A Mini for Our Quilt Show

Here's a mini-quilt I made recently. I named it Hot Mess. You can bid on this quilt and a host of other wonderful minis at the Kaw Valley Quilters Guild quilt show on April 2-3. It's in Lawrence at Crown Toyota, 3430 Iowa Street. Hours are Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 9-3.

Proceeds from the sale of our minis benefit these local non profits: Douglas County CASA, GADUGI, Habitat for Humanity, The Social Service League, Spencer Museum of Art, the Lawrence Humane Society and our guild.

Bidding ends just before the show ends on Sunday! Here is more information about the show.

Be sure to hear Marge Banks' talk - her Seminole scraps inspired my Holy Seminoley!

Alice's Aprons 5

Last but hardly least. Our apron seamstress went nuts on this one. She must have had a new sewing machine with fancy stitches - note 2 colors of thread used on this decorative stitching!

Alice's Aprons 4

This apron shows no use at all and there was clearly more fabric available for it ...

Alice's Aprons 3

Another apron that celebrates flowers! Look how the lace outlines the pocket. I am having fun imagining WHEN these were worn. Just for ladies teas? They truly are more for show than anything else ...

Alice's Aprons 2

I love the way these aprons use fabric pieces. This one was cut so the pocket is accessible from both sides.

It sounds like these aprons come from Alice's family - they lived in Westphalia, Kansas long ago ...

Alice's Aprons 1

Happy Spring! Our mid-century modern book club met last night - we discussed Russel and Mary Wright's Guide to Easier Living, originally published in 1950. It's a manual for the modern family - how to entertain, organize a home, clean ... I have read that this book influenced and inspired none other than Martha Stewart. You get the drift.

As we discussed housework then compared to now, the conversation got around to aprons. My friend Alice had a few she wanted to pass on so you-know-who brought them home. Me. They are dressy aprons. A few were used, a few not. I'm going to post an apron a day to show them off.

This apron got the most use and you'll see why - it is reversible, which makes it the most functional one of the bunch. Note there are 2 layers - the chiffon (with the pocket) and the cotton.

Here's the other side. It shows the use. How about that fussy-cut waistband.

The pocket is darn cute too. I love the tiny rick rack.

A Jayhawk T-Shirt Rug

A friend challenged me. She had a bag of brand new quality t-shirts that had to be discarded. Could I use them for a toothbrush rug?

Here's the result. Using knit was new for me, I had always used cotton before. I found the knit worked great. To counter it's give, I used a sturdy denim for the rug base. I threw in a little red cotton just to break up the blueness ...

Another plus is that the knit makes a rug that is a bit more soft and cushion-ey. It is going to my Jayhawk nephew who loves these school colors. Rock chalk, Dylan! And thanks again, CathyD.

Love Shack

As you know, I love to start quilts. I started this one a while ago as an architectural challenge by Victoria Findlay Wolfe.

We live in a mid-century modern house with a distinctive appearance. This photo inspired the quilt. Of course, I started it too close to the deadline and didn't get it done in time. I couldn't decide how to finish, so it languished in my pile of unfinished projects ...

Finally I figured out how to finish it - include the hill! You can see it now in the Johnson County Library "PS I Love You" Exhibition. Join us for a reception this Saturday, March 12th, 1 - 2 p.m. at Shawnee Library, 13811 Johnson Drive in Shawnee, Kansas. There are exhibitions at six locations of the Johnson County Libraries.

Since the shows have a love theme, I named this quilt Love Shack. You'll see it when you walk into the library. My Holy Seminoley quilt is also there.

​Also featured are textile and mixed media works by regional artists Barbara Brackman, Georgann Eglinski, Linda Frost, Carol Gilham-Jones, Elnora Nokes and me. This exhibition was made possible through a partnership with the InterUrban ArtHouse located in downtown Overland Park, Kansas.

Visit the library and check it out through May 15.

March Madness

All right! It's March and in my town, it's time for madness: basketball madness! Hence, this new piece for my entryway. It was inspired by the orange pieces, discarded at our local Arts Center ceramic studio. Look closely and you will see they resemble the surface of basketballs.

I thought our home needed a basketball god, a nod to our worship of this sport it in my hometown. Basketball gets us through long, brown Kansas winters and then spring arrives, right along with the end of the season and tournament excitement.

The base for this is a plastic serving tray. I am new to mosaic so I will find out if this is a base that will last over time. It's light, which is nice. Adding the broken ceramic does add weight.