The Scrappy Making of a Quitler

Hi from California!

I am having such a great time. Seeing my kids, visiting with friends in our old and sometimes new stomping grounds. There will certainly be fun things to share as a minute or two permits. Today's share is a delight for me.

Many years ago I met a very special woman... her name is Angelique and she is very dear to me. BUT, this is the tale of sharing an addiction. She had never even thought about quilting before she ran into me, though she was all about fabric and involved in the fashion industry.

Angelique visited my home studio a couple of times -- before she asked about hand stitching some basic blocks together...you know, in her spare moments.

Being very sly about the whole thing I told her to pick some fabrics from the bins...
I then cut up some small squares and showed her how to hand piece these together.

Well, these little squares grew into 4-squares, and the 4-squares grew into quilt tops, and there was no turning back!

Shopping for fabric, and tools -- learning how to use a machine, connecting with other quilters all followed... you can see why when she shared her latest/dearest project with me the other day why she accused me of being a troublemaker.

After all, she has been the recipient of numerous priority box shipments filled with scraps for this project.

These scraps held memories of quilts made by me, and it was so amazing to see them and have them be a part of a new memory for Angelique and me, too!

Isn't she doing an amazing job!!!
Hugs to Angelique -- and to all of us troublemakers.

The Mayor's Art Club

I feel like I have lost a day... in travel... and I am writing this from suns out SoCA this wonderful Wed morning. Sure feels like it should be Tue.

On Monday I delivered and hung my quilts in the Mayor of Paducah's office. She has instituted a program called the Mayor's Art Club and submission are taken towards the end of the year and local artists are chosen to share their work. The exhibits change quarterly and there are two areas filled with art inside & just outside her office.

Mine will be up through this quarter.

There is award winning photographs from last year's Dogwood Festival in the outer room. My work is on display in her office itself.

Hope you enjoy my before & afters.

bare walls -- were soon to change

behind the mayors desk -- It's In the Air

the Ebbing series brightens up the nearby wall

across the room -- Wintergreen Path and Spring Green are making a showing

Desert Queen is there, too

as you enter you will see I-10 Watcher -- watching who comes & goes of course

So, if you're planning a trip to or through Paduah you may just want to stop in and check out the art and the building too, for it is pretty interesting all on its own. Wave hi to Mayor, too!

Me? I'm off to go meet up with my friend Joanell Connelly -- you know, just a morning out with the girls -- can't wait to see her!!

Under the Needle

What is this? Paper being stitched?

I am a fabric person... one who loves mixed media.
In the past I have found lots of ways to mix it up on fabric, but only toyed with the idea of mixing it up with paper.

This year I decided to get acquainted with paper and signed up for a monthly meeting at my local paper haven, Ephemera Paducah, where we are playing and learning all sorts of ways to mix it up with paper.

We are following Art Journal Freedom by Dina Wakley, and last night we got to pull gloves on an play with spray inks. What you'll find here are my samples. Dina likes to add stitching to her paper pieces so this morning in the studio, my little raven squares went under the needle --- then glue to their final home on a sprayed background.

Since the group meets only once a month I have also jumped into the Documented Life project where each week we are provided a different theme to create a journal page. Practice will hopefully give my pages a chance of improving.

Meanwhile, it is all REALLY fun!

I would love to hear what new thing you are trying out this year. Anyone?

Color Blocking

Happy, Happy Spring!!

We have finally started to see some warmer weather and my mind has been swimming with new projects and possibilities for the garden. Too, early though to anything but work on the skeletal remains and dream.

In the studio with my friend Helene though it has been a bit different. We both wanted to just have some fun with color and fabric so for the last couple of weeks when we met I had been printing on some, long-ago hand-dyed fabric I found in my stash.

It has been so much fun... I had to share!

The fabric paint was pulled and using just some scrap rubber left over from rubber-stamp carvings I rolled on the color.

Winter 0 - Spring 1!

On awaking this fine Saturday it feels like someone has flipped a giant  switch in my psyche... it's spring, ITS SPRING!!!

So after about an hour out in the yard raking up leaves left beneath early arriving snow I can say this is true. Under all the remaining snow and fall leaves were the daffodils pushing through all the nonsense of 5" of snow earlier this week, to make sure we understood spring is here ---

it is its time!!!

It is no wonder why this past week's snow has been watched each day in anticipation of melting.

These two pictures tell the tale:

and springs tribute!!!

It will be harder to get work done in the studio this week...
oh, well!!

Here'e hoping that Spring has let you know it has arrived where you are, too!

Ravens Flying Off

Have you ever had a quilting buddy, or two or more help you out in a way there just doesn't seem to be the words to say?

Well, I consider myself amazingly fortunate to have some of those (really many) of those folks around me.
After all, quilters are the BEST!

There were four amazing woman who went over and above recently, and I have thought and thought about the right thank you. I thought about many things, but in the end decided to share my wealth with each of them by sending them one of the 5 ravens that have been keeping me company for a while. A bit of my studio to theirs.

A couple of these showed up along with instructions on how to make them in the May-13 Issue of GenerationQ Magazine.-and you can click over a get the free pattern. But the others were made just for the love of it.

These are the ravens that took flight yesterday and will make it to their new homes by Monday.

The packaging of each gave me time to say good-bye.

BUT, the one that remains is pretty upset. He seems to be staring at me with his googly-woolly eyes and saying... "What the???!#!"
He'll get over it -- I'm sure!

Have you ever made a special thank you for a dear friend (quilter or not)?
I'd love to hear the what and when?

Happiest of Saturdays
~Rose

Breathing in & out

Well, the crate arrived safely and all has been checked in -- the next book is officially underway!

At my place, as soon as the crate was lifted onto the scales at FedX, measured and paid for the breathing in & out re-commenced.

Happily since that day I have been working on all sorts of things --
New things -- setting up workshops big & small & ONLINE!
and of course cleaning the studio...

but, the best thing has been taking some time to continue working on my Caribbean Boardwalk.

If you check in every once in a while or follow me, you may remember over the summer I gave a whole list of summertime words to inspire many a 5-minute sketch session.

Back in July I shared my boardwalk drawings and you got to see a bit of the quilt top I stitched together -- then tucked away until now.

We all tuck projects away -- sometimes for a week, a month, and all to often they may get so buried they may not see the light of day for years.

Do you have a project on the back burner?