Evansville Extreme Embroidery Class

I recently had the opportunity to teach my “Extreme Embroidery” class to a group in Evansville. We had a great time. The group posed for a class photo.

There were lots of great designs and beautiful work.

One of the students had already finished her pin and had started a new piece before a week had passed!

I always love it when I get to see some of the finished pieces. If you would like a class on “Extreme Embroidery,” get in touch!

Penny Sisto Exhibit

I had the opportunity to attend a gallery talk and see a fabulous exhibit by fiber artist Penny Sisto at The Carnegie Center for Art & History in New Albany, Indiana. Penny has captured the 60s in her solo show “The Sixties—Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out.” Penny describes the time for her as “Escape and Ecstasy.” I think it was that way for a lot of us.

I have always loved her work. Several years ago, she had some pieces on display at KMAC (Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft). There was a piece there that just “haunted” me—I couldn’t get it out of my mind (and still can’t). I hesitated on the purchase and lost it to someone else. I mentioned it to Penny when I saw her at this latest exhibit. She assured me that it found a good home. I STILL regret not buying that piece.

Anyway, back to this exhibit…the show is loosely divided into sections—art and music, spiritual growth, civil rights and like-minded counter culture people. One of the pieces that really speaks to me is “Vote.” It is a HUGE piece. I can’t imagine the making of this piece as Penny’s studio is rather small.

So that you can get an idea about the size of this piece, I took a picture of Penny in front of it as she was speaking about it during the gallery talk I attended.

Penny says, “It was made during the last election…it stresses the importance of every single Vote…it also shows a ballot called Choice ’68 that was sent to schools and colleges listing names of possible candidates…every name on that list inspired in me hope or despair.”

I still love the music and excitement of that time. Her quilts of John Lennon, Jimi Hendricks, Janis Joplin, etc. take me back to that time.

Some of my friends were lucky enough to acquire one of her quilts at this exhibit.

Congratulations you two!!!

If you have the opportunity to see this exhibit in person, be sure you do. It is SO worth a trip to New Albany.

Retreat!

I had written an earlier blog post about having trouble doing any “creative” work after my Dad died on February 23. I had an art retreat scheduled (before any of the stuff happened with my Dad) for March 5-8. I decided to go, and it was one of the best decisions I have made in a long time. I immersed myself in my work and got my creative mojo back!

This art retreat consisted of several artists working in varied  mediums—felt making, poetry writing, book making, organization, sewing/piecing, hand stitching, sketching, planning, eco-dyeing, collage, etc. Being surrounded by people who CREATE really fed my soul. The first thing I did was finish the machine appliqué on the quilt I made out of Dad’s pajamas. (See the blog post about that here.)

I finished six 3” blocks for my 365 Quilt and two 6” blocks for it.

I finished the stitching on an “extreme embroidery” pin.

I started an improvisationally pieced quilt top. I got several good-sized units pieced and several smaller units ready to join. This type of creative project was just what I needed. I thoroughly enjoyed the process; the colorful pieces make me smile.

I arrived home to several very nice sympathy cards from friend (all of them much appreciated) a walking foot for my new machine, and a new hair care product I want to try. My husband unloaded all the retreat stuff from my car. Life is good.

WooooHoooo!!!

I received word last week that one of my “extreme embroidery” pieces (Come Dance with Me) has been juried into this year’s Fantastic Fibers Exhibit at the Yeiser Art Center in Paducah, Kentucky. This is a picture when I was working on it while at a retreat.

So…if you are going to the BIG quilt show in Paducah in the spring, please stop by and see it in person. The exhibit will be on display when you come to the big show. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, April 14 from 5pm-7pm (free admission). The show will be on display from April 14 - June 9, 2018, with a regular admission fee of $5.

According to the email I received, 364 submissions from 11 nations and 35 US states. From those 364 works submitted, only 42 were selected as part of the exhibition. I’m pretty excited to be a part of this group!

This years juror was Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, a fiber artist whose experimental techniques and expressive interpretations have earned  him  an  international reputation. He is one of Kentucky's most original, influential and significant artists. Because he creates an extensive collection of work his artwork is everywhere. His work is in the collections of the New York City Museum of Modern Art's Architecture and Design Collection, as well as galleries and private collections throughout the United States and the world. I wasn’t sure one of my pieces would get into the exhibit with Arturo being the juror, because he does REALLY innovative work.

If you haven’t been to the Yeiser before, it is located in downtown Paducah. It is a non-profit visual arts organization which recently celebrated sixty years (1957 - 2017) of serving the community through exhibitions and education throughout the Tri-State Region. The Yeiser Art Center is wheelchair accessible. The hours of operation are Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

If you get a chance to stop by, let me know what you think! (I have changed the setting on my blog, so try to leave a comment here—especially those of you who have never been able or who have never tried to leave a comment I’d love to know if my changes to the settings make any difference in your ability to leave a comment.)

I Think He’d Like It

Today (March 2, 2018) is the first day since my Dad passed away that I have felt like doing ANYTHING. I worked on designing a quilt using pieces of fabric cut from my Dad’s pajamas. (It is the only piece of clothing I have from my Dad.) I thought about how I might make the most of the fabric, because I might need to make more quilts with it.

My Dad absolutely LOVED golf. When he was able, you could find him golfing, talking about golf, or watching golf on TV. Maybe that's why this design came to mind. I liked the shape for the “tees,” and used the pj fabric to make those. I painted the “golf balls” by adding paint to the rim of a bowl to make the circle. Then I dipped a pencil eraser into the paint to make the “dimples” on the ball. After that, I thought what the quilt was missing something and decided it was the hole in the green. So, I added the big black circles onto the green fabric.

Right now, the pieces are just temporarily adhered to the background fabric. I have to finalize the placement of the pieces. I think Dad would have liked it. What do you think?

Thank You

As I have gone through my Dad’s illness and death, there have been constant sources of “help” for me. My family has been there every step of the way, of course; my friends have been there too. From listening to my worries to comforting me at his passing, my friends have been there to support me.

I’m thankful that Dad is no longer in pain. I worry about my step-mom, who has Alzheimer’s and is having a rough time comprehending that he is gone. I’m thankful for my family who have been there to help and comfort me. I am thankful to my friends for lending an ear, sending cards, commiserating with me, and trying to keep me busy.

Thank you to those of you who have reached out to me and my family. May you all be so blessed to have such good friends and such a loving family.