Recipe for a Good Time

Sharon, Jan, Kristin and I discovered the perfect recipe for a good time. Here is the supply list:

Friends
Tequila
Triple Sec
Limeade
Designated Driver
Art Quilt Show in neighboring State

We poured all of this together into Sharon's new car and headed West to Anniston, Alabama to see Virginia Greaves' fiber art show at The Buckner Center. Hanging alongside Virginia's fiber art, were her mother's oil paintings and watercolors. Virginia was quite surprised when we introduced ourselves and a bit stunned to learn that we drove all the way from Atlanta to see her show.

Kristin Rodriquez, Sharon Ahmed-Serrano,
Virginia Greaves, me, and Janell Girod.

In the best of circumstances, it takes about 2 hours to get to Anniston from Atlanta. During Friday afternoon peak traffic, about 3-3 1/2 hours. But with Sharon at the wheel of her new car, drinking a Diet Coke, the rest of us were carefully (and safely) enjoying margaritas -- how many I'm not going to say.

It's important to have written directions to where you are going.
However, it's best to read them when the car is stopped!
Look out!

After the show we had a great dinner at the Terra Cotta Cafe at The Buckner Center, and then began the long drive back. At midnight we encountered road construction which brought traffic to a dead stop -- that's Atlanta for you. Then it started to rain. Sharon managed to get us home safely.

All in all it was a good time. And it was satisfying to support a fellow fiber artist at her first show. Ginny emailed me the other day to tell me she sold her piece at the show. Which one did you sell Ginny?

Guess Who!

Shoulder Shoulder Hurrah!

Here's a piece I just finished for my mom. She had shoulder reconstruction about 10 days ago. Only a few days after surgery she was able to move her arm in ways she hasn't for several years! Go Mom!


I attached an old pair of my glasses, which look just like my mom's new glasses. When you pull a bead attached to the end of the blue ribbon, the arm moves and the sign goes up and down.

Love you Mom! Now get back to sewing!

Prehistoric Cell Phone!

We took the girls to the Chattahoochee Nature Center for their Flying Colors Butterfly Festival. They release hundreds of Monarch butterflies every couple of hours. They have arts and crafts, beautiful flowers and a nature reserve. You can see a nice selection of rescued animals and learn about their habitats. The Chattahoochee Nature Center is an awesome place for families and children.

Sarah and Sophia each held a caterpillar at one of the many hands-on learning exhibits.

On a Saturday morning, when you with your family, and husband (who presumably has been working all week), at a festival with tons of stuff to do, WHY WOULD YOU BE TALKING ON THE PHONE? I never understood this compulsion to talk on the phone. Not the kind of talking that might be understandable -- "Hey we're lost, we're standing under the 100 year old Live Oak tree, where are you?" But the "Yea, we're at the Nature Center for the Butterfly Festival, I'm with the kids and it's so much fun. So what are you doing. . . .. . really?"

About two hours into our adventure here, both Joel and I noticed an overwhelming number of women (who were with their families) talking on the phone. It became a joke and so when we visited the Discovery Center, I picked up this shell and started talking on the phone. What you can't see, is the woman to my right whom I cropped out of the picture -- she was talking on her phone!


One of my favorite artists, Pamela Rubert has created a quilt which addresses this issue -- it's called Towers of Babel, check it out!

And next time you're with your family, unless someone is lost, or you are bleeding and calling an ambulance, try leaving the phone in the car. NOTHING is that important.

Lost at the Aquarium

This is the underwater tunnel of the Ocean Voyager Exhibit. If you've been to the aquarium, you will see just how empty this space is. I think this was at about 8:30 a.m. We had the entire place to ourselves.

This week was Sarah's birthday. On her birthday, we woke up and hit the road at the crack of dawn.. We were the first to arrive at the Atlanta Aquarium. It is an incredible place. We were able to see everything at our leisure until about 11:00, when the crowds began to appear. We took a break for an early lunch and

BAM the place was packed. Wall to wall people. We squeezed through the two last exhibits and then headed to the Georgia Explorer exhibit, which is geared towards children with several petting pools, a playscape and a large slide.

One of the petting pools is located on a replica of a shrimp boat. There we stood trying to pet shrimp when I noticed Sophia was gone. I jumped off the platform, found an employee and said: "My three year old is missing." He immediately left his post and led us to another nearby employee who worked near the entrance to the playscape.

Then, I heard her, screaming her head off. Holding her hand was another Mommy who said: "I saw her crying and knew must be lost from her mommy." Sarah and I leaned down to give Sophia a hug. "I was worried, I'm glad you are okay." She pushed me away and wailed: "They won't let me in, I'm too small."

She was screaming, not because she was lost, but because she didn't meet the height requirement to enter the playscape. I couldn't help but chuckle. And Sarah did too.

At that moment, I realized how fast my girls are growing up. Now Sarah is 6, and is smart enough to have gotten the joke. And Sophie, TOO YOUNG to be wandering the aquarium on her own, but independent enough to have gone straight to the playscape.


We saw many interesting species today. Sarah's favorite was the whale shark. Sophie liked the hammerhead shark.

Me? I liked them all. But especially the California species -- the kelp bed, otters and sea lions.

I remember, as a teenager, floating on a surfboard off the California coast and waiting for the right wave to appear. We would watch the wildlife swim by. I suppose youth and the undeniable desire to catch the wave kept us in the water with goodness knows what creeping below. It was the same as Sophia's journey today, regardless of the danger, she just wanted to have a fun ride.

Tea with Betty Pillsbury

Betty Pillsbury, me and Margaret Betz. Margaret is an incredible artist and will be leading the Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Arts Alliance workshop on Bead Embroidery this week.

There has been much discussion on Quiltart.com the past few days about art, good design, and embellishment. One member and her friend had visited a joint exhibit of contemporary quilts and traditional quilts. Her friend was unfamiliar with "art quilts" and was generally disappointed in them. Too much embellishment for the sake of embellishment, and not enough thought about design.

I read this after having put about 40 hours into sewing beads on Sally Sells Sea Shells, with at least 40 more to go. If you read Quiltart, you will know that the comments were flying (and still are, though the discussion has now evolved into the oft discussed topic of what is "art"). In the end, good design is what matters. Embellishment will not make up for, or hide a lack of good composition and design. Is Sally well designed? Heck, I don't know. But I like it, I am enjoying the process of making it, and, you know what? That's what really counts most.

Crazy Quilters are the queens of embellishing. Embellishment is one of the most important aspects of a crazy quilt. And Saturday, in the studio of Fiber on a Whim, Betty Pillsbury engaged in an informal lecture and presentation of her work. She has won many awards for her work. As I listened to her talk about her work, her techniques, and words of inspiration and encouragement to others, I could clearly hear her desire to help others achieve a higher level of skill.

For those of us who are still reaching for mastery of our medium, hearing those encouraging words from artists whom we admire, and who have "made" it, is invaluable. It feeds the part of our muse that sometimes feels discouraged. Betty Pillsbury and other masters who generously share encouragement are the stewards of the budding-artist community.

That's why I love the Contemporary Quilt and Fiber Arts Alliance so much and the people who are come to share, learn, and advance their skills. With egos checked at the door, we gather together, learn something new, have fun and enjoy the process.

Sharon Ahmed and others take a closer look at Betty Pillsbury's workmanship. It is superb.

Betty's husband ducked out of sight to enjoy his book.

Here are two prospective new CQFAA members taking acloser look at our upcoming calendar! Come on ya'll are welcome!

4th of July

Yesterday and today our family celebrated the 4th of July. We went to two very different fireworks shows. The first was held yesterday at a local church. The people there were very nice. They had an orchestra playing big band music and accompanied the fireworks, which were spectacular. While we watched the fireworks, the girls enjoyed Italian Ices as we sat in our chairs amongst the (nearly) all-white crowd.

Today, we held true to our tradition of watching fireworks from the steps of the main branch of the public library.

While we waited for the fireworks to begin, the girls danced and twirled around, searched for fairies in the landscaping, and played ball with other children. We each had an ice cream cone made from ice cream I had stashed in the cooler.

Then the show began. We all oooooo'd and ahhhhh'd at the beautiful array of colorful fireworks, each commenting on a favorite hue or design.

Tonight, as I watched the fireworks, I heard an orchestra of voices around us. I noticed Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and of course, English. I reflected on a shocking anti-immigration banner I read in our town's 4th of July earlier in the day. We are all immigrants, or descendants of immigrants. The only true natives were the American Indians.

At the moment of that thought, a wave of relief came over me. For months I have struggled with fear. Fear that I have somehow made a bad decision about staying in our school district which has a very diversified student body, and not much money for the extra programs the (nearly) all-white rich schools have.

While watching the fireworks, and listening to those around us, I reached a level of comfort and satisfaction about our decision to expose our children to people of all races and walks of life. This is an important part of their education. We are pretty smart cookies, my hubbie and I, and our girls will get plenty of extra education enrichment from us, alongside their regular school curriculum.

Tonight, our girls laughed, and played with children of all color. There was no hesitation, no fear, no prejudice in their faces. They were completely comfortable with the important commonality between them -- they were children watching the coolest 4th of July fireworks show in town.

Wally Sells Sea Shells for $157.93

I am finally ready to embellish my Sally Sells Sea Shells at the Sea Shore quilt for the Fabled Fibers Challenge on Quiltart.com.

You can barely see the beads I sewed on tonight. I am hoping when it is all done, the handwork will be worth the effort.

While working on this quilt I looked for shells. Michael's didn't have them. Joann Etc. didn't have them. Old Time Pottery, Linens and Things, Bed and Bath, Pier One, NOBODY had shells.

I turned to my trusty computer and my favorite art supplier Dick Blick -- there they are.I called local Dick Blicks to see if they have them. Nope. $7.39 for a pound of natural sea shells, plus a few bucks for shipping. Hmmmmmmm. I can do better than that.

So off to WalMart with my girls in tow. I despise WalMart. I rarely shop there. In total desperation I will resort to a trip to WalMart. In this case, I felt compelled to see if they had the elusive shells.

There they were on the fake flower, glass marble, paint-your-own- styrofoam vase aisle. $2.99! That's better. Wait, we need some dishwashing soap, shampoo, shower curtain liner, bath mat, "Yes you can have those googles and swim noodles," and on and on until we had filled the basket with more than $157 worth of JUNK.

The next time I need something and hesitate for even a SECOND about ordering it on-line, or paying a little more from a smaller company I am going to look on my studio wall, where I have stuck the receipt and remember these very expensive shells!

Here is a closeup of the shells pinned to the quilt and my design board. I hope the quilt can stand the weight! A different type of finishing might be in order here -- perhaps I'll stretch it over a frame, which I will NOT be buying at WalMart!

What in the world is this?

What is this? Perhaps the question is "why this?" In either case, I started Marilyn Belford's Pictoral Quilt class on Quilt University.com two weeks ago -- actually, the class started two weeks ago, I just started a few days ago. . . .

. . . and of all the beautiful pictures I have of my children, my husband, my family, and, ahem, myself, did I select this one?

The Dairy Barn in Athens, OH and a Trip to Visit Grandparents

We just returned from a whirlwind trip to see Grandma and Grandpa in Ohio. Their summer home is on Atwood Lake.

On the way, we took a 3 hour detour to visit The Dairy Barn in Athens, Ohio. For those who don't know, The Dairy Barn is home to Quilt National, which is a biennial juried exhibition of art quilts. For art quilters, this is IT.

A Kaleidoscope of Beads: Bead International 06, a juried exhibition, was at The Dairy Barn. It was incredible. I admire the skill and patience of artists who work in this medium. The detail of these works is amazing. In the other half of The Dairy Barn was an exhibit of baskets from the National Basketry Association. The girls enjoyed both exhibits and took a moment to string some beads at a corner table set up for children.

Then off to Atwood Lake.

Sarah and Sophia had no problem digging in the worm farm for earth worms and red crawlers.

Sarah was excited, but a little disappointed when Sophia caught the first fish - this small blue gill.

Don't worry Sarah, this catfish you caught was as big as your sister!

We decided to throw it back, even though Sarah gleefully exclaimed: "Let's eat it!"

There was lots of swimming in the pond, even though it was cold. Rick and Sandra have a little sailboat that belongs to Sandra's mom who is 92 years old. They brought it from Indiana, Pennsylvania, refinished it and set it out on the pond.

The girls took turns driving the pontoon boat on Atwood Lake.

We anchored off a sand beach, swam in the lake and visited the lighthouse.

On the last day Grandpa let the girls drive the tractor. What a sight and what a thrill.

It was a 14 hour drive home. Joel had to work so I did all the driving while he slept. By the 10th hour my entire right side was pins and needles. I'm still recovering...ah but the good times and happy memories the girls had was worth every moment.

And now back to the studio before I get kicked off the Artful Quilters ring for not writing about art!

A Delightful Surprise at the Chattahoochee Evening Stars Quilt Show

While visiting the Chatahootchie Evening Stars quilt show today, I found a delightful surprise. At the end of a row of very traditional quilts was this art quilt made by 11 year old Emily Evans.

"Myself, My First Quilt" Emily Evans
Two years ago I saw my mom spending all her time working on a big quilt. I wanted to learn to quilt, so my mom told me to use her scraps and design a quilt. The pieces on this top were glued on the fabric for 2 years. Finally, my mom showed me how to use the machine to applique it. I sued the decorative stitches on her sewing machine. This is my first quilt.

Isn't the composition lovely? Some things just come naturally. Today it hung at the show. I had the pleasure of meeting this budding young fiber artist, and she is a delight.

Art is the cure for the Summertime Blues! Sun Printing with Tissue Paper.

Aaaaahhhhhh, summer vacation. The tadpoles have grown into bullfrogs and are singing their boisterous mating song. The dragonflies flit about the back yard. No rush in the mornings to make it to school on time. No nagging to get dressed, brush your teeth, get your bookbag. After a week of this, my children are at each other's throats by 9:00 a.m. Could it be Boredom?

Today I decided to try out the sun printing with tissue paper project featured on the cover of the latest issue of Quilting Arts Magazine. I thought this might be just the project the girls would enjoy. And it was.

Meet the FiberArt mini Bees!
Sarah (5), Sophia (3) and Cameron (5)


Tear bleeding tissue paper first thing! Sophia really loved this part.

We placed our torn tissue paper into a plastic box with lid to protect it from moisture while we painted and misted with water.

On top of a portable work surface, layer pieces of wet fabric in between sheets of plastic wrap or trash can liners. We used disposable cookie trays and the top of a 66 quart plastic storage container for our portable work surfaces.

We used diluted Setacolor Soleil in yellow, blue and Orient Red.

Using large brushes, we painted our fabric.

Cameron is very careful with her painting. This composition is entitled: "Butterfly".

Jackson Pollack look out. Sarah always likes to use as much paint as she can get away with. She preferred to dribble the paint from about 18 inches above the counter.

That's my circle and wonky lines.

Careful placement of tissue strips. . .

Or willy nilly.

We misted the top of our tissue with water and then patted flat. I would like to have used more Setacolor on top of the tissue for more color saturation. If Jackson Pollack worked with tissue paper, this would be his.

Here is one of my pieces, on top of a kitchen trash can liner, on top of the lid to a 66 quart storage container. I slid the top layer off and was ready to paint and tissue the next layer (beneath).

Here are pieces in the sun drying. It took about an hour to dry.

And then AAARRRRGGGGG, the batteries in the camera are dead and in the charger. Finished works will be posted tomorrow!

All in all this was a very fun project. Very do-able with young children. Not as messy as you would think. The cleanup was easy (dump paint, wash containers, wash portable work surfaces.) Do again? You betcha!

Liqui-Fuse to the Rescue

Summer is tough for kids who are used to their mommy doing all the "work of the family" while they are in school. Today I dragged the girls on three errands, but they are good girls and went along with only a mild whine.

One of the stops was to purchase more Wonder Under. On the way to the bolts of Wonder Under, I got distracted by fabric, and then two yards later we were out the door -- without the Wonder Under.

After putting the girls to bed, I continued working on Sally Sells Sea Shells and guess what? I ran out of Wonder Under.

In recent weeks there was some discussion and several recommendations for Liqui-Fuse on quitart.com. When I was in Michaels a week ago I picked up a bottle for future testing. Tonight was the night.


Terry Grant was the original poster on LiquiFuse and she has an excellent tutorial on her blog www.andsewitgoes.blogspot.com.

I am a bit sloppy and always in a hurry, so running a bead of Liqui-Fuse around the edges wasn't working for me. I got out one of the girls paintbrushes, dipped it in water, used the cap of the Liqui-Fuse as my palette and dipped the brush in. Voila. A nicely filled brush of diluted Liqui-Fuse. Then I spread it on the area I wished to fuse.

Before I could finish, the Liqui-Fuse had dried and let me tell you -- when you press it with an iron, it is fused. And it does leave a nice hand to the fabric. Soft and pliable and not heavy. I love it!

The members of Quiltart.com are always so generous with their techniques and information. It is the best resource. If you know a quilter who does NOT know about Quiltart.com, tell her. It will be the nicest thing you ever do!