vanished like a puff of smoke?

nope -- I'm still here

survived the nearly week long "smoke out" when the prevailing winds carried smoke from hundreds of wild fires into our area

this photo is full sun over the mountains from our house one of those afternoons

those kind of days we just stay inside with the air conditioning which does a pretty good job of filtering the air

we've had other excitement in the skies here recently too

like the day a strange noise had Mr Benson running from back door to front door alerting us to strange doings over head

the balloon came down in the little park right up the street from us --- pretty exciting

there has been indoor excitement as well

for a couple of days Mr Cute's before school caregiver was not available, so gramma got to fill those shoes --- we did some arts and crafts (these are international signal flags) and created something to hang on his wall at home before I took him to school

work in the studio continues

when I started this piece I thought I would be cutting it down to a 12" x 12" square to donate to next year's SAQA auction

when I got it finished, I wasn't willing to cut 2 inches off it in each direction, so it is 14" x 14", and I have mounted it on a canvas for hanging, and I have already submitted it for a local show in an art gallery -- hope it gets in!

this piece is now finished as well

I created it specifically for a show that has an entry deadline in mid-November, that I have no promise (as with all shows) that it will get in to

so I decided to go ahead and enter it in a local gallery call for entries --- if it doesn't get in to that local gallery I will know before the deadline on that first show

we'll see how that goes

I had finished all but the stitching on this piece before I started stitching the river scene, so now I'm back to working on this

so far I have stitched the ground and the shadows, so I still have to do the mailboxes and the sky

coming along!

the ice cream maker is ready now for me to create the back ground

I've decided on a pieced design that looks like subway tile at the top and an old table cloth at the bottom which makes a pretty good setting for this

the pieces of the garden are slowly coming together

I have to say about now I'm really tired of looking at various shades of green!

and this morning, I was notified that this piece will be included in a show titled Metamorphosis sponsored by the Women's Caucus for Art, Colorado Chapter

I'm delighted!!  it was one of 41 pieces selected from 400 entries

WHOOOO HOOOOO!!!

starting next Monday, the 12" x 12" study of the city that is shown here will be part of the SAQA benefit auction

this is one of the ways I support an organization that has helped me develop my art in the past few years

there has been some utilitarian sewing here in the studio in the last week or so

my daughter got the t-shirt, which she loves, but it was too snug for comfort at the bottom edge even though the shoulders and the top fit great (who designs these things?!)

mom to the rescue --- I used the still good piece of another shirt to put orange "V" shaped panels in each side to make it work for her

and right now I'm working on the beginning of the annual Halloween costume for Mr Cute -- he's going to be the Hulk this year, so I'm making him a green muscle suit

we've reached the point in the gardening season that I need to pick nearly every day

while the zucchini's have been a big disappointment, I've already put a number of bags of green beans in the freezer plus all we've been able to eat, and tomatoes in some form are a daily menu item in addition to the ones that have been made into pasta sauce

I was able to get my hands on some strawberries to put up into jam for the winter too

meantime, out in the garage workshop, the DH is busy making some new figures for our wood nativity set (it won't be long before we're putting this up -- time is flying!!)

he has cut out the second sheep, the donkey and the cow as well as a shepherd boy

so far I have painted the animals (we're refreshing the paint on the older pieces too), and I've started on the shepherd

this has to be done step by step to let each color of paint dry before I start the next one

and of course no post is complete without an update on Mr Benson

he has been the hero of the garden watch the last couple of weeks as he has discovered that grasshoppers are fun to chase -- and with one well place swat, he can squash one with his foot

yeah Mr Benson!!  give that dog a treat --- and ignore the occasional picking of green beans from outside the fence -- seems like a good reward to me

onward

working on projects continues

I'm nearly done with the quilting of this piece -- which is a good thing, since the entry deadline for it is May 1 -- just a week away

then there is this piece

when I had the idea to do this piece about 3 weeks ago, I hoped to have it done in time for that same May 1 deadline

uh -- not so much

for one thing, I just couldn't manage the time well enough between other things to get it all done

for another, I have never done a piece that involved a person since I began using the new technique, and it was a lot more complex thank I envisioned

I will finish this, but clearly not in time for the show I originally wanted to enter it in, but I think a show will present itself for entering this

and since this piece does have a future show in the summer, I have returned to working on this at the design wall

at the current rate, I should be able to get the rest of this ready to stitch this week!

I decided that the biggest mailbox needed a raised flag to be added to it, so I did that this week

there is not a lot of contrast between the mailboxes and the sky, but once I add the silk organza and do the quilting there will be

there are a couple of other pieces in the queue to be quilted, but I should get to this one before too long

and this week I started working on a piece for a show titled "Life Along the Rio Grande"  with a November 2017 deadline

when I first got the invitation to enter, I couldn't figure out why Colorado artists were being invited to participate in a show that has to do with the Rio Grande

I admit, my geography knowledge is not the best for places I've never actually been to -- so I had to go and do some research to discover that the headwaters of the Rio Grande are right here in Colorado

here's the map -- the sort of "paint by number" guide for this piece which will be the first one I've done for a show that has a very defined size requirement -- the full size map is actually for a piece slightly larger than the finished size needs to be so I know I'll have something that is big enough

and this is the color version

this piece may also be the first of a new series of pieces under the loose title "Reflections"

this week's utilitarian sewing involved making new cushions for the love seat in the living room

the original filling in the cushions had been discarded a while back, and some previously used eggshell foam had been substituted in the original covers

until Benson decided that the foam was "magically delicious" and in about 10 minutes while I was doing something out in the garage made an enormous shredded foam mess all over the living room

he wasn't interested in the upholstery fabric that was over the foam (thank goodness!), just the foam -- who knows what goes on in a dog's mind?!

but because he left the fabric alone, and because this was a project I knew I was going to do anyway (that foam was only a temporary fix from the beginning), I already had the new thicker foam on hand that I intended to use for new cushions, creating a pattern to cover the new cushions wasn't hard -- same shape, just thicker

I had not, however, figured out what the new upholstery fabric was going to be, so these newly covered new foam cushions are covered with fabric pieces that were from a couple of sheets that had outlived their usefulness as sheets (the outside edges remain structurally usable after the center is shot).  Those cotton covers can just stay on them when I reupholster the rest of the piece and there will be a double cover over the foam

since I did this Benson hasn't touched them --- wondering still what was so tasty about that eggshell!

early in the week I did a one day workshop about silk screening

I last did silk screening about 40 years ago, and things have changed --- A LOT!

the amount of work that I was able to do in one day would have taken a lot longer back then

all of which has me thinking about the possibility of using this technique on some of my art

so I came home from class and ordered a new issue of the Dick Blick catalog so I can look into ordering some supplies --- that should be fun

while I was in class, Benson had to watch dad

which meant he was worn out at the end of the day

not sure what he was dreaming about when I took this picture

maybe the taste of those foam cushions!!

not the finest moment

there has not been much getting done this week

there was some stitching on this, which is moving along well -- if slowly

and all of the face of the dog is done and I'm now moving downward on the shoulders

I got all of the signs done and started putting in the figures at the bottom of this one and it just did nothing for me

so there was a good deal of ripping out -- both of sewing and knitting and remaking of hats -- I do like the contrast better, but the jury is out on this one for now

and then there is this

I love the fabric (even though I did not love working with it as it is slippery and doesn't take well to any attempt to press it to turn up hems or edges)

and I loved the picture on the pattern -- and I did the dreaded measuring to figure out what size would fit

or not

put in the hem and put it on me and it doesn't fit

not a happy camper --- not sure what I'm doing with it next --- perhaps paint rags

and perhaps this was not a week that I should have been trying to work on clothing, as it has been one of those weeks I'd like to not have had

after months of tests the doctor still has no explanation for why my gut is in an uproar, the latest suggestion is to eliminate gluten (and a number of other things) from my diet to see if that helps

putting this kind of restrictions on what I can put in my mouth and asking me to keep track of every little bit has pretty much put me over the edge into making life awful for everyone around me as well as myself

the little kid in me that I can usually keep in check is back to feeling starved and it's making me want to either kick and scream or to just retreat into a cave

this better be worth it

cranking out projects

an actual finished project!

this is the snap shot I took with my cell phone right after I took the last stitch in the binding

I did this small (9"x9") piece to submit to Quilting Arts magazine for their Rooster challenge, so this week it will get a final pressing and some photos taken with the studio camera

this piece is done too, and I'm pretty happy with how it came out

and when I set up the photo studio for the rooster, I'll photograph this one too

stitching continues on the columbine piece

the stitching in the white portion (the center petals) of the flowers is done, so now it's on to the purple petals

at the design wall, the work on the dog is coming along nicely

it's amazing how each day's additions make it come more alive

may title this one "Lady Sings the Blues"

the applique work on this piece is complete

this feels like one of those "did I do that?" moments

can't wait to see how this looks with the layer of silk and the quilting!

and since the hand work is done on the mailboxes, it's right in to the next piece!

I'm creating this piece (smaller, about 24"x18") specifically for a show titled Threads of Resistance and it's moving right along

this week's utilitarian sewing is a bit more complex than the pencil bag I put together for Mr Cute!

during several shopping trips where I was looking for some new blouses to wear with blue jeans or light weight capri pants when I go to class I was completely unable to find anything I was happy with

for one thing, the blouses were (select one or more per item) too sheer, too short, too ugly (who puts these colors together!?) or not cut in a way that fits my 66 year old lumpy body

for another thing, they are poorly made (can ANYONE clip a thread?!) and cost more than they are worth

sure, I can still get a $6 t-shirt at Walmart, but I wanted something more

so, after spending a lot of time shopping on Etsy for blouse patterns that were what I really want, and purchased a couple (okay -- bought 3 got 1 free), and then made a trip to the fabric store for materials

this is the beginning of the stitching on the first blouse

it's been YEARS since I've made anything more complicated than an apron or a pair of pajama bottoms, so it's taking a bit of thinking to get back in the swing of this, but I have positive thoughts about how this is going to come out ----- and some more fabric for the other patterns!

when I go to the studio, Benson comes with me and hangs out

on Friday, when I came out of the studio to head back upstairs, this is what I saw on the bottom step

toys (a bird house, a liberty ball and a bee hive) neatly lined up in a row -- nice job Benson!

wonder if I can train him to pick up other things and line them up

probably not!

progress is being made......

I'm serving as the co-curator for an upcoming SAQA show titled Under the Western Sun.  The show opens at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum the end of April, then will travel to New Mexico and Salt Lake City.

I've been the curator for shows before, but let me tell you, the whole business of TRAVELING a show is a whole other kettle of fish.

For instance, about three times the paperwork!! (And it's well know that wrangling artists can be like herding cats)

 

I have managed to get some work done in the studio, however.

The stitching of the flowers has begun on this piece

I've been doing some hand embroidered grasses and weeds on the surface of this piece, and it is now ready to be cut and finished --- whoo hooo!

I've started adding the shadows and the mailboxes to this piece, and I'm pretty please with how it looks

Work at the design wall on the dog continues too --- this one amazes me every time I work on it

This is the design idea for a small piece (9 inches by 9 inches) that is for a call for entries from the Quilting Arts magazine.  I don't think this one will take very long to put together!

And this week I learned of a call for entries that is titled Life Along the Rio Grande.  I've started doing some research for this piece, and admit my knowledge of geography in the state I grew up in is pretty limited to places I've actually been.  I learned in my research that the headwaters of the Rio Grande River is right here in Colorado -- cool!

Now and then I do a utilitarian sewing project.  Mr Cute likes to draw and color when he is traveling in the car, but in warm weather, crayons are a bad idea.  The solution to that issue is the new colored pencils that are in plastic sleeves and don't even require sharpening, they just roll up like mechanical pencils. 

And of course a new box of colored pencils means they need a snappy new pencil bag -- we know what the fate of the cardboard box is!

Mr Cute had picked out this fat quarter fabric when he went to the fabric store with me last fall.  I was happy to make this (LINED!) zippered bag for him (and the zipper came out of my stash of random sewing supplies -- cool)

And no blog post is complete without a picture of the canine member of the household!  Mr Benson got a BarkBox in the mail this week (these come once a month and are full of toys and treats to keep him entertained for a month) --- this squeaky bouncy ball is a real hit --- he takes it to the top of the basement stairs and drops it down so he can go after it --- over and over again!   What a character!!