Horse Mania 2010

I've finished the drawings for horse mania, a public art project for the Equestrian Games. All 6 of the designs I'm submitting are based on quilts. I will post the designs after I hear from the committee, one way or the other. I don't think I should post them before then, it'd wouldn't be very professional of me. I'm working on a circle quilt inspired by one Karen Stone had at the Houston show. Its in the early stages. I've also taken a new interest in learning how to operate my embroidery software. My daughter & I are trying to get an embroidery & quilting business off the ground. We'll see how that goes. More later . . .

My Inner Animal

This is my inner animal, anyway sometimes I feel like this -LOL. The little (8 1/2 x 11) quilt is an entry into a challenge in a quilting magazine. We'll see if I get in.

I'm currently working on a wall hanging quilt in satin with embroidered motifs in the centers of each block. It's meant to be a more formal piece for my dining room. I'll post pics when its finished.

New Colored Pencil Technique

This is a painted quilt I made using Aussie artist's Kim Bradley's technique of mixing watercolor pencils with fabric medium & painting on fabric.

First Commissioned Quilt

I recently finished my first ever commissioned quilt. Its a full size, southwest design. I got the commission a week before Christmas and had to deliver it on Jan.7th, that's only 3 weeks to design, produce, quilt & finish it, but I made the deadline with time to spare. Here are the pics. The middle image is Hopi & the danvers are on each end of the quilt with the dancers images being quilted in the "drop" that goes over the edge of the bed.>

Gift- overload

In the past 2 weeks I've made 25 scissors cases as gifts for my guild members (our dinner is Tuesday & we won't meet again till next year) and 7 recipe card holders for teacher's gifts & I haven't even begun my regular shopping yet!! There's not many in my family, so shopping will be short, but there's the never ending question of what to get everyone. I have my son & daughter-in-law's gift finished & part of one of the grandson's done. I have an idea of that to get hubby & brother, but not what to get the other two grandchildren. I did know what to get my daughter, then she up & changed her mind, at least I hadn't bought anything for her yet. Oh well, its all part of the holidays. Two batches of cookies are in the freezer ready to be baked & I have two more batches to go. I'll get through it, I always do.

What's in my studio and what's not.

I have many toys & trinkets in my studio. I call them supplies and equipment.There is the sewing cabinet, the sewing machine (one of 5), all the fabric, the cutting table, the drafting table where I sketch or paint, the dress form I affectionately call "Sally", a wall of books, cutting implements, paints and so forth. The one thing I do not have is my studio is a clock. In my studio, time may pass but I take no interest in the hour of the day while I'm there. I simply enter the studio, become engrossed in my latest project & I'm swept away into another place, one where time does not exist. It is not until I hear the notes of "when's dinner" or the sound of my little dog scratching at the door that I realize there is another world outside of that room, the world of reality and i must return to it again. Yes, there is no clock in my studio-- on purpose.

Still here . . .

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, just been very busy. I'm setting up a baking schedule for the holidays. We bought 24 lbs of both flour & sugar today, in hopes of doing lots of baking in the coming weeks.

I've also been busy quilting. I finished a holiday wall hanging that grew to around 6 feet square & have another in the works that should be about the same size. I need to find time to take photos & post them here (coming soon).

We also have a new quilt shop in the area. I visited it the other day & I love it. Its very spacious & the staff is exceptionally friendly & helpful. I plan to shop there a lot in the future. The fabric I got there reminds me of a design I'd paint. Its folk artish looking with lots of paint stroke work in it. That's the quilt that's in progress as of this writing.
Fall is in full splendor here in KY, but the leaves are falling fast. Cold weather lurks around the bend. Stay tuned for more later.