The Freedom Trail

Boston is the last of our large city visits. Our guided Freedom Trail walking tour began in Boston Common.

History has never been one of my favorite subjects, but this tour guide really made the experience more enjoyable and educational.

Don't you love his costume? You could tell that he loved history and really enjoyed giving these tours. This is the Granary Burial Grounds and the guide is standing next to the Paul Revere's headstone. Over 5,000 bodies are buried in a tiny space, with up to 20 bodies per hole. We wound our way through the city and learned a lot of interesting facts about Boston that we wouldn't have known on our own. Lots of great architecture, a real mix of old and new.Here's the calm before the storm. It poured for a half hour, then we continued on to Quincy Square for food and entertainment (acrobatics on an extension ladder).

Each time we visit Boston, we have a different experience. In the past, we've done the duck boat tour, art museum, science museum and we even went to see the Blue Man Group. My only disappointment with this visit was Chinatown. All I can say is, don't waste your time.

Boston is a fun city, but it's really easy to get lost and end up in the wrong place with no easy way to return. Make sure you bring your GPS!

AQS Show in Knoxville, TN

Are any of my blog followers going to the AQS show in TN?

If so, could you keep an eye out for my quilts in the special exhibit "Becoming Art at the Seams"? It would be great to receive a photo or two of the exhibit!

AQS contacted the Ventura Museum and asked if the artists would like to participate in the AQS show. For me, it was a no brainer, all three of my quilts will be in the show. Some pieces couldn't be included because they were mounted on stretcher bars or canvas, some had a previous commitment, however, most of the art is included in the TN show.

Two of my quilts have been on exhibit for approximately 7 months. Three months at the Elverhoj Museum, 3 months at the Ventura Museum and a few weeks at the AQS show. I'm really happy to have such wonderful opportunities to show my art.

Don't you love quilt shows? They are so inspirational! I'll be going to the IQF in Long Beach next week. Sensory overload coming my way!

No Place Like Manhattan

I'm sure you've heard NYC described as "The city that never sleeps". I never realized how true it was until our recent visit. There is a constant buzz everywhere around you. If feels like every bit of space and oxygen is being used. Although I really enjoyed our visit, life in Manhattan can be a bit overwhelming!

Our visit began with a 3 hour wait in the baggage claim area. One of the engines on my son's plane encountered a flock of birds. Lets just say, there were no winners. The plane had to make an emergency landing. Once everyone was safe and accounted for, we headed to the hotel, dropped off our bags and started our NYC adventure.

We walked through Central Park which is around 2-1/2 miles long. It is a great park with a lot of activity happening. Concerts, performers, biking, boating, you name it we saw it.

I encountered this sign at the far end of the park. I don't think I ever heard of a No honking law, but I can understand why they would have one here.
We took a boat tour around the entire island. It was a great way to get a feeling for what the whole area is like. We went under 19 bridges and through one bridge that opens sideways. Needless to say, bridges are their lifeline. It's such a fabulous skyline, but it's impossible to tell what it really looks like when you are in the middle of it. Once you get out on the boat, it looks so much different.We didn't have enough time to visit Lady Liberty, but we did get pretty close.

Here's an odd sign on the side of a building "A bare knuckled bucket of does". Huh?? What the heck does that mean? If anyone knows, please share.

Other highlights were the Empire State Building at night. The view was absolutely breathtaking. We went to Peter Lik's gallery in SoHo. His photography is fabulous. If I were alone, I would have spent all day there.

We rented a car, managed to make it out of Manhattan without hitting any pedestrians (no easy feat), and headed to Massachusetts for our next adventure.

Family Vacation

We just got back from a fantastic vacation with our family. The first stop was IL for my daughter's graduation from Northwestern University. Every time I visit Chicago, I like it more. They have great galleries, restaurants, entertainment, friendly people and public transportation. Usually, we stay in Evanston, but this time we stayed in the River North area of Chicago. Here's the view from my hotel.

Can you see the giant frog sitting on the building across the street? It just about gave me a heart attack the first time I looked out the window. Freaky!This giant stainless steel sculpture is located in Millennium Park and is called Cloud Gate or the Bean. The way it reflects everything around it is fantastic, but the best part (IMHO) is inside the bean.Here it is. I'm underneath the bean looking up! How cool is that? Every person turns into an abstracted shape and is reflected many times. I took quite a few photos in here.There are two of these giant towers (40-50 feet) in the park. Each has a different face projected on it and the facial expressions constantly change. You stand there watching it, and the next thing you know, the mouth opens and water comes streaming out. It was a hot day, and the kids were having a great time playing in the water.

Two of my favorite art visits were to Vale Craft Gallery and Chiaroscuro. Everything is handcrafted and gorgeous. Definitely worth visiting.

My next post will feature NYC. Stay tuned!

New Jersey Housing Needed

I hope people from the Princeton, New Jersey area read my blog and can help.

My daughter is about to graduate from college in IL and has an intern position at EFT in Princeton, NJ. It's a wonderful opportunity that she couldn't pass up. The problem is, she can't find a place to live for the 2 months (July and August) she'll be there.

It sounds like the area includes very nice homes and Princeton student housing. It appears that not much else is available. The usual craigslist hunts aren't working.

If you have a room for rent or know of an apartment in that area, please contact me privately.

O-So Many Layers

The Fibervision challenge is finally complete. Each panel features a piece of fabric that I made using a variety of surface design techniques (screen printing, sunprinting, dyeing, stamping).

The fabric was wrapped around a square of Timtex and stitched together. Each square is then stitched onto the painted canvas to form the letter "O". Each individual square also contains the letter "O" somewhere on its surface, in some cases, all over its surface.

A plastic bracelet was repurposed by wrapping it in translucent ribbon and stitching it to the Timtex. Screen printing, stamping and embroidery are the main techniques used in the square above.

The base of this piece was sunprinted with green and yellow setacolor and the blue was printed on top using a thermofax screen. The tiddlywinks were used to sunprint and then were stitched onto the surface.

Do you know where the inspiration for your art comes from? Generally, I'm not influenced by other artists work, however, this time, I remember seeing two wonderful pieces of art that influenced the layout of my piece. Perhaps I'm kidding myself, maybe I just don't realize how easily influenced I am. Hmmm . . . something to think about.

Take a look at Michelle's colorful piece. It has 9 mixed media squares on a fabric background. She combines recycled items, text and color in a very fun way.

The other inspirational piece was hanging in a local gallery and was made by Michelle y Williams. I instantly fell in love with it but my husband didn't. Unfortunately, the price tag required that both of us had to be in love with it. It is made from metal squares that have layers of paint and texture applied. Twenty five squares were nailed to a solid base to form a grid.

Are there any truly original ideas left? Probably not many.

Eat the Muffins and Repurpose the Packaging

A group of friends were carpooling to the Southern CA SAQA meeting. I bought some mini blueberry muffins for the ride. While passing out the muffins, I noticed the great flower shape of the packaging. Hmmm . . . this could make a great print. After we returned home, I returned to the store to check out the larger muffins. Oooh, these are a different shape and look even more promising. I didn't need the muffins, but the packaging was irresistible.

I slathered the paint on and made some sample prints on paper. I think they have a lot of potential and have added them to my collection.

This just goes to show that great shapes are everywhere. Some of the favorite printing plates come from very simple packaging items. Have you ever looked at the packing tray that holds those tiny liquor filled chocolate bottles? They make great circles, one of my personal favorite shapes!

Keep your eyes open and let me know if you find something good!

LARGE Birthday Card

Arlene's birthday invitation came with a rubber nose, peanuts and a photo of her dressed as a clown. Is that funny or what? Arlene is the owner of The Magic Castle in Hollywood and that's where the party was held. She didn't want any presents - only cards. My first thought was, this better be a great card and I started to play. This is what I came up with.Four funny faces! I just love making these faces, they are sooo much fun! My friend Rene is responsible for getting me hooked on this. When I began, I had no idea what the faces would like, they just developed. To me, the faces ended up looking like a robot, a clown, a muppet and a martian. Do you agree or do you see something else?
Here's the back of the card before we signed it. Needless to say, Arlene loved the card. And yes, it was the largest (13" x 17") and most colorful card on the pin-up board. My DH made a wonderful envelope for the card. I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

The party was a blast and the magic is always amazing. If you ever get an invitation to visit the Castle, make sure you accept.

The Benefits of Water Soluble Crayons

Rayna wondered why you would use Water Soluble Crayons instead of textile paint. Here are several reasons that I can think of. Clean up is much quicker, they are super easy to use, they are very compact for traveling, they don't change the hand of the fabric, and the most important reason of all is that I LOVE to experiment with new materials.

Twelve crayons in a compact tin.

Twelve jars of textile paint.

Don't get me wrong, I love textile paints and crayons won't replace my paint. Crayons are simply one more tool in my toolbox. I'll be traveling this summer, and crayons will be in my suitcase. You may find that crayons are exactly what you need for a particular situation. Options are good!

Printing with Water Soluble Crayons

If you are looking for a new way to add a layer of color, try water soluble crayons. They are easy to use, cleanup is a snap and they deliver great results. All you need is a thermofax screen, Jacquard extender and water soluble crayons.

Place a padded surface on your table, place the fabric with the pretty side up and put the thermofax on top. Color all over the screen with the water soluble crayons. If you want saturated colors, press hard while coloring to make sure a lot of crayon is applied. Add a line of extender across one edge of the screen, like you would if it were ink or paint and drag it across the entire screen. I used a bondo applicator tool from the car store, but the best tool depends on the surface you are working on.

This photo shows the fabric before it was printed (left), what the printed surface like as I peel the thermofax back (center) and the thermofax as it's being removed (right).

Here is a section of cloth that shows two pulls. You can use one solid color or mix and match whatever way you choose.

This piece shows the same design printed many times using different colors. I started printing with the lime green color, added some blue and printed, added some red and printed, and then I added some yellow and printed. Each additional color mixed with the color below it to create new colors. You should always work quickly and keep your screen good and wet. Fun experiment, great results!

Bendable BrightLight

Have you tried this new LED task light? Lucky me, I was able to use a 40% off coupon at our local craft store to buy it. The price is pretty high for such a little light, but it gives you a nice bright, white light, exactly where you need it.
See how it's attached to the left side of my sewing machine? The flexible shaft will adjust in any direction you want. If you need light in a different location, just pop the whole piece out of its holder. Be warned, this light does not run on batteries, you need an electrical outlet. I had some major rearranging to do to make one available. It's amazing how many electrical items I have in this studio! The only battery operated item I can think of is my clock.The photo below shows the normal light that comes from my sewing machine. As you can see, the light is yellowish and spreads across several inches.

The photo below shows you how the Brightlight is focused exactly where you want it. I also like it because it doesn't give off a lot of heat like some lamps I own.

It seems like the older my eyes get, the more light I need. If you're like me, you might want to give this light a try. BTW: I have no affiliation, I'm just a happy customer.

"Smoked Out" Returns Home

My quilt, "Smoked Out" has returned home safe and sound from its year on tour. I hope some of you had a chance to see it up close and personal in Long Beach, Houston or Chicago. Was anyone lucky enough to attend all three shows?

A year is a long time, but I'm thrilled that my quilt was chosen to be part of the Quilts Inc. West Coast Wonders Exhibit. It's obvious that Quilts Inc. took great care of my quilt and I'm very grateful. If you haven't seen the quilt, take a peek in the Gallery.

I've had laryngitis this week and haven't had much energy . . . it was the perfect time to work on little projects.

Hand felting is fun and the bright wool from Susan made me feel better. Everything about her makes me smile, including her crazy dreams!

Shape Splitting is another fun project. You begin with multiples of a shape and explore various ways to divide it up while maintaining the original shape. The leaf shape in the top left corner didn't quite line up as well as it could have. I think two of the pieces were glued in the wrong place. Oh well.