Sweet Memories are Made of This

So, back to my somewhat regular routine.  Not that I could ever say I have a routine.  I sorta do whatever, whenever, and try to enjoy what may come.  After returning home from Alabama, and my most wonderful new friends departed for the great northwest, I dragged around for a few more days, still reminiscing about the fun we had.  You might have read about Nifty's, Bonnie's and Tina's purchases while shopping around Cleveland.  After finding those treasures, we hit the thrift store and each bought a few shirts. Then the girls treated Steve and me to a delightful dinner at our favorite local restaurant.  A few martini's, some nice wine and delicious food gave us new strength to head home and cut up the newly purchased shirts.  We continued laughing and cutting up into the wee hours.

Tina rescued the "seams" from all the boxers and shirts and made balls for the cats to play with.  Sorry Tina, but the cats don't get those balls.  I found a much better use for them.  The smaller ones are perfect for filling up the glass of my new Target lamp.  Now to make more more more.

Instead of getting back to work on my dogwood quilt, or any of the other projects that I have started.  I just couldn't wait to play with those shirt scraps that we shared.   I decided to make Friendship Star blocks.  Along with scraps from Tina, Bonnie and Nifty, these shirts turned out to have just the perfect color combinations.  For me at least. I think it will be the perfect quilt full of memories that will last forever.

Got twelve blocks whipped up in no time.  Not sure where it will go from here, but I've got lots of scraps left and it will continue to grow.  As I hope our friendship will continue to grow.

check out the pocket
another "Nifty" idea

Alabama Folk School part 2

Great Friends, Great Fabric, Great Food.  Just can't get enough.  Still reeling with with all the thoughts and memories that will serve me for a long time to come. 

I must take the time to thank Sarah Mills Nee, the director of the Alabama Folk School.  She and her husband are an amazing talented couple.  Sarah and her crew made the daily operation and schedule go smoothly and effortlessly to those of us participating in the workshops.  Everything was done to make our experience relaxing, inspirational and enjoyable.  If you like music or crafts, I can not say enough about this special spot.  They offer classes from nationally know artists and musicians and I can guarantee that you will get your money's worth and then some.

Thank you Sarah and the staff of the Alabama Folk School and Camp McDowell

Mary Ann Pettway - Gee's Bend
Sarah Mills Nee - Camp Director
Anne Robertson - Quilter

Now back to quilting

Mary Ann Pettway posing with her top ready for quilting
Can you tell that she is a fun lady?  

Bonnie

At the end of the workshop, everyone "hung" their quilt tops with blue painters tape to the windows.  Here is Bonnie (sorry Bon, not such a good picture) with her two quilts.  Bonnie has a delightful webpage with great pictures and descriptions of our time together.  Jump over to On The Way and read all about it.  Bonnie is a wonderful artist and you must also visit her web page and art gallery.    Hey!  I just had an idea.  Maybe the Folk School should put Bonnie on their list of teachers!  What fun that would be!!!!

I love the idea of hanging our quilt tops in the windows.  It was magical 

Nifty

Tina

Kim and her very cool GB piece

Suzie made lots of great pieces!

Cathy used her wonderful hand dyed and stamped fabrics

Looks like Cathy and I will be going to a Nancy Crow workshop together!
The fun never ends, my friend.

                                   

Anne had a blast with this one
I cannot wait to see more of it!

I began making more posies on day 2 and laid them on another bark cloth curtain panel. Soon got a bit bored with the posies and looked over to see what Victoria was up to.
(footnote: Tina made a posey for me too - the one on the top with stripped outer edges
Thanks Tina! )
(Do you think I am easily distracted?)

OK, so, back on track.   I scrambled around for some pale neutrals from the table of "shared fabrics" and made this little block:

Mary Ann and China graciously signed it for me
My plan is to hand quilt this one, frame it and hold on to it forever.

So ends the saga of my Camp McDowell/Alabama Folk School experience.  You can see all the other quilt tops if you jump over to the other sites that I mentioned in today and yesterday's post.  As I said, I am being a bit lazy here.  Or is it a case of TMI?
Whatever, there is just way too much to ever fit into one little blog. 
Happy trails to you
until we meet again. 

Alabama Folk School

I have just returned from a trip of a lifetime.  No, no, not an exotic trip to some far flung destination.  I am talking about Nauvoo, Alabama.  

The Alabama Folk School at Camp McDowell seems to have been a well kept secret.  From me, at least.  Last winter my friend, Nifty, gave me the heads up on her plan to come south to learn from the ladies of Gee's Bend.   Naturally, I could not pass up this opportunity.  Along with 17 other ladies from all around the country, we made quilts with the guidance of Mary Ann Pettway and China Pettway of Gee's Bend, AL.

I had the pleasure of reuniting with Nifty and Tina from Seattle, and meeting Nifty's sister-in-law, Bonnie, from Salem, OR.   I also had the pleasure of meeting Victoria, a.k.a. Bumble Beans,  and Kim from NY after reading their blogs for a long long time. They have both already posted some great pictures and reads. Victoria shared lots of great ones on her  Flickr link  Another new friend, Cathy from Birmingham, AL has posted great pictures and stories on her blog that you will enjoy checking out.  Sweet Diane from Birmingham posted some great pictures on Picasa.  Ann, from Jackson, MS also has a blog and a website.  Jump over to see what she has going on.  So, I am taking the lazy way out.  You must jump over to see their pictures and descriptions.  I promise you won't be disappointed.  

                      But I must tell you about this lady.  Cherrye Parker

left to right:
China Pettway from Gee's Bend, Cherrye Parker from Brimingham, AL, who had never made a quilt, and  Mary Ann Pettway from Gee's Bend.

Cherrye arrived with fabrics that she had purchased in Africa and a sewing machine just purchased, still in the box, with not a clue how to use it!  Not only did she learn to use a sewing machine, but completed the top and began to learn hand quilting.

Just look what she accomplished as a novice sewer/quilter.

My hat is off to you Cherrye!

Cherrye also wrote a very touching note to all after returning home.  With her permission, I am sharing her thoughts:

 but mama said we'd learn to quilt

           a note from Cherrye Fincher Parker

When I was a little girl, mama would sew a few clothes and crochet.

Somewhere along the way she stopped sewing and taught my friend, Juanakee

and me how to crochet...

but mama said we'd learn to quilt.

Mama, Mrs. Lillie M. H. Fincher,  and I crocheted lots of blankets for Cassandra, my sister, Jasmine, my one niece, Mu Dear, my grandmother - Dr. Gertrude C. Sanders, and family friends. We shared good times together completing each others crochet projects. I enjoyed creating the body of the blanket and mama would do the edges and the fringes.....

but mama said we'd learn to quilt.

Years passed fast... work, new experiences, travel, marriages, divorces, illnesses,

job promotions, joys, disappointments, God's grace keeping us strong...time changes a lot of things...

but mama said we'd learn to quilt.

Mu Dear had a stroke at the age of 90 and mama took good care of her for two years until she went Home...

and mama said now we'd learn to quilt.

100 days after Mu Dear went Home, I guess she got lonely because

mama went to sleep and followed her Home too...

BUT MAMA SAID WE'D LEARN TO QUILT!!!

Three years later, Grace brought me to the company of some awesome women, representing eight different states and 2 phenomenal quilters from Gee's Bend at the Alabama Folk School.  With my brand new in-the-box sewing machine in hand, no thread, Joy in my heart and my mama's spirit dwelling in me, I worked hard to make my first quilt top. Mary Ann and China showed me how to bring it all together and several of my new friends added a stitch here and there.

Mama said we'd learn to quilt.

We did.

I know she was there.

Each one of you have blessed me.

Love ya'll,

Cherrye

(Cherrye's sister/best friend, Juanakee, passed away 5 years ago from breast cancer.) 

Here we are, in our final hours together, still laughing

And now to the beginning:
Day 1

China is amazed at Victoria - the day has just begun and she has already gotten half a quilt pieced!  

Where do we begin?

(left to right)    

Mary Ann, Bonnie, Tina, Nifty, Barb, Victoria, Cathy

Nifty & Tina stitching away while Mary Ann confers with Bonnie

(Note the extra large classroom with lots and lots of natural light.  It adjoined the cafeteria and made it oh so easy for meal breaks.  The food was just plain wonderful, I might add. 

Mary Ann shows us a top made by another Gee's Bend lady

Using old boxer shorts from my hubby & son (much to their dismay) and cut up for me by Nifty, Tina and Bonnie.  I brought along a bark cloth curtain panel from the 1950's, as well as bundles of Kaffe fat quarters given to me by Bonnie.  This is the beginnings of my Gee's Bend interpretation.

China suggested that I use this dark green along with the bark cloth.  I agreed, tentatively, but secretly, I didn't like the idea.  But then, why did I come here?  Just to do my own thing?  NO, I wanted to dig into the creative thoughts of a lady from Gee's Bend!  So I reluctantly decided to go with her suggestion.  

I am so happy that I did so.  And I think China was pleased too!  Ya think it looks a bit Gee's Bendish?  I promised China that I would quilt it immediately and not go home and stick it in a drawer.  

Bonnie incorporated some blue "flame" fabric given to her from Tina

Nifty's in progress, using pieces cut from her baby clothes made by her grandmother.

Tina's all together, using some blue and white vintage fabrics from her Mom.
Isn't it great!!!!

Okay, so if you have gotten this far, congrats.  Enough for today, but I promise that there will be more to come.  

ideas for my next one

lured away from piecing the pink dogwoods

 to the iris blooms in my yard

the warm, sunny weather

 camera in hand

life is good

 " graceful ballerina"

 "delicate lady of a certain age"

"spun silk"

"purple tiger"

"lemon drop swirls"

"hold on, I'm coming"

Now then, back to the pink dogwood

it is coming along, making more changes as I go

Spring has sprung

Or is it summer in disguise?  Down south we have had record high temps.  Whew!  Need I say that I am not ready for summer?  What happened to spring?  The dogwoods and iris are in full bloom. Gloriously.
I am stuck with my latest geometric triangular design. So why not go with the flow?
Taking pictures of the prolific dogwood blossoms and giant white iris blooms, I have left those geos in the dust/mud and felt compelled to create new textile art/fiber art/quilt from my pictures of the exquisite deep pink dogwood tree in my backyard.

Taking multiple photos of all the dogwoods, pink and white, I quickly settled on the composition of the white dogwood.  However, not wanting to do another white bloom, I used this photo as my design, using pink as the color of the blooms.

Okay, so I know that they are totally different botanical configurations, but this composition just spoke to me.  Hello.  Use me.  But make me pink.  Call it artistic license.  Does that work for you?  Hey, it is working for me, at any rate.  Here is where it has gotten me thus far.  

the pattern:

day 3:

Just know that these are simply pieces of fabric pinned to my design wall and not sewn together.  Subject to change at my whim.  They are not my usual colors of choice.  But I am liking the pink (okay I have begun a new love affair with pink) and the blue greens, which seem to play well.

I am off and running again with my fav.  

I can't wait for tomorrow.

One more my friend's shirts quilt finished

Another one bites the dust.  Bound and ready for snuggling on a chilly day.  

front 
All shirtings set together with 3 different pieces of orange shot cottons.
Straight line machine quilting with variegated threads.

back
Using an old piece of chambray which had the corner cut into, I added a length of shirting strips along with a couple of more pieces of shirting to make it large enough for the backing.  

Originality

Recently some friends and I were talking about originality.  As in, there is nothing original in this world.  I do agree with that.  As much as I try to create an original quilted piece, and I occasionally think that, aha!, by jove I've done it.  I've only to go as far as my laptop and find that the little black sliver of fabric I've inserted into one of my last quilts to make the blocks line up has already been done!
Yet, that seems to inspire me to try and try again. 

I do enjoy a challenge.

The past few days I have been playing with triangles.  Nothing new there.  But just maybe.  If I take my pattern from the last piece, 

and play around with the lines in a new sketch, I'll find another way of doing this motif.  (Am I really going to do a series?)  Yeegads!

First I cut 1 1/2 ", 1", and 3/4" strips of black and white fabrics, using my ruler.

Next, using my scissors, no measurements, no rules, I cut little triangles from multiple colors.  I decided to sew alternating black and white strips on two sides of the triangles.  Need I mention that it became addicting.  Here's what I have got so far.  

Although I didn't stick to the sketch, I am enjoying the way it is going.  So far this is some good therapy and some good fun.  It makes me happy just to look at it.  Not too sure where I'll go from here, but I like the idea of the colored triangles being different sizes.  Little bits of color.  Zig zags.
Original?  Maybe not in the worldly scheme of things. but for me, definitely yes.  Geometrics.  Series.  I would have never dreamed that I would be doing this.

Now that I've gotten several triangles made, I'll sew them together and see what happens.  And I am not going to stress over matching them up perfectly, as they are all just a bit different in size.  To my eye, that is what will make it more interesting.  But then, that's just my opinion.  Life is good.  Maybe not too original, but still good fun. We'll see what tomorrow brings.  

Food for thought

Geometrics are not my strong point.  It's been a challenge for me to take a motif and convert the lines into something pleasing to the eye.  Part of it might have to do with the decision making process.  Trying to visualize what to make of these lines. I agonize far too long over all sorts of sketches.  Why can't I just pick up the fabric and start cutting and sewing?   Without a pattern?  Yikes!  That is the other difficult part for me.  No drawn pattern so that I can get the proportions and scale right.  So I ended up drawing a scale pattern.  And I got it finished.

After all the serious doubts about which way this was going to hang, I went with my first thoughts.  At the suggestion of a friend, I kept revolving it.  As this assignment for my art quilt study group was about asymmetrical balance, I liked the way it felt at this rotation.  It invokes an Asian design to my eye.  It turned out nothing at all like my original sketch.  Yet it was interesting and fun to work through the process to see what it might become. 

room setting with another motif project, the pillow.
can anyone see what the motif is supposed to be?
does it look balanced?

I am going to let it hang this way as I continue to study it and perhaps go back to the original sketch and try another design.  This series stuff could be fun.  And hopefully the next one I will attempt to do without drawing a pattern.  

Wordless Wednesday

Well not really wordless. 

Not really Wednesday.

At first I thought I would just post some pictures.  Then I thought I should first do a bit of 'splainin'  since I had created no posts since the first of December.  It's like this,

Christmas prepartions

Stripping wallpaper from 5 rooms

Painting 5 rooms

Redecorating 5 rooms

Being a guest lecturer (don't ask)

Beginning a new art study group

Cleaning out the basement for an indoor fabric dyeing studio

At last I am back to the good stuff.  Oh how I missed quality time in my studio.

And I really missed "talking" to all my online friends.

But now, I am back, albeit sporadically, I fear.

When I began blogging, I wasn't too sure I would stick to it.  I sorta got out of the habit tried to stop spending so much time on the internet and become more productive.  So I might not be blogging as much for a bit, but if I have anything to show, you betcha I'll be showing off.  

Here is what I have gotten done lately.

I finished piecing the string stars quilt using shirts from my friend's husbands shirts. She asked for the more traditional layout, whew!

Ready to be quilted

  

Another shirt quilt for my friend's family. All Gee's Bendish and laid back.  I used 3 different colors of Kaffe Fasset's shot cottons for the sashings.   It's actually quilted and ready to have the binding stitched.  (Sorry my computer ate that picture.) 

 A few of my friends and I began an art study group using Lorraine Torrence and Jean Mills' book, Fearless Design for Every Quilter.  There are 10 lessons and we are attempting to do one lesson per month.  This quilt is the result of one of my "study" blocks from the first lesson. Done by the seat of my pants, feeling my way along and figuring it out as I go.  It is 45" square and destined to hang over the mantle in my living room.  Maybe.  If the quilting goes well.  If not, it might be the first of a series.  I cut 1 1/4 inch strips of fabric and stitched them together.  Then cut them into the various shapes.  Lots of quality therapy time with my rotary cutter and Juki.  

And speaking of Juki.  I bought the new Juki TL-2010Q from this wonderful shop.  (I felt that I was justified because I had sold two of my quilts.)  Now, I love love love my Juki TL-98Q, but the new model has a speed control.  Yippee.  A brighter light. More yippees.  It came with all the necessary feet and tools.  What more can I ask?  I would highly recommend  Raichert's online shop in case you are in the market.  Great prices, excellent customer service.  And nothing sews like a Juki. 

Now, if I only had 44 hours in my day and could mange with 4 hours of sleep.