Open Studio Day in La Grange

On Friday, February 27, 2009 at the Great Expectations Creativity Center in La Grange, Texas, Karey Bresenhan held an Open Studio Day inviting quilt and fiber artists to come view the work created by the two Artists-in-Residence, Virginia Spiegel and Carol Moore. It was a wonderful day spent hobknobbing with over 70 fellow artists .... and the lunch was tasty too!

Here is a sampling of the hand-dyed wool roving Carol brought with her to use during her month-long stay in La Grange.


This is a close up view of Virginia's painted fabric pieces.


Carol and Virgina pose during a lull in the conversation. They are standing in front of Carol's piece that was juried into the "Oh Canada" exhibit to be seen at International Quilt Festival shows this year.

Virginia is talking with Karen Stiehl Osborn about one of her pieces which is made of Lutrador. I love the transparency of this piece. Displaying this art in the window on this beautiful sunny day where the Texas greenery can be seen beyond is a perfect touch.

The room slowly filled as everyone arrived, coming in twos and threes. In the back corner you can glimpse more of Virginia's work.

Karey is a gracious hostess. She is welcoming everyone to her Texas ranch, and introducing the Artists-in-Residence, seen below.

Seated is Ruth Moore, Carol's mom (who traveled in from Toronto two days earlier), behind her is Virginia Spiegel (floral jacket) and Carol Moore. They are quite excited to be sharing their new pieces created during their month-long stay at the Creativity Center.

After lunch, many others shared their artwork. One of my favorites was seeing Jamie Fingal's three apron pieces (no photos -- sorry -- but check out Jamie's article in issue #23 of Cloth-Paper-Scissors magazine, March/April 2009 or watch for an upcoming Quilting Arts episode)

Frances Holliday Alford brought many stickers, decals, stamps and more -- which she shared with anyone who would still long enough to decorate a postcard -- it was wonderful fun. She sent me off with a few more postcards of hers that she wishes to get more cancellation stamps on!


Here is Frances, her smile and one of her heavily stickered postcards.


Ruthie Powers, also from Austin, is beginning a new adventure -- she's designed some amazing stamps, which include mirror images where the negative/positive spaces are reversed. Here is Kim DeCoste (Education Manager of Quilts, Inc.) demo-ing different ways to use Ruthie's stamps. Is that Iris of MistyFuse next to Ruthie and listening too?

Before heading home for the day, I popped into the Copper Shade Tree gallery in Round Top to see the "It's Not A Quilt ... Or Is It?" fiber art show that was currently going on. This wall features one art piece by each of the features 18 artists in the show. There are some amazing Quilters & Fiber Artists in Texas! Be sure to drop by if you are in the area soon, as the show will be up for a bit longer.

Guitar Festival

February means Fiber Art at the Copper Shade Tree (the 3rd annual quilt/fiber show in this cozy gallery) and Guitar Festival at Festival Hill (now in it's 5th annual year in this world reknown concert hall).

My friend, Connie Fahrion, made this quilt (poster size) in support of Festival Hill and their fundraising efforts. Look closely to see the larger guitar embroidered in the background.

this and that

I love this cabochon face -- which is the focal point on my Arch from Lynn (one of the ones I couldn't locate when I took my group shot last week). Here is the full view of Lynn's arch, made especially for me in our 2008 yearlong Textile Challenges arch swap.

My twelfth (and final) arch was made by our TC leader Carol T Taylor. Now I do have a new "To Do" on my list -- create a finished piece featuring all of my arches. Shall it be a book? or a free-standing display? or something else? (hmmm, I haven't a clue just yet .... do you?)



I don't think I've shown my Halloween ATC from Carol T as well. My spider, on my Boo! ATC is actually tethered to the ATC, and can swing!


Look closely -- I have overlaid the original (and smallest) spider and Boo! on top of the swinging spider. The swinging spider gains momentum and swings up and over head, above the Boo!

It really is a cool idea to have the spider be a free-flying agent, don't you agree? Thank you Carol -- as always, your creativity delights me!

Last of today's assorted "this and that" pieces is my most recent work, my ATC for Marie's week #2 of our monthlong challenge. Marie is leading our Textile Challenges group in a creative challenge that is evolving slowly, one week at a time. In this week's challenge, we were directed to go to a room in our home where we do not "create our art" and select a random item to use as the focal point in our ATC. Then head to our sewing area, grab four items to use with it and make our ATC in 20 minutes.
So once again, we had to make speedy quick fast decisions and choices as we worked and stitched and created, remembering that a major goal of the challenge is to finish the ATC within the short time limit.

With those guidelines in mind, I grabbed a Q-tip from the bathroom cabinet, and went upstairs to meet this challenge head on.

The Q-tip was snapped in half, caught under a piece of layered tulle and fibers scrap from an earlier project, and tulle was scrunched and stitched over the top, with a piece of fake vinyl stuff finishing one edge. Too fast, not enough thought directing this challenge. I don't care for it very much. Oh, and I managed to finish this ATC just past past our 20 minute mark.

Happy Hearts

Lsat week, I received a wonderful gift from a new friend, Elizabeth.

She made this just for me ... well, we were swap partners.
A huge "Thank you" to Carol T for pairing us together!

I absolutely love everything about this piece: the lush fabrics, the delicate beading, the shabby-chic-ness, and the purple velvet back!

This is my Puffy Heart!

Puffy Hearts were swapped recently in honor of Valentine's Day with my Textile Challenges group.


Here is the heart I made for Elizabeth.
This is one side -


And this is the other -

Happy Valentine's Day!

Missing my BTB friends ... sigh

Today is the monthly meeting of my local art quilt bee, Beyond the Borders. Sadly I will not be there as I have one child home from school with a fever (that has lasted 2 days so far ... yuk). Fortunately, it is a low one that responds well to medicine (yea!) and my other child has been resistant to it (a second yea!).

Unfortunately, I've missed many consecutive meetings and am feeling very woe-be-gone without my usual BTB "fix." Do you know what I mean? The energy and excitement of seeing what my friends are working on in person not only recharges my batteries, it also fires up my fiber art dreams often enhancing both my creativity and productivity.


On a positive note ... if I had gone today, this is what I might have taken to share:

First a thank-you to Elaine and Nancy for their lovely birthday postcards that I received in November (I mentioned it has been awhile since I have made it to our meeting, right?).


Nancy's is the birthday crow and Elaine's is the camoflaged zebra. Thank you to both of you -- I love the surprise of getting fiber art postcards in the mail and these two are especially delightful! Thank you.


Next are the arches from my yearlong Textile Challenges arch swap. I have posted about this swap before, featuring ones I made for my TC friends. The photo below shows the wonderful arches I have received. As I gathered them to take the photo today, I realized I could only locate 10 of the 12 -- and at the moment I do not recall if I am missing the last 2 or if I have misplaced them in my home (the latter is more likely correct -- a true comment on my housekeeping abilities - in fact I am now thinking I have other birthday postcards to show too. Note to self: Must clean sewing room soon).

Aren't these arches amazing? Such a wonderful collection showcasing a variety of fiber art techniques ranging from hand embroidery to machine embellishment. The original idea for this swap was inspired by a Gothic arched book made by Beryl Taylor, although I am thinking I may assemble mine into a standing-hinged-display (Do you have any other suggestions? all ideas are welcome!)

Next, I would probably have taken this assortment of screen prints.

They are the samples made during a "Screen Printing Basics" class with Marit Kucera during the 2008 International Quilt Festival last October. It was a great class, especially remarkable in that two or three women came with younger daughters & nieces! Everyone made their own design to screen, then printed multiple versions so that we each left with a sample of everyone's design. Now I need to assemble these into a small quilt, or rather, I may prefer to make more new prints first ... hmmm, I do like that second idea.

Speaking of Quilt Festival, for years I have purchased tie-dyed t-shirts from Joy's Fabrics for my boys, getting new ones as they grew into the next size. This year I treated myself to these fabric packs of a 12-step Color Wheel and a 10-step gradation from black-to-gray.

I plan to make at least one fabric color wheel .... eventually.

Last of all, I would have shared what is hidden in this box.
Wouldn't you love to get a box in the mail with this teaser poking through the small hole? It is another wonderful trade with my Textile Challenges group. I will reveal it in a day or two. For a hint, check out this blog, by one of my newest TC friends, Elizabeth. Be sure to go and look as she is offering a fun give-away in honor of her upcoming 250th blog posting (click here and leave a comment before February 14th to earn a chance to win the gift featured).

My newest ATCs

Last month I participated in Susan Lenz's amazing Cyber Fyber show -- including the International Random ATC Swap, held on January 17, 2009. Everyone around the world was encouraged to participate -- all you had to do was mail your ATC's with a stamped return envelope. A maximum of 3 ATCs could be traded with no restriction on age, location, or artistic medium. I traded two (they are at the end of this post).

My first envelope to arrive had this ATC tucked inside. Look closely. It is a photo of an alarm clock (it looks just like my old digital clock radio from ol' college dorm room days!) The time displayed is 6:00 a.m. Below the image is a clear simple statement: not good

These words echo my sentiments whenever I must arise early in the morning (I am a natural night owl who fortunately does not have to awaken before sunrise often). This thought provoking ATC was made by Amanda Graham (that's all I know -- Amanda, leave a comment if you find this post!)

My second envelope arrived the next day with this ATC tucked inside featuring 3 silk ribbon flowers and 2 tiny tatted butterflies.

This delicate creation was made by Pam Freck in Lexington, South Carolina, USA. I must ask you Pam, did you tat the butterflies yourself?

Here is a side view (just for fun & to see the dimension of this sweet ATC).


This is a peak at three ATCs I made after learning about the Cyber Fyber show. The red one was traded with Susan and was one of the 163 ATCs on display on the walls of Gallery 80808/Vista Studios in Columbia, South Carolina. The gold one lives with me as my memento of this fun challenge and show.

The third one, Space, has traveled to it's new home across the Atlantic Ocean. It now lives with Jean Toms, fiber artist in Devon, United Kingdom with a blog, Genies Art World, devoted to her fiber art and mixed media, and a second blog, Genies Photos, for her photography. This link connects directly to her comments on the Cyber Fyber ATC swap.



My spiderweb ATC has traveled in the other direction, crossing the Pacific ocean to its new home in Brisbane, Australia with Paula Hewitt. Her blog, The Beauty of Life, is filled with her various projects that range across a broad spectrum. There are tutorials on making polymer clay buttons & fabric books, photos of her embroidery & quilting projects, and best of all, her observations and comments on life and raising children.

This was fun in so many ways. First the excitement of trading postcards and ATCs directly with Susan Lenz, then seeing the entire show online, then waiting to receive the ATC's from the International Random ATC Swap and last of all, getting messages from the two who received my ATCs! Thank you Susan for enabling all this fun to happen!

A 15-minute quickie

My Textile Challenges group always has something fun going on. At the moment, Marie is leading us in a month-long challenge. Our prepatory directions were simple and clear:

"Please cut at least 3 Peltex, cardstock, felt, or product of choice into ATC size (2½" X 3½") to use as a base or foundation for later use. Keep them handy, so you know where they are when you need them."

That intrigued us all as we waited for Marie's next direction, which she posted under the daunting heading:
FEB CHALLENGE - don't read till you have 15 minutes.

Naturally, I did not have 15 minutes, but I did have about one minute, just long enough to read her directions but not do them. Oops, I have broken direction #1.

Her directions went on: Go immediately to your work area and pick the first 5 materials (fabric, embellishments, etc) that you see. Using a precut foundation, we were directed to create ATC -- in 15 minutes! No more, no less. Naturally I began thinking of the huge disarray of my studio (its perpetual state - maybe one day it will look like this, Kay Sorensen's studio, but I digress). The next day, as I pondered Marie's directions, I also read emails and saw that many of my TC friends had already completed the challenge and were posting their results! I was determined not to peek -- and not to daudle over my computer -- but alas, I looked at Carol T's (our fearless group-Mom) blog and saw her Valentine-themed piece (see it here).

By evening I managed to dash upstairs, when I immediately broke direction #2 which was to pick the First 5 materials that you see. My mind was already thinking Valentine's so I started off looking for my red yarns and other reds ... I got sidetracked (hmm, imagine that) taking longer than 15 minutes to select my 5 elements! So I started all over -- I sat at my machine & reached for 5 things .... and began to play and create .... when I finished and looked at the time, I had gone far beyond the alloted 15 minutes. Yet again, I have broken another direction. However, most everyone in TC had mentioned working about 20 minutes on their challenge ATCs. Truthfully, I was nearly double that!

Here is my ATC, made from a Lindt chocolate candy wrapper (yum!), fabric, cellophane bag, velvet ribbon and a remnant piece from my puffy heart for Elizabeth (another TC swap).


Here is a detail view, showing the dimensionality of my tiny piece.


Here is another link to Kate (a TC friend)'s blog with her Week #1 ATC.

I totally enjoyed this first challenge although I realize that I altered Marie's clear and precise directions. Therefore I am re-challenging myself to try again. This next time, I will dash upstairs, taking the kitchen timer with me! After all, if I have time to blog about it, then I have time to try this challenge once more. Care to join me?