Back on schedule

Well, I’m finally back on my normal schedule…..housework and office in the a.m.,  studio in the afternoon and evenings.  It feels good to be back to normal, or whatever is normal for me.

This morning I took a walk with my camera and discovered we have one tree with COLOR!   Yes, COLOR in capital letters!!  Here where I live there are bits and snippets of color, but the property has mostly oaks that turn brown and cedars that don’t turn on it, so seeing a tree with bright vibrant color was a pleasant surprise.  Isn’t this just gorgeous:

Now it’s not as pretty as the colors in Ohio were, but it has some glorious orange, red and yellow in those leaves:

The colors are similar to the backing of a customer quilt I quilted with a pantograph before I left:

On another note, I’ll be teaching a Painted Quilt class at Quilters Loft in December.

This is the class for you if you’ve ever wondered how to use Shiva Paintsticks.  We’ll be covering techniques such as rubbings and stencils, we’ll be working with blending colors and adding layers as well.

During the class you’ll be making the painted blocks, and you will take home the pattern for completing the quilt once your blocks have cured (and we’ll go over various methods of curing the paint).

 

Have a great day and enjoy the fall colors!!!!!!!

Friday Wrap-up

Well, it’s Friday again, and I’m not entirely sure where the week went this time?  Perhaps it had something to do with getting the new computer, transferring files, loading programs and keeping all the normal stuff on schedule too?  But it’s here, Friday!!!!

This Friday I thought I’d do a quick show of some of the quilts that have left the studio to be returned to customers, and the new painted art quilt I’ve been working on for a class sample.  I’ve had requests from customers to show more of the overall pantograph patterns that I use on quilts.  Up to now the blog has concentrated on my custom work, but I aim to please, so here’s this week’s work.

First off customer quilts.  All the quilts this week were overall designs, and I do use my IQ to set in these designs (it’s so much easier on my neck and knees!)

This customer wanted looser quilting, so we chose an Allover Loose Feather pattern and kept it sized large:

And the back:

The next customer wanted a pattern that had a non-denominational religious theme, so we chose a Cross and Grapes pattern:

And the back:

Finally, for the last quilt done this week, the pattern was a chevron braid and the customer wanted quilting that was wedding appropriate, so we chose a hearts and flowers pantograph:

I don’t have a picture of the back of this one which is a shame as the pattern is so pretty; but the thread color blended so well into the backing that it was impossible to light and see the quilting.

As for the Painted Quilt class, well, I’ll be teaching that on December 12th at Quilters Loft in Mooresville and the class will walk you through how to use Shiva Paintsticks, AND give you a pattern for a small quilt to display using the samples you make in class.  Don’t worry if you’ve never used Shiva’s before, you can do this as we make use of stencils and rubbing plates.  This is the sample, as yet, un-thread painted and un-quilted:

And a detail of one of the small blocks:

Have a great weekend, it’s “race weekend” here and it’s cold this weekend, so I’m going to hibernate in the studio all weekend!

Southern Spirit Gallery, Salisbury, NC

Salisbury, NC is a wonderful little town.  It’s downtown district is undergoing revitalization and there are many galleries and gift shops to visit.  The architecture is not to be missed, and there are small eateries that carry great food!

One of the galleries on Main Street  is Southern Spirit Gallery, owned by Tobi Hagmaier.  This gallery has incredibly high ceilings, and is filled with pieces made by southern artisans.  The lighting is perfect and the mixture of medias she carries make for an enjoyable visit.

Am I biased, possibly so.  This afternoon, Toby and I confirmed an agreement for representation of my textile works in her gallery.  If you get a chance to stop in, please do, it will be worth your time to visit.  Whether you’re interested in wall art, three dimensional pieces, vases, bowls, pottery, woven shawls, unique baskets, or jewelry, you’ll find them all in Southern Spirit Gallery.

And just in case you aren’t in the Salisbury, NC area, check them out on the web at:  SOUTHERN SPIRIT GALLERY