TOP STITCHING & ADD ONS

In the morning I worked on Rahab, top stitching around the first 2 houses. Took a fabric piece off the wall. Shape was buckling. Seam ripper has been a close companion.

I was playing at the end of the day with stars, sequins & bugle beads in the sky areas. Will paint a piece of string for the 'rope' in the story. There's the red thread by the last section.

All these add-ons are part of the story telling of the piece. And yes, in one of these posts, I need to tell the story.

COLOR & SPARKLE

Beautiful fabrics came in with a friend today.

Color & sparkle sizzle on my work table.

Another project for another day.

NO BUNCHING

Moved forward on Rahab quilt. Started machine quilting. Stitched layers together with purple Sulky.

Sure like my walking foot. The layers never bunch up.

click here to look at the Rahab quilt process

PINS & THREADS

A quilt is a 3 layer sandwich.

I learned that from my years in the quilt world. I hardly think of these small ones as quilts but they fit the description.

Pinned the 3 layers together - using a low loft batting. It's so small I may not baste it - but maybe I will.

Sulky thread is on the table. Wondering what colors to use. Machine quilting ahead.

Click here for earlier posts about Rahab's story quilt.

SAIL A SILKEN PUFF

Terra firma safe

fixed and fastened

of patterns predictable

so mindlessly, so silently saunter the linear path

saluting it's defined edges,

finding comfort among emotion's low notes.

Yet everywhere living water

dripping in filmy clouds

tumbling in blue-green sea,

shimmering in silvery earth-dew.

Path's end

invites a daring plunge, an inspired soar

where the soft moon sways and

carriages of stars cluster above this heavy dark.

Sail a silken puff to crystal

dreams

and settle not

until sun's last day.

c.CSL

• from Beach Poetry, a collaboration between 2 friends, a writer & myself

• tomorrow back to Rahab quilt

LIVING BY THE SEA

I don't actually live by the sea but I sort of feel like it when I surround myself with coastal art.

Decided to bring out the Rockport, Massachusetts inspired art quilts this summer.

I think there were 15 in the series when I made them back in...when was that? Whatever! Some sold, some gifted & these 8 are what I have left.

We are enjoying them in our gallery space of a home here in Connecticut.

The oil painting in the top photo, Sea Place, is by Michael Metzger, my painting professor. I have 3 of his paintings for which I traded stoneware hand-built pots & handwoven tapestries I made back in college.

click on the photos to enlarge

IT'S SCRAPpY !

wall is sewn down.

I like it.

mulling over...

batting or flannel?

zig-zag stitch?

thread colors?

star sequins?

rope & red thread?

1st reorg. studio

EARLY BEACHES

It's been raining here in Connecticut. A lot! These are NOT beach days! My artist friend, Katherine Scott Maghini, bemoans this wet weather with her blog post, Rainy Days and Thursdays. Do take a look!

Although it's not Thursday, it IS raining AGAIN! So Kath, I'm posting these 3 beaches just for you. I'm sure there'll be plenty of summery beach days ahead for you to sit in a beach chair, sipping that iced coffee!

3 from a series of beach inspired quilts I made back in 1988, my first quilts. I designed one quilt block and worked it out in different color-fabric ways.

Marimekko, hand painted & dyed fabrics, rubber stamps, shells & sand dollar. 10' x 14"

Yes, worked on Rahab quilt. Will post progress tomorrow.

STUDIO & SCANNING

I worked in the studio on Rahab this morning, stitching down the wall. Continuing on that tomorrow.

Received email from Art House Co-op in Brooklyn NY, that RAIN, my Sketchbook Project 2011, has been scanned & is on their website. Click to see.

Besides a great look at the sketchbook pages, the webpage also features some of my work in an online portfolio. Art House did a good job on the scanning.

click on photos to enlarge