. When I set up my studio in the mountains, I didn't use all of the cabinets and just had unfinished plywood for a top.

Since I've been back here, I've had all of my cabinets set up--but no top. This is what I've been using for the last month or so. It didn't quite cover everything (but it WAS easier to get things out of the top drawers!). We went to Home Depot--where we had gotten the first top made--but were quite taken aback to learn that the price would be more than double what it was five years ago. (I hadn't thought that the price of wood had increased THAT much). Anyway, while we were there, we got into a discussion with a fellow customer and it turned out that (are you ready for this?) he installed counter tops for a living. Talk about synchronisity. He was very nice, gave us a much better price and actually showed up when he said he would.

Here are the cabinets as he is getting ready to get started and I sure hope he wasn't analyzing me in relation to the mess that was showing in those exposed drawers! My husband helped him carry the materials up the stairs to my studio and it all made it up there without a hitch. And here it is with one sheet in place. He did two more and then added a border (for which I don't know the correct term) around the entire thing. Then he sanded the top so there would be a smooth, flat surface for the formica to adhere to.

And now here is my wonderful finished top. I can assure you that I am really enjoying having it finished. And our guy was not only cheaper, nice and on time--he was a great craftsman as well. This was really the final thing that needed to be done to restore my studio back to what is was before I left. Can you hear my husband saying, "We are NEVER, EVER, EVER leaving again. Do I need to repeat that?"?

I guess I'd better listen.

Machine Quilting Unlimited

2010-07-06T16:16:00.005-04:00

I was very fortunate to have my quilt, Say It With Flowers, included in the Noteworthy section of the July issue of Machine Quilting Unlimited. It's always kind of neat to see one's quilts "in print" and this magazine does such a great job in their layout and presentation. If you haven't seen an issue, let me encourage you to do so if you are a machine quilter--either longarm or conventional (like I am). Their web address is:

http://www.mqumag.com/. In this particular issue they have a great article on quilt classes--from the perspective of both the teacher and student--and another wonderful article on organizing your studio and making the most of your resources. And the pictures of quilts--oh my! Winning quilts from several shows are displayed and they are ALL inspiring. And while a lot of the magazine is devoted to longarm quilters, there is plenty of interest to those of us who aren't. Take a look--see what you think. And, thanks, Machine Quilting Unlimited, for including me in this issue.

A Trip To The White House!

2010-06-30T22:11:00.012-04:00

No, not THAT White House. I'm talking about The White House in Heath Springs, SC. (It's not quite as large as that other one). Karen organized a trip for the TTT Gang to an unknown location and then dropped clues on us in the days leading up to our departure. We finally got it at the very end when she told us that the owner of the house was famous for making quilt-related collectibles. Jim Shore! He and his wife lived in this hundred year old home until they moved to nearby lake resort. His wife and a business partner opened a storefront in the home that features his collectibles, antique linens, items for home decor and, more recently, quilt fabric--mostly Moda. The store is open Wednesday thru Saturday from 10-6 and the telephone number is 803-273-0123. Did I forget to mention that the Moda is priced at $6.00 per yard?

Here is the "Jim Shore Room" and there are so many different pieces that it takes quite a while to take them all in--and then you probably missed some. I have seen maybe 10 or 12 different pieces in quilts shops before so this was amazing. And they are all so intricate and colorful. I especially liked the angel bird bath and really wish that I had purchased it. Oh well, I guess I'll have to go back and get it another time (in case I need an excuse to go back).

Each room had a different theme. One room was full of moda fabric on bolts and another room had mostly fat quarters (at 4 for $6.00)

Here are Frances and Karen in the Fat Quarter Room--making sure they didn't miss anything.

And this was my favorite room in the house--the entrance hall and the beautiful staircase.

Another feature of this very unique store is that if you want to bring a group on a Tuesday (or maybe even a Monday) you can contact them ahead of time (which Karen did) and they will open the shop for a private shopping experience and also provide lunch. You can see the kitchen here where they set up a buffet-style meal. We ate our lunch in the "Moda Bolt Room" and looked at beautiful fabric while we ate and chatted. After lunch, we finished up with our shopping and then headed home after a wonderful day in the country in a beautiful home filled with great fabric and unique collectibles. It was a really laid-back experience--one that your group might also enjoy if you have the opportunity.

Even A Bear Doesn't Hibernate This Long!

2010-06-27T10:55:00.010-04:00

Life has a way of stopping you in your tracks sometimes, doesn't it? And I guess that's what has happened to me during the past three months or so. Most of you know that we moved to the mountains of North Carolina a year or so ago--the re-fullfillment of my dream--however, much of it seemed a little closer to being a nightmare rather than a dream. We bought a house that was going to be a never-ending money pit--even though we were doing most of the work itself. And the studio was never going to be good--too dark, too cold, too depressing. When that was added to a lot of other factors, we made the decision---literally overnight--to move back to our house in Charleston; however, what this meant was that we spent two work-laden months finishing up projects that HAD to be done before that house could go on the market and renting HUGE trucks (3 times) to move ourselves and our too-many possessions. (Along with the huge amount donated to Habitat).

So, now we're back and we've spent the last month settling in. Over all, we're glad to be back. Our house suits our needs, we have great friends here and a wonderful vista out over the marsh every morning as we drink our coffee and eat our breakfast. On the down side, it's as hot as the hinges of hades, it's flat and the traffic is horrendous. Thankfully, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

We are still in the process of getting my studio back into order. We had "staged" it to look more like a den--which meant we took everything out--including my huge work table. And that is the only thing not back to full operation. We had to break apart the top when we took it out and so now we have to have another one built. Last week we went to Home Depot to see about them doing another one and were absolutely shocked when they gave us a price that was 250% higher than we paid five years ago. Fortunately, while we were in there we met a nice guy who is a cabinet installer and he gave us a MUCH better price. So I have all of my fiingers crossed that he will actually show up this week and do the work.

Two days ago, Smokey re-installed my design wall and I thought I'd talk a little about it because I think that we came up with a pretty good system of installation that may be helpful to some of you. We actually used this method in Hendersonville and, because it worked, were able to use the same insulation board that we had there.

This is the insulation board that we used and it is about 2 " thick (maybe a little less). I covered it with white flannel and taped it to the board. I had to replace some of the tape that was pulled loose when we removed it from the wall, but otherwise it was in great shape. I didn't have the wall space to use two complete sheets so we cut the second one down to size.

The trick about making this design wall re-usable is the way in which it is attached to the studio wall. You can see here that we have three 2x4's attached to the wall--with screws used where the studs are located. When you use this method and later move your studio --or design wall--for one reason or another, you can unscrew the boards and fill in the screw holes with spackling compound with no damage to your walls.

After the 2x4's are attached, we then used glue to secure the insulation board to them. This is the glue we used, but there are probably other ones that will work also--just read the information on the glue packaging. (This one said that at least one of the surfaces had to be porous--which was true of the 2/4's). After the glue is applied, all that was needed was some firm pressure for about a minute on the insulation boards once they were positioned and then 24 hours to dry completely. And now, voila, I am back to having a place to look at work in progress.

I don't know if we were just lucky or if it's in the general nature of the glue we used, but when we pulled the insulation board off of the the 2x4's when were were "un-doing" my studio in Hendersonville, there was no damage at all to the board. And that is why we were able to use it again. But, any way you look at it, it's a great way to have a nice design wall without damaging your existing walls.

So . . .I'm ALMOST totally back to a great workspace--something that I really missed in the mountains. I didn't fully realize just how much it was affecting my work until I had it back. I am now beginning to feel inspired and have a couple of projects in mind--I'm feeling excited again about the act of creation.

Was it worth it--the moving twice in one year? Probably my husband and I would have different answers to that question but I WOULD say that we both learned a lot about what is important and what isn't. I will always hold the mountains in my heart and prefer that climate and atmosphere but I have learned that there are other things that are more important and that has been a very valuable life lesson (And I hope that we're never too old to keep on learning).

Quilters of South Carolina

2010-04-02T21:23:00.010-04:00

Last weekend was the annual Spring meeting for the Quilters of South Carolina. It was held this year in Newberry, SC at the Newberry Opera House. What a great venue (although a little crowded at times). The quilters from that area went out of their way to make it a pleasant time for all and I was glad to actually see the Opera House. It is small enough that you could go to a concert or show and actually see the people performing and it is close enough to our home in Hendersonville, NC that we could easily attend (2 hours). These days, it seems that it is so difficult to see a show that is in a space small enough that you can really enjoy it and I think I'll be trying out this locale in the near future.

Our guest speaker this year was Laura Wasilowski from Elgin, Illinois. For those of you who don't know, she is one of the founders of the Chicago School of Fusing and her talk centered around the activities on that campus. (And if you don't already know, this talk was definitely tongue-in-cheek!)

Laura was absolutely hilarious and had everyone in stitches (no pun intended). And the added bonus was that she sprinkled her lecture with original lyrics set to familiar tunes. And not only that, her singing voice was wonderful and I suspect that she may have had some vocal training along the way (or at least it sounded THAT good).

Another bonus of Laura's visit was that she brought patterns and hand-dyed fabric. I, of course, succumbed to the fabric. (If you'd like to see all of her fabric and threads, you can visit her website a http://www.artfabrik.com/ . And here to the right, she is autographing one of her books. I'll have to say that I enjoyed her lecture more than just about any I've heard in a long time. And she was just so pleasant. I'm sure that the people who took her classes had a blast.

So, it was a very good day in Newberry. And one of the best parts of the day was visiting with quilters from all over the state--some of them students who took one of my classes, some of them friends from Charleston whom I don't get to see very often now that I've moved and others that I've met through the years at other meetings. What a joy!

The Last Addition

2010-03-28T20:17:00.004-04:00

Well, here is the last addition to my block celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway. And now I have to figure out just how much blanket stitching, invisible thread stitching and thread painting I should do. It's been really fun for me once I figured out exactly what I wanted to include and where I would place the various elements. I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished quilt and how all of our separate blocks have come together to make the whole.

Moving Along With The Block

2010-03-26T19:17:00.002-04:00

Here is the next step in the making of my block for the quilt celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I've added the branches and berries of the Mountain Ash--a LOT of little berries. And I've also added some more landscaping in the background--There was going to be way too much sky if I hadn't. The next--and probably final--step will be to add a limb of a hardwood tree with an owl perched on it. I'm a little concerned about proper perspective on this aspect but all I can do is try and see how it turns out.
After I finish the applique, I then have to decide just how much stitching I will do to anchor it all down and whether or not to do some thread painting. It's an entirely different procedure when you're turning the block over to someone else to complete a quilt and then to quilt it. Well, you just have to do your best and then hope for the best--don't you think?
At any rate, I'm still having fun.

Blue Ridge Parkway's 75th Anniversary

2010-03-23T22:13:00.004-04:00

The Blue Ridge Parkway will be celebrating its 75th Anniversay very soon (I had no idea about how many years it had been in existance!) and , as part of its celebration, the Ashville Guild has been asked to make a quilt that represents our portion of the Parkway. Various members of the Guild have volunteered to create original blocks that will contain various aspects of the parkway environment.

I will be making one of the blocks and it will contain a fox, an owl and the mountain ash (with berries). I was assigned the size of 16" wide and 28" high--which made me take one huge gulp when I began to realize just what those measurements would entail. We were all given the same light blue batik background to use as the base for our block--the rest is up to our own discretion.

I took my basic idea to my art group, Focus, last week and they very generously gave me some good imput--which actually reinforced the idea I had originally started with and then veered away from.

So, here is my red fox and you can see him in relation to the rest of the blue "canvas." The bottom will come up to his leg area. I worked several days on him and was really pretty happy with the way he turned out since this was my first real effort at this type of realism. If you click to enlarge the image, you can get a better idea of the detail.

And next, I have added a grassy area with a stone wall behind. And, oh yes, there is a LOT of space still to fill. I will now be adding the mountain ash branches, stems and berries (I have seen these in their full glory a couple of times up at the Pisgah Inn and they really do make a spectacular showing). And I know how I'm going to place the owl. My only big decision left is whether or not to add more background landscaping (more mountainous terrain). Nothing is attached too firmly at this point so I can move things around if I need to.

So far, this has been a lot of fun to do--once I came up with the idea. And it will be rewarding to see it in its final resting place as part of whole--joining other quilters in a celebration of our nation's highway successes--a place in which we can enjoy the journey without worrying about the destination.

A Never-Ending Saga

2010-03-20T20:52:00.006-04:00

It seems hard to believe it sometimes, but we bought our present house in Hendersonville almost two years ago and moved here permanently about 11 months ago. Some people have salt water in their veins--certainly my husband does having been born and raised in Charleston--but my veins seem to be filled with components of mountain vistas, lilacs and bluegrass. It really hurt when I had to leave here 8 years ago and I felt blessed that I could return.

But back to the house. We chose this house because it was close to doctors, stores and other things that make life a little easier. After the fact, we discovered that we have wonderful neighbors, too. However, we debated long and hard whether to stay here or not. In fact, we were so discouraged that we stayed away for long months at a time.

Why? Because we discovered quite soon after we bought it that we had purchased a flipped house with many dangerous hidden issues. We were just sick with regret and a feeling of not being smart enough to have realized what was going on. Hindsight is so often far better than what we can see in the moment in which we actually live.

Well, we decided to get over it and get on with making this house a home. It has been--and continues to be--a long and bumpy road. We have just finished the kitchen (which was posted w/pictures a while back) and are now in the middle of putting down new hardwood floors in the living and dining rooms. The house was carpeted throughout when we purchased it and we soon pulled up all of the carpet--to find a disaster. The first disaster was in the guest room where we found that carpet covered a floor that had been eaten by termites in a long section by the outside wall. So . . .we pulled up the flooring and put down new oak boards.

About that time, Smokey had to have more heart surgery so everything was put on hold. BUT--we are now back to putting in new flooring. Smokey found this wonderful MANLY tool to take up old flooring and ripped through a huge section in one morning. Then, all the subflooring had to be renailed to eliminate the squeeking (that occured with EVERY step). And here he is today, using the special nail gun to nail the boards down. What doesn't show up in the photo is the LARGE hammer he is using to hit the gun and release the nails. My job in all of this was to keep the boards flowing. It's a little more complicated than it sounds because you have to make sure that the boards on neighboring rows don't end at the same place (He gave me a gold star for a job well done!).

And here on the right is the flooring that we have put down so far. It's the area that's set apart. You can see the black felt paper inbetween the old floor and the new floor. The old floor in the living room was so stained that it really couldn't be refinished. And when we're finished, it will be great. But for now, we're back in the Waiting Mode as we have to wait for our next order at Home Depot to come in.

If you've gotten this far in this non-quilt related saga, congratulations. But here is what I really wanted to say and why I have written this. First of all, Smokey and I have always really enjoyed doing home projects (we even built a log cabin many years ago) so although this is hard work we weren't counting on, the sense of accomplishment is something that is beyond a price. But the part of this story that is quilt-related is that it--like quilting--is dipping into that well of creativity that gives our lives purpose and meaning. In this case, to take something that was ugly and to turn it into another facet of our slowly evolving home is beyond simple measuring. And, when we finally finish, we will have created another section in the quilt of our life in this house. It's not ready to win a ribbon (not even honorable mention) but it's growing on us just like a quilt attains enhanced meaning and beauty as each new section is finished. Someday we'll be there and there will be a huge celebration.

The Zen of Fabric Folding

2010-03-15T10:17:00.006-04:00

I try to keep my studio neat--I really do. However, life usually takes over and my messy self emerges quite unbidden. Then, I can go along for a while--sort of melting into the stew of my own creation--until, by the inevitable process of osmosis, chaos takes over and the creative spirit seems just beyond my reach. And I become absurdly close to contemplating my navel for inspiration.

What to do, what to do? For me, the simple answer -- in addition to actually cleaning up and vacuuming--is to start refolding the fabric on my shelves. There is something very soothing about the process and as I spent a good part of the weekend sorting and folding, a sense of calmness and preparation began to seep into my pores. These shelves hold mostly batiks and hand-dyes. Everything--especially the hand-dyes--was literally jammed into any available space. As I folded, I came across fabrics that I had forgotten I had and it was like meeting new friends who very much wanted to be included in one of my quilts.

So . . .at last I've stopped the train leading to nowhere and have come to a station that is tranquil and pastoral--filled with beautiful fabric spun, woven and dyed from the extraordinary cotton plant of the mallow family. It beckons me--and I think I'm ready now.

Cobblestone Quilt Show 2010

2010-03-09T13:55:00.013-05:00

After two years of planning and preparation, the Cobblestone Quilt Show took place this past weekend in Charlestown, SC. The weather was great, the quilts were great and the vendors were great. What more could one want on a quilt show weekend?

My big news of the weekend was that I won Best of Show for Arabian Mystery! It is exciting--but also humbling--to receive such an honor. There were so many beautiful quilts and I know it must have been difficult for the judge to make his decision.

This year, there were two Best of Show awards and the award for Best Wall Hanging went to Pat West for her wallhanging A Message of Peace, Liberty and Freedom. It is quite beautiful. Pat is fairly new to the Charleston area and I know that she is a welcomed addition. Not only did she win Best of Show, but she also won a first in the Pictorial category with August in Val d'Orcia.

This is a LARGE wallhanging and quite lovely.

One of the fun things for me as a teacher is to see the finished quilts of people who have taken my classes. And I especially like it when they change the pattern I wrote and really make it their own. Karen Kendo really did this with my pattern, "A Taste of the Lowcountry. She added elements--such as the turtles and the flowers-- and changed the straight border into a curved one which was complimented by her quilting along the edges. I love it.

Maureen Smithen also entered a quilt that she started in my "Los Flores del Sol" class. She did a wonderful job and the judge must have thought so, also.

Marilyn Wall--an accomplished art quilter and teacher-- didn't have a quilt in this show; however, her influence as a teacher was present in two of the quilts which were made by students that she had in her class at White Oak this past fall. I've never taken one of her classes, but her classroom is always bubbling with creative energy and results in wonderful works of arts such as these. This first one is Buddies by Lucretia Pope. The picture doesn't quite do it justice but you really got the feeling of the swamp when you saw it in person. The second quilt is My Quilted Songbird by Sandy Radar. Sandy is also an artist and had previously painted this bird (I'm not sure whether it was on canvas or watercolor). In Marilyn's class she learned the techniques to create her vision in fabric and I think she was successful, don't you?

I took lots more pictures but, unfortunately, something happened between the snap of the shutter and hand holding the camera so there was a lot of fuzziness going on. One of the nice things that happened for me at the show was that, since I spent more time there than I had originally planned, I got to visit with so many people I hadn't seen in a while. Quilters truly ARE such nice people!

Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show

2010-03-02T10:40:00.024-05:00

This past weekend, I was fortunate to be able to attend the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show in Hampton, Virginia. This is always a great show and I think that the quilts this year were even better. I know that the judges must have had a difficult time choosing the winners. I am posting pictures of some of my favorite quilts--some winners and some not--but all wonderful.

This first quilt is by Cynthia Catlin. I don't have the name of it, but the branches making the water ripple just appealed to me.

This next quilt is by Jan Hutchison and is called "Dancing to the Tune of Spring." I think that many of us in the "snow-infested" areas are really looking forward to signs of spring and I think that this quilt successfully captured that feeling. Also, the background quilting gave one the feeling of the flowers dancing in the wind.

I was especially drawn to this quilt by Linda French--"Marblemania." It dramatically captured the feeling of perspective and you could just imagine those marbles rolling around on the floor. Also, note the small quilt hanging on the right side.

And don't you just feel that you're right behind this couple as they stroll down a beautiful old street in "A City Walk In Spring" by Lenore Crawford. Even when viewed from a fairly close perspective, the details held up.

The detail work on "Paisley Peacock: by Pat Holly is simply amazing. I would have to be honest and say that paisley is not one of my more favorite motifs; however, this quilt was stunning. The machine applique work was done with such small, detailed pieces. It was very inspiring for me.

And some quilts just make you smile--like this "Really 'Wild Flowers'" by Sharon Schlotzhamer. Her use of color lightened the heart and the detailed piecing of her flower blooms was a big 'Wow."

This was the Best of Show winner--"Circles of Life" by Linda French--another VERY detailed quilt with wonderful use of color. (You may notice that she also did "Marblemania.").

I have included "Woven Wind Flowers" by Doris Keaton and Sandi Wagner because of all the wonderful feathers in the quilting design. and I like the way they used to taupe tones for the log cabin blocks in the background. I have been working on making more interesting backgrounds for my applique work so I really aprreciate successful efforts by other quilt artists.

Mary Ramsey Kessler's "Orange Hibiscus" makes good use of an interesting background, also. It is reminiscent of Ruth McDowell's work and I think quite a great job of capturing the appearance of hibiscus blooms.

And, finally, here is my quilt "Whither Goest Thou." I was fortunate to have been awarded a Judge's Choice ribbon by Libby Lehman. With all of the wonderful quilts there this past weekend, I felt really blessed to have received it.

And NOW--don't forget that the Cobblestone Quilt Show is taking place in Charleston, SC, this next weekend--Friday, Saturday & Sunday at the Gaillard Autditorium. Everyone has worked so hard to make it a great show this year and I know you'll enjoy looking at all of the wonderful quilts that will be there. Don't be a stranger, ya heah?

QuiltFest

2010-02-23T19:18:00.006-05:00

Each summer, Tennessee Quilts has a weekend of wonderful quilting classes and just a good time at QuiltFest in Jonesboro, Tennessee. I went last year and had a ball--and this year, they have asked me to be one of the teachers! And I'm really looking forward to it. Here are the classes that I will be teaching July 29-31.

The first class will be on Thursday and we will be making these small mirrors (about 10" square). They are a project that can definitely be finished in one day and can hang on the wall with a plate hanger or rest against the wall of a fireplace mantle, etc. The design possibilities are endless.

On Friday, we will be doing Snow Family, a pattern that is based on a Christmas card. There are several techniques that will be taught in this class, especially fusible applique, the use of a teflon pressing sheet and piecing curved seams. And on Saturday, the class will be Natural Fibers. This class will again work with fusible applique and also accurate piecing techniques with the log cabin blocks. I think this can be a really nice all season wall hanging or a small table topper.

So . . .check out Tennessee Quilts website for the complete details of the weekend (tennessequilts.com). There are a lot of other classes, also. You can mix and match!

The other thing I want to talk about is the shop Tennessee Quilts in Johnson City, Tennessee. If you are within driving distance and haven't visited it already, do yourself a favor and GO. They have such beautiful fabrics--lots and lots of them--and the shop itself is so welcoming. There are lots of samples to give you ideas for new quilts and notions galore. (I think I need to go there myself!)

Arabian Mystery

2010-02-20T19:14:00.005-05:00

I have finally finished my most recent quilt, Arabian Mystery. It has taken so long to complete that I don't even remember when I started it! It is an original pattern that features whimsical flowers and floating flying geese. And here is also a closeup shot of some of the quilting details. As with most of my quilts, the journey to completion has been an adventure. As I've made more original quilts, I've learned to slow down and to wait for the quilt to tell me where it wants to go and what colors it wants to use. My only hope is that I am able to really listen to what it has to say.
So, come Monday, I will be shipping it off to Charleston for the Cobblestone Quilt Show during the first weekend of March. If you can, please come. I know you'll enjoy it. I understand that there are many beautiful quilts entered this year and the vendors, of course, will be great. The Show Chairman, Karen Kendo, has worked tirelessly for this show to be the best ever and she has a hard-working show committee that will make that happen. I can hardly wait to be there!

Focusing on Art

2010-02-17T19:43:00.011-05:00

Today was the monthly meeting of the art group that I belong to--Focus. We all live in different areas of the upstate of South Carolina and closeby North Carolina. That means that each month as we meet in one of our homes, some people will drive a long way and others not so far. This was a far day for me. We met in the home of Dixie Heywood in Pendleton, SC. And here is a picture of Dixie who is a charming, humorous and, above all, quilter par excellance. You may have seen some of her books on Foundation Piecing that she has co-authored with Jane Hall over the years. When I say that she is an expert on foundation piecing, that is almost an understatement.

For me, the main challenge of today was finding Dixie's house--which was two hours away from mine. Most people who know me know that my sense of direction is less than average and when I got into my car this morning, I blithely typed her address into my navigation system--which seemed to believe that no one lived at that address. Well, I DID have her directions and my husband's map so off I went.

The thing about being directionally challenged is that you're never really sure that you're headed in the right direction--almost a similar feeling of those with dyslexia I guess. I rode and rode and rode on a back country road, hoping for the best. However, I stopped many times to consult the map (I CAN read maps) and reassure myself that I was on the right track and finally ended up there only 10 minutes late.

"O.K.," you say, "Surely you can reverse this process going home. Right?" Wrong. I took a wrong turn right away. Now, you might ask why I didn't type my own address into the the navigation system so it could guide me there. Well, I did. Guess what? It told me it wasn't a valid address. So, finally, I found somewhere to pull over, called my husband and asked him to look up the beauty parlor I go to so I could try their address in the navigation. Bingo! I could get my hair done, but I couldn't go home.

Anyway, it was a great day. We are comment on each other's quilts and works in progress. Rather than criticism it is more like we are challenging each other to find the maximum potential in our creations. And it helps us to see our work in a different way. So, yes, it was a long distance for me today with many anxious moments on the road BUT well worth it.

I didn't get any pictures of the quilts we discussed today, but here are a few of Dixie's that she had hanging in her house. I'm sorry that some of the shots aren't well-focused but I did it quickly as I left. (She had a entire closet-full that I would have loved to have shown, but that is for another day.

For A Good Cause

2010-02-15T17:00:00.005-05:00

Once again, I haven't written in a long time but, honestly, just how many snow pictures do you really want to see? We have had snow on the ground since December 15th. Like so many other areas, this has been a really weird winter and one that many of us will remember for quite a while. So far, we've only lost power for 2 1/2 days but I don't think anyone will be breathing sighs of relief until March has come and come. In the meantime, I am living each day as it comes--not wishing away the time until perfection arrives.

Anyway, what I'm writing about today is Tote Tuesday, an internet auction connected with Fiberart For A Cause that is raising monty for the Amercan Cancer Society. This is the logo for the auction: And the website for this week's auction (and next week's auction is: http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/ToteTuesdayFeb16.html At this site you will see all of the items that are up for auction.

Marilyn Wall from South Carolina and I have put together a Tote for auction that we are calling Color Me Bright. And here is a picture of the items along with the description:

COLOR ME BRIGHT TOTE

This tote is designed for those fiber artists who love bright colors. Yards and Yards of hand-dyed ribbon and trim, as well as hand-dyed fabric to inspire your creative spirit. Altered Photo Artistry
By Beth Wheeler, patterns by award winning Judith Heyward and an 11 x 11 art quilt by Marilyn Wall.
This tote contains:
Altered Photo Artistry by Beth Wheeler
Patterns: A Taste of the Low Country and Natural Fibers by Judith Heyward
Note Cards by Judith Heyward
70 yards of ribbon and trim
l box of (24) chalk pastels
Hand-dyed fabric in sizes as follows:
26” x 33”
19” x 28”
36” x 38”
26” x 14”
29” x 38”
19” x 20”
Six fat quarters

Since it isn't listed on this week's auction I guess it will be on the next one. In the meantime, have a look at all of the items this week up for auction. There are some really great ones you might want to bid on and just think . . .It's all for a good cause.

Appraising Quilts

2010-01-14T09:44:00.009-05:00

For the past several years, I have had most of my original quilts appraised. It serves several purposes. First of all, it gives me an idea of what they are worth in case I wanted to sell one of them (although my husband says I would have a very difficult time doing just that!). Also, if you're entering quilts shows with these quilts if offers monetary protection if, God forbid, something should happen to them--theft, lost in the mail, etc.

I had a friend once who said she didn't really care if her quilts got lost in the mail because then the insurance she bought at UPS would recompense her for her loss. This is not necessarily so. They WILL pay you for the loss of your materials but that may be all. Unless, of course, you have a written appraisal from a certified appraiser.

It also allows you to put a rider on your home insurance for a fairly nominal fee to cover your loss in other situations. And if your quilts are insured on your home insurance, you really don't need to purchase insurance each time from UPS or FedEx. At least, this is what I've been told. Thankfully, I've never had to find out.

Yesterday, I went to the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway to meet with Connie Brown who appraised two of my quilts. She has just recently been certified by NQA and I feel fortunate that I live near enough to her that getting my quilts appraised is no longer such a big issue (I used to drive to Raleigh from Charleston before and it also involved an overnight stay).

Connie is so knowledgable about the quilting process and the materials of construction because she is quite a good quilter herself. And it was really interesting hearing her discuss the quilts from that perspective. Here she is measuring the quilt--not just the perimeter, but also the width of the borders and size of the interior. And when she was totally finished, she photographed the quilt for her records. The same photo will be on the written appraisal that I receive. And inbetween the measuring and the photographing, there was much discussion about the types of stitches used in the quilting, the kind of batting used, were the fabrics batiks or handdyes and other details that I hadn't even considered. For instance, she asked me if in this particular quilt was it being viewed from the inside of a window . I really hadn't thought about that at all and it made me really look at from someone else's perspective.

So, the bottom line here is this: If you don't presently get your quilts appraised and you feel they might benefit from it, then go ahead and do it. You can sometimes get them appraised at quilt shows and you can also go to NQA website and check the list of qualified appraisers in your area. AND, if you're fortunate enough to live within travelling distance to Asheville, you can contact Connie for a friendly, bright and thorough quilt appraisal experience. Her email is: mail2thebrowns@juno.com

The Weather Outside Is Frightful, But The Fire Is So Delightful

2010-01-06T11:14:00.005-05:00

Like many parts of the United States, our neck of the woods has been frigid--breaking a 25 year record of continuous days with the high temperatures under freezing. And it doesn't look as if it's going to get much warmer in the next few days.

When I came down into my studio the other morning, the temperature in the room was 45 degrees! That was too cold to even think about working. And this is the kind of thing that can happen when you buy an old house (55 years old) in the summer. It was nice and cool in the house then (we're in the mountains, after all), but it held no hint of what the furnace would or wouldn't do once winter hit.

BUT, now I'm a very happy camper. We have had a set of sealed gas logs installed in the fireplace opening (it's another long story as to why the 2 fireplaces can't be used) and my room is almost toasty. I am greatful, ecstatic and just plain happy. And while we were at it, we also had them installed in the upstairs fireplace and a pellet stove in the garage/workshop. So now I can say, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

I have begun to quilt my Summer Beauties wallhanging. I was really at a loss about just how to quilt the background for the basket of flowers. I love the gradated fabric and didn't want to lose that in the quilting process. I did find thread that matched the three main shades of the background and started quilting it that way, but I hated it almost right away. (Thank goodness, because that meant a LOT fewer stitches to pick out). So, I decided to go with a color that matched the darkest part ( poly thread instead of cotton) and I am very happy with the result. It's one of those things that you're not really sure about until you go ahead and try it--and that's why I'm probably one of the Queen's of the "Pick-Out" Club!

Keep warm everyone.

Just A Little Addendum

2010-01-01T18:50:00.003-05:00

For those who are interested inn learning more about molas and their cultural history, the following website has lots of interesting information. For instance, I now know they were made as fronts and backs of blouses for the women and they were usually made in pairs (although not perfectly matching pairs.)

http://www.quiltersmuse.com/a-history-of-molas.htm

I hope you enjoy it.

Molas--New and Old

2009-12-30T20:12:00.016-05:00

Molas have been a fiber art that I've appreciated for many years. My father was in the Foreign Service and was stationed in Panama for about 6 years in the 60's and 70's. While there, he would travel by boat to the San Blas Islands and visit with the Indian women who created this wonderful type of needlework. The thing about my father was that he was someone who absolutely loved to go through the process of bargaining about a potential purchase--which is exactly what the craftspeople expected. He would stop thinking about time and schedule and just enjoy the conversation. During the course of their time in Panama, my parents built quite an extensive collection of these molas--and they have come to me in recent years. It is a gift that I treasure above most others.

My sister has always had the traveling bug and Panama is one of the places that she has revisted in the last couple of years. Since she knew of my passion for molas, she sent me several. One of which I decided to use as a new cover for a stool in my studio. You can see here the before and after. This is typical of the newer molas that are now being produced. They are generally appliqued in the manner of our needleturn method and have a more sophisticated appearance than earlier molas.

These are some examples of older molas--at least 30 years old--maybe more. There is a lot of reverse applique on these and the themes are quite diferent from the more recent work. One of the things that I have really enjoyed with some of the older pieces is they way in which the Indians looked at life around them and interpreted it in fabric. It can be seen in this example that seems to be a beer label. The maker was spelling out the word "cervesa" but obviously ran out of room before she got to the "a." I have others that relate to political campaigns and helicopters flying overhead. And they would have seen many helicopters most likely because the United States still was in charge of the Canal Zone at that time.

So I suppose that these molas were a true example of folk art at its finest and I'm glad that they are still being made today even though the style and emphasis may have changed through the years. And there are also some modern American quilters who are including this same type of applique in their work. I'm glad because I think it is joyful and celebratory-- both of the past and the present.

Blooms In the Studio

2009-12-23T13:29:00.008-05:00

I have been working concurrently on two quilts (the first of which was in my last posting). This wall hanging (no name yet) is one that I started quite a few months ago. Once I had finished the floral section, I didn't know how I wanted to finish it--so I put it aside until inspiration struck. As it turned out, that took quite a while. A couple of weeks ago, I drew out an idea that I thought might work and I finally added the borders the night before my art group met (nothing like a fixed date to serve as an incentive). They affirmed my thought that I needed something more in the corners, so I worked on that the next day and, voila, it is done.
The background fabric is a wonderful commerical cotton that has progressive color hues. When I was in Florida a couple of years ago, I saw it in a quilt shop. There were several different pieces and my husband--who is a quilter's dream husband--said I should buy ALL of them. So, of course, I did. And I think it made him feel really good when I actually used one of them.
So now I have two quilt tops awaiting the final part of their journey. Hopefully, they'll tell me what they want me to do with them VERY soon.
I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a New Year that is filled with many, many blessings. I have just finished reading Wayne Dyer's newest book, Excuses Be Gone, and I intend to incorporate a lot of what he says we can do to change unwanted or negative behaviors in our lives. This new year is going to be a blessed one for me because I'm going to do my part to make it happen.