Hello-
I am thankful for this wonderful day when we all take a few min. to thinks on all the wonders in our lives. I hope your day is filled with joy and happiness.
I will post tomorrow.
Hugs
Carol
All posts by admin
Golden Carpet
Hello,
Mother Nature has now stripped the trees of all there golden leaves and put down a carpet of gold and cream on the lawn. I sure like the quiet colors. But, I need to rake yet again.
This week was a retreat at the Schweinfurth. I along with 11 other gals took advantages of the open wet studio to dye and print fabric.
We all made messes and wonderful fabric too. 
The wash room line quickly filled with a colorful collection of fabrics that were batching.
Liz and Susan took advantage of the big sinks that are in the wet studio to wash out dyes before putting them in the washers. Penny and I along with other retreaters, did visit the Quilts= Art = Quilts show up stairs at lunch time and enjoyed it. 
Not everyone worked with dye. Cheri painted this wonderful piece for her circle challenge. It was all very exciting and I am still washing out the dye from the stuff that I tried. But here are some of the final pieces. I have a lot of raw material for some future work.
There was a FAB meeting this week too. Judy has made great progress on the quilt she started in Augest when we were up at her camp. I really love the colors she is using on this piece.
Progress Report: Wool Works 1 This work has the felted part done and a bit of fabric pinned to the surface. Last week it was only a line drawing on the black felt. This is just a beginning.
Wool 2 I put in a lot of time on this work this week. I added the yellow leaf to the top of the rock yesterday as I though it needed a more focused point of interest. It is not stitched down yet and I keep moving it about as I am not sure about were I want it to “fall”. When it is just right I will stitch it down.
Wool work 3 This wool work is now ready for lots of machine work. I have started that process- but just in small areas.
Self Challenge I did not do much on this work as I was away. I am 
also unsure about what I want to do with it so it sets were I can look up and see it very now and then. I hope that will lead to inspiration.
Felted Landscape Regina and I shared a room at the retreat. We were awakened on Sat morning at 5 am by the call of crows. Our room was on the third floor so when we looked out we were in the tree tops along with the crows. There were so many in the predawn 
that it looked like the trees had leaves on them. As the sun came up the birds flew away a few at a time. It was a wonderful experience. We watched until most of them had left for their foraging for the day. It was amazing. I am going to use my felted landscape from last week as a place to add this memory to a new work. 
So far I have only gotten the tree to add to the top.
Label Block # 94 Being away I only got one block completed this week.
Keep Creating
Carol
Falling Back
Hello-
The winds of autumn are stripping the trees of their golden bounty now. I have been out raking for two days. It is cold and soon days will be spent inside. This last week has been a busy one out side the studio for me. 
I spent Friday mixing dye with my friend Liz. We will be a part of open studio at the Schweinfurth during the up coming weekend. Play is in my future.
Then this week end I was part 
of and Exhibition and Sale at John Doweling’s studio for two days. I sold three little framed works and I am very happy about that. The work is still hanging there although I am not in attendance. It will be there until the middle of Dec.
Progress Report: Hand Bag I did put together a hand bag this week so I guess I did finish one thing.
Pond Waters Because I was away so much there is not a lot of progress to report. I continue to work away on this project in the evenings and it is building. Hand work is just slowbut very calming.
Circle Play This is my self challenge to play with faced circles in a creative way. I have a lot to learn with this process. I have challenged myself to do seven works using this striped circle as the main unit.
Wool works 1 2 3 I started these works last week but did not put too much time into them yet. This work is # 2 only because I numbered my sketches as I did them. I am sure it will get a better name with time. This one is just about ready for some machine stitching.
#3 This one is ready for fabric and machine work. It really is not much different than last week.
#1 is still at the prep for wool stage.
I have drawn the areas our for the color changes but that is all. I will get to that later today I hope as the felting machine is out on the desk and waiting.
Felted Landscape I did make progress on one wool piece though. This too is in an early stage. I will keep you posted.
New Work I did pull fabric for a new pieced work too. This one will be a lot simpler then the pieced work I have been doing of late. I hope I can stick with that attitude.
Label Blocks # 92 & # 93 I can see the end of this project. There are only 27 more blocks to complete.
Keep Creating
Carol
Deep in Fall
Hello-
I am finding the fall color all around me now. And there is a lot on the ground. I raked big piles to the street yesterday. The leaf piles are deep . This week was the beginning of the month and so I had meetings with both QuEGs and Divas on Tuesday. 
Sally started us off with a warm and fuzzy baby quilt for her grand child. Linda showed
us the project she had completed from her class at QBL this summer. Liz was just home from Nancy Crow’s Barn and she had some great work to share too. She is mixing her drawing skills with her fabric work.
Sue Ellen is playing with line. It was a good meeting. The I went off to the Diva meeting in the evening. There again folks have been busy with projects and events. 
Regina is doing great free motion machine drawing. I like her use of layers of fabric for this too. Anne and Ruth both took a Shobori class at the Schweinfurth and the results are wonderful.
I look forward to seeing these wonderful fabrics in new works.
Maureen showed her finished Shobori quilt. She will be teaching these techniques in the spring.
Maureen also shared some antique quilt blocks she picked up on her trip to Maine. I really like the wonderful stitches.
Alice showed us the progress she is making on “The Bed” quilt. She had such a strong style!
Lliesa has finished her village piece. “The Tracks Divide Us” the title.
Progress Report: Bird Land This quilt is 50” lone and 49” wide. I started this quilt in Class with Rosalie Dace and the assignment was to choose a shape and repeat it against a patterned background. I also added to the challenge by using the negative space too. 
I did reflective quilting on this surface to fill it in. 
Fall Fires 
This stretch work is 30” X 22”. This work is my second attempt to use my collage build up technique and try to pull away from the “rock” imagery that is where I usually go. 
I enjoyed mixing the wool, organza and silks to build up this work.
New work 1, 2, 3 
When I finish a work I usually get going on a new piece. I have drawn out three new layouts for work that use the collage build up technique. This one had the felt base built in.
With this one I a building up with bits and scraps of fabric fist. There is a third but it is just lines on the black wool.
Self Challenge 
I stated this self challenge this week too. I want to do seven little works that are all the same size using a strip section and a circle cut from that strip unit. I did not know how to cut away the circle and maintain the strip unit so I could rotate the circle and re insert it. But the folks at the Diva meeting gave me two possible ways to do that. I think I am ready to go forward now.
Label Blocks # 90 & 91 I continue to do the work. I am going to hunt up a stitch book this week to make some more exciting stitches though.
Keep Crating
Carol
Time
Hello,
This week has been the usual one full of events and I did not get as much time in the studio as I usually do. That realization has made me think about how I am not guarding my time as I really should. I need to say “No Thank you” to protect that studio time. Not and easy task as I so enjoy the company of others. But as I grow older I realize there is not an infinite amount of time and one must choose how it is spent. 
This shot is of Patti teaching Nancy how to use the loom. We all did a little weaving at the FAB meeting this week. It was fun and now I have a new “Mug Rug” as Patti calls it.
Progress Report: Leaving the Land This work is 20”l X 26” w, got it stretched this week. When I showed it to my friend Diane she said it looked like an air view of lakes and mountains. So I knew I was successful in what I was shooting for. 
I do enjoy working with the fleece and silk paper in combinations with yarns and threads to build up the surface. 
The surfaces become so very deep and rich. 
Bird Land I am to the machine quilting stage with this work now. It is going smoothly and I am a little beyond half way done at this point. It is enjoyable.
Fall Fires This work is ready for stretching at this point. Hopfully the ripples will pull out when that is done. I had to make a run to the Art Store to purchase additional stretchers. I could have used what I had and lost a lot of the surface, but I decided that this piece deserved as much of the surface showing as possible. I have to keep telling myself I will not do this again and there fore it is worth the effort to do the job properly.
New Work 
The curvy cut work I started last week got some hand work attention this week. I pulled out all the fibers and threads that I thought might work on the surface and started working. The big size of this piece means I will be at it a long while.
Label Blocks # 88 and # 89 Two more done. This new effort to do two a week is good as I see the pile building.
Keep Creating
Carol
Fall Color
Hello-
On my walks this week I have been enjoying the fall colors. There is such a wide range. I love the oranges and reds as they contrast with the greens, but the browns and rusts have a beauty of their own.
I was stopped by the deep 
purple\ blue I found on the ground here. So many colors! There are also lots of mushrooms in various colors out now as well. I have taken a lot of photos of the 
trees and bark too. I am sure I will have a good supply to begin some new work with. So keep your eyes open and while you are enjoying the season and perhaps you too may become inspired to start a new project.
Progress Report: Ethel’s Nine Patch I
finished the double bed quilt this week. I sure enjoyed working on this project and thought of Ethel every step along the way. The back is all done in her black and white scraps too and the quilt is reversiable.
I think this side will be the winter side.
Queen Anne’s Lace This quilt is
26” l X 18” wide. It is one of my works that is built on the curvy cut system. I quilted in lines of the wind with the same curvy feel.
I enjoy the hand work that I put into the surface of this work. 
Fall Fires I am still working away on this piece. I am just about ready to begin to build in the smoke around the flames. The bottom area is not done either.
Leaving the Land
I put in time on this felt based work this week too. It is much closer to being complete then Fall Fires. There are only islands of spaces were I need to do the free motion work. The dark area on the far left about half way up is an example of a space where I need to add stitching.
Bird Land I have assembled the top for this work at this time. It sort of got out of my control as far as size is concerned. I do not usually work quite this big on art quilts. I will do a little drawing of possible free motion quilt patterns that have a bird motif this week before I begin that step.
Curvy Cut
As I finished the last curvy cut piece, Queen Anne’s Lace, I thought I should begin a new work in that vain. Again I used Randy’s deconstructed screen printed fabric as my starting place. It is about 41” l X 37” w a little big for this type of project.( Is there a theme here?) 
I have pulled a pile of fibers and threads that I might use to embellish this project.
Label Blocks # 86 #87
I am working away on this project too. Only 69 more blocks to go.
Keep your eyes open in this time of wonderful fall color and enjoy creating
Carol
Leaves Change
Hello-
It is really starting to be colorful here in central New York. I have seen all shades of green, yellow, orange and red this week. Mother Nature has been busy.
I went off to a Fiber Arts show on Sat. There was lots of weaving, spinning and roving. I came home with a back pack full of new colors to work 
with. The yarns were beautiful as well. It almost made me want to knit…. then I remembered all the yarn I already have so I walked away. I also went off to the Rock Garden Art Group Show. Two Fiber arts friends had work in the show Cheri and Terri. It was great. I so enjoy seeing the work of my fellow fiber Artists in gallery settings.
Progress Report: Ethel’s Nine Patch I got all of the quilt put together with week. I am working on the binding and that is about one third done. I am sure it will be completed this week.
Birds I am making progress on this work too. I have not put much of it together but the layout is getting more and more complete.
Land Fall 
I did work on this piece this week but this is the slow stage were not a lot seem to be happening in the over all image.
Orange Wool This work is like the other wool based piece. Lots of time but little difference on the surface. I am pushing myself to go more toward a fire like image. Time will tell if I can make this work.
Queen Ann’s Lace I did work on the heads of the steams on this project. I have been so busy doing hand work on other things that I have not really spent much time on this project.
Thread Painting 
At the QuEG’s meeting Angela talked about doing thread painting on wash away. Well I tried it this week. I like the concept, but I need to plan more carefully with the grid I put down to build on. I also marked the pattern were I wanted the white in red washable marker. I turned the thread pink. Not my plan at all. Mistakes are what we need to move forward. Then today I re read the instructions and it said to do the machine drawing on both sides. A second mistake.
Label Blocks # 83 and # 84
I just keep working at the little daily blocks.
Keep Creating
Carol
First Week in October
Hello-
It is the first full week of October and I went to my group meetings on Tuesday. At QuEG’s, Angela started us out with a baby quilt top she has finished for her yet to be born grand daughter. She is excited about it. 
She also showed us some of her work from an on line class she took. I really like the idea of making your sketch life sized before beginning work. A simple idea that had never occurred to me. I have always done a thumb nail sketch- but I can see value in doing it life sized. 
She also had her books from her class at QBL to share. It looks like she learned a lot and had a good time.
Linda shared her workings with her new felter.
This is a great start and I think she will do more on it and do several other projects.
Linda also created this wonderful forest quilt. It has so much depth.
Sue Ellen is busy getting ready for Christmas at the shop so she was trying out new ideas and this tree was one of them.
There were only five of us at the meeting, but we still managed to fill the two hours with sharing and talk.
Then it was off to the Diva meeting.
Lliesa started us out with a new map quilt. Unlike her one from last year that was based on a real location, this one is all imagined. I like how it is growing.
Ruth is doing a series of works based on Dinosaur tracks. I like the way she is working . The irregular shapes really look like chunks of rock to me.
Lorrie made this little quilt for the sale at the quilt show next week end. It is a happy little thing.
Donna is doing rust dyeing now and has achieved some great effects. I always go home for the meetings with a real high on things to think about and try Like the rust dyeing……. It is great to meet with folks of a like mind.
Progress Report: Water Run This work is 24” X 20” wide. I sure enjoyed working away on this work. When I stretched it I really got going on the next ones too.
I like doing the free motion work as the fibers sometimes move as I work.
That movement makes it feel more organic to me.
Land Fall This work was designed on a vertical layout, but is has turned to become a landscape type of work. I try to pay attention when the work directs me and go with that flow. It has about four hours of work in it so far. Slow but enjoyable for me.
Felting 
I am still adding roving and fabric to the surface of this work. I found some wonderful organza in one of my boxes when I was looking for something else. I know it will blend well in this work. No stitching yet. It is starting to look a bit like a flame to me.
Ethel’s Nine Patch This is the back of Ethel’s Nine patch. Again I am using her fabric and I though I would add some solids in primary colors to it- but I like the effect so I have just built it this way. There are lots of scraps left in the box, so I know there will be more work like this in my furture.
Queen Anne’s Lace
I am working on the hand stitching on this work. There are only two more flower heads to do and that step will be complete. My fried Tanya gave me some Eamu feathers a few weeks ago and I think I may use them in this work. The gray feather pinned to the center area is one of the feathers.
Bird Land 
This work is on the bottom of the stack so it does not get much attention. I did finish all the cutting of the birds this week though. Now to stitch things down.
Label Block # 83
I keep working away on these blocks and they keep getting completed. No rush and no pressure really is a nice thing.
Keep Creating
Carol
Entering Shows
Hello,
This beautiful painting is by my friend Barbara. It plus two other paintings of hers are hanging in the Manlius library as a part of the Associated Artist Of Central New York show that is open now until Oct 15. I have two works in the show too.
It is always exciting to see ones work on the wall among other pieces. In Aug I talked about rejection, so I felt I should talk a bit about entering shows too. It is worth the effort to put ones work out in public. There are all sorts of shows, some judged and some not. If you are entering be sure to read all the rules and follow them. I am in the process of hurrying toward a dead line and when I re read the rules I find that my images are not the correct pixel size to be a part of this one. I will see if I can resize them, but if that does not work I will not waste the judges time by putting work before them that that dose not qualify. One needs to work toward being successful and I feel showing ones work is a part of that process.
Progress Report: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly This work is 22” l X 15” w. It is one of the quieter pieces I have done. I did enjoy doing the thread painting on this the butterfly and I now have a new 
respect for all the shading work folks who do that thread painting work as it takes a lot of effort and skill to do that work well. It is very slow and difficult work. This little butterfly took me four and a half hours and it is small and far from perfect. 
Adding the commercial ivy leaves was a lot simpler. I do love the texture though.
Hand work This pieces has been at the bottom of the pile for a while. I did work on the Queen Ann’s lace section this week and only have a few more blossoms to finish that step.
Ethel’s Nine Patch 
I finished assembling the rows of this piece this week and the pile in the photographic is of the fabrics I am going to use for the back of this piece. Most of them are from Ethel’s collection too.
Felting- rust 
This piece is only about an hour old. I draw out the areas I want in different colors with Taylor’s chalk. Then felt roving, silk paper and yarn are placed over the wool and felted into place.
Felting-gray This piece is much further along then the first one. I am just about ready to start applying the fabric bits and doing some tread drawing on the surface of this piece.
New work This project has been on the wall for several weeks. I finally buckled down and created all the units for the bird cutaways so I can get going on this piece.
Label Block # 82 I am just a bit beyond the half way point in this project. Down hill from here.
Keep Creating
Carol
A Bit about process
Hello-
I am getting back into my usual grove this week. I went to a FAB meeting where Judy showed us more of the blocks she created after the Mill Sight weekend. I think the colors work well together well and it will result in a grand quilt. I have finished several pieces this week so it is time to begin new work. I though I might talk about one of my processes. 
First I select an image. This is a photo that I took in Washington state of a cut in the road. Then I make a little windows and run them around the photo to find an area I think is a good jumping off point. When I choose one and I then do a little sketch of it using dark, medium and light. 
At this point I need to decided on a size and select a fabric for a base. Because of the great amount of shrinkage and 
warping that occures with all the felting and the stitching I apply I make the background fabric 10 inches bigger then the final projected finished size. The next step is to lay out roving in the areas that are light med and dark and felt it down. I then build up the surface with yarn, silk paper and fabric strips.
Progress Report: Small Cleft 
This work is 24” long and 20” wide. It is based on a photo I took four years ago. I used the same process I described above for this work. 
I incorporated silk yarn in this work as well as silk paper. 
There is also some fabric bits and yarns here too.
Beach Front
This quilt is another in the three challenges process. My hand dyed fabric is the white with colored spots and Ethel’s is the blue and dark batiks. It is based on a collage.
The top half is quilted in parallel lines while the bottom section is done in a wavy pattern to suggest water.
Generational Whispers This work is 43” long and 38” high. I shows five generations of women in my family with my grand daughter at the center in the bottom.
I did free motion drawing on organza to create the portraits and then sewed them to the background. 
The last step was to add the names of the women represented then quilt. There was not enough space below all the heads to add their dates of birth and death on the top so I have added a panel on the back with that information.
Butterfly I am just about done with the thread painting on this butterfly. The black sections on the body and the left wing remain. Then I will add it to the top and do the final quilting on that piece.
Ethel’s Nine Patch I am enjoying building these squares. I have completed 25 at this point. To make it a queen sized quilt it will take 43 blocks so I am a little beyond half way done at this point. Looking at the scrap box I know there will be a second one of these too.
Label Block # 81 I feel back into my old pattern and only finished on block this week. I have started making Creative Assistants in the evening so I did not put in any extra time on this project.
Keep Creating.
Carol