Category Archives: Robins

25 Million Stitches Project, Cardinals, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Finger Lakes Fiber Artists, Killdeer, Mom VI, Robins

Winter

Hello-
Snow continues to fall here in central New York. We just shovel and drive with care. This week there was a Finger Lakes Fiber Artist meeting. It was good to see folks even if there were not a lot of gals in attendance. Pat had three pieces – two big and one small to share. This is a close up of one.

This is Bev’s newest work. It is all pin basted for quilting now.

 

 

 

Noel is back to working with silks in an effective new approach.

 

 

 

Liz is doing lots of hand work and she asked for advice on how to quilt this great piece.

 

 

 

 

 

There was also a FAB meeting this week. It was good to see these gals again too. Sharon is busy finishing the last commission in the series of 7. These little flowers will be added to the base she has already produced.

I did get my two pieces for the 25 Million Stitches project mailed off this week too.

Project Report: Two Cardinals This work is 10″w X 16″ t. I am really enjoying doing the free motion drawing of birds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Killdeer This work is 19″w X 12″ t. I had to do some small modifications to is after I showed it to the gals at the FLFA meeting. The birds faded into the background too much until I added some dark to their backs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall Robins This work is 24″w X 18″h. I did end up adding the third adult robin to make the composition work. Because I had done five other birds before it only took and hour and 15 min to do the new bird. Experience does help.

Exploring Blue  This work is going along slowly as it is all done by hand. I am enjoying working away attaching all the little units I have pinned down.

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood- Move to Carroll

At the end of second grade we moved from Columbus Junction to Carroll Iowa. About a six hour drive from the part of Iowa that my Grandparents lived. Dad got a new job as a high school principal in a larger school there. We moved into the Park View Apartments that summer . The apartment was a half level with the windows on ground level. It was dark. A girl a little older named Joanna lived in the apartment above ours. She taught me to play the card game “War” that summer and we spend many an afternoon at that activity. At the back of the lot behind the apartments there was a tall hedge and just in front of that was a huge sand box.
We spent a lot of time playing there as well. Across the street in front of the apartments was a big city park. There was a band shell there and on most Friday evenings there was a concert. Gene and I went with Mom and Dad to listen and play in the dark. The public swimming pool was across the park. Mom did not know how to swim so she signed up both of us for lessons. I remember putting my clothing in a numbered wire basket and pinning a safety pin with the same number on it to my suit to get my clothing back. The one had to walk through a very cold chlorine wash to get out to the pool area. One day we were late and so I ran across the park bare footed. I cut my foot on a piece of glass. I had to set out for that lesson . I did learn how to swim that summer and passed the test at the end of lessons as did Gene. Most days Dad went off to Adams street and worked with Grandpa Howard and some twins from the high school on the house. I remember seeing the place the day they removed the forms from the pored cement basement walls. They were tall I though. My next clear memory was visiting the house when they were framing the main floor. The furnace was also being put in at that time. I was fascinated by the furnace man because he could do tricks. He was a “ sward shallower” of sorts.   At least he could swallow those long slender strips of metal that were used between the joints of the heating ducks. He was not fooling me as I walked around him to view from all sides. We moved into the basement before school started. Mom and Grandpa worked on the upstairs that fall and winter to finish the house.

Keep Creating

Carol

Childhood Memories, Robins

Quiet Week

Hello,
This week has been a quiet one for me. The snow and cold head me indoors for several days and I have had lots of appointments too. I did take advantage of the snow and do snow dyeing .
This is a shot of the bucket it before it melted.

 

These are the three pieces I created. The yellow is for the next fire piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Robins I finally decided that a Robin facing left was needed for this project and did the thread painting. I will attach all the parts and stretch it this week.

6X6 Rochester Show I got the call for this show and did the work. They are all packed up and ready to ship now.   They will all be for sale at $20.00 a piece for their fund raiser next month.

 

 

 

 

Exploring Blue This is my new hand work project. I am enjoying adding the stitching and building up the surface.

 

 

 

Childhood Memories – Creative Mom

Mom was always looking for ways to express herself. She had a sewing closet near the bathroom in the Junction and then when they built the house in Carroll, she repeated that idea. She made most of her own clothing and lots for me as well. I remember a red and white buffalo check dress with a square opening that she made for me to wear the first day of Kindergarten. I loved that dress and wore it to shreds. She used her machine to make curtains and pillows as well as organizing bags as she called them. They were like folders with snap tops and she often put like things together in them. I remember a wonderful display she made for Christmas. It was a set of three angles and a basket with a Frozen Ann in it to represent the Christ child. The angles had pipe cleaner bodies that were dressed in a white silky material that she then added gold stars that one licks to stick on top. They had large wings that were created from two layers of foil backed card stock. There was a silver wing with a smaller pink foil wing   added on top. The halos were done in the same manner. The heads of the angles were little gold Christmas balls that Mom had carefully painted  that had closed eyed faces on with fluffy cotton hair. They stood at three different levels on foil covered milk boxes. I enjoyed setting up that display for many years. One year at Christmas she made wonderful cards where she water colored a beautiful woman holding a muff. By lifting one arm of the muff and then the other one could see the message.

I remember her working on an invitations one spring. They  too included a figure made with a solo pipe cleaner with a wintergreen life saver for its head. There was a small bit of a golden scrub pad for hair and a bit of nylon netting for its skirt. I lusted after those, but they all got mailed. I still think of them every time I smell wintergreen. Mom knitted as well. I remember one pair of red mittens that stained my hands pink when they got wet. I lost one of the mittens and there was no more red yarn so Mon knitted a green one. After that we played a lot of “Red Light- Green Light” that winter. Her hands were always busy and perhaps that is where I got my busy hand thing too.

Keep Creating

Carol