Whaleback Light at Night

My painted whole cloth quilt, Whaleback Light at Night, won a first place ribbon at the Vermont Quilt Festival! Winning a blue ribbon is very exciting. The show was great with lots of beautiful work on display. I am very proud to be among the ribbon winners.

Another Rainy Day

I don't think there will be much sunshine in New England today. It is dark and dreary with rain off and on. I am beginning to think our glimpse of summer was while we were traveling in the south during April. I have my mind back in the sunshine of Miami as I thread paint this morning.

The Rhythm of Thread Work

Miami Skyline is on my long arm and I am just getting into the rhythm of quilting. Do the rest of you quilters feel that? Some times someone will ask me how I decide on my background quilting design? There is really no decision except the unconscious one. As with many design elements, "you go with the flow." I fire up the machine and the stitches just flow, like handwriting across the surface of the fabric. I get into a rhythm and begin to see the complete picture. It starts with the photo, melds into the painted surface and is completed by the stitching. Another quilter recently asked the question, when is you product art? I don't know? When I write, words jump off the end of my pen. When I create fiber art, the stitches and the colors, do much the same thing. Is this the artistic zone? What do you think?

Miami Skyline

I have finally finished my first painted surface from my southern photos. I took the photo of a Miami skyline when we were on an RV trip in Florida last month. I think the painting is finished, if I can stop myself from adding one more thing, here and there! I will heat set the paint tomorrow and then I can put it on my machine to start the quilting. I am itching to quilt!

Progress on the Slice

Have been layering the orange tile roofs . It's adding that pop of color.

Concept Quilting

I guess that's what I'll call my work on my slice quilt today. I have been snipping small pieces from my fabric stash and bonding the pieces to fabric. I am working on the adobe roof lines at the bottom of the picture that my friends Pat and Judy and I are interpreting in fabric. As I worked this afternoon, I was thinking of a story that I read over and over again to my son Johnny, when he was little. I felt like I was creating the roof lines of Hodge Podge Lodge! What book was that, anyway?

I was also thinking that working in colaboration with other quilters, is allowing me to stretch my skills and create something different from what I usually do. It's all good!!

Traveling America's East Coast

I just returned to New England after traveling to Florida and back in our RV with my husband. We skirted some very devastating storms and rode a lot of miles. We were fortunate to be out of range as tornados touched down. We lived through a tornado that touched down five miles from our house, three years ago, so we were familiar with the devastation. There are no words to describe it and our prayers go out for the families that were affected.

I was fortunate to visit a few friends along the way and I took lots of digital photos for future fiber art. We live in a beautiful country and inspiration is all around us. It's time to finish my current slice quilt project, and start work on something new!

I'll add my current project in progress and then post it again as I finish.

The daffodils are out and the sun is shining in NH. Happy Mother's Day to you all! Enjoy your day tomorrow.