I have been trying for quite a while to get my stash down to a reasonable level, while still holding on to everything I like. It doesn't work very well because I like almost everything, which is why I bought it all in the first place. I also like to hang on to things I've made.

I have managed to give away many boxes and bags of fabrics to various charities, but now I've started giving away things I still really like. This week I donated two more bags of fabrics, including some pieces that are large enough to make backs of quilts. I also went through some old projects that never got completed. Many of those blocks are now out of my hands. 

I understand that my donations will go toward quilts for children at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which was started by Paul Newman and serves children who have serious illnesses. Every child leaves with a quilt.

This first block, from a pattern by Bethany Reynolds, was supposed to be part of a quilt, but I must have tired of it quickly.  I only made one.

 

 

 

The next are my rows that a group I belonged to years ago were making for each other. It was called Row by Row. We each made a row for all the others. I never put my rows together. I gave them all away last week. I wish I had taken pictures of the rows I received. These are mine.

 

I don't easily get rid of things, so this was a big step in my quest to downsize and just leave room for the things I want most to do for the rest of my years. Having too much can be paralyzing. Wish me well as I continue this journey.

I'm submitting a 12"x12" quilt  to SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) for this year's benefit auction. I had completed this a few years ago as part of a set of three similar pieces which were exhibited in a Sisters in Cloth Quilting Arts exhibit at the Guilford, Connecticut, public library. Our group of twelve fiber arts has exhibited at the library frequently. 

One of my three was purchased by a friend.

 

 

I felt that this needed embellishing, and I love adding beads to my quilts when needed. This piece reminds me of a super nova, and that's what it is called, Super Nova.

 

The background is a fabric that I dyed, the blue is a commercial print. 

 

 

 

 

I see that I haven't been on my blog for five years! I must rectify that.

The SAQA 2022 virtual conference just ended yesterday. What fun and what inspiration. One of the best parts of the conference is getting to know fiber artists from around the world, albeit via Zoom. 

The speakers and their presentations were terrific. I learned so much and I came away looking at my work in a different way. The opening keynote speaker was Janet Echleman. I encourage to check out her installation art.

Also on the first day, Bobbi Baugh had me writing down a full page of notes and ideas about how to tell my story through my fiber art. The final presentation was by Jim Arendt, who inspired all of us tremendously. In between the two were many other wonderful presentations.

Lightening talks by artists and studio tours were another highlight.

The Spotlight auction raised a lot of money for SAQA. These are very small pieces that members donate (I donated one) and then anyone can bid on them. I'm happy to say that I won one of them this year, one  made by Carol D. Chewning. I was especially happy to win this one, with the theme of peace and the sunflower.

In many breakout rooms, we were able to have conversations with a group of four to six people. Last Saturday evening, about two dozen of us playing BananaGrams. It was such fun that we had another session on Sunday. Another session was held, but I slept through it.

Catching Up

I'm laid up at the moment after a bad ankle break that occurred while I was dog sledding in Norway.

It seems to be a good time to post some of my relatively recent work.



In August, I was part of an exhibit with Sisters in Cloth, Seasons on the Shoreline.

Each of us was given a piece of Carol Ludington's grey hand-dyed fabric, which was to be incorporated into our piece. The dimensions were unusual: 15-18 inches wide and 40 inches high.

For my piece, I used a photo I had taken of roses.

Its name is Rose Season.

The grey was perfect for the sidewalk.

 

I seem to have chosen my outfit to coordinate with the quilt.

Some of the other quilts made by my talented friends:

My granddaughter Anna recently graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in psychology. Anna and I spent many crafting hours together when she was younger. One week, while on a week's visit when she was maybe nine, we embossed velvet, marbled fabric, tried our hand at flower pounding, and got started on a quilt, which we finished. Oh, and we did some paper piecing. It was a very full week.

Because she has cystic fibrosis, which is nicknamed "sixty-five roses," the term being coined by a child who had the disease and mispronounced it, I wanted to give her something with a rose. I have many photos I've taken of roses, but I chose this one to give her.

No, I didn't just print the picture. Well, yes, I did print it, but on fabric. With my ink jet printer, I printed one copy on cotton, and another on silk organza. When the two are layered, the result is shimmery, almost 3-D.

Next I put together both prints with batting and backing, tacking the layers together, and then quilted.

After writing a personal note that I sewed to the back, I framed it.

Baby quilt becomes a 2-year birthday present

I've not been completely idle as far as quilts are concerned. (But nearly.) In April I gave this baby quilt to a dear little boy that I love. The quilt had been in the works for the two years since his birth, but I think it's still appropriate. Doesn't every child like animals and farms? I hope so.

 

I had a limited number of intact squares of the farm fabric, but managed to do some invisible piecing so as to have enough to make a quilt large enough for a toddler bed. One of the blocks in this detail is pieced.

 

Here's my most recent work. I painted this scarf during a fun day at Karen Loprete's house a few summers ago. Sisters in Cloth members were invited to join the CT Fiber Arts Collective members for a silk painting "play date."

I never felt the scarf was finished, and left it in a pile of UFOs. Last week I decided to try the Sharpie marker and rubbing alcohol technique on it. 

If you aren't familiar with this, here's  how it works:

Make marks on your fabric (I've done this with paper, too) using Sharpie markers. Next, drip 91% rubbing alcohol on the marks. That's it. I love the outcome.

 

The next scarf started out white. I made short strokes on the scarf, 1/2 to 2 inches long, using four colors of fat-tipped markers. I love the way the alcohol drops make the colors spread out into floral looking designs.

This is a perfect scarf for spring.