Category Archives: Childhood Memories

Childhood Memories, Coral Sea, Curvie Cuts, Felt Work, Hand work, Machine Drawing, Night Fire, Wool Rounds

Fall

Hello,

The world keeps tilting back toward the north and as we passed the Autumnal  Equinox this week , the light of our days is diminishing every 24 hours.  The trees are showing color now as well.
This week has been a quiet one with lots of studio time for me. I did go to Liz’s house on Friday and we dyed. She is getting ready to go to the Barn and work for two weeks so she did some pre -work with green.
I just made yardage and after washing it out, we both agree the dye is getting old and is very pale.

Progress Report: Night Fire This work is 39.5″w X 34″t. I am quite happy with this work. The high contrast in color adds to the drama of fire. Judy gave me a photo of fire burning at night and that was the inspiration. I used lots of silk paper, and organza in this work as well as the traditional cotton.

 

 

 

 

Topographical I continue to do the couching on this work. I would say it is about half done at this point.

 

 

 

 

 

Sea Horses

I got excited about felting again and worked hard on this piece. I plan to add roving to the felt sea horses too. The brain coral is yarn felted with roving.

 

Coral Sea. As one can see this work was influenced by the felting project. I have not done much work here as the Topographical piece has taken most of my handwork energy this week.

 

 

Autumn Leaves    I The season dose have an impact on my work.   So I did print another collection of leaves for this work. I am still building parts here.

 

 

New Work    I pulled a work that I started at QBL in the Rock class out and sewed down the parts this week .  I then found one of my favorite pictures from Dad’d farm of trees and started  some to add to the work.    The trees are on wash away and when I have built them enough I will then add them to the base.

Wool Rounds I finished this panel this week completing 16 of the circles. I pulled out one more pair of old blue jeans to do more rounds. I still do not know exactly were I am going with this piece, but I am enjoying the process.

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Stories

Memory is a strange thing.   Some things are all linked together in day units and some things I remember like beads on a string.    In doing this project I have learned that geographic and physical location  is a strong element for me to tie my memories together.    I am calling this panel Stories because I know these things happened to me,  but I think they were told or explained more than true events that I recall.  For example, I have a faded scar in a grid pattern on my left arm.   I was told by Mother that when I was very young and we were living in the trailer in Ainsworth that I fell against a heater and that is the source of that scar.  I remember a gold sweater that Mom gave me for a doll to wear.  The source she said was from the time Dad was a girls basketball coach.     It seems she knitted the sweater and added the A for Ainsworth to the front.  When she took me to the ball game the cheerleaders insisted that I set with the ball in the center circle during half time cheers.  I was a mascot of sorts.      A third event that was recorded as a photo that Mom took at  the time that I had wondered out to the barn behind the house.  I crawled over the gate and got into the pig pen and was playing in the mud with the 200 pound hogs when Mom found me.   She was horrified, and amazed that  I  did not get hurt by the animals.   I  got a good spanking , and a hot bath to remove the excessive mud- but she had to take a photo non the less.    Every time we looked at the photo album she would retell the story.     Even though I have these memoirs they are not really mine in the same way most of the things I talk about are.   They remain a part of my past that this exercise is suppose to cover.

Keep Creating

Carol

Apples and Chickadees, Autumn Leaves, Childhood Memories, Coral Sea, Night Fire, Wool Rounds

Working

Hello
As summer fades there seem to be an abundance of events.   These flowers are form Mim’s garden and they added to the setting for the the opening of the Associated Artist Show  this week.

This is a shot of three of the winners of awards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I went with several quilting friends to the Cornell Full Circle Concept Fashion Show. It is always full of wild clothing. I was taken buy this dress called Earth Angle.   In talking with the artist I learned she used many melting techniques that I have used to get the moss like texture in the bodices  of this gown.

 

 

I marveled at this work with its use of broken mirrors and clock works.  the creator admitted to getting lots of glass cuts from the mirrors when she put this together. The clothing is not meant to be worn, but to explore ides for the young fashion gals who will be a part of the wearable fashion show in the spring. It’s a good program.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Apples and Chickadees This work is 12″w X 19″l. I did the silk painting in a class with Michelle de Groot in Rochester earlier this fall. All the machine drawing came later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Topographical I started this project in class with Cynthia Corbin at QBL this summer.    This is a close up.     The couching adds color and texture to the surface.

 

Wool Rounds This is my handwork project for the time being.    This shot is close to life size.   I am trying to finish a circle before I start  a new one  while I watch the news.

Night Fires This project is going well. I have finished the trees now and only need to free motion quilt in the underbrush to finish that step.

 

 

 

 

Collaring Aunt May I will be going to Chicago to visit with Sharron in Oct and I want a hand project to work on. So I am going to applique down some of my Great Aunt Mays’s collars and lace work as my project.

 

 

 

Coral Sea

I only created the crochet plants this week. They are not tacked down yet as I want to add fish swimming through some of the branches.

 

 

Autumn Leaves I made the leaves in Betty Busby’s class at QBL this summer and plan to make additional ones. The base is simple and will support the idea.

 

 

Childhood Memories- Jackson Hole
When ever Dad had time off as a ranger, Mom had a travel plan of some sort. One week end we went down to Jackson Hole to view the ski lift and see what was there. We climbed to the top of the lift with Gene and myself in the lead as usual. Gene and I ran full speed down the wooden surface much to Mom horror. We both stopped before the end- but she did not know that.
We explored the town and went to a restaurant to have a late lunch. It was memorable for two reasons. One we rarely ate out. Two, because we had buffalo burgers. I do not remember them tasting all that different from beef- but I was a kid and do not nor do I know have a very good pallet. The then went to the Native American Dances up on a Masa like area. It was not commercialized and there were no seats. I remember tiring and setting on the ground at Mom’s feet and leaning against her legs as we were in the front I could still see the women dancing in one direction and the men in the opposite, around a fire. Drums and singer/chanters were the music.
It was late when we started back toward Colter Bay but we stopped at a fruit stand on the edge of town and got Bing -Cherries among other fruit. They were our dinner and we spit the pits out the windows as we drove home in the dark. They tasted great and I still think of that time every time I eat them. What we did not discover until morning was the streak stains on the white car. They did not wash off well. Years later when we sold the car one could still see a faint hint of the stains if one looked for them.

Keep Creating

Carol

Childhood Memories, Diva Meetings, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Feathers, Night Fire, QBL- Quilting By the Lake, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Tee Shirt Quilts, Wildfire

Cool Fall Weather

Sept 12

Hello,
Today is cool and rainy. A good day to do work.   Tomorrow is Friday the 13 and the moon will be full.  Be sure to check it out at those two things will not happen together again until  2048.

There was a QuEG’s meeting this week. It was good to see folks. Liz brought her project form the Silk class. It looks good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sue Ellen is finishing up projects and this is one.

 

 

Corrine was at the Red Thread workshop at Ghost Ranch.    This was one of her projects

 

 

 

 

This is one of the projects that Angel has just completed. She is taking an on line class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She also experimented with some direct eco printing.  These cards are the result.

 

 

 

 

 

There was also a Diva meeting this week.

Maureen shared her knowledge of Spoon Flower with Susan and the rest of us.

 

 

 

 

 

Cheri had new work to share too. This is one of her pieces from QBL.

 

 

 

 

 

Noel also had work from QBL to share with us.

Lots of nice hand work here.

 

 

 

 

Liesi  did some dyeing with her grandchildren this summer and she shared it with us.

Both meetings were lively and enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

Associated Artist is having its Members show this week. This is Barbara’s piece from that show.

 

 

 

 

This is my work at the show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Seven Feathers This quilt is 28″ w X 48″ l. I finished the reflective quilting this week. I am glad to have learned the processes that Betty Busby teaches.

 

I made the marbleized fabric at QBL about 30 years ago.  The batik is from the day we made it at Regina’s earlier this spring. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tee Shirt Quilt 2 I finished up this work yesterday too. I am glad to have completed the project. Now I need to get it to my daughter and onto the family.

 

 

Night Fires I have finished all the free motion work on the orange and yellow sections of this quilt. I want to add some hot spots with red. I think I will do the work on the dark parts of the forest first though.

 

 

Apples ans Chickadees    I have started to do the machine quilting on this project.

 

 

 

 

 

Coral Sea This is just the beginning of this project.  It has been  a long time sense I have done a sea floor piece and I thought I would like the stretch again.

 

 

 

 

New Project- old lace I need a hand work project for my trip to Chicago in Oct. So I am beginning by building this back ground.

 

 

Topographical   I am still couching down the blue yarn on the brown sections of this work.

 

 

 

 

Wool Rounds I have button whole stitch around all the wool circles but one. It is relaxing.

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories; The Bell Visit
When we were in the Tetons my aunt Marce and uncle Paul brought my cousin Russell out for a visit. Uncle Paul was a man who loved to play practical jokes. While they were visiting he spent one afternoon in the ranger station setting on the floor chipping out arrow heads. Then when he got home to the farm in Iowa he dropped them around the barn lot and had a good time rediscovering them when ever a sales man showed up.   After picking up an arrow head he would make   little disparaging statements like” Oh no another one” and preparing to toss it aside. The sales man always offered him money of the “find” from the “ old Indian encampment.”

The second day of their visit we went to visit Craters of the Moon. That meant a drive across the continental divide.  Gene, Russell and I were in the back section of the station wagon. The boys started daring one another to eat the play dough. I did not get into that. As we climbed higher and higher with all the switchbacks the two to them got sick- we had to stop the car and they both exited quickly and threw up over the side of the mountain. I never told anyone why they got ill. They were fine when we got to the park. I do remember that although we stayed mostly on the paths with our running and exploring, the sharp lava glass nearly shredded the soles of our shoes.   It was a good exhausting day.

Keep Creating

Carol

Burning Woods, Childhood Memories, Finger Lakes Fiber Artists, Mom VI, Tee Shirt Quilts, Wool Rounds

Labor Day 2019

1 Comment

Hello,
This week was Labor Day and even though I have been retired for years it still represents the end of summer and the beginning of   fall and school for me. It was a quiet day and I worked in the studio a lot. I got to thinking about horizons as I watched the children walking to school this morning. The Father was sharpening them along toward new futures that would certainly broaden the horizons of those young minds. Horizons are a important part of artists work too. It is a part of many a landscape and a great tool to use to show depth in art work. Just a small shift can change ones perspective and the horizons one sees. It is a way for one to explore even thought we are through with formal schooling.

I did unroll my Eco Dyeing projects from the  Finger Lakes Fiber Artists play day two weeks ago.   I am sorry to say the beets red dye turned black  with time.  But the red silk that I used did transfer lots of its color.      This is the paper.

This is the fabric.

 

 

 

Progress Report: Seven Feathers I have stitched down all the feathers at this point and I am doing reflective quilting to complete this piece.

Tee Shirt Quilt I finished the construction of the back for this quilt yesterday. Now I can begin the sandwich and quilt it.

 

 

 

 

 

Burning Woods It seemed like it took a long time for me to begin pinning on this work. Now it is moving along quickly. I have even started to stitch down some of the parts of this work.

Memories of Mom This work appears and disappears the stack of things to do so progress is slow. I am also unsure about whether I   have pulled together all the items I want to use on it.   I just need to keep exploring.

 

 

Wool Rounds     I am finished with this first batch of circles.  I am now working on a second bunch.

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Schoolroom Glacier

This memory is also  of the Tetons. When Dad was a ranger Mom wanted to go to Schoolroom Glacier. It is a classic example of how a glacier pushes rocks to for a moraine and a lake as it moves forward. We never made the trip that summer as it is 14 miles from the trail head at Jenny Lake to the glacier. Farther then she thought we  ( I was 10 and Gene was 7 ) could hike in one day. But when we returned to the Tetons and Yellowstone the year I was a senior, we rented horses and made the trip.  Do to a heat event ( precursor of climate change) the snow at the front of the glacier collapsed into the lake and a lot of water flooded out. This destroyed the perfect V that was usually a part of the moraine. It left a big cave like form in the front of the glacier too. Mom was very excited and took a lot of photos to use in her class.  She also purchased older slides of how it had been before the collapse. While we were there it stated to rain. I had a new cowboy hat as I had out grown my old one,  so my head was dry. But to my dismay the horse I was riding threw a shoe and I had to walk her most of the way down. My hat’s form was ruined by the rain, but I still have the horse shoe.

Keep Creating

Carol

Childhood Memories, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Feathers, Mom VI, Old and New - Purple and Blue, Tee Shirt Quilts, Uncategorized, Wool Rounds

Busy Week

2 Comments

Hello
I have enjoyed a very active week. Last Friday I went to a silk painting workshop in Rochester with lots of creative gals. Liz did a great piece with flowers.

 

Joyce worked from a photo from her yard.

 

 

 

 

Regina explored a drawing.
I worked from the sketch I had drawn last week.

 

 

 

 

 

Karen did a great job from one of her photos of grapes.

 

 

 

 

 

The class was great and I learned a lot. I will add thread painting and quilting to finish this up in the next week or so.

 

The Michelle the teacher from Australia, did a wonderful trunk show at the end of the day.   This is her use of the techniques she was teaching us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then on Sunday I went off to Moravia and visited with Susan and Sally. We talked of may things and I got some great feed back on this piece- Old and New.

 

 

 

Tues I picked up Patti and the two of us drove north to Mill Sight Lake and Judy’s Camp for three days. Judy shared this colorful quilt that   Judy made and a Amish gal had quilted for her.

 

 

Patti and I worked with our machines while Nancy and Judy went out on the lake and platted around the island. We had a good time and made a few plans for the fall.

 

 

And just to let you know I make mistakes too.  I was not paying full attention while I was  working on my scarp  quilt and  I accidentally  ran the sewing machine into my finger nail.     I only caught the tip on my nail and a bit of skin.   So  please  be careful!

Progress Report: Tee Shirt Quilt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have now finished the assembly of the top of this work.  I have pulled flannel to make some base blocks that I will surround in the log cabin style for the back.

Feathers  I am half way done adding the feathers to this quilt.  I plan to do reflective quilting around the outside.

Wool Rounds     

I just keep building on these wool units.   It is calming work.

 

 

 

 

 

Scrap  I worked on these at Mill Site.  I am pleased to say I only have one more box of scraps to work from.  Over the weekend I finished up nine more units.

 

 

 

 

Memories of Mom

I did a little hand work on this piece this week that is made from  things that Mom had in her home.

Sketching   I just keep my fingers in the drawing game by doing a new one every now and then

 

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories – Lessons
The summer I was ten and Dad was a temporary Ranger in Tetons was a great one for me.  We went to many ranger talks and sat on logs looking at the lake with the mountains beyond  and learning fun facts while the sky darkened and the stars came out. Because all rangers need to be able to rescue hikers from the mountains Dad  learned to repel.  He took us along for his practice with a second ranger named  Jim. Gene and I also got to take a hand a repelling and I loved it. It was great fun to jump away from the vertical rock face and sour down with the rope to help one land safely back on land.
We rode across Jackson Lake to the undeveloped side and bushwhacked up the mountain one day. Saw a heard of wild goats and got lots of scratches on that adventure. Dad also taught us that if we ever got lost in the wilderness to do two things. Always go down hill and when you find water follow it down too. It will always lead you to civilization eventually and you will have a vital life saving source close at hand. I am glad to say I have never had to apply that knowledge. At the end of the summer there was a range’s picnic. Gene and I were the only kids. Lots of great food. The only things to drink were water and beer. So I thought I would try the beer. Just as I opened the can Dad came around the cabin. He was not happy with me. But he insisted that sense I had opened the can that I drink the whole thing. Then I promptly emptied my stomach on the grass. I was never tempted as a teen- and even later I never learned to drink beer. The lesson was learned.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

PS this is a shot of the sun set over the St Lawrence River.

 

Childhood Memories, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Finger Lakes Fiber Artist Group, Tee Shirt Quilts, Topographical, Wool Rounds

New Experiences

Hello
This week has been a busy one for me. Saturday was a Finger Lakes Fiber Artists Play day at the Schweinfurth. There was a lot going on. Cheri painted. Barb, Parilla, Marcia, and Joyce did starch resist work. Maureen did a little mini workshop on indigo printing and Eco-dying.  This shot is of the Eco-Printing that Maureen did before hand.   

 

This  is what my Eco Printing looks like as one needs to let the plant dyes  seep into the paper and fabric in the cold printing style we used.  Keep it moist for a month Maureen said, before you unwrap it.   Stay tuned.

The Indigo  printing was more direct,  and is finished like  other dyeing processes.

It was fun and enjoyable as well as a learning experience for me.

 

I did wash out some fabric that Liz and I had done on a print day earlier in the summer while I was at it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday the FAD group meant at my home. Sharon has finished another of her commissions works and they continue to be better and better.

 

 

 

Progress Report: Feathers This work is at the quilting stage now.  The feather on the right is all quilted the one on the left is only started.    I have learned that it take me a little more than an hour to do each feather so I will be at this project for a few weeks.

Tee Shirt work

I am quiet pleased with the progress on this project. Three of the four columns are done now. The top will soon be done and I can move onto the back construction.

 

 

Topographical I continue to hand couch down the yarn to show movement in this work.

 

 

 

 

 

Wool Rounds

I keep working to finish up each circle.  The are a limited number of stitches I can think of to do in a circular  fashion.

 

 

 

 

Class Preparations I am taking a class in silk painting tomorrow and in preparation for that class I have drawn the image I hope to use in colored pencil and black and white.

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories: Colter Bay Camping  Grounds
The year I was 10, Dad was again a summer Park Range. This time it was in  Tetons National Park. He and two other men ran the camp ground at Colter Bay on Jackson Lake. We were housed in a white army surplus tent with a   wooden frame, wooden floor,  door,  screen door, and potbelly stove. It was 18 feet square. Gene and I had bunk beds in one corner and Mom and Dad had a double in the opposite one. There was one chest of drawers with four drawers,  and a table with  four chairs. Suit cases were stored under the bunk beds and the wood box was at the foot. There was electricity, but we had to carry in the water. Next to the stove, there was a small unit for food prep and dishes as well as supplies. I do remember that Mom baked a birthday cake in the electric skillet she brought for Pete Nickel’s Birthday. ( He was one of the other rangers  in  another   tent on sight.) The bathroom was in the campground and it was always a brisk walk/run to visit it in the mornings. To bathe we went to the Snake River near a hot spring twice a week. It was a great summer with lots of hikes, going to campfire lectures, and traveling.  Mom and I even made little pillows and stuff them with pine needles. They smelled wonderful  for years after that. As it got closer to Labor Day and our return home, it got colder and colder especially at night. Two nights before the close of the campground and our drive home, when the lights were out, I heard mice in the wood box. I though I felt one run across my legs and when I mentioned it -Dad pooh-poohed that and said go to sleep.   Then just as I was dozing off one ran across my face. I screamed. Dad was not sympathetic and said I was imagining things.   Some how I did fall asleep. But the last night I refused to sleep in the bottom bunk- and insisted on sleeping at the opposite end of Gene’s bunk on the top. In the morning I was vindicated by little mouse dropping all over the bed spread. When we got home to Carroll two days later my own bed seemed huge and very secure.

Hope you enjoy your childhood memories as much as I do mine.

 

Keep Creating

Carol

PS

The post next week will be done on Friday because the FAD group is going up to Judy’s camp from Tue to Thur.

Childhood Memories, Falcon, Hand work, Landscapes, Tee Shirt Quilts, Wool Rounds

Summer Calm

Hello,
The squirrels in upstate New York are in full harvest mode. It has been a bumper year for acorns as we have had lots of rain. Our new driveway  is covered with their discards. This week has been a quiet one and I have enjoyed lots of time in the studio.

Progress Report: Falcon This work is 23″ w X 40.5″ l. I started this in the Rock On class at QBL. It too needed a center of interest so I drew on the new techniques I learned in Betty Busby’s class and produced the falcon. The use of Intense pencils to do the  shading really is wonderful.

 

 

 

I made the branch out of yarn, nylon net and fabric scraps. Then did a thick layer of free motion stitching on top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wool Rounds This is my new handwork project. I have not done any planning as to how I will use these or how many there will be. I am just enjoying the doing at this point.

 

Tee Shirt 2 It has finally been long enough that I feel I could tackle this second tee shirt quilt. It took three hours to fuse the inner facing to the back of the tees so they would not stretch when I stitched them to the cottons. The assembly strips are cut and the small ones are sewn together. I will be laying it out and putting it together next week.

Topographical I started this quilt in the Rock On class too. I am couching down the yarn at this point.

 

 

Mountain This is a work that grew out of the scraps from the Rock On class too. I had created the clouds at the play day where I was teaching silk paper and I wanted to use then. It needs a focus.

 

 

 

Feathers      I fused down the cut feathers from Betty Busby’s class 

and assembled this top this week.    It is layered and pinned now so I will begin tho quilt this week.

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Heart Lake
The summer Dad was a Forest Ranger in Yellowstone we did a lot of exploration of the park. We quickly discovered that we had not brought along enough warm clothing so the first time we went to West Thumb(   a shop area that no longer exists in the park) we all got new coats. Mine was a red polished cotton. I was proud. One day we did a hike to Heart Lake. It was eight miles into the lake mostly down hill. I was looking for rocks along the way and discovered a piece of flint about the size of a soft ball in a stream bed we crossed. I picked it and carried it for a while then put it in the pocket of the new coat. It was heavy so when we came across a  tall  tree stump that was along the trail I reasoned that I would put the rock there and retrieve it on the way home. The day warmed and we soon shed our coats.   Dad put them in the back pack. We arrived at the beautiful quiet lake. Ate the lunch Mom had packed and Dad started fishing. Gene and I play in the shallow water of the lake building rock towers and throwing rocks.    Dad caught one 12 “ Cut Throat Trout. Gene and I unintendedly caught leaches on our ankles. Time to go eight miles back out up out of the valley to the car and home. It was a long and difficult walk for the end of an active day. I remember Dad holding the handle of the fishing poll and my brother holding onto the poll to keep up the pace. When we got home to the trailer it was dark and we were all famished. The trout was soon sizzling in the pan and we had a great feast. Unpacking the back pack I remembered that I had forgotten to pick up the flint- and when I saw how the pocket of my new jacked was shredded by its sharp edges,  I was sure Mom would be angry with me. I don’t remember if she said anything- but I do remember every time I put hand in the pocket I recalled my foolishness.

Keep Creating

Carol

The Bachelor Buttons are in full bloom around here now.

Animals, Childhood Memories, Fox in the Rocks, Old and New - Purple and Blue, QBL- Quilting By the Lake, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Shows

Full Summer

Hello,
It has been a quiet week here with a few events thrown in for spice.

 

 

 

 

I hung a dozen works at the Oaks for the on   Saturday .    Then on  Sunday I went to Marcia’s to Percilla’s Sale. The flowers are from Marcia’s garden.

I purchased a few Jackets and got this wonderful applique from Gautama that Percilla had purchased on one of her trips.    I love this little bat.

 

 

 

 

Tues was the QuEG’s meeting and folks had a lot to share. This is a work that Victoria made and gave to Susan.    They were working with hand  painted    silk organs.

 

 

 

They were in Micky Laure’s class and Susan purchased this piece at the scholarship auction by the teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Susan’s work from the class.

 

 

 

 

 

Corrine is off to Ghost Ranch for a workshop and she made these leather journals for her self and her daughter for that trip.

 

 

 

 

Sue Ellen did this commission of one of the lakes in the Adorancks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linda made this nice bed sized quilt at QBL . It is from a Jelly Roll with the dark blue added for contrast.

 

 

Angela is taking a class on line dealing with hand stitching.  This is one of nine squares she has done for one of the first three units  of this class.

 

 

They are only using strait stitches with different spacing and yarn thicknesses.   Here are two more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Fox in the Rocks This work is 27″ w

X 39.5″ t.    I started it in the  Rock On class with Cynthia Corbin  and finished it this week. I used some of the techniques from Betty Busby’s class to create the fox.  The painting and the use of colored pencil to create detail are from that class.

 

 

 

 

There are several more form this class that I am working on now too.

The cheese cloth texture  is some I painted earlier this spring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bee Blouse I loved this shirt but it had a bad spot on it and I thought I would save it by covering up the spot. I had purchased bee appliques from Amanda Mc Carver at QBL and thought to use them.

 

 

 

I though three bees were not enough so I made some myself and some lady bugs too.   The bees are on the shirt and the lady bugs were used  to cover a tear on my new blue jeans.   This shot is of the insects drying after I washed out the wash away.

 

Blue Jeans
They do the trick I’d say.

 

 

 

 

Feathers I made the fabric for the feathers in Betty’s class and she cut them out on her stencil machine. They are fused the fabric and I am building a quilt around them.

 

 

 

 

 

Old and New- Purple and Blue

I keep adding the new hand stitching to the blocks and I can see the end now. There are only four more blocks to do. It takes about 15 min to do each one so this project will be done with this phase by next week.

 

 

 

Beaded Bag I came across this old project while looking for a piece of fabric. I could not remember when I had started it, but I knew it was long ago so I started the neck unit. This little red tab is what an hour will do- so now I know why I put it aside.

 

 

 

Childhood Memories; Saturday’s in 6th grade.
My allowance when I was in 6th grade was $.75.         $.25 of that went into the Skippy Peanut Butter jar bank. That was saving for a $25.00 savings bond. The rest was for spending.
My best friend was Julie and her parents owned the local roller skating  rink. It cost $25 cents to get in and .25 for sake rental so that is what how I spent my allowance. I loved the Limbo and the Hokey Poky.         Julie was the first person I had meant with a birth defect. Her second finger did not have the last digit and she had a very small fingernail growing out the top of it. She was an excellent skater and the first Sat of every month she went off to  competitions.   So on the Saturdays when she was not at the rink I did not go rollerskating.    I went  instead to movies with Gene and Lee.    $ .25 admission and $.10 for popcorn. That allowed for a nickel for a  Slim Jim- a Camel Taffy on a stick that took the whole afternoon to consume. The remaining   dine   was spent for ice cream on the walk home from the theater. We saw a lot of old westerns and had a good time.  I had always blown my whole  spending  allowance by Saturday evening.

Keep Creating

Carol

Childhood Memories, No Moon, Old and New - Purple and Blue, QBL- Quilting By the Lake, Three Stars

Quilting by The Lake # 36

1 Comment

Hello
I am still feeling excited from two weeks at Quilting by the Lake. I enjoyed hanging the quilt show on the Friday before the opening. Sharon helped me with the Finger Lakes Fiber Artist part of the show .

This work is by Joan a part of that section of the show  and I’d say it’s a real beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

My Forest Fire quilt was well received too.
I did not really get to look closely at hanging time. I am glad I had two weeks to check all the great work out.

 

 

 

 

This work is by Barbara B.    She did a trunk show week two on Wed afternoon and showed lots of wonderful stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

I was in the Rock On class with Cynthia Corbin. She had to step in at the last min to replace Rosalie due to a visa problem at the boarder. I really learned a lot about myself in this class and sense I really love rocks it was a good fit for me.    The work on the left is by Liz and the work  on the right  is by Robin and I think they are both well done.

Show and Tell was fun on Monday. Susan, who I meant at QSDS was at QBL too and she shared this piece with everyone.

 

 

The Quilting by the Lake conference has been going on for 36 years. I have been attending for 35 of those years along with two other gals, Linda Salitrinski and Linda Hazelton. This year we were honored with aprons of our own.

Monday evening there was a lecture by Ellen Blalock, the artist in residence.    Her talk was powerful  and was a peek into the world of black life here in America .  This quilt  ( a close up) was about sexual abuse.

 

Week two I had class with Betty Busby. She is a real dynamo and had more to teach us then could fit into the week. There were one or two demos every day and four the first day.

Here she is demonstrating how to use oil sticks  to create volume.

 

 

 

 

 

We did work with natural plants objects one day and this is my piece using that technique.

 

 

 

 

 

She was very generous with her stencils and I took advantage of that as did most of the class.

I did enjoy learning how she used the cutting machine on interfacing. I designed these feathers to have cut out for me. She also cut three from her collection for me to use as well. They are the beginning of a new piece, of that I am sure.   The top two light blue feathers are mine design.

 

Betty  had a power point show every day after lunch and she shared her work and techniques with us then too. This is a shot of her diatoms quilt

 

 

 

  There was lots of activity  all the time in class.    Karen who was setting next to me did a lot of free paint work using circles.

 

 

Lynn who was setting behind me is working away in this shot and Gerry is next to her.   This shot is early in the week as that wall behind then filled with work  as the week went on. 

 

 

 

 

We all went home with arm loads of fabric that we had altered and lots of ideas for future  projects that hopefully will appear in the QBL quint show next year.

The last night both weeks there was show and tell. This is a shot of  Noel’s work from one of the other classes.

  There is also a raffle drawing for work folks can donate to raise money for the scholarship fund.  This is a quilt by Sally Davis donated for that purpose.

The was a apron auction both weeks too.  The aprons are created by the teachers and are  always a big success.

This is a shot of Amanda McCavour’s apron. I only have this great image because Noel purchased the apron and she showed it to me on Monday.  All the images on the apron are thread painted items that show off Amanda’s specialty.

 

 

 

 

 

Liz was in Micky Lauler’s class and when we got together on Monday all we really did it talk about all we learned. We both explored a bit more with the techniques we learned in class. This is Liz’s work showing one of the techniques she learned.

 

 

 

I  used one of the paint techniques I learned to paint these printed images.

 

 

Then today Liz and I went to Angela’s for a bit of Gelli play.  We were transferring  magazine images.  Angela was the most successful with that process, but we all had fun.

 

Progress Report: Three Stars and No Moon    This quilt I started in the Rock On class.   When I was nearing completion I realized it needed a focal point so I added  the petoglyphics .  Mari who was setting behind me asked if I was Native American. When I said “no”, she asked if I really wanted to hijack some other culture’s symbols.    I though about it  and decided to invent my own symbols and plan to do so from this point forward. 

 

These are my figures of a person  with three stars and a sun of my own designing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rock 2

This rock also was built in the Rock On class.  It too is a very nice background so I drew a fox to add on top of this surface.

 

 

 

I will enlarge the drawing to fit the base and paint a fox to integrate into this work.

 

 

 

 

Rock On 3    This is another project that I started in the class.   It is barely begun.

 

 

More Samples from Betty’s Class

I did these two drawings in Betty’s class to make with the pellon technique that was used with the feathers.   But they were now cut.  I will use them to make silk screens for use in my projects later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old and New- Purple and Blue  I keep working away on the hand outlining of the squares on this project.  I have 21 more squares to do.  It takes me about an hour to do four blocks so hopefully next week I will be done.

Knitting

I needed to do some different type of hand work so I started this circular scarf for winter.

 

 

 

Childhood Memories: Dress Up I spent may a happy day staying at Grandmother Ruth’s house. My Aunt Shirley was only 8 years older than I and the house was still set up for children’s enjoyment. Grandfather had built a grand play house for Aunt Marcaleen and Shirley when they were young.  Aunt Shirley kept it well stocked with lots of great old clothing from Grandmother’s and Great Aunt May’s cast offs. Cousin’s Kelly and Tracy and I had many a backyard teas and parades in the wonderful get-ups we put together there.

Hollyhock Dolls

One hot late summer afternoon Aunt Shirley showed Kelly, Tracy and myself how to make Hollyhock Dolls.   We used the old  Carrom Board as our dance floor and our imagined balls were quite grand with the many swirling colorful gals. Grandmothers flowers were never safe after that summer as we repeated the doll making many a time.

Hide and Seek Many times there were lots of grand kids at the Cocklin house.   I remember one time when we played “Hide and Seek”.   My brother Gene was it and I hid in the Paper Birch tree above the sand box  next to the hedge. He never thought to look up and finally had to call “ Ollie -ollie-oxen- all in free”.  Because the sandbox was in the backyard and base was in the front no one knew where I hid and  I never told anyone where I had hidden.   We were called into dinner shortly after that so my cousins never found out either.     Sometimes it was an advantage to be the oldest girl in that generation  who can keep a secret .

I continue to be excited by the information that I got in classes and I will keep working on the started items over the next few weeks and mounts.

Keep Creating

Carol

Childhood Memories, Diminish, Old and New - Purple and Blue, QBL- Quilting By the Lake, Wool Rounds

Prep Week

Hello,
This week has been a quiet one. I did go and dye with Liz on Monday. We had fun and I worked to create several fabrics that look like rocks for my class. The work  pictured is what Liz created. Most of my efforts this week have been in preparation for QBL that begins for me on Friday. That day I will help hang the quilt show at Onondaga Community Collage. Then all the action will begin on Sunday. There will not be any new posts until Aug 1 after QBL is over.

Progress Report: Old and New- Purple and Blue The rework of this project is very satisfying. I like how it is much flatter too.

 

 

 

 

 

Diminishing I work hard on this project to complete the car wash series before I encountered Rosalie Dace again at QBL. I am done with the quilting. I did free motion spirals in the circles and pebble quilting in the rest of the work. Then the back ground was zig -zag stitched. That was new for me but I like how it looks.

 

Wool Rounds I started this new hand work piece this week as I finished the last hand project. I am not sure where I am going with it but I am enjoying the process.

 

 

 

 

New Work I am ready to do another forest fire piece and so this is all basted for that purpose.

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories :Parade Win When I was in the second grade there was a local parade in Columbus Junction. Mom made a green and gold tutu for me and a matching one for my Tony doll. I was so proud to be allowed to march all the way downtown without my parents. I had earned a quarter from Mrs Fister and I was going  to spend it all by myself.  After the parade I went into the drug store to do my solo shopping and the Draggiest leaned over his counter to talk to me. He said “ Congratulations”. I asked for what and he told me I had won a prize in the parade for my costume. I was surprised as I was unaware there was a contest at all. He told me to go across the street to Roundies Grocery and pick up my prize. When the manager, Mr Roundy gave me the prize of $5.00 I was delighted. I thanked him and took the money and ran all the way home to tell Mon, totally forgetting my goal to spend a quarter.

Gingerbread Men At Christmas time one year, again in Columbus Junction, Mom and I made gingerbread men with raisin eyes and mouths. We took them to the “shut ins”  in the community and hung some with red ribbon from silver ropes in the windows. I was disappointed that I did not get to eat any, but Mom said when we took them down from the windows after Christmas I could eat them all. That was about a dozen. I was nullified. When we took down the tree the weekend after New years, I got my reward. Then came the disappointment- the gingerbread men were hard as rocks and we had to throw them out.

Keep Creating

Carol