Wednesday, April 30, 2025

JOURNAL COVERS

 Our community is hosting an Artisan Faire May 31st.  You can find me inside in the Gathering room.  My inventory of art quilts is quite large so my attention has turned elsewhere.

I'm concentrating on increasing my selection of large covered journals.  They are made extra special by featuring fabric digital photos that are combined with ice-dyed silk noil.  Plus, I'm  layering & quilting sections of an 1970's patchwork quilt top to be repurposed for journal covers.



SOLD






Monday, April 28, 2025

WHAT'S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

It's been very inspiring belonging to the Mountain Art Quilters group which meets monthly in Nevada City, CA.  The group is more active than the Mt. Art Group that I was a member of in Asheville, both have really talented members. 

One such difference is their 3 times a year "Challenge".  The first 2025 one was unveiled April 23, 2025.  Each member is required to participate annually in at least one of the three challenges which have rotating "prompts".  The pieces are hung and discussed on the meeting's "Reveal" date....a real treat!


My two submissions were in the "All Creatures Great and Small category and 12" x 12".  No need to show them here since I blogged about them earlier.  Instead, I want to share the display from a mini group who all decided to focus on 12" x 12" vegetable pieces. They added a few of their own rules....a common green fabric and 3-D effect which added to the clever presentation of their work.   




I had nearly forgotten about my own whimsy 3-d vegetable quilt made as a spoof for an invitational exhibit titled "Enchanted Gardens".  My quilt "Here Come The Hybrids", traveled for 2 years in the exhibit.  I can say now that I wasn't keen about some of fabric designs supplied by the manufacturer which we were required to use.  Thus the seed packets along the outside borders were added to distract from it!  This quilt was published in "The Stori of Bead Embellishment", pages 42 and also featured on the back cover, a Martingale Book publication.  Given the recent downsizing, I'm now offering all my whimsy (often 3-D) wall art quilts for sale. This is a perfect choice for the gardener in you!   Visit my online gallery for details or contact me.



HERE COME THE HYBRIDS -  45" X 45"
Machine pieced, hand appliquéd, hand quilted, and highly embellished.








Saturday, April 26, 2025

COULD I BE MORE OF A PACKER FAN?

The answer is no.......yet they continue to amaze.....Green Bay sure knows how to put on a show.  Check out this incredible......did I say incredible?!?  Drone light show.....

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?extid=SMS-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C&mibextid=wwXIfr&v=961716055823508 

Friday, April 25, 2025

Thursday, April 24, 2025

ALL EYES ON GREEN BAY TONIGHT!!!

 THE 2025 NFL DRAFT begins at 7:00 PM CST at Lambeau Field.  Thousands and thousands of fans, players, coaches, and media have descended upon the iconic Packer's home stadium.

Every detail has been planned...even the main bridge in town is displaying a light show of team colors in order of their selection status.  Most importantly, the Brown County Tavern League of Wisconsin will collaborate with the City of Green Bay and other entities to provide a free shuttle program running between April 23-27. A total of 40 passenger shuttles will be operating. They'll be in the Lambeau area each evening to take fans back home safely. They'll also be stationed at over 200 participating Tavern League bars and restaurants.  I predict a wild night for many!

Here's a few photos in and around Lambeau Field to get you in the mood:  the HUGE main outdoor stage, the green room where players will wait to see which team drafts them, plus other homages to the Packers, even our rescue black lab Sooty who wasn't happy to be squeezed into a Packer shirt!!




















Monday, April 21, 2025

ROSEVILLE, CA

The growth in the community we moved to is astonishing!! I'm guessing there are at least another 300 homes being built almost like an assembly line. I've been watching one that's the same model as ours, on a corner like ours and across from what will be the new club house just like ours. The foundation was poured Dec. 1, 2024 and on 4/19 a sold sign went up. It isn't even finished yet!!

Sunday, April 20, 2025

EASTER 2025

 Happy Easter to all......we celebrated early along with our grandson's 13th birthday.  Kiddos that age are more interested in monetary gifts rather than toys....this short video shows the gift I created for him.

Thank you for Robbi Porter Payne who showed this clever gift giving idea on her blogs years ago....I've been waiting for the right time to create one myself.  Here's how:

I opened the BOTTOM of a can of pineapple chunks with a can opener...removed the fruit, cleaned and dried it. (You must search for a can with a pop top lid and a rim bottom...not the curved ones that seemed to be on about 90% of the cans.) I taped 13 bills of various denominations together, rolled them up and placed in the can with a tag saying pull facing the unopened end.  I added some ribbons and a heavy rock to give it some weight and hot glued the bottom lid back in place.  What a fun way to give cash for the birthday boy with younger brother & Mom looking on. 

DRAT - I can never seem to get movies to load on this site anymore.....this is such a tease....so if we are friends on Facebook....go to my personal page, it's posted there only for Facebook friends.







 








Thursday, April 17, 2025

SUNSET OVER HERITAGE PLACER VINEYARDS PONDS

 After nearly 6 weeks of constant work, the finishing touches are now added to my newest landscape art quilt.  This piece was inspired by a Bobbi Jayne DeLozier photo and used with permission.  



                   SUNSET OVER HERITAGE PLACER VINEYARDS PONDS

                                       28.5" x 19"

Appliquéd, thread painted, embroidered, and densely quilted.  Materials:  ice-dyed & batik cottons, Ultra-suede, oil pastels, Prisma color fabric pencils, invisible, cotton, and metallic thread. Faced edges & hanging sleeve.

Available for immediate purchase - DM for details.  Free shipping US destinations only.


Tuesday, April 15, 2025

IN MEMORY

 A friend's new playhouse for her grandkids brought back nostalgic memories, as the month of April tends to do for several reasons.

My brother loved spending hours and hours at Bookworm Gardens with his granddaughter. This charming botanic garden located in Sheboygan, WI was inspired by children's literature. One will find alcoves in carved out trees, benches near ponds, an old school bus, miniature light house and wonky play houses stocked with books, making them perfect places to sit and read together.



They loved this special place so much that my brother built this playhouse for his granddaughter. Talk about adorable! Tragically, he passed away in April 2012. In lieu of flowers, the family requested memorial donations go to Bookworm Garden.
This is the quilt I made as a donation.




"Pick A Book" - 42" x 31"  © 2012








 

Sunday, April 13, 2025

BONDING WITH MY MACHINE

 I almost never use my machine's programed stitches, preferring to avoid what I often think of as 'canned' designs.  However, this agonizingly slow to finish project is quite stiff and nearly impossible to hand stitch.  That led me to acquaint myself with stitches I've totally ignored since I purchased my Janome probably 5 years ago.