Family Ties IV: Knit Together

Family Ties IV: Knit Together

All verses and poetry welcome!

Family Ties III:

More of your poetic verses would be welcome.

Family Ties III: (any suggestions?)

Family Ties II:

I would love your verses, haiku, thoughts!

Chosen words will be displayed with the artwork in a solo show in Cary NC.

Family Ties II: innocence

I'm so happy with the verses that have come in so far.

Keep them rolling in!

Family Ties I: new beginnings

Hello Friends,

I've been giving you little tastes of  the Family Ties series and hope you've enjoyed seeing them as much as I've enjoyed creating them. Over the next several days I'll show you each completed piece. 

I'm putting together a small book featuring this series and I'd love YOUR input.

Family Ties I: new beginnings

If you have a poetic turn of mind I would love to publish short verses or haiku to go along with piece. 

Please join me in this creative endeavor!

If this work inspires you in any way, please add your verse to the comment section. 

I haven't thought about it yet but I'd like to thank each poet somehow.

I look forward to seeing your poetry!

Put It On Your Calendar!

Publishing a book is like having a baby. A long gestation period. A painful amount of work right at the end. (Loooooooong wait - unlike babydom). Then WOW! You have an absolutely amazing piece of work in your hands.

So I'm having a PARTY! And you are all invited!

NOVEMBER 20th

5-9pm

send me a quick e-mail for the address if you'd like to come.

lyric@pobox.com

I'll have plenty of books here for purchase. And food.

If you can't make it to the party but still want to order the book from me, mention the party and I'll throw in a little gift to go along with it. Hope to see you there!

Books and Blogs

A guest post today over at the Subversive Stitchers blog - great place - go check it out! I wrote a little about trying to carve out time for your art making. I'm trying my hardest to be more disciplined. Which means this little post is short. Gotta get back to the sewing machine.

And the most fun I've had at the post office in years!!! Sending off a stack of my new book. I had to restrain myself from climbing up on the desk and dancing and telling everyone there that "I Wrote A Book!!!" I still can't believe it myself.

So go read over there. I'll stitch over here. Perhaps I'll get some pictures and other wonderful stuff up for you soon.

ATC's, Spring, Books, Workshops

There are 9 ATC's left to go out with the Surface Design Sampler Platter DVD orders! I'll let you know when they're gone. I've heard back from a couple of you that have watched it - I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I'd love to put up any artwork you make using the techniques taught in the DVD in the student gallery on my website.

I love spring. What is it about sunshine and a little bit of warmth that gets me all pumped up to work in the studio? I should be itching to be outside. I do face the windows most of the time I'm working and it's a lovely view. North Carolina is such a green place.

I did go outside to my little garden nook last week to finish up the first layout edit of my book. It's done and off to the designer again. I'll see it for one final check before it goes to print. I think I'm going to call the book my 6th child. It's taken longer and been almost as painful at times to create it. I'm thinking the rewards will be much more immediate - no crying at 2 a.m. or teenagers who talk back. 

Enough rambling. I wanted to point you to a really great blog post titled, "How to make the most of an art quilt workshop" by Elizabeth Barton over at "Art & Quilts, Cogitations Thereon." My favorite part of her post talks about pre-planning and runs through a great list of questions to ask yourself before signing up for a workshop. It's a great idea to know ahead of time if you are looking for a technique or a project class. Do you want to just understand and absorb the thinking of an artist you really admire? Are you happy to just hang out with friends? Do go and read her post - it's chock full of great information.

Most of the classes I teach are technique classes with a bit of a project thrown in. Projects seem to appeal to the more traditional quilters who have a little niggling desire to be an artist hidden away in the corner of their heart. That's my personal crusade these days - helping those desires to come out of hiding. 

In that vein - here is a link to Fabrications - a week long retreat from Aug 30 - Sep 4. I'll be teaching "The Elements of Art" for the entire week and I couldn't be more excited. It will be a chance to delve deeply into the visual language, to learn the principles of good design.  We'll start from the very beginning (a very fine place to start...) and work until we have a good understanding of the basics (do, re, me...). By the end of the week you'll have a good start on a composition and have lots of supportive feedback so that you can keep the creative juice flowing when you get back home.

I'd love to see you there - and happy spring!

The Best of 2008

New Year's Resolutions 2008

1- Write a book about Basic Design

2- Come back from my Teaching Sabbatical

3- Do not leave my children motherless

4- See ALL of my scattered siblings and even some long-lost extended family.

If I had actually written this list in 2008 I probably would have snorted milk out my nose trying not to laugh. Looking back - I simply can't believe I've survived the year. It wasn't the hardest year I've had. It was certainly the craziest. Two toddlers, a hockey player, and two teenagers who want to go places but can't drive yet. People would ask me how I was and I'd say I was crazy - but it's all good. True.

The book thing has been - shall we say - quite the experience. I feel as though I've just survived another pregnancy and labor/delivery. Long, long, hours working to form the thing - sometimes joyful, sometimes painful. The manuscript was turned in back in October. No word until the week before Christmas when the project editor tells me we have two weeks to get it ready for the layout designers. It was like labor. No rest, painful, intense - but with someone there to help you along the whole way. (Thanks Linda Griepentrog - you're the best!) I feel now the great and overwhelming relief delivery. Done. My baby is off in the hands of capable people who will make it look pretty before bringing it back to me. Eventually. I'll see the proof copy before it goes to press and it's not due out until October. That's a very long time.

One of the lovely homes I visited while teaching this year.

Teaching has been a wonderful experience to pick up again. I adore my students and nothing gives me more pleasure than to see them have fun making beautiful things. The joy of creativity. I worked with the most wonderful people and had an absolutely lovely time. It's almost a crime to get paid to have so much fun. Of course - you can't pay me enough for the pain in the neck it is to do all the preparation. Baggage restrictions are a killer for trying to get all your supplies to your venue. I had a few difficulties with supply orders going astray. I had to enlist the help of Lindy and a talented daughter in order to get all the kits made with a few tight deadlines. I am blessed with wonderful people in my life.

The best students ever!

Speaking of wonderful people. I have the best family ever! My husband has supported me even while his work schedule gets more and more demanding. My children have been very patient with leftovers and food from the freezer much more often than I prefer. I think the best part of the year was a family reunion. I have siblings in Oregon, Montana, Utah, Kansas, and Pennsylvania. Needless to say - we haven't all been together for a number of years. To top it all off many cousins and extended relatives were all able to gather at the paradise my parents call home in Kamiah, Idaho. A solid week of laughter, vehicles large and small (I got to DRIVE a freight train!), zip-lines, and a little - no - a LOT of tie dye. On the way there my daughters and a lovely German foreign exchange student and I drove through much of this big, beautiful country.

The BEST family EVER!!!

Now - ON TO THE NEW YEAR!!!!

My only resolution

MAKE ART

(oh, and cook a nice meal for my family once in a while.)

Making Progress

Whew - getting there. I feel like the entire day today was one continuous interruption (that's an oxymoron, I know) with kids needing something every few minutes. I think I've got most of the samples done that I need for the book. Now on to a couple of "step-outs' and a few miscellaneous illustrations. Oh - I keep forgetting an entire sketchbook to fill. And the props to gather. And a few final edits to the writing. That's next week. This writing a book business is looking an awful lot like a lot of work.

My heartfelt thanks goes out to all the intrepid and wonderful friends who were willing to try some design exercises. They are trickling in and looking wonderful. I might actually make this deadline yet. Um - perhaps wishful thinking on my part.

Play With Your Food

What happens when you play with your food? This!

A printed and painted sketchbook cover. 4" x 6"

I've just completed and sent off a new course for Quilt University titled "Play With Paint." Of course I looked at my course samples from the live class I've been teaching for several years and didn't think any of them were punchy enough for the web so I had to spend several days making and photographing new samples.

Can you guess what food I used to print these roses?

In the process I did what I always seem to do and got a bit carried away with food prints. Yes... actual food. It's amazing what you can print with if you slice it and let it sit face down on a paper towel long enough to absorb excess moisture. Food printing also gets in the way of feeding the family. I'll be in the middle of slicing up a salad and take a look at the mushroom in my hand and suddenly dinner is half an hour later than expected. Just gotta go make some prints!