Cherish Every Moment

Happy First Day of Spring!

I finished another art quilt. Here she is!

I decided to keep her black and white.

Next up....time to do a bird, I think.

Worked on this art journal spread. It's ready to write in some day when the mood strikes.

It's always lovely to hear from you! xo

In the Works

Yesterday, I met up with the art journaling group in Indy. Here are the pages I worked on. 

I used Distress Ink Stains for the background and covered it with a layer of gesso. 

This background is acrylics and I just started doodling and writing. 

I got my postcards in the mail to Kat for Liberate Your Art!

Today's project: Keep working on another art quilt.

I ordered a lot of cards from MOO this time. I often put them in packages as a Thank You, and send them to friends. I took a few and put a set of my mixed media collage images in my shop. I am trying to get the inventory built up in there and want to do more with it. 

She found a home...

...in an art quilt!

Here's the first of the girls. This quilt is 20'' x 10''. I had the embroidered "Create" waiting in a fabric book for about a year. It found a home too. She's in my shop now as well.

I love this fabric I found. It has a cute story throughout.

I learned something about my sewing machine and free motion quilting recently. I have been messing with the tension and things trying to get the back of my quilting "prettier", but there were always big loops and it was quite messy. A couple weeks ago, I went to do some free motion and forgot to drop my feed dogs.....and it worked better! It moved around better and got a lot cleaner on the back.

Everything I have watched and read says to drop those feed dogs...but I think I may never drop them again.

Have a great weekend!

The New Girls

I starting painting some new ladies on denim. I haven't decided where or what they will end up as. I had done some fabric journal pages with the first ones.

I think these could end up in art quilts or even a big shoulder bag. 

They start as a pencil outline.

Add paint.

Add more paint. 

Give them some color!

More shades and color.

Almost done with the painting part.

They are waiting on some free motion quilting for that extra detail!

A Stack of Journals

I love stacks of stuff. 

And, I love to see a stack of progress. I am busy making more art quilt journals. I am finally getting back on track with my Etsy shop and might be doing some craft fairs this summer. Time to get a move on! 

Countdown to the Craft Fair

Hello!

I am getting so excited about this craft fair next month...just a few weeks to go and I am madly sewing, collaging, and organizing. I wanted to have more of my art quilt sketchbook covers-- so here's one I made today.

 

I had forgotten how fun these are to make!

 

I'd love to hear your stories and advice from doing craft fairs, too!...total newbie here!

New Found Opportunities in Indiana

I am so excited about selling some Christmas ornaments at a local shop in Franklin, IN. It's Middle Davids artisan candles, and the owner, Tauria, is so lovely to offer. Besides making delicious soy candles, they have several local artists selling there- beautiful pottery, baskets, handmade books, jewelry, and Tauria's weaving.

And, now, my ornaments too! Here are some I dropped off today.

 

 

Also, I have decided to do my first Craft Fair. Franklin has it one day ( Dec 1st) in a building downtown. It's only $20 for a booth. I will bring my items from the Etsy shop, and I better get making more! Planning on more ornaments, some cards, and art quilts.

 

Hope you all made it through the storm okay. I was thinking of you last night.

 

News, and new goodies

 I am excited to tell everyone that my two 12'' x12''  art quilts made it into the show, "27 Feet of Art",  here in Olympia, WA!!  I am jumping for joy!  It's the first time I've entered a juried show.  They will be holding a silent auction to raise money for the Washington Center of Performing Arts on Sept. 21st! Thanks to everyone who congratulated me on facebook already! I appreciate it!

Also, my custom stamp for my shop came in the mail! Didn't she turn out cute! I couldn't carve one myself that was small enough, so she used my girl image and added in the words, and made it with a machine. The Etsy shop, Terbear, helped me out with it. She was great to work with.

While shopping there, I finally found the 'postcard' stamp I have been searching for forever. I had only been able to find the stamps that put the 'postcard' writing at the top, but have searched high and low for one with lines and stamp spot, etc. I'm loving it!

I just started a new art journal this weekend- it's all with mail art goodies. I will post those pictures tomorrow...or maybe later tonight!

Treasures We Keep

Here's my second art quilt for the show. In this one I used all sorts of things I have collected over the years- silk hankies, vintage doilies, an old key, bits of my felting, art yarn, fabric from the stash, and there is even German glass glitter throughout the silk. We all have so many little treasures we keep...I hate to leave them in drawers, they should be displayed and enjoyed.

Art Quilt Progress

I have decided that deadlines stress me out a bit. I have been working on this 12 x 12'' art quilt over the past couple weeks. I do one thing....set it aside...come back and do something...set it aside....and today it finally started to look good so I kept on going.

I have until August 3rd to submit my 12'' x 12'' art to the Washington Center of Permorming Arts. I'm going to start a different one today as well. I need some options.

Lately, I have been trying to do a hundred things at once. I need to set all that other stuff aside and focus on this ( hence the stress, I think).

Even as I type that, I am thinking of a new thing I want to try with my silk cocoon books, and how I'd like to add some sketchbooks to my shop.

I will keep you posted on what I end up entering...and if I make it in the show.

Welcome Home, Little Quilter

Many of you have seen the unfinished version of her in my profile picture, but I have never published the whole doll on my blog. About a year ago, I packed her up safe and sound, labeled her, and sent her off on an adventure to Art Doll Quarterly. Each month I hoped to see her on the pages, but alas, I will not.

I thought I would be a teeny bit sad if "the quilter" wasn't published, but surprisingly, I'm not at all. I was so overjoyed to see her again after all this time, and she was even more adorable than I remembered. She got a happy welcome home, photographed by me, and happily placed on the mantle to enjoy.

Maybe later she'll share stories of her journey to California with me.

So, here she is, my little girl, my quilter, my little love.

Her quilt measures 8 1/2 in x 5 1/2, with 3 inch star blocks

I am so excited to share her with all of you. xo

Quilting and the Calm

I feel like shouting from the rooftops "I'm back"! The quilting and sewing inspiration has returned. I cleared off the work table. Aside from a sketchbook and watercolors, I turned my focus back to my small quilts...and FINISHING the 5 tops I have looking at me every day. This week I pulled out the next pattern for the Jo Morton small quilt club, and the stack of Civil War reproduction fabrics, and got down to sewing those scant quarter inch seams! I liked this pattern so much, and it was realatively quick, so I made two even.

Now, maybe, just maybe, I can have them all quilted and bound by the September meeting!