Loreclectic

Times Flies

2012-01-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

Today I was messing around with paint and pens and discovered that my thoughts about time seemed to be showing up on the paper. Recently someone I know died way too young, I've been trying to catch up with a backlog at work, had to be on interminable hold taking care of unavoidable personal business, losing track of time while reading or watching television, enjoying relaxing, unstructured days off from work, and pondering what I'd like to accomplish in the new year. Too little, too much, rarely does time seem just right to me lately.

PIQF 2011

2011-10-16T22:38:00.000-07:00

Our fiber arts group, Fibervision, had an exhibition at Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, California over this past weekend. This is a picture of my piece, Filtered Light. I took a picture in the redwood forest at the Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve in the Santa Cruz mountains last October when Jim and I were hiking in that area. The quilt is meant to celebrate when the sun broke through the overcast and, as the light filtered through the trees and warmed them, allowed the release of the magnificent balsam odor which is a signature of redwood forests. I am very pleased with this piece and overheard lots of positive feedback from viewers at the show.

New Views II

2011-09-27T20:12:00.001-07:00

Today was the ingathering of the pieces that will be in Fibervision's latest exhibit, New Views II, at the Cabrillo Pavillion Arts Center beginning tomorrow. We've got 60 pieces, almost all of it new work waiting to make its debut. Hope you can join us this Thursday, September 29th, from 5:30 to 7:30pm for the artist's reception.

Progress on Baby Trips Around the World

2011-09-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

Last month I posted a photo of the fabrics I am using to make this quilt for my grand-nephew. Today I spent a lazy Labor Day reading magazines, watching an old movie (Above Suspicion with Joan Crawford and Fred McMurray) and sewing a bit on this quilt. All the "blocks" are finished, it is just a matter of sewing them all to each other now and this is the first complete round. It is one busy quilt!

If I had to do it over again I think I would have paid more attention to the value changes and less attention to the prints on the fabric.

September Paper

2011-09-03T21:28:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been drawn to playing with paper and paint, perhaps doing some collage. I have also been thinking about my next quilt and using some kind of repeating circles and/or scallop shapes. So, I pulled out some paper, paints, bubble wrap, stamps and a purple marking pen and made this background. I may do some writing and collage on this paper version at some point, but will definitely do some sketching, planning, and fabric auditions based on this background tomorrow.

On The Fence

2011-09-03T11:50:00.001-07:00

Photo of the Day

Lavender & Tree

2011-09-01T21:20:00.001-07:00

Photo of the Day

Something about this tree with the lavender growing around the bottom of it really appeals to me, but haven't been able to figure out why. I'm sure it has something to do with the juxtaposition of lines. Thanks, Pammy Jane!

Free Motion Practice

2011-08-29T18:50:00.001-07:00

Several women in my Fibervision group are doing a free-motion quilting practice round robin. I had a pile of three pieces I needed to do and send along. Yesterday I finally had a chance to do it. Interestingly enough, I seemed to get worse as the day went along! I'm almost positive that is not the way practice, practice, practice is supposed to work.

The blue pattern, Pebble Ripples, is one I saw on Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project blog. If you are a machine quilter and you haven't heard about Leah's project, you ought to check it out.

A different Arrellaga Tree

2011-08-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Photo of the Day

This very tall tree has the most amazing blooms at the very top.

Guess The Decade

2011-08-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

Photo of the Day

There are several panels of this architectural detail on a building I pass on my daily walk. I'm thinking it was built in the 60's and it is amazing that it is still there.

Mystery In the Park

2011-08-16T20:34:00.001-07:00

Everyday when I walk to work I pass Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens (Alice Keck Park Park). This morning as I walked past the Arrellaga Street gate, I saw these three paintings set in various locations. Who painted them? Why were they there? Is somebody releasing their masterpieces to live freely in the world or discarding failures? I don't know the answers to those questions, but it was fun to see art in the "wild." It was all still there when I walked home for lunch. Wonder if it will still be there tomorrow morning.

A Lovely Gift

2011-08-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

Photo of the Day

From a huge bunch of organically grown roses given to me as a gift. Not only were they incredibly beautiful, but the fragrance was heavenly.

Progress on Filtered Light

2011-08-14T20:57:00.001-07:00

Today my friends, Mary and Linda, and I got together to work on our pieces for the upcoming Fibervision exhibit, On Our Way, at Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, California. They are a lot further along than I am. They spent the day finishing bindings and hanging sleeves and I spent the day finishing the actual quilting of the piece. The other day I showed some of the free-motion work I did on the piece and today I worked on the straight lines.

This piece had some new challenges for me. I usually do all-over quilting in order to avoid the piece being distorted by different densities of stitching in different places. I wanted to quilt this piece to emphasize the idea of light filtering amongst trees and had very specific quilting patterns in mind. I am very pleased with the results and finally believe I will have this piece ready in time for the due date.

More to follow.

Out of Practice

2011-08-12T19:01:00.001-07:00

Was lucky enough to have an extra day off this week and spent most of the day machine quilting my newest piece, Filtered Light. Well, not most of the day because I did some serious procrastinating first. Early in the day I washed and reorganized the plastic containers I use during fabric painting and dyeing, changed a light bulb and thoroughly washed the fixture, scrubbed a kitchen step ladder that has needed it for weeks, etc. You get the picture. When I am cleaning everything in sight, you can be pretty darned sure there's something else I am not dealing with!

Finally, I sat down with my machine and my quilt and began with the quilting I planned out last week. Not only am I out of practice, but apparently sewing machines can get out of practice, too. It took us a bit of concentration and patience to get a good rhythm going and still, I am unhappy with the results. The only cure for it is to quilt something more often.

The top photo is closer to the correct colors for this piece. More photos to come as things progress.

A Quilt Begins

2011-08-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

Today my friend, Mary, and I went to the Creation Station in Buellton, California to pull fabrics so I can make a baby Trip Around the World quilt for my new grandnephew, Brom. I felt like I had really lost my TAW juju and needed the support of my color-gifted pal. We had fun grabbing fabrics and tossing them around until we found this fun combination and I'm looking forward to putting it all together. There's some great flannel for the back with big green frogs, will post some photos soon.

Arrellaga Sidewalk

2011-08-10T23:31:00.000-07:00

Photo of the Day

It was a very cold and grey morning in Santa Barbara today, this piece of stone off to the side of the sidewalk seems to be reflecting the sky in its coloration.

Lantana

2011-07-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

Not posting anything I've made today, but sharing some of the beautiful lantana I see daily on my walks to and from work. I have loved lantana ever since I was a little kid, loved the little bundles of even tinier flowers, loved the smell and look of the little berries the plant forms as it goes to seed. It has been delightful to observe five different colors of them in the course of five or six blocks. I should plant a mess of them in my front yard.

October Break

2010-10-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Jim and I just got back from a few days in the San Francisco Bay area. We went to museums, saw movies, ate Ipswich clams at Woodhouse Fish Company, walked in a redwood preserve, visited a goat farm and had dinner at a haunted restaurant in Moss Beach. It was a great few days and we are trying to maintain that vacation feeling until it's time to go back to work.

At the California Academy of Sciences:

At Purisima Creek Redwood Preserve:

Goat cheese with edible flowers from Harley Farms in Pescadero:

Last breakfast in Pacifica:

Another Cat Step

2010-09-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

Today I finished painting the printed cat postcards. Each one is a bit different and will have some more embellishment once they've been quilted.
I did finish one completely today since it has to get in the mail bearing birthday wishes to a dear friend tomorrow.

Next Step In One Small Project

2010-09-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

Here is the next step in my snowflake coasters project. The paint is cured and I took the freezer paper off. My intention was to go a bit further with them this weekend by adding some machine and hand stitching, but my sister came for a couple of days and brought my youngest grandson, so it was off to the Sea Center to hold some sea cucumbers and pet a shark followed by beach-combing for shells and cool rocks. I can work on the snowflakes next week.

I will have to come up with something extra creative because I overshot some of the freezer paper in a couple of places on the copper pieces and got some paint in the wrong places around the outer edges.

These seem to be calling out for some glitter and beads, but I'm not sure beads are a very good idea on the surface of a coaster. Seems that might make the glass that was set on it tip over! Kind of destroys the whole point of using a coaster in the first place.

A Few Small Projects

2010-09-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I decided to start working with the book Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists by Carla Sonheim, hoping that some directed projects would get my creative juices jumping. The first exercise is drawing cats and this little feline is so cute that I made a screen out of it for printing. Today I printed a green background out of an older screen on some hand-dyed fabric and topped it with my cat. These will become fabric postcards.

There was so much of the purple/black paint left that I grabbed one of my clean up rags and printed a couple of my other screens on it. The clean up rags that result from my dyeing and painting days are usually some of the best fabrics I have. These are some cool turtles and one scary Halloween spider. They'll get cut apart and used separately. Don't know exactly how they'll get used, but something fun will come along.

Another thing I started today is a little project from the new Quilting Arts Gifts magazine. Cut out some snowflake stencils and used some Shiva Artist's Paintstiks in copper and white to fill them in. Now to wait a week for the paint to cure before the stitching starts

The Return of Pedro

2010-07-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

I know I've been away from my blog for a long time, but I haven't been having a very creative year, so it didn't seem like there was much to share. This post still isn't about anything I've made, but many of you know about the great cactus stealing caper in last August and I thought you might enjoy this follow-up.

Now, when I chased after the machete-wielding thieves, I scared (yeah, right) them so badly they dropped one of the stolen chunks of cactus as they ran away. Jim dug a little hole for it, stuck it in the ground and crossed his fingers. Yesterday we came out of the house to discover that one of the fuzzy little nubs that had appeared on the top of the cactus had bloomed into this gorgeous flower:

Here's a closer photo:
And here's a very close up showing a little worker creature, doing his job and getting drunk on pollen:There are two more nubs on the top of this cactus, so hopefully in the next week we'll have more of these large, beautiful flowers. Those creeps chopped down our San Pedros, but these cactus are coming back and we've got the best parts!

A Fiber Artist Raises Money for Haiti

2010-01-24T19:57:00.000-08:00

The following is a copy of a blog post by my friend, Susan Italo. If you are interested in her offer of one of her original jackets in exchange for a donation to Doctors Without Borders in support of the Haitian people, please contact her directly at her blog (wildonionstudio.wordpress.com).

The devastation to Haiti is unimaginable to most of us, the Wild Onion household included. As an artist, I have racked my brain trying to figure out what to do to help. After 911, I made 10 quilts to send to various agencies to comfort those affected. For the people of Haiti, it seems to me that what is needed is medical attention.

I am offering an original Wild Onion Jacket, with the entire proceeds to be donated to Doctors Without Borders. If you would like to buy this jacket for $175, please email me. I will accept a check, made out to “Doctors Without Borders” in the amount of $175. I will pay the shipping to you. We all win– you get to donate to a worthy cause, and so, in a way, do I. Plus, you get an original Wild Onion Jacket to wear or give as a gift!

Here are the specifics: this is an original Wild Onion Jacket, created with love from 100% cotton fabrics, quilted with 80% cotton, 20% poly batting for warmth, stability and cuddliness. The easy fit jacket is a size Medium, fitting a size 8 – small 14; the length is upper thigh, to cover the derriere. Machine wash and dry– how easy is that!

Fun with Painted Shoes

2010-01-23T17:32:00.000-08:00

Today, after our regular Fibervision meeting, several of us stayed to experiment with painting shoes. We were led by the intrepid Linda Cassirer who leapt right into the joy of shoe painting after seeing Margot Silk Forrest and her book Sassy Feet! featured in the Dharma Trading Company newsletter. Linda generously shared her paint, her observations in the first few pairs she had painted, and her goal in apparently wanting to paint everything in her home which is currently in a neutral color. A couple of fellow Fiberettes had seen Margot at the Wearable Arts Connection meeting last year and were inspired by her, so knew we were in for some fun. Too bad Lucilla and Susan I. couldn't be there with us today.

The top photo is the group result of our afternoon (you can double click on the photo for a better view) and the second and third photos are the shoes I painted. Mine started out with plain black leather uppers with a very dull light jute for the wedge covering. In our enthsiasm, we forgot to take "before" photos. These shoes were provided by fellow artist, Anne Braddock, who found a couple of pairs of shoes at a second hand store that just cried out to be transformed and brought them along. I won't be wearing them because they are a smidge too small for me and she won't be wearing them because they do not fit her definition of comfortable.

Anybody interested in a pair of hand-painted, size 9 wedge shoes with a 4" heel?

School of Fish

2009-12-06T20:25:00.001-08:00

This school of fishes are fabric postcards that I took to the Elverhoj Museum to sell in the boutique there. The fabric backgrounds were painted with thickened dyes on cotton sateen, then screenprinted with seaweed and fish. The fish were machine quilted and embellished with rhinestone eyes and studs in various places. Tonight is the big Christmas celebration at the Elverhoj - I hope some of the revelers want to give these little guys a good home!

Redefining A Material World

2009-11-14T22:19:00.000-08:00

Tonight's reception for Redefining A Material World was so much fun! Esther Jacobsen Bates was the curator for the show and she did an excellent job of hanging the work and throwing a great artists reception. If you are traveling through Solvang, California between now and January 24th, be sure to stop by the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art for a fantastic display of fiberart. Plus, Fibervision members have stocked the boutique with some wonderful (and some are even practical) works of art that would be perfect for holiday gifts.

2009-11-12T20:10:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot to invite everyone to the artist's reception for Redefining a Material World - this Saturday, November 14 from 4pm to 6pm. Wish you could all be there!

Ya Win Some....

2009-10-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I finished up this small quilt entitled "Practice Interruptus" in time to enter it in the upcoming show "Redefining a Material World" at the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art in Solvang, California. Unfortunately, it wasn't selected for the show, but my other piece, "Arrellaga Tree" was chosen. I actually like this piece better, so am a tad disappointed,but now I get to enjoy it at home sooner than expected.

Mark your calendar - we will hold the artist's reception on Saturday, November 14 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Elverhoj.

New Views 2009

2009-09-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the reception last night for Fibervisions New Views 2009. The show looks fantastic and we had a great turn out. I will return to the Cabrillo Pavillion Arts Center sometime between now and when the show closes on September 27th to take some photos of my quilts hanging at the show. I was so busy taking crowd pictures last night that I forgot to take pictures of my own work.

Invitation Reminder

2009-09-09T08:01:00.001-07:00

I am so excited! Tonight is Fibervision's reception for New Views 2009. I have seen a couple of the pieces and a few photos, but am looking forward to see the exhibition in real life. Hope to see you tonight at the Cabrillo Pavillion Arts Center, 1118 East Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, CA. The reception is from 5:30 to 7:30 - there will be some great art and some great refreshments, You'll be sorry if you miss it!

The show is up until September 27, but the Cabrillo Pavillion is closed on weekends and has variable hours during the week because of various events held there. Please call 897-1983 to find out available viewing times.

Finally! Some Fiberart!

2009-09-01T22:28:00.000-07:00

Finished this piece at the last minute for entry into the Fibervision New Views 2009 show to be held at the Cabrillo Pavillion Arts Center for the month of September. Sorry for the poor photo, but I just didn't have time to set up the tripod and etc. before I had to be out the door to get the piece turned in this morning.

You might recognize the photo in the center from my earlier post about the tree that I see on my walk to work. I originally intended the piece to be hung in a vertical orientation so it more closely resembled the tree itself, but I found I liked it so much turned to the horizontal that I am keeping it that way. I'm still going to call it Arrellaga Tree!

I hope you get a chance to see the show if you are in Santa Barbara in September. And if you can, stop by the artist's reception on Wednesday, September 9th, from 5:30 - 7:30. Love to see you there.

Sunday Walk

2009-07-12T20:12:00.001-07:00

Today I went for a walk through Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens, or as we call it at home, Alice Keck Park Park. The waterlillies are abundant right now and there are dragonflies zip, zip, zipping everywhere.

Inspiration

2009-07-11T16:05:00.001-07:00

My friend, Pam Klebaum, posts inspirational photos on her blog on the days she has no art to post. I am blatantly copying her today and may do so again in the future!

I pass this tree every day on my walk to work and I just love to watch the changes it goes through. Right now there are several layers of bark visible, from the newest to the oldest. Beautiful color and texture changes.

Playing For Change | Peace Through Music

2009-07-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Playing For Change Peace Through Music

Fabric Jewels

2009-06-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

Here are the results of a fabric dyeing session yesterday with my friend, Linda Cassirer. We had fun and transformed a lot of yardage. I find myself a little frustrated because several of these pieces have white splotches where I used Procion Mx "Misty Gray". It just rinsed away, leaving unplanned white areas. This happened last time I used the Misty Gray, there must be some way to handle it that is different from the other colors. Anyway, these are all gorgeous in their own way. I'll post some more photos of some of the individual pieces later.

Last Week

2009-05-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

Last week I was lucky enough to be at Girl's-Week-Out in Kaua'i with my dear friends Mary and Linda. The top two photos are the view I got to see every day. Kaua'i is incredibly beautiful and we had a great time. I took tons of inspirational photos, we'll see where they lead.

Day Two

2009-05-07T07:58:00.001-07:00

These three photos were taken on the afternoon of May 6th in the space of about 40 minutes that started with an almost clear sky. We were lulled into a false sense of well-being during the day because the winds were blowing away from Santa Barbara during the day and the smoke could barely be detected in the sky. At about 3:30 pm an incredible windstorm blew in and everything changed.

I left this location at the office where I work and went home (six blocks toward the smoke you see here) through 60 mph wind gusts laden with smoke and huge hunks of ash raining down. It was 95 degrees before the windstorm and the temperature steadily rose during. These winds pushed the fires into the residential areas of the foothills above Santa Barbara, so homes have been lost once again. Not nearly as many as in the Tea Fire, but similar conditions are expected again today so anything could happen despite the increased air support coming in to fight the fires from the air today.

It is Thursday morning, day three. Our car is packed and we are home despite being under evacuation orders. We are watching news reports and observing conditions and are ready to leave at a moment's notice. Thanks to everyone who has called to offer concern, support, and a place to go if we have to leave. We are grateful for our friends and families always, but especially appreciate your support now.

Once Again

2009-05-05T19:13:00.001-07:00

Once more, there is a wildfire in the hills behind Santa Barbara. This fire is in the unburned area between what burned during last July's Gap Fire and last November's Tea Fire. And once again, we are under a high wind warning. For the past few days the temperatures have been in the 70s until near sundown when the wind kicks up and the temperature rises. No homes have burned in this Jesusita fire yet, but there is a large mandatory evacuation area. It will be another long night in Santa Barbara.

Fiberart For A Cause Finale

2009-05-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

Virginia Spiegel is ending Fiberart For A Cause following this final Collage Mania sale which starts today. The works are donated by artists to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. I have been involved since the first postcard sale, not long after my father died of cancer, and have been thrilled to see how much money has been raised by those who love fiberarts. I don't have a piece in this sale, but I'm going off now to make a purchase!

Collage Mania, a Fiberart For A Cause fundraiser for the American CancerSociety, opens today (Tuesday, May 5) at 10 a.m. CDT. There is an officialclock on the first page of Collage Mania, a Fiberart For A Cause fundraiser for the American CancerSociety, opens today (Tuesday, May 5) at 10 a.m. CDT. There is an official clock on the first page of collages:http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/CM2009Collages1.html

Choose from 383 fiberart collages (many of them small art quilts) donated by161 artists from around the world. Each artwork is finished or mounted to8x10". Today's minimum donation to the American Cancer Society is $80; the minimum donation drops to $40 on May 6 and 7. All the details on how to acquire collages is here:http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/CollageMania09Directions.html

Our goal is to raise at least $20,000 for the ACS in just three days. Thank you for your support!

A New Purse

2009-04-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I figured it was time for me to post something to this blog despite the fact that I have not been doing very much creatively lately, so here's my new purse. That's right, I am now carrying a rubber chicken purse. I have always liked things that are a bit whimsical and I think this fits the bill. I just crack up every time I look at it. My sister once told me she wasn't going to be seen with me when I bought some polka-dot rain boots, looks like she'll have to avoid me again!

Time Sure Flies ....

2009-02-18T21:35:00.000-08:00

I was shocked to see how long it has been since I posted anything to this blog! I would have sworn it was only about a month! I sure hope I was having fun during that time that was flying by.

The only things I've completed in fabric are the postcards above. It was very hard to photograph the President Barack Obama card because one of the things I did was attach the photo with gel medium and a stiff brush to show the brush marks, but the glossy gel caused reflection in the photo and partially obscures the face. I didn't get a chance to get a better photo before the card went on to its new home.

I'll be back with something before three more months go by!

Faces

2008-11-22T16:25:00.000-08:00

Today, after the Fibervision business meeting, member Rene Jennings led a fantasy faces workshop. She wanted to make this last workshop of 2008 easy and fun and she certainly succeeded. Rene brought all the supplies and gave us basic instructions, encouraging us to relax and just play with the prepared fabrics. Thanks, Rene, we had a great time. I think mine is going to need a neck and some shoulders though, right now it kind of looks like a skeletal floating pirate head (perhaps I am still under the influence of my earlier Halloween post).

Mary Norton gave me permission to post a photo of her face, too. Love those eyelashes!

The Tea Fire

2008-11-20T17:10:00.000-08:00

A week ago tonight a horrific wildfire broke out in the hills of Montecito, right above Santa Barbara. It was a night of wild winds that drove the fire from ridge to ridge and the reports of new areas breaking out in flames kept getting worse all night. When the winds died down on Friday morning, 239 homes had been lost, thirteen people had been injured and one elderly man in fragile health died while being evacuated. Jim and I were lucky to have only been in the evacuation warning area with plenty of time to pack and prepare even though we never actually had to leave, but I know four families who have lost their homes and several who's homes were spared but are surrounded by devastation.

Tonight this area of California is under high wind warning and fire alert again. Very unsettling.

I did go to the last watercolor class of the quarter on Tuesday because substitute teacher #1, Peggy Oki, called and asked me to come. She brought supplies for collage and this collage entitled "Tea Fire" practically made itself. Guess I had something to work out. Don't know yet if this will have another version in fabric or if paper is sufficient.

Knew We Could!

2008-11-04T22:03:00.001-08:00

Woohoo! Looks like we, the people, get our country back! What an exciting opportunity after the last eight years of destruction of our civil liberties, our economy, and our place in the world. This is truely an historic event and a time to be optomistic about the future.

Sunflower Postcard

2008-11-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

While going through some photos stored on my computer, I found this photo of the first fabric postcard I made for the first fundraising event that Virginia Spiegel held for FFAC. I remember both she and I were amazed that it sold within fifteen minutes of being posted on the sale website because it was at 2:00 a.m.! I also remember checking the website frequently during that sale since new things were coming in all the time and you had to act fast if you found something you wanted to buy.

Halloween - No Art, All Chat

2008-11-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to spend Halloween at Disneyland with my daughter and grandkidlets. My sister was there, too, but she didn't choose to pose with Pooh. I love Disneyland and love these people, so I was very happy yesterday. The boys were in costume earlier in the day:

Grandgirl couldn't decide if she wanted to dress up and what she wanted to wear if she did, so settled for a Nightmare Before Christmas tee-shirt.

Speaking of Nightmare, I loved the way the Haunted Mansion was decorated for the holiday:

Took the train home from Anaheim and was so glad I spent the extra money for a reserved business class seat. The rest of the cars were full (some folks were even standing), primarily with kids headed for UCSB/Isla Vista and the insanity of that Halloween celebration. It sounded like the party was in full swing before we even got out of Los Angeles - hope all those kids are safe and sound today.

A Fun Way to Support FFAC

2008-10-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

Linda Matthews of Creative Textiles and Quilting Arts is making her ebook "Machine Wrapped Cording" available as a $5 download in support of the American Cancer Society. Linda is fellow participant in Fiberart for a Cause, donating funds raised in the sale of the book directly to ACS. Initially I couldn't think of what I would do with machine wrapped cording, but I purchased my copy (it was fast and easy to download), I've read through it and look forward to an opportunity to play with some of the techniques. Maybe the book will spark some creative ideas for you, too. If not, you've supported a good cause.

As Linda describes the book, "This multimedia ebook includes step-by-step instructions for making wrapped cording on your sewing machine, including video, sample photos, options and applications, tips and tricks, and resources. The ebook requires the current version of Adobe Reader which is free, and contains its own flash player so you can view the video on your desktop without the hassle of downloading any further software. It also contains a printable copy of the lessons which you can use to compile a workbook for your samples."

I'd love to see the results of your experiments if you buy the book and give the technique a try.

Learning Curve?

2008-10-16T08:40:00.001-07:00

This quarter I began taking a watercolor class at Santa Barbara City College Continuing Education. So far, not so good. The scheduled teacher was unable to teach and for the last three weeks we've had a substitute for the substitute. I haven't learned much about using watercolors except how to mix a cool or warm black.

Last Tuesday, the teacher brought hand-outs about using pen and ink along with watercolor wash. It is amusing that I'm now doing the same kind of things in this class that I do with fabric. I drew a little turtle, painted over it, then laid some plastic wrap over the wet paint to create this mottled, textured background. Maybe next week I'll learn to discharge and overdye watercolor paper! Or paint some fabric and lay plastic wrap over it.

Blog Action Day - Poverty

2008-10-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

Today is blog action day, a day where participating bloggers write on the same subject in the hope of opening conversations and perhaps sparking new ideas on a given subject. The subject today is poverty. We all know of many places where we can give our time and money to assist those among us who are hungry, homeless, and suffering other ill effects of poverty, so I am not writing today with a list of organizations you can support. Instead, I would like to share some information about fundamental changes in attitude toward global abundance and wealth and in support of optimism despite the dire news we are currently bombarded with each day. I am recommending a book entitled Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet by Jeffrey D. Sachs.

Publishers Weekly sums it up much better than I can: "In this sobering but optimistic manifesto, development economist Sachs (The End of Poverty) argues that the crises facing humanity are daunting—but solutions to them are readily at hand. Sachs focuses on four challenges for the coming decades: heading off global warming and environmental destruction; stabilizing the world's population; ending extreme poverty; and breaking the political logjams that hinder global cooperation on these issues. The author analyses economic data, demographic trends and climate science to create a lucid, accessible and suitably grim exposition of looming problems, but his forte is elaborating concrete, pragmatic, low-cost remedies complete with benchmarks and budgets. Sachs's entire agenda would cost less than 3% of the world's annual income, and he notes that a mere two days' worth of Pentagon spending would fund a comprehensive antimalaria program for Africa, saving countless lives. Forthright government action is the key to avoiding catastrophe, the author contends, not the unilateral, militarized approach to international problems that he claims is pursued by the Bush administration. Combining trenchant analysis with a resounding call to arms, Sachs's book is an important contribution to the debate over the world's future. (Mar.)"

Today I am asking that you set aside the news headlines and think for awhile on poverty as a global problem that we can, indeed, remedy with determination and a compassionate, thoughtful approach that includes everyone on the planet.

Making Changes

2008-10-12T21:24:00.001-07:00

The art group I belong to, Fibervision, has a challenge this year. We brought tops or quilts that we were not satisfied with, traded them around and then took other people's rejects home to transform them into fabulous works of art. The piece I got was a completed top, layered with batting and a backing and partially quilted. Since I got ahold of it, it has been bleached, painted, had photos glued to it, been cut up, had fabric added to it and sewn back together. It was hard to slice into Mary Norton's nearly completed piece, but I screwed up my courage and did it.

Since we are not to reveal the results until December, I am only posting a detail here. I'm pretty satisfied so far, but there is still time to get carried away or get fabulous.

Promoting My Favorite Artists

2008-09-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

The art quilt group I belong to, Fibervision, has a show coming up in October. I've got the top of one new piece finished, I'm certain I will have it done in time. Was hoping for more than one new piece, but time is getting short.

Promoting My Favorite Writer

2008-09-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

BEACHSIDE WRITERS PRESENTS FICTION by JIM ALEXANDER

At Carpinteria Arts Center

855 Linden Ave.

Carpinteria, CA

Saturday, September 13th at 4:00 p.m.

Jim Alexander writes a humor column, "notes from downtown," for the Montecito Journal. His short story "Baby Grand" was recently published in Carpinteria Magazine. A short story from his collection of connected stories, Paint Chip Tales, was performed in 2008 at Speaking of Stories.

and MARCY LUIKART
Marcy Luikart’s short stories have appeared in Bellowing Ark, The Iconoclast, Pagonlin Papers, QWF and Beginnings. In 2003 she won first place for fiction at the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference. She has just completed her first novel, Riverbraids.

Readings followed by OPEN MIC to share your poetry or 5 minute prose.
For info call 684-4716

More Fabric from Dye Day

2008-09-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

Love these fabrics! I'll put up a few each day and hope my readers love them. It is very hard to not order dyes and supplies and make new fabric everyday.

There are several things wrong with having my own dyeing supplies: First, I live in a teeny house which is already filled to the brim with my art/quilt supplies and, second, I would never make another piece of art. I would simply make fabric, fabric, and more fabric until there would only be little trails through my house amidst the towering walls of fabric. I might never find Jim again, he'd be trapped back in the computer room, so absorbed in his writing that he wouldn't even notice that the door was completely blocked. Thank goodness for friends who share and save us from this fate.

Dye Day Saturday

2008-08-31T16:25:00.001-07:00

I don't own the supplies for hand-dyeing fabric. I'm usually content to paint fabric for the colors and textures that I want, but about two times a year I manage to wrangle an invitation to the workshop of one of my friends who do dye their own fabrics. Yesterday a group of us made a day of it at the home of Susan Italo, all 'round talented artist.

Left to right: Susan Italo, Judy Rys, Linda Cassirer, and Mary Norton. All happily playing with dyes and fabrics.Now, here's a picture of "the hard part". After we had applied dye, we had to let it batch for four hours. It just sits there. We aren't supposed to poke it or pick it up to see what's happening. We just wait. We originally had a plan to work on some self-portraits while waiting for the dye to strike, but somehow that turned into eating too much wonderful food, drinking wine, and drowsing until we roused ourselves in order to have some espresso and chocolate trifle.

I'll post a couple of pieces of the fabric I created. Somehow several of us ended up with more white areas than we wanted, but in my case, have paints, will transform white into something else.

Having a Day?

2008-08-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

If it's a good one, watching this video will affirm it and if it's a bad one, watching this video will help.

Click through: http://www.vimeo.com/1211060

Two Weeks???

2008-08-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

The fabric with the Presist on it was driving me to distraction! How in the world could I wait two weeks for the paint to cure? Well, I couldn't. The instructions for the Presist say that it can withstand heat and steam so I decided to heat set the Setacolor this afternoon. It was pretty obvious to me that the still-tacky Presist might withstand being ironed, but my iron certainly couldn't withstand the Presist. I laid a paper towel over the fabric and here's what happened:

Little bits of paper towel everywhere, but my iron stayed clean. Next I popped the fabric into some lukewarm water and the Presist pretty much dissolved right away. There were a couple of places I had to rub a bit, but not much. I also noticed there was the slightest bit of blue tinge to the water, so perhaps it would have been wise to wait the full two weeks. Nahhh.

So, here's the fabric to this point, I'll be working with it more. Oh, I tried some discharge paste in one corner and it had no effect, so I'll be adding-on, not taking-away.

And a Couple More Pieces of Fabric

2008-08-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

This is the last piece of fabric that I worked on Saturday. I applied Presist with a syringe to a plain piece of PFD cotton. This weekend I will paint it red, then wait a couple weeks, remove the Presist and paint it again with yellow. I'm trying to get a piece of deep red orange fabric with yellow markings. I have been thinking about a piece inspired by Buddhist thangkas - not as much detail as many of them have, but my own version.

Now, this piece of fabric was created by Mary Norton. She doesn't like it, she was going to throw it away. I like it, I took it instead. It inspires several surface design ideas for me, most of them better applied once the piece is quilted. I'll try to get at least the quilting done this week.

More Fiddling Around with Fabric

2008-08-18T19:52:00.001-07:00

Found some great black cotton sateen at Baron's Fabrics in Camarillo, California. And doesn't great black fabric just beg to have some discharge paste applied? The top photo was stamped with a little plastic lid (in a couple of places I stamped too enthusiastically and you can actually read the word "Dixie"), then I loaded a syringe with the discharge paste and scribbled and made dots. The second piece is a little journal of the day of surface design, again using the syringe loaded with the discharge paste. I found that as I wrote, little bits of fabric fuzz stuck to the tip of the applicator and made the writing blotchier as I went along. In this case, it didn't really matter because I will cut this fabric up when I use it, but it was a useful lesson.

This Is More Like It

2008-08-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

Today, my friends, Linda Cassirer and Mary Norton, and I spent a day playing with various techniques and surface design products. We were each working on entirely different projects, but it was great fun to be experimenting in close proximity and be able to benefit from each other's opinions and suggestions as we pursued our own interests.

The first picture is a piece of fabric painted with Pebeo Setacolor to lay down a foundation for using a resist to create texture and depth in fabric painting:

And the next step, once the paint was dry, was to apply some Presist:

And once the Presist was dry, painting again with another color:The Presist is to be removed to let the original colors show through, but since it is removed with water, the paint will cure for two weeks before taking it off. I'll post that step when it happens.

It sure felt good to be flinging color around today!

Ho-Hum

2008-08-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well, this is what happens when you lose your creative mojo. You make nothing for several months and then end up making perhaps the most colorless shirt on the planet! It's almost like an example of "use it or lose it" of the color-joy muscle. After Jim wears it in a wedding next week, I am going to go wild with the surface design. The worst that could result is that he'll never wear it again. In the meantime, I'd better make a committment to do some kind of art every day in order to keep all the color from running out of my life!

More Painted Fabric

2008-05-25T16:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday at Fibervision we had a fabric painting workshop - these are the two pieces I created. I need to commit some time to making art from some of these wonderful fabrics. In real life the colors are not so close as they look in these photos. I really enjoy this technique, I can start with a vague idea of the colors I want and end up with something either close or nowhere near, but still interesting.

Back to the World

2008-05-12T21:47:00.001-07:00

Last week I was fortunate enough to spend three days taking a workshop with artist Liz Berg at Sandy Turner's Out of Hands and Hearts retreat at Cambria Pines Lodge in Cambria, California. The workshop focused on principles of design in order to create successful abstract art. I didn't think to take photos during the workshop, nor are the small pieces I created in the class worth posting, but the class was a great opportunity to hear how the creative process works for one of my favorite artists and provided me with inspiration and plenty to think about as I go about creating my own work in the future.

Of course, I returned to the office today, landing with a solid thud in the midst of daily life. I know my life is pretty darned good, but I certainly miss days filled with art, having my meals provided on a regular schedule, a room straightened and vacuumed daily by someone else, and happy hour with Cadillac Margaritas at half price while chatting and laughing with like-minded women. Now that I've spent some time with Jim, slept in my own bed a few nights and done some laundry, I'm ready to go back. Sigh.

The two top photos above were taken on the grounds at Cambria Pines Lodge. I love the sense of humor that came up with the "flower bed." The crow was at this fountain almost every time I walked by and seemed very comfortable with having people around. The third photo is some flotsam washed up on Moonstone Beach that caught my attention as a very appealing natural composition.

California Spring

2008-04-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago some friends and I spent a day in the Santa Ynez Valley and were dazzled by the luscious green hills and the profusion of wild flowers everywhere. Poppies were even coming up through the cracks in the pavement. Gorgeous day and great fun with good friends. Sorry I don't have any photos to share.

I am participating in the postcard exchange for the Cyber Fyber Exhibition being sponsored by Susan Lenz and was inspired to create my own version of the green hills, the lupine, and the poppies for her. The card is made from commercial fabric stamped with gold metallic ink, stenciled with foil glue then foiled with silver, foil glue randomly applied and foiled with green, and embroidery.

All traded postcards will be displayed at CYBER FYBER, January 8 - 20, 2009 at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios in Columbia, SC. Check out Susan's blog for all the exchanges, I'm #139.

Buddha Abides

2008-03-29T19:49:00.001-07:00

I am pleased to report that my piece Opening to a Compassionate Heart - Lessons from the Bodhisattva Quan Yin was accepted in the 8th annual Buddha Abides contemporary art exhibition. This is a highly-regarded show in Santa Barbara and I am honored to be included for the third time. The show includes a dana with 20% of profits donated to Santa Barbara Domestic Violence Solutions and Tibetan Children's Village. The show is at The Frameworks Caruso-Woods Contemporary Arts Gallery at 813 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara. It runs from April 1 - 30, 2008 with the opening reception held Saturday, April 5, from 5-8pm. Hours at the gallery are Tuesday through Friday from 10-5 and Saturday from 11-3.

I saw a lot of great art at the ingathering today. This is one great show and I hope to see you there.

Coming back to bite me ......

2008-03-16T18:20:00.001-07:00

Ya know the old saying about your words coming back to bite you? Well, I think I'm bit! Here is a photo of the piece I am working on to enter in the Buddha Abides show. I am pleased with it so far...... but ......

Sometime back, fellow fiber artist Judy Rys and I were discussing the quilting aspect of our work and I told her I felt pretty lucky because the quilting pattern usually came to me along with the vision of the work content. So, dear reader, you can probably guess that I haven't a clue what to do with this. I stare at it for awhile, close my eyes and try to visualize it quilted, picked the threads in the hope that would kick start me, but nooooo, still no inspiration. I decided to just forget about it for about a day and see if anything wafted into my head, but again, no. I came in this afternoon after attending the Santa Barbara Symphony and, I swear, it smirked at me. I don't think it is appropriate for a Buddhism-themed piece to be so argumentative. There's probably a lesson here, I'll keep you posted.

Hands

2008-03-02T21:39:00.001-08:00

Last month Fibervision invited Brecia Kralovic-Logan to speak to us about creativity and give a brief trunk show of her beautiful work. Brecia was a very inspirational speaker and left us with lots to think about and ideas to jump-start our creativity when we get stuck or discouraged. And envy of the beautiful garments she brought along.

We did several exercises and for the one shown above, we traced around our hand and decorated it as our heART's desired. While I was working on it, I got very inspired about a piece I would like to create for the Buddha Abides exhibit which will be juried later this month. Here is a picture of the hand I am starting with for this project:

Beading with Deana Hartman

2008-02-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

Today I took a beading class taught by Deana Hartman and sponsored by Coastal Quilters Guild of Santa Barbara and Goleta. It was well attended and so much fun. I have a gazillion beads, picked up at various quilt shows and at bead shops I have visited under the influence of friends but, until now, I have scattered beads here and there on the occasional quilt, without understanding the true value of the little glass treasures. I'm a changed woman, now! Deana is a talented and organized teacher and taught many stitches, simple and advanced, but I was so fascinated with the effects of the bead collage that it was all I did. Here is a detail of the area I spend the majority of my time today:

Wolf Moon is a small quilt that I made several years ago when I was making a series of quilts based on names of the full moons from various folk or Native American traditions. I liked it before, but it is really turning into something special now.

One Great Day

2008-02-10T15:15:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was such a great day! When I list things in my life to be grateful for, every factor of my day yesterday will be included. My two wonderful friends took me to Empress Pavillion in Los Angeles for dim sum brunch, followed by a trip to FIDM to see the exhibition of costumes from about a dozen movies made in 2007.

I'd never been to a restaurant that specializes in dim sum like the Empress Pavillion and was it an adventure. Bear with me if you already know the drill - huge room, at least one hundred tables, servers and bus boys dashing everywhere, and, best of all, the dim sum women and their carts trundling around, dispensing the goodies. It took us a bit to get the hang of it, but we soon discovered that if we wanted the attention of the cart-bearer, we had best raise our hands and wave for all we were worth, because she who hesitates is lost in obtaining the best dim sum. We learned our favorites of the day and, personally, I feel ready to return soon to get the best again, and try some new dish.

Then we inched our way throught the traffic for the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Rat parade for a very long time to get a few blocks over to FIDM for the costumes. We stopped for coffee and since it was warm and gorgeous in Los Angeles, we sat out in the little park at FIDM while I opened my birthday gifts. My friends are women of amazing generosity and taste, so I received wonderful things from Linda including earrings and special soap from Kauai and this:

Doesn't everybody need a peeler with a monkey handle?

And

Handmade by Mary.

Am I not one of the luckiest people in the world?

The costumes at FIDM were fascinating, though we agreed, not quite as intriguing as in years past. One again, the favorites included the things that had the most texture, a couple of pieces from The Golden Compass, the wicked queen costume from Enchanted, and an amazing and understated black dress from La Vie En Rose. There was a dress from 3:10 To Yuma that could be overlooked due to the dull and faded colors, but it was a masterpiece of detail.

All in all, a beautiful winter day in Southern California, good food, and good friends. I have so much to be grateful for.

Yes We Can

2008-02-06T19:24:00.000-08:00

In this new year, I do believe we can.....

Symbolism in Chinese Textiles at SBMA

2008-02-03T17:10:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, my friend, fiber artist Mary Norton, and I went to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art to see Everyday Luxury: Chinese Silks of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). We also attended a lecture entitled Hidden Meanings in Chinese Costumes and Textiles by Terese Tse Bartholomew, recently retired Curator of Chinese Decorative Art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

The textiles are rich and intriguing on their own (I was especially fascinated with the silk gauze robes), but to then learn of the symbolism encompassed in the decorations was to add another dimension to the appreciation of these complex and beautiful garments. Of course, the symbolism was so many-layered and extensive that keeping track of it all was impossible, but much of it related to prosperity, longevity, and especially the hopes and wishes for a happy marriage in order to produce many male children, wishes for the male child to go far in life and reflect well on the the parents, and to have his own male children. There was not one symbol for women except as a marriage partner to provide male children. While the women's robes in the exhibit were beautiful, the lecture really drove home, to me, how little value was placed on women during the Qing Dynasty in China.

My favorite symbols were the wish-granting clouds, wish-granting mushrooms and wish-granting sticks. I would very much like to get my hands on some of those!

The exhibit runs through February 17, 2008. I encourage my local readers to make a point of seeing it before it closes, it is well worth a winter's afternoon.

A Completed Piece!

2008-01-31T22:35:00.000-08:00

I finally finished this piece that has been featured in various stages in previous posts. It is called November 2007 and will, hopefully, be included in a Fibervision show at the Architectural Foundation here in Santa Barbara. It feels good to have completed a quilt after such a long dry spell and I am feeling inspired and ready to get to work on some other ideas that are floating around in my head. Jurying for the Buddha Abides show will be coming up pretty soon and I want to be ready for that.

Visual Journal

2008-01-30T21:34:00.000-08:00

Recently I began a class at Santa Barbara City College Continuing Education (commonly referred to around here as Adult Ed) called Creativity and the Imagination: Visual Journaling, with Deborah Wroblewski. We will be creating journals using more than words to capture our experiences. This is a photo of the first page of my journal. The assignment was to create our name page - something to describe ourselves as introduction to our journals. I chose to do a watercolor wash as a background, then used a Sharpie to write about who I am, what I feel, and what I aspire to. I then printed some photos of my quilt "Everyday Quan Yin" - which is about bringing compassion and mercy to daily life - glued them on to the page and then began playing with some materials I am familiar with from surface design on fabric. The silvery splotches are Shiva Artist's Paintstiks and the spirals are glue and foil. They certainly act differently on paper than they do on fabric. This is definitely going to be fun!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone! May we all be blessed with creativity, with good health, with peace and with joy in 2008!

Here is a photo of the next step in my liquid amber piece. Using the same drawing that I used to create the screen for printing a background, I made a cartoon, traced the leaf shapes onto freezer paper and cut out the turning leaves from my painted fabrics. I am pleased with how this piece is going, but need to work a little faster if I hope to have it done by January 26!

Progress

2007-12-31T15:56:00.000-08:00

I am making some headway on my latest project! Here is a photo and a detail of some fabric I printed using screens created with PhotoEZ. I love the PhotoEZ method of creating screens because I can go from an idea or drawing to a finished screen in about 15 minutes. I learned about the product when I took a workshop sponsored by Wearable Art Connection taught by Ginny Eckley at Quilter's Studio. Below is the screen I used for this project, made from an original drawing inspired by the photo of the liquid amber tree that I took and posted on Nov. 15, 2007. You can see what this fabric looked like before I printed on it on my post of Dec. 5, 2007, it is in the lower photo on the right.

Sharing the joy of fabric painting

2007-12-30T18:34:00.000-08:00

Today, Judy Rys and I painted some fabric. She wanted to see the technique I use in some of my fabric painting. This is my piece of fabric in the beginning. Paint, salt, and water is down, now it is just a matter of waiting to see the end result. Check out Judy's blog for more photos and her fabrics.

Cute, but Hard to See

2007-12-18T12:08:00.001-08:00

Last weekend Jim and I traveled to Reno to see our granddaughter in a performance of Finding The Christmas Star. It was cute, she was cute, and here are a couple of photos. She and her friend played twin sisters. Aren't they darling?

Of course it would be easier to tell if I would take better photos, but I seem to be getting worse. I will blame the poor photos on the miserable cold I had, it made everything look kind of glow-y.

Inspired, Finally

2007-12-06T14:10:00.001-08:00

Here are some fabrics I painted last Sunday. After a long dry spell with no creative ideas that were interesting enough to pursue, I am inspired and have an idea I am excited to move forward with. I painted these for use in my upcoming project and was lucky enough to receive these

from one of my Fibervision friends at the Christmas party on Saturday. They all work very well together and are the right colors for what I've got in mind. I'll post more about the project as it goes along. I really do plan to have more than photos of fabric and parties on this blog!

First Christmas Party of the Season

2007-12-01T17:32:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from the first Christmas party I've been to this season. It was the Fibervision gathering at Linda's house and the food theme was Mexican. We did a great job! The feast included Margaritas, Sangria, taquitos pappas, tamales, enchiladas, rice and beans, posole with all the extras, about three or four salads, including my Ensalada de Noches Buenas, and chocolate treats for dessert. After lunch we shared some of our Revision 2007 projects and some other fiber arts and then we had a fabric exchange. Most of the fabrics we exchanged were created by each person, a few were special commercial purchases, and all of it was spectacular. What a wonderful afternoon with a group of talented and creative women.

Fabric Painting Day III

2007-11-25T20:31:00.000-08:00

And here's one I did earlier today. The paints were different, started out lighter, and I used some metallic paints. This one was left for four hours with the salt on, but the metallic paints did not spread. Still, I kind of like the results.

Fabric Painting Day II

2007-11-25T20:26:00.001-08:00

And here are these two fabrics after they have dried some. Phil Beaver wants the fabric to take about 4 hours to dry before the salt is removed. So far, if I leave the salt on for that long, I am not happy with the results because the light spots get way too light. I took the salt off after about two hours on these pieces.

Fabric Painting Day

2007-11-25T15:54:00.000-08:00

I spent this afternoon painting some fabric for the holiday fabric exchange next week at the Fibervision holiday celebration. I really like the results of the technique taught by Phil Beaver at Quilter's Escape in May of 2007. Phil is a great teacher and the retreat was well run and great fun. These are two pieces right after paint, water, and salt are applied. I will post the results later.

Fibervision at the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art

2007-11-16T21:33:00.000-08:00

The artists of Fibervision had an opening reception tonight at the Everhoj Museum of History and Art in Solvang, California. The reception was well attended and there was nothing but praise for the work itself and the setting it was in. Congratulations to all who participated in this show and special thanks to Lorna Morck for riding herd on the artists and for convincing Esther Jacobsen Bates, Executive Director of the museum to give fiber art serious consideration.

2007-11-15T15:52:00.000-08:00

It's fall in Santa Barbara! We have a few trees that actually change color, the sky is clear and blue, the temperature is between 75 and 80, and, best of all, Project Runway is back on television. My favorite time of year and one of my favorite television programs. Life is good.

Symphony Afternoon

2007-11-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

I just returned, on this gloomy and dreary day, from an afternoon at the Santa Barbara Symphony. It was an American program and while both Melody and I dreaded the Gershwin "American In Paris", we were looking forward to the guest musician, violinist Tai Murray. She is 25 years old and just by stepping on to the stage, she raised the energy level of the entire orchestra. The piece they played was the Barber "Violin Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 14". Ms. Murray played the piece with joy and verve which left us gasping at the level of her talent and energy. Brava! We left the concert to a beautiful pink, blue, and grey sky of clearing clouds which matched our mood.

Oh, and the Gershwin was definitely a cut above the ordinary, too.

PIQF October 2007

2007-11-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

At PIQF last month, I took a class with Lyn Worley. The fabric was hand-dyed by Lyn and we created the surface design in the class. This is hand-dyed habotai silk, stamped and free-hand dye discharge, stamped and free-hand gold paint. Don't know what I'll do with it, but right now I am simply enjoying looking at it.

Frustrated

2007-10-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Spent quite awhile creating a post, with pictures, of
some fabric I made. It disappeared! No time to redo
right now. Perhaps some time next week. I just love
a learning curve!

Jumping Into Blog World

2007-10-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where this blog is going to lead, or what subjects it will cover, but the main thing is that it will be a way for me to share what is interesting me at any given time with family and friends. Watch this space!

Loreclectic

Times Flies

PIQF 2011

New Views II

Progress on Baby Trips Around the World

September Paper

On The Fence

Lavender & Tree

Free Motion Practice

A different Arrellaga Tree

Guess The Decade

Mystery In the Park

A Lovely Gift

Progress on Filtered Light

Out of Practice

A Quilt Begins

Arrellaga Sidewalk

Lantana

More Postcards

October Break

Another Cat Step

Next Step In One Small Project

A Few Small Projects

The Return of Pedro

A Fiber Artist Raises Money for Haiti

Fun with Painted Shoes

School of Fish

Redefining A Material World

Ya Win Some....

New Views 2009

Invitation Reminder

Finally! Some Fiberart!

Sunday Walk

Inspiration

Playing For Change | Peace Through Music

Fabric Jewels

Last Week

Day Two

Once Again

Fiberart For A Cause Finale

A New Purse

Time Sure Flies ....

Faces

The Tea Fire

Knew We Could!

Sunflower Postcard

Halloween - No Art, All Chat

A Fun Way to Support FFAC

Learning Curve?

Blog Action Day - Poverty

Making Changes

Promoting My Favorite Artists

Promoting My Favorite Writer

More Fabric from Dye Day

Dye Day Saturday

Having a Day?

Two Weeks???

And a Couple More Pieces of Fabric

More Fiddling Around with Fabric

This Is More Like It

Ho-Hum

More Painted Fabric

Back to the World

California Spring

Buddha Abides

Coming back to bite me ......

Hands

Beading with Deana Hartman

One Great Day

Yes We Can

Symbolism in Chinese Textiles at SBMA

A Completed Piece!

Visual Journal

Happy New Year!

Progress

Sharing the joy of fabric painting

Cute, but Hard to See

Inspired, Finally

First Christmas Party of the Season

Fabric Painting Day III