Photos

For your enjoyment here are pictures of recent accomplishments. They all seem very drab and gray-hmmmm.
The top is made from bias squares from Threads Magazine issue 143 (I think).
The dress is knit and is as comfy as it looks. The dress form is the smaller of the ones I have and I fill this dress out much more than "Mabel".
The coat is made from felted wool and I love it. Look at the pin on the lapel--a gift from Mrs. Smith that she brought back from the quilt show in Houston. What a pal!!

New year please come soon

In an effort to broaden my artistic horizons, I joined an online challenge group. The first theme will be handed out on Jan 1. The process is to be recorded on the challenge blog and I will do the same on this one. The members of the group are to make 6 small quilts over the course of the year. I think it will be fun and I definitely need a distraction right about now.
The show I was in at GPAC ended on the 17th of Dec and when I went to collect my quilts the gallery director apologized to me for lack of sales. Not her fault. But she did say that there was lots of interest and many positive comments on my art work. And there may another opportunity for an exhibit. Someone asked her for my contact info and is putting a proposal before their board to show my quilts. She didn't say anything other than that, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the future. The arts group I belong to is having a group show in Feb and that will be good too.
In the meantime, there's plenty to keep me busy if I would just knuckle down and do it!!

Happy freakin' holidays!!

Since the USPS has hopefully got the cards to all on our list(s) here's the latest installment of the winter holiday card.

Almost forgot

For those who want to know the details--the fabric is silk taffeta from Thai Silks, a wonderful resource for fine silk fabrics. The back of the dress has a zipper (hand sewn), a pleat detail similar to the front on the bodice and skirt back. The inner workings consist of a corset type under bodice with boning (lots!) bra cups and elastic waistband to help hold up the weight of the skirt. The rest of the dress is "built" on that foundation, artfully draped from pleated rectangles, stitched by hand and machine to the bodice. The "sash" is cut on the bias. There is poly taffeta underskirt/lining and 2 inch horsehair braid at the hem. The dress is to be worn with a seperate crinoline/petticoat. I have been promised photos of the dress being worn at the occasion and will pass those along when they arrive. Any questions?

The dress

This is something I made for a formal party. The owner of the gown is very happy too.
The closeup is a spray of fabric flowers that I created, with velvet leaves (yummy) that I bought from Joggles.com.

Photos coming soon

Junior Cotillion has nearly eaten my brain and when I finish the lovely formal I am currently creating I will publish photos at the behest of Mrs. Smith, Mrs. McFarland and Mrs. Engebretsen.
Also we did our holiday card, got them mailed out, and I will put that up for the rest of the world to see. In coming months I will post photos of grad dresses too, also at the behest of the aforementioned ladies. To me it's just work. Others have expressed some curiosity with what I'm doing.

Show update

No sales so far at the GPAC show. boohoo But my friends and family have gone to see the show and I get glowing reports and nice comments from everyone who's been out there. Thanks to you all for your moral support--the best kind, I think.
Thanksgiving is past us now and on to rest of those pesky winter holidays. This photo is a mixed media piece I made from my late sister's crocheted snowflakes that she had made for me in past years. I really love this wall hanging and would never part with it, willingly.

The name of the Hanger is....

Elizabeth Garat. She is also an art teacher at St. Mary's School for girls. She did a great job hanging the art at GPAC.
My work is also in a group show at the Circuit Playhouse. The group is composed of MACA members. If you're in midtown and the theater lobby is open drop in to see more art. It's good for you.

GPAC show is open

The Germantown Performing Arts Center is showing some of my art quilts along with different works by three artists from Ukraine. I drove out there for a photo op and the works are very nicely displayed. The other media is put together with mine and looks great together. I did not take pictures of the other artist's works as I do not have permission from them.
Anyway I am very proud to have such a nice show, that has been professionally hung. I will give the "hanger" credit when I find out who that person is.
The lobby at GPAC is open from 10am til 5pm. If you are in the G'town area, stop in and have a look. Their website is GPACweb.com

More pumpkins

These are the pumpkins I bought a few weeks ago. They are very nice in my crazy yard. They look especially nice with my concrete chickens.
I went to Covington again Sunday, this time for gourds. My brother, sisiter in law and I drove to Ripley for lunch at Emily's Restaraunt (did I spell that right?) and that was a real experience with the locals. Then north to the farmer's house off old highway 51. He's been selling those pumpkins, by god, and had only a few left. It was very middle America, too. A sign offering the remaining goods for $1 a pop and the "honor box" to place the funds in.
That kind generous man drove up while we were there lusting over those orange vegetables. We remarked about the lack of gourds, so he in turn remarked about the dismal season for growing such things--cool rainy summer, nearly unheard of in these parts--then proceeded to take his tractor to the field to see what was available.
My brother and I indulged ourselves in some walnut bowling, after we realized there were two large trees whose fruit had fallen to earth, while waiting for the farmer to return. Which he did with six very nice fresh gourds. He offered them to us for $1 a piece (a bargain for sure!) and admonished us more than once of their fragility as we cradled them and gently placed them in the back floorboard of my truck. I have 3 very nice gourds. Hurray!

Election Day

The day we've been waiting for has come at last and I'm still undecided. Three candidates are on my short list (of the LONG list of yahoos running for mayor). I will make up my mind in a few hours and fulfill my obligation/responsibility/rights as a citizen and vote.
The show at GPAC is looming and I have all my art work and accompanying title signs, hanging devices, and such mounted ready to go. I'm thinking of postcards but have no clue how to get them printed. After looking at websites, such as Modern Postcards and GotPrint, I am totally confused---bleeding edges ?!?--what's that?? Something else to make my mind up on quickly.

Pumpkins

It's all pumpkins, all the time these days. Actually these photos are from last year, but you get the idea.

work work work

Progress is being made here at the ranch. But I wish my house was clean. And the garden weeded. There are plenty of quilts to choose from for the GPAC show and I must find time to make all the signs for the pieces. And cut the wood strips to hang them.
Vincent and I went to Covington to visit the Noodleman's last Sunday. We had a very nice drive in the country on the great pumpkin hunt, which was a raging success. My yard has lots of very nice pumpkins of all sizes and shapes now! I'll try to grab a moment before the rain comes (again!) and take some photos. The pumpkins are quite lovely and it was very hard deciding which ones to get. The farmer had so many and he's such a nice guy and I have such a big pickup truck.........
We're going back Sunday after next to get gourds, maybe a couple more pumpkins, maybe.

What is my problem??

I may have to give up blogging. In my post of Sept. 12, I try to get on a positive note, then go right into some anxious bs. Good grief, I'm such a moron!
I did talk to the director at GPAC and she is sending the contract next week, so that is on track. Must spend some time making labels for the show. Keep your fingers crossed that I can remember how to type out all that stuff and get it printed. Without wasting paper and ink.

We have cold food!

The refrigerator has been fixed. Never leave your freezer door open for more time than it takes to get something out of it. Frost will accumulate and if there's too much the defroster won't be able to melt it away. Then the air return freezes up and your refrigerator won't work. $200 later, this is the lesson I learned. Now I'm off to try to be productive today. Wish me luck!

What?

It's a wonder that anybody reads my blog. Looking at the post from yesterday, I don't even know what I was saying! Maybe I should go back to high school English and pay more attention.
If you have a moment, do look at those wonderful blogs on my list. The smart people who write them have fun and interesting things to say that you will understand!
On a more positive note, I am getting some free time to work on my art, possibly today. The gallery director from GPAC hasn't sent the formal contract as yet (worry) and I'm hoping that has not gone off the tracks (fingers crossed). Maybe I did jinx myself with a premature announcement of the show.
No Farmers Market last week or today. The refrigerator has decided it doesn't want to be cold, so there's not much sense in putting nice food in it.

Blog list

Sometimes I think I like having this blog just so I can have a place to list the other ones I like. That makes it so easy to find them. Then I spend my limited amount of time reading their blogs rather than posting to my own. And if you look at the other blogs, those people have much more interesting things to do and then talk about anyway.
Being a huge Project Runway fan, I was delighted to find the blog by the two guys. They are funny and don't hold back with their opinions on the show, as is the entire purpose of PR, isn't it??

Saturday Aug 30

Here are the promised photos from our last outing downtown. Keep your fingers crossed they'll actually load!!

Incubation period

It's been three weeks since school started and of course the germs have made their rounds and arrived in this hovel. Olivia got the worst of it and now I am the new owner of the Central HS crud. Hopefully the heavy duty cold meds will keep me propped up long enough to get some work done. Long live Afrin and Tylenol!
I still need to put the finishing touches on the two pieces for the Nov show at GPAC. We did go downtown again last Saturday this time with Vincent and there are photos, but they will be in my next posting. I hope.

Saturday am

Here are some of the pictures we took on Saturday morning. The quilts are made of old signs--traffic signs, bus stops, etc--and it's the way coolest thing to happen in Memphis. They cover up the big ugly ac units for City Hall. Plus there's a photo of the bridge.

Saturday

Olivia and I went to the Farmers Market this am for a quick run for tomatoes and lima beans (plus a kickin' sweet roll) then walked around by City Hall--no more King Willie!!!!!! Some wonderful person put up the coolest ever covers for the AC units for the "palace" this summer. I will post photos on Monday.

Keepin' it crazy

Our mayor who just resigned (yeah!) is considering running for mayor (whu?) along with 10 or 12 others. He also is planning on running for congress and his campaign slogan is "Keepin' it Real". So our friends are going to file a petition to put one of their cats into the mayor's race. It's for two purposes really--one to point out how ridiculous Memphis politics are and raise funds for the Animal Protection Service's spay/nueter program. Maybe our former mayor could avail himself of such services, eh?
My husband is researching whether a candidate has to be a registered voter (I can't believe they cannot be to run for office) but we have a few criminals who got elected to positions in local government-I use that term loosely-so who knows.
Stay tuned, kids, this should be fun.

Art show

I got a call from GPAC Monday about the dates for the art show. Tentatively it's Nov 3 thru Dec 16. Hopefully the other artist won't have any problems getting his work shipped from Ukraine. I'm almost afraid to tell anyone about this for fear of jinxing myself. Anyway I have a couple of pieces I want to finish before then, but I feel confident the work I have now will make a cohesive exhibit. I'm trying to show old and new work--nothing TOO old--that is abstract or semi abstract with nature motif.
When you have time look at some of the blogs on my list. One woman is in Uganda and is writing some interesting stuff about getting around there. Another has written an essay of sorts about making fiber art, not so much a "how to" as finding one's voice. Patricia is still pursuing the perfect fit using pattern making software. One of the signs of the apocalypse is Patricia wearing the blouse that needs no adjustment!! Watch out!! Rayna Gilman is currently trying to make a silk purse from a pretty nice sow's ear.
I'm glad there are some productive interesting people out in the world who have better things to do than mess up everybody's chance for a healthier future.

Summertime blues

August has arrived with heat, Elvis death week (big $$ for Memphis) and general craziness for everyone around me. School starts Monday so some of us will have more direction in life now. I had a huge tiff about Facebook, (that time waster!!) only to discover that AOL was part of the problem. Oh well. Computer stuff is way beyond my comprehension, anyhow.

I have been working on a couple of new quilts. One is my mental health Monday project and the other I've been squeezing into my schedule of "events" at home. I'm wanting to finish them before November so they can have a chance to be displayed at the GPAC show. Still keeping my fingers crossed as I haven't received the contract with definite dates yet. And it is VERY hard to sew with one's fingers crossed!
Some of the other craziness, which I have referred to in an older post, should be getting cleared up soon, but yet another monkey wrench has been thrown in. This particular crazy stuff has been going on for nearly a year.

Coincidence, maybe?

It just occurred to me that the day of the election for the mayor (who just left yay!) there was a tornado and yesterday as he was going out the door of City Hall there was a tornado. Hmmmmmmm........

Gone at Last!!

The so called "mayor" of Memphis FINALLY left---hurray!!! Hopefully we will have some real leadership in this town. The man who is the interim mayor has a daunting task ahead of him till the post is filed in the special election-90 days I think. Mayor Lowery will have to clean house at City Hall with a big broom to get all the dirt out. Fortunately he seems to be a pragmatic sort, which I think is a good attribute for anybody, especially public servants. The recent former mayor forgot the concept of public servant and embraced fiefdom. Not good for leadership.
Back to art--I feel better after unloading on the political thing. Work is caught up a little bit. (Please don't jinx me sewing fairies!!) Maybe I can have some mental health time, since I had to miss my regular mental health day last Monday--tonsillitis!
Some good news. I have been invited to have a show of my art works at Germantown Performing Arts Center (GPAC) in November. All info has been submitted and I'm waiting on the contract with all the definite dates, etc. GPAC is a very nice venue. My quilts will hang in the upper lobby for approx, six weeks. The quilts are a mix of older and recent work that have (I think) a cohesive feel, mostly abstract and semi abstract pieces that showcase my hand dyed and original surface design fabrics. Wish me luck.

Again with the garden

We must have a thousand lycoris bulbs in this yard and I think everyone of them has bloomed this year. One of the crinum lilies has bloomed too. Must be all the rain.

Ready to cuss

By loading the photos one at a time, I was FINALLY able to post.

Photos went to the ether

Blogger is being difficult. all the pictures have disappeared and I can't find them now or post them again.

Fabric, finally!

Okay kids, I have blown off this entire day. No semblance of productivity whatsoever.I did take photos and finish a wall hanging--that might be construed as productive, but I did not indulge myself in any money making endeavors. Too bad. Anywho, here are photos of the experiment with soy wax and some things I did with discharge paste. Plus a thing I did with glue as a resist.

The garden

Well children, I finally brought my camera next to the computer and got the photos off it. Maybe I will get around to taking pics of the groovy fabric I made, since this blog is supposed to be for fiber art.

What a slug!!

Someday I will bring my camera to the room where this computer is and download the photos I've been taking. I keep putting off posting because I want to add pics, but can't seem to get it together. So I have good intentions but we all know where that leads. If you want to see some REALLY interesting stuff from REALLY interesting people, look at some of the blogs on my list.
I have been working in the yard-early a.m. before the heat is TOO brutal, so I haven't been a total slug.

Busy days

We experimented with the soy wax with good results, but alas, there's no time for photo op these last few days. Also I did a small photo transfer using the method in a new magazine--but used clear contact paper--and got good results with that too. When things calm down and there's less chauffering in my life, I'll get photos of the arty stuff.
The garden is quite lovely in spite of the oppressive heat. The Monarda was at it's best when this picture was taken.

Mental Health

Today I used the soy wax. I heated it in an electric skillet (from a yard sale) and Olivia and I applied it to fabric with several objects, including a potato masher and a tjanting. It makes nice little lines. We then painted thickened dye over the wax and it is now laying on the walk by my sewing room door covered in plastic. Washing will commence in the morning followed by photo op. Hopefully, some blog posting after that.

New magazines!!

Look in your local bookstore for the two new "bookzines" from Stampington publishers. The newest one is called Art Quilt Studio. It has lots of photos and the paper is the best feeling stuff--like all the magazines from Stampington. The art work is stupendous. So much talent and inspiration.
The other one I picked up is the latest issue of Sew Somerset. Again, great photos and a technique for photo transfer that I must try. Uses cold laminate but I think I'll try clear contact paper and see how that works.
Stampington has some of the nicest publications--my favorite has to be Belle Armoire. Etta McFarland is going to be the featured artist in the next issue (I think) and I'm chomping at the bit to see it. Will she autograph my copy??? Oh I hope so!!

June and the heat have arrived

We were able to hold out till June officially, so I turned on the ac today. I will feel guilty for a few days I'm sure, as ac is not exactly environmentally friendly. It sure is Marilyn friendly when the temps are soaring. The other thing I dislike about ac is feeling cut off from the neighborhood. It's good idea to know what's going on out there and makes me feel like a part of something bigger than my measly little life.
If you want to see what someone who DOES stuff can accomplish, look at Patricia's blog--Sew What's Next. She has some photos of her garden up and it kicks bootay!!

Fabrics and such

I lied about the fabrics from last Friday, I never took pictures of them after they were done. Some small quilts that have surface designed fabrics from an earlier session. The wavy lines are on fabric I monoprinted with gelatine plates ala Rayna Gilman

Mental health day

Last week I gave myself a little break from all the crazy stuff and painted and discharged fabric---vice versa really. I liked a couple of the pieces so much I made an art quilt the next day. I will post photos of that when it is bound. The photos in this post are from my yard. The table is one of those folding guys from Costco up on bed risers. It's the perfect height this way. My next post will have photos of the fabrics after they were fixed.

Chaos STILL reigning at 324 N. Willett

Life is continuing to be turned upside down everyday nearly, a crazy story for much later posting.
Work has become managable and the weather sometimes cooperates for a little yard work. The garden is so lush and beautiful from all the rain we've had and such a nice long spring. That is such a rare occurence here in Memphis---usually it's cold and we get some ice for winter, then a few days of really nice stuff--then BAM!! heat descends on us unrelentingly for months.
We are trying to hold out till June before we turn on the AC, trying to save this planet and some $$$$. So far there have been some uncomfortable nights (humidity is the bad guy) but things cool off for a few days and it's okay. How much longer this will last is anyone's guess, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

April already!!!???!!

Can't believe it's almost a month since my last post---where does the time go???
The mystery plant is also called marsh marigold, for anyone interested. Hopefully I can get some free time to play and make art soon. I feel a tad overwhelmed right now but this too shall pass (I hope). My fabric misses me-- I know it does!!!

Serendipity strikes again!!!!!

The Crafters Choice envelope arrived Saturday. My first impulse was to put it directly into the recycling bag, since I had already replied to them via their website. But sometimes they offer an outstanding value on a book I MUST have, so I looked through the flyers and wouldn't you know it. On the front of the one with all the gardening books, there's a picture of the plant I've been trying to identify for all these years. Caltha palustris. Now I can research further to discover the other properties of this heretofore mystery plant. The book that was offered at cc was a book on animal resistant plants. And I just thought my plant was pretty.

Does anyone know???

Here's the flower growing in my yard that has not been identified. If any keen gardener should happen to know what this is please leave a comment so that I'll know too. You don't have to be that keen, either, just nice and willing to share a small bit of info. Or not even nice just willing to share. I guess that covers that!!
Yes I do know that the white flower is a jonquil. It is so pretty I had to include it in this post.