Category Archives: FAD (Fiber Art Dames)

100 day Challenge, Childhood Memories, College Life, Creative Strength Training, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Fiber Artist Stitch Club, Lap Quilts

Longer Day Light Days

Hello,

With the longer daylight days I seem to feel I need to do more stuff out side the studio.    This   week was the start of my Creative Strength Training with Jane Dunawald  and I have lots of reading to do.   So much to learn out there.   I am enjoying the challenge though.    The FAD group meant this week and that was enjoyable too.    This is one of Sharon’s works.

I talked with the Pixies and the Textile Art Stitch Club project is moving along.  I am not real good at all those tiny stitches and only seem to be able to work for about 30 min before I get big stitches and have to stop.

The big excitement was a trip yesterday to the Schweinfurth Art Center to see the Both Ends of the Rainbow Show.  I had two works in the show , and  Liz kindly took this close up of me in front of Granit and Silver .

 

 

 I also showed  Bonzi Tree .

 

 

Liz had two collages in the show.  It was great fun with lots of my friends represented.

 

As were many children.  I am going  on Monday to help take down the show.

 

 

 

I did the center pieces for the Social Art Club meeting this week as well.  I honor of the Ukrainian  people I made big Sun Flowers in blue vases.

 

Progress Report:  Action  I just keep working away on this project.  I have reached the outer boarder on two sides now and I feel great about it.

 

Lap # 9     I early winter Sue Ellen gave me a box of scraps and blocks.  I found these star blocks this week when I was sorting through the box and so I added some stuff of my own and put it all together this week.  The top is all done now to build the sandwich.

 

 

Cowl   I just keep knitting away on the yarn from Joyce and the cowls keep  being completed.

 

 

 

 

 

College Life- Summer weekends

I got to see Eric on several weekends during the summer. The first was a surprise. I got a call on a Saturday late in June and it was Eric at the Student Center asking me if he could see me. I was delighted and thrilled that he had driven down so we got together right away. He was showing off his new car, a pea green Lark station wagon. It was a fun little car with out much power. We called it Lighting as a joke. My parents were great about Eric’s surprise too, as they liked him. Dad took us all to the Ponderosa for dinner. After dinner Eric and I went off and played Putt Putt. Despite the fact that I made a hole in one I still lost the game. Later that night we got in trouble with a policeman for “parking” in the park. It was a fun weekend with that one exception.

Our next get together was much more planned. I got on the bus and went to South Bend on Friday of the last weekend in June. Eric’s family picked me up at the bus station and drove me to their home. Eric was working in the foundry for Cummings Engine that summer. His job was to knock off the excess “slag” from the engine blocks as they came down the line. It was a hot, dirty business, and I remember being surprised by his big steel-toed boots. When he got home he quickly went off and showered. Then the whole family got together to share Eric’s father’s birthday cake. Scott, the youngest boy, was so tired he could barely stay awake. As soon as he was done with the cake he went off to bed. Everyone else disappeared quickly too. Eric and I sat on the couch, listening to the stereo and talking late into the night.

Saturday morning, all the kids helped Mark assemble his news paper “The Voice of the Kids.” All the boys in the family are good with words and very conscious of literature. Their house seemed to be the center of neighborhood activity, too. Before I knew it there were lots of children playing in the yard. Somehow Eric mentioned that I knew judo, and they begged him to let me flip him. Now, Eric had gymnastics the quarter before, so I really did not flip him as much as helped him to give that illusion. We did it several time and had fun with it. We went to an early dinner at a fancy restrant called the “Wooden Keg.” I wore the new yellow dress I had made for the occasion, and Eric and his father both had coats and ties. Entering the dining room, we crossed a little bridge over a pool that was full of big coy fish. I remember I ate crab, and everyone else had steak. When Eric’s mom, Gwen, and I went to the bath room at the end of the meal she told me she had been worried about Eric in high school as he did not seem to be interested in girls. “But,” she said “ when he finally got around to it he picked a good one.” After dinner Eric and I went to the Play House to see The Music Man. I was excited for two reasons. First, I had never seen a live presentation, although I had listened to Mom’s record enough times that I could sing all the songs, and, second, it was in the round. I had not realized how little dialogue there was in the play. The songs really carry the story line. We had seats in the front row and at the applause at the end Professor Hill was directly in front of me. I said “Excellent !” loud enough for him to hear, and he looked directly at me and smiled even more. It felt so good as one rarely gets to let a performer know what one thinks in person.

Sunday was a beautiful day and Eric and I went to the movies. We saw the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. He informed me that Dr No was better. Even in those days he was analyzing and evaluating movies. That night, Eric’s Father, Bob, cooked steaks on his new grill. When I was helping Gwen do the dishes afterward she told me she had taken a poll and all the boys agreed I was a “ keeper.” I was supposed to go home that night, but the family convinced me to stay through the 4th of July. So I called my folks and I did. Eric had to go to work on Monday, so I just hung around and helped Gwen and fooled around with the neighborhood kids. We played several games. I remember one that I am sure they invented called “ My Father Shot the Bears”–but I only remember the name and nothing else, except it involved lots of running. Tue was the 4th and Eric’s family had a big picnic. Eric and I ate and then left for Muncie. When we got to my house no one was home. So I started to fix a light supper and then Gene came home. We decided to go to the Reservoir to watch the fire works. I liked how they reflected off the water from our vantage point. The next morning Eric left for South Bend and I went back to summer school classes.

100 day Challenge, Aplique, Childhood Memories, College Life, Daily Practice, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Fiber Artist Stitch Club, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Sisterhood of the Scissors

February Fun

Hello,

I enjoyed Valentines day and my husband gave me this beautiful bunch of flowers.     I hope yours had some color too.

This week has been a week with lots of events.  On Friday I went to The SUNY Campus at Oswego with Sharon and Liz and we went to two art shows.  One was student work  and this sculpture was on that I found very intriguing.

 

 

 

 

I had  Three  Zoom Meeting s this week  Saturday was with the Finger Lakes Fiber Artists Group. Wednesday was the Pixie Meeting and then Thursday was the Sisterhood of the Scissors meeting.  It is good to see and talk my fellow creators.    There was one meeting in person and the was the FAD group.   Sharon shared a new work she is exploring.

 

After the meeting Sharon and I went up the hill to Onondaga Community College to look at the Scholastic Art winners.  She and I had both  been judges for this competition in early January.  It was very stimulating as the Jr High and High School students work was wonderful.

 

 

 

 

Progress Report:  Child Dancing   This work is now done and it is W3543 X 294.       It is my tribute to Paul Klee.

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt # 6    I am now ready to layer and quilt this piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt #7   I have pulled the fabrics for the next lap quilt too.

 

 

 

Cowl # 23   I just keep playing with the yarn from Joyce and making these fun pieces.  I will pass them out at the retreat in the fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 Handwork  I am finished with this work now and it is stretched.   This is my work for the Textile Artists Stitch Club work were one made  sequins  by ironing the lining of a cereal box with objects trapped between the layers.  I need to complete the addition of the black fabric to the back  now.

Daily Practice   I got back to doing my daily practice this week.   This is my 12th piece of stitched fabric.

 

 

Action   I am adding the contrasting hand work to this project   every evening during the news.

 

 

I got a little confused and there are two illustrations for  this memory.

 Memories: College Life-Ending of Spring Quarter 1967

Things were going well with Eric during spring term too. We went canoeing several times and although it was a new sport for Eric he was quickly sitting in the back and controlling our movements. We both enjoyed the theater and went to several Drama Department events. We saw Playboy of the Western World, The Odd Couple and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf. We also went to The Mexican Folklore Ballet at Emens Auditorium where we came across Steve Coomer again for the first time. He just stop dead, looked us over, turned in the opposite direction, and walked away. We just exchanged smiles. Our next big event was a trip to South Bend one Sunday for lunch with his family. Larry and Fred Zamparelli, from Long Island, and one of their other house mates went along with us. I got to meet two of Eric’s three brothers, Mark and Scott, and his folks. I was nervous but it is was a very pleasant time. Eric’s dad cooked the meal and it was very good. So the fact that Eric now cooks most of our meals should be no surprise. Eric told me on the way home his Dad really liked me. “Why” I asked ? “ Dad wanted a girl when I was born and I am the oldest,” he said.

Eric helped me though my struggles with my term paper that quarter too. In the end he even typed the paper for me. He quickly learned I could not spell at all. His typing of the paper was one of the best presents I got on my nineteenth birthday. The paper was due that day. Eric took me to dinner for my Birthday, too, and then to the a movie. We made an excursion to Indianapolis one Saturday so I could meet Eric’s Grandmother Butterworth. She was a thin, beautiful, white-haired lady with lots of energy and style. I really liked her and we hit it off. She was an bookkeeper for United Van Lines and very independent.

Being nineteen is still a very emotional time and in early May I learned of the death of my friend John in Viet Nam. He was the only person I knew who had gone from high school into the Army. He was the second son and knew his older brother would inherit the farm, so he knew that serving in the armed services, was really his only option. I know he was planning on going to school when service was over. I wrote three very long emotional pages in my journal about him and his death. Even now thinking about it makes me a bit sad.

As the quarter ended, I was worried about how summer would affect my relationship with Eric. I was sad when he had to go home at the end of finals. There was a bit of good news to look forward to, however, as Grandmother Butterworth had invited both Eric and me to go to the Indianapolis 500 with her. In 1967 Memorial Day was still celebrated on May 30 and that fell on a Tuesday that year. Before I caught and I rode the bus to Indianapolis on Monday, my grades came in the mail. I got four Bs. One in Introduction to Teaching, one in Ceramics, one in Swimming, and one in Literature and Composition. I know I would not have done so well in the English class with our Eric’s help. I also got an A in Design class and I was thrilled.

Stay Safe and Keep Creating

Carol

Childhood Memories, Curvie Cuts, Enamel Beetles, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Sisterhood of the Scissors

Working Away

Hello,
Fall is making its selp felt in central New York with cooler nights and sunny days. I noticed these little mushrooms on my walk this week.
It has been a very busy week for me.

Saturday I went off to the Manilas Library and helped hang the Associated Artist fall show. I put in my Granite and Silver piece.

 

 

 

Liz and I did another progressive dye. I have lots of naturals this time.

 

 

 

I had three meetings this week. FAB meant at Judy’s and I knitted the whole time. The Pixies’s and Sisterhood of the Scissors meant virtually. It is always stimulating and I come away with lots of ideas.

 

 

Progress Report: Enamel Beetles
I worked on the Enamel Beetles by adding stitched grass, stitching down the beetles and adding eyes. Each little step takes time.

Lap # 18 I just keep working on these guys. I need to assemble the parts now and do the quilt work.

 

 

 

 

Tattered Memories I put in about an hour every evening doing the beading on this piece.

 

 

 

Shoes I could not get Elizabeth’s shoes out of my mind so I painted my own this week.

 

 

Childhood Memories- Gene

My brother, Gene started his Freshman year at Storer Junior High School at the same time I started my high school career at Muncie Central. Gene played on the football team and he was very good. He took it very seriously. When  he in was in the eight grade he won the county Punt, Pass and Kick Contest.    For is his prise, he won a full  football  uniform with the Colts logo.   They also took Dad and Geen to a Colt’s football game.    I went with Dad to several games that first year and many when Gene  played at the high school. He played quarter back some times and also tight end. He almost always played the full game and he got good at kicking field goals too. By the end of his Senior year his knees were shot. He did toy with the idea of being a kicker  in college, but decided against it.   By the time he was a parent, he would not allow his son to play at all, but he is still a big fan.   Gene also got his paper route that year freshman year. He delivered the Muncie Morning Star so he had to get up between 4:30 and 5 in the morning to stuf, rap and fold papers for delivery. He delivered on is bike and was really good at hitting front doors with the papers. The morning paper was a seven day a week job and he did his collections on Saturdays. He seemed to have lots of money after that. Late one night he and one of his buddies borrowed car  and went for a joy ride. That incident might have gone unnoticed if they had not run out of gas. To solve that problem they stole some gas from a farmers machine tank. The farmers dog altered the farmer who called the sheriff. The boys got arrested as they tried to return the car. Dad had to go pick him up form the station. Mom got me up so we were in the living room when they got home. Dad made Gene tell the whole story. When ever Gene tried to justify his actions- Dad stopped him by saying-” that’s an excuse. ”     For Gene’s punishment, Dad made his give up his paper route and he was grounded for six weeks. I remember his “sleeping” a lot during that time. The relationship between the two them never really was the same either.
The Senor year was the first time I had to really think about my future. I knew I was going to college- it was just were. I took the PSAT’s in October. The SAT’s were given in the big study hall- room 200.   There were  about 100 kids,some from Burris and some from s South Side too. I came home exhausted. Margaret and I had a date to go canoeing that afternoon so we did. It was a short trip that time  as she was tired too. In March  I finally got serious about the were question. I thought about Greeley Colorado, and the University of Iowa, but decided they were too far away. Purdue and Ball State were both close enough and so I filled out applications. Dad had always been a night owl and was usually up when I got home in the evenings. I’d stop many times and talk with him. We talked about my evenings sometimes or perhaps people. He helped me dissect and understand the “Why” for folks actions and some of my own. In the spring, Margaret got a new Orange Mustang convertible for her 18 Birthday/Graduation present. It was very cool. She and I went in her new car to the open house at Purdue the next Sat. It was so much fun  and I had just about decided that I wanted to go to school there when Dad and I one of our late night talks. He started off by saying it was, “My Choice,” but he wanted to offer me a deal. He said he would pay me the money for Purdue’s room, board and tuition beyond Ball States cost to use as I wanted, if I stayed home and went to Ball State. I decided that was a good deal. I do remember Dad being a bit upset as Ball State’s price increased  that fall of 50% to $50.00 a quarter. I spent the money I saved by living at home to purchased IBM stock. That grew of course and in 1970 I sold it and used the money as a down payment on our first house.

Stay safe
Carol

 

100 day Challenge, Childhood Memories, Craow Calling, Daily Practice, Diva Meetings, Drawing, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Fallen, Hand work, Lap Quilts

Summer Travel

Hello-
I hope folks had a good Forth of July.  We sure had lots of fireworks in our area.   I enjoyed my trip to Ohio to see a lost cousin. She really showed us around her area and I enjoyed the covered bridges of her county. We saw the longest one in the country and it is also a double bridge as the long one  is on top of a gully with a smaller covered  foot bridge underneath it at tht bottom of the gully.

Liz ans I dyed on Monday. I will try to wash them out tomorrow. I also had two Zooms meetings- the QuEGs group and Pixies. In addition I had two live meetings. The Quilt Diva’s meant at Cheri’s house and we made lots of decisions about the up coming show in Sept.

The FAB group meant as well. Patti brought her little loom and she worked the whole meeting adding a few inches to her scarf. Sharon shared her new project with lots of little units that she will build to float on top of a quilt base.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Dark Side of the Moon 40″ w X 59″ l. This work in made mostly from kimono fabrics that Noel gave to me. It is a mixture of machine quilting and hand work.

 

 

 

 

 

The hand work is in the center of the metallic circles.

 

 

 

Calling Crows 36″ w X 52.5″ l. I drew all five of the bird panels. They are done with colored pencils and crayons. Again the silk is from Noel. I quilting flying crows in the background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fallen This work is an experiment. Sharon kindly talked me through the technique on the phone. I did not fully get it as she told me she would not have done what I did if it had been hers. But not knowing what to do never stopped me when it comes to quilting. It goes off to the washer now with the hope of lots of fraying so the cuts show up.

Smoldering  Sense California is again  experiencing wildfires, I am doing a new piece on this topic. It is the early aftermath that I am focusing on this time. This work is only about half pinned in place.

 

 

 

Butterfly-  lap quilt  I am still doing the thread painting of the Butterfly to be applied to the top when it is done.

 

 

100 Day Challenge I keep using the sports images from the news paper for my inspirations for this project. I did a few extra this week so I am showing work up to day 40 and we are only 38 days into the challenge. But I know that my week end will be a busy one and I do not like to play catch up.

 

 

Daily Practice I finished one more panel am I am ready to start a new one now.

 

 

Drawing I keep putting in time on this project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adolescence- Spring trip to Washington D C

The year I was a Jr in high school the family trip was to Washington D C. We started out early on a snowy morning and entered the Applications after a long day of driving. I was struck by how much iron was present in the mountains and how many pine trees there were. We had intended to stay in Shenandoah National Park, but found it was closed. So we drove farther east and camped on the side of the road. We got up to more snow that melted quickly as the day warmed up. Our first visit was to Mt Vernon. It was a big estate with rooms that I saw as smaller then I expected it was a very big complex  however.   No mention of a black presence in 1965. From there we went to Arlington National Cemetery were we visited the Thumb of the Unknown Solder. The guards looked smart in their matching pattern. Then we went of to check out the Eternal Flame at John Kennedy’s grave sight. The vast fields of white crosses sure brought home the costs of war to me. Everything is so close together that going to Lincoln Memorial was an easy next step. I was most impressed by the carving of Lincoln’s hands.  We then  went  along the reflecting pool up to the Washington Moment.   We climbed all 66 flights of stairs with 18 steps in each flight to get to the top. It only took Gene and I 16 min. to get to the bottom when we when down. Mom and Dad followed much more slowly. Our next stop was the Capital building. I found the Rotunda to be much bigger than I expected and both the House and Senate to be smaller. Mom remained to check out me that The Freedom Lady sculpture on the top as we walked away. We  started for the campground we got a little lost and went in circles around the building complex several times before heading home. Dad accidently ran a red light and there were four policemen on the corner. The did not stop us- Mom guessed that they saw the Indiana license plate and let it slide. We camped that night in a small camp ground called Prince Edward. I wonder if it is still there. Tuesday we got up and went back into Washington DC to do the Smithson. I enjoyed the special exhibit of “Animals in Art” a lot.   I did a drawing of  sculpture of a mother chimp cuddling her young one.    We saw lots of manufacturing equipment along with lots of old automobiles. In the Natural History Museum Mom and I spent two hours in the basement and only did about half. We did the ground level after lunch and saw a Blue Whale , the Hope Diamond,  Witch Dr Masks and a great collection of shrunken heads. By 4:30 we all had “museum feet” and pilled into the car and drove to the Air Port to watch plains take off and detox a bit. We rested  and then went to the National Archives building. The Constatation had a place of honor in the rotunda along with the other founding documents. We walked right up to them and could easily read them thought the glass. I was a surprised by how yellow the paper was and how faded the ink. One could purchase copies in a little kiosk near the door but we did not.   The day was full and we all slept well that night.

Stay safe

Carol

100 Day Challenge, Childhood Memories, Crow Calls, Curvie Cuts, Daily Practice, Drawing, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Poppy Fields

Summer

Hello,
   Happy summer everyone.   This week has been a busy one. I went off to Ithaca with Liz and Cheri to pick up my Phaff from its cleaning. We did a little shopping and took a load of fabrics and notions to Sew Green too. It feels good to pass things one no longer needs or will never use to someone else who just might do something wonderful with them. Liz and I got caught in a heavy rain storm after we dropped off Cheri and had to double back due to a wire across the highway. Then on Wed.   Liz and I dyed for the first time this season. It feels good to be back doing that  again.    I did meet with the Pixies this week too.   Only three of us, but still a good meeting.

 

Progress Report: Crows Calling   This work is 36″ w X 53.5″ l.   All the rectangles that are not drawn on are old silk kimonos from my friend  Noel.       I enjoyed quilting crows in flight as a part of the background for this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

100 Days  SAQA Challenge    I am still doing this challenge and now on day 24.

 

 

Lap # 12- Butterfly     I have now started to build the thread painting  that I want to overlay on this quilt top.   It is slow work as this shot shows all the thread painting I did in two hours.  I  used a full bobin to do just this  much of the job.

Lap # 14  This top is all assembled now.   I will move on this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green As this project progresses I realize that I need a better title as their is less and less green in the work  and no leavers are green.      I think I am nearly ready to stitch down all the cut leaves.

 

 

 

Poppy Field    I did get the french knot flowers add to the top section of the far field this week .   Not a lot of other work on this piece.   The orange flowers I made are too big to be a part of this one.

 

 


Dark side of the Moon    I have started to do reflective quilting  on this piece.  I still have some hand work to do inside some of the circular forms too.

 

Daily Practice     I have completed another of the daily practices pieces and started a new one last evening.     They are going well.

 

 

 

 

Drawing    I only completed two drawings  this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think I got a little out of alignment  and the nose it far too long.

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Jr Year Education

The Jorner  year   of high school was a one of challenge and change for me.   Ceicle and Mike had gone off to various collages. The gang added new kids from band and adolescence was a crazy mix of finding ones self and trying to figure out the opposite sex. I suffered with my academics a bit too. I had Mr Langdon for English and he was a very demanding teacher. I liked the massive amounts of reading we had to do as we did British and American   Literature. I recall reading Macbeth, Sartorius , Last of the Mohekens, Brave New World, The Scarlet Letter, The Good Earth and 1984.    The class discussions we informative and fun as well. We also did the poets e e cummings and Walt Whitman. For the poetry we had memorization and I can still recite “When Lilacs Last in the Door Yard Bloomed.” Dad also arranged for me to have a tutor for my spelling and she asked me to read The Bridge of San Lewis Ray. I did well with most of the other stuff and I still am glad for the exposure to the books. I ended my time with Mr Langdon with a C- the fist semester and a C the second.
Dad’s political connections allowed   me to be a Page at the Indiana state house for a day in Feb. I was excited and enjoyed the time.   The day was cold and the roads were icy and we arrived half an hour late to the CIrcle that the state house is on.  I remember running up the icy stairs and rushing into the building with no idea were I was to go.    Out of breath I asked the man in the front hall and he directed me.   In the page room after hanging my coat on a peg I took a deep breathe and started a wonderful day.  I got to put  bills out on the senators desks and run errands for them. The sessions seemed a bit disorganized to me as folks got up and talked to each other not paying any attention the speaker sometimes. I went to two committee meetings in the afternoon. One was on poverty and the second was on education. I almost missed being paged to do an errand at the education meeting as I was so engrossed in the topic.   It was a full day with lots of learning on my part.    Dad told me later that I really talked his ear off all the way home.
As to the social life it was full of teenage stress. Liking one person and not being liked in return and petty conflicts over boys. One boy, Bill Mohler, had a real crush on me and he was a sweet fellow. I went to a formal dance with him and he broth me a beautiful corsage. I even went on a date with him on a Sunday, went to church and spent the day with him and his family.   But there was not spark there.   Telling him I did not see him in the same romantic light  as she saw me was difficult.     Then after  my “friend “ Terry, stole Jim, a guy I was really attracted to,  away from me, before the romance even got started- I sort of swore off boys for a while. Bobby from last summer was still around and  I just could not figure him out either. So I work more along the line of ” friendships” with boys and nothing more for the rest of the year.

 

I will be away so there will not be a Blog next week.

Please stay safe

Carol

100 Day Challenge, Childhood Memories, Curvie Cuts, Daily Practice, Drawing, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Lap Quilts, Pixies Group

The Wild Around us

Hello,
It has been a busy week for me. The FAB group meant at Nancy Bailes home and had a good time. We got to see Nancy’s doll collection. She told us she always got one from a lady she admired when they went to Maine to visit. She also shared her beads work.

 

 

 

 

This is just one of the many bracelets that she has completed. There was a Pixie Zoom meeting too.

 

 

 

 

I also went to the Schweinfurth on Thur to see the Made in New York Show with Liz and Cheri. What a lot of wonderful inspiring work. This work is called Eclipse by my friend Julie G.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite piece from this show was Drawing II by Susan Byrnes. What a great use of automatic machine stitches. From across the room this looked like chalk on black paper.

 

 

 

We also went up stairs and enjoyed the Threads Across Time show of quilts by Sarah Bond. It was a good day.

 

 

 

 

 

But it was our walks that really provided me with the realization that Nature will find a way.    We often see deer in the wild area behind the SU student apartments.    One day we saw a hawk that was just setting on the ground with a lot of feathers all around him and that was followed by Monarchs visiting milkweed plants, and a baby rabbit that just avoided a mower.     All those creatures were in just one day.   Then last night we had racoons on our patio.     We live in the city and not the suburbs and if the creatures can make homes here they can live just about any were.

I seem to be in the middle of lots of work with out any completions at the moment.   Doing many projects at once is my way of allowing myself time to look at and think about what I want to accomplish with my work.  A way of slowing down of sorts.

Progress Report: Lap #14   I am still building quilts that I plan to pass forward.    There are lots of my hand dyed and painted fabrics in this one.

 

 

 

 

 

Lap # 12     I liked this base so much that I am going to turn it into a regular quilt by adding butterflies to the surface,  But I do not want to make them silid so I am going to try to find a way to use thread painting to do the job.  That is what the brown paper that I have pinned up is for.

 

 

Crow Callings    I have moved onto the quilting of the parts of this quilt.  This time I am doing wind lines and also including outlines of flying crows to add a little interest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green    I worked on the leaves  I want to applique to  this quilt  this week.   I will also need to create some additional size and colors to this work.

 

 

Dark Side of the Moon      I am still doing the hand quilting on this project.  I did start to do the machine work around the few finished circles however.

100 Days Challenge    This work is getting better and better.  I did decide to turn some of my images on there sides to add a bit more interest.

 

 

Daily Practice

 

 

 

 

 

Drawings    These are my drawing for this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a double dose of Childhood this week to to the technical difficulties of last week.

Childhood Memories-Summer 1963 Family trip
> Mom and Dad arrived in Grandview with the car top carrier with the canoe on top. They did spend a few days visiting. One sunny afternoon Dad ,along with Marce, Russell, Doug and Gene took a canoe trip down the Iowa river. I remember them launching at the river’s edge in Columbus Junction and then Mom, Grandfather Howard, Kelly and I went off to the island at the edge of the farm to watch then float BY. It was a calm and quiet enjoyable time, but we never saw them pass , and decided that they must have chosen a different branch of the river to go south. We found them at the exit point and helped them unload. Everyone was excited and a bit sun burnt.
> My family then went south to Hannibal Missouri, to see Tom Sawyer’s house and visit other historic stuff. We did see the fence that supposedly was the one painted by Tom’s friends. It had just been white washed as a part of some special summer celebration so it looked real good. The house was much smaller then I expected and packed full of stuff like a museum. I remember there were lots of old spoons and such, as well as a death mask of Mr Clements in one of the glass topped cabinets. Mom had to explain to me about that as I had never seen one before. We also did the tour of the cave used as the basis of Tom and Becky’s adventure with Indian Joe from “Tom Sawyer “. I was not very impressed and only remember the narrow passageway with sandstone walls. Not any big room and no formations that I recall. From there we went to St Louis to visit Dad’s brothers family. Uncle Leonard was working for General Electric at that time. We did go to the Zoo in St Louis. I liked all the animals. I remember seeing a Elephant performing show there. I was a bit stressed by the man putting his head under the elephants foot, but Dad assured me no harm was done. We had a good picnic with Mike and baby Tom in Uncle Leonard and Aunt Alieen’s back yard. Their house was a new one and they had the cleanest basement I ever saw. Gene and Mike rode the trike around and around the basement floor.
> We continued south and went to a camp ground. We put the Mimahuni in a lake. We went swimming too. Another day we did a bit of river fun with our canoe.. One day we went for a cave tour at Crystal cave. It was privately owned and our family were the only folks on the tour. We all carried lanterns for light. It was much more interesting then Tom Sawyer’s cave with lots of different formations. The guide was a some what tired young college kid who was doing this as his summer job. He did lots of good explanations and even broke off a small stalagmite and gave it to me. I still have it. Mom was sure that was not something he should have done, but she didn’t say anything to him. We then headed home and got ready for the new school year.

 

Childhood Memories Jr Year High School.
After the start of school our family took a canoe with the Yoyhauses. We put the two  canoes in the Mississinewa River about 10 miles outside of town and worked our way down the river. At one point the river was so wide and shallow that we had to get out and walk the boats forward. While we were doing so, a farmer on the left bank shot his shot gun over out heads and said” Get off my land!” In Indiana the water is public but the land under it belongs to the owner. We hurried forward and all pilled back into the boats as fast as we could. Further down the river in the afternoon near the end of the trip we had to go over a falls. We pulled into the shore and portaged the camping gear down to the bottom. Phillis, Mom, and I watched from the shore as Dad alone in our boat went over the falls successfully. Then Gene and Frank tried. Frank was not as skillful as Dad and they tipped over at the bottom. Frank panicked and began thrashing around as he could not swim. Gene just reached out and grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him to the side of the boat and started pushing everything to the shore. When they got out, Frank could not thank Gene enough for saving his life. Gene was just embarrassed. After reloading the canoes we just went a bit farther down the river to a camp sight and had a good evening. The rest of the trip was uneventful. I went to the Mississinewa many times with various friends and put the canoe in for afternoon trips. We always went up stream first when we were fresh and floated back to the bridge to get out. It was a pleasant way to quiet time with friends.
It seemed like I got a lot more social in my Jr year of high school. The Band continued to keep me busy , but I did lots of other stuff too. I went to the movies a lot more and seemed to still have one foot in my youth as went to see the Disney animated version of “Sward in the Stone” one afternoon and then “ Lord of the Flies” that night. I recall going to see “Cleopatra” too with Elizabeth Taylor. I suer was impressed with all the gold and the big sets in that one. Gene and I went to see “20,000 Thousand Leagues under the Sea” as he was now 13. In Sept a new TV hit show was “Bewitched” and I never missed that TV show. There were lots of plays too. We had season ticketed to the Ball State Drama department and I remember seeing “Come Blow your Horn”. I think that being a Thespian made view live drama in a different way. Having worked on sets and costumes I was more aware of how importantly they were to the story. One evening, Margaret and I went to see “Oklahoma” at a county high school. We also went to see “A Mouse that Roared” that spring.
Gene had a great adventure on April fools day. He had played a trick on Dad by subatuting salt for sugar in the sugar bowl the night before. Then at Breakfast he watch Dad put sugar in his coffee and sprinkle it on his grapefruit. When Dad calmly ate the third bight of grapefruit, Gene burst out “ Dad- You don’t have any taste buds at all!” Dad replied” April Fools to you!” I discovered you trick when I had coffee last night and put thing to write.”
That year I also had my first crush. I think that Ceicle really pushed that. Bobby Cornell was a part of the gang that I did stuff with and she tried to make the romance work. She even persuaded me to purchase matching shirts for the two of us for his birthday. His was too big so I took them back. One night we were out with Ceicle and Mike, Bobby got sick and threw up in the back of Ceicle’s Mustang Convertible. We quickly drove him home. Neither Mike nor Ceicle had the stomach to clean it up so I did. Not pleasant, but baby setting had prepared me for that job. One night when Bobby brought me home I was sure he was going to kiss me. The tension had been building up to this for some time. We were saying good night on the front poach when I saw thought the living room window my little brother, Gene, wiggling across the living room floor to spy on me. I grabbed Bobby hand and shook it telling him I had a great time and went inside leaving him on the porch. I really yelled at Gene in my disappointment. The romance fizzled and I never did get a kiss from Bobby although we did remain friends until he went off to college  were I lost track of him.

Stay safe and keep creating

Carol

Childhood Memories, Curvie Cuts, Daily Practice, Dark Mystery, Drawing, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Lap Quilts, Saturday Afternoon, Sisterhood of the Scissors, Textile Artist Stitch Club

Busy Week

Hello,
This week had been exciting because I had two meetings where we meant face to face.    What a relief as we all get vaccinated and the governor  lifts the restrictions  of  Covid.    I did not realize how much one reads body language. And  in these meetings,  there was no talking over one another either. The first meeting was with the Quilt Diva’s. We meant in the Schweinfurth after picking up our work form the Members Show. We did business and then shared our work. Alice has been working with clay and these are her “obers” .

 

 

 

Barbara had a real nice piece. I brought home five works for other artists that live here in town and will distribute them all back to their owners by tomorrow. There was also a Pixies meeting on line and it was up lifting too.

 

 

 

The second meeting was with four of the FAB group here at my house. Again we all had a lot to say and enjoyed our selves. It is so nice to set out doors and enjoy each other and the garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I worked on the Textile Art Stitch Club project. This week she showed us how to add punch needle texture t our work. I also finished up my Blue Fox from the last assignment this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Saturday Afternoon This work is 36″ X 34″. I learned a lot about yarn applique doing this project. It is a skill I need to work at I think.  The project is an answer tot eht Picasso Challenge by the Sisterhood of the Scissors.

 

I used some of Grandmother Ruth’s hand made lace for part of this project.

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt # 13 This project is made up of many of my hand altered fabrics. I made the stencils earlier this winter and printed them with acrylic paint. This is the fabric of half of the stencils I printed at that time, so there will be another similar piece in the near future.

Green Base I got an idea for another leaf project and built this curvy cut base to support that idea.

 

 

 

 

 

Dark Side of the Moon( formerly Dark Magic) I decide that the old title was not the mood I wanted to set for this work. I am hand quilting around the featured woven sections of the kimono at this point. This will be a slow project as I am not a fast hand quilter.

 

 

Daily Practice This is gong smoothly. I think I will finish this strip in the next two days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Horsetails   After showing this work to the FAB group  and thinking about it, i decided it needed more.  So I took out some of the stitch work and added the sun to this piece.  I am now in the process of assembling it.

Drawings for Pixies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Summer 1963
>
> Summer was always a busy time. I did attend summer school in the mornings, but the afternoons were mine. Mr Mc Daniel’s, the band teacher, also kept us busy. We did have practices and activities. It was so hot that many times we would play out on the front lawn of the school under the big oak trees. The  band  also marched in the 4th of July parade . It was a much smaller event then what I was familiar with from Grandview. We participated in the county fair and the band had a white elephant sale for that. Many of the kids manned the booth and we had fun afterward on the rides and such. There was also a Cake Walk that we ran one of the days. For that I baked a Cherry Cake- my favorite. The money we made went toward our summer field trip to Detroit. We left on a Friday morning and rode the bus to the city. We played a concert in a city park in a band shell that afternoon.    For that we did not wear our uniforms, but all dark shorts and white shirts.  I still remember being hot.   I went to dinner with a group of fellow band members and had my first commercial pizza. Someone persuaded me to try an Anchovy. That was a taste surprise. I shared a hotel room with three other gals and we talked late into the night and did not sleep much it seemed. Saturday morning we went to a rehearsal of the Detroit Sympathy. It was informative. In the afternoon we all went to see “How the West Was Won” on a wide screen movie theater. I really enjoyed the movie and purchased the record of the sound track when I got home. We then all piled into the bus and rode home. We sang a lot and it was quite late when we got back to Muncie. Grandmother and Grandfather Cocklin were visiting and we all went to church the next morning. I do not recall much else about that Sunday except we made homemade ice cream. Gene and I went off with the grandparents on Monday to Iowa for two weeks before Mon and Dad joined us. It was a great time. We got to see all three families of cousins and spent a lot of time with the Bells. Casey and Curt Dean were little boys with lots of energy and fun to play with. They only visited tow days and then went home with their mother Aunt Shirley. I did baby sit for Aunt Barbara one day out on their farm. I remember climbing the apple trees with cousins Timmy and Tom along with Gene. We also played space travel using their beds that were built into the wall under the slope of the roof. We pretended the Radiometer was our power source. That evening I went on my first date with cousin Danny. He was a year older and had a car. We added one of his friends and drove to Muscatine to the fair grounds. His buddy brought me French fries and we all rode the Ferris Wheel together. It was a good time. What I remember the most was the time spent with the Bell family. Tracy and Kelly came into Grandmothers one day and we played dress up in the play house. Then the girls stayed the night and we played with the ice skating paper dolls that grandmother had. One day out at the Bell farm we played war in the trees hoses. We loved the goldfish-carp in the house tank and we fed them oatmeal. The fish were about eight inches long. Cousin Russell got stung and I learned he was allergic. His Mom rushed him off to the Dr to get a shot I think. Another day we spent the day playing board games. I fell in love with Trade Winds- a game with little ships that had to collect barrels of rum, doubloons and gems stones. I asked for that game for Christmas, but Mom never found it. One afternoon Aunt Marce took all five of us off to Wild Cat Den State Park. We all had a great time running the trails and hiding from one another. We came home exhausted from that fun afternoon. One night the Bells took Gene and I to play miniature golf . It was a great time and Doug ended up with the best score. It was a great time with all my cousins.

Please stay safe and be Creative

Carol

Bonsai, Childhood Memories, Daily Practice, Drawing, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Poppy Field, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Sisterhood of the Scissors, Textile Artist Stitch Club

New Growth

Hello,
Spring continues to explode around me. It is so beautiful ! Over the long winter one tends to forget  how powerful green can be. I had two Zoom meetings this week. The QuEG’s meant and the Pixies  did too. I also had two meetings face to face. FAD meant in Judy’s garden and enjoyed ourselves greatly. Today I meant with my fellow quilters in the Sisterhood of the Sisters group as we viewed the Members Show at the Schweinfurth.  This shot is of Sharon her work.    As it turned out there were only seven of us- but it was still great. 

 

This is a shot of Ann at the show.

 

 

The only other member of the Sisterhood   who had a piece in the show was  Noel.

 

 

But I have lots of other friends who were in the show too.   This diptic is by Barbara Vural , a gal that I taught with for over 20 years.

 

 

This sculpture is by Carol Adamack,  another Art  Teacher that I taught with.

 

 

 

 

 

This shot shows a quilt by Mary( the Haron) who is  Quilt Diva’s and a work by Cindy,  another art teacher /quilter I know.

 

 This is a work by Anne another active Quilt Diva  member.      It is a great show and will be up until  May 30.   I found it very stimulating.

 

 

 

 

 

The Fiber Artists Stitch Club got a new assignment from Saima Kaur. I am enjoying working on my project.

 

Progress Report: Bonsai This work is . I challenged myself to not use any cottons in this work and it did prove to be a challenge. The silks and synthetics do slip around a lot. I am working hard to get it to be flat and I will make another attempt at the pressing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday Afternoon I am in the process of zig zag appliqueing yarn down to out line the shapes.

 

 

 

 

Poppy Field After talking with Liz I decide that this piece needed a center of interest. As my friend Ethel said” you make good backgrounds”. So I took the information that I learned in Amanda Mc Carver’s class a few weeks ago and stared some bigger Poppies in wool and thread. I have these two about ready to put together and I want to make three more and hope they do the trick.  I plan to place the three petal piece on top of the twin petals and add a center to create the blossoms.

Drawing I did four more drawings this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt       This new work is make from all fabrics that I have altered .   I am still enjoying building with my own stuff.

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories :  Portland OR
The school play my senior year was “Girl Crazy.” I worked backstage and enjoyed the process. In the spring we did a variety show called “Musical Moods” For that production I was on stage as a dancer in the piece about the south pacific. The Tiki that Mom had carried home on her lap from Hawaii was on stage too.   It is now residing in the corner by the bookshelf in our east bed room. The National Thespian Convention that year was in Portland Oregon. Mr Fee took seven of us to that event. I sold lots of candy to raise money for the trip that year. I was the only senior , with two Junior girls and four Junior boys. We boarded the train in Muncie at 4:00 am and headed for Chicago. There, we joined a train that was exclusively for Thespians going to the convention. Kids from further east were already on board. Our group was seated together at the end of a car in the last four seats. It was long ride of two nights and three days with new car loads of kids being added as we went along. Sitting in front of us was a group from PA. One of the boys just in front of me had a guitar. He played beautifully and we all sang folk songs all the way across the country. Songs like “If I had a Hammer” and “ This Land is Your Land, This land is My Land.” It was very enjoyable.
Mr Fee challenged each of us to come up with a personal bit of acting to do some time over the week we were at the conference. I decided that with the help of the others I would try to play the part of some one who was deaf and could read lips. I did a good job fooling the gals on my floor in the dorm. Only once in the shower room did I almost blow it. My back was turned to a gal in the shower and she asked me to hand her a bar of soap on the bench. As I turned I realized I could not have herd that request, so I quickly said in my flat voice, “ Good Night” and left the bathroom. We had a dance one evening and I went of course. One of my boys from Central had to explain to one of the gals on my floor that I could feel the beat of the music through the floor so I could dance. I could not have pulled the week off without their help.
The Conference was at Lewis and Clark college in a remote beautiful hilly setting. When we got our room assignment I was a solo so the other girls helped me with my acting by waking me up each morning by coming into my room. I had a great view of a beautiful gully like the one in Columbus Junction. The conference went on for five days with workshops in the mornings a play preformed by our peers in the afternoons and a second each evening. We really covered a lot of ground. Again I did two workshops on costuming. I learned some nice tricks. As to the plays, I really only remember “Waiting For Godot”. The group discussion after that was very lively. The memorable evening performance was of “Peter Pan.” It was great to talk with the stage hands after that one and have them explain how they built the equipment to do the flying. That was also the last event of the conference. The train ride home was not as exciting as we were in a different car then the PA folks, and we were tired . Mr Fee did ask us about our” acting “ experience. I admitted that I was tired of playing that part by the end of the week. It did make me more sensitive towards others with that impairment.

Stay safe and Keep Creating
Carol

 

 

Bonsai, Childhood Memories, Daily Practice, Diva Meetings, Drawing, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Horsetails, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Poppy Field, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs)

New Siding – Step one

Hello,
It has been a busy week for me. Yesterday the workmen came and started on the next step of the house renovation. They pulled all the old siding off in less than an hour and then spent the rest of the morning adding a new layer of insolation. My studio is on the end of the house and has three out side walls so it sounded like I was trapped in a wood peckers den with them pounding on three sides of me as they attached the new covering. I had to remove my thread rack as the pounding knocked the spools off the wall.  We do not have a date for the new siding yet, but I am sure it will be soon and I will have a second day of nailing.
I did have four Zoom Meetings this week- QuEGs, The Diva group, FAB and the Pixies. I enjoy the meetings, but I do miss seeing folks in person.   That is changing I think. The Diva group is working hard on getting shows going and that is a positive thing. FAB is considering meeting in one of the gals gardens next time too. Susan of the Pixies is pushing us to draw more and I did some work on dictionary pages.
I am working from old photos from “The Secret Museum of Mankind.”

 

 

 

 

 

A book  was  published in 1935 with only little lines about the location of the image and a few words about the subject. I am working on the section about the Americas now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Poppy Field. This work is 34.5″ w X 43″ l. I did stamp on top of the first batch of quilting of the poppies and leaves. It did help I think. There is still a limited contrast here.   I will try to pay special attention to that factor as I go forward.

 

 

 

 

Horsetails All the polar fleece is stitched down now and I am starting to quilt it . I can see a challenge   for this piece and that is   getting this project  to be flat.

 

 

Lap #11 I just keep playing at fabric combinations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonsai This project has a  challenge of its own and that is  using all silks and synthetics as the base.    Those types of fabrics  do shift around a bit. I did the trunk  of the tree  out of several yarns wrapped in nylon netting.   Now I am adding the leaves in metallics and silks. It take me about an hour to add fifteen leaves so this step is slow.

Cubists Project.     I built this base for my second run at a cubist study   for the Sisterhood of the Scissors Challenge. I am using my collage construction approach on this work.   I hand dyed al the fabric in this base.

 

 

Daily Practice I am still working on filling in the background areas on this piece.

 

 

 

Dyed Mayan I am now quilting in this old Mayan piece. The pale colors of the dyes are a lot closer to the colors of the real walls at this time them the applique ones are.   I do need to push for a little contrast here too I  think.

 

Childhood Memories- Kennedy Assignation
Band was the first class after lunch. We got our uniforms the first day as well as band lockers. The uniforms were black pants with a purple strip and black suit jacket type coat with a purple strip on the cuff. Add a white military type hat with a brim, spats and white scolder caps with purple ” M”s  on them and the uniform was complete.   We did not wear the hats when we play concerts.   All Sophomores were seated at the end of the rows of the other like instruments. One could challenge another student to move up at any time and there were “ play offs” during study halls or at the end of the day. I held   first chair of third   clarinets for all three years of high school. By having this  class after lunch we could start a little early and practice routines and formations on the football field. Mr Mc Daniels would let us go early so we could hassle the eight blocks back to the High School building in time for our next class. We preformed on Football field for   the first Friday at the first football game of the school year.  We  learned new routines for all the  home football games for all three years. We did pep rallies and also play at all the home Basketball games too. The band gave me a social network and identity as well as assuring that I had a social life that involved me in lots of active events. I am sure that I came in contact with students that I would not have know other wise. There was no incentive to got to competitions like there had been in Jr High and I really did not miss that much. Mr Mc Daniels did keep it interesting and fun by having special events. One time we did a clown band and all dressed up in silly clothing. Another time we went patriotic and all wore red white and blue clothing.and a third time I remember, we all dress as colonial  Americans.   I made a special red check dress, bonnet and pantaloons with ruffles on the bottom.  My best friend, Margaret played the Sax a phone,  and  her sister, Ceicle was a part of the band too. She was two  years older and played the Oboe. Cecil got a black ford Mustang conveyable for her birthday in 1963 and she included me in her transpiration circuit when we went to band events. The gang that I did hang out with all grew from band. Bobby Cornell played the Trumpet and he lived near Margaret and Ceile. Mike Ritter also played the clarinet, he was a first chair and he and Cecil were an item so he was part of the group. Susy Bright, was a Band Aid, and lived in the same area as did Jim Freshwater who played drums that made two car loads of us and we did lots together. Sometimes it was a simple as going for a coke or a drive to Burkie’s a local restraint for fries. We did have a Mc Donald’s but it was across town and off the highway so we did not frequent it much.
After Band I had Physics class. I enjoyed it and had a better student teacher for that class then the regular guy. That class was followed by English  with Miss Meehan. I hated diagramming sentences, but enjoyed the literature section of that year. We were silently reading Silas Marner on Friday Nov 22, when the class was interrupted by the intercom with a radio broadcast. We all sat silently stunned and listened to learn that John F Kennedy had been shot in a motorcade in Houston. My last class of the day was Drama and it was a bit chaotic and three of the other older girls in the class were sobbing the whole period. At the end of the day we were told that all after-school activities were cancelled. The ride home  on the bus  was very crowded with many of us standing in the isle and no one was talking. The TV news with Walter Cronkite was very sad.  We had a Basket Ball game on Sat and it too was very subdued.    At the end of the game, Mr Mc Donald told us to appear at the field house at 1:00 on Sunday to march in a memorial parade to the cemetery. When we got there we all had black ribbons attached to our marching helmets and black arm bands. The white arm caps, spats and feathered topper for our helmets were removed. The drums all were draped in black too and sounded extra solemn . I am sure we played something somber but I do not recall what. When I got home, I to learn the Jack Ruby had been shot too. There was no school on Monday and it rained all day.

Stay safe

Carol

Childhood Memories, Coral Sea II, Daily Practice, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Twilight Crows

Earth Day

1 Comment

Hello,
Happy Earth Day 2021. I got up to a fresh dollop of snow this morning. The Hosta were just coming up outside my window and now they are covered in white. Mother Nature and Old Man Winter are at odds I guess.   It is a good time to consider how important this planet is to our existence.     We do need to care for it as there are no alternatives.

QuEG’s, FAD, and Pixies all got together via Zoom. I am happy to be saving the fuel it takes to go to meetings, but I do miss seeing folks face to face. I did use my paint brushes that I had created for Pixies. Here are a few of the more successful ones.

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report- Lap Quilt #9 This work is 37″ X 63″. I used mostly my altered fabrics on this piece. There are only two commercials. I am enjoying making these little works as there is no pressure from anyone to do them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Twilight Crows I finally got this top all assembled.   I used several pieces of my hand dyed along with commercial fabrics here.   There are also several types of silks and syntheticts in this top.   I will layer and quilt it in the next few days.

 

 

 

Coral Reef II This hand work piece is nearing completion too. I enjoyed adding the fish as they give it an extra feel of life.  The fish ar cut from metallic ribbon so they do not fray and need lots of stitching.

Poppy Field I did the grass the other day. Then I felt defeated. There is not enough contrast and from a few feet away it looks like nothing is going on. I was ready to toss it. But after talking with Liz, I have a few things to try to see if I can save the work. Only time will tell.

Daily Practice This work continues to grow each evening. I have learned that I do not want to do another piece for this project that is this large. If I have another base this big I will tear it in half before I begin working. It is too difficult to see all of the surface at once in ones lap.

New Work     I started a new lap quilt today.  This is the first step were I lay out colored blocks in places I think they might work in for the piece.   I will add strips in 2.5″ and 4.5″ around these blocks to unite them and build the top.

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Sophomore Year

 In the fall of 1963, I started attending Muncie Central High School in downtown Muncie, Indiana.   That change presented me with lots of changes.    For the first time I caught the bus at the end of our driveway and went for a 20 minute ride to school.     To my mind, the building was huge- it took up a whole city block.   It was crowded as it was the only high school in town.  A new high school called South Side opened the following fall and cut way down on the crowding.    I was the last stop on the bus route and the first one off in the evening.     My best friend Margaret Dunn however was the first one on and last off in the evening.  She often saved me a seat near the front of the bus.  Her ride was an hour and a half and she often was done with homework when she got there.    She calculated that by the time she ended high school she had ridden the bus 12 days going to and from school.    The first day started by going to a home room of fellow Sophomores and we remained together for all three years.  We were selected and seated in alphabetical order.   I was seated between Mike Merl and Marla Miller.   Marla and I became friends and  we were initiated into  Honor Society together.   As it turned out she and I were both commuters at Ball State and in the same class of 350 freshman there in the fall.  We agreed to  sit  in the front row to make sure we stayed awake as the class was at 7:00 am  three days a week.  When class was over at 8 we went together to the  Music Library to study and hang out until our next class.    There is more story there, but I will hold that until later.     In the first home room meeting we filled out lots color coded cards.  Name, add, phone number, date of birth etc…….   Then the teacher collected them ; the white card, the blue card, the canary card, the violet card and the salmon card .    We got locker cards and we were given our class order assignment after she went over the  rule handbook   with us.   We also returned to the same room for  standard tests and to  get class assignments and fill out the same cards in our Jr and Senior years.     There were few changes over the three years, but a few folks disappeared.  I did not have class with any of the folks in the home room or any of the friends from Middle School.  I wrote in my diary that I was not happy about that.

   The Geometry class that Dad had insisted that I take was my first one every day.  I remember the yellow paper back book that we used.     It was complex, but logical.  I do not recall needing help from Dad either.     I think I got mostly A’s and B’s in that class.     My second   period class was  World History.    There was lots of geography in that class too.    Period three was Art class.     I recall that there was much more Art History in this version of art class.    We studied Cubism and did paintings in that style.  Later in the year we studied Alexander Calder.    We made big mobiles out of the big metal cans from the Calfeteria. I remember making a Mandolin  out of one of the cans and punching holes  with a nail to outline the hole  and the edges of the instrument.   I used wire to show the strings.     I also make a bunch of flowers out of wire and balanced those elements with others to make my mobile.  It was huge.  When the teacher hung them from the lights , mine was quite low and some one attached a note to one of the flower stems  that said “ Take me down!”

Fourth period I had Nursing class with Mrs Webster.    The only thing I recall from  that class was learning about Syphilis.   The images of its effects were so gross, that I swore I would never kiss any body in my life.   She did scare us  straight- for a while at least.

Stay safe,.

Carol