Before the big storm's arrival I went outside to see if there was anything interesting to photograph.One of the remaining sedum blossoms still looking pretty.
Some mum's that have morphed over the year from very variegated to this single rich color. Self-seeding flowers usually get to grow because I am always interested to see how they change from year to year.Rexie is not amused about the big storm, he doesn't dig the rain *at all*.
Finally back inside, I did it, whee! I got the wall behind the tv/entertainment center painted all the way to the corner where our stone wall/woodstove is. This picture is of the top of the TV with one of my favorite Halloween decorations with one of the surround sound speakers behind it. The wall was green up to about the middle of this picture and oh was it ever bothering me, just this little bit of unpainted wall.
I couldn't get up the energy to move the whole shebang away from the wall so that I could paint it because it was going to be soooo involved.
Finally I just started in doing it, and roped/guilted the rest of the family into helping me move the heavy stuff after nearly dropping the television (whoops). It did take a really long time, but now we've got a wall that is all one color from end to end. And I'm no longer bugged when I'm trying to relax and tune out with tv or movies. A really great bonus is that we now have all of the electronics plugged in correctly to the stereo, that took longer than moving the stuff did! All those cords...But now, ahhh, much better.
Now to take some post-big storm photos, it was a whopper for sure, 12" of rain in 24 hours....
For the Traveler's Hart Autumn/Halloween deck this year, the assignment was to make something having to do with Edgar Allan Poe, and the size was new for these decks, 4x4". I hemmed and hawed and read a lot of Poe short stories and poems, but came back around to my first thought, one of my faves, The Cask of Amontillado. A delightfully creepy tale of revenge down in the family catacombs and wine cellar. I won't summarize the story because I don't want to spoil the ending for you in case you've never read it.
First step was painting the background, I started with some lightweight cardboard, almost a cardstock weight. For collage I like to use something more substantial than just copy paper, especially if I'm going to be painting. Here I used black and a couple yellows, one mustardy and one more golden. I knew that the combo would be fall/autumny enough looking because of the black+yellow=weird greens effect. I was going for an unsettled look, almost stormy. After it dried I went back over with some metallic copper to warm it up a bit more and give it some shine.
I had found in my stash a playing card with Poe's image on it (recognize this Dara? Thank!), so I fooled around with copying it at different sizes, it is really handy to have a copier at home that reduces and enlarges. I didn't want to have his image dominating the collage, because this is supposed to be about the story not necessarily focusing on him as a personality/author. I definitely wanted him to be more subtle and in the background, see if you can find him in the final image.
For some reason I've been using my stamp collection a lot lately for collage. I remembered there was a Poe commemorative stamp, but it turned out that I didn't have one. Found one for Sleepy Hollow, but that didn't really apply here, no matter how spooky the story. So no stamps used this time, but they make for a colorful heaped up picture.
Starting to arrange some of the major elements. Really glad I found the article about mummified Sicilians in Natty Geo with those great mummy hands and mummy in crypt.
Then after a trip to the copy store I used my Fiskars paper trimmer to trim up all 36 copies of the text and image cards to the right size 3x5". Every time I participate in these decks I am always amazed at people who fail to understand the size requirements 3.5"x5.25" "eh, whatever!" For a deck collection like this that I'm probably going to put into a book to look at, size issues don't matter so much. But when you try to make an actual deck to hold in your hands this variation in the sizes is more than just an annoyance.
The text card said this in an old curly looking font (Blackadder ITC) which Blogger of course does not support:
Inspired by The Cask of Amontillado By: Edgar Allan Poe “Fortunato!” No answer. I called again--“Fortunato!” No answer still. I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within. There came forth in return only a jingling of the bells. My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so. I hastened to make an end of my labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!
Here's the final image, click for much larger.
Can't wait to see all the other fun and spooky Poe inspired pieces in this collaborative deck.
Guess I'd better work on my Poe Tarot cards too...
This is such a fun idea for all of the quilters who can't make it to "The Show" in Houston, a Blogger's Quilt Festival (click there for links to almost 500 quilter's posts about their quilt).
Also if you like to look at Flickr slide shows instead of visiting blogs, you can check out some of the quilts that have been posted over at the Blogger's Quilt Festival Group Flickr Pool.
It was hard to chose which quilt to post for this, but I decided to post an older one that I don't think I've talked about since I started blogging.
"I Guess I Like Pink After All" is from 2003, it is 51x51"
It is made with cotton fabrics that I have dyed or painted and free motion quilted in rayon thread.
The story behind the making of this quilt is that I was new to dyeing and having trouble getting a good red fabric dyed. It would look great until I washed out the fabric, then ack! Pink! A whole lot of my attempts ended up in various shades of pink. Mostly because I was being stingy and cheap about using enough dye powder. I have since figured it out and can now dye a good deep red, but I had ended up with a whole lot of pinks clodging up my dyed fabric "paint box".
I really do not like pink very much. I've had to wear pink bridesmaid dresses, the sorority I joined in college used pink as its main color and during the power suit 80's I was told I looked great in pink so I had pink blouses (with ties of course!) and yes even a pink suit with matching pink pumps. Aieeee, really.
So over the years I got tired of pink being foisted on me when I didn't really like the color very much as a color. It meant wishy washy, too feminine and girly (so not me) and not intense and passionate enough like my favorite reds. Well, after making this quilt, I realized that I guess I do like pink after all. It is a happy, healing and supportive color. It can be challenging to wear a lot of it, even if I do look good in it, but during the creation of this quilt I remember smiling a whole lot as I worked with this cheery color. I haven't made another pink quilt, because now I'm just about completely out of pink. That's ok, I know how to make more.
Last night out on our deck, a rather large and tall raccoon paid us a visit to see if there was any cat food left. Nope. But he was looking in the window for quite a while. Then he got up on the deck railing and flopped on his belly with his legs hanging over just like our cats do. Guess they must observe what how our cats relax or something?! I have seen a lot of raccoons, but I have never ever seen one do something like this, it was seriously funny.
He just sat there for quite a while as we watched him and dashed for our cameras. Usually raccoons look at you a bit and then ramble off to their next stop, but not this guy, he was relaxed and going nowhere fast. He finally had enough of our observations (or maybe he noticed Zelda the Wonder Dog getting more and more frantic at the window) and got up slowly, and climbed down ninja-like, head-first over the deck railing. Just another visit from the wildlife we share this forest with.
The Cal Bears have folded early for the season and the 49ers are thinking about it, and the SF Giants are watching the post-season from home. Mini pumpkins are in my big glass vase, along a new sparkly witch and the much weaker light of the fall.
We've got a cord of wood delivered and stacked and the wood stove is keeping us toasty and warm as I assume my yearly role of HearthMistress.
Moosewood Carrot Soup was enjoyed thoroughly by my family as well as some friends of my teenager. They were surprised to know that it was mostly just carrots.
Jeans and socks are now being worn every day instead of shorts and sandals.
I just started work on a new piece, so after a sketch, off I go in search of the right colors in my main hand-dyed box.
The chosen pieces up on the design wall together.
Improvisationally cut out ocean waves on top of a blue blue sky. Lots and lots of pinning before sewing together.
And more pinning.
Here is how the sky and waves section looks after being satin-stitched. I'm not sure how the transition to the deeper waters is going to be accomplished, that's the next step on this piece.
Not too much Spook=i=fi=cation has been going on so far, just bought these two sparkly word blocks at the drug store. I can finally say that I've gotten one of the boxes of decorations out so far, but haven't opened it up quite yet.
I've been putting it off because of a little matter of cleaning up the living room "enough" to be able to decorate. I know dust is a good spooky Halloween decorating accessory, but it is admittedly at "worst-ever" status these days and I'm not being too self critical here, believe you me!
So of course instead of actually doing this cleaning, I've been either napping (thanks to a looong extended recuperation from the flu), or reading crafting blogs and I've got a few crafty Halloweenie links for you to go and peruse:
This week of reading The Joy Diet for The Next Chapter book reading/blogging group, made me realize that if I was marching in a protest march about myself and had to chant the usual chant:
What do we want? When do we want it? I would not know how to fill in the blanks!
Which helped me have one of those famous light bulb moments, no wonder I'm feeling so unresolved and at loose ends lately. I've not only lost track of the end goal for myself, I've become unmoored from what I even want. A very good thing to realize this, the pattern I've been in of loosely drifting from project to project and not feeling like I'm accomplishing all that much of great value is not serving me very well. After spending a week of asking myself the great questions in the book, I've not come to any firm conclusions, but I have established that it is time to establish a new pattern. A new pattern of continually questioning and exploring until I find the true desire of my heart, as Martha Beck says "pick a pebble, any pebble"
I think that one of the main take-aways from this chapter is that first we have to take the time to "identify, articulate and explore your heart's desires." And I found that this was hard to do honestly at first, it took me a while to stop B.S.ing myself because a lot of the answers to the desire question are buried deep deep under hardened layers of cynicism, negativity and fear. After I let myself in on the secret that this isn't a pass/fail test, but an ongoing process that I'm starting here, it was easier to let go of needing to be right the first time in my answer to myself. I also had to keep remembering that this is not about putting pressure on myself to be perfect and have to achieve the newly minted desires right now, right away, but that first I really have to know what I want before I can set about attaining it. So logical it almost makes sense!
That of course requires an inspirational theme song, this oldie but goodie from U2 came to mind immediately because of the title fitting the week's reading so well, the lyrics don't exactly fit the situation, but the intensity and high energy of the wanting and desire expressed in the song makes for a good get up and get going theme song:
I just made a few new cloth napkins for my family to use this Halloween season. I took some pictures as I worked so you can see how to do it. Super easy, and a good use for all those cute Halloween prints you've been buying all these years. Oh, I mean, me, I've been buying them. Anyways, here's how!
Pick two fabrics, contrasting patterns and colors is good just for fun.
Iron them, stack them and then cut a square to the size that you like napkins.
The ones shown here are about 16" square, but you can make smaller or larger of course.
Sew right sides together, around all four sides leaving an opening on one of the sides to turn right sides out.
Before turning anything, clip the corners fairly close so that they won't be bulky and lumpy once you're done.Turn the whole thing right sides out, carefully poke out the corners nice and sharp. Iron down the opening so that it matches the already sewn seam.
You can just sew that opening closed and be done, but I like to use an embroidery stitch and go all around the edges. This closes up the opening and gives the napkin a bit more of a finished look.Voila' you're done! Now go make some dinner already!
My quilt, Meteor Meltdown is going to be on display in Fullerton, California at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center starting October 11th through December 31st. If you're nearby, you should go check out the show. I just looked up all the other artists (so that I could link to them below) that are participating and wow! Here's all the information:
Contemporary Quilts At the Muckenthaler Cultural Center
1201 West Malvern AvenueFullerton, California 92833
October 11 - December 31
Contemporary quilts are the subject of a group exhibition in our Main Floor Galleries beginning October 11. Featured are more than thirty non-traditional works, often called “Art Quilts”, that approach the art and craft of quilting in unexpected and surprising ways.
I'm finding images of pumpkins all over the place these days. This is a freebie from Dover Books from Mother Goose (Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater). I love that orange don't you? So filled with the sun's glow. And I've always found the idea of a pumpkin big enough to fit inside of rather intriguing. That might make an interesting collage or journal page, hmmmm.
So far in my garden this year I have one pumpkin that is about 5 pounds so far, but is very dark green at this point. I don't know if it will achieve the desired shade of orange in time for carving up for Halloween or not. There are also a couple mini pumpkins growing and they're about at a yellow-peachy level at the moment. We had our first frost this morning so I don't know if that helps or hurts as far as the color change, like it does with fall leaves.
I think it is finally time to buy some pumpkins for decorations around here since the garden was a big FAIL this year. Oh well. I'll try to plant earlier next year to give the pumpkins long enough to orange up.
After all that studio touring yesterday, I'm back in the kitchen, trying to use up the end of season bounty from our weekly CSA basket. This pile of red peppers has been slowly diminishing as we eat them as snacks. There is enough left to try and roast a tray of them which I'll then make soup with. Most of them are quite sweet but every now and then one is surprisingly spicy.
The pears have been coming in at a good rate, but most of them are getting eaten. Tonight I'm trying a poached pear recipe with some kind of wine sauce for dessert, we'll see how it turns out.Pear skin is always interesting to look at up close, I'm planning to use this picture as a printout for a background in a collage.
The room that I use for my art-quilting and collage/mixed-media studio is upstairs in our house and was (when we did our recent remodel) intended to be a family TV room and occasional guest room. It has a door off to a bathroom and a big 8 foot window as well as carpeting. The room that was going to be my studio has turned out to be a music/computer room for my teenagers. So I've been slowly claiming this room as my own, even though eventually I will be moving into the room downstairs when/if my teenagers are no longer using it.
I know this tour through my studio won't look perfectly organized and inspirational and put-together like the studios shown in the magazine, but my room is probably in the most organized and together state ever and I'm really enjoying using what I've got. First is the main work area of my studio, I have a table with my sewing machine, and a cutting table, as well as a drawer stack with my sewing notions. There is a rolling chair and a plastic mat so that I can zoom around since the room is carpeted. Behind the chair is a closet with no doors where I have most of my fabric in plastic boxes. Under the tables are more plastic boxes with projects and yes, more fabric. I love having everything I use the most close by and together.
Here's a closer up view of my sewing station. The table I'm using is a computer table with a drop-down area intended for your keyboard, of course I've got the sewing machine on there. That way when I'm free-motion quilting, there isn't as much drag on the rest of the big quilt surface as I move it around. Also, I have a small rug underneath my machine, it helps it not vibrate and helps trap the thread scraps that inevitably fly around when sewing. When I turn around in my work chair I see these stacks of plastic boxes containing fabrics and ongoing projects. I've labeled them all with my P-Touch lable maker which makes it look a little bit more "official" and cohesive to me than random stickers and pieces of paper taped on which is what I used to have. A funny angle view from the cutting table, this shows the pincushions next to my sewing machine, sitting on top of the box of Sulky threads that I use in my machine quilting all the time. I find the closer I keep the tools to where I use them, the more they get utilized. I'm much more likely to switch thread colors because they are right there. I also keep the plastic box with all the sewing machine feet right there at hand too. Behind them are a rotating tool organizer which has scissors, pens, pencils, glue sticks, erasers , a back scratcher and a sewing stiletto. That spot is one that my cats like to hang out in, they aren't in danger of getting rotary cut or stitched or pinned there, and they can keep an eye on what is going on outside in the front yard. Next to Spike on the table is a big glass jar where I put broken needles and pins and thread trimmings.Gosh this looks so messy, but you have no idea how it usually looks! On top of the table are an organizer of rulers for rotary cutting, a basket for fabric scraps (this usually gets unmanageable quickly) and a box of collage-y fibery bits that had to be gathered together somewhere. On the wall is a thread rack of colorful rayon thread cones, and a bulletin board with inspiring quotes, images and name tags.
To the right is a stack of plastic drawers that have all my notions like buttons, interfacing, tools, pens, more thread, needles, scissors, etc. On top of that is my spirit station or altar where I keep a 7-day candle going and light incense everyday I'm working in the studio, helps to keep me centered and on track with why I'm doing what I'm doing. To the right is a collection of promotional bags, tassels and an embroidery bag I'm adding to.
Below that is my to-go basket of hand-sewing projects and colored pencils and sketch book that I take when I go on trips. In front of that is the serger that is always at the ready to jump up onto the cutting table to finish some edges. Underneath the table is post office mailing boxes, plastic boxes of ribbons, yarns and fabric.
In the collage zone, here is my milk crate of mostly different types of glue and collage mediums. Yes it used to be a Foremost, but I repainted it. This collage zone has a big box of collage stuff that I can roll over to in my chair and dig through as I'm working. And in this corner...The rest of my fabric is there behind that curtain on a Gorilla Rack shelf. I found that the cheapo metal shelves you can buy just won't hold heavy boxes of fabric and am really happy with these sturdy shelves, no bending and breaking. Also, I realized that I have to have a curtain on there so that the light from the window doesn't fade all the fabric. I also have several boxes of beads on those shelves.
There on the right is the vintage sectional rattan couch (formerly my grandma's) that my mostly invisible but still incredibly hairy studio cat lives under (long story). To the left of the shelf are three big plastic boxes that contain batting, backing fabric and miscellaneous stuff I really need to sort through at some point but never quite ever get around to it. If I'm looking for something, it usually turns out it is in one of those bottom two boxes.
On top of the big boxes there is my CD player/radio and basket of Cd's, very necessary to keep me going when I'm working. Behind the CD player is a laundry basket filled with clothing that I'm working on Wardrobe Refashioning, t-shirts that need reshaping, pants that need changing or copying, etc. And then there is my beading chair, it is a recliner that I like to sit in when I bead on my quilts, I put my feet up, make sure I have the portable phone near to hand and get my beading done.
On the wall is my pitiful excuse for a design wall with several pieces I've been working on this year pinned up. It has been temporary for a year now, but I just haven't made it a priority to make a big permanent more functional one. I have the plans, know what I need to make it, but I just have to get the husband time scheduled to help me out in procuring and cutting up the materials. Maybe I'll ask for it for my birthday. For now, it is a flannel backed vinyl picnic table cloth. It works well for small pieces of fabric, as long as no one walks by quickly, but for larger things, I have to pin them up.
Below the "design wall" is my Flynn Frame, the PVC pipes that go with it, two camera tripods and two bins of upholstery fabrics. On top of those bins are another art quilt I'm working on as well as a stack of some various fabrics that I'm planning to paint, painting papers, a Fiskars paper trimmer and a little step stool so I can reach up to the top of the design wall.
On the back of the door is one of those clear plastic shoe organizers, I have all kinds of stuff in those pockets, mostly just for eye catching views of interesting colors, but also so that I don't forget about this fabulous scarf, or silk flower or deck of cards or pack of Barbie shoes.
Here is the wall of book cases, three in all. The short one on the right has a lamp on top which helps illuminate the design wall to the right and the ironing board area. Also on that top shelf are my water spray bottle which helps in ironing and of course a can of spray starch. In that bookcase there are boxes of my dyed and surface designed fabrics, on the bottom shelf are collection bags. I have a bag of nylon produce bags, quilt binding bit, silk flower petals and leaves, trimmings from bulls eye blocks and other assorted scraps.
Under the ironing board is a three drawer plastic bin of assemblage stuff, plastics, woods, metals and glass, a box of all my batik and handmade stamps and my accordion sewing basket which the legs just broke off of.
The next bookshelf has all my quilting and art books, yearly show binders from my years of art quilting, a whole shelf of blank journals, a shelf of my completed art journals and altered books and collaborative projects, and several shelves of current projects and frequently used tools. On top of the bookcase are two boxes and a basket of clothing patterns, my photo lights that I use to shoot my quilts with, and a basket of wire and hooks for making hanging bars for my quilts.
The final white bookcase is mostly filled with magazines which I've recently sorted out and gotten organized and labeled. so much easier to find what I want now. The next project is actually going through them one by one and deciding whether I really need to keep them all. There are almost too many to be useful at this point! The top shelf has mailing and office supplies. To the left is the wood supports for my Flynn frame, wood trim for around the two doors and closet in this room, ahem, guess that needs to get done at some point, and a roll of upholstery fabric left over from a previous project.
Here is a short video tour of my studio. A little bit herky-jerky, but you can see how all the parts of the room fit together. I have to say I'm always surprised by what my voice sounds like, do I really sound like this? I don't know, I wouldn't say so, that isn't how I sound to myself from inside my own head! Reality, what a challenging concept,eh?
I hope you've enjoyed your visit to my studio, please come back again and see me some time!
Here I am at the second week of reading The Joy Diet, along with all the others participating in the Next Chapter group, building on the practice of Nothing with the addition of Truth. Specifically the Telling of Truth About Ourselves to Ourselves. Oh does this one ever ring a bell for me, deep down inside. All those easy pretty lies we tell ourselves in the moment can add up to a lifetime of delusion ,detachment and ultimately despair.
Of course this all comes down to one of my favorite phrases "Be Here Now", if you can be honest with yourself moment to moment, then the authentic experience of your life as you live it is filled with integrity. That integrity is what I like to feel as much as possible, it means I'm still "on the beam" or "on the right track". I know that this is something I'm always working on (I give myself the Continuous Self Improvement Award) because telling myself the truth 100% of the time isn't something I can do.
There are physical barriers that I have, where I have to on occasion, wall off part of myself to be able to survive a particularly painful cycle in the ongoing process of my condition. Luckily, the author, Martha Beck gives me a pass on this bit of self-lying: "There's nothing wrong with this; dissociation is an astonishgly useful psychological mechanism, one I've found to be lifesaving when I'm undergoing something unbearable, such as severe illness or a PTA meeting. However, it's possible to get stuck in a mental zone that offers virtually no access to genuine experience."
That's of course the key for me then, not getting stuck in the dissocation box, being able to bring myself back out to the truth as soon as I am able. This isn't always easy of course, just this past week I've been mired in the "Flu Experience", the truth of which is of course lots and lots of napping and coughing, not much else. So I wasn't able to get to the practice of questioning myself as this chapter asks us to ask ourselves after our 15 minutes of Nothing the following:
What Am I Feeling?
What Hurts?
What is the painful story I'm telling?
Can I be sure my painful story is true?
Is my painful story working?
Can I think of another story that might work better?
The answers this past week would have just been boring, very mundane riffs on how much my lungs hurt and why I don't like having a fever, etc.,blah,blah,blah. But now that I'm in sight of a non-flu-ridden existence I'm looking forward to quizzing myself and seeing just what Truth I am able to tell myself.
The above picture is a spooky pattern that my hose made on the deck, just after the first windstorm of fall knocked all the dead redwood leaves off the trees and the dried rose petals off the rose bush. I'm left wondering "What does this glyph signify for the month ahead?"
Whoopee it is finally my favorite month of the whole year, October! I just love this time of year so much. The first big windstorm of the year just happened yesterday, and the roads (and my deck) are covered in all the dried redwood leaves that blew out of the trees, so it just feels like Fall with a capital F all of a sudden.
Luckily the Queen of Halloween, Laume is hostessing Post Spooky once again. So be forewarned it is going to get spooky around here this month.
And if you feel so inclined, join us!
A very spooky logo this year...
Yes, I did it! I posted every single day in September for NaBloPoMo!
Now to try to do the same thing in October! I'm having trouble deciding which button to put up Ophelia or ObiWan?? An embarrassment of riches as they say.
And I'm planning to attend this terrific Halloween Bash this year put on by A Fanciful Twist on October 17th.
Before the big storm's arrival I went outside to see if there was anything interesting to photograph.
One of the remaining sedum blossoms still looking pretty.
Some mum's that have morphed over the year from very variegated to this single rich color. Self-seeding flowers usually get to grow because I am always interested to see how they change from year to year.
Rexie is not amused about the big storm, he doesn't dig the rain *at all*.
Finally back inside, I did it, whee! I got the wall behind the tv/entertainment center painted all the way to the corner where our stone wall/woodstove is. This picture is of the top of the TV with one of my favorite Halloween decorations with one of the surround sound speakers behind it. The wall was green up to about the middle of this picture and oh was it ever bothering me, just this little bit of unpainted wall. 
