Category Archives: Pixies Group

QBL plus

 Hello,

It has been a busy three weeks sense I last wrote a message  with lots of events.   Summer is in full force here and  very beautiful.   I am looking forward to the Art, Garden and Sustainability  Trail that will be taking place in my nationhood this Sat.    More about that next week.

First I want to talk about Quilting by the Lake 2023.    This year, its 37th,  the event took place at Wells College in Arura NY.  The college is in a splendid  setting  on beautiful Cayuga Lake.   Several folks went swimming in the lake too. The campus has lots of gracious  old building and as it runs along the lake edge there are lots of ups and downs.

This is a shot of my dorm.  I was in the front corner room,  level one with two windows.  We spent several evenings on the balcony stitching during the week.

There was also a very large and comfortable parlor were we worked to put together a puzzle week two. It had 2,000 pieces and we did not complete the task, so I broth it home and I plan to bring it week one next year so we can get the whole thing done.   This shot is of Lori and Reggi early on in the process.

This is how far we got before we had to dismantle it for travel.

 

Week one I was in independent study with  a dozen other gals.

 

 

 

 

Nancy finished this top, a quilt and did some machine drawing of a Goldfinch.

 

 

 

 

 

Reggie, who specializes in picking up finished blocks  and making tops out of them, did five during the week.   This one is make up of Dear Jane  blocks.  One   of 4.5″ block had 49 hand pieced units in it.

 

These pineapple blocks were done by another gal in studio and they got completely assembled as a quilt top for her grandson.

 

 

Rachel Clark taught a coat making class in our building week one and also gave the opening lecture.  It was inspiring.

 

 

 

 

Week one ended with show and tell in the dinning room.

This is a shot of a few folks from Irene Rodrick’s class ” Dancing with the Wall. ”

I went home and did laundry before returning on Sunday for week 2 and my class with Amanda McCarver.

Our class was was working with wash away  and roving to create different effects.   We did lots of little experiments and I learned a lot.    I am sure I will apply what I have learned to my work in the future.    This  a shot of the Solvy sandwich  with roving, yarn and loose threads before machine work is applied.

Here are my works for the first three days.

 

 

More experiments.

 

 

 

 

 

We  also had a quilt show that was of work of the Finger Lakes Fiber Art’s group.     This shot is Victor’s Work  from the show.

There was an event every night that included a trip to the Schweinfurth to see the Nancy Crow show were she gave a lecture.  We visited a local farm were there was a talk on antique quilts  and both weeks had a night were we gathered around the fire pit and made  Smores.  This shot is of Davana enjoying hers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Liz  too.

We had good time and made some new friends and enjoyed our old friends too.

 

 

 

 

Week II of QBL completed with show and tell and the Apron Auction.

 

This shot is of Elsa and her Blue Bird.    She was in David Taylor’s class.

 

 

The Apron Auction was lots of fun with lots of silliness.    The money goes to the Scholarship Fund, a very worth while cause.

It was a bit sad to see it all end, but I enjoyed myself as did many others.

Tue was the Aug Diva meeting.

 

Most of the time was spent talking of how we will finish up the “Together We Rise Project.”   This is Lori’s entry.

 

 

 

 

Mary  reworked hers as she did not feel that the burbles read well.    I think the balloons do a great job.

 

 

 

 

 

Mary also had a great self directed project.  She is still working through some of the fabric’s she purchased when she traveled to Africa.

 

Her beading adds an extra layer of interest.

 

We visited the Rock Garden Art show at the Homer Art Center while we were there.       Terrie had four little cityscapes .  There were all fun.

 

Cheri had four more of her wonderful prints in the show too.     I really like what she is doing now.

 

 

 

 

 

I also had a Pixie meeting yesterday and enjoyed catching up with those folks.  Our new assignment is to do something with insects.  I need to finish my lettering for that too.   I did an L and an S    at  QBL that I plan to turn  them  into pillows this week .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Wild Fire in Whisky Hollow   This work is  35″ w  X35″ t.  I did this in indigent study at QBL.    I did the binding and  sleeve after I got home.     With this work I really wanted to show a green tree paired with one on fire.    I saw and image like this in my check in with the wild fires in Canada that week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the Fire  I was struck by the destruction  of the fires and what remains afterward , so I made this quilt as it is a part of the story too.   I think is needs more work so it is not completed yet.

 

 

 

 

Handwork   This is what I worked on during QBL while setting on the balcony of my dorm .   It is moving along.

 

 

 

 

Lap quilt #11    I finished this top before I went off to QBL.  That seems like a long time ago to me now.    On to the layering and quilting.

 

 

 

 

 

Scrap Happy    I assembled and quilted this quilt tis week in preparation for the local  Art, Garden and Sustainability  Trail on Sat.   I will  deliver it to one of the organizer this afternoon.

 

 

 

 

It has been a busy time , but I have enjoyed it all.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

 

 

 

Moving Along

 Hello,

Summer is moving along and the world here continues to stay green and lively.  While I was trimming the hedge on the west side of our house I spotted these tiny mushrooms.    The are like little beads.

This week I had two meetings.   The Quilt Diva’s meant on Tue.  It was a lively meeting with lots of great work.

Alice shared more of her bottom line works.

 

 

Tis is her thirteenth piece in this on going series.   

 

Cheri has now finished her piece for the “Together We Move Forward ” challenge.     I like her solution.

 

 

 

The Pixies also meant this week.  Our challenge for this month is to do work with letters.  This is my solution  for the first week.

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Prepared  I have now started to quilt this project.  All the purple areas are done and I and now doing meander quilting on the yellow orange and yellow green areas.

Scrap Happy   I am now building the scrappy back for this quilt.    I am really using up my leftovers.

 

 

 

 

Blue Beach    This work is now complete. It is very heavy  with all those buttons.

 

 

 

 

 

Handwork   I am now doing a new handwork project as Blue Beach is done.

 

 

 

 

 

Felting   I only put in a mi mum amount of time on this project this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New work     Well, I have good intentions here.   Hopefully I will get  going soon.  It will be another lap quilt.   Only a few more pieces from the  SAQA 100 Day Challenge left.

 

 

I will be going off to Quilting by the Lake this week so there will not be any posts for two week.  I am looking forward to seeing old friends and getting some new ideas.

Stay safe

Carol

 

Summer Time

 Hello,

 

It is full summer time here.    I enjoyed Fireworks along with my friends  and was out doors a lot this week.   I went to the Towpath quilt show on Sat and  enjoyed the work of many hands.

 

I got to see Noel’s  pieces for the group challenge.  Participants got a line from The Night Before Christmas” to illustrate.     I think she did a great job.

 

 

 

 

  There was lots of wonderful work.  I was fascinated by this quilt where  the artists had added ink tense color to her embordered work.   It was a great show and there were lots of good pieces.

 

 

 

I also had a pixie meeting this week.  We are challenging  ourselves to use letter or text in our work this month.   I did join the SAQA Strolling Along  45 day Challenge on July 1 too.  I am using Prepared as my first emphasis.

Progress Report: Prepared   This is the 5th in the Split Compliment series.   It is all assembled and ready for quilting at this point.

 

 

 

Collage    I did my collage work this week as usual.   This is were I did my Letters for the Pixie challenge with this orange work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did add some drawing with this second collage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Beach   I have decided that this work is complete now.  I only need to add a sleeve and labels  and it is done.

 

 

 

 

 

Scrap Happy    Our nationhood is having a Art and Garden show in early Augusts and I told them a few month ago I would donate a quilt for them to raffle off.  I had forgotten about that commitment until I saw the advertisement.   it has taken a bit of a effort, but the blocks got assembled and put into rows this week.  I will make a back and put the work together this week as I want to have it done before QBL on the 16 of July.

New Work  Sense I can see the end of a the Prepared work, I pulled some more of the printed fabric from the SAQA 100 day challenge pile and that was the starting point for the colors  for this project.

Enjoy the summer.

Carol

 

 

 

Home from Maine

Hello,

I had a great time in Maine visiting with old friends.     This is a shot of the view from our lunch table on the first day of summer.    Elizabeth was a great hostess and both Marty and I enjoyed talking old times with her.

She generously gave me a quilt to take to QBL to sell to raise funds for the Scholarship Fund.    It is a real beauty I think.     We also had lunch with an old friend in Portland on our way home.  The final stop of the trip was at The Clark museum to view the Edvard Munch show there.  It was great!   It was a show of his landscapes and most of the work was new to me.  We spent two and a half hours in the exbibit.   We then went off to look at the perinate show.  We walked in and then looked at each other and declared we were visually “full”.     So we got in the car and drove west.  We talked of the show on the way home and I am so glad we had a chance to view it.

I had a Pixie meeting and a FAD meeting this week too.  It has been a busy two weeks for me.

Progress Report:   Conflict     The work is 43″ w X  32″ t.     This  work is finally complete.  I struggled with the orientation of this work.    With the help of my FAD friends I finally settled on what you see here. It is not the way I constructed the quilt, but I too like this direction.

 

 

 

 

Hands All Around This work is 60.5″ w X 38″t.   I am delighted with how this work finally  came out.   I ended up quilting only the negative spaces of white in a reflective manner. I am thankful for the use of many of my quilting friends hands to do this work.        I am off to get a professional shots of it on Sat.

 

 

 

 

Lap quilt #10    I also managed to put together this new lap quilt in the last two weeks.   I am building a steady pile of them to pass forward in the fall.   I still have a few pieces of fabric that I printed for the 100 Day Challenge to use  so there will be a few more in the future.

 

 

Collages    I did my play with paper on Tue this week.   These pieces are more exploring  with silhouetted figures.  I also attached some of the paper with the sewing machine for extra texture here.

 

 

 

Sense I am working on my own without instruction I am really free to do what I want in this area.

 

 

 

 

Scrap Work   When I helped  empte Ethel Whittemore’s studio, ten years ago, I brought home a big box of pre made squares and many strips  that were one to three inches  wide that she had cut and not used.   I have already created five queen sized quilts from that box .  Earlier this season I pulled the box out and I am now putting forth and effort to assemble all that remains in the box.   I may be at it a few more weeks , but I can see the bottom now.

Felting   I did put in a little work on this project this week.  I am now sorry that it is so large, but I will keep working away.

 

 

 

 

 Blue Beach  I am feeling like I am nearing the end of this project.   As I see it now only a few more hours remain here.

 

 

 

 

New work   This is the next work in the split compliment series.   I also added a second challenge to myself by trying to use as may of   Liz’s the precut arches and curves  as possible.    I am enjoying the process.

 

 

I hope all my readers enjoy the 4th in ways they see fit.

Carol

Active Week

Hello,

   This last week was a busy one for me.   I stated out last Friday by working the Pricilla Sale.   I worked the embellishment and accessory tent with Deb.

 

 

 

 

There were lots of costumers in the afternoon and my friend Sharon purchased one of the many coats .

They did a booming business in the fabric tent too and  I will admit I even added  a few yards to my stash.

 

 

 

 

Garments were the big ticket items and  these three gals also purchased beauties.

Then on Sat we had even more guests.   We packed up at 5 and went home exhausted for a second day.      There are still lots of goodies that will be sold of later.

  Monday I went on a walk along Onondaga lake with Wendy and granddaughter Alexis.   We spotted this Baldeagle. ( he is on the big curved branch, lower center.    We had a good time and enjoyed the walk.

 

 

 

Tue was the Diva meeting.    We took down the show at the Unitarian Church after our meeting.   This work is by Threaea.

 

 

 

 

Alice had lots to share , but I loved  this crow piece the most.

 

 

 

 

 

 Mary showed her African pieces again.   They are so strong graphicly I think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Denise  showed this collage type wool work.

 

 

 

 

 

Maureen shared this work.  She triple dyed it and then printed over it with fabric paint and stitched on top of that.  If you go to QBL you will be able to see it in person at the quilt show there.

 

 

 

 

 

Barbara is building new work too.  All the fabric is her own hand dyed and printed.   I am happy to be a part of such a talented group of gals.

Wed the pixies had their zoom meeting.  They are experiencing the hot humid summer of Florida while I am still wearing three layers.

Thursday I helped Liz do some sorting and cleaning.     She generously sent me home with bags of  fabric.   All this activity has meant that I have had little time in the studio  this week.   I did accomplish a little however.

Progress Report: Conflict  I am now done  with the quilting of this work.  I am enjoying the challenge that it has offered me.

 

Hands    I did finish satin stitching around all the organza hands on this work this week.  It took about 40 min to do each hand.   I started the quilting in the white.

 

 

 

Leaf Fall    This is my newest work using some of my hand printed fabric.

 

 

 

 

 

Creative Assistants   I just added the squeezie paint  to this batch of fellows this morning.  When they are dry I will add the pin backs.

 

 

 

Collages     I did do my collages on Tue morning.  I did two as I will be away next week.  ( Marty and I are off to visit friends in Maine. )  In looking at these now I feel they are a little cluttered.

 

 

 

 

 

Felting    I picked up some new blue roving at the sale last week end and I just could not resist.  This on is a lot bigger then I usually work so it will take me a while to complete.

As I mentioned, I will be away next week.   I hope all enjoy the longest day of light in the norther hemisphere on Wed and the official beginning of summer.

Keep Creating

Carol

 

Warming Up

Hello,

It has gone from a chilly spring to full hot summer here in just a few days.  We walked at 7:30 because it is set to go to 90 degrees here later today.     It was a quiet week for me this week and my only events were yesterday.  The FAD group meant here in the morning and we sat out on the patio and had a good time. 

Sharon is making great progress on the hand work she is adding to this piece.

 

The Pixies had our regular zoom meeting too.  It is always so enjoyable to talk with them as they all have such a different point of view and emphasis.

Progress Report:   Hands   I have now completed the free motion work in all the black of this piece.     I got a little help yesterday on what type of quilting to do in the white areas.   They really confirmed what I was thinking, but self doubt had me a bit frozen as to how to move forward.

Conflict I started and just about finished the construction of this work this week.  It is the fourth in the split compliment series using yellow, blue violet and red violet.

 

 

 

Pony Boy  This is the next in the SAQA 100 day pieces.  It has a lot of old bits of altered and printed fabrics in it.   It is a lap quilt that I will pass forward in the fall.    I only have two more of the pony’s to do shadow quilting on and the quilting step will be done.

Blue Beach  I just keep adding buttons and looking at this work.  It still feels like it needs a bit more so I keep at it.

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Works  This work got lost as the title suggests.  I was organizing and discovered this work I had started as a part of a on line assignment.     Too much stuff in my space I guess.

It got completed this week any way.

 

 

 

 

 

Collage   I had a good time on Tuesday afternoon  this week.  I am feeling more confident about building up the surfaces and things sort of fell together this time so I did two.  “Lost in Thought”  is this blue one with lots of layers of transparency.

 

 

 

“Confused Thinking” is the second.  I used the same figure on both of these.   I am learning that I really like building on a heavy paper base even if that makes the work a little deep some times.

Creative Assistants  I completed nineteen more of these little guys this week.  I am happy to be using up lots of little bits and treasures that I seem to collect with out even realizing I am doing it.

I am enjoying working away on all my projects and for that I am grateful.

Stay safe

Carol

 

Books

Hello,

I have been thinking about books as we are trying to turn our office into an up stairs laundry room.   We are shorting and  passing forward some of the books that are no longer  needed in our lives.   When I was talking of this to a friend she told me e-books are the answer.   But I find  the e-books are not at all the same as the physical ones.  One can’t use a marker to find sections that one wants to refer back to as easily for one thing.    I often morn for some of the old books that have been lost from my childhood.    Foe example, a forest green lather bound book with a highly embossed cover of a buffalo, that Mom read to me were I first learned about plagiarism comes to my mind.   Or what became of all those Big-Little books on Snow White, the Littlest Rebel, and Little Orphan Annie?   They all reside in my memory if not on my shelves.  I never regret a single penny I spend on a physical book, even if I only read it to pass it forward to another.   E-books may take less space in the physical world and are ecology better for our environment,  but I still love the feel and weight of a physical book every time.   But I will have to admit that I went to my friend Patti’s book give away on Tue and picked up 2 new  books there.  I am hopelessly in love with books.

It has been a quiet week for me.   Tony and I went to visit with Marty for lunch on Monday and it was a good time for all of us.  She continues to create her wonderful fabric landscapes.   Sorry I didn’t square this, but you get the idea.

The only other thing was the Pixie meeting yesterday and it was short due to the fact that they were having a thunder storm in Florida and we all know that being on the computer can be dangerous at that time.

Progress Report: Ferdinand This work is 39″ w X 46″ l.     I mixed a lot of older bits of fabric that I had altered into this composition.    I still have several hand stamped from the 100 Day Challenge and I will use a few more in the next lap quilt that I will build.

 

 

Equal Voice   This work is for the Diva Challenge to do a piece to donate to the Together We Rise  twenty fifth anniversary  event.  They will raffle it off at that time.   I need to add the sleeve to this project to complete the process.

 

 

 

 

Hands   I have started the free motion quilting step on this project.  It is slowly moving forward.

Creative Assistants   I finished off 18 of these fellows this week.   I am enjoying doing them during the news.

 

 

Ethel’s  Scraps   I pulled out the box of Scraps from Ethel’s daughter this week and started to assemble the scraps for the next bed quilt that I will make from them.  It is a real ” no think” process that I am doing at the end of the day .   The pieces grow with each strip I add , but the box of scarps seems to remain the same size.

 

Collage 2    I did the Collage Tue thing on Tue afternoon and created this piece.  Then when I was listening to the SAQA lecture on Wed I learned that May 24 in International Collage Day.   So I was glad to have completed my work before hand.

Handwork   I had  some wonderful green scraps from doing the lettering for Equal Voice and so I fused them down onto an older napkin that I had and started doing the fun part of bringing it to life.

 

 

 

I hope you are enjoying things in your life.

Keep Creating

Carol

Temperature Change

Hello,

   It is that crazy time of year when the cold just doesn’t want to let go.  I had to bring in my plants last night due to the chance of a freeze.   so here they set on the studio floor to greet me this morning.  It was so warm earlier this week I worked in only a tee shirt in the yard and still sweated a bit.   I still feel fortunate when  I hear of the forest fires in western Canada and the storms in the west.      For me this week was busy with meetings.  The Sisterhood of the Scissors meant as did the Pixies.  I also went off to a FAD meeting yesterday.   I like the outside stimulation.

Progress Report: Take Off  This work is 39.5″ X 37″.     I did enjoy the applique of the birds this week.  I have learned a lot about Terns sense I started this piece.

 

 

 

 

Ferdiand  This is the newest piece that uses prints form the 100 Day Challenge.  I also added a lot of  other altered fabrics to this one.   I am now ready to layer and quilt it.

 

Hands  I only did the stitch in the dich work on this pieces this week.  It is a bit awkward to move under the needle.

 

 

Equal Voice   This piece is for the Diva challenge as a part of the Together We Rise  project.   I am happy with the lay out and the little bit of stitching I have done.   I will keep moving on this as I want it completed by the next Diva meeting.

 

 

 

Blue Beach  I worked away on this at the Pixie meeting this week. Every button put me closer to the completion.

 

 

   Collage- Concern   I  become interested in doing collage during the 100 Day Challenge as there were folks doing such wonderful things.  Now that it is complete I got myself together and  did one this week.  I think it is strongly influenced by what Cheri is doing with printing.  I had many false starts and I am not sure if this is complete.  But it is a beginning.   I think I will try to do one a week for a while.

 

I am hoping spring smooths out a bit and not too many blossoms were destroyed by the frost last night.

Stay safe and keep Creating

Carol

Still Recovering

   Hello,

 

I  am still a little under the weather although now it seems only to be a head cold.  I am just glad not to feel the all over body Ake.     I had a good week however.   I went off to the Schweinfurth Spring Retreat and go to see my old friends and got some work done too.

Susan was there working on a stitched paper pieces.   Making them “float” together with stitches between took a lot of pashents.

 

 

 

 

Victoria worked away on her high relief pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharon did a nice bit of building on her newest felted piece.   it is based on a photo of the reflections in her bathroom mirror.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donna spent the weekend building pillow cases for the QBL teachers.

 

 

 

 

 Ellen worked away on several pieces based on some of her classes this year.

 

 

 

Linda made three lap quilts from a bigger quilt that was a family piece.

 

 

I worked away on  my hands project and got it all  arranged.  The pieces got united and the over lays got pinned on before the week end was over.

There were several other folks too all of us happily doing our own thing.

 Meanwhile down stairs the Made in New York show was going on.  My friend Joyce Holman  had a great piece in this show.

 

 

 

 

Pat Pauly was in the show and  her work looked great.

 

 

 

 

Then there was Julia’s piece and it won best of show.

My only other event this week was the Pixies and we talked as usual.

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Circulation    I did  quilt on this project at the retreat as I needed a bit of a break from the hands project.    It is 36″ w X 44″ l  and the second piece in the split compliments series.   I used a lot of the precut pieces from Liz in this piece and had a good time with it.

 

 

 

 

 

Circus Grounds    This work is 40″w X 50″ l.   I seemed to have let the materials get a way from me here.    It it the last of the 100 day project pieces that I started during the 100 days.  I still have prints to use and will start another soon.  I did lots of machine quilting here and again enjoyed the process.

 

 

 

 

Take Off  I finally got back to this piece this week.   I drew the birds in inktense  pencils and now I am machine appliqueing them down.   It takes me about 20 min to do each bird.

New Split    I  pulled these fabrics for the next one in this series.   Yellow is the main color.    It too has some of Liz’s curved scraps that I will try to incorporate.

 

 Creative Assistants   I did give away a batch of these little guys at the retreat this week.  But I made more than I passed out so I am  making progress.

I hope the wonders of spring are around everyone and that they are all healthy.

Carol

 

 

 

Crazy Weather

Hello,

Mother Nature sure has put us through our paces this week.    We had these ice balls one morning and   then we had a 70 degree day.     The warmth  sure has pushed the buds to open on the trees  and the flowers as well.     There is a bit of a cozy feel as the trees become more and more solid with leaves.   One can only dress in layers to remove as the day goes forward.   The sun is around longer too and not setting until after 8 in the evening.  It is a time of change!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Associated Arts meat on Saturday and  we had a workshop on Artist Trading Cards.    I had a good time and did not want to stop when we got to the  end of the  meeting. My only other meeting this week  was with the Pixies  and that was good as well.

Progress Report: Analyze   This work is 34″ w X 44.5″ t.  It is the first in the Split Complement series.      I did all the quilting in a  blue metallic thread with a zig zag stitch. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Circulating ( formerly Fractured)   This is the second in the Split Complement series.   Liz kindly gave me a lot of solids that she had left over from  her bulls eye quilts.  That means there are lots of curved pieces.   I find it fun to sue them as a starting place.      Therefor I have changed the title as I am concentrating on curves and I really can’t thing of anything that fractures in curves at all.    Red is the primary and yellow green and blue green are the other  colors.  I seem to have lost my emphasis on red with this one.

Circus Grounds   The 100 Day SAQA challenge ended on Monday.  This it the last work that I started as a part of that challenge.  The top got completed Monday.  It got pin based  and I have done a lot of the stitch in the ditch work at this point.   Now I  need to fill in with some fun quilting.

 

 

 

Take Off  This is a curve cut project.     I am just about ready to add the birds.   I am using Inktense  colored pencils to add the detail colors here.

 

Blue Beach     I just steadily add more buttons to this project.  It is getting a bit heavy and I need to pay attention so it hangs strait.

 

 

 

 

Scrap   After discovering another box of units, I am finishing up the  cutting of the strips.     I am sewing the strips together now and making what I call wheels of 2.5″  strips .

 

 

 

 

= Voice  The Quilt Diva’s have a new group project.   We are building series of units that will hang together for Together Women Rise.   We will build our independent sections with lots of limits so they work together and can be auctioned as sections or independently.    I  have started and made one of my sections.    I plan to cut this up.

 

Drawing    I did a little drawing this week.   I admired one of the gals work in the SAQA challenge and I tried some similar stuff this week.  She started her work with a bit of paper, then did some paint on top and drew on top of that.   I did have fun with this formula, but mine do not look at all as strong as her work was.

I hope you are enjoying the change of season and being a bit creative too.

Carol