You wouldn't think that living outside of Erie, Pennsylvania would be a center of culture. And it kinda isn't. But it kinda is. Really, we're within an hour or two of Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo. Plus 3 hrs out of Toronto. As well as 2.5 hrs out of central Ohio. Yes, you read that right ....central Ohio. Central Ohio, for you not in the know, is a hot bed of quilting. Not only is there a plethora of quilt stores, quilt groups, retreat spots but also there is The Dairy Barn Art Center (home to Quilt ...
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Peppermint Reindeer by Laura Heini |
But this post is ...
read moreI really think it's important to feed your inner creative soul. I know that sounds "artsy", but it's true. I think after preaching this so much at home, my husband has finally gotten it. That's why I wasn't shocked when he dragged me out to the Erie Museum to see the latest exhibit, Summoning the Wind, by Qian Li.
The Erie Art Museum was never this powerhouse in the art world. Lately, though, I can see that it's upping its game bringing in some really nice exhibits as well as developing its own. Qian ...
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Curves II, Nina-Marie Sayre Improved pieced to a planned pattern |
Improv Surface Design with a little bit of Improv Piecing, |
the driver seat.
That can be very freeing or a little scary ...
read moreHard at Work |
You know sometimes all you want to do is sew and boy, have I done that. Taking Improvisational
Piecing with Veronica Hofman-Ortega at John C. Campbell's Folk School was one of my better ideas. I love a class that starts with design exercises that will lead into bigger and better ideas. Not to mention the ladies in my class were great! There was a full range of quilters in the class - from the very experienced to the beginner. All were traditional, so this was pushing pretty much everyone out of their comfort zone. But let me ... read more
Our Classroom at Marc Adams School of Woodworking and Time Honor Crafts |
Okay, let me start by saying, this is not this clown's first rodeo. When I get ready for a 5-day design class, I normally have a plan in mind of how it's going to go. This week with Timna Tarr's Stitched Mosaic was no different. Since I took this exact same class last year, I thought no problem. You pick a pretty picture - you edit - you place fabrics - you sew - you get your pretty picture in fabric. Right?
Well, apparently not.
It started off pretty ...
read moreWalking Through Time, Sue Benner |
Flora 6, Anna Brown |
design on fabric. It landed on my wish list because this book is loaded ... read more
As you know, I've been struggling mentally over the last few months. It's amazing how much a little anxiety and lack of sleep will upend your life. If anything, I have a new appreciation for people who suffer from them chronically. Luckily with each passing week, I'm feeling better. That said, I promised my critique partner, Barbara that I would get back into the studio and ya know actually get something done. Soooooo I pulled out the easiest WIP I had to finish. My sister told me to start with baby steps and since she's a ... read more
The longest Spring Rush continues at my house. Contrary to what most people would think, Spring Rush is the busiest time of the year for selling women's clothing. Apparently, ladies have places to go and "doings" planned for 2021. As most things this year, Spring Rush is unprecedented. What normally is a 2 week buying frenzy of everything short sleeved and coral has turned into 6 weeks with really no end in sight. It's exhausting.
This is the empty wall |
Every person over the age of 50 knows that if you wait long enough everything will come back in fashion. This wisdom came to me as I saw all the same mid century furniture my mom got rid of in the
1970's popping back onto design shows on HGTV. I mean you can't watch a show without the words "Mid Century" popping up. In fact, it's everywhere from furniture design to Christmas wrapping paper.
So for those not in the know, mid century is a style of design that roughly spans from the 1930's to 1960 ...
read moreArt should be like a holiday: something to give a man the opportunity to see things differently and to change his point of view. -Paul Klee, painter (18 Dec 1879-1940)
So I’m part of Mt. Battie Modern Quilt Guild, one of two local groups. This chapter, part of the MQG (Modern Quilt Guild) is the smaller of the two and is almost completely comprised of members of Coastal Quilters (the other group) which is part of the statewide Pine Tree Quilt Guild (Maine is the Pine Tree state). For once, I decided to participate in a round robin sort ...
read moreThe weather has been quite blue/blah and gray/icky since the hurricane. We absolutely can't trust the sky. However, the temperatures make up for that. We absolutely CAN trust the temps.
So I've been feeling a little gray and blah. I did load a quilt top on the long-arm and I've gotten in the groove. I had forgotten I had this top. It was in the bin waiting a turn. Apparently, there's no rhyme or reason to taking turns in my world. This is neither the oldest or the newest in the bin. So...
But ...
read moreThe feeling of Joy in Worship |
Recently, I had a reader email me a question on abstract quilting. She wanted to know how I made the jump from my traditional roots and figurative working more in abstraction. My answer was not easily. It seemed to me, looking back, that I took the long way around. At first I admired abstract work greatly. It all seemed random chaos to me....but a chaos that was pleasing and interesting. The more I learned about abstract design, the more I realized that there really wasn't anything random or chaotic about it. Really ... read more
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