Category Archives: Hand work

100 day Challenge, Collage, College Life, Creative Strength Training, Daily Practice, Drawing, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Stretch Works

Winter Continues

Hello,

This has been a crazy week as far as weather is concerned.  Snow and cold, then quite warm and back to snow again.   Old Man Winter does not want to let with out a fight.

I had one two meetings this week.  The Retired Art Teachers  Zoomed as did the Pixies.  The Creative Strength Training Class does not officially begin until the first of March, but she still has done lots of pre work with us.    We had a lesson on altering a shape based on a tool.  I selected a tape dispenser and this is my solution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being the practical person that I am I used the cut-aways  from the project plus a leftover bit of blue to create a second composition.

 

 

 

 

There was also a drawing lesson on contour drawing from Creative Strength Training  this week.  It was a slow  5 min contour drawing.   This is my solution.

 

 

 

 

My friend Joyce sent me a book “Inspired to Design” by Elizabeth Barton  and I have been working through the exercises in it too.   Of the five I have done this simplification assignment was the one I enjoyed the most.

Progress Report:   Lap 7  I enjoyed piecing together this top this week.   I will move forward on the next steps as the new week goes forward.

 

 

 

 

Lap 8  As usual I have pulled the fabric for the next lap quilt too.

 

 

 

Lost Habitat  I was disturbed by the loss of over 500 homes in Colorado due to fire in the fall.   I finally got going on my tribute to them.    The parts are just pinned in place at this point.

Action  I keep working every evening on this project.  My goal now it to have it complete by the first of April.

 

Daily Practice    This is the piece I am working on during the news  every night.

 

 

Stencil work  I ordered some commercial stencils from Stencil Girl in Dec and this week I finally got around to using them.    This is a computation of three stencils that I though played together well.

 

 

 

Bits and Pieces    I finished off and stretched this work this week.

 

 

 

 

College Life- The Indianapolis 500

I was delighted and pleased to see Eric when he picked me up from the bus station in Indianapolis. We went to Grandmother Butter’s apartment and she was her gracious, cheerful self. That also provided me with my first contact with Eric’s brother Dean. I got to meet one of Grandmother Butter’s sisters, Aunt Gretna, plus her two children, Carol and Dick, at dinner that evening, too. Everyone called Aunt Gretna Aunt Deckie, so I did, as well. It was a pleasant evening. Everyone but Carol was excited about going to the race the next day.

In those days the race was always on the 30 of May so it was a Tuesday that year.  It was gray  at 6:30 when we got up to go to the race. We all piled in the car– Grandmother, Aunt Deckie, Dick, Dean, Eric and I–and went off to the race track. It was cold when we joined the line of cars waiting to get into the track. At 8;30 we all tracked up the stairs of the main grandstand to row J in the section at the end of turn four and sat in our seats. Then the famous words came over the loud speaker, “Gentleman start your engines!” The cars growled to life and the crowd stood and cheered. The flag was dropped and the race was off. There was a new entry for the first time in 1967–a turbine car, and it immediately pulled to the front of the pack. When the turbine car passed our stands the sound was more of a swish than the roar like the other cars. Then a cold rain began to fall. The race was stopped after 18 laps and we, like most other folks, retreated to the car and waited for the restart of the race. It rained on and soon it was noon, so we ate cold chicken and deviled eggs and drank pop. We too finally deserted the track as we had watched many folks do through out the afternoon. Eric’s brother, Dean had finals to take on Wednesday we had to send him home, I called home and told my folks that I was going to stay for another day to see the race.

Eric and I went to Larry’s house and palled around with him and his current girl friend Connie for the evening. We went to White Castle for dinner. I had never had little square hamburgers before and we all had a good time. In the morning it was still gray and misting, so Grandmother decided to go into work at Wheaton Van Lines. Eric and I horsed around and talked until the phone rang. It was Aunt Deckie. She told us to look out the window and get hustling, as she was going to pick us up for the race. We hurried across town to Speedway. We were in the parking lot when we heard, “Gentlemen, restart your engines!” I think we missed seeing about two laps, before we got back in our seats. Again it was cold in the stands, but is was exciting. On the day before we had drawn the drivers names from a hat and we all had five folks we were following. Our seats were in a perfect spot to witness several wild crashes and I know I lost two of my drivers in the first one the first day. The turbine car led most of the way but broke down on the last lap of the race, and Mario Andretti won. Upon returning to Grandmothers we ate some lunch and called Larry and told him we would be picking up Connie soon. The three of us drove back to Muncie together where Eric dropped Connie off at her dorm. The Eric and I went to supper. After that we talked a bit more before he started for South Bend. I was very sad to see him go and felt that summer would be a long time, even with Summer school to keep me busy.

I am looking forward to spring and some warmer weather.

Stay safe and Create with joy!

Carol

 

100 day Challenge, Aplique, Childhood Memories, College Life, Daily Practice, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Fiber Artist Stitch Club, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Sisterhood of the Scissors

February Fun

Hello,

I enjoyed Valentines day and my husband gave me this beautiful bunch of flowers.     I hope yours had some color too.

This week has been a week with lots of events.  On Friday I went to The SUNY Campus at Oswego with Sharon and Liz and we went to two art shows.  One was student work  and this sculpture was on that I found very intriguing.

 

 

 

 

I had  Three  Zoom Meeting s this week  Saturday was with the Finger Lakes Fiber Artists Group. Wednesday was the Pixie Meeting and then Thursday was the Sisterhood of the Scissors meeting.  It is good to see and talk my fellow creators.    There was one meeting in person and the was the FAD group.   Sharon shared a new work she is exploring.

 

After the meeting Sharon and I went up the hill to Onondaga Community College to look at the Scholastic Art winners.  She and I had both  been judges for this competition in early January.  It was very stimulating as the Jr High and High School students work was wonderful.

 

 

 

 

Progress Report:  Child Dancing   This work is now done and it is W3543 X 294.       It is my tribute to Paul Klee.

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt # 6    I am now ready to layer and quilt this piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt #7   I have pulled the fabrics for the next lap quilt too.

 

 

 

Cowl # 23   I just keep playing with the yarn from Joyce and making these fun pieces.  I will pass them out at the retreat in the fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 Handwork  I am finished with this work now and it is stretched.   This is my work for the Textile Artists Stitch Club work were one made  sequins  by ironing the lining of a cereal box with objects trapped between the layers.  I need to complete the addition of the black fabric to the back  now.

Daily Practice   I got back to doing my daily practice this week.   This is my 12th piece of stitched fabric.

 

 

Action   I am adding the contrasting hand work to this project   every evening during the news.

 

 

I got a little confused and there are two illustrations for  this memory.

 Memories: College Life-Ending of Spring Quarter 1967

Things were going well with Eric during spring term too. We went canoeing several times and although it was a new sport for Eric he was quickly sitting in the back and controlling our movements. We both enjoyed the theater and went to several Drama Department events. We saw Playboy of the Western World, The Odd Couple and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf. We also went to The Mexican Folklore Ballet at Emens Auditorium where we came across Steve Coomer again for the first time. He just stop dead, looked us over, turned in the opposite direction, and walked away. We just exchanged smiles. Our next big event was a trip to South Bend one Sunday for lunch with his family. Larry and Fred Zamparelli, from Long Island, and one of their other house mates went along with us. I got to meet two of Eric’s three brothers, Mark and Scott, and his folks. I was nervous but it is was a very pleasant time. Eric’s dad cooked the meal and it was very good. So the fact that Eric now cooks most of our meals should be no surprise. Eric told me on the way home his Dad really liked me. “Why” I asked ? “ Dad wanted a girl when I was born and I am the oldest,” he said.

Eric helped me though my struggles with my term paper that quarter too. In the end he even typed the paper for me. He quickly learned I could not spell at all. His typing of the paper was one of the best presents I got on my nineteenth birthday. The paper was due that day. Eric took me to dinner for my Birthday, too, and then to the a movie. We made an excursion to Indianapolis one Saturday so I could meet Eric’s Grandmother Butterworth. She was a thin, beautiful, white-haired lady with lots of energy and style. I really liked her and we hit it off. She was an bookkeeper for United Van Lines and very independent.

Being nineteen is still a very emotional time and in early May I learned of the death of my friend John in Viet Nam. He was the only person I knew who had gone from high school into the Army. He was the second son and knew his older brother would inherit the farm, so he knew that serving in the armed services, was really his only option. I know he was planning on going to school when service was over. I wrote three very long emotional pages in my journal about him and his death. Even now thinking about it makes me a bit sad.

As the quarter ended, I was worried about how summer would affect my relationship with Eric. I was sad when he had to go home at the end of finals. There was a bit of good news to look forward to, however, as Grandmother Butterworth had invited both Eric and me to go to the Indianapolis 500 with her. In 1967 Memorial Day was still celebrated on May 30 and that fell on a Tuesday that year. Before I caught and I rode the bus to Indianapolis on Monday, my grades came in the mail. I got four Bs. One in Introduction to Teaching, one in Ceramics, one in Swimming, and one in Literature and Composition. I know I would not have done so well in the English class with our Eric’s help. I also got an A in Design class and I was thrilled.

Stay Safe and Keep Creating

Carol

100 Day Challenge, Action, Child Dancer, Childhood Memories, College Life, Drawing, Lap Quilts, People, Pixies Group, Textile Artist Stitch Club

Winter work

1 Comment

Hello,

We are starting to thaw after the big snow storm we had last weekend.   Only the  meeting was the Pixies, so I got a lot done.

One of the things I did was  a Neurotrophic Drawing.  It is a style with a series of steps that allows one to relax.  I did enjoy it and will do it again some time.

There was an additional assignment from the Textile  Artist Stitch Club from Monique Day.   She instructed us on how to make a plastic sandwich and how to cut more sequins from our sheets.

This in my stitchery with one new sequin pinned on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Overwhelmed  This piece is 32″ w X 40″ l.   I cut up scraps, bits of trim, ribbon and yarn and scattered them across the base .  Then I layered nylon netting on top and stitched the sandwich together.  Last I added the figure that I cut from wool I had washed several times.

 

 

 

Lap Quilt #5  I used lots of fabrics that I had altered in this lap quilt.   I am enjoying the play making these projects  offer me.

 

 

 

 

Action  I am doing the hand work on the figures now. The progress is very slow, but very calming.

 

 

 

Child Dancer  This idea came from a Paul Klee painting that caught my eye as I was flipping through an Art History book looking for a Monet image.   I then had a dream about is so I though I would try to capture that feeling.    I zig-zagged over yarn to create the out lines.

 

 

I am still playing catch up with my Memories so there will be two this week as well.

College Life- Start of Spring Quarter 1967

Over the break between winter and spring quarter, I did a little connecting with my old high school world. I went to see Musical Moods, an event that I had participated in all three years in high school. After the performance I talked with Don Jones and friend Sara Loe. She had been my band partner and played next to me, and she was looking for a friend to double date with her. I agreed to go on a blind date to spend a day spelunking in central Indiana. I did have a good time and, since it was a rainy day, spending it under ground was a good choice. We were the only four folks in that cave that day and we just explored. There were places where we had to crawl on our stomachs and some very narrow ones where we went forward in a vertical position. We all were quite muddy when we emerged, and I was glad it was not my car that we were driving home. I also spent a day scuba diving during that vacation. I enjoyed getting together with those folks, and I even helped Mike and Phil teach several scuba lessons at the YMCA that spring.
My classes for spring quarter really focused on Art. I had realized in the middle of the winter term that I really was not a strong enough artist to make a living doing art, so I had accepted the idea that I would go into teaching. I had Ceramics, Design , and Introduction to Art Teaching that quarter. The other two classes I had were English and Swimming. They did keep me busy.
On Wednesday of the first week back, I went to the Artist Series on campus at Emens to see Generations with Hans Conried. My seat was 101 in row L, and I was very happy with my view. I had taken care of my own wishes and gotten my seat the first day they were available. Friday of that first week Eric and I had our first real date. We went along with Larry and Nancy, a girl he “kidnaped” by asking her at the last minute when she could not say “No,” to see A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. We all laughed a lot and enjoyed it. That is still one of my favorite movies. On Sunday of that same weekend Eric and I went to see the Ingmar Bergman film Virgin Spring at the Foreign Film weekly presentation. For me that film raised lots of questions as I identified closely with the main character. I was both excited and scared at how much I liked Eric, yet I was concerned at how quickly we had become exclusive.
We had lots of dates over the next few weeks. One Saturday we decided to go for a picnic at Dixon Mounds. Eric, Larry and I walked the trials and looked at the mounds and then tried to fly a kite that I had put in the trunk at the last minute. That was not very successful, but we did have a silly time. We also had my parents badminton set, and that was the start of an activity that we played for years. Larry started the fire and we all enjoyed his hotdogs, too. We had lots of “Coke dates” and talked a lot. On another Saturday I took Eric canoeing on the Mississinewa River. The water was high, and we worked really hard on our trip up river. We did not reach our goal, but the trip back down was fun. I remember coming home exhausted. Larry, Eric, and I took off on the Thursday just before Spring Break and drove to Indianapolis to check out the 500 time trials that afternoon.
Back in Muncie, Larry and Eric opted to stay at Barney’s and not go home for the spring break. Instead, they went to work for Manpower, a company that sent people out on hourly jobs. I know one of the days that week, they spent throwing rocks into the reservoir to rebuild the jetty near the harbor where the sailing club had its boats. I on the other hand went with my family on a trip south and east.

College Life- Spring Break Plus

The spring quarter break that year we went south to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Gene had a new pup tent that we tried out the first night we arrived. Sleeping on the ground in March was quite cold! We took the full day cave tour the next day. It sure was a different experience from the explorative spelunking I had done earlier that spring. The guide was very informative. There were beautifully lit wonderful flowing formations as well as lots of dry areas in the cave. We went for a ride on an underground river and had lunch in a huge open area where we sat at picnic tables and ate bag lunches. The guide asked us to all be quiet and he turned off the lights. It was so dark! I have never “seen” so much darkness. One felt like the only person in a colorless nothing until he turned the lights up slowly again.

That night I slept back in the car top carrier and was much more comfortable. We spent the next day hiking and enjoying the park. I liked the spring flowers and had my first real experience with Rhododendrons. I still love that plant. The next day we drive mostly east and ended up at Myrtle Beach. That was great fun as we had a section of the beach all to ourselves. Gene and I spent the day canoe surfing. We would paddle out and then turn the boat back toward the shore and wait for a big wave. Then we tried to ride the wave into the shore. We got dumped out many times but still had a fun day. I remember the full moon rising over the Atlantic ocean that night and how it looked behind the palm trees. It was glorious to fall asleep to the sound of those leaves clattering against one another and the sound of the water crashing against the shore. I remember seeing a sign for a Black Beach on our way to our camp ground and pressed Dad to go there the next day. When I told him I wanted to see the black sand, he sadly told me the beach was a part of segregation and it was for Black people. I was so very naive.

Then it was back to school and back to classes. One of my classes was Ceramics 1. It was all hand work and an introduction to mixing and making one’s own glazes. One thing we had to get going on at the beginning of the quarter was finding and working on a natural clay project. As it turned out, the college was building a new Science building just to the west of the art building where there was lots of exposed raw earth. So that is where I got my clay. It had been drying out during the break, and I came back to class to break it down, sift it, remoisten the powder, kneed it and began building work with that clay. Mine was a wonderful yellow clay and I built three coil pots with it. One pot blew up in the first firing , but the other two did not. Mom had the finished works around for years.

On Tuesday of the first week back from spring break the Sailing Club had a picnic and boat launch. I asked Eric to go along with me and he did. We all had fun putting the boats back in the water for the new season and many of us got wet feet. We ate hot dogs that we all roasted over the open fire and generally enjoyed ourselves. Then we played flag football. It was mostly a game of chase, but fun. I unexpectedly intercepted the football and got a bit terrorized when everyone suddenly turned in my direction to pull my flags. I had a new respect for actual football players after that event.

Stay safe and enjoy Valentines Day

Carol

Childhood Memories, Diva Meetings, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group

Bright Ideas

Hello,
The trees are really showing off now that we have experienced a few cold nights.   I love the way the leaves are drifting off  the trees now too.

A little challenge from the Pixies this week was to think about “Bright Ideas”. Many of us have challenges from the outside world or self imposed. Just where do the bright ideas come from? I find them to be very elusive. At times I as stumped by quilt challenges and feel they just do not apply to my process. I do draw and doodle and some times that process produces an idea for the project. At other times when I want to start a new project I have a firm direction because of a logical leap. But for the tough ones my experience most successful solution is just letting a goal go to the side. Often times, when the problem as been sidelined for a while, the solution with suddenly appear – the bright idea comes into my mind a bit like magic and I am off and running again with a celare direction to solve a problem.

I dyed for what I think will be the last time this season. We had to run the heater to be able to work this week. I did have fun and look forward to using these along with the others this winter.

The Quilt Diva’s also meant this week. Donna is working away on a new set of sculptures. Her work with fimo and found objects is amazing I think.

 

 

 

 

Bev did a few more of her little square pieces. The colors are so ver bright.

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Day Dreaming This work is 29″w X 31″l. The dress is one of my Mothers and so I added a Felix the Cat doll to the person as that was one of her childhood favorites. The flowers are made from wool with free motion drawing on top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elements- Line     I have stared adding sew in lines on this project.

 

 

 

Handwork  I just keep stitching away on this project.  I’d say the end is in sight.

 

 

 


Grandmother’s wedding dress      My cousin Casey gave me Grandmother Ruth’s wedding dress when we visited.   I am going to stitch it down to the blue and embroider the  information about her  and Grandfather Howard on the quilt.

 

 Lap # 22     I just have fun making these quilts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Beginning College

Summer ended and September began as did my freshman year at Ball State. I carried the usual load of six classes and filled my time with lots of extra events too. Dad took me to school every morning and we headed for home every evening after 5. My first class, World History was four days a week at 7:00 a.m. in the theater with 350 other freshmen. I sat in the front row with an old high school friend who was also a commuter, Marila Miller. We agreed that being that close to the teacher, we certainly could not fall asleep. Neither of us had a place to hang out until our next class. Mine was not until 11. We tried the lobby in the music building, next door to the theater. It was cold, uncomfortable and full of traffic.

We quickly discovered the Music Listening Library. Another of my classes was Music Appreciation, so I could do my listening assignments there as well. The space was much quieter and more comfortable with couches and personal listening cubicles. A vocal music student opened the space at 8:00 just as we got out of class. His name was Larry Tackett and we became friends, since it was just the three of us many mornings for several hours. Sometimes I used the head phones and did listen to required music, but just as often Larry would .pick out something for all of us to enjoy while we talked and worked. Larry became a life long friend who sang at my wedding. Later, after we moved to Syracuse, he even lived with us while he taught middle school for the city and worked on a Masters Degree.

The first week end at Ball State the big event was the Watermelon Feed, which I attended with Margaret. It was held in a big field at the west end of campus.We had fun, ate watermelon, of course, and talked to lots of folks, but did not make any solid connections. The Freshman Convocation was the next event. I had been to Emens Auditorium many times with my folks to see plays and musicals, but it felt very different to sit in the middle of a crowd of nosey freshmen. I sat between Susy and Margaret. The only thing I really remember was the president telling us to look to our right and then our left. “Of the three of you only one will be here at graduation.” We all swore to one another that would not be the case with us, but four years later I was the only one with a Ball State diploma.

The Theater became an active place and Drama Majors did performances. I remember going to see “ Half a Sixpence “ and “Mary, Mary”. Because I did most of my studying in the music library I meant and went out with lots of music majors. Recitals and small group assembles most of the time. But I also got to attend and hear Count Basie when he did a performance in Emens for Homecoming weekend. It was wonderful! I also went the “All School Convection” with Pearl Buck that took place that fall. I’d read The Good Earth in high school and I was excited. It was a good lecture, but I mostly recall how passionately she spook on the plight of the many mix blood children that the war had created. There was also a big band day in conjunction with one of the fall football games. I got to see some of my friends from Muncie Central at that even. It was a busy and fun fall.

I will be off at a small quilt retreat next week so there will not be a post.

Enjoy Halloween

Carol

Childhood Memories, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Sisterhood of the Scissors

Moving Forward

Hello
We are enjoying the cooler weather that comes with fall. I delivered 19 lap quilt this morning to one of our local nursing homes for wheel chair folks. I did not get to see anyone except the receptionist, but I am sure they make it to great homes. I came home so inspired that I started another one.

On Sunday I went to the Associated Artist reception for  my friend Rosha.  She dose collage and drawing.

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, I went with some of the members of Sisterhood of the Scissors group to the Arnot Museum in Elmira, New York.    We went to see the Excellence in Fibers show, and it did not disappoint.  The works were in deed excellent.

 

This work is From the Golden Earth by Race Brumer.   I found it to be fascinating.

 

This is Terry Mangots’s comentary on global warming.

There was also a pixie meeting this week. Pixie meeting.

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Day Dreaming I am enjoying do the work on this project as I move forward. I am ready to add centers to the poppies and stitch down the petals now.

 

 

 

Line- Basic Elements Series This is the base unit the first pieces in this four piece series. I will try to make the quilt work by using only lines on the surface.

 

 

 

Journal Jacket As I come the end of yet one of my daily journals I found this old project in the stack for the next journals. I use to teach this as a day class in guilds.

Drifting This is the project that I took with me on our trip west. I am filling in the back ground now.

 

 

 

Lap # 20 I am ready to do stitch in the ditch quilting on this project now.

 

 

 

 

Lap # 21 This one is the newly inspired lap quilt. It is always good to have a project in the works.

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories – Family Trip

In August the family drove to Iowa again. We spent a couple of days in Morning Sun, where we went to a family birthday party for Sharon Bright. I really enjoyed the home made ice cream. We did not have that at home in Muncie at all. Then we spent a day in Grandview. That day was really silly as somehow we got to fooling around with instruments. Gene played the trumpet and then Doug tried to out do him by playing two at once. Grandpa Howard even got into the spirit and played. I remember Grandmother Ruth just shaking her head and laughing. The next day the Bells, along with Grandmother and Grandfather, and our family drove went west with us to the Black Hills and Badlands South Dakota. It took two long days of driving to get to get there. One day we stopped and visited a mine. Then we panned for gold another time. We took another afternoon and just explored the Badlands. I remember the kids all stayed together and someone found a petrified saber tooth tiger scull. The teeth on the sides of the skull were about six inches long and curving up from the jaw line. It was bigger than a football and quite heavy. We all took turns carrying it before we decided to put down in a spot that we couldn’t miss and get it on the way back. That plan did not work and it was lost to the next explorers. We then went on another two day long drive to Mesa Verdi. I remember Kelly had a little paper bag tiger puppet that she put on her hand and told us stories from the front seat. Mesa Verdi was amazing. I loved the underground shelters that the men had built for special ceremonies. We could not go back among the buildings and I wondered how dark it was and if the passages between homes like we would have in a cowered town. The ranger told us lots of interesting stuff and I marveled at the poll ladders. The ladders were made with a single tree/ poll center with limbs and short polls added slicking out the sides to climb up to the cliff top. One had to be agile to do that I thought. We then drove farther south to Brice. The colors of the layers of rock sediments were wonderful. We all marveled at the Hoodoos. They are the many stone pillar like formations in the park. Grandfather was very happy to see them. I remember Gene, Russell, and Doug running down the trail, whooping with the Hoodoos Kudos rising up on both sides. It sure made for wild echos. The other thing I recall from Brice was feeding the chipmunks potato chips at the Natural Bridge on Rim Road. It was then time to turn for home. All I recall was 3 long days of driving get home. It still was a great trip [and I enjoyed it thoroughly].

Stay safe and Keep Creating

Carol

Childhood Memories, Daily Practice, Finger Lakes Fiber Artist Group, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Scrap Happy Quilts

Starting Fall Color

Hello,
We are starting to see fall color here in central New York. I sure enjoy walking through fallen leaves. The sound of  the   shifting  and crushing of  leaves as one passes through them is one of my favorite sounds of fall.

 

 

 

 

It has been a busy week for me with two days spent dying with Liz. I have lots of fabric to was out today.

 

 

 

 

Liz is doing clean up  in this shot.

 

 

 

I had a Finger Lakes Fiber Artist meeting this week.   It is always so good to talk and share with my fellow artists.     Noel had a great piece to share with us.   There is lots of movement here.

 

 

 

 

 

Joan shared too.   She hand dyed all the fabrics in this piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bev also shared her work with us.

There was also a Pixies zoom meeting that I enjoyed.

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Tattered This work is 26″ X 40″. It is made up of cut aways from Granite and Silver with lots of hand beading added for interest.

 

 

 

 

 

Lap # 19 This work was formerly know as Circling Thoughts, but I do not think it is strong enough to be and art quilt. It was a good exercise none the less.

 

 

 

 

Lap # 20 I just had fun putting this piece together. I really like using   my alerted fabrics together.

 

 

 

Day Dreaming I am in the process of building up the face and arm for this project. I will start the assembly this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scrap work I am putting in about an hour a day assembling scraps together so I can make 2.5″ strips to add to the centers for my Roman Strip squares.   they will be used in my next  bed quilt. This step always takes a long time, but I sure like the review of fabric projects that it offers me. Sue Ellen also gave me a box full of strips and unused blocks.    I am mixing  then  into this project so there is lots of variety here.

Handwork I started this project on our trip to visit family. I am building in  more color now.

 

 

Daily Process This project sort of got pushed to the side so I could finish up bindings and such this week. It is good to get back into the habit.

 

Childhood Memories- Summer 1966

Summer after graduation was a busy one. There were lots of water related activities, including scuba diving, canoeing, and swimming. Dad teased me by saying I needed gills to assure my safety. The gang did lots of things together, but like everything else this too was changing. Cecile and Mike still did things with Margaret, Jim and me. But Susy spent most of her time with her family, and Bobby had flunked out of college so he went off to work. We played lots of Putt-Putt, with the winner seeming to change with every game. One day I went regular golfing with Jim Freshwater. That was one sport that did not work at all for me. My swing was way off and I kept sending divots into the air. My score was very high and by the end of the third hole Jim had become disgusted with me. He said I could walk the rest of the course with him if I promised to never golf again. And I never have.

In late July I went to orientation at Ball State. It was three days of tests and meetings with other freshmen and a councilors. The group I was in was full of folks who were all living off campus so there was lots of talk about parking and public transportation. There was a big jump in population on campus and I was glad I was not living in the dorms as there were three and four folks in rooms designed for two. The tour of the campus was not to new to me but that too turned out to be informative. We had our photos take for our student ID’s that we picked up in the fall when we returned to campus. The special mixers in the evenings were fun and I felt excited bout the new adventure a head. I did meet a lot of people but I did not make any connections with folks that I even remember seeing again on campus.

The next big summer event was the Band Trip to Detroit. We went to Greenfield Village, where Margaret and I had fun exploring together and got peppermint sticks at the general store.   There was also a cigar store Indian out front that we both liked. In the afternoon the band group went to the Ford museum. That turned out to be a bit of a rush as we had to hurry to get ready for the concert in the evening. We again went to a practice session with the Detroit Orchestia on Sat morning. In the afternoon the band went to see “Dr Zhivago” in a special movie theater with a big curved movie screen. The sound was great and I enjoyed the movie a lot. On the bus ride home I felt a little sad knowing this was my last adventure with a group that had given me friends and real identity throughout high school.

Be safe

Carol

Childhood Memories, Drawing, Hand work, Pixies Group, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs)

Traveling

Hello,
I am now home from our trip to see relatives in Iowa and Indiana. Everyone was very welcoming and we had a good time. In South Bend Eric and I went to the Zoo, the Studebaker Museum and the Oliver Mansion too. I loved  the tourtuses texture.   The shell looks like a topographical map to me.

 

 

 

 

When we were first married we had a Lark , but there were none of them in the    Studebaker  Museum. Lots of cool cars though.

 

 

The Oliver Mansion was built with money from the perfection of cold metal plows. It was a beautiful example of Victorian life. It was really forward looking too as it was built with electricity in mind, even though gas was the only power available at the time.

 

 

I was quite  impressed by  my cousin Casey’s hobby of building structures with individual blocks.     They are like lagos but no locking parts and no glues.     This castle was his  latest production.

 

 

 

Casey had Grandfather’s stuffed Alligator on the shelf along with lots of other old family stuff. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Casey  gave me lots of old family photos. I was flipping through them and came across one of my Mom and her brother Dale that gave me chills. Just before we left I started a piece called Day Dreaming and I had been looking for greens in my fancy fabric suit case. I came across this little old silk dress and decided to use it as the top for the person in my piece. What gave me the chills was it was the dress Mom was wearing in the photo and I did not know that it was one of her pieces of clothing. I am excited to get going on the project now with its new layer of meaning.   I feel confident that my Grandmother Ruth did the Embroidery work.
I had zoom meetings with QuEGs and Pixies this week and I am beginning to get back in the swing of things.

Progress Report: Enamel Beetles      It is 40″ w X 24″ t.  I  finished this work just before I left on my trip.

 

 

I added a beaded butterflies that I had purchased from a friend years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

Day Dreaming   Here is the lay out for the quilt   with the dress pinned down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tattered I am building texture on this work with the beading. I think it will be completed this week.

 

 

Circles This quilt is to the quilting stage now. I am doing zig-zag quilting lines inside the circles to add interest.

 

 

 

 

Knitting I am now working on the final color band. I hope to finish this work this week as well.

 

 

Daily Practice This piece gets only a few stitches every evening. As I try to knit five rows on the poncho during the news first.

 

 

Drawing    I did a little drawing this week just to keep my hand in the game.

 

 

 

 

 

Stitch work    A few weeks ago as a part of stitch club there was an assignment were one filled in areas with random stitching.  I thought this would be  a good project to take on the road as it did not require as much  presion as some things do.   This is how far I got.

 

Childhood Memories- Graduation June 1966

As the end of my senior year drew near, life became a cycle of tests and other activities. Tests are a natural part of the end of any school year, but they seemed more intense this year. At the beginning of May I participated in Musical Moods, for which I made simple costumes for Susan and myself out of printed towels. The flutes played “Quiet Village” while Susan and I on the side did simple hand motions like a Hawaiian dance, only we were seated on our knees. I still feel very calm when I hear that tune. After that it was one banquet after another. First was the Honor Society Banquet, at which the new junior members were charged with upholding academic principles during the coming year. This was followed by the Math Banquet and then the Thespian Banquet. Finally, the senior girls organized a Mother/Daughter Banquet. It was strange to go to the Student Center so often to be served as apposed to serving, which I had been doing for years. All three Grandparents and my cousin Danny came to town, because Mom was graduating from Ball State with her doctorate, too.

The Field House was closed so that a new floor could be installed, so the Senior Baccalaureate ceremony was held at South Side High School. I remember how hot it was and how we girls joked that we wanted to wear just our slips under our robes–but we didn’t, of course. Mom’s Ball State ceremony was on Sunday afternoon and it too was hot, but we were outside on the green and under a tree. The Graduates were in the sun. We were seated on the right side and could easily see Mom walk up the steps of the Art Building to the stage to receiver her degree. I was very proud of her. Monday evening was the Senior Banquet, the last one. My grandparents gave me a small portable tape recorder as a graduation gift. I was delighted and had Grandpa Howard tell me a bunch of war stories that evening. (I wish I knew what happened to that tape now.)

The final event was my Tuesday night graduation at Ball State’s Emens Auditorium. We rehearsed in the morning, and I brought Mike Coleman and Margaret home with me afterwards for pizza with the family. Then all the kids, Gene included, played games in the afternoon. (Gene had a bit of a graduation of his own, as he was moving from Storer Jr. High to Muncie Central in the fall.) Afer my friends left, Mom and I put on our robes and so did Dad. Gene wore his suit, and we took lots of photos. In the evening, I dressed in my robe again and left to play with the band before the ceremony. I felt the band sounded its best of the whole year at that performance. Even with 356 graduates, the ceremony seemed to fly by. When I got to the stage to get my diploma, I smiled–and felt proud as I walked back to my seat. Then time seemed to freeze until we all flipped our tassels. We filed out to “Pomp and Circumstance,” a piece I had played for two years, and I felt good. After the ceremony I took Danny with me to two graduation parties and had a great time. We ate cake and talked a lot. It was all a bit sad, too, as I knew I would never see some of these people again.

A summer of events was in front of me, but for folks like Terry, a gal I had seen daily for three years, it was off to work. Our paths only crossed one more time after that evening.

Stay safe

Carol

Childhood Memories, Curvie Cuts, Enamel Beetles, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Uncategorized

Receptions

Hello,
We are starting to feel a bit like fall around here.  More fungus in the yard as you can see.   Eric and I took a long walk this week and did some exploring in our local cemetery.

 

 

 

Oakwood is very old and full of beautiful stone work.  We walked all the way to the old entrance and this is a shot of the Chapel there.   

 

 

There were lots of hills too.

 

 

 

It has been a busy week, with two receptions and a Pixies meeting.   we shared our work hand had a good talk.  I enjoyed both receptions as well.   The first was on Friday in Homer for the Diva group. This shot is or Maureen and her work. The second  was    the Associated Artists reception  in the Manilas Library and was on Sunday. Fun to talk with fellow artists as I had not seen many of them in almost two years.   Glad things are getting a little closer to normal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Lap # 18 This work is 40″ X 56″. The colors sure are summery and peasant.

 

 

 

 

 

Enamel Beetles. I get excited when I can see the end of a project and this time I made a big error in my excitement. I did not measure the work to make sure it was square. I only discovered it when I went to measure for the size. So this morning I had to take the facings off two sides and trim it correctly.

Knitted Poncho I try to put in five rows of knitting every evening on this project. I only have the remainder of the turquoise ball and all the purple one to use up to finish the job.

New Hand Work We area going on a drive west to visit cousins and aunts so I need a new hand project. This is the start.

 

 

 

New Work – Black, Gray and Blue. This work went together very quickly. It is all layered up now too and I only need to decide about the quilting pattern to go forward.

 

 

 

New Project I want to do a piece using the poppies I created earlier so this it my start. I think I will add a figure on the left.

 

 

 

 

Lap # 19 I pulled the fabric and cut the connecting strips for this new project yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Spring 1966

Spring proved to be a very busy time for Mom and me. She was working hard to finish up her desolation. She had enjoyed the field trips the three previous summers with Dr. Cooper to Hawaii, Alaska and Jamaica. I was surprised at her because she could not swim, but she had spent five weeks snorkeling and collecting plants and animals from the sea floor in Jamaica. My senior year she really had to buckle down and get things done. She developed a questionnaire for elementary kids about their science interests. When the results came back, I helped her a little with the coalition of the results. Spring meant studding the data and drawing conclusions and writing about them. It also meant a defense of her findings to the folks on her committee. She was very nervous about that.
I was busy with school, work and lots of events. In early April I went on a double date with Mike Ritter and another couple to Indianapolis to the Circus. I remember the parade at the beginning with horses and elephants, and the early act of trained Tigers. But by the end of that event I was not feeling too well. My stomach ached and I finally asked Mike to take me to the infumery so I could lay down. He went back to the show with my urging and that attendant looked me over and we talked. I nearly sat up and slapped him when he asked me it I was Pregnant. He backed away quickly and said “ I had to ask.” I do not remember much else but I do know we rushed the hour dive home with me in pain the whole time. By the thime wer got to Muncie, things were worse so they took me directly to Ball Memorial Hospital emergency room. Some one must have called my folks because I remember Dad being there and Dr Ball. After the Dr examined me I was told I’d need an emergency Appendectomy. I also got a scolding form Dr Ball for wearing a girdle at my age, and I never wore one again. My cousin Tracy had her appendix removed the previous year and later we compared scars. I was in the hospital for four days and on the way home in the car I realized all the leaves had come out and the world was green. For the second spring in a row I had missed the opening of the spring leaves. The appendix was not the end of my problems in the lower eudemon that spring. Shortly after returning to school my period started. But unlike the usual week, it went on and on. After 28 days I told Mom. It was really heavy by that time and I was going through a pad every two classes. I remember standing up from a math lesson and feeling a big clot move out of me. Dr Ball ended up giving me iron and birth control pills to get it under control. It was an awful experience. I celebrated my 18 Birthday in the middle of all of this. I went out with the gang and we had ice cream. I got lots of cards from them and many form the relatives too. I also was treated to Cake and Ice cream at home that year.
The next big event was the Junior/ Senior Ball. Keith and I went to this one together too. I don’t know who asked who to this event. I made my own dress this time and had fun doing so. It was light blue brocade cotton. I felt so glamorous. The dress later became the dress that I altered to become Lady Guinevere’s costume when we did “Robin Hood” while I was teaching at Onondaga Hill. The ball, called “Rapacity in Gold”, was not so not so golden. I ended up driving do to a little mix up and things just went down hill from there. It was very hot and Keith did not want to dance. We ended up having a fight that ended our relationship. I’m not sure if I drive him home, but I was home and putting the car in the garage by 12:30. All kinda crazy, and Graduation was still a month away.

As I mentioned we are going on a road trip next week so there will not be a post.

Stay safe and keep Creating
Carol

100 day Challenge, Bare Forest, Childhood Memories, Curvie Cuts, Enamel Beetles, Lap Quilts, Shows, Tattered Memories

Beginning of fall

Hello,
I have enjoyed a busy two weeks sense I posted last. On Monday last week I helped hang the new show at the Center for the Arts in Homer NY. It was great to see the gals in the group an to help with the set up.
This one is Noel’s contribution. She hand dyes most of the silk she uses in her work.

 

 

 

 

 

This is Donnas newest piece. I really like how she builds her one of a kind sculptures with found objects. This gal has wings made from Victorian curtain tie backs.

 

 

 

 

Cheri did a great job with this cheery piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are Mary’s ladies. I had to depart before the hanging was complete so that is why the wires are hanging down from the work here. The opening in a week from Friday.

I then got on the road and drove back north and picked up Nancy for our drive up to Mill Site Lake. Judy and I decided that we have been doing this for about 35 years.   This retreat was for years the sign that summer was over and school was starting.       Judy  got me started on a knitting project. I am working on creating a poncho.
Patti joined us on Tue and we had fun. Swimming, Kacking, and talking filled our time. We also did a lot of walking. It is always so peaceful there.

 

 

Liz and I did two color runs for our dyeing project this week. Turquoise to purple worked well.

 

 

But the yellow to raspberry one is not as strong. I do like all the colors though.

 

 

 

Progress Report: Granite and Silver This work is 45″ X 42.5″. I really like how the Silver Maple leaves look on the granite background. This work is based on a photo from Adirondack Life magazine.

 

This work is also my entry for the Associated Artist show at the Manlius Public Library.

 

Enamel Beetles I made more beetles this week. I think I am ready to start stitching them down.

 

 

100 Days Wed was day 100.  So I am done with making parts now. I will put it all away for a while and let my mind rest on this project before I begin to sew the parts together.

 

Bare Trees I thought it would be fun to do a forest with many layers of trees in lighter and lighter shades of machine drawing.

Tattered Memories This quilt is made up of cut away parts from Granite and Silver. I am embellishing it with lots of beading now.

Pillow I have three  New Pillows Mola’s that are just setting in a drawer  Have become  pillows where they will be seen. I am  stuffing  them with the trimmings of quilts.

 

 

Childhood Memories- culture and fun

For all the sadness I felt about Grandfather’s death I quickly got bach into the swing of things. I usually worked two nights a week at the Student Center and I seemed to fill most of the other evenings too. I went to the Movies a lot that spring.  I saw “Thunder Ball” and “The Great Race” as well as the foreign films on Sunday afternoons that Ball State offered. I remember seeing “Knife in the Water” and “ Unicorn in the Garden” there. Margaret and I went to the “Sleeping Beauty Ballet”, “Barefoot in the Park” and “ My Fair Lady” at Emerson auditorium. The Drama Department at Ball State put on “ Three Penny Opera”, “Fantasticks” and “Under Milk Wood”. It was great.
Gene and I decided to take Scuba Diving Lessons at the YMCA with Phil Ritter, Mike’s older brother. I enjoyed it and learned enough to certified as did Gene. I went on to help Phil teach classes while I was in collage too. I went along on many diving trips over the summers in lakes in Indiana. The visibility was limited and there was lots of mud, but it was still enjoyable. Sometimes we went water skiing on those trips too. The buddy system really works! One time in the fall Phil and I went diving in a spring fed pool. He wanted some polls that he knew were on the bottom as he wanted to put roll bars on a car he was going to enter in a race at the local track. We worked at getting them untangles and up from the bottom. As we neared the end of the process, I took a breathe and no air was left in my tank. We were down more than one G so I knew I could not shoot to the surface without doing damage to my lungs!   I frantically shingled to Phil that I had on air. He took a deep breath and passed me his regulator were I gratefully took two lungs full before returning the regular to him. We grabbed the last poll and sharing his air slowly rose to the surface. I never was so frighted diving again. Phis said it was probably due to the extra effort we were exerting to get the polls untangled and up to the top. I only remember on other outstanding event to do with diving and that was the time went diving under the ice. After descending through the cut in the ice we could see farther then usual do to the calm water under the frozen surface. When we got close to the bottom we really stirred up the mud however. We followed out old bubble trail   from the under  side of the ice back to our cut opening. It was really cold when we climbed out and I remember how cold the area around my lips was and the small patch of skin between the mask and the hood of my wet suit felt frozen.
The next big event in my senior year was the Senior Prom – “ From Lillepops to Roses” was the theme.   I worked on decorations  and  made big Lollipops.     I asked Keith to go with me. Jon Walters asked me on the Monday before the dance, but Keith had accepted by that time so I went with him. Keith wore a white jacket and a bow tie. I had a dress with a white short sleeve top and a long pink skirt. I gave him a carnation boutonniere and he gave me a wrist courage of white carnations, surrounded by baby pink rose buds and leaves of pink. We danced many dances and hug out with kids form band at the  dance. We left a little early to go to the Pizza King and got a table under the willow in the Willow Room. We ate Pizza and had a good time along with friends. I got home at 3 AM and stay up to help Gene warp his papers for delivery that morning. Then I crashed and slept until noon on Sat.  Then  I ran off to help dismantle stuff from the dance. That was a bit sad, but clean up is part of the progress.

Stay safe
Carol

100 day Challenge, Childhood Memories, Craow Calling, Daily Practice, Diva Meetings, Drawing, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Fallen, Hand work, Lap Quilts

Summer Travel

Hello-
I hope folks had a good Forth of July.  We sure had lots of fireworks in our area.   I enjoyed my trip to Ohio to see a lost cousin. She really showed us around her area and I enjoyed the covered bridges of her county. We saw the longest one in the country and it is also a double bridge as the long one  is on top of a gully with a smaller covered  foot bridge underneath it at tht bottom of the gully.

Liz ans I dyed on Monday. I will try to wash them out tomorrow. I also had two Zooms meetings- the QuEGs group and Pixies. In addition I had two live meetings. The Quilt Diva’s meant at Cheri’s house and we made lots of decisions about the up coming show in Sept.

The FAB group meant as well. Patti brought her little loom and she worked the whole meeting adding a few inches to her scarf. Sharon shared her new project with lots of little units that she will build to float on top of a quilt base.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Dark Side of the Moon 40″ w X 59″ l. This work in made mostly from kimono fabrics that Noel gave to me. It is a mixture of machine quilting and hand work.

 

 

 

 

 

The hand work is in the center of the metallic circles.

 

 

 

Calling Crows 36″ w X 52.5″ l. I drew all five of the bird panels. They are done with colored pencils and crayons. Again the silk is from Noel. I quilting flying crows in the background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fallen This work is an experiment. Sharon kindly talked me through the technique on the phone. I did not fully get it as she told me she would not have done what I did if it had been hers. But not knowing what to do never stopped me when it comes to quilting. It goes off to the washer now with the hope of lots of fraying so the cuts show up.

Smoldering  Sense California is again  experiencing wildfires, I am doing a new piece on this topic. It is the early aftermath that I am focusing on this time. This work is only about half pinned in place.

 

 

 

Butterfly-  lap quilt  I am still doing the thread painting of the Butterfly to be applied to the top when it is done.

 

 

100 Day Challenge I keep using the sports images from the news paper for my inspirations for this project. I did a few extra this week so I am showing work up to day 40 and we are only 38 days into the challenge. But I know that my week end will be a busy one and I do not like to play catch up.

 

 

Daily Practice I finished one more panel am I am ready to start a new one now.

 

 

Drawing I keep putting in time on this project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adolescence- Spring trip to Washington D C

The year I was a Jr in high school the family trip was to Washington D C. We started out early on a snowy morning and entered the Applications after a long day of driving. I was struck by how much iron was present in the mountains and how many pine trees there were. We had intended to stay in Shenandoah National Park, but found it was closed. So we drove farther east and camped on the side of the road. We got up to more snow that melted quickly as the day warmed up. Our first visit was to Mt Vernon. It was a big estate with rooms that I saw as smaller then I expected it was a very big complex  however.   No mention of a black presence in 1965. From there we went to Arlington National Cemetery were we visited the Thumb of the Unknown Solder. The guards looked smart in their matching pattern. Then we went of to check out the Eternal Flame at John Kennedy’s grave sight. The vast fields of white crosses sure brought home the costs of war to me. Everything is so close together that going to Lincoln Memorial was an easy next step. I was most impressed by the carving of Lincoln’s hands.  We then  went  along the reflecting pool up to the Washington Moment.   We climbed all 66 flights of stairs with 18 steps in each flight to get to the top. It only took Gene and I 16 min. to get to the bottom when we when down. Mom and Dad followed much more slowly. Our next stop was the Capital building. I found the Rotunda to be much bigger than I expected and both the House and Senate to be smaller. Mom remained to check out me that The Freedom Lady sculpture on the top as we walked away. We  started for the campground we got a little lost and went in circles around the building complex several times before heading home. Dad accidently ran a red light and there were four policemen on the corner. The did not stop us- Mom guessed that they saw the Indiana license plate and let it slide. We camped that night in a small camp ground called Prince Edward. I wonder if it is still there. Tuesday we got up and went back into Washington DC to do the Smithson. I enjoyed the special exhibit of “Animals in Art” a lot.   I did a drawing of  sculpture of a mother chimp cuddling her young one.    We saw lots of manufacturing equipment along with lots of old automobiles. In the Natural History Museum Mom and I spent two hours in the basement and only did about half. We did the ground level after lunch and saw a Blue Whale , the Hope Diamond,  Witch Dr Masks and a great collection of shrunken heads. By 4:30 we all had “museum feet” and pilled into the car and drove to the Air Port to watch plains take off and detox a bit. We rested  and then went to the National Archives building. The Constatation had a place of honor in the rotunda along with the other founding documents. We walked right up to them and could easily read them thought the glass. I was a surprised by how yellow the paper was and how faded the ink. One could purchase copies in a little kiosk near the door but we did not.   The day was full and we all slept well that night.

Stay safe

Carol