TRUMPET LILY

 This flower thing could get out of hand....every street in our community is named after a flower. My newest piece is made mostly with hand ice-dyed cottons. SOLD

"Trumpet Lily" - 13" x 13"

I must also share today's happy dance. The gal who purchased my previous piece, "California Poppies" sent me a video of her opening the box that arrived today for its reveal. What a thrill to see someone so delighted and in love with my work! Made my day for sure!!

WOW!

The delightfully quick sale of my last project, 'California Poppies' has helped to get my creativity geared back up.  This moving thing sure had me down and floundering.

The name of my new town is Roseville.....obviously flowers are the focus everywhere. Our community's road's names are all floral based......daily forced marches bring me new ideas and a recognization that I knew so little about flower varieties.  Trumpet Lilies have caught my attention.

Here's the beginning of a new piece......keep watching won't you??

CALIFORNIA POPPIES

 What a delight to create a small piece with my new inspirational surroundings!

I ice-dyed this linen handkerchief numerous years ago and couldn't bring myself to use it....now was the time.

And ta-da......it's finished.....

CALIFORNIA POPPIES - 13" X 13"

Ice-dyed linen, ice-dyed cottons and some batiks.

Machine appliquéd, thread painted, hand embroidered, & machine quilted.  Wrapped onto a canvas frame and secured in wood frame.

Available for purchase. - NOW SOLD

HOW SOON I FORGOT......

First let me say, I know it's been awhile since I posted.....really I do nothing much here except continue to settle in which means multiple appointments to establish new doctors which always leads to more appointments for tests and procedures.  Such a hassle!!

However, I did have a little free time to start a small project using an ice-dyed linen handkerchief.  My inspirations have shifted from the Blue Ridge Mountains to my new environment.  Poppies have caught my eye.

In my enthusiasm to get going, I (dah) totally didn't think through the process.  I traced a poppy shape on tissue paper which normally I'd pin to a piece of stabilized fabric. Then simply sew over the traced lines.  In my haste, I decided to avoid having to stitch around pins and did a very light application of wash out spray adhesive instead.  Of course the paper was impossible to remove.

Back to a sensible approach which honestly I haven't used in YEARS......clear washout stabilizer.

Once stitched, I trimmed the excess film away and soaked it in water to dissolve.

Now that's better...honestly, what on earth was I thinking previously!?!

Stay tuned for the reveal of this small California Poppy piece.

 

THIS AND THAT

 Yes, we are STILL getting settled...sigh.... Even after selling excess stuff for 2+ months before leaving NC, we still have more than we can use. BUT, because I've collected antiques for over 50 years....it's hard giving up items that one has stripped to its bare wood and refinished.

Here's a look at some wood carvings I've repurposed.

Also I did a bit of sewing...made three mini notebook covers using small pieces of ice-dyed silk noil that I couldn't bear to part with.

LITTLE PROJECTS

 Having a bit of fun making bento bags.....simple once the folding/sewing steps are understood.  Great projects for those special fabrics you have been saving!

A LITTLE GELI PRINTING

 Yeah, I got my hands dirty with two new friends doing some gel printing.  It's HOT here....next 3 days temps. will be over 100.....good grief.  So we got started early, 8:00 AM and puttered till just before noon.  Paint started to dry nearly as fast as we put in on the plates....time to stop.

My goal was to create some background pieces to use in small landscape work.  Mission accomplished.  

I got so busy and focused I didn't take any photos till I got home and laid out my treasures.  Thanks to Michelle and Mary Lee for including me.

UPPER CRABTREE - TRIPLE CREEK, NC

 Hurrah......my commission project is now finished.  The clients live in NC, near our previous home in the Triple Creek Meadows Community. They requested me to capture the scenery of the area.  Their view of the Blue Ridge Mountains is similar to ours.....

So here's the quilt, plus a photo I snapped from our front porch.

Upper Crabtree - Triple Creek Meadows, NC

52.5" x 60"

My entire inventory of quilts in my online shop have now been repriced.  Now that I am no longer associated with a gallery, I don't have to match their pricing which included a hefty commission.  Take a look and see if you might be interested in any of the pieces.  

FINALLY HANGING DECOR

Moving required so many necessary tasks that it's taken awhile before we could get to what I consider the fun stuff.  For instance, insurance, auto registration, CA driver's license, all new doctors....(still working down that list), simple things like towel bars and hooks, paper towel holders and on and on.....  

All the wall decor has now been unwrapped.....most is still piled on the floor or dining table...but progress is being made.....making it more and more 'our' house.  

This may be of zero interest to you, but as a kinda diary of this monumental change in our lives.....I'm documenting some of it....delete now or take a gander....

Our small laundry room was a challenge since no cupboards come with new houses here.  (Weird?!?) Well, not strange because the quote to match what we have in our kitchen....came to over $8,000.  So instead, I purchased a school locker for mops, elec. broom etc. (had it painted blue)....then hung some other vintage pieces.  I have a wooden wall mounted drying rack that will finish off this room when I can get 'the husband' to hang it.   Having ceilings 10' tall is kinda a challenge for decorating.  Everything looks so skimpy!

This entry hall is really the second section of the front entrance and is big....really big.  My antique pie safe is dwarfed in the space.  Directly across the room I'll hang a quilt, but need to hire someone to do it.  The wall is 10' tall and 122" wide.  Quilt is 72" x 90" long!  I love the spacious feel of this house but good grief why would they have such inaccessible areas in a 55+ community where none of us should be on ladders!!!

This vintage corner cupboard was made by 'the husband's great grandfather....we believe it was made either in Denmark or Wisconsin.  Unfortunately, the guest room has the only corner in this entire house that will accommodate it.  One of my pieces from Woolworth's has now been hung, though I'm hoping to sell it.  But first, I need to dig out more quilts to find one to better coordinate with the room.

In an alcove in that guest room, I've hung some family memorabilia.....really old photos of the Stori Concert Hall and the Menomonie House (the family's boarding house & hotel).  But the  real treasure is 'the husband's' father's Athletic Hall of Fame certificate from UW Stout.

As is often the case.....our power room has no windows.  To make the space feel less closed in, I hung a bunch of crackled painted mirrors that I'd made for our previous home's man cave bathroom.  They work well here too, but perhaps I'll be on the lookout for more old mirrors to transform.

More to come in the future if you can stand it.....

A DAY OF HONOR!!

 LEAST WE NEVER FORGET -

 UNITED WE STAND - 44" X 29"  BY MARY STORI

Due to our recent downsizing plus no longer having to pay commission to a gallery......my quilts are priced to sell.  Contact me if you are interested.....This piece has been published numerous times.