Happy New Year

On the last eve of 2013 I bring you an open flower. I did so much in this year, much of which I would never have predicted. So, with caution, I approach 2014. And will see how this year blossoms. All the best, my dear readers.

Leaf

Pieced this today. Now to add more tomorrow and get it together. I still need a name for this work.

On the Cutting Board

Back to the drawing table, I am piecing leaves for the side of the work. Good to get back. Oh, and pay no attention to the random numbering system.

Doing Nothing for the Time Being

I had nothing to do with this decorating, save for making the dough. Should you need commentary on the world of fiber art, check elsewhere. (You know who you are!)

Bits and Pieces

Food to make the burrito. (And why do we call it "taco night" where there is no taco?) Enjoying the aftermath of the holidays.

Center of Interest

In a class for the Shibori Half-Square Triangle quilt, We laid it out on a table, (not pinned to a design wall). It is much easier to flip and exchange while flat, but hard to see the total effect. So, a shot from above takes care of that. This is just two one yard pieces of my shibori fabric.

Object Placement

From forever I decorated the tree. This time, little (but tall) elves did it for me. Had a great day, and hope that you did too. Not to worry, studio time soon. For now -- to all a good night.

White Christmas

Just enough snow fell to coat the ground, not enough yet to make those lovely ice dams on the roof. Better to stick the sled and not skid off. Merry Christmas to you, my lovely blog readers.

Dorothy Bosselman Collection

 The New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts,  has the collection of miniature quilts made by Dorothy Bosselman of reproductions of Amish quilts. This one is about 16"square, and who knows how many pieces. I wondered at these gems when I visited in October.

Cell Phone Lot

We all know this parking place. Wait, listen for the cell phone. Wonder who is parked next to you. Get creeped out by the dark and the void. Then, when summoned, start the car and pick up your person.

Tuba Christmas

Its year 31 for a Rochester Tuba Christmas concert. Seems the first was 40 years ago in NYC. On stage are 134 tubas and lots of santa hats. Gotta love that brass.

Slow Progress

Working my way across the design. Without the height for this piece, I make do with it spilling on to the floor. It will trim to be about 12' high.

Leaf Emerges

I have saved adding this element for the last part to this work. It is the most fun -- kinda like eating dessert. So, on to the leaves.

Simple Stencil

Looking for adding a pattern to my solid yellow, I used some torn blue tape (as my block out) on the back of a silk screen. I squeegeed using textile paint -- you know, transparent extender with dye concentrate. Hot iron sets the color.

Boring But Needed

Essential to progress. Those who have worked with freezer paper templates recognize this step. I have some recombined pieces and am now applying the template and trimming with an added 1/4" seam. I know, boring.

How to Decide

Someone who will be in my Shibori Half-Square Triangle class this January at  Quilting at the Lake (Havasu, Arizona) wrote to ask me whether to use my shibori fabric for the class, or should she bring her own. I have a couple using each type, shibori or large scale prints. Still can't decide.

Up To My Nose

Yes, it snowed. That means hibernate! Well, no problem finding the studio, where the shoveling is easier.

Building Starts

We selected one of the three large hunks of fabric to use for the large finished piece. Yes, I made a table 14' long to position the freezer paper template. Ironed it on, marked, and now that piece is ready. Slow progress, but still progress.

More Green-ery

I have been processing about 50 yards of this color green, so no wonder these Osage Oranges caught my attention at the public market. And no, I did not digitally or otherwise add the red berries. Happenstance!

Rollin' in the Dough

Cookie Day was here today, and that mega batch with 10 cups of flour made that 10 dozen cookies. Never enough, if you ask me. (And yes, Sandra, they are in the mail.)

Trim of the Non-material Kind

The cat is just turning the corner to see what trouble she can make. It is time to take a short break from the studio and do some decorating.

It Happened One Night

Was that the movie where they hung a sheet between the twin beds? Can't imagine the modesty now. This is the hunk of fabric drying after soda soaking. My own sheeted wall.

Going to Great Length

I am dying a 5 yard piece of fabric for the next work. This is one of three hunks that are cycling in from soda soak, to underdye, to wash out, to soda soak, to dry, to over dye, to wash out, back to soda soak, well, you get the idea. I hope that one works. The others will start something new.

Color for the Season

At the downtown Rochester public market today, I had to record the holly berries and the greens waiting for decorations. It does not get any brighter.

Slipping in to PostRochester

A magazine new to me -- Post Rochester --  has an article about RIT's Shop One 2. A gallery shot includes my work . Always funny to see where the images show up. This world is one wide web, no?

Whopper Sized Pattern

Scaling up to the finished size of 11 feet high, this is the full size drawing for the next piece (still without a name) and tomorrow I will make a full scale freezer paper template. You know how I love to use freezer paper.

Road Kill

Branches at the curb (road kill) were perfect for beginning decorating. The deck is getting, well, decked out with white pine. Now for inside the house.

Paintings with Fabric Collage

A trip to Rochester City Hall had me checking out the current show at the Link Gallery there. Lynne Feldman had works that combine paint and fabric collage. This detail shows how she cuts and glues the fabric to a canvas layer. Very fun, indeed.

Pick a Color Time

My friend Carol Soderlund would cringe if she saw how I was choosing a color. I am looking for the major green area of my next work. Not at all scientific, but it may work.

Quilted Sample

Longarm is now set up. So, I tried out some patterns and line work on this sample. I wanted to see how much the quilting would shrink the size (53" x 60"). Not much, really. And to see how the background shows through the white. A bit.

Square in a Square

Using Anita Grossman Solomon's technique for cutting blocks with no waste, I made this many years ago. Reorganizing the studio unearthed it, now the longarm will quilt it quickly. Good for a warm-up on the machine.

Big Leaves Draft

A few more ways to make the big leaves that I need for my next piece. This is about 3 feet wide, a bit too large to use, but fun to make.

The Great and Famous Two

Will Rogers visited Naples, New York and performed at the fair. This photo that I printed from the glass plate negative, taken and signed "Widmer". What fun to have a darkroom back in the late 1970s. Negative from a private collection.

Fire First, or First Fire

Had the chimney guys give me the okay to use my new fireplace (new to me, that is) for Thanksgiving. This pic does not convey the warmth in the room, but it was certainly there. Happy T-day.

A Naan Event

Enough non essential jokes, non sequiturs, and nonsense was about in the kitchen while daughter "nonber" 1 made some naan bread to go with the vegetable sweet potato chili. For the run-up to Thanksgiving.

Snow is On Its Way

Redecorating the deck will have to wait until the storm is over. I have no place to be, except getting the studio ready for work -- and getting the long arm in place. 

Haul Out the Old Quilts

Winter is here, for sure. And the thermostat is set for "conservative" so get out the old quilts and cozy of to the laptop. Besides, there is Thanksgiving stuff to get done.

Quilting the Sketch

I've gotten most of the quilting done on my sketch. Cleaning up includes burying the threads, and that was in front of PBS. Sunday night and classics.

Warm-Ups

To the right of my latest sketch is a little doodle on the machine. I have, surprise surprise, fused a small square of light to the dark background, and am trying some quilted stitch. Like it all right.

History Revisited

Thirty years ago I designed exhibits in a museum, and tonight I went to their Holiday Bazaar. Behind the goo-gaas and ornaments were my museum displays. This one is just as I left it. The large case features plains indian artifacts, and here are shirts and an explanation of the ghost dance.

Beauty in the Ordinary

Let's go back a few weeks to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the piece, shown in detail here, by El Anatsui. He used found objects like bottle caps and bottle wrappers to form this abstract work called "Black River". Regardless of your interpretation of the title, the surface quality is mesmerizing.

Instability

While checking in with the doctor's office about my newly healed knee, I spotted this poster on dislocation of shoulders. Nice to know that illustration has not gone away. Much nicer to get the bad news through gently colored pictures.

Raking Leaves

I should be raking leaves, but instead am in the studio trying to make more. The yellow-green light leaf in the background is from the screen I showed yesterday, the darker ones are printed with transparent base and textile color. (Don't make me go back to the studio to tell you the exact product names.)

Foolin' Around With Dye

Nothing like trying out new forms and experienting. I am using transparent base with color concentrate to do some mono-printing. Also, a bit of screening with thickened dyes. How quickly you can go through 20 yards!

Stencil Leaf

Freezer paper and scissors make a quick stencil that I will use for a silk screen. I have leaves to do!

View From the Kitchen

Living with your art is important. The light changes through the day, you see relationships in a casual way, and the setting influences the scale of the work. And it is easier to convince someone else to own it, as well.

Order Here

Came across this plea still tacked to the cabinet that was for sale in the antique store near home. Asks "PLEASE HELP ME KEEP THIS PLACE IN ORDER". Not a bad idea for the studio. Where I will find the help, don't know.

Marimekko on the Chopping Block

When I asked students to bring in their wildest printed fabric, I was looking exactly for this. A large scale Marimekko fabric with lots of punch, as well as a fabric that begs to be used. It worked beautifully for this exercise.

Shibori on the Half-Square

Today's class in Cleveland, with Northwest Coast Needlers, had this design. We are trying out what would work to fill in the corners. Ended up with the green in the lower right. Lots of work, and lots of great solutions using half-square triangles.

Snow and Fabric Search

Yes, I brought the snow to Olmsted Falls, Ohio. A quick visit to Abigayle's Quiltery to find some wild fabric for tomorrow's workshop. Only to learn this was the "traditional" store. No problem, found some Jane Sassaman's fabric.