SOOTY LIKES HER QUILT!

After weighing all the pros and cons - to move or not to move.....we are staying put.  This has generated some home refresh projects and painting is on the 'to-do' list.  With 27' ceilings in our great room, open to my loft studio, I'm purposely choosing not to start designing another wall quilt till after the painters are finished.  Sooty's no brainer lap quilt became my 'busy' work......made to protect the 'man cave's' leather cushions that she insists belongs to her.

 From this....

She's helping me to attach the binding by machine, I normally do this by hand.

 To this....

To this.....

SOOTY GETTING HER OWN QUILT

What is it with dogs?  Why when they have a perfectly comfy dog bed do they insist on sneaking up to recline on couches or human beds???  Our Sooty is no exception....turn your back and she leaps, curls up small to be invisible (as small as a 60# lab can get) and ignores eye contact when told to get down.

I give up......my new project is my version of putting plastic covers on our leather furniture....ye gads.....Plastic ?? NEVER.....   Anyway, Sooty's preferred couch is in the man cave.  It will soon have a quilt to cover the leather cushions. 

I've cut 3.5" wide brown strips in varying lengths and 1" wide x 3.5" black strips surround each.  Quilters who are chain piecers will be horrified by my lame approach to piecing.  Each row is arranged next to the previous one, making sure none of the black sashing strips align next to each other......then it's moved to the sewing machine, double checking as I go to be sure the placement is still accurate. The cut rectangles are at hand on the design wall to grab and place as each row is auditioned  

Nah, it's not a masterpiece of design, but it will coordinate with the decor and I suspect Sooty will love it!  I'll share a photo when it's finished.

LANDSCAPE PIECE FINISHED

What they say is true....persistence pays off......despite the construction issues I had getting this dye-painted Liberty of London Lawn fabric to behave....it's now completed and ready for a new home.

APPROACHING DUSK - 25" x 18"

AVAILABLE HERE

Artist hand dye-painted landscape on Liberty of London cotton, densely thread painted, machine appliqued & quilted. Prepared for hanging. 

A BLUEGRASS EVENING

One of our favorite bluegrass bands happens to be a local one.  Carolina Blue is hitting it big, but as is so often the case, what appears to be an overnight success is actually one of long years of hard work and dedication to crafting one's skills.

 We attended a simply wonderful early evening outdoor concert at the Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, NC.  The weather was perfect, as was the setting and the music was fabulous.  I love the group for their traditional bluegrass approach.  They write a lot of their own music but it's steeped in the basics of the likes of Bill Monroe.

Each month during the summer the college hosts a music event and we are so delighted that Carolina Blue was featured for all their local fans to enjoy.

UNIQUE PCA CLUB DRIVE

We had a unique experience this weekend with our local car club.  One of our members, an employee of the National Forest Service, organized an hour+ Porsche SUV drive on forest service roads in the Pisgah National Forest.

Looking back 'the husband' and I spent more time than I can believe, doing real off roading in the 'Northwoods' of Wisconsin with our Jeep and Land Cruiser....always equipped with a winch to get us 'unstuck'.  This drive was bumpy and a tad scary in some areas where there had been wash outs and no guard rails.  However 13 cars made the trip unscathed...naturally they were all 4-wheel or all-wheel drive SUV's  The sky was sunny and the roads were dry...we all paraded to a local restaurant for a hearty breakfast where our fellow member Rob gave us lots of info about the roads/national forests etc.   

We are so delighted to be members of this very special PCA club! 

MORE STITCHING

The Fiber Junkies planned monthly meeting for yesterday was cancelled at the last minute, a rarity!  That left me with an unexpected time slot to work on the piece I had dye-painted ages ago.

Hours, and hours were spent taming the Liberty of London fabric that insisted on distorting as I stitched.  I guess if you lay down enough threads the fabric will finally behave.

With the back ground finished and a whole day ahead of me to sew, my design plan suddenly changed to this view.  I may or may not add additional motifs....gotta get these appliqued first which will give me time to ponder some more.

SUMMER IN WISCONSIN

My airline travel luck is pretty bad....and of course this trip had its flaws too, but nothing that really impacted the enjoyment of getting back to Wisconsin for a family wedding.  Everyone was sending good vibes and the heavens seemed to as well.....beautiful rainbow  taken from the plane's window in Milwaukee.

Of course I have tons of photos but since this is primarily a fiber blog I'll keep my posting down to these two.  The only thing missing in this picture is a bottle/can of beer.  A fishing boat had just come in as we strolled the River Walk, so we stopped and watched them hang their fish....great photo opportunity for the fishermen and spectators alike.  This area is where the Sheboygan river flows into Lake Michigan, making it a great entryway for fishing and pleasure boats alike.

I'll be back in my studio as soon as I can recover from the constant activity we enjoyed!!

APPALACHIAN PCA CLUB OUTING

We are members of a very active car club that sponsors scenic drives along the many, many fun to navigate mountain roads.  21 vehicles made this trip through the Nantahala Gorge, stopping at the Outdoor Center before heading along Wayah Road, one of the prettiest roadways in our area (with tons of curves and  switchbacks to challenge all those sports cars). 

A must (unless you are in a sports car) is a visit to Wayah Bald Tower in the Nahtahala National Forest.  Obviously we bypassed this historic site and headed for a stop in Franklin, NC for lunch.  Finding a restaurant that can accommodate 33 people AND has adequate paved parking away from other cars is often time consuming for the scouts who plan these trips.  We are always grateful to the organizers of these adventures.  "The husband" was the lead car for group #1...with radio in hand to communicate with our 'sweeper' car......all 10 cars in our group kept the pace with no missed turns!     

So....'the husband' had his 'seat time' with this drive and I'll have mine as I wing my way to Wisconsin for a family wedding.  Upon returning.....I'll be holed up in the studio!!

FAMILY TIME

An all too short visit with our son/wife/ & 2 kiddos was unexpectedly extended by a whole day due to the continuing cancellation issues American Airlines is experiencing because of union problems. Though disruptive for all involved, the extra time with the 'kids' was such a treat.

Here's an appropriate present from my 7 year old grandson that he made at school....painted and woven strips of paper....ala patchwork quilt art!

 The visit was jam packed with non-stop activities.  Here's an example of two unique ones.  I haven't been to a movie theater (honestly!!) in over 10 years and before that visit it was at least 10 years prior.  BUT....I could get used to this type of movie going....comfy seats with mini tables, and a waiter who took our lunch order & quickly delivered it.  We gobbled up everything while watching the movie.  I enjoyed THE best movie popcorn I've ever had, served in a huge stainless steel bowl and a yummy mocha coffee milkshake.  Now this is living!

 The kids both got haircuts....what a unique way to get children to sit still during the process.  Clever styling chairs....all with their own personal iPad type monitor to keep them still.

Another family event is right around the corner so I'll barely have time to unpack and repack before making more memories.  My latest art quilt will be on hold till I return.  Hope you are all enjoying your summer.

LANDSCAPE WALL ART PROGRESS

Overall stitching is now complete......next step is to refine and blend colors more effectively.  It's still somewhat distorted, but better than I expected.....once all the stitching details are completed, I'll block it and see if there is hope

to achieve a finished piece of wall art......

I remind myself to be patient!!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

CELEBRATING OUR COUNTRY!!!

"UNITED WE STAND" 44" x 28" - available for purchase with certified appraisal

 - contact me

Detail - intricate beaded edging treatment

LANDSCAPE QUILT PROGRESSING

It may be wishful thinking but the annoying distortion issues I've had with this Liberty of London "Lawn" fabric are slowly being tamed as stitching continues.  It's not gone, but it is better.  So, I'll proceed....

 Some of the dye painting in the lower level didn't totally cover the pale blue fabric that I started with....spots of the light color were apparent after sewing with a solid green rayon thread.  So I went back and did more spot sewing over some of those areas with a lighter green which turned out too light on the piece....big sigh...

 Never fear, pastel oil sticks are becoming my new best friend.....and while I was altering the lighter green stitching, I smeared some lines here and there to provide more interest and depth to this section.

This photo is a bit shadowy but you'll get the idea.....the stitching has now moved up the quilt introducing some blue/yellow/orange to the sky as it works its way up into the more solid blue section.

Various obligations will probably keep me from adding too much for the next two weeks.....but I'll post results as they happen.  Thanks for hanging out with me.

STITCHING WHEN I CAN

Despite being super busy with our ongoing on again, off again plans to move or refresh our home....

Stitching continues on my landscape scene. Distortion also continues, even after all the stabilizing tricks I've employed. Interestingly, once the center was sewn I was able to move to the lower green section with the programed stitch which for some strange reason is no longer tunneling?!? I'm doing my best to keep it as flat as possible in the hopes that once completed I'd be able to block it to lay square and flat. Fingers crossed.