Trees Outside My Window ACEO Series Complete

I will be participating in the Friends of Olympia Timberland Library Art Show and Sale in November again this year! Unfortunately there will be a new location away from the Library, I am hoping it wont effect the traffic.

To increase my inventory of smaller more affordable work I have been musing about a new ACEO series. I decided to finish the Trees Outside My Window ACEO series begun in 2008. I have the remainder of the 12 in the series now complete and listed for sale on Etsy!

This is one of my favorites, Knottwood.

I am still brainstorming a new series. In the meantime found and am embellishing another unfinished series! These are trees as well. Over 2 years ago I made an unknown amount of 4 X 6 inch blocks with a variety of solitary evergreen trees. I can not recall how many I originally made. I do know several sold a few years back. I found the remaining 13 that had been layered and machine quilted. Four, so far, are ready to have the binding added then mounted to the watercolor postcard I use as the backing! I don't know if they will hold my interest long enough to finish them all before the brainstorm of a new series jumps out!

The one currently listed in my Etsy shop can be seen in the side bar ---->

They will make nice holiday gifts that can be displayed year round.

I have been looking for my heavy interfacing as part of the brainstorm for the new series. I'm thinking heavy bead embroidery, monochromatic in blue! I have an amazing collection of blue beads, many are cobalt blue. It is the one color I seem most drawn to and I have a great selection of sizes and shapes. I was hoping they would work for the Mirror, Mirrior but it ended up needing a Montana blue. I think the base of these aceos will be the batik I used as the border for Mirror, Mirror... The evergree series is in danger of not getting finished! I can feel it!

I have also begun thinking about ideas for a new call for work:

"The Deep Spaces exhibit, curated by Larkin Jean Van Horn, will show textile works of a common size interpreting the title theme in three venues between July 2011 and June of 2012."

This is a jurried exhibit. The final deadline is not until the first of May, a lot of time from this side looking forward. But I know me and need to get a design selected and started soon so I can take it to completion! I have been looking at Hubble telescope images...

I had a great time at Innovations and now I really want a long arm machine!! Unless a benefactor or the lottery tosses a ton of money my way it will be sometime before that is a reality. In the mean time I am planning to take a class that will then allow me to rent a long arm at Bayside Quilting, a local quilt shop!

I best get myself started for the day, work, ever present, calls my name!

Innovations Fabric Challenge Complete

Yesterday afternoon I delivered my entry in Innovations Machine Quilting Convention's Show! I finished it in funny stages. After quilting the center and first border I beaded with the quilting as the guide. I then looked at the center and determined I would likely not have time to embellish the center and as such it needed additional quilting. I returned to quilting the center. Then the binding and sleeve were added but not turned and hand sewn. I beaded the outer border in a beautiful Montana blue seed bead. I was considering a unique flower or berry motive but ended up staying with only the ivy vine.
A detail of the beading shows a bit of the machine quilting of the mirror. There were a lot of starts and stops so opportunities for error.

Over all I think it came out well. If I had had more time I would have embellished the center mirror with silver beads, buttons and charms. Perhaps after it comes home. Cindy Roth the Innovations director said there are a wide variety of Fabric Challenge entries this year. I do not anticipate winning anyhthing but will again appreciate judge's comments. And it is exciting to hang work where tons of people will see it!

Now I can return to getting my house back in order and a ton of current projects screaming for attention! Last night I worked on the Trees Outside My Window ACEO series!

Working my way to recovery!

July 19th I had bilateral (meaning both knees) full knee replacements. I am recovering slowly. I needed an extra week off work than I had wanted to take but have turned a corner and am making more steady progress toward a full regaining of the range of motion needed to have a full recovery and use of my legs.

Before surgery I had finished piecing the Innovations Fabric Challenge entry. I was unable to get it quilted as I had hoped so I could spend down time while recovering working on embellishing. So, once again I will be pushing the envelope to get it done by the due date. Also my entry submission was late as I was out of contact with the computer until most recently. This means it may not be accepted and I am prepared to face that possibility.

I had planned a much more elaborate quilt, cut the pieces and was ready to construct when I realized I wasn't going to be able to get it pieced in a timely manner. Perhaps that quilt will surface one of these days! Instead I chose to use the batik in a mirror image, creating a unique design and a more manageable size. It will be approximately 17 inches by 38 inches. It is waiting for the living room to return as it is now my convalescing room with the futon open as a bed. Soon it will be folded up and moved to Conan's room as his new bed! He can open it if he wants or sleep on it in couch mode. He is looking forward to getting the queen sized bed out of his room and gaining space!

I have collected all my cobalt blue beads, even purchased several new from Shipwreck Beads before surgery. I plan to embellish the Mirror, and enhance the uniqueness of its design. This is the un-quilted piece.

Summer Time!

Things get busy but I don't feel like I have actually done any more than I usually do! Perception is an odd thing!

I recently, in the last month, completed a set of cushions for a friend. He is an avid guitarist who finally found a straight back chair to sit in while he plays. I agreed to help out and made this set of cushions. Considering I didn't have a pattern and it has been years since I did any upholstery work, they came out okay. They are functional and adequate for his long hours of practice/playing. I like the fabric and it matches his other furniture well. We didn't pick it out with that in mind, it just did when I brought them over!
The photo was taken by another friend who has been exploring photography and video production for his developing web site: Smiling Chi

The QuiltArt Challenge has been posted on line, a total of 80 15X15 inch quilts all unique! The QuiltArt Quinceanera! Enjoy! My entry is a crazy quilt I have posted about when it was under construction!

Still Crazy After All These Years!

The statement:
The Quilt Art 15th anniversary challenge called out for velvet and satin, a celebration of 'coming of age,' a Quinceanero. For years I have been collecting materials to 'one day' make a crazy quilt. I think of crazy quilts as the original art quilts, using surface design, often to express a specific meaning. In 2003 I joined QA and participated in my first ever challenge. That was a transitional quilt for me. I began using beads, buttons, baubles and fibers, doodling on the surface of my quilts. I visited hundreds of QA list member's websites,saw the amazing work being done, all the possibilities. QA challenges are often the inspiration for my expression. Designing, piecing and doodling have become the heart of my personal meditations. Challenge themes focus my mind's dialogue. Finding ways to express the accompanying emotions and ideas brings me to greater awareness of myself. Each of the 15 sections went through any number of design transformations before taking their final form. Some are representative of specific ideas, others are purely fantasy.

I'm working on designing my Fabric Challenge entry for this years Innovations Machine Quilting convention in Tacoma, WA. It is an awesome batik! More on this at a later time!

I'm in a new challenge!

Voting up until 6/28. Check it out!

VOTE HERE!

My Entry:
Also available from my Etsy shop!
Primary Practice Pentagon

New item added to the Sumer Solstice Sale on Etsy & other happenings!

This is the item I added to my 50% off sale today!

See the listing on Etsy if you would like more details about this reusable journal cover!

Look for other items in my shop tagged summersolsticesale!

Yesterday someone from the Yahoo recycle group I belong to came and picked up the 2 Singer treadle machines I have had sitting here. Originally I thought I might refurbish them, which would have been awesome to own a working treadle. However I got reasonable and realized I would rather work on motorized machines. I recently purchased a Singer 15 in a cute little vintage cabinet with a drawer full of fun accessories! It will need rewiring and I am beginning the process of researching that! I am rearranging my house and will take pictures of the new addition once it is in the new spot where I will have space to work on it at my leisure!

Remember the Etsy Pagan Team Summer Solstice Sale! See current items on sale here!

Adding a new item at 50% off everyday in my Etsy Shop!

This is my sale item of the day! Was $30 now $15! See the listing here in my Etsy Shop!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/9315298/on-sale-textile-art-postcard-sized-crop

The Pagan Team Summer Sale details are in this post:
http://cobaltquilterscorner.blogspot.com/2010/05/summer-sale.html