Next Challenge

At Quilt Surface Design Symposium each year they have a delightful challenge. This year it consists of the theme of four colors -- green, yellow, blue and red. At just 12" square, they make a great fast design challenge. Something I'll do in my class this June "Design Camp". Here is a link to find more: http://www.qsds.com/classesbysession2019.html

Live With It

This ain't the first time I've said, implored really, that you should live with your art. If nothing else, hang it up and enjoy it in the different light the room has, catch it from different angles while you walk past, and decide whether you need to change your entire decor to make it happy.

Paint Party

Nancy Valle's studio at the Anderson Arts Building in Rochester, N.Y. was the site of our portrait show. Sunday she hosted a paint party for when the artists came to pick up their works. What fun this was -- and I got to paint large scale. The final work won't last long; the next show goes up and that's show biz!

Finished and Hung

I could not wait to see how his looked on the wall, so spent the weekend on the facing and sleeve. It is a square 77", which surprised  me. The trim was fairly random, and I hadn't planned on square. I must be making too many "Take Two" pieces -- that square thing is getting  hard wired.

Just Face the Facing

Each side of this blue quilts is about 6 feet, so adding the sleeve, that's about 36 feet of hand sewing. The sun was out, I was happy to sit and sew. That's why I like winter. No compulsion to go out!

Square Dance

A big 48" T-square that Home Depot markets as a drywall measuring tool is my go-to for squaring up my finished quilt. I use the "T" end against the edge of the table to determine that 90 degree cut, then move to the other edge and continue. (Sorry my photo clipped the T-square.)

Grabbing Tyvek Labels

I've got my fabric ready to be soda-soaked for teaching in Florida. But first I want to sew on a tyvek label -- here I'm using an old post office envelope for priority mail -- that has my name on it. This is my big request to those who will be taking the class. I'm grumpy if they're not labeled!

Quilting Reward

Squaring up is tedious. But I do it. Cleaning and oiling is not a picnic, but I do that too. Finally quilting, ah, the quilting. That is the reward for all the goofy little stuff you have to do ahead of the quilting.

I Wasn't Kidding

The sun finally came out today, just long enough to me think I was warm while I shoveled. I wasn't. Glad the snow forced  me to stay put and finish that quilt top, and today I made the back. Tomorrow I'll try to slap it on the frame to quilt.

I See the Full Moon

These full moons (and tonight is a special lunar eclipse variety) make me melancholy. I think of how I've befriended nature -- squeezed clay, smelled freshly cut grass, braced sleeping on ice -- and realize that these stories aren't shared. They are not part of my art, not yet anyway.  And now full-moons is part of that list.

Make Hay While the Snow Flies

I'm near the piecing end of this garden. It took all the tricks I knew to get the parts together, and in hindsight, could have used a full scale drawing and freezer paper templates. But, then it wouldn't have changed around. Tomorrow to finish and then get it quilted. Another snow day for work.

Working Working Working

I've gotten most of this fleshed out, but till making changes. You can see the finished areas, but I'm not sold on them all. Winter storm will have me nose to nose with this design wall. Fine with me.

Right Hand Side

I never know what I'll add. I'll think it is all finished and decided, and then some odd bit will make its way in the composition. This piecing is definitely a reaction to the recently finished pieces where there were few joins, few small pieces.

Doing the Splits

To add the round things I've drawn their shape on freezer paper, cut the hole and the shape, then sewed together. Now I've split the section into parts to add some lines. Keep in mind, I've limited myself to using just blues.

Freezer Paper for Freezing Time

Here's the quick drawing I made for that plant shape. It's drawn on white paper, then reversed, then drawn on freezer paper, hashtags added, cut apart, applied to fabric, joined, and, well, you know the drill. Sounds complicated, it ain't.

Up in the Air

A couple of days into this and I've got some parts made, with some places for a few shapes. I've grabbed the freezer paper to make that plant shape on the lower left. Guess that's commitment!

Reboot

I'm glad I lived at the beginning of the computer access age. I know what reboot means. Here's the beginning of a blue composition. Here it is about 7' x 7'. I was to be at jury duty, but they don't need  me. Feel I've got extra time to live.

Line up of Self Portraits

Some might know Margaret Spevak, a Rochester based fiber artist. Her work portraying her and her husband, Jeff is at right. Jeff's story is just below about their first meeting. My work is to its right, and many others march along the wall of Studio 402 of the Anderson Arts Building.

Gallery Night

Main Street Gallery is active and attractive. Tonight's opening featured some of my favorites, and some newly discovered. This is my exit photo, shot from the sidewalk. It can't describe the diversity and grace that some of these works have. If you're in Clifton Springs, New York, visit.

Different Strokes

A friend asked if I might have a to match something she bought before. I make one-of-a-kind prints, but after digging I found these. Made with the same screen, they are different takes with various backgrounds and reds over printed. Guess it's a family.

Mind Your Back

I held my corner of the room just fine. The Genesee Valley Quilt Club held its demo derby today and I led four (almost) identical demos called "Mind Your Back" which discussed backing fabrics, facing, binding, sleeves, and how to hand on the wall. They loved it, I love them.

Hanging with the Peeps

One reason I was in Auburn, NY and the Schweinfurth Art Center this past weekend is that the Finger Lakes Fiber Artist group meets there every couple of months. If there is work to talk about, great because just seeing what a bunch of fiber artists can do with cloth and thread is always interesting.

Hello, Goodbye to Aunt Gin

Last weekend I got a last look at the Quilts=Art=Quilts exhibit at the Schweinfurth Art Center. One of my favorites is Aunt Gin by Margaret Abramshe. She used a photo as her base and then added and added until it became her strong true voice. Not many can do what she does.

The Reluctant Kiss

This is part of the Take Two Series. The "figures" came to life, and I just couldn't see anything but a reluctant kiss. One wanting to kiss, the other just bracing for that. So, I'll name it "Take Two: The Reluctant Kiss."

Most Fun I've Had All Year

Did I mention that I've acquired a new longarm machine? Now that it's broken in, it's such fun to stitch right over the line's I've drawn during printing. Drawing over drawing you might say. I'll show you the final tomorrow.

First Draft (First Kiss?)

These cuts would be just fine alone, but I'm hoping they're stronger united. But this is just the beginning of the design. My guess is they'll stay fairly uncut.

Line Work

The self portraits show opened tonight at the Anderson Arts Center. As an enormous crowd gathered, this was my intrigue. Metalsmith and jeweler, Lori Cooley took a flat, thin metal line and shaped it to become her profile when a light was directed to form a shadow.

Start Again

A couple of weeks ago I pulled these two yard cuts and let them stew together on the design wall. Yes, they would be just fine as a whole cloths, but that's not a challenge is it?

Top Left Corner for Friday Night

Rochester's First Friday from 6-9 will include Studio 402's gathering of self-portraits from lots artists in diverse media.Beside fiber, there's painted collage, assemblage, rug hooking, traditional painting and drawing. See you there -- Anderson Arts Building, Goodman Street, Rochester, New York.

First Day of the Year

Just hung this up, and figure it is a great way to start the new year. Still needs a signature, and a good title. Meanwhile, I'll enjoy having it around. Oh, and Happy New Year. Make some art and join me.