VIEWS FROM MY MORNING FORCED MARCH

 Moving to the West coast has not stopped my daily 'forced march'.  The last two mornings interesting skies caught my attention.....   A huge rainbow, so big I couldn't get all of it in the photo frame.  And this morning a beautiful early sun rise.....plus the reason I only slept 1 1/2 hrs. last night. (The picture is fuzzy but I can attest it was almost as bright as daylight.)  That's NOT an exaggeration, insomnia has haunted me all my life and is only getting worse.  This morning I'm so tired my eye balls hurt.....

JUST FRAMED!!

 Final piece completed before Artisan Faire in 3 days......

SUMMER COTTAGES - 13" X 13"

Now available

Artist mono printed, ice dyed, & hand dyed cottons.

Hand embroidered, machine appliqued & quilted.  Wrapped onto a canvas frame and secured in wood frame without glass.

A NEW HOME

 It's always such a thrill to see one of my pieces hanging in its new home.  This commission piece went back to NC and thankfully was unaffected by the recent hurricane.  The piece was a challenge in regard to scale.  Lot's of thought went into it every step of the way to consider it would be viewed from its high hanging location.

Many of you already know my back story......I began quilting in the mid 80's during recovery from several back surgeries.  Like most it started with traditional quilts.....blue and white, red and white and then onto to scrap quilts.  Though I shouldn't really call them 'scrap' because being a new quilter I was just beginning my fabric collection.  I've loved the process every step of my journey from traditional to embellished whimsy and now to botanical/landscape themes, often framed.  From beginner to professional, now retired from travel teaching and morphed into creating work to be sold.

Thanks for sticking with me all these years......

UPPER CRABTREE - TRIPLE CREEK MEADOWS, NC. 

52.5" x 60"  

CELEBRATE!!!

 Gosh....it's been awhile since I posted.....been super busy with preparations for 3 family members birthdays this month.  Grand kiddo, brother (came all the way from OR), & 'the husband'.

One highlight is getting to watch the Packer game with other avid fans on Sunday.  Some memorable photos.....for me they are!!

SIL as we prepare for the 10:00 AM game.

This is the first day since move in way back in March that it was cool enough to enable us to sit outside. Grandson asked for my cinnamon twists instead of a cake.....which I tried to shape into the number 9.  The day was a good reminder of why we moved to CA!!

 Youngest grandson...is now the proud owner of 1 share of the Green Bay Packers.....a true legacy gift.

STUNNING OVERVIEW OF DAMAGE

 There are hundreds of videos online showing the devastation from the hurricane....the word devastation really can not even describe the aftermath of this storm. This is one of the most comprehensive looks that I've seen....made by a fellow who walked the closed road to Chimney Rock......you literally can't believe what you are seeing. But most of all you see the strength of Mother Nature and the strength of ordinary folks who live here. (Ads are easily skipped....it's a fairly long video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYdC-6nShdc

SIGH......

Here's another eye-popping look at the devastation in Asheville area. Our friend Jim provided this photo....he's standing in the middle of a pile of downed trees blocking his roads.

So many of my pals still don't have power, water, internet, cell service.....it's coming back but as you can imagine after 9 days and counting it's a stressful time.

Heartbreaking...... 

STUDIO SPACE NOW ALL SET UP

Folks in our community are sharing photos on our group's Facebook page, showing creative uses for their home's spaces. Most of us have downsized and perhaps trying to squeeze in everything that our previous home allowed.

My sewing studio is our 3rd bedroom.....probably 11'x12'....my previous space as a huge loft area 15'x 23'.....plus two LARGE closets for fabric etc storage.

Surprise for me.....I'm actually making this smaller space work just fine. Though I do have a large walk in closet that also holds fabric and more 'stuff' like framing equipment, paints, dyes etc.

It may be a surprise to see so little art on my walls.....I may keep it that way....some do well with lots and lots of inspirations around them. I am easily distracted so perhaps blank walls are sufficient.

So you can see what I'm selling my older big quilts.....I especially want to find homes for my published embellished whimsy quilts that really helped launch and continue my career. I simply have no place to keep them. Check them out by scrolling down the list of available pieces. https://marystorishop.blogspot.com

No good way to get a complete one photo overview....so here are two.... 

LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE QUILT FOR SALE

 In preparation for the upcoming Artisan Faire that I'm participating in, clearly there are more quilts in my inventory than I will be able to display.  

The move across the country made me realize some of my quilts featured in various books, including my own need new homes.  

This piece is pristine and was featured in The Classic American Quilt Collection - SCHOOLHOUSE, by Rodale Quit Books.

It's 56.5"X 71.25"......use as a lap quilt or for display.  Machine quilted and hand quilted math problems on the outer border.  Plaid double fold binding.  Price $400, shipping via USPS flat rate included, US only.  Payment via Venmo, or your check.  Connect with me to make arrangements.

Not the best photo below but provided as another look at the piece.

AROUND AND AROUND

 Our community is hosting an Artisan Faire Oct. 19th, 40 artist's work will be on display.  There will be some from our community, Heritage Placer Vineyards, plus numerous outside artists.  I have no idea what to expect since this is a new avenue for me.  I'm more familiar with online shoppers, exhibits and working with galleries to sell my work.  Will there be 5 or 500 visitors?

To provide some lower cost items, rather than all art quilts, I've been adding to my inventory of fabric bowls.  Tedious stitching round and around the shape, but the results are so appealing.

Here's a few I recently made, plus a look at one special red/black fabric for an upcoming custom order.  They measure about 12" in diameter.

CAN'T BELIEVE THIS......

Talk about ridiculous......despite selling a ton of stuff before we moved, we truly didn't have time to go through everything complete enough.......soooooo we are actually participating in our community garage sale. I've never seen so many electronic cords, wires etc. in my life - 50 years of accumulation I expect. What doesn't sell will go directly to Goodwill. Sigh......