PERFECTLY SAID

 My friend Toni shared this quote she recently read.  So perfectly said: 

“Art is making something no one asked for—not because they didn’t need it, but because they didn’t know they needed it until you made it, until you helped them breathe and dream and find a way forward.”  

—Mira Jacob, Writer, in the Poem “You Are Here”

FABRIC BOWLS

 These bowls are truly a labor of love. Keeping track of costs for materials & time kinda gets lost in my enthusiasm!  We are all aware of the higher cost of everything these days....premium gas here in CA is $6.59 a gallon!!

So for a reality check as I began making the first bowl, I recorded those details. (With the exception of studio equipment and energy costs.) 

Results: Bowls - batik fabric, canvas, fusible, & thread = $24.80 Time - 4 hours for a single bowl start to finish. 

CA Walmart clerks make $23 an hour - using that rate, the minimum price for one bowl should be $117.00.  Now, do you think I could sell one for that price??  NOPE! 

With rare exceptions, artists can not break even much less make a profit on their handmade items.  I was fortunate, my career generated income from teaching, judging, presenting lectures, authoring books & magazine articles, hosting quilting cruises & tours, commissions for designing fabric and other quilt related items. 

Many of you reading this are aware of the dilemma but perhaps others aren't.  Maybe now handmade items will be seen in a little different light.  I'm NOT whining....I can not imagine  life without the satisfaction and passion of creating each and every day.  Many thanks to our 55+ community for providing exposure to our talented artist residents!!

MY NEW DESIGN WALL

I've been busy assembling/hanging a new 'design wall'. It's where the components of my quilts are auditioned.

BACK STORY: To our utter shock, our NC home sold in one day and suddenly the planned move to CA took on urgency. As did the large commission I had just accepted. Thankfully the clients were not in a hurry, allowing ample time to begin the project when I got to CA.

BUT!!! I didn't have a design wall. Lowe's charge was $79 to deliver a 8'x 4' x 1" styrofoam insulation panel. NOPE....not happening. The result was ordering 15" sq. pieces from Amazon and taping them together. We must have purchased every kind of Gorilla tape available before finding one that would stick. Now 2 years later the pieces are separating.

Thanks to good friends with a truck, an insulation panel has now turned into a new design wall.  

Here's how one is made:

REMEBER WITH THANKS

 “Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it. It flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it.” — Unknown

UNITED WE STAND  44" X 29" - by Mary Stori 2002

PURPLE SUNSET

Nearly 3 weeks into this project and it's finally finished.  It was transformed from the initial concept of recreating a photo using fabric as the medium, to simply echoing the majesty of a purple sky.  Purple skies are actually quite rare, but they are a completely natural phenomenon.

Sonji M. posted this photo on 12/2/25 on the Heritage Placer Vineyard Facebook page.....it immediately inspired me. I don't recall ever seeing one quite like this.  

Though my vision for this piece changed after several creative construction pivots.....I'm very pleased with the outcome. NOW SOLD!!!!

PURPLE SUNSET   -   SOLD!!!

14” X 14”

Artist hand painted cottons with water soluble wax crayons & 

pencils, gel printing, and Procion dyes.  Raw edge appliqué, densely

 quilted, hand embroidery, faced edges with hanging sleeve.

 

Photo credit Sonja Marino 12/2/25

PIVOTING

 Is the third time the charm?    

After two weeks, I have yet to capture the colors nor the desired airy appearance of Sonja's photo. So I'm pivoting for the third time. Now I'm considering Sonja's photo project as 'landscape inspiration', rather than 'fabric recreation'.

AND I'm totally okay with that!! No need to beat myself up by calling it a failure, instead this difficult project has evolved to a positive desirable outcome which utilized my depth of skills developed over 30+ years of quilt making.

THREE CHEERS!!! Reveal coming soon......

Thread painting partially completed

Background stitched

Background 'edited'

TRY, TRY AGAIN

 You know what they say....If at first you don't succeed, try try again......  In this case it might mean again & again.  

Using Water soluble wax pastels and pencils.....the background is now ready for some dense stitching which should further clarify the look I'm aiming for.....  stay tuned....

FAILURE??

 Geesh.....some projects are simply hair tearing experiences. I RARELY give up on a piece, in fact I can't remember the last time I did!

My current art quilt is now on its 3rd try! I spent an entire day gel printing purples/pinks and other "sunset" colors onto white cotton fabric. After overnight drying, the following day I was raring to tackle a scene depicted in a photo (thank you Sonja M.) posted in our community Facebook page. No matter how I manipulated the fabrics, the design failed to materialize. 

So I gave up working with those printed fabrics and decided to begin by creating a tree in silhouette form. It took me hours and hours to thread paint the shape onto water-soluble film. Once the film was dissolved I realized the stitching was too dense. Humm...will I make another thread tree or shift to fabric??

And finally more time was (perhaps) wasted as I attempted to 'dye-paint' the background fabric to obtain a less harsh appearance.

It has not been a joyful time in the Stori studio these last few days....stay tuned....I'll either solve the design problems or become bald. FYI: Sonja's inspiration photo is the last one posted here.....

TWEET TWEET

 JUST finished....30 mins. ago!!

Inspiration struck after noticing so many recent posts and references to bird nests.  Nature at her finest!

                                   TWEET TWEET - 15” x 15”

 AVAILABLE in online shop

Artist ice-dyed silk noil, gel printed cottons, rust dyed 

felted wools, batiks.  Raw edge fused appliqué, machine 

quilted. Double fold binding, hanging sleeved attached.

NEGLECTED BLOG.....

 I realized I've been neglecting this blog......so few readers access blogs these days, reverting to Facebook instead where I tend to post more regularly. My bad!!

I'm often asked where my design ideas come from. I don't have a written 'list' that I refer to, rather inspiration can hit from repeated images or a specific subject that I'm exposed to repeatedly, in a short amount of time, or one that begins as an itch and over time, needs to be scratched.

I wasted no time beginning a new project after the close out of our communities Spring Artisan Faire this past weekend. This theme was definitely a result of similar posts I've seen very recently. Can you guess where I'm heading??

NEW WORK - LADIES OF THE WOODS

 The redo of the silk noil from my previous post certainly was an inspiration for this new piece.

LADIES OF THE WOODS - 13” x 13”

$150

Artist dyed silk noil, mono printed cottons, Ultra-Suede, 

raw edge fused appliqué, & thread play. Wrapped on a canvas 

frame & secured in a black wood frame without glass. 

NOTE: White birch trees are so named because they 

are the first trees to leaf out in the spring.

I HEAR IT CALLING

 No sooner did the re-do on a piece of silk noil that had been previously dyed become dry.....it started calling me.

I wanted to add one more small framed piece to my inventory for the upcoming our Heritage Placer Vineyard Artisan Faire (May 2nd), happily that piece sold within hours of sharing it online.

Of course that was all the push I needed to hear the call of this newly revamped piece of fabric.  Here's another look at the fabric inspiration and a how I'm integrating it into a new design.  Watch for the reveal soon....

 

MY SISTER'S FAVORITE FLOWER

 A display of Lily of The Valley plants caught my eye recently and the images have stuck with me, mainly because it was a favorite of my twin sister.

Perhaps it will be one of yours too.  Now available.  SOLD YEAH....ANOTHER SUPER FAST SALE IN 5 HOURS....  

LILY OF THE VALLEY -  13” x 13”

SOLD

Genuine rare vintage Shweshwe & Kashmel Indigo cotton, printed in England & South Africa under names such as 3 Cats. Batik and commercial cottons. Raw edge fused appliqué, hand embroidery.

Prismacolor enhancement. Wrapped on canvas frame & secured in a white wood frame without glass. 

REDO

 This piece of Procion dyed silk noil has been quietly asking for its turn for quite awhile.  Despite fondling it numerous times, it wasn't connecting with any design ideas.

Often my designs are inspired by the fabric itself.....this one, not so much.  What the heck....the light areas were distracting...why not make them go away?

Out came several tan/brown acrylic paints which I diluted with water and "painted" the solution in the offending areas.

Now we are talking....I mean the fabric and me......

WITH THE WIND

Each new piece is greeted with enthusiasm and challenges, that's what I love about creating one-of-a-kind art quilts.  Waking up each day anxious to get back in the studio, even after all my years of quilting is a true gift.

Here's the newest one now available for purchase.

WITH THE WIND -  21” x 31”

Click on gallery shop link at top or side for details.

Japanese cottons, layered sheers, metallic thread, water-soluble image enhancement, raw edge fused appliqué, machine quilted, double fold binding, hanging sleeve attached.

TIPS AND TRICKS

 I was preparing this post to share some tips/tricks that I've resorted to while working on my current art quilt. An internet pal Peggy just happened to post frustration about the excessive amount of fraying (even on good quality fabrics) she's been experiencing. (

Because I'm such a perfectionist, I can NOT tolerate frayed edges on raw edge applique. It drives me nuts!! So even though my solution adds extra steps during construction........I do it anyway for carefree applique with great results.

TIP #1. I take all the precautions in my bag of tricks to avoid fraying.

(a) Spray starch the fabric before cutting (b) Use paperbacked fusible adhesive which for me requires less handling than the temporary stick and reposition adhesives. (c) My secret weapon: Fray Block by June Tailer. I squeeze a small amount at a time into a small plastic cup (think NyQuil dosage cups). Then using a very thin inexpensive artist brush I apply this clear liquid to the edges of the appliqué motif that has already been fused in place. Let dry.... Enjoy care-free appliqué. CREDIT....The best applique artist I know, Linda Cantrell taught me this.....

TIP #2. You've got fabric that has the exact shape, size with motifs you wish to feature, but it the color blends into the background. There are a number of ways I handle this problem. but here's what I did on my current project. Instead of appliquéing with invisible or matching color thread, using a high contrast thread allows the motif to 'pop'.

TIP#3. Nearly the same problem as tip 2.....the 'bird' fabric that fit my theme yielded the right size, shape but NOT the right color. The motifs didn't stand out enough. Even outlining wasn't going to help in this case. So, I used a white water-soluble wax pastel to lighten the fabric.

I'm tackling one final problem in my design right now....I expect there will be another answer in a 2:00 AM thought!! Visit again, won't you?

BRAGGING ON MY TALENTED FREIND

 Long time friendships are precious.  While working for TWA in Chicago my roommate (Sandy) and I met and married roommates (Steve & David).  Interestingly, we all were born and raised in Wisconsin.

Now 61 years later we continue our friendship.  Sadly, we lost Steve a few years ago, but never forgotten.  What's more surprising, none of us ever expected to leave the midwest, but we find ourselves in Roseville & Clovis. Life sure has surprises.

Sandy has developed talent as a watercolor artist and sent me this rendition of our Clyde, NC home.  Yes, long time friendships are precious!

PLAY TIME

 With the Easter holiday weekend now upon us and looking forward to family coming.....I still managed to get in a little play time yesterday.

I lent my book "Embellishing With Felted Wool" to a friend which got me digging into a couple of bins filled with felted wool.  Naturally, I was inspired all over again and this time in a new direction.

One piece had a discolored line.....no problem....out came my gelli plate and pretty soon I was printing various designs onto small pieces of felted wool.

Why?  Who know how my mind works??  But I am having fun creating small baskets/bowls with the reimagined felt pieces.

SUNNY SIDE UP!!

 It's rewarding to put the finishing touches on some of the small projects I've created for our community upcoming Artisan Faire.

SUNNY SIDE UP!!  - 12” x 12”

Commercial cottons, raw edge appliqué,

 mounted on canvas covered frame.

Finished backing, prepared for hanging or consider displaying this piece on a small table top easel.

STRUTTING

It's rewarding to finish a couple small projects that have been patiently waiting their turn!

 

STRUTTING - 12” x 12”

$45

Vintage indigo dyed & commercial cottons, 

raw edge appliqué, machine quilted, mounted on 

canvas covered frame. Prepared for hanging or display 

on a small tabletop easel.

HELLO SPRING!!

NO, I don't work this fast......often there's only time to squeeze in  an hour or two in the studio at a time.  So....sometimes projects evolve slowly, such as this one.

                                                                   HELLO SPRING!! - 12” x 16.5”

Indigo dyed cotton, batiks, mono printed fabric,

Raw edge appliqué, machine quilted.

PLAYING!!!

After completing two large landscape pieces back to back, a whimsy smaller art quilt idea has caught my attention.....

Come back soon to see the finished results.

NATURE'S HARMONY

 With some serious 'seat time" in the studio.....it's now finished and ready to find a forever home.    SOLD

NATURE'S HARMONY - 23" x 33"

SOLD

Authentic Japanese cotton, hand dyed & mono printed fabric, oil pastels, dense thread blending, fused appliqué, machine quilted, faced edges, hanging sleeve attached.

SLOW BUT STEADY

Work continues........I've now cut and auditioned the bamboo leaves pinned in place using my design wall. (what did we do before we had design walls....so very helpful!!)

Next begins the machine appliqué.....I use an open toe walking foot but not FMQ.  Yes, it take more time as the quilt needs to be turned every couple of stitches but I have much more control that way.  Being a perfectionist does not mean projects go quickly!

Stay tuned for what comes next, won't you???