Saturday, July 5, 2025

Give Me More

My screens and prints from teaching at Art Quilt Midwest returned today thanks to FedEx. Which gave me incentive to add new prints (to my website store) I'd taken to Missouri as examples of techniques we'd use in class. My next in-person class is at Art Quilt Tahoe in early November. There's two spots left!
 

Friday, July 4, 2025

Podcast on ME!


Here you go! I recently was interviewed by Brandy Maslowski who goes by "Quilter on Fire" in a just released episode. It's about an hour long, and we muse on all things contemporary quilts. You might enjoy listening as you do your 'thing'. Here is the link:      https://quilteronfire.com/podcast/

Thursday, July 3, 2025

New England Quilt Museum

In last night's audience for my online lecture to the NYC Metro Modern Quilt Guild was Christine Janove who'd just seen my exhibition at the New England Quilt Museum. She was kind to send me this photo, and now you know what you'll find if you visit. A big room of big quilts! Thank you Christine!
 

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Back Home

Tonight I had the privilege of speaking with the NY Metro Modern Quilt Guild on "Challenge". I landed home 2 AM, got some sleep, unpacked, got new food, did errands, and turned my attention to polishing up tonight's lecture. This is me cooling off under the sliver of the moon and my back deck. So happy!
 

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Oklahoma Surface Design


 A walk through the Tulsa Botanic Garden had sculptures on an orugami theme. This caught my eye for the applied botanical motif, cause you know I LOVE leaves!

Monday, June 30, 2025

Woody's Resistance

The famous banjo with the inscription that could say to the audience that they had a decisive singer/songwriter on the stage. From my visit to the Woody Guthrie Center.


 

Sunday, June 29, 2025

Visit to See Bob Dylan


 Or more specifically,  the museum of his work. So artfully designed and informative. The Dylan Museum is next to the Woody Guthrie museum. So almost the entire twentieth century culture was examined. A treat!

On the Round


 My flight to Tulsa had a connection through St. Louis where I saw these floor inlays. They reminded me of Robin Ruth designs. Always keen to see surface designs applied.

Friday, June 27, 2025

Sum of the Parts


 Susan took advantage of the no-traffic hall to lay out her printed work. It's not often we've the space to do this, and it yields valuable perspectives. We're at Art Quilt Midwest in Missouri at university of central Missouri. 

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Walls Do Talk

Art Quilt Midwest is winding down, and tonight there was a 'walkabout' for the classes. Our printing class hung works (still to be washed) on the walls with character, energy, and printing prowess. Other classes has stitching, assemblages, thread studies, and landscape abstractions. A wonderful week!
 

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

You Print What You Are

Jean is printing what she is wearing, which means the pallet is already part of her vocabulary. I see this occur often, and must say that some purposfully wear what they are interested in. Anyway, whether this is true or not, she's got some great motifs going, and has dived into the deep water of printing successfully.
 

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Printing and Printing

A wonderful group to talk about our first day's work in Art Quilt Midwest, here in Warrensburg, Missouri. We're a mix of seasoned printers and some newbies, but it takes no time at all to fill the gap for printing expertise. We've three more days to work, plenty of things to try, and want only for afternoon snacks.
 

Art Quilt Midwest


 Our first day at Art Quilt Midwest included a gallery of work brought to the event by students in workshops. What a lot of talent to greet tonight's faculty lecturers. Fantastic work.

Sunday, June 22, 2025

Tea Party


 Tea Party is now on view (or when it opens this Tuesday) at the New England Quilt Museum in an exhibition of my work that will last into the summer. I'm excited to see it and my chance is in August 23 when I'll be giving a lecture there on my work and processes.

Saturday, June 21, 2025

We Own This Stuff

Thanks to a Facebook group called "Buy Nothing" I was able to find a home for solid fabric quarters that I've not used in years. Happy to send these to where they will find a purpose. It's a small amount, but every ounce adds up to clearing a way for the purpose of "now".
 

Friday, June 20, 2025

It's Time

My serviceberry tree is producing fruit, and I was lucky to grab a handful of these small berries. I'll be off next week teaching a workshop at the Art Quilt Midwest in Missouri, and I'm certain that when I return, the birds will have picked this clean. That's what this tree is for -- bird food!
 

Thursday, June 19, 2025

In the Garden

More than a dozen years ago I drafted this pattern for a paper pieced raffle quilt. That quilt was about 8' square, this is about 5' square. I no longer use paper piecing for quilt design, but those who do love this effect. I've added the pattern to my website store. If that's your thing, you might like "In the Garden".




 

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Officially Official

Here's the logo that identifies me as an tutor for the Festival of Quilts. I'm excited to bring improv piecing to Birmingham, England in "Within the Frame" on the Tuesday before the opening on Thursday. We'll go with a bit of 'however it lands'!
 

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Line Up on the Design Wall

It was difficult to clear the design wall for the next piece as I kept finding new combinations that were as charming and that demanded my attention. So, the monster leaf quilt will have to wait on the "B" team design wall until this gets resolved. I could have more difficult problems, right?
 

Monday, June 16, 2025

On the Wall

Finished the second piece that I needed to take with me to Art Quilt Midwest. There will be a gallery of works by faculty, some for auction, some for sale. At the Art Gallery on the campus of University of Central Missouri where the symposium will take place beginning this coming Sunday. Hurray!
 

Sunday, June 15, 2025

Details

Entries to exhibitions often ask for details, particularly if it is fiber work. I contend that the image of that detail should be compositionally interesting, and show some facet of the work in the medium as well as the finishing. Above is all right, but doesn't show the color work of the piece. Below better.


 

Saturday, June 14, 2025

Ordered Chaos

Finished and hung. It's my latest off the longarm and I'll bring this to Art Quilt Midwest with me. I'm also going to add this as an entry to the SAQA NY/NJ call for the "By Contrast" exhibit. At 53 x 39 it fits the size requirements for accepted work. Cross your fingers, but meanwhile, it'll be on the plane to Kansas.
 

Friday, June 13, 2025

Flag Day June 14th

It took me a dozen years to add this flag. Tomorrow is Flag Day, and ownership of this symbol is for all citizens of the United States. Thirty years ago my two daughters and I marched with Susan B. Anthony's stand-in from her Rochester home to commemorate her work on Women's Rights. We carried flags.

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Keeping Ahead

Last night I added a dozen pieces of printed fabric to my website 'shop' and today of that group, almost all are gone. Here I thought I was keeping ahead of the traffic, seems I need to steer around and get more to add. So, thanks to those who found ones they liked, and now I've got to make more. 
 

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Within the Frame

I've yet to quilt this, but I already like this 'within the frame' composition. I'll go to the workshop in Birmingham, UK, as well as some here. Someone asked if it was possible to do this class using commercial (not hand-printed) and the results are just as grand. Here's a student's work from last month.


Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Full Moon

My full moon fill-in. Sometimes I look at prints that I've done (this is a detail) and can't figure out just how-in-the-heck I made that. But I have an idea that I've got a monoprint here where I've printed to the table, then pulled a print from that. I'll add my meager full moon shot over the expressway tonight.



 

Monday, June 9, 2025

More Within the Frame


In no time I'll be on British soil at The Festival of Quilts.  They've asked me to teach an academy class ahead of the opening of the festival. So, Tuesday. I'll teach "Within the Frame" and may bring this with me. Now it needs to be quilted and finished, but it'll pack lighter undone. My dilemma, perhaps?

Sunday, June 8, 2025

Within the Frame

I've freed the design wall for a center medallion style. I may stick with the left. I'll pack it for the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, where I will teach a one day class "Within the Frame" that used improv design with a familiar composition. If you are there, my class is on Tuesday, before the opening of the show.

https://www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk/academy-programme/
 

Saturday, June 7, 2025

Podcast Links FATT

Sequestered behind these unweeded gardens is my humble Cape Coddie where I was hosed in a podcast by Fiber Arts Take Two. Here are the links for watching in case you need to relax an hour and soak in the sunshine/rainfall.  Enjoy!

on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/fibreartstaketwo/videos/1864917290719674

On YouTube

and in podcast form

 

Friday, June 6, 2025

Decked Out

This is the 'non' working part of Studio 301. I'll sit as far away as I can and look back at the design wall. There are always better solutions from that distance. I've hung works for First Friday, and also Second Saturday. I did manage to get some sewing in as well. So nice to be back and working the studio.
 

Thursday, June 5, 2025

First Friday & I'm Open!

I've gotten this large work combined and now the quilting awaits. Just in time to clear this design wall, sweep around the work stations, and get ready for First Friday. I've not been around for the last couple of months, and tomorrow will be a long lingering light of day, packets of oreos, and an open Studio 301.
 

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Australia Calls ME

Tomorrow, Thursday, June 5, I'll be speaking with Fiber Art Take Two. It will be on their website www.fiberarttaketwo as well as on YouTube. Who knows what it'll sound like, but if you're dying to hear me speak (coherently or not) tune in. It'll start at 7pm (not at 5 as they state) EST, check you time zone.


 

Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Print Studio

I had a request for a 'circle' scarf, so I had to get myself in the wet studio and do some work. She choose this one, which I almost kept for myself, but glad I didn't. I'd like to hold all of them, in fact. There are more on the website store, and I'll bring some with me to Art Quilt Midwest at the end of the month.
 

Monday, June 2, 2025

More Studio Time

I'm rounding the bend to see the finish here. The last bit is the lower right corner that hasn't yet been resolved. So, tomorrow I'll have fresh eyes. And, oddly, I'm motivated to wrap it up as the next one really is calling me. That's unusual!
 

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Wash Day

I've a few yards finished and washed from the last two workshops. This is a demo print, and there are some rough places, but I can selectively work around them and use the parts that are cleanly printed. I like the layers available here, and will definitely use this  piece, not let it go to the website store.
 

Saturday, May 31, 2025

Imprinted on Cloth

Tonight was the opening of the Schweinfurth Art Center's exhibition with four surface designers -- Petra Fallaux, Karen Schulz, Margaret Boys Wolf, and me. It is a lovely look at rich  color applied to fabric, unique voices and motifs, and a wonderful statement on current surface design in fiber work. Go see!
 

Friday, May 30, 2025

Deceptive Color


Top pic is unwashed, with my mystery color (turquoise and magenta), with mixed mystery and turquoise. I know what happens, so I'm not shocked with the resulting color. Turquoise goes down dark when wet; my favorite purple is that mystery blend. I like what I have, and I'll plan to do it again. 
 

Thursday, May 29, 2025

Scarf VS Shirt

I've two one yard pieces of crepe di chine that were tagged for scarves, but wouldn't it be fun to use as a shirt? Lord knows I've a few more things to get finished before I try more garments, but I can maybe move this up the list a bit, can't I?
 

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Your Invited Saturday

Drinks are on the house, er, the Schweinfurth Art Center. It should be a wonderful set of works who share the art of printing on fabric. They may even have cookies, too. 
 

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Taking a Bow

I'm heading to the opening of "Imprinted on Cloth" at the Schweinfurth Art Center this Saturday for the opening. Slight of Hand, on loan from a collector, will be shown along with work by Margaret Boys Wolf, Petra Fallaux, and Karen Schulz. Join us in Auburn, NY, May 31 from 4-6.




 



Monday, May 26, 2025

Screen Time

I've got some screen time waiting for me, and the silk fabric is in. Two kinds of silk scarves are on my table for next week, one that is a round and 60" long, the other a large 42" square. I know we're heading into hot weather, but my calendar calls this task before it heats up. 

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Sunday, May 25, 2025

The Print Table

I'm using the dyes leftover from the class in Auburn; there's not much, but enough to cover this yard. It is mainly red and turquoise, but the wet turquoise always looks black, so this view of a wet print is deceptive. It'll washout completely differently. Plus, I've added red to purple it up. 
 

Saturday, May 24, 2025

Next Up


When I get the chance to work in the studio again I'll take on this construction. I like the motif, and there's good movement in the background where the color shift is working well, so it's a matter of shifting the elements to strengthen the composition. Which is to say, it'll take a bit of finagling.

Friday, May 23, 2025

Groundwork

When I'm printing, I'll have several puddles of color, much like a painter's palette, waiting at the ready. At the end of a print session, I hate to scrape them up and wash away, so I've used them in a color block background. I'll add a background heavy motif over this allowing the colors to come through.