What I did on Tuesday & Happy All Hallows Eve Day

Here is front, back and detail of the latest bag. I still need to finish the handle which is in the process being braided. I added an invisible zipper to this bag and think that a regular zipper works better for these pieces. It looks pretty good none the less ad the handle will add the inishing touch.

This is another piece that I finished quilting today. The lining (second photo below) is a piece of one of my hand dyed. I like it ! I am adding a bright yellow zipper to this one and a fun braided handle. I have two larger peices that are in the process of being needled right now and I am anxious to get to the quilting stage with them . More ont hese new bags soon.
I finally have linked my IWeb pages to my domain name. Thanks to G.Armour van Horn who managed to figure out the problem I was having getting them linked. Thank God ! for knowing someone who knows what they are doing ! Thank you Van ! Maybe one of these days I may need a 'real' website - he would be the person I would count on. What a pickle this little problem was for ! Talk about an Excedrin headache !I gather it was something that should have been noticed by any one of the parties that I had contacted - but I did not understand the appropriate technical words to ask. You can now access my web pages at: www.zquilts.com

Signs of The Season

I love Christmas (and/or Easter) Cactus. I am mesmerized by them and have very good luck at propagating them. I thought this fixation was something fairly recent for me but my friend, Maria - who is the repository for my early memory at times - reminded me that I have loved them since she met me (when I was about 20). This particular plant has both peach and white color blossoms - so I suspect it was a hybrid to begin with and I am , for some strange reason, uncovering it's parentage! I have red, white, pink and peach colored buds just waiting to bloom. Their blooms always remind me that the holidays that are fast approaching. Such sweet messengers they are!

New Felt

Seems like I have been talking about everything BUT artwork lately. Lest you get the idea that I have been artistically idle - I haven't! I am slowing working on "the face", finishing the small circle quilt from that class a few weeks ago and finally got back to my beloved wools. I have a few bags to get done in a month or so and I think I will make two larger 'knitting' bags and a couple of smaller purses. This piece will be one of the larger knitting bag sizes. At the moment it is about 16" X 22" (40.64cm X 55.88cm). I used a pearl black prefelt from Outback Fibers and some glorious black roving for the base fabric. The yellow is a combination of Coopworth and silk noil - a gift from Cat Bordhi who very generously gave me all of the fibers that she didn't feel she was going to use. Now THAT was a blessing ! I added some slubbed 'bling' yarn and am now adding color dots by hand. I am really looking forward to doing the free form quilting on this piece and will use a nice bright hand dye for the lining I think. Working on these bags is a bit of heaven on earth for me ! I just get so much enjoyment out of the whole process - I look forward to each step along the way !

Great New Book On Felting

I missed a ferry last week and so I turned around and went to the LYS to spend some quality time! I found this new book on felting that it wonderful ! Lots of great techniques - done by some of the most renowned felters on the planet! I have only taken one class about felting - with Pat Spark - and she has a section in this book. Great reading. Try it-you'll love it !

Week's End

Not that I am QUITE done with Tacoma - but thought I would show you what my day was like yesterday. I had to go off the island for an appointment. The moon was still shining when I got on the boat to leave.

My little angel friend,L, graciously offered to pick me up at the ferry. We ate a picnic lunch in a lovely park that was filled with the most amazing trees. It was a quintessential Fall day with bright blue skies, brisk but friendly temperatures and deep saturated colors.

Back in the ferry line we were treated to some amazing views of Mount Baker. I think that there will be plenty of snow for the winter sports enthusiasts this year !

Here is my "sister"- we did not get to have siblings so we found each other long ago. Thanks L for always being there for me.

Tacoma Washington Architecture

Here are photos of some of the very interesting, renovated buildings that are in the downtown area. I have been tagged by the inimitable April :) and will put my thinking cap on and see if I can come up with something germane to a blogging environment !
Hummmmm---Pinkerton ? Great reliefs aren't they?!

There are lots of HILLS in Tacoma - sort of like a scaled down San Francisco. Walking up and down that staircase on the right of the photo above would keep you fit ! That's directly across from the Washington State History Museum.

Union Station, Tacoma Washington

A short ans sweet entry today. More palathering about my Tacoma jaunt. My friend and I stopped at a small "cupcake-aria" called "Hello Cupcake". They served nothing but cupcakes (and tea and Peet's coffee) but the were THE BEST cupcakes ever. The point of my cupcake diversion is that it directly across the street from Union Station - and was an amazing station it is ! The glass work- more of Dale Chihuly's inspired art - was mesmerizing. A trolley still runs right in front of the station and the streets are old cobblestones down the center. Tomorrow I will be posting about more of the lovely,revitalized architectural gems in this area.

Glass Museum: Part 2

Here is one of the " glory holes in" the glass museum. The glass is molten in these furnaces. The photo below shows a vessel being formed - in this case reheated. The vessel is coated with many layers of glass in the process and color is added with glass "stringer" at various points in the forming process. Forming the glass in between heatings.
The museum has visiting artists (in this case the man in the light pants and blue shirt whose name I do not remember!). The other three men in the photo are museum staffers - they are SO darn lucky ! They get to work with the visiting artists - what a great was to apprentice !
The blue vessels in the photo's foreground are similar to what the vessel that it being worked in these phtos will look like. They are a speciality of the artist who is visiting.
Below is the dome that vents the furnaces. I think it's an architectural marvel ! I was enchanted with it! Years ago, when the museum first opened, my friend Larry gave me a glass paperweight from the museum gift shop (which is also awesome!). The paperweight is a conical shape and at the time I had NO idea what it was -other than a lovely, useful piece. Now I know what it represents and I love it even more. I really could have spent all day watching these artisans work. It strengthened my desire to work with hot glass once again even stronger !

Museum of Glass: Part 1

Getting to visit the Museum of Glass was really a highlight of this little trip. I can't begin to explain how truly awesome it was. I have a love for glass working and was, at one time, a hot glass artist wanna be. I suppose I am still the wanna be - I love the process of working with kiln fired glass and making lamp worked beads was probably the most mystical thing I have ever experienced. I would dearly love to have a studio set up with a torch and tanks - I could make beads all the time....really. I could ! The photo above is taken of the Museum from the street. The photo below is the walkway to the museum that begins at the Washington State History Museum and Union Station.

The two photos above are of sections of the ceiling of the canopy along the walkway. It was mesmerizing ! I could have spent a lot of time lying on the ground looking up - but I am sure that it would have occasioned stares and I did not want to embarrass my friend!! There are also display cases under the canopy that house an amazing variety of fantastical glass work. Vessels, bowls,cupids and sea creatures - all fashioned out of gleaming magical glass. The last photo on this page is one of the cherubs. The two stanchions are composed of 'boulders' of glass - simply amazing work ! The birds seem to like the shelter that the crevasses offer. I could easily have spent a couple of hours 'oohing' & ' ahhhing' over just this small canopy of world class art - but it was raining and cold - so we hurried on into the museum. There will be a second part of this museum post tomorrow.....

"Quilting-Art or Craft"

The Contemporary Quiltart Association's exhibit, "The Evolution of The Art Quilt", was at the Washington State History Museum (photo below). The view from the entrance of the museum was of the fabulous Union Station - which is itself a work of art-adorned inside and out with MORE Chihuly glass (more on that in a later post).

The CQA exhibit was really wonderful. The best of the best I would venture say. Although photos were allowed without flash, and I did take photos, I won't show the quilts since I have no permission to do so. There have been too many discussions recently about copyright laws and art being "knocked off" from being shown on-line that I think it best to be cautious. I did, however, think that the statement regarding the art and the craft of quilting was very thought provoking. You can click on the photo to view it in a larger size. What do you think?????

Home: Happy & Tired

Home again from my little road trip. I can't wait to post some photos of the wonderful museum exhibits and sights that we saw. Tomorrow, when I am unpacked and have slept in , I'll post lots of information and photos that I hope will bring you a smile! These birds were roosting in one of the Chihuly glass sculptures that were along the sky bridge to the Glass Museum. The photo below is a small part of the ceiling of the sky bridge . Dazzling! Amazing! The last photo is of Maria - who made the long trek from California to share this time with me. What wonderful memories we have . The most exhausting part of this trip was the driving through lots of traffic (to which I am not accustomed!) and heavy rain. I'll sleep well tonight ! It's always so good to be home - but I truly enjoy my time away in the company of good friends.

Road Trip Report

WOW ! My friend Maria and I are shocked to discover that Tacoma is an absolutely fabulous place to visit! Who would 'a thought?! Our hotel is lovely, built out onto a pier in the sound - great views, decent breakfast. Life is good ! I will have lots of photos to regale you with once I get home (I forgot my cable). The city has done an amazing job of revitalizing their historic downtown area. The beautiful vintage buildings are being refurbished and remodeled- and it looks like lots of incredible condos are being built right near the Glass Museum. We have had the most wonderful day! Some breaks of bright blue skies and some truly drenching downpours with wind. All three of the museums we visited today were memorable. The Contemporary Quilt Art Association's show at the Washington State History Museum is remarkable. Truly inspired work from all. The glass blowing demonstration at the Museum of Glass is riveting. The Gee's Bend Exhibit called "The Architecture of the Quilt", was hung very well - and it was very interesting to see this newer version of the first show that was offered in 2001. I'll have lots to tell - with lots of photos soon

So - since I only had a few photos that were on the resident hard drive (I store most of my photos on an external now) the photo I attached is of a discharged card that I made for my friend Sarah. More soon !

Overlapping Circles

This is the top from this weekend's Overlapping Circles" class from Reynola Pakusich. I am planning to "fiddle" with it some more and then the fun part of FMQuilting. I am not sure sure yet what I think about the process for this class. It is so much more precise and planned than I usually do - but I can see potential for uses of the technique - similar to Jane Sassaman's or Ruth McDowell's I think. I like the way Jane uses interfacing for stabilization..that might have helped with these relatively loosely woven bark cloths.

Warm Colors For Gray Days

The season of gray has most definitely descended upon us early this year so my need for hot colors has started early too ! From Cactus Flowers to wool - I want warmth and color !
All of my Christmas Cactus plants (and there are many of them) are loaded with blooms that will soon give me white, peach, red and pink blooms to enjoy. Ahhhhhhh!!!
Happy Tuesday to all!

Blog Action Day- The environment

Today is Blog Action Day. The Environment. I decided to become involved in this VERY late in the game - but then I started to ask myself just why I was hesitating to "put my money where my mouth is". We only have one environment and, while I think that there is a confluence of factors that are causing problems, we really do need to start paying more heed to Mother Nature if we want to continue to enjoy quality of life on this planet. The only way to start making a difference is by personally making a commitment to take"baby steps". Something as simple as crushing your plastic bottles before disposing them can help reduce landfill. In trying to make this a quiting related post I decided to investigate The Organic Trade Association's website. It has a lot of very good information. Have a look. The older I get the more chemically sensitive I seem to become. Here is the written statement about the benefits of buying "organic":

"...Organic agriculture protects the health of people and the planet by reducing the overall exposure to toxic chemicals from synthetic pesticides that can end up in the ground, air, water and food supply, and that are associated with health consequences, from asthma to cancer. Because organic agriculture doesn’t use toxic and persistent pesticides, choosing organic products is an easy way to help protect yourself..."

Makes sense to me. Remember you really CAN make a difference - one step at a time!

The buddha head in the photo above is a piece I did for the SAQA auction this past year. I was so very excited to learn that Meg Cox had made a donation to SAQA for it. Unfortunately, I never did get to take a photo of the completely finished piece. It is a one foot square painted with acrylic paints on heavy duck cloth, quilted and beaded along some of the lines for emphasis. I lettered the Sanskrit for "OM" on it... as I wished peace and happiness to the person who took him home.

Reynola Pakusich Overlapping Circles Class

Today , 17 of us took a class called "OverLapping Circles"with Reynola Pakusich. The photo above shows Reynola explaining the process. Paper template, freezer paper template in reverse - so that you can iron the freezer paper to the back of your fabric piece. Lots of letters, numbers and registration marks. Not my particular favorite method - but I live by circles and so I was game. Photo below is of one of Reynola's finished pieces. It is a fun, small project and I will finish it. Have some ideas for the borders and embellishments - so why not get it done? I am chomping at the bit to get my thus far nameless face done too.

All of the photos below are of today's "works in progress" - just pinned to the template - no sewing done on any of the at this point. I apologize that the color is so off on some of them. I tried correcting - but for some odd reason (operator error perhaps?!) I had not saved the changes the correct way. Can you guess which of the ones below is mine ????????????