Archive for October, 2015

Focus Friday – Goose on the Loose

Friday, October 30th, 2015

“Goose on the Loose” is one of my earlier patterns that continues to be a best seller. Now at the end of October, I am reminded of how it came to be as the wild geese are flying overhead. They don’t stay in those nice orderly V’s as they are usually depicted, but rather they tend to ravel out into tangled skeins as they constantly switch positions, honking loudly at each other as they go. Usually a quilt gets named after it is finished, but this one had a name before it was even started. I looked for a block that would portray the vision, maybe with Flying Geese blocks, but instead I settled on Fox and Goose, which doesn’t even contain Flying Geese. Instead it is worked from half square triangle units and what can be easier than that! Half of the blocks have gray sky centers and half have autumn leaf colors and it is the way that they are sewed together that gives the effect of the geese straying from their formation. I love to make it so you have to really look for where the block is, makes people think it was harder than it really was! Of course that is all laid out for you in this very easy pattern.

The pattern contains instructions for both a wall hanging and a bed quit. There is only about half a box of patterns left and it will not be reprinted, so act fast if this is a quilt you would like to make.

GooseSample

Goose On The Loose – approximately 36 X 42” or 72 X 84” Pattern: $8.00
Click on Patterns in the side bar to order.

Cover Sample quilt for sale, lovingly hand quilted, a steal at $400.00 Email me for details.

The PRIZE winning bed quilt, made from batik fabrics and free motion machine quilted in swirls and maple leaves can be seen in the Large Quilts Gallery on my website.  It is also for sale.

New Leaves Sample Sold

Wednesday, October 28th, 2015

One of the pattern sample quilts sold recently and I received this photo of it hanging in it’s new home. It’s always fun to see where they end up. I think quilts add a warmth to a space that traditional framed art can’t quite do. Now that I am not traveling to do quilt talks, most of the sample quilts are for sale in the patterns section of my website at discounted prices.

NewLvsNC

I have quite a lot of quilting done on the Heron but have set it aside to work on Figure Drawing homework. One long term drawing of a nude reclining woman is due Nov 17; it is worked from a photo in black and white charcoal on gray drawing paper. We each chose a different photo so it will be fun to see what everyone did when they are revealed.

 

Focus Friday- New Leaves

Saturday, October 24th, 2015

Did it again! Friday got away from me! This week I will focus on the “New Leaves Wallhanging” which is a take-off on “Third Weekend in October”, that wonderful autumn leaf quilt that I showed you last week. Not long after that pattern was released, I started getting questions about how to adapt it for a wall hanging. To do that, you would have to redesign two edges to get that neat border effect, but then you would be left with not so many leaves, in the smaller version. So I decided to design a new version, which is based on a smaller leaf size so you get enough of them to be interesting. Plus, of course, those four nice borders with the overlapping leaves. For my sample I used all batiks and arranged the colors as a progression through the seasons, from spring through fall. But feel free to color yours any way you want!

newleaves

New Leaves Wallhanging  INNOVATIONS # 99218  Approx 39.5 X 49    $8.00
To order click on Patterns in the side bar.

New Leaves Sample Quilt   SOLD

Focus Friday – Third Weekend In October

Monday, October 19th, 2015

Ooops! Focus Friday was supposed to keep me on track, but we did a road trip on Friday and I totally forgot! Then I got busy over the weekend. This was supposed to be a no brainer, since it was the third weekend in October and I happen to have a pattern by that very name!!

3rdweekend

I designed Third Weekend In October to be a contest quilt and it made the rounds and did very well. It is all pieced, partially using unique foundation papers and my quilt is all hand quilted. I started getting requests for the pattern, but I resisted for several years because this quilt which is meant to look like fallen leaves, has no repeated block and I thought that quilters would be frightened of the graph that lays out the design. You work the individual units, then sew them together into nine patch blocks. From there on out you are in familiar quilter territory – sew the blocks into rows and the rows into a queen sized quilt top.

I finally gave in and produced the pattern and I am so glad I did! It has been my all-time best seller and continues to claim that distinction, having sold well over 30,000 copies!!

Third Weekend In October – approx. 85 x 110″  pattern $8.00 To order, click on Patterns in the side bar.
The sample quilt is not for sale.

Cahokia

Wednesday, October 14th, 2015

Ever since we learned about it a few years ago, we have wanted to visit Cahokia and last weekend, we finally did! It was really quite fascinating.

It is near St Louis in Collinsville, Il. Quote from the book City of The Sun: “By nearly all criteria, ancient Cahokia was a true civilization – a society marked by social, political and cultural complexity and advanced development in the arts and sciences. Cahokia had an enormous population, diverse art forms, specialized labor forces, controlled surpluses, long distance trade, social stratification, organized government, monumental public works and a knowledge of scientific principles necessary for site planning, design of a sun calendar and mound construction.”

Lasting from 700 to 1500, with a population of 20,000 at its peak it was the greatest civilization north of Mexico, and I don’t know why it isn’t more well known. It became a World Heritage site in 1982 and the Cahokia Mounds Interpretive Center is worth a visit!

CahokiaHenge

This photo shows Woodhenge, like Stonehenge in England, it marks the solstices, here you can see the central pole and one of the marked poles that would line up with the sun to mark a solstice. In the background you can see one of the mounds the largest of which, covers 14 acres and is 100 feet high! All that dirt was carried in baskets!

This fertility figure is sculpted from a soft red stone and shows The Earth Mother hoeing into the back of a cat faced snake (they both represent fertility)

CahokiaEarthMother

The snake splits and you can see the squash vine and fruit growing up her back. Among other things they were an agricultural society. Specialization allowed for very sophisticated products.

BeaverCahokiaThis bowl shows a beaver chewing on a stick that it is holding ; the beaver was considered special because it lives in two worlds, water and land.

ToolsWeapons

Beautiful workmanship in these tools and weapons.

There was so much to see and learn about their day to day lives, much more than we expected!

Focus Friday- Fat Cat Dreaming

Friday, October 9th, 2015

A lovely autumn scene, the fat cat dreaming in the fall sunshine with colorful autumn leaves falling all around. A day just like today! Very easy to do using templates and half square triangle units. Rotary cutting, easy piecing, with an easy tip using freezer paper to get the cat’s stripes just right!

FatCat

FAT CAT DREAMING – $9.00
Innovations # 03236 approximately 35 x 35″

To order the pattern, click on PATTERNS in the side bar and scroll down.  The pattern sample quilt is also for sale, only $300.00, email for details.

Winnings Followup

Saturday, October 3rd, 2015

I found out that “Splash” was awarded the Award of Excellence for Piecing, and also Honorable mention in the Pictorial wall quilts category at LaConner, WA and will stay on for the Best of Festival show through Nov 22.

Splash_40x40_full

The reception last evening at the Buttonwood ArtSpace in KC for the Visions Of The Flint Hills show was very nice and quite well attended. I was pleased and surprised to discover that “Grasslands” was awarded Second Place in the “Other” category!

Grasslands

There were a LOT of entries and the work was excellent. I even saw some other textile work, some pieced photos printed on fabric, some quilted and embellished with stitching, some woven work and even a hooked rug! But the majority, of course, was paintings and photography, with a few sculptural works. AND, I was pleased to note, the Topeka art scene was well represented!  By the time we left there were already some sales. Definitely worth a look if you are in the area!

Topped off the evening with dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack – Yum! – but SO noisy!

Focus Friday – Seasons

Friday, October 2nd, 2015

Fall has officially arrived and with temperatures last night in the 30’s, I can believe it! I do love the change of seasons, though, and fall is one of the best, but it does promise winter, which is NOT a favorite with me!

In honor of Fall, and the changing seasons, today I decided to feature the SEASONS banners. I designed these to hang either separately or all together with the shared fabrics complimenting each other across the surface.

Seasons-2

They are grouped as patterns in sets of two that share the same fabrics. The backgrounds are pieced and the simple applique shapes can be added either by hand or by machine. They were inspired by the plants and animals that are drawn to our water garden/fish pond throughout the year.

SEASONS – Winter and Fall  $8.00

winter_fall
SEASONS – Spring and Summer $8.00

spring_summer
To order, click on Patterns in the side bar.

The SAMPLE quilts are also for sale at $150.00 each, email me if you are interested!

Winnings

Friday, October 2nd, 2015

“After The Storm”, currently showing at The Topeka Art Guild Gallery has been awarded First Place in the annual “Kansas” show!! Especially gratifying because it is an all media show with some very nice work.

AfterTheStorm

The judge left comments and here is what she had to say about this piece:

“Quintessential Kansas weather. Stitches define cloud movement, rain. turmoil – feel like the buildings are huddling against the ground, trying to protect themselves from the storm.”

Just received notice that “Jesse At The Lake” showing at the Asheville, NC Quilt Guild show got Second Place and “Splash” at the LaConner quilt show has also won an award, but so far I don’t know what. All in all, a pretty good week!!

JesseFinal

This afternoon we will drive to KC, MO to the opening reception for Visions Of The Flint Hills where I have three pieces on display and for sale to benefit Flint Hills research.