Quilt show news to report–

“Snow Buddies” which is currently showing at Mid Atlantic Quilt Festival in VA has received an Honorable Mention Award.

“Splash”, which was rejected by Quilt National,  has been juried in to the AQS show in Paducah in April.

I spent yesterday afternoon checking it over for loose threads ends and adding it’s documentation tag and re-blocking it to get rid of the facing marks so it would be ready to go when the time comes.

Then I prepared the backing fabric for the prairie fire quilt. I am using a piece of home dec fabric which I like because it has good body and should hang well. However, it is treated to repel water, which could be problem when I try to block the finished wall hanging. I soaked it and scrubbed it in really hot water but it still may be a problem. I hope to get it layered today and maybe even start on the quilting.

The snow is really coming down and we are in for significant accumulation this time so it’s good to have a project!

It’s a little after 8 in the morning and I have already met the deadline and entered another show ,  “Snow Buddies” to Mancuso’s Mid Atlantic Quilt Fest.

After yesterday’s marathon at the computer, this feels good! Today I will have plenty of time to sew!

Spring Semester has started and I am taking two classes – another Art History one because I SO enjoyed the last one, and Yoga! They are both on the same days, Tuesdays and Thursdays so I only have to drive to town and back one time each day, but there is about three hours between them that I have to try to fill. This is a lot of time to be away from my sewing machine! Yesterday I decided to go to a movie and saw “The Judge”. It was pretty good.

I had hoped to sew today, but spent the whole morning on the computer, most of that time was spent on-line entering “Wild Fabrications”, a SAQA exhibit about nature. I entered three pieces, the max allowed, that meant preparing and sizing 6 photographs and gathering all of the pertinent information and doing the online entry. It is very time consuming but better than the “old” days when I would have had a couple of trips to town for slide development!

I had been looking forward to getting a lot done on the new prairie fire piece today, but now it’s already after 3 o’clock, so that is not going to happen!

Here is where I left off:

There has been some controversy lately on QA concerning judging and originality, as some of this years top winners at IQF in Houston were pretty much direct copies of the work of other artists.    Nothing illegal there as the works were either in the public domain or used with permission. However this renders the new work NOT original as the decisions about subject, composition and sometimes color were already made by someone else.

My entry, “Jesse At The Lake� was inspired by a photo that I took myself and used artistic license to tweak the composition and the colors. All of the design decisions were original and my own. This prompted me to have another look at the judge’s sheets and all three judges marked the “Original in Design� space with a check mark for satisfactory. I feel it was very original and deserved a “+� mark. This is not a subjective decision that a judge can decide. Either it is original or it isn’t. I wonder how that space was marked on the entries in question. Entrants are required to disclose where the inspiration came from, and a simple check on that would have revealed that the works were recognizable copies and totally lacking in originality. As such they should not have been rewarded with an award in a category that requires originality.

I got up really early yesterday morning to see the total eclipse of the moon. The sky was clear and the view was great! Then about half way through some clouds moved in and it was touch and go; but even then it was beautiful with the clouds all backlit. You can see the interesting reddish glow that was the shadow of the Earth.

Most of my pictures were pretty bad because it’s hard to hold the camera still enough but I’m sure you saw better ones on the news or online. At least I was there!

Here’s my latest masterpiece!

“Splash” 40 x 40″. The timing was right and the quality good enough, I thought, to enter it into Quilt National this year. They require that the work be kept undercover so I usually don’t have anything available to enter. They did not accept it so I am free to show it now. I used a combination of hand dyed and commercially printed fabrics in this entirely pieced, larger than life toddler.  I especially like the way the batik contains reflection colors and some white that looks like foamy waves. Most of the fabrics in the hair are printed “grass” fabrics. Heavily machine quilted with various threads to compliment the fabrics.

We had our first frost last night so it’s a good thing we brought all the tender plants inside for the winter. Brrrr– I am not ready for this! We didn’t get much of the predicted rain but I did, at least, get out and plant some of the seeds I have been given.

Last evening was First Friday at the Topeka Art Guild Gallery and we had a better than usual turnout for the reception. Since it was our annual judged show of Kansas themed art from Kansas artists, there was perhaps more publicity, so that was gratifying. My entry, “Prairie Power” was awarded Third Place against some very tough competition.

Good news, this week, “Bignonia” went out to AQS Des Moines,

and “Snow Buddies” to LaConner in Washington;

also the little Yorkie 12 x 12 quilt was sent to Houston for their Benefit Auction. Can you find the changes I made?

The SAQA Silent Auction starts next week; check it out at www.saqa.com/memberArt.php?cat=34

My entry, “Iris”, comes up in the third week, I believe.

Bad news this week from Houston, “Fur Family Portrait” did not win anything in “Raining Cats and Dogs” and apparently “Jesse At The Lake” did not either as I have not heard anything about that. Well, it’s good to have at least gotten work in and hanging there!

It’s been rainy and cooler here and I’ve dug a bunch of Surprise Lily bulbs to get them out of my flower beds. They need a place of their own. They were especially beautiful this year, but they crowd their neighbors too much and just have to move! I have lots to do outside now with cooler weather.

With cooler weather, I have been working outside more, but still, quilting at least a little most days on the current work. It is maybe half finished at this time. The Daylily club had their show and contest and I usually go to admire the flowers and get some of the free plants they hand out.  This year I chose “Cinnamon Circle” and was given two – my husband right behind me also got two, so I planted then on the bank next to the storm shelter.  They should bloom yellow with a lime green throat and cinnamon edges with a bit of a ruffle. Should look nice next to the gray concrete.

News came this week that my entry to IQF in Houston was juried in to the contest “World of Beauty” in the category for “people”. It is a relief to have the acceptance letter!

I had already heard earlier that “Fur Family Portrait” will be there in the “Raining Cats and Dogs” contest, so this means I will have two pieces there this year – maybe I should think about going!

I am woefully behind, can’t believe it has been so long since I have posted, but I have been busy!

I did manage to get a photo of “Jesse At The Lake”, on display at the art guild.  This guy was impressed that  I had even included the pulley mechanism!

With the sewing machine off to the shop getting cleaned I was able to spend some time working outside and drawing some new projects for later.  After I got the sewing machine back, I made 25 more matted 4X6’s to donate to the Topeka Art Guild’s fundraiser, last time I checked there were only 7 left.  30 @ $7.50 = $225.00 for them- nothing for me!

I also made my annual 12 x 12 for the SAQA auction, which needs to be there by the 1st of June.  It went into the mail this morning.  I had a challenge to use the hand dyed material

that I made at an art quilting group that I belong to, so I used those fabrics in the flower and leaves plus another hand dye by Judy Robertson for the background.

The little quilts will be auctioned off online this fall.

While the dogs quilt was hanging on the design wall, finished, I saw something that bothered me, so after I got my machine back I fixed that; time was becoming an issue as it needed to be entered soon.

Actually there were quite a few entries that needed to be made, entries that were due from May 29 – June 6, so for the last two days I have entered IQA World of Beauty and Raining Cats and Dogs, AQS, DesMoines, Aullwood and the SAQA auction.  It sounds easy, but involves getting and preparing photos with differing requirements for each one and generally jumping through a lot of hoops.

“Eagles Soar” has been accepted to the Denver National show which will be May 1-4 in Denver. I’m shipping it out today.

My entries to the Kaw Valley Quilt Guild show both received Viewer’s choice awards in the wall quilts category. A First for “Snow Buddies”

and a Second for “Harrier Hunting”.

Thanks, everyone who voted, and thanks, MeaBernina for the $25.00 gift certificate!!

I’m hoping to finish the quilting on the new dogs quilt today or tomorrow, it seems to be taking forever, but as usual I am putting in a LOT of stitches! I have been spending quite a bit of time outside weeding and planting and am paying for it with spring allergy problems, which sap my energy.