Ice Brigade

Do we really need a new reality show on television?  Haven't they all been "done" already?  You may think so, but take a peek at the newest being offered on Food Network, called "Ice Brigade."

In each episode, you watch the artists create new imaginative  ice sculptures for a diversity of events including:  a full-size working piano, something for Star-Trek fans, ice sleds (with which the crew raced each other downhill!  Looks like so much fun!)

 

I hope this promo uploads here nicely ... if not, go to http://www.icebrigade.com/tvshow.shtml as this is the home page for Ice Brigade on Food Network starting March 3 2011.

I hope this show continues to air during our lovely hot, humid summer months!  Although as it is filmed in Western Michigan, perhaps the number of episodes will be limited to the seasons.

OK OK, I confess, perhaps I am spending too much time in front of the tube ...

Sadly, I am not  playing with my fabrics and threads, instead, I am working on lesson plans or folding laundry, usually) ...

But it has not been totally illspent (this entertaining discovery of Ice Brigade proves that, doesn't it?)

Shopping at 2011 Empty Bowls

I spent a pleasant morning shopping for a bowl at the 2011 Empty Bowls event, held annually at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and Lawndale Art Center.

I wandered through, looking at the  many choices ...

circling through the tables and tables of bowls more than once ....

and still I couldn't decide ... so while pondering further, I looked at everything again!

The good news is, I did finally select one, with the help of my friend Tammy, who volunteers for Empty Bowls every year. 

The money I paid for my bowl ($25.00) goes directly to the Houston Food Bank to feed the local hungry AND it also bought a bowl of soup for my lunch today (creamy corn chowder -- yummy! Thank you Whole Foods Market).  Tammy took a break from volunteering to join me for lunch too.  She had selected a lovely gourd bowl -- gosh, I should have taken pictures of our bowls before they were wrapped up for the journey homeward.

If you missed this year's event, be sure to mark your calendars for next year's Empty Bowls .... date to be announced at some point in the future ...

Fiber Bowls

I collected bowls from two of my fiber art groups, Beyond the Sunset and Beyond the Borders (both are affiliated with the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston).  These bowls are donations for the 7th Annual Empty Bowls - Houston, but I thought I would share photos of my favorite ones before delivering them to the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.

 

This "sunflower" bowl is the colorful creation of my friend Janice.  She has crafted the petals with fabric and fiber snippets and lots of stitching, anchoring each petal into the flower's brown center.  I like the red threads she's added for additional color.

Elaine, current leader of Beyond the Borders, created two bowls this year.  Both are made with fabric-wrapped cotton clothesline (a technique I plan to do one day, as I have the requisite clothesline ...now to find the time).  The green one (above) has green accent stripes incorporated into the bowl's design.  It has a slim, elongated oval shape, which I like.  

Her second bowl (below) also has accent stripes.  Elaine's bowls have decorative elements at the rim (helpful to disguise the ending of the clothesline!).  I love both the green button and the trio of yo-yo (similar, yet different).

Another donated fiber creation came as a match set of a bowl with a matching plate.  These were made by Pat, our leader of the Beyond the Sunset group.

The bowl was shaped by saturating with a liquid stiffener (watered-down glue), then draping over a plastic, fluted vegetable container to dry.  A wired beads were added as additional accents to the rim of the bowl.

A peek into the bowl, from above, reveals additional beading (tinier seed beads) anchored in the base of the bowl.  I love the variety of textures these beaded additions bring to Pat's bowl.

The plate is easily a stand-alone piece as well, and coordinates lovely with its matching bowl.

Perhaps the oddest of the bowls that I will deliver is one of my own....

I knit this bowl using a chunky (non-feltable) yarn.  I plan to stiffen this floppy piece into more of a classic bowl shape before delivering it to Empty Bowls, but time is always a tight element of my days.... Chances are strong that this soft, drapable bowl will be donated in this limp form.  It may be interesting to hear the comments of the bowl-shoppers at Empty Bowls!

The variegated yarn worked up nicely with the purple stripes going across the bottom and up the opposing sides (of course it is also due in part to the pattern of the knit-design).  This bowl can also double as a warm hat .... but only one liveds in a cold-climate area (which rarely describes our Houston winter).

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

This book is a Great Read!

I just read a delightful first novel by Beth Hoffman, titled Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and loved it.  This book was recommended by a friend who had said "if you liked The Help (by Kathryn Stockett), then you will like this" and she was so right.  Thank you Dena!

Both novels take place in the South in the 1960s yet they tell very different stories.  If The Help did not appeal to you, read this one anyway -- Saving CeeCee Honeycutt weaves an intriguing story of strong women (and yes, some are a tad eccentric).  There are several book reviews already posted, so I will just add my hearty encouragement to read this book. 

Once the setting moves south in Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, it remains centered in Savannah, Georgia, a city that is once again on my "must see" destination list.  Savannah has been luring me since I was a young girl and discovered it to be the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America) -- Yes, I am a former Girl Scout, and sold their delicious cookies (which I still buy every year, especially the Mint cookies as they taste best, especially frozen!).  Then reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt about ten years ago reminded me that Savannah, Georgia was a city worthy of a visit .... I will travel there one of these days....

Meanwhile, Beth Hoffman is at work on her second novel.  Check her website for more about this talented author.

http://bethhoffman.net/home/

I am confident that this novel will be a movie one of these days .... but when?

More important ... what shall I read next?

A Belated Gift for dear friends ...

My dear friends moved away many years ago.  Just this past summer, I finished the autograph quilt originally intended as a "Good-bye" gift before they left.  I wanted to mark their move with a heartfelt gift since our friendship dated back to a time before either of us had children.  Then, our sons were each others' first playmates.  (I'm realizing now that they are teenagers (or nearly)!)  The years have flown past far far too quickly .... yet wonderful memories remain strong and one day I will get the photos of those happy days into scrapbooks, I promise!

This quilt is a classic autograph quilt.  It began when I pre-made simple blocks (5" square of fine muslin with two 2.5" triangles in opposing corners) and recruited several friends to assist in collecting many many many signatures.  This was the initial delay in completing the quilt as I kept stalling, every hopeful that more blocks would land on my doorstep (Note: there are still blocks out there somewhere  which I will happily make into a mini-quilt, should the errant blocks find their way to my home....). Fortunately, Jimmy stopped many of the Congregation worker-bees, from the Lead Rabbi, Preschool and Religious School  Directors to the secretaries and part-time teachers, insisting they each sign one block.  He watched carefully until they did, then added doodles and decorations to make the blocks more colorful.  Thank you thank you thank you Jimmy!

Deciding on the arrangement of the blocks was the next delay in completing this gift.  I had hoped it would be large, or even huge, but many of the blocks I pre-made never made it back to me.  So I needed a new plan, eventually deciding to add the Mogen Davids (6-pointed stars) among the signature blocks, enhancing to the Judaic theme.  I purposely set the stars in a random fashion, so admirers must meander around the hand-written sentiments.  Did you notice that the fabrics feature either Judaic or Texas wildflower prints? 

My good friend Sarah used her free-motion quilting skills to add more hints of Judaica to this quilt.  Sadly, I believe I mailed the quilt without taking any photos of the completed piece (my mistake!).  I am hopeful that Carol will send a photo of it hanging in her home or tossed on back of the couch or wherever it is, up there in New York, where the seasons do call for the warmth of a quilt, a gift from a friend.

This quilt was truly a joy to make and a greater joy to finish and mail to my friends to treasure in the comfort of their new home, even as long-ago as their departure from Texas was.

IB♥L3D begins ....

The third round of IB♥L, nicknamed  IB♥L3D, is now underway. 

For those of you wondering "What is IB♥L3D?"... It is the acronym for  Iraqi Bundles of Love, a grassroots project now entering it's third phase in which bundles of fabrics, threads, needles, etc are shared with the women of Iraq.  Here is the best summary - from the IBOL Guy himself (click either image to increase)

Click this direct link-   http://ibol.wordpress.com 

I hope you are interested in participating in IB♥L (whether you have an abundance of sewing or knitting/crocheting items or are willing to purchase new items to share).  This is the initial push of round three, with a follow-up portion coming later this summer, to coincide with Ramadan... stay tuned to the IB♥L website (or link up via facebook) for the most recent news.

Are you pondering what in the world to send?  Click here for answers to that thoughtful question.

Curious about how to properly package your materials?  Click here for those directions.

Wondering where to send your bundles?  Leave a comment on the IBOL blog and he will send you the address.

I have participated in the two previous IB♥L opportunities, sending two boxes each time.  I will be participating again and I hope you will join me ......

Art in Fiber

Be sure to go to Round Top, Texas this month to see the fabulous annual 

Fiber Art Show now on display at the Copper Shade Tree gallery

 

Art in Fiber 2011 is on display from February 4th through March 13th, 2011.

Photo: Fiber Art created by Suzan Engler

          This year's show features 22 outstanding artists, some are returning favorites while others are first-timers to this event. Ginny Eckley, a renowned fiber artist herself, served as the juror, selecting each of these 22 from the many artists who applied this year.  Ginny's website is http://www.fabricpainting.com/

If you cannot get to Round Top while the show is up, never fear, the Internet is here!... The online show will be available soon on the Copper Shade Tree website  http://www.coppershadetree.com/index.php

          Each year, gallery owners Debbie and Gerald Tobola tweek the application process, making it a fun event.   With a theme of "Interpretation", artists were asked to create a new piece featuring their interpretation into fiber of a 3-d art piece, a poem or a piece of music.  I can hardly wait to see these special pieces!  Perhaps I'll see you there, when I dash to Round Top to feast on some serious fiber art candy for my eyes.