Overstimulation continues......

We are missing quilt market, a ritual most years. Barbara, aka the one who seldom runs out of ideas, dreamed up a virtual booth for us.....note fellow Sunflower Cooperative members Karla Menaugh, Barbara Brackman and I frollicking in front of god-knows-what southern mansion, sans several ribs each.....we do have fun, even when we miss market.

Georgann, Mary Lyn, Deb, Linda Frost

Look what we did instead. We took part in Final Friday, an art show scattered all over Lawrence's downtown. Another one who never runs out of ideas, Georgann Eglinski, dreamed this one up. She made this dandy SOFT ART sign outside our Social Service League Thrift Shop (where we find so many useful things).

We were excited to see Mary Lyn Farwell's work. She has been stitching up a variety of items from Natalie Chanin's 2008 Alabama Stitch Book (projects and stories celebrating hand-sewing, quilting and embroidery for contemporary sustainable style). Note the scarf she is wearing, skirts and bag - all are handstitched from t-shirt fabric.

Here's a detail of one skirt - I predict a run on large t-shirts at local thrift shops:

Linda Frost showed several projects,
including this bag made out of plastic newspaper bags:

I showed some quilts and rugs:

Thanks to Georgann for getting this all together and to Jean Ann Pike, for sharing your space and being so supportive to the arts. Happy Halloween!

One of Those Weeks....

This is one of those weeks when I am in textile over-stimulation mode.

I can hardly settle down to work after seeing the new exhibit at the International Quilt Study Center in Lincoln. The work of Yvonne Wells is being shown.

A photo of  her Going Home quilt has been my laptop screen saver for years. Here's a detail shot.


I loved the faces in her quilts. Aren't they marvelous?

from Ugly Faces, 1990

Me, Masked II, 1993

Read more about it. Go see if if you can, it's heavenly....there until Feb. 26, 2012....

Oh yes, here's one more face - Michael Jackson's. Love the little musical notes:

Prepare for 11-11-11

LeeAnn has prodded me out of my move/sort/move/sort mode. Thank goodness.




Yesterday I dug out the corduroy pieces I've been saving. It's time to put them together for the upcoming Corduroy Appreciation Day on 11-11-11.

 

I've got some shirts too.

I checked my inspiration quilt.
Look at how those wails go every which way. It's a home ec teacher's nightmare.

Now THAT is something to emulate. 

Behind the scenes - Quilt Retro

I was so pleased to be part of the team for this book - Quilt Retro by Jenifer Dick. This project was a happy convergence in several ways. I worked with Jenifer on her first book in 2005, Grapefruit Juice and Sugar, a tribute to her grandma, with plenty of memories from Jenifer's childhood: Lawrence Welk, grandma's garden and her lye soap, a sewing machine from Montgomery Wards, strings of bubblegum....

Jenifer designed wonderful bold quilts for that book. So when the Modern Quilt Guild came to town, her work had a home at last. Jenifer's latest work is bold and exciting. She incorporates the solid fabrics embraced by modern quilters, along with big prints too.

Many of her quilts draw design inspiration from classic patterns. But they are so fresh. Green Iced Tea is one of my favorites - especially the back! I love piecing together leftover fabrics for my quilt backs - this one gives me new ideas, to make them more improvisational.

I notice people love the Fried Egg Potholders in Jenifer's book - are they cute or what? Jenifer is hosting a book tour on her blog - you are reading one stop here.

She's giving away two potholders to lucky readers. To win one, add your comment below - tell me your favorite way to improvise with your quilts. Here are a few of her very fun potholders.....