There’s not a lot to show for yesterday as we had company-anyway I deserve a day off! There is a little more background and I’m starting to lay in some color on the third kid but nothing is sewn yet.

We are having a new furnace installed so my studio is about to be invaded for new duct work. This may be a trying week.

I worked all day yesterday at the Topeka Art Guild Gallery so have no progress to report today. The gallery looks very PINK which was the theme for February.

This shot shows my “Merchant’s House” which has gotten a lot of notice!

Yesterday’s snow was the beautiful fluffy kind that I like. Not too cold, not too deep, no wind.

Too heavy to stay long on the branches, the beauty of it didn’t last very long though,

and now much of it has melted into puddles and mud. More predicted for tomorrow. I’m ready for spring!

Mt goat number two has a butt!

Here on my monitor the shadows look blue-er than they really are. I see some areas that may need tweaking but for now it’s OK. I will wait until more surrounding stuff is done to decide.

And finally- we have an ear!

Can you stand yet another acceptance announcement? Yesterday I got the news that “Spring Burning” will be going to IQF’s “Celebrate Spring” in Chicago! I am having such a lucky month I think I may go buy a lottery ticket!

Yesterday we spent most of the day in town running errands so, again, I didn’t make a lot of progress on the kids. Today I’ve got to give that baby his ear!

A new exhibit goes up this month at the Topeka Art Guild Gallery and I have three pieces there. The theme this month is PINK so I entered “The Merchant’s House”, “Spirit Horses” and “Cornflower Pink”. I had to scramble to find pink things.

“Cornflower Pink” is an old piece, from 2001! It was one of the pieces shown on yesterday’s local news to advertise the show which will benefit The Marion Clinic for Women’s Heart Month in February. The gallery is very pink this month!

More good news, “Burlingame Fire” has been juried in to AQS, Lancaster, PA. March 24-27.

When I saw “Stonehenge” fabric by Northcott before Christmas I bought it in two colorways with the rock ledges in mind. It had subtle colorations including mossy greens that I thought would be good for this piece. However, I’m thinking it’s maybe too subtle so I will probably further fracture some of those rocks and add in other fabrics for more texture. Of course, later, the quilting will add texture as well.

The bad news-
Normally I project my image onto newsprint and then trace it to the freezer paper. This gives me the original cartoon to aid in the placement of the pieces. This time though, remember, I skipped that step to save time and projected straight to the freezer paper. I saved a little time that day but did I ever pay for it yesterday!! There are lots of little pieces in the second kid’s face and for the life of me I could not get them to go back together right! Partly because some of the little pieces had missed getting a tic mark and partly because I had omitted the step of numbering the sewing sequence. These are very basic steps that I stress the importance of to my students so I do know better! It’s a good thing that I like jigsaw puzzles!

Consequently I did not make a lot of progress yesterday. This little guy is still missing an ear. That fabric on the edge is the piece I have been getting the eyes from. I wondered if it might also work in the borders. Hmmmm- not sure yet.

The good news-
Yesterday’s mail brought my first acceptance for 2010; news that “Just Dandy” was juried into the Mid Atlantic Quilt Festival in VA, Feb 25-28. “Just Dandy”was the one that won Best Wallhanging last summer at AQS Knoxville. And this morning I learned that SAQA’s exhibit “Points Of View” has had another venue added and will be shown at the new AQS show in Lancaster this spring. My piece, “The Old Homestead”, is part of that exhibit.

It’s time to decide on the shadows, I still think the black/gray is too harsh, plus the scrap I have may not be large enough for all of the kids.

I’m liking this blue batik better and it has areas with a gray/beigey cast that may be useful. And I have LOTS of it!

It looks even better with more seams sewn. Of course now I have to un-sew the first section and replace the grays.

That done, I’ve placed it into the whole pattern up on the design wall for context.

The shadow under the jaw needs to blend better with the one on the neck but it’s coming along. I’ve also begun to lay in some of the rock ledge.