Getting Organized

I am again re-organizing the new studio.....I am sure this will happen a few more times before I find the most efficient and creative set-up. One of my steps this time was to get the fabric out of plastic tubs and onto the shelves. I enjoy seeing the textile color much more than boring book spines! Plus it was a little therapeutic to fondle all my fabrics!

 

Unfortunately, the rest of the space looks more like that messy area in the circle below. Don't you find that when cleaning, there is a point where it is 10x messier than when you started? You get everything out so you can find where it goes and put it there? That's where I am stuck.....

 

At this point in the organizing process I always crave a trip to the Container Store or Garden Ridge for some things to put my stuff into-baskets, jars, boxes. I don't need more containers, but I feel like I am making progress if I am still "actively" working on the task. By shopping. I know that I have a minor container collecting problem ... I can stop anytime I want.

Today I had the privilege of working on this cute quilt! The customer allowed me to do some modern quilting for this baby quilt in modern colors. I love how it turned out!

This beauty has a bittersweet story. My customer is completing it for a late friend. Her friend died of cancer before her grand-baby was born and was unable to complete the quilt for the baby. The mother and baby will have a sweet memory of "Gigi" because of the servant heart of another. 

Philippians 2:3-4 
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

I am finished quilting this beautiful 30's sampler! I am excited to be done and returning this baby to its home in Texas!

30's and Journal Quilting

This is the beauty that I am starting today! This will be fun!!

The local guild I am hoping to join has an art quilting group that I was invited to attend. They are doing monthly 12x12s with themes. The first theme was Sunrise, Sunset. Here is my entry (sans binding). I started with some fabrics that looked a little disjointed together. I did some curved piecing, and then some organic shapes fused on to help blend. After the quilting lines were added, I really liked how it came together! First a photo, then a scan for details.

 

Substrate

One of the artists that I mentioned in my earlier post likes to use old books for her journals. The look of her dismantled books really stirred something in me.

I decided that I needed one and I have lots of old books to destroy! 
The search began for a chopper. I called several copy places in the area and they didn't like the sound of chopping through a whole, hardback book. A very helpful girl at one of the shops gave me the name of a local bookbinder.
I called and met with Thomas in his garage workshop to see if he could help me. He had the most amazing tools! He has worked as a bookbinder all his life. He is retired now and does small jobs with smaller tools in his home. It smelled amazing-like that portend of paper promises that greets you when you enter a library or a bookstore.

He took a knife and started slicing the bookbinding. I was very uncomfortable.....it felt so sacrilegious!

This is the cutter. Big time. It is a Guillotine paper cutter, which means the blade comes straight down and chops across the entire length at the same time. I imagine it was very sharp. It looked like it went through the pages with no resistance at all.  Like buttah.

 

So now I have a dismantled book of my very own to work with!!

I do believe that is a beautiful fairy teaching people of old how to make delicious, magical donuts. I will report back to you at a later date regarding the true story of donuts.

Art Journaling

I have recently become obsessed with art journaling. I love the immediacy and instant gratification you can get from  "arting" in small doses. I love having paint on my fingers. One of my favorite bloggers/artists who shares tons of priceless information is Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. I first saw her work in Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine. She has great classes, tips, and seems so willing to share with others. I admire that generous spirit. The other blogger/artist that has caught my eye is Mary Brack. I love her style and colors. I purchased a few papers from her on Etsy, too! Look at these amazing circles!


I was fortunate to be able to take a class with Dina Wakely at my local mixed media shop, Whim So Doodle. The place is amazing!! The class was invaluable in getting me over some of the worry about getting started. I had so much fun and now have a better idea of how easy it is to fit art into my life again!
Here are my pages from the class. 

Today I was privileged to complete this beautiful quilt for a new customer in Florida! She took a class to make this gorgeous butterfly. Isn't it amazing?

I delivered it to her at the local guild meeting and another quilter who had taken the same class asked if I could quilt hers, too! It reminds me of a certain, beautiful Judy Niemeyer pattern. After she came to the shop in Texas for classes, I quilted so many Hawaiian Star quilts that I have reached my lifetime limit and, regrettably, will never be able to do another. In searching for the link above, I noticed that it has been remade and has a new name. I am not sure that technically I can refuse??