Category Archives: Mulberry Memories

First Opening

Hello,

The fall is a beautiful time and I am enjoying it.   I went to visit with my friend Chris who has a camp on Kuaka  Lake this week.    This wall work is by her late husband and one of the new items she has placed in her cabin.  

This week was also the opening of the Broad Street Galley show.   This is a shot is of two of my smaller works  along with other  gallery work.     Sharon and I shared a pleasant evening talking to folks. 

On Friday Liz and I spent the day painting on fabric.  It was a new experience for Liz and she did lots of experimenting.   I painted organza for use in my Wildfire piece.

 

We had fun.

I am off to a three day workshop at the Schweinfurth Art center with Pat Pally on dyeing, tomorrow and so I have been packing.  I hope all this stuff fits into Liz’s car along with her collection too.

 

 

Progress Report:  Label Block   When you are a part of the Quilts =Art = Quilts show one is often asked to contribute a small work to be sold to raise funds for the gallery.   This is my contribution for that cause.

 

 

Mulberry Memories 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This work is 38″ w X 23″ t.    It is part of the memorrie map series about my childhood.   The town represented is Carroll Iowa and we lived in this town for 5 years.   

Playing marbles and learning to ride a bike were important events in those years.      Gene and I also spent a lot of time climbing the mulberry tree in the front yard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOX    At this point I am attaching the words to the background with invisible thread.  I plan to cut away the back and then I will be ready to applique the words down and quilt the piece.

Wildfire     This work is shaping up now.    I used some of the organza that I painted on Friday in this piece and I added some silk paper from my stash too.   I need to build a foreground  now and then I will be ready to stitch the work together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Scottie block   Lori’s new granddaughter has an eye disability and she asked us to make a square with lots of texture for her.   This is my Scottie that I made with a soft velvet and an old towel for the grass.  I want to add a eye made with a doll eye to give another texture too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collection III- Friends   I have been working away on collecting more elements to add to this work and doing a little stitching too.   I feel like there are enough items on the surface now and so I will concentrate on the handwork from now on.

 

 

 

 

Daily Practice This work is moving forward.  I only have a few more circles to add to the surface and then I will be able to go forward with stitching designs.

 

 

 

 

 Label Cards:This card is obviously a travel card and it is nice to go on journeys.   But there are lots of potential trips just outside one’s own door that are journeys too.   Be open to adventure.

 

 

 

 

And this adventure is one of the immigration.

Enjoy

Carol

Mill Site Lake Retreat 2018

 

Hello,

Over the weekend I went to the Mill Site Lake fall retreat at Judy’s camp.  We had a good time swimming, kayaking  and hiking.   We went to the Red Wood Sanctuary and   that is were Nancy spotted these Indian Pipes.   There were lots of colorful mushrooms in that old growth wood too.IMG_1769  We enjoyed the big old trees and I was especially taken by the wonderful bark   textures.   I took lots of photos of those too.    The weather was pleasant and it was relaxing as the retreat always is.   I did a lot of hand work.

   Earlier this week I  wash the dye out  of the fabrics I have been   dyeing this summer.  All  fabrics have three layers of printing on them.   Building up the interest was one of my main goals for this summers work.

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Collection III  This work is ready to be stretched now I think.   I took it to camp and spent a lot of time doing the hand work on it.IMG_1808I had a good time adding in the stitching and embellishing the work.   Now I can move onto the next one in this series.

JIG I just finished  the last of the machine quilting on this piece this week .   Now I need to add the facings and finish it up.

 IMG_1800Mulberry Memories    I am to the point now where I only have a little hand work to do on this piece and then I can add the facings here too.  I am gearing up for the group meetings next week.  That  always seems to give me finishing goals.

Re work- Birch Trees  IMG_1795  In the process of looking for work I want to put in the Broad Street Gallery Fiber Show, I came across this felted work and thought  it needed  additional work.   No center of interest.   So I am going to add Birch trees to the surface and see if  that action does not help the work.   The green netting that I have pinned to the top helps with color interest already.

Forest Fire I built the canopy for the trees to add to this work yesterday.  It all has fusible on the back  so when I add the tree trunks  to this and everything is in its final position I can iron it down and then stitch on top.   I will build from there forward to fill in the ” work.

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Practice IMG_1798 This work is almost finished.  I added beads and the brass flower forms that Carol gave me to the surface.  I am now to the point where I am doing “intense looking” at the work to see if it is complete or if it needs further modifications.

Label Card: Truth In this day and age of  telling half truths and open lying,  I think we need to be sure to speak clear honest unembellished truths.   No need to embellish the truth.

Keep Creating

Carol

Summer

 

Hello,

The summer is in full bloom in this area.   Lots of flowers and vegetables are available in the farmers market.   It is a great time of the year.    The weather has been so pleasant that Liz and I enjoyed dyeing   yesterday.   Now I have three layers   of color and pattern on my fabrics.  That was my goal for this summer.  I only need to do the time consuming wash out now.

I also went on a trip to the Fenimore Museum with a couple of my buddies.      The museum has a great Native American  collection.  I enjoyed it very much .  This mask is only one of many  beautiful works of indian art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Mulberry Memories  I am moving alone on this project and now I am adding in the landscape and foliage to fill many areas.   It is the fun detail stage now.IMG_1754

 

JIG    All the text is raw edge appliqued down now.    I am beginning to do the reflective quilting now.

IMG_1755When the quilting is done I am going to run this work through the washer and dryer to get even more fraying of the edges of the words.

 

Collection 3   I am  now  to the hand step  of the work on this piece .  I enjoy  adding in little found objects as well IMG_1749 to add even more texture.

 

 

Wild Fire   This is the third in the elements series.   I am also distressed by the Wild Fires in the west so this seems like a good way to think about natures power of destruction as well as creation.   I am using Angelina to add the sparkle of fire light to this  work.

 

 

  Daily Practice I am nearing the end of the hand work on this piece I think.  Adding the embellishment of the metal and beads seems like a good place to stop I think.

 

Cards: Kindness    This is a wonderful concept.   I agree that Kindness is underrated.

Comfort  There are times when it is necessary   to be still and consider our  citation.  Then are  also time to move forward.  Most of us do not spend enough time contemplating and just act.

Keep Creating

Carol

Second Visit

Hello,

I enjoyed the Kimono Exhibit at Munson Williams Proctor so much I went back with Liz and Barb this week.     I am so glad I did as I was once again floored by the work.  I even saw a whole wall of kimonos that did not register in my consciousness at the end of the exhibit because my mind was so full of work.   Winter Mt Komona   I saw and paid attention to different details too.  It was a good experience.   Liz also had to pick up the wood block print that she had purchased  so the trip did double duty.    This bee print is a second pull that was on display  in the museum.

Liz and I also dyed this week.  I want to add one more layer of color on the fabric before I start to was it out so there are no images this week.

 

 

 

 

 

I have exciting news too.   My Label Quilt III was accepted for the Quilts= Art = Quilts show at the Auburn  Center for the Arts.   I am thrilled.

 

Progress Report:   JIG

IMG_1718   I am to the point  where I am stitching down the words on this piece.

IMG_1719The work is slow as there are so many sharp changes in direction.

Mulberry Memories    I am adding the images on the surface now.   This shot shows that the spokes of the bike need to be done in black as the silver does not show up.   I also need to add a lot of hand stitching to the work.

Collections 3      I started another one of these little works that  use bits and pieces of items in the  studio.   It too needs lots of hand work now.

Collections 4 IMG_1730   Then in my clean up I discovered another collections piece so I will try not  to bury it  and work away on this one as well.      In my future I  can see lots of setting on the patio and enjoying the summer in my future while I  do handwork.

IMG_1733New Work : Fire   I am a bit distressed by the fires in the west so I am going to do a piece with a forest burning.   I have pulled out these possible fabrics to think study on while I ponder this subject.

Daily Practice IMG_1727  This work gets it attention during the news every night so it is coming along nicely.   Cards: Surface    I just love texture and this card is a collection of many of them.

 

 

 

 

Never Too Late to Learn This little fortune is a powerful message for procrastinators I think.

 

Keep Creating

Carol

Busy Summer Time

Hello,
We are enjoying summer, with lots of rain. I can’t grow Black-eyed Susans, there are from my neighbors yard, but I can grow fairy rings (

They only last a day though. There were so many things going on this week I did not do much work. I just seemed to collect ideas and memories to use later an reflect on all the experiences that I have been going through. One needs to take stock every now and then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went with Liz to Percilla’s sale last Friday. We both purchased jackets.   It was fun and we are both delighted to have our one of a kind works to wear this fall.

 

Felted Landscapes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday I went to the Northeast Felt Makers Association as Angela’s guest. We took a workshop on making small felted cards. Angelas’s cards. I have not done any wet felting in a while and I had forgotten how much the roving can move and change with the felting process. I did two small cards. Now we both need to add needle felting for detail and some embroidery to further that process. It was fun and I have joined the group and hope this helps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tue was meeting day for me. I went to the QuEG’s meeting in the morning. We did not meet in July so folks had lots to share. Sally has been working on this beautiful blue and white piece. She is a master of machine embroidery.

 

 

 

 

 

Sue Ellen went to QBL but she was not a t all happy with her piece so I did not take a photo. She did have this delightful little work to share with us though.

 

Liz showed the piece she did in Rosalie’s class on Matisse. It sure captures his love of color and simplicity of shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angela had been printing on fabric with dye. She is staying true to her tapa cloth symbols although the colors are her own. I love what she is doing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to Susan’s for the afternoon and we did some plant printing. I had fun and I am sure some great stuff will grow from this bit of raw material building along with my other stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Diva meeting was stimulating as usual.  Noel showed us her entry for Quilts = Art =Quilts and her latest Collaged Lady.
Susan shared her shelf garden pieces that she has been painting. They are so soft and light like the real flowers.
Donna had great works in progress for her solo show in Oct , but I did not take nay good photos of that work. It was a good meeting as usual and I went home inspired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Yak This is a project from my class with Jeannette Newberryi from QBL. It is 13″w X 15.5″ t. I really like the effects and will transfer the ideas to my own work in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jig This work goes forward. I still want to cut out about six more copies of the word and place them on the surface. I think I will raw edge applique them down as I like this material that Jennet gave me frays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mulberry Memories I mostly work on the trees and grass on this work this week. I am ready to paint and add more imagery to the surface now too.

Cards: Nature   I believe this quote because I know I can always take a short walk our of doors to put things back in perspective for myself.  It really works.

Culture

 

 

We stand on the shoulders of past cultures and for the most part we are totally unaware of their impact on us.

Keep Creating

Carol

PS-  I am still working on getting last weeks post so it can be viewed.   Thanks for your patients.