New Work!!

Can you believe it? It hasn't even been a week and here I am posting again. I'm proud of myself!

I had such a productive weekend and I'm blown away about it. I have so many projects going on that I often walk into my studio, pause, look around, turn around and walk out because I can't get my head straight about what to work on. That didn't happen Saturday or Sunday and I managed to get so much done.

The rusted fabric from Lois Jarvis for the Stay At Home Challenge arrived Friday and it was beautiful. Very simple, but I loved it. Last week when we drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway, I picked up some colorful leaves that were lying on the ground. I stuck them in my sketch book and forgot about them until this past Saturday. I got them out and laid a few on the rusted fabric. They looked great, so I scanned them into the computer and printed them out on cotton fabric. The copper metallic thread was perfect for FM stitching the leaves and then FM quilting around the rust areas. I think it came out pretty cool.

This will be auctioned off probably in November at Ami Simm's Alzheimer's project - to bid go here http://www.alzquilts.org/

I also realized that IQF is now open and several people have posted their Journal Art Quilts that got juried into the 2008 Elements exhibit. I wanted to compare the two forest fires - the first one that was accepted into the Rocky Mount Arts Center represents Eastern NC with it's scrub terrain and pines.



Below is the one juried into the 2008 Journal Quilts exhibit and represents the NC mountains. This is what I had in mind when I began my forest fire obsession.


I am also working on a sun for our Deputy Director. I wish I had thought to take photos as I went along, but I didn't. I worked on that and another project for a coworker and will try to remember to get photos of them. And I made another 4 or 5 Christmas cards. I am moving right along, I tell you!

The days are shorter

I've not been keeping up as regularly as I've wanted, but I continue to try. The days are getting much shorter now and it's still dark when I get to work in the morning. That's probably the worst thing about fall and winter for me. I leave my house at 6:20 a.m. and get to the office at 7:00 a.m. and it's still dark. And it's not like there were enough hours in the day when it was still light in the morning and at night! I hate it. But my favorite thing is watching the leaves turn color.

Steve had a terrific idea last weekend and we took a day trip up to the NC mountains. We went north to Mount Airy and then jagged left to Low Gap. We drove down the Blue Ridge Parkway and got off around Wilkesboro. It was a gorgeous day with the sun shining on the leaves which, while not quite at their peak, were still beautiful to see.



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We thought this was a really cool sight - seeing the moon just above the tree tops on a bright sunny day with a buzzard floating through the air.


I forgot to post the photo of Sarah riding the pig on Main Street in Lexington. They came down a couple of weekends ago and I took them and Nana out for lunch at Noah's Kitchen. The food was great - fabulous sandwiches - and they have live music on Friday nights. Of course, as with most of the restaurants in Lexington, no alcohol. Makes for a good family atmosphere. Anyway - after lunch we walked up and down Main Street so Sarah could see the pigs. Lexington IS the Barbecue Capital of the World, so of course we have pigs! And this weekend is the Lexington BBQ Festival. Unfortunately, it's supposed to rain. I really hope not - it's a huge deal for the town.

Mommy won't be happy that she's in the photo, but she had to hold Sarah's hand to keep her from sliding off. Back at the house Sarah decided to work in the garden. From this photo she's more plumber than gardener. She's the Plumber Gardener!


The excitement around the neighborhood last week was the cat up in the tree. The cat visits our backyard regularly because we have bird baths & bird feeders all over the place. She thinks it's a smorgasbord of songbirds. Well - on Monday the 13th of Oct., she found herself stuck in a tree in our neighbor's yard right behind us. I didn't know who she belonged to and assumed whoever it was would come looking for her. By Wednesday when she was still up there - and higher than before - I asked my across-the-street neighbor, Dot, who the cat belonged to. She took me to Marc's house behind her and he came over, but couldn't get her. It was Saturday before he could get someone with a ladder to help him out. That someone with the ladder turned out to be Terry, my dil's father. What a small world. Well, Lexington IS really really small, but still...
So here is Marc rescuing his cat - she doesn't look happy, but she was.



I've been working on a commission piece for the Deputy Director of our Center. She wants a big sun with oranges & yellows, but it will hange next to the opening to her living room and the furniture is burgundy. So I've been working with that. I'll post a photo in a few days. I promise. I also managed to get 15 Christmas cards made and haven't taken any photos of them yet, either.

I just signed up for the Staying At Home challenge - with the International Quilt Festival opening in Houston next week, those of us on the Quilt Art Digest who can't go decided to make a quilt to donate to Ami Simms' Alzheimer iniative. Lois J offered to give whoever wanted to make one a piece of her rusted fabric, so I'll wait til I get that and then make another Alzheimer quilt. I'll post a photo of that, too. I promise.

Exhibits and Returning Work

It's been too long since I last posted. I've been meaning to, I just didn't have the photos I wanted with me when I had time to write. So much has happened that now I don't know where to begin.

The opening for the PAQA-South Member's Show - "ARTQUILTSreflections" was a big success. This is a wonderful exhibit showcasing members from PAQA-South (Professional Art Quilter's Alliance-South) and there are some outstanding talents in the organization. Janine LeBlanc, who does the graphic work for the shows, managed to take some fantastic photographs and create a website for viewing the exhibit online. Janine claims she's never done a website, but she's certainly done an outstanding job with this one. You really get the sense of being there. Please check it out, and if you can get to Cary, NC before Oct. 29th, be sure to go by the Page Walker Art and History Center behind the Town of Cary offices. Use this to see the exhibit.
http://web.mac.com/janine_leblanc
For some reason, it doesn't seem to want to make a link, so you might have to copy and paste it. It will be well worth it.

Okay - the long-awaited Cutie Patootie photos from 2 weeks ago when we went to Raleigh for the PAQA-S opening reception. On Saturday Keri and took Sarah to the park that edges Granny's property. It's a great park with fun things for kids to play on.



Lynn Krawczyk has done a terrific job with their Breaking Traditions exhibit this year. She is donating all of the entry fees to Virginia Spiegel for the American Cancer Society. The theme this year was "With One Voice" (in case you missed the earlier post) and each piece had to be 12" square. She hung them side by side like blocks to make a huge quilt. Here is the link to that. You have to click on each piece to read the artist's statement. There is also a link to purchase a printable catalog. Most of the proceeds will go to Virginia for ACS.
http://www.fibraartysta.com/breakingtraditionsmain.htm
Sorry - another cold link.

I received word via email today that my "NC Forests: Under Fire" is being returned from the Rocky Mount Arts Center, and my Journal Arts Quilt "Welcome to NC's Beautiful Beaches) is at the post office. It has to be signed for and the form was left in my mailbox on Friday. Today is a federal holiday, so I guess I'll get it tomorrow. "Beaches" has been gone for a year, so I'm really anxious to see it again.

Keri and Sarah came down over the weekend, but I will post later in the week about that when I get those photos sized. I'll try to get them by Thursday. In the meantime, I'm trying to get Christmas cards done and I'm working on a commission. More about that later, too.

One of the girls who works with me purchased a piece from me last week and is thrilled with it. She bought it as a wedding gift to a very good friend. Now she wants to purchase a piece for herself and is showing everyone she knows who likes art my website. Maybe she'll bring in some new collectors. That would be grand.

The weather has been glorious for the past several days and will continue to be so until the weekend (of course). It has been in the mid-70's and sunny, but by Thursday & Friday it will be in the low-mod-80's. Then Monday back into the 60's. I love Fall, even if it does screw me up.