I must be an artist . . .

since I have an exhibit of my work! For the month of July, my work will be shown at the Jittery Joe's on the eastside of Athens. I'm getting great feedback and have sold a few pieces as well.

Here's (literally) some snapshots of my exhibit:

As you can see, it's mostly Mini-mees, but I threw in some other things as well. I have to admit, it feels good to walk in there and see my work on the walls! And it's especially fun to watch people come in and look. I think I can get used to this artist thing!

I've Been Busy!

I've finally gotten out of my slump and have been busy this week.

I finished some minimees, this time, instead of mounting them on canvas or mat board, I made them into little quilts and I have to say I like them very much!

12" x 12"

City Street

c 2011



And a detail:

Watery Wonderland:

Watery Wonderland

12.5" x 13"

c 2011

And a detail:







And a landscape:

12" x 14"

Evening Song

c 2011

And a final detail:



I've also been dyeing. I got some gradation dyeing kits from ProChem and it's really been fun. These kits have only 3 colors of dye and will dye 30 fat eighths plus one yard. It's really an experiment (to me) in color mixing. I followed the directions to a tee for the first batch, using Tangerine, Sapphire Blue and Boysenberry from a kit called "Flower Garden." The three colors alone were gorgeous, but look what happened when they were mixed:

 I loved the colors, but I wasn't happy with the big blobs of white. So the next time I wet the fabric before putting it into the cups, and I dyed fat quarters instead of fat eighths. This kit was called "Sea and Sky" and produced some much calmer and cooler pieces:

AND I have an announcement to make! My work will be hung at Jittery Joe's (on the east side of Athens) for the month of July. I know, it's not the Met, but it's a start and I can't wait! If you're in the area, stop in and take a look. Jittery Joe's is on Gaine's School Road, in the Publix shopping center next to Chick-Fil-A.

Thanks for stopping by!







"Capturing Nature" Class at the Dragonfly

I know I haven't been very good about writing lately. No good excuses, just haven't done it. The last fun thing that I did was teach a class at the Dragonfly Quilt Shop in Watkinsville GA.

I had 9 students and it was great seeing what they all came up with. Some were independent from the start, choosing a different flower than the day lily that I had planned. I love that and encourage it for my students. Some had a hard time creating, hmm, let's say "a less than structured" art quilt. That's great too, and something else that I encourage. I like to tell my students to leave their perfectionism at home, it's time to play and have fun. And we did have fun!

I have photos for 8 of the 9 students and must apologize to whoever I left out. I also have to apologize for not remembering some students' names. I knew I should have blogged about the class the next day, or some things are bound to be lost in the deep recesses of the little bit of mind I have left--never to return!

Enjoy these photos that I took early on in the class, during the construction phase and before the stitching began:

Isn't it fun to see how their personalities come through? That's just one of the reasons why I love teaching! Not to mention the instant camaraderie and the fact that I ALWAYS learn from my students. It's just a win-win situation!

Bye for now. Hope to be back soon.

A New Pattern

I am so excited--I published my first pattern! If someone had told me a year ago that I would be writing and publishing patterns, I never would have believed them. Funny how things happen.

AND, I've already sold some to my fabulous local quilt shop!

AND, my friend, Anita, is taking them to the Mobile, Alabama quilt show this weekend. Am I a lucky girl or what?!

What started out as a photo of a single gerbera daisy, became this:



an art quilt. And, when I decided to do craft shows and needed to make some things to sell, it became this:

I've had so many positive responses to my table toppers/placemats, but don't sell a lot of them. At our own quilt show in March, a lot of people asked for a pattern. So, here it is and here I am, in a place I never thought I would be, but one that feels good.

My next big project is to open an Etsy Store. I'll let you know when I'm all set to go.

Oh, and if you're in the Atlanta area on Friday, I'll be at the Artist's Walk in Marietta, in front of Doodlebugz--hope to see you there!

My Plans

This is what I'll be working on for the next few days:

Okay, well maybe I need to do some straightening up first. I went to the dollar store yesterday and got some buckets, quart containers and measuring cups, and you know what that means--dyeing! I got a few gradient kits from ProChem and I haven't done that before, so it should be fun.

I also went through my stash and patterns and decided to make a blouse.

I will be painting some canvases and art boards to mount my mini-mees in time for the Artist's Walk on Friday, the 3rd.

And last but not least, more mini-mees in the works!

What is not represented in this photo is the beginning of an art quilt. I have been working on class samples, mini-mees and things to sell, so it's been quite a while since I've done an art quilt just for pleasure. After going through all my photos, I found this one, taken on the beach in Cozumel--what great memories!

For some reason, I thought it was a minah bird. Duh, no. So I did some research and think it's some kind of gackle. This one and a few of his friends hang out on the beach, waiting for their handouts. What a life!

Come back soon!

The Marigold Festival

I spent Saturday at a craft fair--beautiful weather, lots to see, wonderful people, and even my sales weren't bad! It was the Marigold Festival in Winterville GA. The event was charming. I mean, really, charming, that's the best word I can think to describe it. There was a 5k race, an event with dogs (I couldn't really see from where I was), vendors, and, best of all, a parade. Yes, a parade with all the local dignitaries, Little Miss Marigold, Miss Marigold, fire engines, carriages, golf carts, horses, police--everything that you can remember from your small town parades when you were growing up! It brought back so many memories--it was just a great day all around!

My next event will be the first Friday Artists's Walk at the square in Marietta GA on June 3, 5 pm - 8:30. If you are around, please stop by to say hello!

Fiber Frenzy--so much fun!

Yesterday was the Fiber Frenzy meeting. I am SO LUCKY to be associated with this group of very talented women. Every meeting is wonderful! Yesterday Francyne gave a presentation on thread--I learned so much--the program was excellent and very well prepared. Much better, I think, than I would have done. And much more information than I would have known. That's the purpose, though, right?

And now for the best part--pictures! The challenge for this month was Using Scraps Effectively. You might notice that there's not a photo of my work here. I started two pieces and finished none. Oh well, maybe next time.

This is Anita's scrappy, stringy quilt (it looks much better than it sounds!). Yummy, yummy colors:

And here's Cleo's scrappy, stringy quilt--and so different from Anita's and just as lovely. It's such a happy piece:

And Frances makes the prettiest flower wall hangings. This one is a gift for a friend of hers, that lucky girl!

Francyne made some great flowers--this one, too, is so happy, and makes me smile to look at it:

Nancy introduced us to "Put a Bird on It" (Youtube--such a hoot!). I just love this little piece--so fun!

Shirley did a beautiful butterfly. Her work is always wonderful:

Sue went totally beyond the expected and did the cutest hand puppet! Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

And finally, Nancy brought her quilt from the last challenge, "Go Green" This is so clever, wonderful and the color is amazing:



Can you guess what it is? Hint: most of us have replaced this with cds. Very, very fun recycling!

That's it for now. Thanks for visiting!