Fun stuff

Earlier this month was my birthday and I spent most of that day doing something just for me. Just frittered the whole day away. This is what I did. Not my original idea, but very fun to make and so cute! Of course, I had to make a tiny box for the pixie shoes to live in and that was loads of fun too. Notice how I took the photos with out having my messy sewing room in the background to distract you.

New bike

Last Saturday, I drove to Milan TN to get one of my nephew's bikes. He has restored some very nice vintage bicycles and sells them, but after hearing of my plight, offered one to me. In return for his generosity, I took several wall hangings that I thought he and his wife might like and let him choose the one he wanted. He must be a very good husband, because although his wife was working that day, he chose a piece she really likes too. She is quite talented, too and makes some very special jewelry and other ornaments. Her blog is on my list--Dandy Apple--have a look.

1970's Huffy--made in Ohio

  Today I bought a bell and tomorrow the plan is to go to a bike store to look for a basket. It has been recommended by someone (you know who you are) to get those handle bar streamers. Maybe I will if I find just the right ones. Oh yeah, I can see me now--59 yr old dried up old lady riding around Midtown with handle bar streamers......wait...it is Midtown....no one will notice.

The stolen bicycle situation near resolution

1 of 6 weddings

did I mention how big this is?

A couple of photos from the recent trip to St. Louis. (Obviously, I don't get out much, and you'd think I'd been on a world cruise as many times as I have written about it.)
    The plan for this weekend is to drive to Milan Tn and get a bike from my nephew who posted photos on his Face Book page of some of the bicycles he has been collecting and refurbishing. This dear child has offered me one of his lovely vintage bikes. This means so much to me, because I did not want to go out and buy some cheap thing to replace the bike that was stolen, which I had since 1993 and had recently been riding a lot. Big thanks to my generous nephew.

Fabric

The fabric I printed with the recent screens turned out pretty good. I cut into it before I took photos of the whole piece but you get the idea. With other fabrics added to a design and some clever quilting and stitching, this could be a decent art quilt.

St. Louis

The trip to the art fair near St. Louis was so much fun. The Noodlemans are kinda crazy and it must run in the family.
  While at the Arch in downtown (and I cannot say enough good things about the commuter train we took to get there) I saw at least six couples, with complete wedding entourage, get hitched. And I was there for only about an hour and a half! Guess it's the thing to do up there. A limo would pull up, the entire wedding party would pile out, like clowns out of a VW, go up the stairs to the park at the bottom of the Arch, brief ceremony, photo op, then off to the reception.(I took photos too.) Brides in big fluffy white dresses, guys in tuxedos, groomsmen, bridesmaids--the works!

wearing my new earrings, waiting for the train

it is HUGE!!!

something on the tracks @ the downtown station

And the Arch is HUGE!!! The last time I was up that way was nearly 20 years ago and I never actually went to the park where the thing is, just drove by it. Last weekend we went to see it and I was amazed at how accessible it is. It just sticks up right out of the ground and it is HUGE!!! It reminded me of the machine in that scifi movie with Jodie Foster--"Contact"--did I mention how f***ing BIG it is???

Balance

The screen printed fabrics came out pretty good and I will post photos as soon as I take them. Last week was a bizzy one, full of activity playing nanny for my friend's children, making progress on a new set of graduation dresses and making the aforementioned fabric. On Friday morning, I went with the Noodlemans to attend the art fair in Clayton, MO. WOW!!! It was very nice and I had a lot of fun. We walked our feet off for two and a half days, stayed at a hotel a block away from the fair, ate everything we wanted (except the cheesecake-what was wrong with us?) saw more art than I have seen in one place in a long, long time and went downtown to see The Arch.
 St. Louis has a commuter train, the MetroLink, that is very easy to ride and stops at all the convenient places, plus isn't too expensive. We were able to park at the hotel and never get back in the car until it was time to come home. That is my idea of a vacation. (Sleeping is also a good thing to do on vacation.)

what I want to be when I grow up

So now I'm back home and my punishment for having fun--this is where the balance comes in--is that my bike was stolen from the shed in the backyard Friday morning. boohoo--I loved my bike and had I been here to monitor the perimeter, it wouldn't be gone with someone who might not love at much as I did. I actually cried a little last night, because in addition to riding my bike, I will miss the bell and the nifty side basket on it, too.

Back to fiber art

The original intent of this blog was to show anyone interested some of my fiber art and I have fallen away from that. The other day I got an idea for some deconstructed screen printing and put dye on three screens. Maybe today I can find time to put the designs on fabric.
  Lately I've been making visual reminders for myself to help me get past my need to control my surroundings. So I decided to explore a self portrait. First I made some trading cards to interpret the theme "Below the Surface" and you can see one of those ATCs on the link to Fiber Antics blog. Also you see the work of the very talented artist who writes that blog, a very bizzy gal for sure!

abstract filler

sequin waste and potato bag for texture

  The drawings I did for those cards inspired me to go further and that's the basis for these screens. How they will translate to fabric via the deconstructed process is anyone's guess, and I will post the results. Fingers crossed.

Another day older......

My birthday was the other day and as a gift to myself I made a meatloaf to go with the lovely tomato jam from my recent trip to Lexington. It was quite delicious. The bread was some I bought at the grubbery in one of those paper bags, the really chi-chi stuff. It has been so long since I've done any real cooking, I was surprised at how well it came out, so I guess cooking goes along with swimming and bike riding.