Completed, Shown, and won an award

Finished image of quilt shown in process in previous blog.  
The official title is

"A Lifetime of Monograms"

A Cinderella Story?

 

The quilt placed 2nd in our guild challenge and now it is out that I have been married more than once, oh well....

Finished!

Just finished the quilt that is celebrating the use of solar power in underdeveloped nations.  Whether it is accepted into the show or not, is now in the judges hands.  It was a really fun quilt to make and I have to admit I like it.  For me it is full of hope and joy.  If the quilt is accepted it will be shown at the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, which would be absolutely awesome!  The quilt is done, letting go, and what will be, will be!  Wish me luck.....

Great News!

This past week I was notified that one of my quilts was accepted into SAQA's "Metaphors on Aging" show, which is premiering in Birmingham, UK at the Festival of Quilts and then on to the Johannesburg Quilt Festival in South Africa.  The show will be traveling from 2013-2015.  Very exciting.

How 'Happy" is this!

This is the start for a small quilt to enter in a show about solar power.  The show is sponsored by  an organization called 'Solar Sisters'. One of their missions is to help African women to improve their life standards by using solar power to energize lanterns that the families can use to be productive at night... children can do homework, read, etc.  It is so just that 'light begats light' both literally and figeratively.  My parading women will each have a lantern (the lanterns are actually red, how cool it that), and there will be a sun,  houses with lite windows and we shall see what happens from there.  For more information about the show go to www.quiltforchange.org  .
                                                      

Something more traditional for a change!

This is a mini "doll" quilt for a swap.  The theme is 'Stripes and Strips'.  I had just purchased the book "String Quilt Revival" when I saw this swap...so  it must have been meant for me to participate.    The quilt is going to Arizona  (I think) and my swap partner shared that she liked pink and purple.  There are almost 300 pieces in this 18 x 18 inch piece.  Note to self: do not make your own pieced stripe fabric ever again!  Hopefully my swap partner  will like this piece.  If not, she can send it back.  Just kidding.....sort of...  :-)

Having fun with "Bottles"

"Bottles"

My quilting bee is doing a project where we  draw out of a paper bag, a subject, a color palette, and a size for fun.  This one is bottles, cool colors, and only 6"x12".  It was really  fun to do and since it isn't very big it wasn't too intimidating!  Tomorrow I get to see what everyone else came up with.  These are 'play' and I really enjoy the challenge....and I get to try out different techniques, so it is allll good.

 

next project on the way....

 

This has to do with a challenge of "Monograms".  Started to think about it and I realized I have had four monograms in my life!  Which one is me?  At first I was leaning towards my maiden name intitials but then I realized that I am a product of all the initials I have worn in my life.  Hence this project. Each row of initials is composed of the years that I carried them.  The pink hand embroidered areas say, I Do, I Do Not, Who Am I, No No No, Do Do Do, etc....This possibly suggests that I am conflicted about relationships.  Just a guess!!!!

 Not quite done yet but soon.  Have some embellishing to do and don't know what else yet.

The title of the piece is "A Lifetime of Monograms, A Cinderella Story?"

The base of what it is really about (I think) is how different our lives turn out than what we expected....

I think too much....



 

Doll Clothes...it's almost Christmas!

Oh my....I was blessed with three sons, who have now blessed me with three grandaughters!  Sooooo, guess what I am making for Xmas?  American girl dollclothes are being produced as quickly as possible for a mailing deadline of December 17th.  I really thought I would not enjoy making things this small but it is actually fun.  Images of them dressing their dolls, and 'making believe', dance in my head and love is put into every stitch.  Christmas is such a wonderful time of year especially when little girls are all excited.  Love is a child....smiling grandma...

Tea Party stage III

I am in a panic as this piece is due Dec 9th!  I still have to square, bind, embellish, and work on the composition some more.  I am hating it at this point but that is typical of me.  Some space away from the piece and then I can assess it more objectively.  Right now, I feel it is way too busy which is something I do not like normally..  we shall see....

Army Brat

This the is quilt that was accepted into Houston's Festival Gallery of Art Quilts competition, Memories of My Childhood.  My quilt's title is "Army Brat" .  I grew up living  20 places in 16 years as a military dependant.   The first thing that came into my mind upon reading the theme of this competition was moving vans, displacement, and my father's recommendation that I bloom where I was planted (for the moment). This picture was taken by a friend that was fortunate enough to attend the show and kind enough to send me a picture of it hanging with the ribbon.  I used multiple techniques and like the piece because of the personal connection that I have to it.

Finishing UFO's

Finished up this Round Robin piece and a sampler swap quilt this week!  Felt good about that.  Am having three bathrooms remodeled and working on an art piece featured below.  Other than that haven't done a thing!  LOL  Talk at  you next time....

'Tea Party' in progress

I am working on the left side of my 'Tea Party' quilt (see start below).  Hopefully by tomorrow these items will look like they are in a cupboard. I want to put dancing legs on the cupboard but we will see, as these came out a little longer than expected!  This tea party is going to have floating, dancing, and magical things happening.

This is a project a bee I am, in started last year.  We all choose a theme and then each person made an 'art block' for every other person in the group.  Now, we all have to put our individual blocks together into a quilt that reflects us.  I am incorporating their blocks into my piece.  We are showing these quilts in three shows starting in January, so the 'pedal is to the metal'!  It is really challenging...so keep your fingers crossed for me.  Will keep you posted.

What Am I Doing?

I am trying to postpone working on this!!!!

It is going to be a 'tea party' with a grandma and three grandaughters.  I am sure you can tell (LOL).
I have been doing a lot of it in my head and I can assure you this is far from what it will look like when done.  So while I am 'head working', I have been doing squares for a boomswap which is fun, mindless design. Fortunately or unfortunately, I am almost done with the swap blocks and am now going to have to attacked this more complex project.  Why do I put people in my quilts? People are sooo much more difficult than say, turtles.  I am whining already....

ANOTHER LITTLE QUILT SWAP

Just finished my swap quilt for "Another Little Quilt Swap".  It is a swap that is organized by Kate North, a women from England and is truly international! In the last swap my quilt was received by Kate and I received a quilt from an artist in the Netherlands.  You can find the info on the swap by googling 'Another Little Quilt Swap'. I really enjoy participating in it and the way it is set up is awesome.  Check it out.

Promo done...onto my piece...

I am determine in the next 12 months to utilize the odd bits that I just can't seem to throw away into worthy keepable pieces.  The criteria for the swap this time is just that the piece must be 12"x12".  I had a silk painted face that I had done without any resist, just as a lark when the dyes were out, that was just about the right size. The face was somewhat irregular but something just kept me from throwing her away.  Lord knows I tried, but I just couldn't trash her.  So here she is reworked.  She looks a bit tired so I gave her a chair to rest on.  Hence the name of the piece is "Time to Rest"!

I won an award!

My Houston quilt "Army Brat" won 'honorable mention', so I am of course thrilled!  Still can not post a picture until after the show opens.  Happy dance, Happy dance.

I AM IN !!!!!!!

I recently found out that my piece I was working on for Houston, was accepted.  I am not allowed to post a photo until after the show opens.  Will do so then.  Yay, for me.  If you are able to go to the show, look for my piece, "Army Brat" in the Festival Gallery of Art Quilts section.  Am very pleased.  It was a challenge to say the least because of mechanical problems with my machines.  But I perservered and it was worth it.

Grandkids Turn

So, this is the time of year that I do the 'fall collection' for my grandaughters.  Three weeks later, I think they are going to be surprized and very, very, happy.  At least I hope so.  Of course, I had to make some matching outfits for their doll/babies.  All in all, it was a fun experience and now I will get back to other things.  They will soon be too 'old' for Grandma's clothes and I will miss getting to provide a reason for their smiles. 

checking in....

I have been working a 'bazillion' different things pertaining to round robins and swaps.  I also finally finished the competition piece I have been working on as it was due June 6th.  I am almost caught up except for 4 things I am obligated to do and then I get to pick and choose the next project I will work on.  Hopefully, I will then have more pictures to post.  So, being a picture person, today I am posting a picture of one side of my 'studio'.  It is halfway clean so I am willing to show it today.

Spring has sprung!

Haven't posted in a while but still working, working. Doing several group projects and swaps (isn't retirement grand :-) )...The yard is blooming and am trying to divide my day into sewing time and yard time. Still am working on the competition project but my machine is in the shop this week and I can't post pictures. So, I will post a couple of swap blocks I have done.. for your enjoyment of course! LOL

Create on.....life is about the journey

Hello 2012

Had a wonderful Christmas with all our family together and then took a well deserved break from everything. Now I am refocusing and defining what I need to do this coming year.

I spent the last several years trying to be commecially sucessful and I feel that I lost the 'art' part of what I do. So, having said that, this year I am going to work on thematic exploratory pieces. I have already found a themed competition that intrigues me. The two pictures are the first two steps of the piece. I wish that I could post pictures of the progress and process but the competition states that the quilt can not be published on the internet or shown at any other quilt show. So, after I am accepted or rejected I will post the final project.

At the moment I am just working on the background and the quilt will be quite different when it is done. I can tell you that the title of the piece will be "Hello-Goodbye".

So hello again to you and good-bye for now. di