June 2011

The Art on the Common http://www.chd.org/index.php/bbbs-events-view/events/amherst-crafts-on-the-common-fair-6.html is happening July 9th and I've just kicked into production mode. Shrinking my ideas down to 12 x 14 is a challenge after spending my spring thinking big. The photo to the left shows my latest whole clothes portrait of my inlaws on the Cordoba Pass in CO. Yes, PopPop really does like plaid.

But now, like I said, it's time to move on to smaller things like my cupcake people and making dozens of cards which you can see here: http://bedscapedesigns.com/gallery/quilted_paper_cards/

Back to work!

Two Series Yet to Come

When I am finished making cards and runners for my December sale I am going to do more of these...

And these....

And I won't worry about how much they are going to cost or where I am going to hang them. There's no sense in that, now is there? First make, then place, then sell or not.

PEace.

My homeless piece called "Wallflowers" is on the road! Her first stop was in Manchester NH where I got to see her hanging. The show was curated by Kathleen McCabe. Unlike many of the other quilts on display, this show was thought provoking and I am so glad I was chosen to participate.

This summer has been full of work and family fun and very little quilting, but in four days the kids go to school and I will have plenty of time to get the creative juices flowing again. I will be doing the Apple Harvest Festival in Amherst in September and TWIST in November, but I also have quite a few projects I would like to get done for some upcoming juried shows. This means I have to focus and get to work!

I just finished a week of sewing table runners and baby quilts.

After a few weeks of quilting art quilts it is nice to do work which doesn't require a lot of thought.

I wish I could say sewing bindings was meditative and calming.

Wedding Commissions

One of the most satisfying kinds of commissions are those intended for wedding presents. In the past two months I have done two and I thought I would share them.

For September Wedding Memories the client asked me to focus on the bride's bouquet flying through the water. I also tried to incorporate the Minister's impromptu cairn alter and the rubber boots the bride wore into the water. I was lucky because I had just the right color green for the brilliant trees in my stash. As I did for the VT water in the next quilt, I used my wrinkle technique to depict ripples and reflections. I quilted the groom's words, "Stepping into this ole river we call life together" into the river bank. It was a fun quilt and I hope the happy couple hangs it for years to come.

The second is a quilt depicting one of the wedding couple's favorite places, Lake Willoughby, VT. I have visited the family cabin throughout my childhood so I had a good idea of what it looks like, but photos from one of the grooms helped me capture the shape of the mountains. I hope this quilt remains in their family and serves as a wonderful reminder of a quiet peaceful place. My only regret is that I forgot to hide their dog in the stitching!

A Forest of Birches

In preparation for the Amherst Family Center's 21st Annual Apple Harvest Festival I'm cranking out as many quilts as I possibly can. I have no shortage of ideas and so it is only the problem of time and energy. Last week I did two apple orchard scenes, one misty threadscape from my imagination and I completed another series of birches - hey! - I had five more in me!

This week I loaded up about eight yards of muslin backing and I am doing a few birch variations, another threadscape and several views of the Notch one after the other. It is hard to wait to see how they came out, but the practical time savings makes it worth the wait. Once I am finished with all that I have pieced I can take the whole roll off the machine and cut them into the individual quilts. This may sound confusing, but it isn't.

If I'm lucky I'll have time to do some batik table runners and my ultimate goal is to do a big piece based on an old apple tree that I can use as a center point for my tent. I have some beautiful gold and brown fabric that caught people's attention last time and I want use some more in my new scene. Wish me luck, cause I'm going to need it!

Oh, and check out my friend's blog http://www.firehausstudio.com/in-the-process/ to see what she says about my quilting. Thanks Liza!