Lap Quilts, Paper Quilts, SAQA, Shows

Busy Week

Hello,

This week was a really busy one.  I started out by going with Liz to Marcia’s for our  monthly  get together last Friday.    It proved to be a very active and full day.

 

 

 

 

Joyce started  us out by showing us her new toilet paper roll noted books from the workshop that she took.   They are fun works.

 

 

 

 

Nancy had talked about making a paper quilt last month and I recalled having taken a workshop on that over twenty years ago so I dug out some example’s of our procerus.

 

 

 

 

Nancy ‘ s  work was much more concise approach.   Like the colors she chose too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy  was also working on a quilt for her daughter done with birds made with pieces from the Perilla Kibbe collection.

 

 

 

There was also a bit of dress up in the day, and  Victoria and Joyce had a good time.

 

 

 

Victoria  did  work away on her project for her niece.   She is nearly ready to sew things down now.

 

 

 

 

 

Susan did hand work  on this pieces she had started a while back.  She is quilting in now.

 

 

 

 

The landscape project project # 2 was due  and   Liz had a painted piece to show.

 

 

Deb worked on hers  while she was there. Her works are all based on the stream behind her home.

 

 

 

 

 

I showed my piece.

 

 

 

 Then Quilt= Art = Quilts opened on Saturday.     So many wonderful works I am glad I will get several times to visit .     I was epically taken by this quilt by  Sheere Rasmussen.     It is so rich .

 

 

 

 

This work by  my friend Lourie Paquin was special to me because at the Fall  Retreat last year, Liz challenged her to use only things in her scrape  bag.  This is the result.

 

 

Her second entry : Where tree Bong-tree Grows , won a prize.

 

 

 

 

 

I went to the banquet and  Lecture in the evening and sat across form  Janice Chiaffredo , who created this wonderful piece.

 

This, to my surprise, is a paper quilt by Wen Redmon, titled The  Sacred Gift.  Sort of funny how paper quilts have resurfaces in so many places of late.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was impressed by this whole cloth work by Brent Mc Gee.  It is called Apollo and Python.    He talked about it at the Artist talk on Sunday afternoon.

It is a  powerful show and Encourage everyone to see it.

My last adventure for this week was a trip to Old Forge to see the Quilts Unlimited show at The View.    This work has so much detail.  I was not good a taking notes at this event.    But this work did win fist prize.

 

 

 

Sharon S had two works in this show.   I enjoyed this  little Poppy work.

 

 

 

 

Jean G’s Leporid  was a part of this show.   I still really enjoy the tail sticking of f the edge on this work.

 

 

 

 

 

My Victorian Burning got into this show.

 

 

The SAQA Contrast show was also up in a second gallery.

My Plastic Silverware was a part of this as   well.

 

 

 

This Supreme Circus is also a pat of this traveling show.

 

 

There was not a lot of time in the studio this week but I did make a little progress

Progress Report:  Crystal Blocks   I worked away on this project this week and all the blocks are built.  I am still playing with location, but I feel I will start to assemble it soon.

 

 

 

 

Lap 23 /25    This work got a bit of attention this week too.   I am half way through doing the pin basting at this point.

 

 

 

Shore Line   I started this piece last week with the punch needle portion.   I arranged the sew and fused portions and started the texture step.  The the buttons and beads shown here took an hour to add on.

 

 

 

 

 

Spinning out   I don’t think this title works for this any longer.  It seems to take on a life of its own under my finger tips.    I will keep working and see where it leads me.

 

It has been a full week and I am looking forward to a calmer one next week.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Applique, Circle Challenge, Felt Work, Fish, Lap Quilts, SAQA

The Leaves

Hello,

Fall is in full color blast here in central New York.   The shifting light bubbles that once filled my walking path have given way to a different colored carpet of yellows, golds orange and red leaves.   They come tillering down to dance in front of me down the walkways.   And my favorite sound fills my ears-  the crunch of my feet as I shuffle through the colors.    There is a wonderful magic in fall that I truly love.

Progress Report: Hollyhocks and Hummingbirds  This work is 37.5″ w X 48″ t.     I am quite happy with how I feel when I look at this work.    I finished and added the hummingbirds this week and I made a few bees to the work as well.    I hope to enter this piece in the SAQA Pollinators challenge.

 

 

 

 

Moring Meadow  This work is  19″ w X 12 t.   I read about using your sewing machine on soda cans and so I tried that.  The centers of the tall purple flowers are that experiment.  It works Okay- but the process  does really dull the needle.     I don’t really see any special use of this technique, but I will keep it in my mind for the future.

 

 

 

 

 

Lap 23-25   I came across this fabric painted cloth that my good friend Barbara V did years ago when she and I were playing in her class room while we were both teaching.   I though it would make a great center unit for a lap quilt and so I am working toward that end.

 

 

Handwork – Fish

 I felted the background a while ago.  When I cam across it again this week, I pulled it out and started this new piece.

 

 

Crystal Blocks   I started playing with this idea at the retreat a few weeks ago.   The block is based on  a high relief sculpture that I observed at the Rochester show  this summer. (below)

 

 

At the retreat I did a first draft of this block.    It was awful .    So I reworked the pattern.  This new rendition is  square and lays flat  so I am having fun playing with it now.

 

 

 

Spinning Out   I have started to attach the circles to the surface of this third work I started at the retreat.    It needs more build up I think.

 

New: shore line or tidepool     I am ready to begin and new one of these highly texturized pieces.   So I started with some punch needle parts this  week.

 

 

I got a little silly one day and stated making little witches.  the heads are paper clay with a stick in the center for the body to be built on.      I used pipe cleaners for the arms and legs .  They sure made mounting the little gals on brooms easy.

 

 

The brooms are made with a brown trim wrapped around a squire.       I had a good time making dolls again.

 

Keep your eyes open and Enjoy the changing season.

Happy Halloween

Carol

 

 

 

Felt Work, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Re Work, Stretched Works

Mid October

Hello,

The world is spinning quickly and we are past the middle of October already.   The weather continue to cool as the day  grow steadily shorter.   We have had some beautiful sun sets   and the leaves continue to give one blasts of color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My only adventure this week was a day of playing with roving and  felting with Cher.   We enjoyed the process.

Progress Report:  Spinning Out   This little bit of handwork got a lot of attention this week.   I have been using it as a fill in for the times when watching TV  while  I had no other pressing work to do.  Stretched it over so foam core this week as I felt it was complete.

 

 

Rework of Autumn Tide Pool #3.  I learned that this pieces was too heavy to hang from a sleeve in the normal way when I put it in  my solo show in June.  I am finally getting it stretched and stitch to foam core now.  Liz gave me a batch of her old foam core so that has been a push to do the work.   I need to stitch through the buttons and foam core to make it squire.    I am about one forth of the way along on that step now.

Hollyhocks and Hummingbirds  It took several attempts to get wings that I liked for my birds on this project.  I have seven stitched to the base now.  I can see the completion of this project is coming soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Circulating Rings   I started this project at the retreat.  I am finally happy with the color and placement of the rings and I started stitching it down yesterday.

 

 

 

Morning Meadow I am working away on this piece and it too is nearly complete.     I think it needs to have a fabric frame and then it will be done.

 

Lap 22/25   This quilt will be finished this week as I only need to  do the hand step of the binding.   I took seven finished lap quilts to a nursing home this week.   This one is the finish  of a top by Noel.

Life is full and busy.

Keep Creating

Carol

Applique, Circle Challenge, Hand work, Pixies Group, Scrap Happy Quilts, Sisterhood of the Scissors

Home from Sisterhood Retreat

Hello,

I arrived home from the 2025 Sisterhood of the Scissors Retreat on Kuka  Lake yesterday.  We left on Friday last week so and  I  had a good time.   Liz got sick on day two and Victoria was not at the top of her game either.

It was a glorious time to be there as the color was great.   I walked every day and that added to my pleasure.

 

Everyone  sharded great little gifts and I came home with a horde of new items.    They are a generous and thoughtful group of gals.   The spotted fabric at the bottom is the challenge fabric for 2026.   Susan selected it for us.

 

 

 

 

This years challenge produced a wide variety of solutions.        Deb saw a lamp in the fabric and produced this bed room.  She also used it in the head board.

 

 

 

 

 

Joyce saw a volcano in the fabric.      She got to use  a little her new coloring technique as well as the insert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kathy worked on this nice big project with lots of hand work on it .

 

 

 

This handsome small work was by Victoria.

 

 

 

 

 

Ann had a nice solution as well.

 

 

 

This is my work.

 

 

 

Everyone had projects that they worked on during the week as well as some show and tell.

Joyces spent some time beading on this beautiful batik piece.

 

 

 

 

She also had a good time working with her Gelli plate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ann worked on this piece that is a map of Kuka lake.   She stitched down all the buildings and is now ready to begin adding grape leaves to represent the vineyards around the lake.

 

 

Ann had some wonderful little quilts for show and tell.   She also showed off some of her beautiful crochet work.

 

 

 

 

 

Susan was jut home from another retreat doing three D work using paper and cardboard that she hand stitched together.

 

 

She showed off and worked on this flat  piece too.

 

 

Kathy worked on this Quilt of Valor.  It is ready for layering and quilting now.

 

 

 

We took a  field trip on Sat to the Windmill and shopped and ate lunch.

 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful. day and we enjoyed ourselves.

 

 

 

We ate a lot of ice cream, sat on the big poaches and talked.   The whole event went very quickly with  a lot of work and relaxation for us healthy folks.

 

Progress Report:   Hummingbirds    I took lots of projects to the retreat.    I did draw and outline the humming birds for my Hollyhock quilt.  But I was not sure how I wanted to do the wings and so this is all I got done.

 

 

 

 

Round It Out   I feel like I made a good start on this new project.  The base is built and I have some of the circles pinned in place.    It is really a work in progress.

 

 

Cut It Up     I had cut up all the squared before I left and I sent a day squaring them up and putting them together  at the retreat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scrap Happy The box of leftover squares from old scarp happy quilts was overflowing so I knew there were enough for a new top.  This one is in rows with no pattern .

 

 

  Handwork- Summer Meadows   I took this along as my evening handwork  and I only want to add little white butterflies to it and it will be ready for finishing.

Crystal Squares    I took this photo of a high relief sculpture at the show that the group visited in Rochester earlier this year.    I though it would be a good basis for a quilt square.

So at the retreat I drew it up and added quarter inch seams.  Using those templates,  I built one square.    I need to do some modifications on it, before it will work as a square .  But I think it is worth the effort.

 

 

Book Page   I needed to do something completely different while I was at the Zoom meeting of the Pixie group yesterday afternoon, so I pulled out this old project and worked on it.    One more flower to build  now.

 

It has been a good week and I  as soon as I get stuff put away I will be ready to tackle the projects that I am in the middle of.

Enjoy the fall and keep creating

Carol

 

 

Applique, Experiments, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Hand work, Lap Quilts

Seasonal Changes

Hello,

We are starting to really feel fall here.  Eric  and I went for a walk around Green Lake this week and enjoyed it a great deal.  We also sat out  doors and read one afternoon while the wind blew down lots of leaves and some walnuts too.   There will not be many more days like these, so we are enjoying them.

I had a full week with a FAB meeting and the Social Arts Tea. The tea was to celebrate this organization that has been in existence for 150 years.      We dressed up and wore hats  as well as having a display of antique clothing.   I had a lot of my aunt and grandmother Ruth’s dresses to share.

 

 

 

 

I showed off my  mothers wedding dress that was part of a quilt I did several years ago.    Mom has a beautiful voice and she was always singing.  I embroider the chois of songs about weddings and marriage around the dress.    The tea included a great speaker, tea cakes and tea.  It was a fine way to kick off our new year.

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Lap 21-25  As the colors show I am already inferenced by the cooler season.

 

 

Autumn Tide  Pool    I picked this finished work from the framers this week.    She dose a great job of making things look professional.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diddie Do   This work is done now.  I have stretch it and tacked it to a foam core board.   I have not decided if I want to frame it or not.

 

 

 

 

Holly Hocks   I am done with all the hollyhock stocks and leaves now.   I will start to design the humming birds this week.

 

 

 

 

 

New Handwork   I was playing with my sewing machine and  running it without tread on a soda can to cut out circles for centers for flowers this time.   Now I will start to hand stitch them down .   It was a fun bit of play.

Friday begins the Sisterhoods of the Scissors retreat.    I have put a lot of time into thinking about what I want to do for the five days  and I have a very full bag of fabrics.     I hope to accomplish a lot.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

 

 

Aplique, Birds, Experiments, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Thread Painting

Fall

Hello,

   I am just home form a drive up to Old Forge and The View to deliver my quilt and Sharon’s for the Quilts Unlimited show.     I saw lots of trees that were colored, but due to the fact that it was raining they were not very attractive.  We need the rain so I am glad of that,  but disappointed by the views.    So you get a shot of one of the few flowers blooming at the moment instead.

My other big event for the week was to judge the original design category  of the  quilt show for the Thompson County Quilt Guild.   It was a great show and would have loved to give more than one ribbon.   My choice for the top original design is  this one.  There are so many wonderful designs going on here  and the applique is beautifully done.

 

I also liked this  bit of machine drawing.   The bird could have been a photo, but it is not!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another of the judges told me she gave this quilt the embellishment award.

 

 

 

Progress Report:  Protesting Sisters   As you can see I followed Kathy’s suggestion and added to the final shape of this work.     I enjoyed doing this work.

 

 

Hollyhocks  and Humming Birds   I keep stitching down the part of this project.  I only have five stalks to go and then I can move onto the birds.

 

 

 

 

Lap 21-25 I pin basted this project yesterday afternoon.  Hopefully I will get to it this week end.

 

 

 

 Cut Ups    I am playing with some squares that I am slicing up and re assembling.   This is about one forth of the blocks.

 

 

 

 

 

Handwork Diddle Do     This work is 24″ w X 18″ t.   I need to stitch the foam core to the work and it will be complete.   It has been fun to do the handwork on this project.

I can’t believe we are nearing the end of September already and the next time I write it will be Oct.  Time is running at full speed forward.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

Aplique, Finger Lakes Fiber Artists, Lap Quilts, People, Shows, Sisterhood of the Scissors

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diva Meetings, Experiments, Hand work, SAQA, Scrap Happy Quilts

Close of Summer

Hello,

I know that Labor Day is not really the end of Summer, but 28  years of teaching school and it is a hard habit to break.   So I feel like I am heading into fall and all the joys it holds.

I went to the opening of Contrast- Oxymorons,  SAQA NY- NJ   show with Marty on Saturday, at the ROCO gallery in Rochester.    It was exciting for me to not only be a part of the show, but to also see all the interoperations.   Jean had a good piece with great silhouettes  of elephants.

 

 

 

 

Cynthia, had a very political piece of  “Small Crowds”

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really loves this work titled “Head over Heels”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denoise had a wonderful felted work in this show.

 

 

 

 

My work Plastic Silverware was a part of the show too.

 

 

 

 There was a fun Artist talk as a part of the event and I enjoyed that as well.

 

 

On Tuesday I took Liz to the Rock Garden show and  the Diva meeting that Cheri held.     There was lots of exciting work by my friends.  Cheri had complemented a second feather pieces from Pat’s dye class.

 

Donna had several good works.  I like this paper Mache’  Alligator head  that I liked a lot.

 

 

 

 

Denise had some great handwork on one of her dyed felted pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barb is going great guns with lots of work too.     I really like the movement here.

 

 

 

Then I stopped at the  Edgewood Gallery   yesterday and saw this colorful work.

It has been a busy week.

 

 

 

Progress Report:   Hollyhocks and Humming Birds       This work was formerly called Sumer.  I have changes the flowers as I did not think the organza showed up well enough.   I am much happier with the taffeta.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scrap Happy 2-25  I am now adding the binding to this work.  Next step is do the extra quilting that I like to add.   bed quilts get lots of washings so I want it a bit more stable.

 

 

 

Tropical Waters   I am now  ready to finish this work up.  I am done with the stitching and ready to face and hang this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exploration 2     I have started doing the quilting on this project.    Progress.

 

 

 

Square Beads    I only have about 20 more of these fabric beads to stitch and I will begin to string them.   I am looking forward to that step.

 

 

 

The weeks are full and I am enjoying them.  I hope the same for all my readers.

Keep Exploring

Carol

 

 

Curvie Cuts, Fabric Flowers, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Machine Drawing, People, SAQA, Shows

My Walk

Hello,

We are enjoying a very pleasant cool spell here in central NY.   A  little rain made the Goldenrod bend over a bit, but they are still flying their flags of yellow.   The sparrows are busy arguing with one another and  the blue jays  make their raspy calls every now an again as we walk.   I am seeing evidence of  little squirrel feasts   in the form of acorn and walnut remains on the street.   I often see them running down the power lines from one tree to another as I chase my own shadow down the hill.   Even the apples are starting to add a little color to their skins.    Fall is definitely around the corner here.

I went to the opening of the Rock Garden Art Show on Thursday last week.    Some great work.  This is a quilt that Cheri started in Pat Pauly’s dye class earlier this spring.     Cheri had her wonderful felted flower piece and several prints too.

 

 

 

Robin, who Liz and I meant in Florida in the spring, was also a part of this show.   Her big life sized ceramic  women are very powerful!

 

 

 

 

 

 Progress Report: Under Grand    This quilt is 35.5″w X 42″ t.   I started this work at QBL in Sheila Frampton Coopers class.     It is my interoperation ow what I saw when  I looked under the Grand Pinto in the classroom.

I enjoyed working with the curves and using orange and blue together.

 

 

 

 

 

Lap # 19  I am having a good time with the fabrics form Pat Pauly’s dye class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lap 20  More of the product form the dye class here.

 

 

 Protesting Sisters   I have been struggling with how to move this project forward.  I got a little help from the Pixie group yesterday.    I still do not have a real clear vision – but I can see hope here now.

 

 

 

Summer Delights   The next SAQA challenge is Pollinators.   I have decided I will do flowers as my starting place.  I read about using organza and doing free motion with it.   So this  is really a self challenge to see if I can do this to my own satisfaction.   So far so good.   It has a curvy cut background too.

 

 

Tropical Waters    This is my newest handwork project.  I used plastic news paper bags that were pressed between typhoon sheets as my bottom layer.   Then I added  some blue vegetable bags that my friend Marcia gave me and I was off and running.  I am enjoying this work and plan not to add any buttons and limit the beads I use here.

 

 

 

Class 2    This project is also form Sheila class.  I used this  pieces to explore and play with the new techniques she was teaching.   The top is now ready for the next steps.

 

 

I hope you are enjoying the end of the summer season .  Yes I still a see Labor Day as the end of summer just as if I was still going back to the classroom.

Keep Creating

Carol

Birds, Creative Assistants, Hand work, Lap Quilts, SAQA, Shows

Summer Progress

Hello,

 

The  days are running a head of me and I can’t believe we are  moving so quickly.      Last Friday I went to Cazenovia Artisan’s with Liz  to see Sharon Souva’s solo show.   It is wonderful.  She told me last night that this work has sold.   I am so happy for her.  There are lots of other wonderful  works still for sale,  including this one .     She is doing so very well.

 

 

 

 

On Sat I went to the retirement party   for Donna Lamb.   She is leaving  after 25 years of leading the Schweinfurth forward.      She has moved the Art Cente in amazing ways and I will miss her a great deal.  I ,  along with Susan and Liz’s help produced this giant Creative Assistant to present to her at that event.

 

 

 

 

My other big excitement came in the mail in for form of the Catalogue for the Elements Fire  show.    It is exciting.   I was also in the  SAQA journal – again about the show.   Published in two places at one  is a real high.

 

 

 

Progress Report:  Sparrows  This piece is 38″wX 52″ l.     I am pleased with the final result here.   I tried to use the quilting to show the wind action around the birds.

The four color stencil proved be be a bigger challenge than I expected.    I am glad I did it however.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lap #19   I made great progress on this piece this week and now I am doing the binding.

 

 

 

Lap#20  I hare a real running start on this project at this point.   The colors are sure a contrast  from the previous one.   Again I am using fabric from Pat’s Class here.

 

 

 

 

Shore Line  I think I am nearly done adding to the surface of this work.   I will live with it a few days and then decide.

 

 

 

 

 

Scarp Happy # 2- 25   I got busy and started assembling this pieces this week.   With out a definite person to deliver it to I am a bit slower to act.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAQA Auction Piece 

I see that the SAQA auction stuff is getting going again so   I finished up this work to ship this week.

 

The week has been a full and exciting one.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

Creative Fiber Collage Artist Carol Boyer