Category Archives: Finger Lakes Fiber Artists

Moving Along

Hello,

Last Thru evening I looked out to see the Bever Moon as it was rising.      The moon was actually full the night before, but I found it still stunning.   Many folks saw the northern lights this week, but sense I live in the city that was not my experience.     I hope some of my readers did see it.                   The days seem to be rushing forward and the holidays will be surrounding us soon.    I had a FLFA meeting on Sat this week.  It was really fun with lots of great ideas moving folks along.

 

Susan is still exploring the stitching of fabric  and paper work   that she started at the workshop that attended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joyce showed off some more of her quilted works.

 

 

 

 

 

Kafka has been doing little quilts based on drawings by her grandchildren.   What a great way to save  memories.

 

 

 

Sharon is working away on this bleach altered piece.  That  pinkie/orange in the center is made with   French knots.

 

 

 

 

Jean G  has built two quilts that she plans to merry into one work in an accordion style.   ( note the little experiment at the top)   I am looking forward to see how this work out for her.

 

 

The only other thing I did this week was walnut stain some different types of fabric.     I really like how the dye is so much of a surprise as far as color and where it ends up on the surface.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Crystal Blocks   I added an extra row of 2.5 ” units around the out side edge of this work and then felt it was complete.  It is pin based and I did stitch in the ditch around the blocks, but I am not suer how I want to do the rest of the quilting so I m letting it rest.

 

Lap 24/25  This work is pin basted and I  have started to quilt.  It sure looks like the colors of fall are effecting my choices now.

 

 

 

 

 

Lap- 25/25    the fall color theme   is still working here.   I am enjoying using some of the fabrics that I have dyed now.

 

 

 

 

Flotsam and Jetson    This work is going forward.  I am am surprised by how much green and blue materials I have collected.   It is fun to use them together for me.

 

 

 

 

 

Handwork   I am moving slowly forward on this piece too.  It is very calming  work.

 

 

 

 

 New Self Challenge- Trees  I have not had a weekly challenge in a long time so I though about what I could do.  I decided that I would try to make eight inch square blocks and make a little landscape featuring trees  every week for a while.   Only time will tell if I can keep this idea going.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

End of Summer

  Hello,

Summer will officially come to an end on Sunday with fall equinox.     I have noticed that the sun is going down  a  lot sooner.    The plants are starting to show the changes of fall as well.

I have had a busy week starting   with a trip to Marcia’s on Friday.   It was a good get together with lots of sharing and good work.

 

 

This one is by Kathy.  She added buttons to make spiders on this work while we where their.

 

 

 

 

 

Joyce was busy making bowls.     She cut fabric for a new bunch at the meeting.

 

 

Deb worked on a beautiful  guild challenge   piece.

 

 

 

 

 

And we got introduced to a new way to do scrap quilts call Trash quilts.    It’s always a fun time.

 

 

 

 

Saturday was the FLFA Meeting at the Schweinfurth.     I went early so I could view the Members show too.   Victoria had a good box piece in this show.

 

 

 

Jean G  work was included in the show.   I like how she is building up her surface.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Nancy  was working on this pieces at the fall retreat and now its done.  Looks great in this show.

 

 

 

 

Desy included this work in the show.

 

 

 

 

Ann finished her jelly fish and it was a part of the show as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Red Tide work was also a part of the members show.

 

 

 

 

The  FLFA  meeting was small but the work was great!    Cheri brough several pieces including this one that she wanted some feed back on.  The group talked and she told me later that it really helped.

 

 

Jean M showed  some of her work from QBL and explained what she learned.

 

 

 

 

Joan showed off this wonderful piece with it’s irregular edge.   It is great use of the fabric she printed in the fall.

 

 

Victoria shared her newest piece with a great mix  of new fabrics and old work  cuts.    She introduced the use of Cola pens to make marks too.   ( the thick black lines)

 

 

 

 

Susan finished up her work from QBL class as well.

 

 

 

 

Bev works away in her studio and produces some surprising stuff.   I really like this work.

 

 

  My third event for the week was Sunday with the opening of the Associated Artist Show.   I was delighted to learn that my piece ” Winter Tide Pool ” won best of show.

Honorable mentions went to Laura   and Guta.

This is Laura’s piece .  It too is a fiber piece and I really like it.

 

 

 

 

 

Guta’s did a wonderful plain air water color.

I made it to the  Textile talk on  Wed and  the Sisterhood Zoom  meeting too.   After all those events  the rest of the week was quite.

 

Progress Report:   Hollyhocks and Humming Birds    I am starting to attach the steams and flowers  now.  It takes about 45 min to do each one so I will be at this one a while

 

 

 

 Lap# 21- 25  I did this top during the week.  I do not have any more  polar fleece to use as centers, so I am at a bit of a stand still until I find a new source.  I miss Jo Ann’s.

 

 

 

 

Protesting   Sisters  I  am making progress here. I decided on of the sisters needed to be gray haired,so us older gals are now represented.    Kathy suggested that I make the quilt have an irregular edge so that one of the signs will not be cut off.   I love the idea and I am working on that challenge now.

 

 Square bead necklaces     I put together several more of these this week.  I only have enough beads for three more now.

It is a busy time of the year, but I am enjoying every min.

Keep creating

Carol

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Worming

Hello,

Sorry this is a bit late, but my week has been full of events- not all quilt related.   Yesterday, the Sisterhood of the Scissors meant at the Rochester Memorial Museum to view their annual show .   This metal fish  from   that show. really caught my eye.

 

I also loved this wonderful pen and ink drawing.

 

 

 

 

This painted piece was  one of the ones of my favorites.   So much color and so beautifully done.

 

 

 

 

 

In the section of the museum of” works out of storage”- I came across this work.       It is made from spools.   The artist provided viewers that made the images right side up too.

 

 

 

Ann showed off her newest vest at our meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

Earlier in the week I went to the Finger Lakes Fiber Artist meeting.    There were eleven  gals present.     This work is by Linda and is 12″ X 12″.

 

 

 

 

 

Deb is working on flowers .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joyce is still playing with her new love – branch weaving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan is working big and pushing herself in new directions.

 

 

 

Jean M did some rework of her project from the last meeting.  This final result is great!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jean G reworked  her tree piece too.    The rotting tree trunk is much more distinguishable  now.

It was a good meeting and we all seemed to have a good time.

 

 

 

 

I learned that my daughter is using her  scrap happy quilt as part of her camping gear.    What a nice complement.

 

 

  Progress Report: Experimental Challenge # 2 This is my solution to the challenge that we are doing at Marcia’s.   It is 12″ X 12′”.   Two more works to do in this challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lap 16-25    This work is pin based and all ready for quilting.    I enjoyed using more fabrics from Pat’s class on this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lap 17- 25   I have only laid out the big block centers for this next lap quilt.

 

 

 

Shore Line   I just keep working away on this project.   It is building up nicely.

 

 

 

 

Blue Blossoms    This is a close up of one of the dragonflies  on this work.     I am mixing felt work with embroidery here and like the effects. I am pleased with how it is coming along too.

The other thing that has take up my time is my, is my planning and packing for my two week at Quilting by the Lake.     I have Independent Studio  week one.  That requires a lot of time and thinking on my part as to jut what I want to do and I am not quite certain.   Secondly the class I wanted to take is not going as the teacher is ill.  There for I got to choose an alternative and I selected Express Your True Self with Sheila Frampton-Cooper.   That meant that I had to put aside all the things I had collected for my chosen class and pull out a new batch of materials.   I am sure I will enjoy this one even thought it is not what I was anticipating.    I will report on all of it after it is over in Aug.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

 

 

May

Hello,

Spring is really here!    The air is full of birdsong.  Not only are the Dandelions blooming so too are the trees.   There are lots of maple seed wings on the side walk and I even saw a robin’s blue shell on my walk today.    The trees screen out the view as they dress in their frail looking new leaves.      I  really enjoy this time of year.

 

Before I went off to week of dyeing I went to the Associated  Artis show in memory of Mimi.    I was surprised by her beautiful  batik work on paper.  The show will be up at the Manlius Public Library until June 7 when my solo show will replace it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also check out the found object art show at the library.  I enjoyed this one the most.

 

 

 

 

I am glad to be home too after my week of dyeing with Pat Pauly.    Five full days of printing and playing with dyes  was exhausting.   I am not accustomed to standing from 8:30 to 4:30 any more.  The class was enjoyable work none the less. Pat introduced us to some new techniques and reviewed ones she had taught before.

There were  lots of friend including  Cheri  and Joan, in the class.   They both  did some strong work.   This piece is Joan’s.   She did four techniques on this project.

 

 

 

This is an unfinished work by Cheri.   I know she added to the one on the left, but I am one sure about the banana leaves  on the right.

 

 

 

I worked on about 25 different pieces, most getting two or three layers of dye worked into them.    This is my one piece of linen.   I did not know i was suppose to zig zag the edge to avoid fraying.

 

 

 

This is a shot of my new” Solar Dryer ” with lots of my pieced drying after I got home.    It was a good time and I am glad I did it.

 

 

 

I went to Ellen Blalock’s  solo  exabit that was on the third floor of   the Schweinfurth  too.   She is so very inspiring!   This is only a small portion of this great work.

 

 

 

 

On Saturday after the dyeing workshop, there was a FLFA  meeting.     It was full of great work too.     This is Maureen’s newest piece and she got lots of suggestions as to how to go forward.

 

 

 

Linda has now finished the thread  work on this powerful piece  of whole cloth  work.     Yes, those trees are all machine drawn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next   was  Jean  Mc  work.   She asked for and got lots of suggestions as to how to go froward on this one too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheri brought  a powerful work that is a combination of felting and stitch work.    I love how bold she is with the edge shapes in her work.

 

 

Jean G   shared some of her work with reflections from windows in NYC.     She really uses color very well.

 

 

 

Liz , Victoria and I enjoyed a play day at Angel’s this week too.   The goal was to experiment with Ink Tense pencils and chalks.   I was making  bases for the challenge Kathy gave us to do  with  landscapes.  The bottom right dose not have the water step done yet, so it still has sharp edges.

 

 

 

 

Angela shared her latest stitch work.   It was inspired by the reputing volcano in Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

 

I got a nice surprise in the mail from my cousin, Tracy .   She sent me this  box full of old hand made squares that belonged to her husbands grandmother.     I think I will set this aside and work on in in the winter.

 

 

Progress Report:  Red Tide   I am now in the middle of trying to mount   this work on foamboard.  I have clipped it to the board and I am stitching through to get it to stay in place.

 

The stitches are through the foamboard and  buttons so they will not tear out.    It is always a game when one does not really know what one is doing.

 

 

 

 

 

Dreaming    I m machine quilting away on this project now.  I think I will finish  this step soon and go onto the binding this week.

 

 

 

 

Lap 9-25    This work is all pin basted now and I will start the machine quilting soon.

 

 

 

 

 Lap 10-25  Somehow  I got started quilting on this quilt before I did # 9.   I only need to finish it and I will be adding the binding  on it soon too.

 

 

 

 

 

Lap 11-25  I pulled fabric for the next lap quilt this week as well.

 

 

 

 

Handwork- Spiralis

I’m doing handwork in the evenings.  The colored  shapes are all cutaways from other projects.

 

It has been a full two weeks and I am sure the same will  come my way this week.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

 

Winter Moon

 Hello,

Happy Valentines Day to everyone.      The Moon was full last night- a snow moon – and we have had lot of that this week and last.  There are three more storms headed across the country that are set to hit us as well.     I guess we are making up for the mind winters of the past few years.

Last Friday the gals in the Trifurcation show meant at La Moyne with a young student and did a TV interview about the show.     He told us he selected us for his interview because he wanted to learn more about fiber arts.   I am glad we tickled his curiosity.

 

FLFA meant on Saturday   and we added Jean to our membership.  This is her leopardess.

 

 

Pat had a new jacket that she had made for her next fashion show.

 

 

 

 

 

Noel who told us she will be moving to Oklahoma, shared her newest hand work.

 

 

 

 

 

Maureen  is doing more Shiori for  her next hand work project.  This will be her starting point.

 

 

 

 

 

Anne is getting ready for a two man show and these are two of her new works based on her  Yellowstone trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan did a seirs of six studies in line.  They are all fun and interesting.   She selected tis one for me to shoot.

 

 

 

 

Linda is doing thread painting.  She taught a workshop in Colorado and now she is  hassling  to completed this for a class she is taking.

 

 

 

 

Bev is delighted to finally be back in her studio and she is working on this powerful muted piece by hand.   She is using all her own hand dyed fabrics here.

 

 

 

I also had  FAD meeting this week.   Judy shared one of her works with us.

The Pixies meant this week as usual too.

 

 

 

Progress Report:   Purple Jacket #2  I am happy to sha this project dose in deed fit as apposed to the first that I had to give to Judy because it was too small for me.  I also added pockets on the inside yesterday.  I will say it is warm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

California Burning- the Victorian  I can see the end of this project.  All the quilting is done and I am working on the sleeves and labels now.

 

 

 

The Tide’s Out   This  is a shot of the top edge of this piece.  I have been working on it most of this week and hope to finish this section today or tomorrow.

Cut & Print   I am out line quilting the scissors now on this project.  I have 22 pairs to go at this point.     I will be working out additional  quilting as I go forward.

 

 

 

 

Handwork  I am working away on this project when time allows.   I have had so much other handwork it has been pushed to the bottom this week.

 

 Felt Owls   I   am going to do  bit of felting now.  These four bodies will become small owls I hope.

 

Lap 2-25    I decided to use all the leftover fabric from the purple jackets to make a lap quilt.  Here is day ones work.

 

Enjoy the holiday and keep your fingers in the creative pot

Carol

First Snow

Hello

We got our first big snow this week.     There have had several additions sense that time too.    Beautiful Winter is really here.

I have had a busy tine sense the last time I wrote.     There was a FLFA meeting at the Schweinfurth on the 30 of Nov.

 

 

This quilt won the FLFA prize at the Q=A=Q show.

 

 

The meeting went well as they usually do with lots of folks in attendance.

 

 

Pat Pauly Shared her new work.

 

 

 

 

Sharon Souva showed off the quilt she did for her grandson.  She told us  that she included the  blue jean pockets in the construction so she could tuck in some surprise cash it them for him too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anne had finally completed her commission.   This will be her last she says.

 

 

 

 

Susan had finished her crow piece for the class this summer.

 

 

 

 

 

Linda brought her machine drawing Elephant for us to view.     It is all built from thread!

 

 

 

 

Then on Dec 1 Jean had a trunk show.  It was a great one too.     She specializes in fabric collage for her work.

 

 

Sharon    Had her trunk show on Sunday last week.   She has completed her Heron piece  in record time.

 

FAB and the Pixies also meant this week.     Throw in  trips to the Dr and a play and the time has been hectically fast paced.

 

 

 

Progress Report:   Autumn Cuts      All the fabric pieces are attached now.  But I think it needs a bit more so I will spend time studying it this week.

 

 

 

 

 

Cut the Cord      I am to the quilting stage for this project now.    I plan to applique the scissors on top.     I am doing reflective quilting with a pointed jog added.   I like the look- but is sure is slow.

 

 

 

 

Coral Bleaching   I am done with the stitch work on this project and it is off to the framers now.   Lots of stuff I have not used before here.  Like the cut silk cocoons and some real coral that my Mom had collected on the beach in 1966.

New Tide Pool    So I have started a  new sea work.  I painted and melted some Tyvek and  and free motion stitched it down as well as some dyed lace.   Now I will start the embellishing.

 

Lexi’s top   Alexis asked at Thanksgiving for a new throw quilt in pink so I am busy putting on together for her.

 

 

 

 

 

Collages  I missed the pixie meeting last week do to a Dr appointment so I did not know the color choice  and as it turns out they have morphed the project any way.

 

 

 

 

 

I  still followed my own rule of using some paper I had  Gelli printed.      This time I used some of the pens that one of the other gals in the group gifted me too.

 

 

 

 

Several years ago I perched a book full of old images that were suppose to be used in collage and I added them to these works.

 

 

 

 

 Steam Punk Dolls   I was working to clear out a shelf that was full of old magazines.  I had to flip through them all as I did so and came across the idea of doing Stem Punk dolls.   This my start.

 

 

6X6   The call for the Rochester  6X6  show is a long way off,  but when I came across these squares I had to act.   That and finding a collection of old jewelry made for some fun for me.

 

 

I hope the approaching holidays are not stressing anyone out.   I do love the excitement even though it can be hectic.   Be sure to save some me time for yourself.

Carol

 

 

 

 

 

Sky Light

  Hello,

We have a sky light in our bathroom  and this morning when I was there , I saw a squirrel  on  top of  the space.  He stopped to check his front paw and I admired at his soft white fur in contrast with his black feet.   He did not stay long and my eye then moved to the branches of the oak above.  It has grown from a small finger sized twig that we planted over thirty years ago to a wonderful tall full tree that nearly crossed that sky light that in near the center of the back of the house.    That thought lead me to think of the many trees that we have planted in our yard  over our long lives here.  We have so many now that a vegetable garden is impossible.  I did have one in the back for many years and the tomatoes were so plentiful, I had  to give them away to the neighbors.   Over time I have traded that for hours of shade and lots of raking.   I love the trees so I would not trade any of them and the squirrel that they attract.

Last Saturday was the Flinger Lakes Fiber Artist meeting and although we were a small group, folks had lots to share.

Victoria has finished her box project and it is wonderful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anne is still   working with her challenge piece, and  making progress.

 

 

 

Maureen dusted off her  watercolor paintings shills .

 

 

 

And because it was there I had to take a third look at the wonderful show at the Schweinfurth.    It is so powerful!

There was the opening of the Assiated Artist show on Sunday and I was handed a nice prized along with the promise  of s solo show in June.

 

 

 Sharon, Victoria and I meant to do some planning for the La Moyne show  in Jan .      Sharon is working on this piece to be a part of that event.

 

 

 

 

The Sisterhood of the Scissors and  the Pixies had on line meetings as well.

Progress Report: Stream Bed     This piece is 24″ wild X 20″ t.  I finally decided what way was up  on this piece and added the wire to the back.     I sure enjoy ding these  hand pieces and  I pulled out the stuff to start another this morning.

 

 

These works really play to my strong interest in textures.

 

 

 

Rough Cut    I have moved on to the next scissors project.  I sure hope the wool frays a lot when I wash it so there is even more texture here.

 

 

Tropical Floor     I did the free motion drawing on the roving and Angelina to create the fish and stitched them down.   The sea weed is made from some of the dyed wipes I did earlier this year.

 

 

Scrap Happy    I am doing the hand stitching on the binding of this work now.  I am sure I will finish it  this week.

 

 

 

 

Lap quilt   I got this work all assembled this week and  I am working on the quilting here.

 

 

 

 

 

 Drawing     I did this  with ball point pen, my favorite  tool.     Susan of the Pixies challenged  us to draw plants.     Not sure what I will try next.

 

 

 

 

Take good care of yourself.

Carol

Home Again

Hello,

  I am back from my travels and set to stay home for a while.  I did have a good time and the Glass Flowers at the Harvard Museum were amazing.    So many and only about 25% of the collection is on display.   I just could not look enough.   Taking in all that new imagery was  exhausting to me.   I am sure some new work will come out of that experience.

Before I went away I had some adventures too. I went with Victoria and Liz to Angela’s for a bit of creative play afternoon.   We were   adding surface treatments  to our handwork.  Angela had the plaster all mixed up for us as well as the softened paper clay.      Victoria had a difficult time  deciding what pieces to alter.

 

Liz did too.       It was a fun thing to work with and I added color on top of the plaster with my piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are some of my pieces before the add on treatment.

 

 

 

 

 

Angela had been doing more felting sense out last visit and she sharded her new felted vase with us.   I really like the gradation of color her here.

 

 

 

We also had a FLFA meeting on the Saturday before departure.

This is the work Sharon had done to add to the project from the retreat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pat had a lot of new work.  This is her most recent.

 

 

Anne has finished putting together her Robin quilt  top from her class at QBL last summer.

 

 

 

 

 

Linda, our newest member, show off her finished migration piece.

 

 

Maureen is still doing handwork on this powerful piece.  It is  nearing completion she says.

 

 

 

 

Liz has pulled  out some of her older work and is ready to begin to finish this one now.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a shot of Liz wearing Pat’s spring coat that she made for a fashion show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a FAD meeting on Monday this week and Sharon had a new mini land scape to share.

 

 

The Pixies meant as usual and we are going to do portraits for the next assignment.

 

 

 

My husband and I walked to Syracuse University on Wed and went to the art gallery there.  I was wowed  by this bit of  work that mixed thread with leaves.    There were 24 leaves surrounded  by thread  and suspended  in a frame like a table top. ( yes, those are my toes on the floor below the work.

 

 

We also walked around  the little lake in Berry  Park this week.    Spring is sure here  in our part of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report:  B4  This is the last block I made for the SAQA 100 day  Challenge.     I am delighted to say  that I got it done before the trip.   It is 32″ X 50″.   I really learned a lot building this block with the change in curves in the center strips.

 

 

I also  had  very  good  time  with  the  quilting on this one.

 

There are enough blocks remaining for another small piece.  The challenge is over now, but I will put all the left overs into pieces.

Art 2    This work is 34″ w X 52.5″ t.   It is made from extra blocks from Art Blocks  the third of the SAQA Challenge. 

 

Doing the challenge was a good thing for me and I hope to apply the ideas from it to my future work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BV 2  This too is a second project that is a result of the SAQA Challenge.   It is created from leftover blocks from the BV Block.  This block was designed with my good friend Barbara Vural in mind. 

 

Again there are blocks remaining for another small project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drawing  The glass flowers were inspiring and I did a bit of drawing from some of the close ups.  This is a close up of a Lilly.

 

 

 

 

 

Swoop   I stated this quilt top at the spring retreat.  I go a lesson in how to do curves from Liz and Linda.   I am very proud of how very flat this quilt top  is and  how the curves all lie down very nicely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Fragments Piece    This is my piece showing the fragments that I altered at Angela’s.    The plaster dose make it difficulot to add more stitching.    I did added color on top of some of the  units   to unifly the idea before I mounted them.   The units are a result of my interpretations of the assignments in   Finding Fragments class as a part of Art Take 2 .    I am now ready to begin a new  on line class called Naturally Inspired- also from Art Take 2.

I hope that spring is filling you days with new sights.

Keep Creating

Carol

I am attaching one last glass flower for your enjoyment.

 

Active Week.

Hello,

   This week has been a very busy one for me.   Last Sat was the FLFA meeting  and although there was snow and attendance was low(only 5 of us ) we had a really good discussions and enjoyed the art that folks shared.

 

 

 

Maureen had a beautiful hand printed work that she is stitching on at the moment.

 

 

 

Sharon is getting ready for her show at Baltimore Woods next month and so she is doing natural landscapes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victoria is working away as usual with this wonderful piece were she is using some of my Grandmother’s night gown in the piece.

 

 

 Susan has put together the top she was working on at the Fall  Schweinfurth  retreat.

 

 

 

 

 

We looked again at the Both End’s of the Rainbow show and I noticed a work from Therese that had not caught my attention before.  That is the best part of second trips to shows for me.  I get overwhelmed and it is fun to discover new things with a second look.

 

 

 

FAB meant on Tue  and Sharon had another work for the show that she shared with us.

 

The Sisterhood of the Scissors had a zoom meeting on Wed morning  and Pixies meant on Wed afternoon.

 

 

 I put in a little time on Chellie Rode’s class in preparation  for a play day with Angela.     This is one of the projects from that class that she has nearly  finished.

 

She along with Liz Victoria and I were all in the class and so we had a good time  playing with cola pens and inks making marks.

 

 

This is my sample.  We decided to do some stitch work on our pieces and get together in six weeks and add the plaster step on top .    It is so much fun to explore things together.

 

 

 Progress Report: Ethel 3    This bed quilt is now done.  I plan to start to assemble the fourth this week end.

 

Barbara Blocks II     I am only at the beginning of the quilting on this project.    It is the last project I tackle at the end of the day and many times I run out of time before I get to this one.

 

 

 

 

Coral Shore   Pulled out another rock piece form the past to rework for the Joyous Embroidery series.  I deiced to split this one in half and make a diptych with it.  I added the punch needle parts I  made last week on the top and started to do the embellishments around.

 

 

QSDS 100 day challenge BV Blocks    This week I am working on the middle sized blocks.   I have six fully put together and many other parts connected one to another.

Handwork    This little project is going well.  I am sure It will be completed this week as I only have the flowers to finish.

 

 

 

 

 

Past Times  This set of gloves got a ring and now I am ready to start the next one.

It has been a fun filled week and I hope the same can be said for my readers.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

Winter Solstice

  Hello,

We have reached the end of the earth’s elliptical trip around the sun for one more time.   It is a tine for the return of light here in the norther hemisphere. The long winter nights will now begin to shorten once again.    I also see it as a time to begin reflecting on the events of the last year and star thinking about what I want to do differently in 2024.

This last week included a FLFA meeting for me.  I do enjoy seeing that creative group of gals and the work they do.      This work is by  Julia.  I feel she is really beginning to “speak ” with her own voice.

 

 

 

Bev is doing some wonderful silk work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pat is working away too.

She is really a printing crazy lady.

 

The Pixies also meant this week and everyone is busy and happily preparing for  the holidays.

Progress Report: Spores    This work is 18″w X 32″l.   It is another work that came out of the Joyous Embroidery class.   I made the tubes and stuff them with thick yarn and then couched them down.  The pompoms were another suggestion from Flur.

The painted parts in the  background is my own too,

 

 

 

 

Split  This work is 53.25″ w X  58″ l.    I started this work at the Sisterhood Retreat last month.   I put it through the wash to encourage more fraying of the torn and raw edges.

I really like texture and the feeling of depth they layers create.

 

 

 

 

 

Lap #21  I am to the stitch in the ditch quilting step now.  It’s about half done.

 

 

 

Scrap backs  I am working on building backs for the Ethel Blocks now.  I think one of the units is nearly big enough to start layering the first quilt together.

 

 

 

 

New Nine   I am starting a new quilt that is  a broken nine patch design.   This is in the early stages and even not all the blocks are built yet.

Or perhaps I should say broken at this point.

 

 

 

 

Linen Shirt   This  project only gets attention when there is no other hand work that needs doing.   That  happened this week so I put in time.    I am doing the flowers and French Knots on the shoulder area and across the back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tied Pool 2   I got a lot done on this new highly textured piece this week.   Starting with a old rock quilt as my base  others makes it easy and fun for me too.   Pompoms again and the frapped circles are some I made in the  Joyous Embroidery class as well.    She also encouraged us to use old bits of handwork that had no use any more.  The green lace  came from an old pillow case.   I painted it and used it in a seahorse  work this fall.   This little bit remained and I recall seeing a bit of sea weed in a tide pool when I visited Korine years ago.

 

 

Christmas Balls   I decided I wanted to decorate some new  balls for our tree this year.     At the RATS  ( Retired Art Teachers ) meeting a few weeks ago , Beth described what she was going to teach at the YMCA class and I took what I remembered and created these fun balls.    I made some as gifts too.

New Work   Last week I was working a project using a technique that was only described to me.   Well,  I think I did give it the college try- but it really is a disaster!    There are so many wrinkles and parts are not fitting together at all.   Not having the true instruction means I am flying blind.

 

 

  So I have decided to admit that I don’t get it and abandon the idea.  There are always mistakes very now and then.

 

 

 

Food Memory. 

Scramble

My Mom was a “stay at home Mom” until my brother, Gene went off to first grade. All that time she was always busy with one project of another . I remember her making and printing silk screen plant images on fabric that she made into kitchen curtains. She painted two big murals in the house in Carroll too. One was in the bathroom in the basement and a second was over the sink in the kitchen. For Christmas she was scenically busy. One yare she mad a little church out of sugar cubes and icing with a foil roof. That project was around for years. One of her seasonal traditions was to make Scramble. She would get out the blue speckled roasting pan from Thanksgiving and fill it with a mix of Rice Checks, Corn Checks, Wheat Checks, Cherrieos, mixed nuts and pretzels. She added some other ingredients and cooked it all in the oven, taking it out to stir occasionally. When it was done she put it into foil lined boxes and wrapped it as gifts to the neighbors. We al ways had some too. Her other seasonal cooking thing was to make chocolate fudge. There was always the candy thermometer and lots fussing with that project. I loved the smell of the house when she was doing that project, and the eating of it too.

Enjoy what the season brings your way.

Carol