One Hundred

So, this is my one hundredth post and I feel like I should be doing something monumental with it. I could list my hundred favorite sites to visit on the internet( and there are at least that many), or a hundred places I'd like to visit before I die, or maybe my top hundred favorite songs. But I don't have time to do any of that. I've been super busy lately with my shop and upcoming shows. So I'm going to devote my one hundredth post to celebrating all the incredible images and people I've encountered through my involvement in blogging and flickr and etsy.
This has been an unbelievably inspiring year. Before I discovered this online community I often felt that my eyes were hungry to see new work. It just seemed like new books and magazines couldn't come out quickly enough for me. All that has changed. I have this incredible access to more images than there are hours in the day to view them. Even better, though, is the opportunity to put my work out there and get feedback on it.
When I was in Art School one of my professors declared to the class that we should enjoy the attention we were getting as students because once we graduated no one would care about our work. That may have been true in the past, but I don't think creative people have to accept that reality anymore. Some may lament the changes the internet has wrought, but I am so grateful to have beauty and inspiration and another set of interested eyes just a few keystrokes away.
And, because I've never posted without images...

What up?

Well I tried to answer that question last night, but blogger had other ideas. They were happy to let me add words to my blog, but no visuals. And, I can't imagine a post without pictures.
OK. Here's what up.
This:


I finished the custom order I was working on and happily am working on another custom order.


That necessitates a fair amount of dye work, so I've also been working on that. Unfortunately, I'm not one to have my camera ever at the ready, so I don't have images of the fabric in progress, but I'll probably add the fabric and anything finished from it to my flickr page. I tend to be much better about updating that than I am this blog. It's the words, I think. I don't have to write much to update my flickr page, not even a description. Its not that I don't like writing, its just that there's always someone talking to me and writing takes the kind of concentration that demands quiet.
Anyway there's more.
This:
I've updated my shop with this and more. I'd post pictures of those as well, but once again blogger is giving me a hard time with pictures. So, I guess that will be all for now(whether I like it or not). I'm a visual person and without the images, I'm more than a bit lost. Hopefully, I'll be able to upload pictures soon, because I have some news about this book .
Until then, have a terrific Thanksgiving.

Pillow Talk Too

I have been in serious pillow production lately. Part of it was spurred on by the new fabrics I've made and my desire to not just sell them, but get to play with them too.


And part of it has been fueled by a custom order I've been working on. This customer really liked the idea of mixing commercial fabrics with my hand dyes, but she had certain designers in mind and a specific palette. When I went to quilt festival, I bought some of the fabrics for her pillows and supplemented those with a few internet purchases. All the fabrics were new to me. I'd never bought or used them before. This turned out to be a great thing. By having a shopping list created by someone else, I was forced to look, think, cut and sew with fabrics that I might not have chosen on my own. I also discovered designers that I wasn't already familiar with...and found that I liked their work.


I still discharged some of the fabrics. I still blended in my own hand dyed and batik material. But it all seemed to feel a wee bit newer and fresher. And it spurred new ideas and possibilities.

And there's more to come...

So much to say, so little time...

I do have a lot to say. Though, according to my kids, most of it is just a repetition of something I've already said but forgotten about. I don't agree, but that's neither here nor there. I do have a lot of things I'd like to write about, but not always as much time to write as I'd like.
For instance, about six months ago I was commissioned to recreate a kite. Yes, a kite. I'd never made one before and actually could probably count on my fingers the number of times I've flown a kite, but there I was remaking a much loved but worn out kite. The original kite belonged to my client's father. He had purchased it in the fifties in Vietnam. She had vivid memories of flying the kite with her dad when she was a kid. Unfortunately the kite had seen better days. The woman wanted to have the original copied and give it to her dad. The entire thing was supposed to be a surprise. And apparently it was a very successful and emotional one at that. A few days ago the woman sent me these pictures of it soaring through the air.

I've also been doing a lot of knitting lately, but, like the kite haven't had an opportunity to post about it. I'm almost completely done with the Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and I'm making one of Fiona Ellis' heavily cabled sweaters from her book, Inspired Cable Knits. The thermometer dipped below 60 here, so that means it's sweater time.


And... I've got a slew of new items going into my shop tomorrow. More coasters, baby items and lots more fabric.


And... I bought two new textile stamps at the quilt festival and have been making lots of new fabric with them.
And...today I ordered another new stamp from this etsy store .
And...I'm finally back at work on this .
And... I actually had more, but I forgot. That's all for now.

Ralli

I came back from the quilt festival Sunday afternoon, but I think the most amazing quilts I saw that weekend weren't on display at the convention center. Well, at least not this year. A few years back, there was an exhibit of Indian rallis or quilts included at quilt festival. I remember seeing them and just being bowled over by them. The color palette on these quilts was pretty limited, but they were intense and saturated. The patterning was graphic and the surfaces were heavily stitched. There was an energy to these quilts that was raw and very powerful.
Ralli quilts didn't make an encore appearance at this year's festival, but I did find a terrific book about them and their makers.


There were so many inspiring quilts in this book that i really had a hard time deciding which I would photograph. The book features quilts that are patchwork, applique and embroidered.


And they're all big because they're all strictly functional.



Check out this two page spread!

This one is an example of an applique ralli. I couldn't get over how much it reminded me of Matisse's cut paper works.


I could have included so many more quilts because they're all terrific. If you're interested in learning more I found this website where you can view some of the quilts and even purchase a ralli for you very own self. Also, the book is available at Amazon. Happy reading!

Two Words

Two Words:: Quilt Festival.

When the dawn breaks tomorrow I'll still be in the pool. But right after that I'll be heading to Houston for the International Quilt Festival. This has got to be my favorite day of the year. This year, my almost giddy joy will be doubled as I'll be spending the weekend at my folks' house and will get to attend on Friday and Sunday. Usually, I drive up the first day of the festival and drive back the same day. This year, a wonderful confluence of events has allowed me to go for the weekend. Can you tell I'm excited?

Two Words:: New Coasters


The second photo is actually the backs of these coasters, but I liked the way it looked so I included it.


Two Words :: See Ya!