Fiber Art for a Cause

I'm very pleased to be involved with an American Cancer Society fundraiser that will be happening soon.

I'll be offering for auctions, a "Tote" with a copy of my book "Art + Quilt",

this sketchbook with a handmade and beaded cover,

and some lovely yardage dyed by Connie Akers.

Here are the nuts and bolts from it's organizer, Virginia Spiegel:

ToteTuesday, a Fiberart For A Cause fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, will open Tuesday, February 2 and continue through March.

ToteTuesday will feature themed totes filled with unique, beautiful, and inspiring items from the worlds of fiber arts, knitting, art quilting, mixed media and surface design.

You can expect totes offering original artwork, autographed books, hand-dyed fabrics, gorgeous yarns, handmade journals, fun and useful materials/tools for mixed-media and surface design, and much, much more.

A list of the twenty-four themed totes now in progress is here:

http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/blog/archives/4265

ToteTuesday will take place Tuesdays in February and March here:

http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/blog/

100% of the proceeds will be donated directly to the American Cancer Society through Fiberart For A Cause. Fiberart For A Cause has already donated over $190,000 to the ACS:

http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/NewFiles/ACSFundraiser.html

Happy New Year

My lovely sister started this with many of our family members. Rather than looking over the past year feeling bad about missed goals, try making REVERSE RESOLUTIONS!

This means listing the things that you accomplished last year. So here goes for me. I'll stick to my business rather than my personal goals.

1 - See the fruit of your labors, hold a copy of your BOOK in your hot little hands!!! Write a couple of articles for my wonderful publisher on the side.

This was a color theory article in the first issue of Quilt Scene: International Quilt Festival

2- Teach at more conferences, the idea being to whittle down the travel/days teaching ratio. I taught at International Quilt Festival, Minnesota Quilters, Fabrications Retreat to name a few. Not so sure the longer times away from the family was a good idea. Live and learn.

Cheryl Jackson found me on the show floor in Houston and pulled out a quiltlet to show me. I can't remember if she said that she saw me on QATV, had my DVD, or had taken a class - either way these moments make teaching all worth while!

3- Teach closer to home.

Air travel is truly difficult when you are the kind of teacher who likes to bring almost EVERYTHING a student will need. It's much easier to just toss it all in the car and go.

4- Remember to save out money for taxes, as opposed to last year. Live and learn.

5- Pay off all business debt and operate solely in the black.

6- Make ART, at least a little bit of it. Honestly - I only completed class samples and work for articles. I did sketch a lot more. I've got four larger pieces sooooo close to being completed. Of course - they've been at that stage for a very long time. I can't say that I can even be happy about this as a reverse resolution. My only real goal last year was to make art. Life just happens. A serious lack of discipline doesn't help. I'm tired of just writing about and reading about making art - time to get down and dirty. Got a good start for the next year so far though.

Here is a little sneak peak of a piece that will be in an upcoming Quilting Arts Magazine article.

7- Sew something JUST FOR FUN!!! I've got a late 1600's (mostly) historically accurate middle-class woman's costume almost complete. Need to hand bind the lacing holes on the corset.

Don't these ladies look like they are having a great time? (NC Ren. Faire) I've also started work on a truly fantastic woods-witch costume inspired by Tia Dalma from the Pirates movies. That's certainly going to be a long-term project.

8- Perhaps the most important - express gratitude to the lovely people who make it possible for me to do what I love. My husband and children, my publisher, my students and friends. I love you all and I couldn't do it without you. I am truly blessed!

Isn't he handsome? How'd I ever get so lucky?

Maybe this week I'll work on some actual goals for 2010

It Was Lovely

Just a quick little report about the book party.

It was absolutely lovely!

Heidi swears she doesn't know anything about art or quilts

but created an amazing cookie quilt to help celebrate.

I think she's amazing!

It was lovely to see so many good friends.

Many of you drove long distances and I was very touched by that.

It was lovely to have the house and studio cleaned up and to pull out stacks of books

and build towers with them.

Thank you friends!

Book Celebration This Friday!

If you're in the area - I'd love to have you join me for a little party.

It was a long couple of years to produce this baby and I want to celebrate!

ART + QUILT: The Party

Friday November 20th

6-9pm

102 Kilmorack dr

Cary NC

Come browse the book, eat some nibbles, play some (art) games.

Bring a munchie to share if you feel like it.

I'll have stuff to doodle, fabric to fondle, art to see.

Mostly I'd like your company!

Wild Things

I didn't make art today - but I did grow a child that makes art. No, we haven't gone to see "Where The Wild Things Are" yet, but we do have the book. My kindergartner had been drawing obsessed for a few weeks now. I love it. We spent a while in the doctor's office learning things like where to put the eyes in a head or how to draw a hand. She learns it then goes off and does some wild and crazy stuff. As I said, I LOVE it!


I didn't make art today - but I did create. I've been fully absorbed in making pieces for a historical costume. And a few non-historical pieces as well. I think the family I grew up in fostered a love of dressing up. My parents were school teachers and we were all "mountain men" during the summers. We wore buckskin, camped in a tipi, and shot black powder, muzzle loading rifles all over the mountain west.

Just Do It

I can't remember if it was "The Artist's Way" or "The Creative Habit" that had a list of questions - helping me to figure out what part of artmaking I love and what part I have to just grind through.

I love designing, thinking, planning. I love playing around with materials and improvising abstract compositions. I love hand work. While I can machine quilt well - that's the part I don't really love so much. Which means that I have a number of pieces mostly done - just waiting to get through that process.

"November Is Art Every Day" month, still. I've had this little piece almost done for quite a while. So having the goal is going to force me to get a few things DONE! This little piece is 5" x 7". Hand dyed, screen printed, machine stitched.

Art Every Day - mostly

I didn't make any art yesterday or the day before. But I might have inspired a few people to make some of their own. I think that counts don't you? I had the pleasure of teaching Surface Design to a lovely group of women from the Piedmont Quilt Guild in Greensboro, NC.

Nanette layered some really great foil, screen prints, and a photo transfer then framed it with beads.

Debbie went to town - layering bubble wrap prints, carved stamps, stencil resists and screen prints.

L'Tanya has quite the eye for design and is a beading speed demon. She's almost got that black and white face cabochon caged - just needs to lasso the stacks and circle them in.

Carolyn made a freezer paper stencil and added some bling with her foil. I love the play on warm and cool (complementary) colors!

Jocelyn layered carved and commercial stamps, photo-transfer, and foil on her funky art quilt.

Christina, who is an art teacher herself and had already done some wonderful printing on fabric, added even more leafy screen prints, both with paint and foil, and carved a great stamp.

The class was "Surface Design Sampler Platter." You can learn everything we did (except for the beading) on my Quilting Arts Workshop DVD . (The button is over there on the right.) Unfortunately - I can't give you chocolate after lunch through the screen. Wish I could.