Giving Up, Giving In

This was loaded on the longarm, but after a few hours of fiddling, I abandoned the sewing (skipping, sewing, skipping along) and pin basted the rest before taking it off the machine. I'll use my little bernina to finish. I'll tackle the skip another time.

Odd Request

On my Thanksgiving day walk with my two grown kids, I caught sight of this painted hydrant. In unison they said "For your blog, mom." So here it is. Now on to other things.

Why Do We Love Lights?

An unusual, freaky, warm end of November had me fill my bare willow branches with string lights. Why do these lights, no matter where I see them, raise my mood? The escaped moon is on the left.

Ready to Quilt

I'll need to trim this, square it a bit, before I put it on the longarm to quilt. Somehow, I feel I need to finish before I start another. And I'm ready to start another.

Window Works

I live in a small cape coddie, where the wall space is taken up by windows. So, after finishing the facing and sleeve, I wanted to see how it looked with normal furnishings. In the dark of winter and no curtain, it's a good solution for now.

Introspection

After Thanksgiving , I've hours driving home. Enough time to ask of the problems ahead -- with this church as a metaphor -- shall I fix it, save it, or leave it for someone else? Good thing there is a bit of blue sky in the background.

Burchfield's Birches

Last month I was happy to see Charles Burchfield's painting, all grays and browns, at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo. The perfect mood to welcome the next season of cold, fresh air.

Giving Thanks

I get to spend Thanksgiving with these two -- now grown up women -- and will not tell them they were once just two goofy kids in different stages of gaining and loosing teeth. For all of you out there, may you have fond memories of days gone, with hope for those days ahead.

Packing to Go

This is the Harvest Tart from the Silver Palette Cookbook that will travel with me to Thanksgiving dinner. Except for the slim portion that was needed to taste test. There will be more food that we need.

Giving Thanks

A lovely friend sent this photo of a banner that I made long ago in 1977. I remembered that I was smitten by a book called "Banners and Hangings" by Norman Laliberte. I so loved the designs in that book, and had forgotten all about that period of my art work

Dog Barking I've Seen

Looking back on October's visit to Denver's Art Museum and this hemp and newspaper construction by Gugger Petter from 2008 "Dog Barking at Two Women." There was fiber work tucked in almost every gallery it seemed. What a joy to find it all.

In the Middle of It All

It was a full house, and a chance to see old and new friends today at the Schweinfurth Art Center. I brought my first and last quilt, with lots from the past 36 years between. Never did a true trunk show until today, and I guess it went well. Thanks for all who were there. Lovely to see you!

Lecture and Water, Earth 5

This is part of the Schweinfurth's Quilts=Art=Quilts show, and tomorrow I'll be speaking there. I've packed 3 suitcases and will try to condense 36  years of my work in about an hour's talk. Come see how I do it! Sunday in Auburn at 2:00.

Early Morning

Even with a perfect workspace or studio, sometimes the best place to sew is at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee.

All Bundled Up

I've made a list (you know I make lists)  of works for my talk at the Schweinfurth Art Center this Sunday. I want to take them all. But I have only an hour. Okay, I'll do the highlights. You can hear me Sunday, November 19 at 2:00.  Here's the link to the Quilts=Art=Quilts show: http://www.schweinfurthartcenter.org/programs_specialevents.cfm

Off the List

I keep lists. Lists of lists. One item that had been there for a while was to recover my chairs with my own "paintdyed" canvas. So, check that off the list. Move to the next item.

Progress, Slowly

The leaf continues to be built, albeit slowly. The little picture of a leaf is in the upper right corner. My guide.

It's Written in Stone

Before my hike today at Taughannock Falls, I started at the overlook to the falls. Looking down at the barrier was this mass of graffiti. If only I could quilt lines like this. That would be the way to break a solid surface.

Plug and Play

With the design pinned to the design wall, the pieces (with the freezer paper templates ironed to the back) start to fill out the drawing. I've added in veins for this leaf, and mocked in the background fabric. It is always fun to see it become defined, instead of the blobby shape  I use for drafting.

I'd Wear This If I Had It

The Colorado Art Museum's ethnographic art is pretty heady. This parka from 1950 is made by a St. Lawrence Island Yupik artist from Crested Auklet feathers, walrus intestine, leather and fur. For me, the placement of the feathers is just perfect. Almost polka dots!

Snow Time for Working

The best indication of when it's time to get to work is when the work outside is over, and the only thing left is work inside. Hooray! A good hard frost, and now heading for the studio.

Back to the Beginning

This leaf has been under wraps (literally) for months, and now that winter is here, and I've got some uninterrupted time, it's uncovered. The shape is derived from a photo a friend sent; you can see it small at the right. He knows I love leaves. So, this is my beginning, again.

A Frost (Finally)

I can't show you the frost on the roof, or the wilt of the leaves. But they are finally there, and I can chop down my garden and put it to bed for the winter. Which leaves me to seek warm, rich, highly caloric food. Evidenced here.

Hometown Girl

Susan B. Anthony made her life's work women's right to vote. I voted today on the 100th anniversary of that milestone for New York. And voted in the city where she lived (and voted in 1872) and returned again and again to refuel and return to fight for women's right to vote.

Time to Quilt

I'm back in the studio and facing the work I left while traveling. This skinny line experiment is getting quilted on the Bernina I bought in the 80s. It is that close-up and slow-down work I don't often do.

Meet the Artists

The Finger Lakes Fiber Group put work in the May Memorial Church near Syracuse, and we got (most of us) in a group shot today. The opening coincided with a pot luck lunch, so we were both treated as well as the treat.

First Friday

Rochester, like dozens of cities, hosts open galleries on the first Friday. It is always a chance to catch up on the art crowd, and to see favorite friends' works. These are Judy Gohringer's, catching my attention.

Moon Basket

If the moon had to borrow beauty, it would turn to this intricately made Pomo basket. Round, yes, like the moon, but delicate, with red feathers set in to offer a glow. Happy harvest moon tonight.

Almost, Might-Be, Maybe a Quilt

My visit to the Denver Art Museum had this piece "Late Fragment (after Carver)" by Jeffrey Gibson. He has collaged parts of his earlier paintings in this work. Yes, it sure seems like a quilt -- and I was drawn to the collection of parts that became whole.

You Know I Love Leaves

While in Denver yesterday, I took a walk through the myriad paths of the Denver Botanical Garden. The greenhouse had the super duper tropical leaves -- pure design feed. With winter (and more time in the studio) coming up, I'm pinning this pic to the design wall.