Art Grouping

Hi, Melody—

Thought you’d be a good resource for some input on this subject: what are some pointers for getting a small group of art quilters together on a regular basis…monthly or so, I’d guess. Someone I just met who has recently moved from California is a quilt artist—she and I bonded (no pun intended) instantly, and are tossing ideas around about getting a group going on the Cape—I think there’s no such thing here so far—and I said I’d ask you. We don’t want a quilting bee-type thing—more like, well, what? What were the activities of your Chicago School of Fusing? Critiques and the like? Lunch? Dye parties? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, dear Melody--

Leslie from Cape Cod

Dear Leslie,

The activities of the Chicago School of Fusing focus heavily on lunch, which accounts for its longevity and avoirdupois.

We show each other our work and ooh and ahh and then make comments that are usually complimentary. One can’t really call that a critique. At the point we are in our ‘careers’ we think we know everything and can’t be helped. On the other hand there is whineybutt time too. This is where we complain that we haven’t a clue what we are doing with a certain piece and the others say it is wonderful and we get over it. It’s all very helpful and satisfying.

But seriously folks…I feel that the camaraderie or trusted fellowship is the most important part (after coffee and eating) that comes from the group. One needs to be with people that understand what it takes to be an artist and produce art regularly. We revel in each other’s successes and help mop up the sorrows when things are not working as well. Without each other, it would be a sorry job indeed.

We do have the occasional art spree, and the occasional dyeing day is one of these. Shopping and seeing art shows together is really an important aspect too. Getting inspiration while having a day away from the studio can be so refreshing and stimulating. Laughing and crying and just talking until the cogent idea forms at last…nothing can replace this experience.

There has been semi-serious talk about taking a retreat together lately. Not to a water park says Frieda, but someplace like Santa Fe, for the art, and where we also provide the time to get closer and make big plans for the next great artwork. I really hope this happens because our schedules are getting more and more busy and we lose touch and have gaps in seeing each other and need to make the time…We are especially hoping to see more of Emily, which takes major planning, see her blog today. Laura has a city condo, and Tommy a fabu beach house, and I have two kitchens and love to cook so there are places nearby that we can ‘retreat’ to also.

Being an identifiable group has helped us have group exhibits, and that is always a good thing, even though we haven’t always involved everyone equally. We can rely on each other to gather up good pieces and that makes the whole look even better than its parts.

Best wishes in developing the kind of trust, friendship and just plain fun that an art group can provide.

Woowoo!

Matchstick Moons #2

While I was out shopping and lunching with Tommy yesterday, a phone call came from Houston . The message said that MM#2 has won a cash award at the International Quilt Festival. Woowoo! I don't know how much because it was too late to call last night when I got home and too early to call before I blogged this morning. Nevertheless I am blabbing the news anyway!

As usual in my sick little mind, it is more of a relief not to be ignored than it is to have won actual cash. Have no fear I will take the cash, but if the quilt I am proudest of making this year does well in a huge show like IQA then I can feel I am still in the game. Phew!

To celebrate today I will pay the bills and wash and iron out the fabric that is still waiting from last week. Then I will mail off Matchstick Moons #1 to the Pacific International show for provide that necessary midmonth stress and anxiety. I wouldn't want to go out on a limb and predict anything for that piece, but it is the original and still the best. Not as refined and planned out as the subsequent ones, but to me that is its appeal. This will be its first contest.

Matchstick Moons #1

Tommy and I had two opportunities to hand out our business cards thus proving to unsuspecting strangers how 'famous' we are. One of them took our picture and I am willing to bet it will be seen here.
Did I mention that we were shopping as part of our day together? Yarn, Yarn, and more yarn, and most of it dyeable white. Um, like a dozen skeins of aran weight, over 450 yards each. I am cornering the market.

Well, and then a rug, and two sweaters from TJMaxx...

Birthday Boy Bash

100% silk jersey, $2.99

Today September 28, this gorgeous hunka hunka burnin' love is 51 years old. For his celebration he decided that we should go out to lunch and have Mexican food, (how unusual!) and Margaritas.
But first, how about a trip to the Rumdum? At our house any resale shop is a Rumdum, referencing my old Aunt Dot, who never once in her life bought anything brand new. All her kids' clothes were used, faded to the point of weak pastels and then starched til they stood on their own. WE made fun of these poor kids, my cousins, but now we know better. It was recycling before recycling was kool.
Dave likes the Goodwill store as much as I do, so we leapt at the chance to shop for bargains together.

A perfectly fitting, brand new navy sport coat.

Tommy Hilfiger made this just for Dave, with three zippers, one at each wrist and the neck.


Liz Clairborne raglan rag knit in yummy cotton, fits perfect and exactly the right sleeve length for my short tyrannosaurus arms.

I am also the proud owner of three new pairs jeans, a Ralph, a Calvin and a Tommy in RED. My philosophy of jeans aquisition is to buy it if it fits, no matter how many pairs I already own.

All these new clothes ( warning to my closet!!) $27.62!

Then we went out to lunch and the report remains foggy from here on out. I woke up. Which is always good.

Happy Birthday Darling! And many happy returns of the day, all my love, Mel

And now a word from our sponsor

Fuschias
It took two weeks of dawdling and 30 minutes of tracing to finally come to this day. Usually when I make a pattern I don't show the process to anyone, so no one feels like they have been left waiting for eons. Not this time. I opened my big blog and showed stuff before it was ready and that was not nice. But now you can have it, or both, if you want. Just email me.

Tulip Party

They are available on my other blog for $10 each.

But wait! That's not all! (I love saying that.) I have also dyed a new set of 30 piece Gradations and will be washing and ironing them all day tomorrow. The more popular set of 20 Gradations is available too, so don't feel you have to spring for the mega set.

OK. Now I can relax.

Pears on my mind

I have been gathering pear images into my Picasa folders lately and I feel as though there may be a pear quilt appearing on my horizons shortly. These two paintings by Sylvia Megerdichian, are so wonderful. I think the one above is done with pastels.

This one could be mixed media, underpainted and then drawn into with pastels or colored pencils. It's hard to tell when you can't see the original.

One of you asked nicely if I could write about how I go about making a quilt. Like where I get my ideas or inspirations and then what steps do I take to get to the quilt-making parts.

This is so varied an experience that I have to say, I can't really explain it. But at the moment I am looking at these shapes and colors and thinking about them in a quilting direction. I would much rather make non-objective work, but there are times when just a shape can move me to start sketching and that leads to an image that I can use to build a design.

There is no substitute for the drawing part. If you think you cannot draw, think: diagram, or think: indication, or think: scribble.

I usually use my sketchbook, and a pencil and just begin by loosening up. Big round light gestural marks are made and then refined and soon a deeper more intentional line is made. If you saw my sketches you would see that they look totally blurry and indistinguishable, so I may take a piece of tracing paper and just trace the parts that I want, and go from there.

The tracings also allow me to rearrange the shapes to my liking, or to enlarge or diminish the sizes of certain details, tilting or flipping shapes to decide on placement.

Autumn Fruits lifted from Yarnstorms a knitblog I read. She's a great visual artist and knitter.

These look like pears but are quince. I haven't ever seen a quince in person.

I am not interested in making a realistic, representational image for a quilt. If I wanted to do that I would make a painting or finished drawing. I know that it is currently popular to do very realistic pictorials, but for me, that is just an exercise in technique. (here's where I get in trouble) When I became a quilter I wanted to have another form of expression, one where the design was paramount, and there needn't be a recognizable image.

If I can paint it so you recognize it, then I needn't make a quilt that does the same thing.

It's not the image, it's the inspiration that image gives me, what it can lead to design-wise. I don't think I can teach how that is done. If I could, I definitely would, but it is a mystery even to me.

It may be the only thing I have internally that is unique to me.

A Well Balanced Life

While Dave and I were at the weekend quilting retreat, I blissfully remarked
"This is so much fun. Why don't we do this more often? What am I saying, we never do this!"
He said joking, " Yup, and it's all your fault."

It's true. We don't spend time together having fun and it is my fault. I just assume he will go places and do things with his motorcycle friends, not me, and I will enjoy my quilt friends, sans Dave. It has always worked this way and I thought it made for a happy arrangement.

Who knew we could have fun TOGETHER. So you are thinking what kind of wierd marriage do they have? Yeah, well, it is kinda on the wierd side, but we like it. Or I thought we did.

But really I never plan any getaways with Dave and when we have talked about stuff like this before, we just talk ourselves out of it. I keep thinking I should be finishing work or projects or stuff and really can't afford to take the time off, and he just goes along with that.

But if there is a girlfriends event, I manage to schedule my work around it and leave without feeling like I should have stayed home and kept nose to the grindstone. Shouldn't or couldn't I do the same with Dave? I think so!

And because of our schedules we don't have to go away on the weekends, when things tend to be more crowded, we can go midweek. This is sounding better and better.

What's funny is, I would never have even considered doing a weekend in central Illinois. At a waterpark. With a Rustic Decor, complete with ubiquitous taxidermy and a huge talking bear in the lobby. NOT my idea of weekend luxury. But it was hysterical fun. That shows you how little I know.

I should say that the rotten cats behaved themselves while we were gone and don't seem to care that we are back. This is good.

So where shall we go next? I am open to suggestions, and it needn't be a driving trip (altho He liked that part a lot).

Before the onslaught of swimmers

Water Park Fun

My first day of teaching at Grand Bear Lodge went really well, I am happy to say. Afterwards Dave convinced me to go to the indoor water park and try the water slides.

OMIGOD!!! It is like going down a rabbit hole at a million miles an hour with nothing to hold on to and screaming at the top of your lungs all the way until you hit the splash pool. I was scared to death that I would break my arms and legs and just DIE!!

But no…!

I kept climbing the three flights of stairs and riding down these tubes (enclosed so small that only you and the rush of water could fit) until I could do it without screaming bloody murder. I was simultaneously scared to death and thrilled to high heaven. (so many trite-isms!)

Dave loved this experience so much I was afraid his face would break from smiling so hard. I can’t remember him being this happy in years and years. We will definitely put water parks on our “Let’s go!” list from now on.

Today is my second class and my voice will surely give out, all that screaming last night did me in!

Great Bear Lodge

What's more important to a blogger than free wi-fi at your hotel? I am in heaven, in Utica IL. I will be the cheap imitation Libby Lehman today and will try and charm the pants off my students until they forget how disappointed they are that they got me and not Libby. Hopefully Libby is staying dry and cool in the face of the hurricane.

We were surprised to see a gorgeous calorie laden basket here in the room when we arrived. Even though the theme here is Rustic the place is crawling with real orchids. I had them on my dinner plate too. I managed to forestall eating any of these goodies until way later when I tasted just a crumb of the peanut butter cookie. OMIGOD it has been forever since I ate a cookie, and forgot what heroin they are.

Dave took this picture of the car, and I just happened to be in the way. I want my sister Brooke to see that I am wearing the scarf she crocheted for me this past Christmas. It is the perfect thing to add that arty touch to my all black outfit.

This resort is sooooo neat with an indoor water park with a wave pool and huge hot tub and VERY BRIGHT LIGHTING. In our minds a hot tub needs to be in a dark place with lights under water and a tiki bar adjacent. The Tiki Bar is outside and behind the putt putt golf. The whole area here is quite beautiful and Dave will take lots of pictures while I am dancing as fast as I can with my miffed minions.

knitting question

I get comments that have no email link so I have to answer them in the blog. Please, if you post anonymously, again please email me directly, if you want an answer.

Hi Melody, I was reading the amazon description on your latest knitting book. It boasts that you don't have to use variegated yarn, or pick up stitches to get that modular look. So.. what's the catch? Would you please let us know when you find out? If there's no catch I'm buying it!
Thanks,
Helen

Dear Helen,

I was very surprised that this is not the typical form of modular knitting that I have been doing all these many months. It is based on short rows, or turning midstream so to speak. Changing to a second module is done by leaving the open stitches on the needle (from the first module) and connecting each row with a SKP. This is very nice in some ways and the projects are just wonderful. I am very glad I went out on a limb and ordered it.

The idea is found in the multidirectional scarf that I did a few weeks ago. It is easy to do and there are hundreds of possibilities.

I recommend the other modular knitting books too, Module Magic and Dazzling Knits and see this site for wonderful modular patterns.

This is the first module of a shawl that I am making from the new book. Notice the center increase. It is started with only two stitches and then an central increase in every row. Every 7 rows is a yo row, which will make this lacier when it is blocked.

My knitting in bed project is an Aran Isle sweater. I love this Bernat Lana. The perfect combination of soft yummy merino and value. After the sweater is done I plan to dye it a nice aqua.

These are pretty standard patterns, and the design is one I am making up as I go along. I think I may put a shawl collar on this and it could be either a cardigan or a pullover. I have enough yarn to make it long sleeved...we'll see.

The second sweater I ever made (age 15) was an Aran Isle pullover. I was told by my mother to wash your sweaters afterwards, to get the grubby-hands dirt out of them. So like a good daughter I dutifully filled the sink with hot soapy water and scrubbed the thing into a felted minature. NO WONDER I am anti-felt until this day. I never got to wear my new creation. And never made another Aran Isle design until now. I guess I am finally over the disappointment.

Tulip Party

Tulip Party ~18x24" Hand Dyed Cottons


Detail

Detail

Oooooh I likey! It's a nice feeling when you end up really liking your work. This one is making me veddy happy. And it will be one of my new patterns, along with Fuschias. One more and I will have a trilogy. I just haven't quite decided what it will be.

I decided to name this version Tulip Party because it looks just like that. Bubbles of color in the background, which I usually call Sunspots, did the trick. Nothing too fussy, rather easy to cut shapes, and nothing too difficult in the assembly, even for me, the lazy quilter.

Last Minute Gig!

Poor Libby Lehman is stuck in Houston and can’t get up to Utica IL where she has a workshop Saturday and Sunday at the Grand Bear Lodge. Lucky me, she suggested that I fill in for her. So I am packing up my stuff as we speak and will be taking myself on the road!

She was planning on teaching two days of machine stuff, and I guess I could do that too, so I will think about what samples I have and can find… and then I will bring kits and have them do Bodacious Bloomers too. You call me at the last minute, you get what I do.

WooWoo! It’s Showtime!

 

 

New Haircut

Notice the soft focus effect in this shot. The original rivals the Grand Canyon for wrinkles. Remember I had a short night's sleep.


The unretouched shot with fish belly arms. I am trying to look alert.

Blog Fodder

Frieda and Laura had a duo book signing last night at the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin IL. They neglected to remind me to come see them but are still using MY BLOG to self aggrandize. hrruummph.
And if that ain't enough, an anonymous commenter said this:

Alright, you are talking too much, and knitting too much, and you are avoiding making art. There are not enough pictures.

The butt, she is kicked.

And another post told me that the aspartame thingy is a hoax and I can keep eating the mountain of artificiality that I have grown to depend upon lo these many years.

OK. I will post some pictures and stop talking and obey authority figures and the speed limit. So help me God.

Multi-tasking

I’ve discovered that I can’t knit and type at the same time. I can read and knit and scroll down and click on links and not get lost in the pattern I am knitting, unless it’s the yarn over round. Then I must pay attention. So I will put down the yarn and address the blog. Frieda gets mad if I don’t post early. It starts her day off wrong if there is no new blog to read.

 

The storm woke me up at 3am and it was lovely to hear the wind, rain and thunder and realize that it is really raining and not just a dream. We have had a very dry summer and the advent of fall hopefully will remedy that. It is so cozy being indoors under the covers in bed while it rains. Until I have a hot flash and then the miserable sweating and then getting up to splash water on my face.

Back to bed, and cooling off I began thinking about my next quilt. Yesterday I had a long email conversation with my friend Tommy about her work in a series. She sent me a jpeg of her wonderful new piece and it stymies me how one can make so many wonderful pieces from one single idea. She and I discussed my miserable failures previous series of Crosses and how disappointed and discouraged I felt about them. She noted that there was certainly nothing wrong with the concept I was using, but that the fabric choices were obviously the problem. True true true. I was substituting my fabu colors for those that I imagined to be artier and more ‘sophisticated’. Black and more black and then black mixed into the dyes to make them darker, hence more ‘mature’.

My dh thinks those quilts are scary, and he starts humming the Phantom of the Opera whenever they are discussed. (they live in the darkest recesses of the closet, never to see the light of day, except on my website, where David Walker made them look good, a clever trick).

So Tommy said this:

What I don't like AT ALL is your color and because of the texture of the color, it's creepy in 29 crosses and Black Cross.  I think you should go on and on with that series but use different color; use Melody color.  I personally like Split Crosses alot, which I told you on a couple occasions but you just banged it down.  I know that we all have our own taste, but there is a universal liking in the colors you choose, when you are not trying to reinvent yourself.  Go with what feels right to you.  Don't try to do something that you aren't.

 

Now that is a good thing for me to hear. Or read I mean. So I determined that I would revisit this series and use my fave colors and try to see if it would work.

So lying there in bed (yes I am still in bed at 3 am for heaven’s sake) and the cat starts yowling. I know this is eventually going to get dh upset and I am already awake so I got outta the sack and went to minister to the stupid pet’s needs.

While I am up I might as well put the fans on the fabric I dyed yesterday, and make a new pot of coffee. And since I have to turn on the lights to do this…I AM AWAKE.

Good. I can start that new shawl I wanted to start yesterday, but got sidetracked when dh wanted to watch a film.

I gathered a  bunch o’autumnal shades and started in…from the new book, Modular Knitting, Lisa Shreier, yup another modular knitting book…going great guns, and then I realize that I must do my emails as it is nearing 6am and I still have this schedule thing going.

I got this email warning me of impending doom from eating Aspartame! Long and involved and not to hoax-y sounding. It may be true, and what if it is? I have been downing tons o’aspartame since starting this diet in 2002 and it has been a godsend. The piles of packets that have grown into a mountain attest to the fact that I used to eat a lot of sugar. Now I eat a lot more aspartame (Equal, or the cheap substitutes I have found. What a minute, isn’t that a double artificial substitute, making for one single original? Or doesn’t it work that way?)

So if it is bad for me, what shall I do? Eliminate sugar free-ness? Drink black coffee ??? I used to but that was when it was accompanied by two dozen cookies.

JUST DRINK WATER??? Arrrgghhhh.

Is this just too many things to be doing at once? Learning new knitting patterns, redoing old quilts in new colors, finishing up started quilts to be making into patterns, washing and ironing fabrics to take with me to PIQF, worrying about my diet, and now having to blog so Frieda doesn’t get upset.

I MAY BURST.

Haircut today!!

And not a minute too soon. This is the Before picture, in case you couldn't tell.

Totally out of control hairdo, and no point in trying to fix it. I am going to the salon just like this and hoping for a miracle. My stylist Marie, is a genius and will remove all the frou frou that has grown on my head and around the eyebrows these last six weeks.
Do you love the lavender walls in my bathroom? I have bright yellow tile, so of course chose the complementary color for the walls.

Just so you know, I am not lazing around the house today. I have fabric drying and more to be dyed and knitting a sweater and swatching some lace patterns, and tomorrow I will return to quilting...if it kills me.
In the meantime, my new fall shows have started and true to form, I fell asleep during L&O SVU but did hear the interview with Mariska Hargitay on Fresh Air yesterday (NPR). I got to see Jason Lee in My Name is Earl and LOVED IT. Too real and reminds me of several brothers.
I plan to watch Everybody Hates Chris on Thursday, with Chris Rock. I think it may be on UPN, or Fox but will look it up and let you know. Tonight I will drink coffee to stay awake for L&O the regular show. I love this stuff as you know.
I got another knitting book in the mail yesterday, Modular Knits by Iris Schreier. I have all the modular knit books on the market, except Domino Knits which is too blah for me. I will be multi-tasking and dreaming about casting on new stuff. woowoo!
Time to get to work.

Making a quilt from a drawing

Hi Melody!

 

I've always wanted to make art quilts. I'm in college for art now, I'm an avid drawer an I've been sewing for the last 14 years.  I've only done a few quilts and they were all very simple.  How do you transfer a design from your idea drawn on paper to a quilt?  I feel like I'm making everything too hard on myself and finding the most difficult methods to do this. Do you have any tips you could give me?

Thanks,

Brooke

www.beatknit.blogspot.com

Dear Brooke,

My sister’s name is Brooke and it makes me so happy to see another Brooke interested in quilting. Yippee!

Here’s the easy way.

1.     Scan your drawing into your computer and then print it out on a transparency. I get my transparencies from Office Max and they are made to be used with a home printer. They come in a pack of 20 for like $10.

2.       Get an overhead projector. Yeah, I know, it’s not like this is something you have ever needed before. But you will use it more than you ever expected once you get one. They are available sometimes for really cheap from school districts or libraries or businesses. I got mine from Office Max, originally I paid $400, but now the same model is like $150, so this is now a superfantastic bargain.

3.      OR, take your drawing to a copy center and have them enlarge it. I know that Emily Parson gets her major drawings enlarged at Kinko’s and she makes quilts that are like 80” square.

 

So then you have this drawing enlarged to size, and then you wonder (key word: wonder) how do I proceed?

1.     Gather the fabrics you want to use. (If this were me, I would only be using my hand dyed fabrics since I would be fusing, and hand dyed fabrics work best for fusing…but that is me.)

2.   Fuse the fabrics, using Wonder-Under, and then carefully peel off the paper and use that paper (now referred to as release paper) to trace the shapes you need to cut from your fabrics. Then refer to this post on my August blog.

3.    Take pictures and post for all the world to see.

 

 

 

Quick Q&A

I hope I'm not asking anything that you already answered, if so please forgive me. I was wondering what type of dyes you use. I would like to get into dying fabric and yarn but I would like to know exactally what it is I'm after. TIA!

Dear Tia, I use procion dyes for cotton and silk fabric and yarn. I use print cloth (400M from Testfabrics.com) and/or mercerized cotton print cloth from Dharma. Do not use quilt fabric, as it has a permanent finish that will impede the absorption of the dyes.

Procion MX is a fiber reactive dye that works with cellulosic or protein fibers. The catalyst is sodium carbonate and that is the fixer that makes the dye permanent. See the Lazy Dyer for more info. When I dyed the silk/cotton yarn I wanted to hurry up the process so I mixed the dye with water and a tad of sodium carbonate and dunked the yarn into the dye solution, in a Gladware container. Since the molecules of the dye need to react with the fiber I know that they will bounce around faster if I heated them up a bit in the microwave. Since I had been using acid dyes with wool and vinegar, I watched how the dye was taken up into the wool more quickly as the liquid was heated in the microwave, and I guessed it would react similarly with the silk cotton yarn. It pretty much did. I can't tell you how much dye, water, yarn weight or sodium carbonate I used, or how long I zapped the yarn, because I wasn't paying attention, and writing these things down. So much of dyeing is experimenting and experience. There are tons of books out there on the subject, and even in my own library. I read them a long time ago and it must be in the brain somewhere. But really, in all these things, it pays to just play and see what happens.

Melody

Where's my book?

Every now and then ( daily!!) I am asked “Do you have a book” or “When are coming out with a book?”

I reply that I have a free blog. A FREE BLOG.

An online BOOK you can read for free and download anything you like.

It is as up to date as it can possibly be, is totally under my control, and did I mention?

It is FREE!

If I am leaving something out then, just ask and I will fill it in. I think I tell you everything. I spew daily practically.

I have explained how to fuse, how I make patterns, how I dye, how to do the Escape Hatch Finish, how I knit, and how I paint and of course how I party. You don’t get menus and Mexican recipes in a quilt book, do you?

What would I put in a book that I haven’t tried to blog?

So you want a book you can hold in your hand? OK here’s all you have to do…go to Blogbinders and make your own book from my blog. You can edit out the inanities and end up with four good pages of stuff.

I tell you, when it comes to my artwork, the pictures tell the tale. And if you want specifics, you merely have to ask. You needn’t ask politely or apologetically. Merely a nudge and I will blather on and on. But then, you know that already.

Q&A

Hi Melody
I have a question. I see on your site that your recreating your tulip
quilt, the one that won a prize and was sold. I find the thought of
doing same quilt another time kind of wierd. When I finish a piece, I
happily crumple up the cartoon, tossing it into the garbage and I am on
to the next. Do you often recreate your pieces and then I would like
to know WHY?

Shawna from Yellowknife

Dear Shawna,
In my wierdness there is a plan. I make a quilt and then test the waters and see if it should become a pattern.

With the Triumph of Tulips quilt, it was touch and go there for a while.

After I made the original I entered it in three shows, and it was REJECTED from the first two and only got an honorable mention in the third. Then it was accepted in the next show, The American Quilter's Society 2005 and it won First Prize. In the meantime it was optioned for purchase and that was the lovely end result.
But it had not done all the work for me that I expect from a quilt. If I made it into a pattern it could live on and continue to provide an income for me.

I will no doubt finish this second small version (with slight variations from the first) and then it will become a pattern. The second version will also become available for purchase.

I did this same thing with my previous 1st place winner Sunflowers II. (by the way, it was also passed by and got a third in two other shows, so you must remember to keep entering until you get a judge who can see the worth of the piece.)

This is the smaller version of Sunflowers II and is also a pattern and the original was sold. I still have the big version, so I have the option of showing it again or selling it.

This is a quilt made specifically to make into a pattern, and while I made the quilt twice and sold it twice, I really do need to make it again. I only had it in my possession for a couple of weeks before it was purchased.

This quilt Pinwheels and Coneflowers is a pattern and the original was stolen so it too is on my list of quilts that need to be made again. Since I have the pattern, it will be easy to remake.

And then there are class samples that get remade and sold and remade and sold and remade and sold.

The same goes for Bodacious Bloomers. I may have made that quilt four or five times and have one in the unfinished stage at the moment.

I think that everytime I remake a quilt, I have the opportunity to improve on the original and expand on the idea. It makes sense to me to work the dickens out of an idea and learn more in the process.

Blogging in Bed

Oh, this is the ultimate in luxury, blogging in bed. The mornings are chilly and I have the warmth of my laptop and a nice cup of hot coffee and the whole bed to myself. Dave went to a campout with the motorcycle friends he has. What is it with men and camping out? Apparently, they don’t value their plumbing as much as we women do. Or don’t need it as often.

Thanks for all your helpful hints on my knitting dilemma, but I am over it now and back in the saddle with quilting. I dreamt about quilting all night and that woke me up because the brain was too busy. And when I woke up I knit some and sorted out my quilting ideas. Actually I am thinking about what new classes I will teach. So if you are in a problem solving frame of mind, I will hand over this new puzzle.

Should a teacher (namely me) teach what she wants the student to know, or should she ask the student what she wants to be taught?

 

Here’s the scenario… sometimes I am in a situation where the program chairperson who hires me wants to give the guild a stretch or a zing or a nudge in a new direction. She thinks I am just the person to give the members this shot of zingyness. Very nice for the ego, but a lot of pressure when the rubber hits the road. Sometimes it is just not a good idea.

 

What I mean is, if I am in a class teaching something very arty and see that the students are, um, not happy, I wish I could have been teaching them something a bit more like what they really would have enjoyed doing and then they would be happier and have a better time. Or vice versa.

 

What I have discovered is that two completely different quilting types find their way to my classes.

1.      the person who has seen my quilts at quilt shows or magazines and thinks they look easy and fun

2. the person who has seen my quilts at art quilt shows and in books like Quilt National and Visions and thinks that my work is challenging and that I may be helpful in directing her to an artier place in her own work.

 

Mind you I teach both kinds of classes. I enjoy both kinds of students. What is not good is having both students in the same class. One is bound to be disappointed, and I as a teacher am bound to be frustrated. Of course I want to reach both students and keep on task in the class and have heart to heart discussions and do it all instantly. Not gonna happen.

 

So I am trying to figure out a class that meets both needs, but not sure if it can even be done.

 

And what’s funny is that here I am talking to you on the Art Quilter’s Ring and we here are all considering ourselves to be art quilters, or people of like minds, and therefore biased in a way that means we slant towards artier stuff already. So I can tell that the answers I may read from you will assuage me in the way I like…but you realize also that we are a minority in the quilt world. If I only teach art quilters, I will only work two or three times a year…

 

2006 Schedule

February 3-6 Wisconsin Quilters Inc.
February 9-11 Beach Cities San Juan Capistrano CA
February 12-15 Friendship Quilters of San Diego
March 2-5 New Jersey Quilt Fest by Mancuso
March 6-8 PAQA retreat!
March 10 Milwaukee WI lecture
March 16 Plainfield IL lecture
April 9-15 Hudson River Valley Art Quilt NY Workshops
April 27-28 Wustum Museum of Art Racine WI:Releasing the Creative Block and Tiny Art Quilts. To register contact srobinnitsch@ramart.org
May 1-2 Columbia MO pending contract
May 4-7 Denver Co new Mancuso show
May 9-12 Tucson AZ Quilters Guild
June 13-14 O’Fallon IL
July 21-22 Frederick-Talbott Inn Retreat-Workshop
The rates for the students will be $50.00 per night 2 to a room, plus 9% tax.2 nights =$109.00 including tax. Add a $3.00 service charge. Total $111.00, per student. Plus $120 for the workshop. $231.00 for the 2 ½ days. We will have the place to ourselves if I get as few as 12 students. I think that is doable. WE will have a refrigerator, microwave and stove in the workshop room and plenty of air conditioning. Last time we brought food, wine and munchies and went out to dinner and had lunch delivered and it was great. The rooms are so nice I immediately wanted to remodel my own bedroom. No swimming pool however, so no one needs to see me in my trunks.
August 17 NSQG IL
September Scotland and Ireland
October 5-9 Yellowknife NWT Canada
November 10-12 Schaumberg IL new Mancuso Show

Packing to Go

Don't they look pretty? Eight pieces each of 22 colorways. Some are Colors With NO Names.

I have been getting my act together in a big way today. Washing and Ironing fabrics, readying patterns, mailing out stuff to you and packing my bags to go to California tomorrow.

I am going to visit the Folsom Quilt Guild ( no Johnny Cash jokes please) and I have been dyeing stuff for them and for the other site. This will be one whirlwind trip. I am flying in Tuesday, giving a lecture that night, and doing the Releasing the Creative Block workshop on Wednesday and flying home on Thursday. I won't be there long enough to get used to the time change, so I apologize in advance for being sleepy on Wednesday.

My former Pard' Laura is also going to California tomorrow but her guild visit is in Southern California and I hope the electricity is back on when she arrives.

All the class supplies are packed and I have only to decide what quilts to bring, and what to wear. I will do that later. I like to pack my clothes at the last minute, usually the morning before I leave.

OK, I will be honest... what is really on my mind is "What will I knit??" I know I will have at a minimum, 12 hours of airport/flying/waiting time. I need to amuse myself somehow. When one has as much yarn as I have accumulated, there should be no shortage of choices.

Far too many.

Last night I undid a scarf made with Funny Eyelash and Dune. This is my month of frogging previous projects. Will I make something this trip with that yarn? Nope.

This afternoon I 'happened' to come across a 50%-off sale (oh oh) and only bought two new circular needles (#11, 36" and #10 1/2, 29" Baleen II's), and um, some white Lion Brand Jiffy Acrylic, which was not on sale, proof that I am no yarn snob. I found this scarf that I want to try out before I make it with good yarn. Geesh, I didn't mean that, I meant that I wanted white, soft washable semi-bulky yarn with lots of yardage for little pesos. That it is. 135 yards for $1.86. I mean, I could leave it on the plane and not even be upset.

So instead of worrying about what I will wear tomorrow or cooking dinner (he ate a pizza for breakfast at 3:45 this afternoon!) I will be casting on for a winter scarf.

Mind you, it is 91 degrees currently in my home town. I am just getting a head start on the inevitable.

Acceptance!

WE are celebrating at the Johnson household today because the Social Security Administration has declared Dave worthy of disability pay! We were told to expect a long hard struggle, with two or three rejections and then court appearances and long waits for the hoped for acceptance.

But NO! He put in the paper work in June and did all the necessary jumping through hoops, seeing that paperwork was sent in by doctors etc. And Vavoom! Yesterday we got an envelope from SS and as he was looking for his glasses he remarked, “It’s probably my rejection letter”. I laffed and said that I loved his positive attitude.

As he read aloud that his first payments would begin in January and would be twice the amount we expected, a smile started forming on his face. We couldn’t believe our eyes!

The relief is palpable. This brings a tremendous peace to him and we are so very thankful. Woowoo!

 

 

 

Space and Time

While dyeing a new set of gradations for the other blog (thanks everyone, at the moment I am SOLD OUT!!) I am listening to a book on cd and the main character is a recent widow. She has to process her new state and figure out her new life. She sits and thinks and feels and dwells and doesn’t really have to do anything. In a state of mourning no one expects you to be anywhere, finish anything you start, plan something new or even be nice.

 

Is there a way to do this same thing without having the death of a loved one part? When you go on vacation, you feel great the first part of the week but then the dread of having to return to work screws up your good feelings. I would like to have that wonderful clone of myself do my work, (which I love, mind you) but I would like to just sit and daydream and wonder and imagine for a month or so and then have a new plan or be refreshed at the end. Y’know, choose your own end of the downtime.

 A nice cup of tea would be involved and a front porch swing too, and plenty of rain and big windows to watch it come down, and soft classical music on the stereo in the background. Soup and bread to eat, with a good red wine. No diet to stick to, that can return later.  Down comforter and down pillows in the bedroom and a cat that doesn’t pee on the bed would be nice too, but now I’ve gone too far.

 

I realized that the very thing I am wishing for is the thing Dave is doing right now. I can see that he needs to do this and I need to let him. There is no time limit on this downtime thing, it has to run its own course. I’ll leave him alone so he can do it.

 

 

 

 

On the Town!

Laura W just closed on a new townhome on South Michigan Avenue in the City! She drove Frieda and me downtown to see it before we all went over to her gala art opening at 333 N. Michigan Ave. Her show was held on the 25th floor, at the Tavern Club very posh indeed.

Laura poses in front of her apt. fireplace which is two sided and faces both the living room and the bedroom.

Today the carpet arrives and the sofa bed comes next week. Imagine Green.

The view from her 5th floor balcony. I am sure others could point out which important building is which, but not me...


The scaffolding is coming down before the snow flies, but here is another view of the new Soldier's Field where the Bears play, like I care about football.

OK now for the gala art opening. This is 3/4ths of the Wasilowski Family, Louise is in Costa Rica looking for that lost shaker of salt. First is Gus, who knows better, then Laura, the talent and then Steve who is the 'agent provocateur' of this exhibit. He asked the maitre d' if his wife could have a show in the club and got the nod. The rest is history, and you can see great shots of all the assembled work on Laura's site.

She never takes a bad picture.

O and there was food and plenty o'wine.

The waiters brought around hors d'oeuvres and we giggled and flirted and practiced our Spanish
and looked fabulous, while pretending to be famous and sophisticated. There were men in suits present. This is a very rare occurrence in my regular life.

It turns out that they behave better in suits.

Another shot of Chicago's Magnificent Mile and all the famous buildings thereon. Squint and you can see Lake Michigan at the end of the street.

Tommy, me and Rose at an after party stop, Zapatista. They are holding me up.



Tommy, Frieda and Rose, all looking very HOT!

I certainly had a wonderful time and the city was really lovely. I didn't have to drive, thanks to Laura, (I knitted, there and back) and then we took cabs and the train home so it was the very best way to be downtown.

Since Laura has the new townhome we are thinking of ways to use it as a pied a terre, and hoping to make several more city excursions part of our Girlfriends Gatherings.