Looking at Line

My neighborhood walks have less color, for sure, but there is line more evident with bare trees. And if I stop and look down, these lines make a great texture. Now, how to mimic this with screen printing.

Half-Square Triangle of a Different Sort

In an incredibly short time, my daughter and I cut out and sewed up one of my Half-Square Triangle quilts. I usually use shibori fabric, but this is all commercial. We've got it on the longarm tonight, and will quilt it up tomorrow.

Art Fling

I always get a charge when someone imagines that I just throw fabric on the wall and see what sticks. Hey, sometimes I do.

Autumn's Thanks

If I had looked up "tart" instead of "pie" I would found the recipe sooner. Lots to be thankful for this season, not the least of which is a helping hand to make the leaves. (For a change, not me). I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving.

Kathy Loomis' Discussion on Copied Art

Kathy Loomis' blog http://artwithaneedle.blogspot.com/2014/11/perfect-copies-but-are-they-art.html has a wonderful discussion on recent works honored with prizes at Houston's quilt festival. She says it so well, so do read the discussion. I post my piece "Cat and Mouse" interpreted from a photo used with permission. I stray far from the original and bring a fresh look to the piece. But, maybe not? Installation shot by Amy Rader.

Nature Knows Best

I may try and try to get an interesting texture on my dyed/printed/stamped pieces, but still can't replicate this!

Shibori Get Together

Selecting two pieces for a Half-Square Triangle Quilt to make for a present this season is not too difficult. The last batch of shibori had happy coincidences. I'll miss the warm weather to "underpaint" the fabric, but I can make due in the wet studio this winter.

From the Dye Pots

This looks like a mild disaster, but its not. It's the time to dump out the dye, unwrap the bound fabric from the pvc pipe, and rinse, rinse, rinse.

Well Planted Garden

My apology for not remembering this woman's name. At the lecture on Wednesday night in Concord Massachusetts, she showed the top finished from my "In the Garden" class at the Vermont Quilt Festival in 2012. Her top is as lovely as she is. (I'll be back in Vermont in 2015.)

Walk in the Woods

On my way back from Concord's workshop, I stopped at a friend's house on the way back home. A morning's walk in the wood at her house, located in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts,  revealed thin ice over the stream, crisp leaves, and brilliant sun.

Sisterly Love

Jennifer loved what her sister made (her sister is in Batavia,but her Big Leaf is hanging behind Jennifer) and so made a Big Leaf of her own. My thanks to Jennifer for inviting me to visit her guild in Concord, Massachusetts -- the Concord Piecemakers. What a lovely and fun group with which to spend the day.

Pieces and Piecemakers

Tonight I was the lecture at the meeting of the Concord Piecemakers in Massachusetts. Tomorrow is a day of The Big Leaf, so stay tuned. Lots of fun women, certain of that!

Cat Chair

Now and again I get involved in an exhibition project. Today I worked on a prop for a children's book illustration show. This will be a version of a "cat chair" for the show.

Cutting Up Fabric

I've gotten bold enough to slice through my hand-dyes getting ready to teach in Concord, Massachusetts later this week. I thought if anyone wanted to try The Big Leaf in these fabrics, fine with me.

Yeah Beauty

I'm revisiting the exhibit in Mississauga, and Alexandra Emberley's work "fur poem, "yeah beauty yeah yeah" here. I don't often use thread and stitching in my work, but I am intrigued and compliment those who do.

TED Time

Spent the better part of the day sitting and listening to ideas on Technology, Entertainment and Design. You thought it should be all about quilTED? Hey, maybe next time.

Little Coffins of Dye

Well, that is just what they look like. I went over to my neighborhood Ace Hardware to pick up some plastic trays to try this new shape to hold the fabric and dye. I'll let it sit extra long, as the dye is old, then add the soda ash tomorrow and process.

Between Bones

I flew United to Chicago this week, and had a chance to notice the arrival/departure flight info as seen through the skeleton of a brachiosaurus. The Field Museum lent a set of fiberglas bones to improve the ambience of the terminal. Talk about time travel.

On a String

Here is another shot of the work. There are many of these forms strung out along a string, and then suspended away from the wall in mid air. The thread work is formed with heat to make a cup shape.

Strung Out and Undone

Amanda McCavour's work Neon Field, 2014-Ongoing is on view at the Mississauga Art Center. A lot of the beauty of the work is highlighted by how it is installed, with a beautiful play of shadow on the wall -- tripling the effect the piece has on holding the space.

Nothing is Without Decoration

Friday night we stopped at a coffee bar. Gotta learn how to do this.

Delivered at the Last Minute

Rochester Contemporary, a local art gallery, allows me to add to their member's show, a piece under 30" x 30". This one made it just an inch shy in both directions. It opens December 4. I'll be part of "The Day the Artists Spoke" on December 5, speaking at 8:20.

Polka Dots on the Glass

A room divider between the waiting area and a bar I saw had me wanting to recreate this. Or at least print it on fabric. This was at the Living Arts Center in Mississauga.

Stretch Knits Stretched

More from the World of Threads Festival has a handful of fanciful and well done pieces in stitched knit fabric stretched on a frame. Lindy Fyfe's Interweave 21, yellow black certainly redefines patchwork. I lingered at each one of these compositions.

Mom and Dad (But Not Mine)

Jim Arendt's work depicting his mom and dad in life sized portraits made of reclaimed denim blew me away at the World of Threads exhibit in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. I've never seen anything like this -- so very distinct from any other type of fabric portraiture. He's from Conway, South Carolina.

Not to Know, but go on.

A visit to the exhibition put on by the "World of Threads" in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, brought this work of Judy Martin to view. Not To Know But To Go On is hand stitched in its entirety. A tour de force, this was started in 2010 and finished in 2013.

Susan Would be Proud

I walked down to the polling place to cast my ballot. You must know that Susan B. Anthony lived less than 5 miles from where I now live in Rochester, New York. We take voting for granted, like so many other freedoms.

Uncovered, and Hanging Naked

Had no idea this beautiful nest was there amid the vine and leaves I saw all summer long. Talk about weaving and fiber work. This is just lovely. Now to face raking those leaves.

On the Wall

Usually I enjoy my work in my home, with recognizable items nearby to serve for scale -- a chair, table, lamp. Here in the gallery world (Schweinfurth's Quilts=Art=Quilts), it floats on its own -- disjointed and unanchored. I can easily admire it here, too.

Strike a Pose

Asked to line-up for a group shot, we all got in place to honor the Schweinfurth's request for artists to stand and take a bow in this year's Quilts=Art=Quilts show. Kit Vincent's work (best of show) is shown here. Kit is six from the left.