Sunny Days

Sorry for being MIA.

I am almost finished with the studio remake.

I promise photos Thursday.

Exhausting work.

But rewarding.

Sumac

I love the red sumac plant.

I am adding it do Dana's quilt.

It adds such a nice pop of color.

Yesterday I blocked in 20 small art quilts

for the holidays. Now to get back to the big

quilt today. Time to add foliage to the trees.

I am still trying to think through adding pine

needles to my pine trees whether to stitch or

fuse fabric. Both will be the final answer.

Today the show ends in Lafayette and I have

to go pick up my work. We will also pick

up a grandson and bring him home for the

weekend. He will have to find his own way

back to the university.

Well have a nice day.



Post cards for Houston

 Today I finally got back in the studio.

I made 15 pet post cards for the International

Quilt show. Hope Pokey likes them. All cats.

 This weather is just awesome.

Clear crisp and sunny.

Makes the living a joy.

Love the pines in the early morning.

Dew drips off of everything.

Doing 4 bushels of apples was too much but I

would rather get it over with quickly. Now we

have sauce and pies for another year.

I finally gave in and called for an appointment

for shots to my knees. Bummer he is busy

and I cannot get in until November 5th. I will

have to be very good and not do a lot to

make them worse.

I want to wait until next May to get the

replacement.  I got too many art quilts to do

this winter. Besides art is more fun.

Sunrise

Morning has broken.

I was on my way  to an event and driving pass

the woods on the corner I had to stop

pull out the camera and shot some photos.

The blush of the sun rising behind the trees

caught my eye. We are supposed to get some

snow this week-end. Will make it look more like

Christmas. I am ready.

I leave Sunday morning for my Nancy Crow

workshop. I am still amazed how much stuff

it takes to go to a class. I think I will fill the

SUV to the brim. Looking forward to some

time to myself. Have a great day.

Sunrise and sunbeams

 Love the cold morning sunrises.

Misty, dew ridden and glowing.

There is something special about the early morning.

It is fall now and the light changes.

Intoxicating.

The smells of decaying leaves.

Crisp cool days.

Like a fine wine.

Yesterday I worked on a quilt and

finally put  it up on the design board.

Should have done this from the beginning.

Something doesn't work.

Now to figure out what.

My dear husband found 3 more flats of

tomatoes in his garden.

I am about done with the harvest thing.

I suggested he find another home for

any  more abundance from his garden.

Mary's kitchen will be closed after today.

Salsa will be the last thing I can.

Have a great day.

Stash Building

 I found this fabric on Fabric.com

Called Scriffito.

This fabric will be great to over dye and screen print.

I like it so much I ordered more.

I think it will make a great masculine quilt.

 The luscious colors are Carol Falbert Breyer's fabrics.

I met her in Grand Rapids last week.

Love the color of her hair.

Red.

These are great colors for the stash.

 The blue and gold is great.

The red will provide great accents.

Back to the studio this morning.

Working on a new show entry.

Today I start fusing and stitching.

Hospice

My mother will be transferred to Hospice today.

Her body says it is time to go.

We will make her final journey a quiet and peaceful one.

After 3 days in the hospital she has only worsen.

Her heart is wearing out.

Enough it says.

Time to join other family on the other side.

She lost her mother at the age of 2.

Her mother and new baby brother.

There was a tornado 

 they did not make it down into the shelter.

Now 90 some years they will reunite.

I have been taking quilt books with me to read

in the hospital as I sat by her side.

The nurses all are curious about quilting.

Yesterday I wore a discharged black shirt

with a pattern of ferns and Solomon seal on it.

That was a hit with the staff.

I explained how to do it.

I better gather some more books and

look for another interesting shirt to wear.

I need to be off early to meet with her Doctor.

Sky show is good.

My friends reported back that the show was a hit.

I love all the ways my friends depicted skies.

In the upper right hand corner Marsha

did an awesome sunset using a reclining nude.

You do not see the figure at first.

Doris's looking through the old barn roof at the sky

A lovely view of a summer sky.

The lower right Carole did a great willow branch on

rice paper. Soft and Subtle.

Than my sunset art quilt looks nice.

Surrounded by my friends,

Who could ask for more.

Friends and art.

My knee is feeling a little better after 2 weeks of pain.

It was the right choice to stay home and off of it.

Of course.

I now have been thinking too much.

I am going to turn the furnace room into a wet studio.

I will put in a sink,find an old washer and

move the dye spot out of the garage and into the basement.

I have a sink and counter in the attic.

My husband is great with a hammer.

The garage is either too hot or too cold.

I think the pottery will make the move too.

My husband will be glad to have the garage back.

Plus the bonus is that I can work year around with

dyes and clay.



Sunrise Sunset swiftly pass the days.

 I am finally getting back to the sewing machine.

I am having trouble with my right leg and knee.

So I am perched on the edge of the chair with my right

leg stuck straight out and using my left foot for the pedal.

Awkward.

I am doing skies and woods again.

November skies.

This next 6 weeks is full of deadlines.

5 shows to enter.

I will miss the opening of our show in Lafayette tonight.

Cannot spend 5 hours standing on a sore knee and hip.

Went to the grocery store to buy melons and had

trouble getting through the store.

Oh well the show  looks well and my friends will take

care of things. Wish I could go.

There will be more shows.

I really wanted to see Rebbecca Brody's work.

She is a great artist using watercolor.

Plus Mike Swains pottery.

I will have to get back to Lafayette before September 7.

Under Indiana Skies

 Yesterday was spent hanging the new show in Lafayette.

These 3 art quilts were my contirbution.

Sunset, Sunrise and a fall scene.

 We had over 120 pieces of art.

 I really liked Claudia's fountain of large cement leaves.

She is a master of making these leaf forms that make good bird baths.

Everyone in the show produced very nice art.

Needless to say I was wore out.

Now to clean the studio and start on 3 new projects.

Hopefully they are winners.

Fiber arts

Morning all.

These lilies are the color of the sunrise.

Glowing golden.

I had a delightful day yesterday.

Nancy a quilt artist I met over the net and I went to

Lafayette to see the new fiber show at the Wells

COLORWORKS

The show's opening reception is Friday.

There are art quilts, weaving, wearable art, scarfs

jewelry and much more.

If you are near Lafayette, Indiana take some time

and look at some great art.

The other two galleries have pottery

REALLY nice pottery and

Abbie Parmele's cloud paintings.

Now back to the studio to finish art due for shows.

Soon.

Will I finish.

Hopefully.



Scrap quilt

 I had to do some sewing.

All that painting was driving me crazy.

It is amazing but I like fabric better that paint now.

So after 5 hours of painting I stitched the scrap

quilt I made last week. I had fun with the stitches.

Curving lines and straight lines.

 Now to use this piece as part of a larger quilt..

I love the colors.

Reminds one of fall leaves.

I may cut it in leaf pieces.

Or use it as part of a larger quilt with leaves around it.

We will see

The views out my windows

 The views out my windows can inspire countless

art quilts. There is no end to the ideas I get from

my patch of earth. Living in the country with a

pump and well lets us keep everything fresh and green.

 The honeysuckle vines provide humming bird food.

 A quiet place to read the mail in the afternoon.

 Another honeysuckle vine I took from my parents home

10 years ago when my father passed.

What a sweet reminder of how much he loved flowers

 A love he passed on to me and I passed to my daughter.

I have shared lots of plants from my gardens.

In fact over 12 pick-up loads in 12 years.

They just keep growing.

Have a great day.

Stay cool.

Short n Sweet Today

 A busy day ahead.

Yesterday I tried discharging a couple of shirts.

Took the clippers out to the garden and found some

vegetation.

Ferns, Solomon's seal and Canadian hemlock branches.

Not bad but must watch the drips.

I wonder what it would do on turquoise.

Must try that next.

Its 5 am and I am off to the garden to reset the sprinklers.

New dishwasher coming at 9 plus the

neighbors are coming  to find a graduation gift in the gallery.

I need to add some rusty barb wire to some art before than.

Have a great day.

Last day of chicken chores and garden chores.

The fishermen return tonight.

Hooray.

I really hate chicken chores.

Winters frosting finished

I added the beading on the corners of this small quilt

I took the photograph one early morning when the

hoar frost was thick on the trees.

A serene color scheme and peaceful quilt.

Something to Crow about.

I can't decide if I like the clay addition to this quilt.

Using a hand carved stamp I made some clay forms

to use in conjunction with quilting.

We have some resident crows at Cedar Ridge Studio.

They like to hang out by the pond or in the woods.

Birds and trees are a constant theme in my art.

My thoughts this one got a little to cutesy.



Sunset is finished.

As the day ends here in Indiana the sun is setting

and I am finished with the sunset art quilt.

I started working on my next project of combining

clay fabric and painting.

I never know where the muse will lead me

but at least it still calls.

I think I may keep this one.

It has turned out rather nicely.

Sunrise is finished.

Finished the sunrise quilt Saturday.

Now to work on the sunset one.

Had a nice quiet Sunday and am ready to work.

Ready for a good week.



The view from the Kitchen window

Spent some time adding stitching today.

Sunrise  is ready for some detail and some borders.

I think it needs some colorful borders to liven it up.

Taking photos helps me see where I need changes.

Finally got in gear.

Getting snowed is is good.

Sunrise is coming together.

 Productive afternoon.

Must be the snow.

I got the paint on and ready to stitch.

Below is my inspiration photo.