A HINT

 Have you been trying to guess what my new project is?  Ya, I know.....there wasn't much to go on....so here's another clue.

WHAT'S NEXT??

 Like most of you, a long list of 'next projects' await.  This one will be on a short time line.  Here are my supplies.......you'll never guess what it will be....but you can try!!!  Bring it on.....

TAHOE SUNSET

 Last stitch completed today.....ready for a forever home....... Interested?  Contact me.....

TAHOE AFTERGLOW

16” x 18”

Artist ice-dyed, gelli printed & batik cottons. Appliquéd motifs, dense machine embroidery, hand embroidery & machine quilting.  Faced edges. Ready to hang. 

PROGRESS

 I've been busy enjoying the company of my long time friend and roommate in the 60's.  We attended the same WI high school and both worked in the airline business at O'Hare.  Our husband's were both WI natives who lived in Chicago and were also roommates.  Amazing.....  All 4 of us vowed that CA would be the last place on earth we'd ever live.  Joke is on us....they moved to Clovis 10 years ago and we relocated to Roseville 2 years ago. Offsprings are very good magnets and we old dogs have now learned new tricks!!

Work continues on my current project.....still a few more design elements may be added.  Perhaps these photos will show the direction this art quilt is headed.

A FAVORITE THEME

 Sunrise & sunset themes, along with trees are subjects that seems to resonate with me.  Creating gel printed fabrics that are featured in these art quilts is....well.....FUN!!  Utilizing my stash of ice-dyed fabrics and commercial batiks completes the palette. 

Often these fabrics end up looking like Swiss Cheese as I "fussy cut" sections to better coordinate with the surrounding fabrics. Photo #1

With the aid of my walking foot, my favorite appliqué stitch is the blanket stitch.  As seen in photo #2.  A simple slightly curvy straight stitch with variegated threads coordinates the various fabric patterns and colors as well as adding texture. Photo #3 & #4.

To prevent the fabrics from distortion/buckling I always use a stabilizer as a foundation for nearly all of my art quilts. Photo #5

HERE I GO AGAIN....

A new project is underway.......surely you are not surprised!?! My first step generally is to gather fabric possibilities. Of course that may be repeated numerous times as selections are eliminated while more are added.

Gelli printing has become a favorite activity, playing to creating the 'grunge' look is challenging, but I'm loving the results. The resists used on the gelli plate (one at a time) were baby oil, baby power, mineral oil, and rubbing alcohol. Acrylic paint in several colors react to the resist, providing mono prints featuring unique design & textures.

Cut and reassembled it's now the lower section of my 'in progress' art quilt. Come back and see how it's shaping up.

GRATEFUL

It's always so rewarding when work is sold.  Not to mention making room in my physical inventory for new pieces.  I tend to conjure up ideas to explore even before the current in-progress work is completed.  

Having a passion that keeps one active, engaged, and challenged makes me a very fortunate person.  What's your passion??

Tweet, Tweet -  SOLD

Sunny Side Up - SOLD

A 90TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

 My good pal, the one, the only Quilter's Hall of Fame recipient Georgia Bonesteel will be celebrating her 90th birthday next week.  She continues to have more energy than most 50 year olds.  You may recall the impact she had on the quilt world in 1978 when she began her long running PBS TV series 'Lap Quilting With Georgia Bonesteel', along with her many published books.

Though we now live 3,000 miles apart we communicate regularly. I wanted to mark this occasion with a small fabric birthday card that featured her newly designed Western North Carolina fabric.  Naturally, the piece grew as there were so many accompaniments I wanted to highlight.  She has received the gift so I can now share it.

CELEBRATING 90!!!

 23” x 15.25”     July 2026

Celebrating Quilt Legend Georgia Bonesteel’s

90th Birthday!!!

This piece highlights some of her vast accomplishments:

 Georgia’s newly designed WNC motif fabric, a riot of colorful flowers to represent her Master Gardener status, as well as a 

nod to her dedication to the Flat Rock Playhouse.

Original design - made by Mary Stori - Roseville, CA

Artist hand painted, gel printed, Prisma Pencil enhanced cottons, 

hand embroidered, & machine quilted.

HARMONY

 Finally, the reveal of my newest project is here.  It's interesting how only one of the original selected elements remained. The area I had the most difficulty with was the left side.  It needed a vertical design but none of the fabrics I had quite allowed me to say 'YES...this is it.'

So more pondering took place.  Finally I came up with the idea of  using the Japanese calligraphy symbol for 'Harmony'.  After finding one online, I was able to stretch the motifs to the length desired and chose to use red fabric.

                                      HARMONY -  20” x 17.5”

                                                                                $165

      Japanese & ice-dyed cottons, 

    raw edge fused appliqué, metallic thread, 

machine quilted. Double fold binding with fabric hanging sleeve. 

TIME HAS FLOWN

 Digging through a bin of red fabrics I came across a piece purchased in 1987.....at the beginning of my quilting career.  Heck, I blinked and nearly 40 years have passed!!

How old is some of your fabric?