ASHEVILLE, NC

After living here for 6+ years, we are still stunned to find ourselves living in the Asheville, NC area.  I must admit however, we continue to be dedicated Cheeseheads (for those who aren't familiar with that term....it means a Wisconsonite!)

As my needle and thread took me to amazing places teaching throughout the US and world, I always wondered if folks in those locations appreciated the beauty everyday....or if it was so normal to them....they failed to be smitten with it?  So far, I'm not taking the stunning scenery here for granted....wanna see some w/o having to make the trip here?  Check out this fascinating youtube view of Asheville....and thank you to Val for alerting me to it!

 Asheville is located in Western North Carolina....about 3 hrs. from Atlanta and Charlotte, 90 mins. from Greenville/Spartanburg, SC, and 2 hrs. from Knoxville, TN.  I actually don't live in Asheville....and my 'burg' isn't even shown on this map because it's located about 45 mins. west of Asheville, and only about 24 miles from the TN border. 

Among the notable attractions this area has to offer.....the Biltmore is probably the best known.  But as noted by the youtube video, bricks and mortar are not the best reason to visit our mountains!!  Consider putting Western North Carolina on your 'to-do' list for 2013~

WHY QUILTS MATTER

My good friend Darra Williamson over at See How We Sew blog alerted me to this wonderful opportunity.  If you are looking for a holiday gift for your favorite quilter (please include yourself too), consider the following.  It will help to educate and inspire, plus the monies earned go to a really great cause.

She's involved with Why Quilts Matter: Politics, Art & History, the nine-part documentary produced by The Kentucky Quilt Project: www.whyquiltsmatter.org. The series has aired on 200+ PBS stations, and is also available on DVD. 

•             They are running a special holiday promo of FREE shipping (US and Canada) for the two-DVD set, a newly published companion Discussion Guide, and a DVD/Guide package: This offer is available through orders placed on the WQM website only. Here’s the link: http://www.whyquiltsmatter.org/welcome/store/  

•             They offer a special discount of 40% on orders of four or more DVDs to quilt guilds: http://www.whyquiltsmatter.org/welcome/quilt-guild-discount-offer-for-the-documentary-why-quilts-matter-history-art-politics/. (This “bulk” discount applies all the time, not just for the holidays.)

•             There's also a weekly blog that currently publishes a new post every Monday: http://www.whyquiltsmatter.org/welcome/blog/. Recent post topics have included a virtual quilt show of holiday-related quilts; quilts made by quilters for comfort and healing (featuring the Hurricane Sandy Quilts & Blanket Drive, the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative, and the Quilts of Valor Foundation); wool quilts; a report from Houston 2012; and various noteworthy exhibits (e.g., Civil War quilts at the New England Quilt Museum, the High Fiber fundraiser at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, and an exhibit of politically themed quilts from the American Folk Art Museum at the Boca Raton Museum of Art).

•             Profits from sales of the DVD, Discussion Guide, and DVD/Guide package are returned to The Kentucky Quilt Project to fund new educational resources for quilters and quilt scholars.

The WQM website has lots of info about the documentary, including trailers for each of the nine episodes, an image resource guide that identifies every image shown in the documentary, and much, much more.

If you are reading this far in my post.....close your eyes and see if you can imagine me jumping up and down, cheering the Green Bay Packers on during last night's football game against the Detroit Lions.  PACKERS WIN.....AND THE BEARS LOST YESTERDAY.....HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!!

PTA WHITE ELEPHANT EXCHANGE - PART 2

A new wrinkle on the annual white elephant exchange.......a savager hunt as part of one gift.

 This note was found on the gift that Linda selected....

 Inside the package.....she found this note....

 Linda dutifully retrieved the bag which weighed about 20 pounds......

 It was filled with fabric and this note......

 Here's just some of the fabric from the bag.....and the green box....which was also filled with fabric.  Hummmm.....was someone cleaning out their stash!?!?

 Another very large gift bag was left till almost last....everyone was avoiding it due to the size.  It was truly the gift that kept giving.......here's one of the dozens of items from the bag.

 ....And this.....

 ......and this bird that Gen is holding.  The 'bird' has been a mascot of the PTA group for years......it got broken on a trip to Paducah...and has now been glued back together.  For awhile the location of 'the bird' was unknown....so a new 'bird' took its place.  I suspect both of them will be turning up in unexpected places.  For instance....perhaps it will be left in some one's pantry when she wasn't looking!  The 'birds' make the rounds....  After I found it in my car trunk (thanks to Georgia Bonesteel)......I passed it on by hiding it in a member's bed at our retreat!

 .....did I say this gift bag contained treasures??  Or would you consider this pure junk??  By now tears were streaming down our faces as more and more 'stuff' came out of the bag.....

Yup.....Gen's still digging items out of the bag.....she was a good sport, but ya gotta wonder who on earth had all those awful things in their house?  Perhaps a creative PTA member went shopping at the thrift store!?!?

SEWING COMMENT:  I've been working on the fern wool piece that I posted recently and now have a plan how I want to finish it.  I hope to have time today to continue, however there will be no stitching tonight.  It's Sunday night football......Packers vs Lions......  Faithful reader Robbie from Michigan has graciously said she'd cheer on the Packers since the Lions are out of the playoff race this year.  The Pack needs to win to keep up with the Chicago Bears record.....so......GOoooooo PACKERS!!

PTA WHITE ELEPHANT CHRISTMAS EXCHANGE

Each year our exchange gets sillier and sillier.....this isn't just an ordinary pull a number and take your gift exchange....oh no, not us.  Each of us brings a wrapped gift.  It can be a true 'white elephant' or something a bit more appealing if desired...that's what makes it fun....we all want to avoid taking the true 'white elephant' home!

Slips of paper with numbers equal to the attendees are put in a bag....we each draw one.  The person with the number 1 picks a gift from the stack....opens it and we all ouuuu and ahhhh.

Then it's number 2's turn.....she can either pick from the pile OR steal the open gift from #1.  So, let's say she decides to open another gift.  Then #3 can open a gift or steal the opened gift from # 1 or # 2.  So...if she decides to take #2's gift...then #2 can take #1's gift or open another from the pile.  Are you still following??  As more gifts get opened.....the higher numbers have the advantage of knowing what they might want to take home....so stealing becomes a frenzy.  To keep this little game from lasting 2 days...there are some rules.  No gift can be stolen more than 2 times in any round.  By 'round' I mean during a specific number's turn.  This of course means someone is supposed to be paying attention to how many times an item is moved from the start of one number to the start of the next.....it's hilarious.

I know there are probably many other versions of this game.  I first learned about it 30 years ago.  The gifts were to have a monetary limit of $20 but most were more better than that.  We played it not with numbers, but with playing cards.....and each participant got 2 cards....so it went on for a long time with lots of exchanging and laughter.   

 Here's part of our group....ready for the game to begin!

 Barbara was first....and surprisingly she chose a large package...usually we avoid the big ones....no one wants to end up with a silly BIG item.

 We all loved this one though....despite its size.  Georgia made this fabulous star using her Bonesteel hardware store wooden rulers.  (Georgia and her husband owned the Bonesteel Hardware store in Hendersonville, NC....the home of Georgia's quilt shop made famous via her PBS TV show, "Lap Quilting".

 Speaking of Georgia....she opened this hot ticket item...everyone wanted it.  It was a working (supposedly) vintage looking phone made using a wine bottle and metal wine glass handset.  

 When it was my turn, I stole this carafe with a glass....but it didn't stay with me for more than the next number.  A trick we often use is to kinda hide the item we want to keep under our feet so people forget about it.  This wasn't hidden....no point in that since it moved from person to person quickly.  See this is why nice items are important to have besides silly useless ones!

 Connie and Janice are laughing.....even though a 'steal' is in the works!

 Cathy finds a chicken calendar each year that our chicken raisers in the group can fight over!

Linda Cantrell is passionate about her 5 Boston Terriers (or is it 6 or 7...she owns now and fosters as well).  When this package was opened...there was no doubt Linda would be doing her best to take it home.

So, if you got this far in the post...you may be interested to know I'll have part two of our exchange tomorrow.......Sometimes though...these things are only interesting to those who were there......so hang with me.....I'll be back to sewing posts soon.

PTA DECEMBER SHOW & TELL

Holiday fun is full on here in the mountains with the various fiber groups I belong to.  PTA (Professional Textile Artists) consists of 14 talented and fun gals.  We all gathered yesterday for our annual Christmas party.

Because we are a very energetic group.... all talking at once.....someone needs to try to keep control of our activities.  Barbara was the keeper of 'the spoon'. We call that 'spoon speak'...supposedly if you want to speak to the entire group....you should be holding the spoon.  However, sometimes we need one moderator to control things.  We were even more out of control this time and it's a wonder she didn't break a glass as she had to bang and bang the spoon to get attention.

 We began with show and tell....and surprisingly for this time of the year we had a lot to share.

I especially loved Mary B's scrappy quilt.  It's the kind of old time comfy quilts I find so charming.

 Janice attended a water color class recently and created these two fabulous pieces.

 .....aren't they just great??

 Most of us are able to attend our annual PTA retreat....where apparently last year this piece began as a round robin.  Several of us...including me were dumbfounded when Leigh Anne showed it, because we hadn't known a thing about the quilt.  What did I say about this group all talking at once?  Perhaps that's why about half of us missed this whole thing!

 Member Connie Brown wears lots of hats....one is that of a bee keeper.  I think all of us are on the lookout for bee related items to pass along to Connie. This 'gift' of a Boo Boo bra for Connie had us all in hysterics.

 Georgia Bonesteel has been busy making (remaking) new items for her son's family to cherish.  They lost all their possessions (including their house) in a house fire....I can't imagine!!!  Georgia is now on a Mission to create new memories and treasures for them. 

 Georgia has also gotten the reputation locally for saving memories for family members by creating items from their loved one's ties.

 She also shared this pieced mountain scene which was a project for a retreat she holds out West every year.

 Linda Cantrell is on a real roll lately.....churning out stunning piece after stunning piece featuring vases.

 She claims she's just using up scraps and leftovers from previous quilts.....I wish my scraps would turn into something as eye catching as these!

Here's another piece Linda is starting....the figures have not been applied to the background yet....she's created the silhouettes and is in the process of deciding how best to use them.  The motion they depict is amazing.

Last, but not least....Connie is holding a quilt that our group will be donating to the retreat center where we hold our annual getaway.  I received the blocks at our Christmas White Elephant exchange last year.  (Mary B. had won them years ago at an Asheville Quilt Guild meeting.)  The group decided to make them into a quilt and this is how far we've gotten.  No...we don't work fast....if we'd put all our talking energy into the task....it'd be hanging at the retreat center by now!!

Tomorrow I'll share the silliness of this year's white elephant exchange....oh my.....

BEADED FERN

My hands haven't been idle......my current project is moving along slowly with the often typical 'change of plans' along the way....

 National Nonwoven's has come out with numerous new 'heathered' Woolfelt colors....I LOVE them all.  The last photo in this post is closer to the true color of this material.

I gathered a sampling of bead colors for this project, but ended up narrowing them down to only bronze colorways, using several styles of beads (3-cuts, matte, and bronze iris).

 After drawing a simple fern to fit the desired 9" x 12" finished size, I traced a mirror image onto a piece of Pellon lightweight stabilizer which was thread basted to the wrong side of the woolfelt.

 From the wrong side, I machine stitched the fern motif....using a bronze metallic thread in the bobbin.  

 This approach not only transfers the design to the right side, was also intended to add a glimpse of sparkle to the fern's skeleton, and provide extra stabilizing for the beading.  

 The thread was to be slightly visible among the beaded foliage, however, after several attempts, none of the beading motifs I stitched worked.  Grrrr!!  That called for more experimenting before I came up with a technique which was pleasing and appropriate for fern fronds. Unfortunately, it totally covered the stems!  

As I reached the bottom of the foliage section it became apparent that I needed to continue the beading to the base of the fern, covering even the stem!  Oh well...original design visions don't always work....and I'm fairly pleased with the new look of the piece.

Yet, I've been staring at it for two days, unable to move forward on the finishing details because the design looks a bit skimpy. So, I think there will be more branches added or ??  I'll share my decision as the solution is found.  

   

LAMBEAU LEAP

Okay, okay....like all of us....the holiday festivities have begun which means less time in our studios.  I expect to have something to show tomorrow....even if it's not completely finished!!!

Until then....let me do a little side line cheering.  After the Packers dismal performance two weeks ago.....this Sunday's win against the Vikings is what we've all come to expect from our beloved Packers.  With eight starters out with injuries...they've been struggling....

Hopefully hunk Clay Mathews will be back next Sunday when the Pack play the Lions for the 2nd time this year.....

For those of you who aren't football fans.....you'll probably want to skip the following link...BUT if any of you want to know the origin of the now famous Lambeau Leap...check out this youtube.  This celebration is just one of the reasons fans are so supportive of the Packers!!

STUDIO STORAGE IDEAS

Since I'm in the middle of three projects....and if possible I prefer to post them from start to finish with in-progress photos....let's pause and take a look at some storage ideas that have been helpful to me.

Maybe you can share some of your clever ideas too....

 I LOVE re-purposing antique furniture.  Here's a library card file now used for my threads.  Notice I haven't labeled the drawers....so it's always a surprise when I hunt for specific threads!

 We live in a log-sided home in the Blue Ridge mountains...about 3,200 ft. elevation.  This loft area was probably intended as a study or family room....it's long a narrow but works great for my studio/office space.

Old boxes are my weakness....I have quite a collection.  They are perfect for gathering and storing sewing items.

 This knife block works very well to safely and conveniently store my scissors.

 Ladders are another weakness of mine.....I've got five of them...all different sizes/styles spread throughout the house...most display quilts.  Here I've added baskets to the wide shelves to store and hide more tools of the trade.

 A larger view of my space....baskets and wood boxes are scattered everywhere!

 Lighting is my biggest problem.  Due to the high wood tongue and groove ceilings....I get a lot of shadowing on my work surfaces.  'The husband' researched and came up with this museum lighting system.....even with 13 halogen lights....it's still a problem.  What I need to do is have sky lights installed....but we are still hoping to sell our house (if the market EVER turns around) and build a home that is more functional for our life style, so I hestitate to take that step.

Just so you don't think I'm too neat.....here's a peek at my fabric closet....really a linen closet that is quite deep.  It's always a mess and stacks of fabrics continually fall off the shelves....  My goal is to start making more utility scrap quilts to reduce the stash.  My style of quilt making has veered away from cottons...it's time to move them out.

I'm sure the readers would love to know any clever tricks you might have developed for your sewing space......