Category Archives: Hand work

Childhood Memories, Curvie Cuts, Fish Bones, Mayan- Rabbit Dancer, Scrap Happy Quilts, Squares a Dancing

Happy Halloween

Hello,

Happy Halloween everyone. It is my favorite holiday as I like to dress up and try on other personalities. Like playing a part in a play, but for only one night. I got this little cutee from my friend Sharron. It was a great surprise.

 

 

I noticed as the leaves have started to desert the trees how many different types of Oak trees we have in our area. The shapes of the leaves tell me these are different species, but one should note that all the vain structures are the same. It is in the details that we find the variety of life.
Liz and I dyed on Friday last week. We know that it will soon be to cold to work in the garage so with the exception for the red one that is for the Burning quilt top, all the rest are pure play.
The Textile Art Stitch Club teacher for this week is American Jodi Colella. I had fin making the charms and got a little carries away embellishing the black lace that was Grandmother Ruth’s. I plan to add it to a hat later.
I had two Zoom meetings this week. One with the Pixies and a second with the Sisterhood of the Scissors. It is always so stimulating to talk and see like minded creative folks. They really break the isolation of this time.

Progress Report: Ethel Scrap The Schweinfurth Fall Retreat got cancelled so I decided that I would do an hour worth of work on the scrap project ever day. First I sew two strips together. Then I add small cut away sections from scraps to the sides. ( columns one and two)         I add smaller units together and build  squares or strips  adding together pieces that fit one another.   

The small units added to the long strip will be cut apart and be added to others of the same size.

On the far right one can see that the two sections did not match.  So I will trim off the excess on the bottom right to make a strait edge  and that small section will be added to a strip as in step 2.

I keep building adding until I get big enough collections to cut several five inch squares from it. There are always pieces that do not make the squares and that is the source of the scraps that I add to the next set of  strips.

 

These five inch squares plus five inch solid ones are the base units for the quilt I will eventually be  building.

 

Squares a Dancing I keep working on this hand project during the news every night. I finish about one square ever evening. I now have 217 done.

 

 

Burning I got the trees all free motion attached to the background. I am now in the process of adding the flames made with cotton, silk, nylon net, organza and silk paper. Hopefully some of the red I dyed will go into this too.

Fish Bones (Curvy Cuts) I am nearly finished with this project.  I made a curvy cut base in shades of blue and aqua  and added the fish on top.    I had to make additional fish as the first set of seven, did not fill the space enough to make me happy. I free motion stitched them all on top yesterday.   I need to do the binding to complete the project.

Black Rocks I did a little hand work on this project this week. It will become my TV project when the Squares are done.    I had to abandon the green tape between the rocks as it kept falling off the surface.     I am using the embroidery wool that Nancy gave me for this project.

 

Childhood Memories-   Neighborhood Kids

I was growing and leaving childhood ,and puberty hit me as it does all of us. I remember a little blue pamphlet that Mom gave me to read called “Now You are 10″. It was from Kotex and it was about the menstrual cycle and what to expect. Mom and I had a little talk , and I had a blue box in my chest of drawers from that point forward. What I remember more vividly was how very uncomfortable I felt that spring when I went without a tee shirt for the first time. I had developed over the winter , so Mom took me shopping and we got three bras. I felt much better, and as delighted by the little ballerinas machine-stitched on the bottom of the cup in multi colored thread. Laura Harris, a girl in my class that was as childish as I was, I visited her grandmother, who lived across the street from us , several times that year. She was the friend who got to see my new BRA .She and I had a club called the “ Asinine Club”. It was so much fun to say that scandalous word out loud. Laura’s Grandmother’s was one of the few houses that Gene and I got to visit on Halloween by our selves. She made us do a “trick” before we earned our “Treat”. I sang a little song and Gene did a forward roll. This was the tradition for Halloween in Carroll.
> Our neighborhood was a relatively   new area of town and there were lots of young families with kids as well as lots of empty lots. That meant I could always find some one to play with when I went out doors. Beyond the cedar trees and the picket fence south of our house was an unfinished house- just the basement , like what we had  when we had  moved into Columbus Junction.     That house was not completed when we moved away five years later.   A Catholic family with 11 kinds lived in that basement.      The names  of  everyone in that family  started with M. Micky  Lighting was the oldest and my friend, followed my Marty, Marsha, Matt, Martin, Mark, Mike, and Melody as far as I can remember. The  names of  little ones all ran together for me. I was surprised that in the fall she did not go to school with me.  All the kids who were school age in her family went off to Kemper, the Catholic school. Micky helped me with my further explorations of different religions by taking me to the Catholic Church one week day. She handed me a Doily-like thing and she plunked a similar one on her own head. ‘’ One never goes into Church without your head being covered,” she said. After entering the big doors, our first stop was the font were we splashed a bit of “Holy Water” . I don’t remember any explanation for that ritual. I was awed by all the colorful sculptures and burning candles. When we visited a pew I was surprised by the kneeling bench. Then I looked in the hymnal. I did not find a song I recognized and the responsive reading was in a strange language. I was impressed that she could speak and read Latin even though she could not tell me what it meant. When I learned she always had fish on Fridays, I never got a real good explanation for that. Mickey was also the person who lead me a bit astray with Cigarettes. I did not know any one who smoked and both of her parents smoked. It was the 50’s and the ads were every were. She stole a partial pack along with matches and we went off to the honey suckle to light up. My body knew better then I, as I coughed  and coughed.    It was sort of unpleasant.  I decided they were not for me, and the fact that they were not readily available helped,I am sure. I really felt sorry for Mickey as she had to spend lots of time caring for the younger children. Her toys did not last long either, as younger hands had a way of destroying things.

Please stay safe and Keep Creating

Carol

PS;    I had to add these maples leaves too as they are so beautiful.

Birds, Childhood Memories, Crows in the Pines, Drawing, Hand work, Mayan- Deer Dancer, Mayan- Rabbit Dancer, Pixies Group, Squares a Dancing

Fall Color is Building

Hello-
The weather is becoming cooler and the leaves continue to drift down when we walk. Tues we were walking along the two block empty lot  wooded area and we saw two deer. They just watched us pass and  they were about 10 feet from the road.  We were not a threat in any way and when I looked back they had returned to their grazing.   More trees have started to color but we are not at peek yet.  I was captured by these zinnia’s all wearing the orange of the season.

 

 

 

 

 

For Textile Artist Stitch Club this week Vinnet Stapley challenged us to build a second work using some additional techniques that she suggested. I did a piece using the negative spaces left over from the original assignment. I also did the sewing with the free motion of my sewing machine in metallic threads. It was fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pixies had their meeting on Tues. We were challenged to find and artist and use that person as jumping off place for a work. I looked at William Kentritch  for my artist.. He used maps as a base for a few of his early works so I took that idea. He also likes silhouetted figures. So I found a map of California, painted fires on top and  then added a fire-fighter to create this image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Crows in the Pines This work is 18″ X 16.5″ .  I printed the pines with a silk screen that I made and then I added Robin’s Egg Blue dye to the back of the fabric.

 

The crows are all done in fabric markers on top.
Then I free motion quilted around all the birds.    I quilted drew around all  the pines too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deer Dancer I am making progress on this new work. I always think this black out lining step make the work come alive.

 

 

 

Rabbit Dancer I drew the next dancer and enlarged it yesterday. He may need to hold something to balance the left side.

 

 

 

 

Goldfinches I pulled out this background that I have started felting. I will get out the machine and finish this step and then add some thread painted Goldfinches to the work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burning Woods The red and black is the base for this next fire piece. I have drawn trees ion the wash away that is on top of the fabric and will machine draw them.

 

Blue Ferns This work will become a window quilt for our bed room. I am also building a cover for the air-conditioner that will stay in the window over the winter. The opening at the bottom is were the air-conditioner fits.

 

 

 

Squares a Dancing I just keep having fun creating these little fellow. I now have 196 squares.

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories 6th Grade – Miss Eaton
I was in Miss Eaton’s class in sixth grade. It was her first year of teaching and she was full of excitement. One of the fun things Miss Eaton did with us was teach us a bit of French. I the only thing I can remember is how to count to 10 and how to say “Recognize the snow”. I will not even try to spell that. In September we started a year long project dealing with poetry. To improve and practice our cursive she had us all copy “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. Then we had a week to memorize it. After all the kids had recited it our next assignment. We had a week to find a poem of our own choosing with a historical theme. On that Friday we did the cursive step and began to memorize the first two stanza. I think I selected “Paul Revear’s Ride” but it may have been the “Song of Hiawatha” because I know I memorized both over that year. One topic was nonsense poems and I recall I learned “ The Walrus and the Carpenter by Lewis Carroll for that one. We continued that pattern was followed all year and I did learn lots of poetry that I can still recite.. At the end of the year we bound them all together with the drawings that we did to illiterate the works into a little book. I had it for years.

By this time my poor reading was really pulling my grades down. I did not like being in the bottom reading group with four other trouble making boys either.       Miss Eaton let everyone do Extra Credit Reports any time on animals and birds to help our grades. Mom helped me by reading from a big green leather book she had on animals. I would then, recite back to her what I had heard and do a little out line for before writing. The first report was about Buffalo and I started as the author by tell about the “Habitat”. Mom stopped me and said you can not use that word as it is not part of your vocabulary- find another way to say the same thing. That was when I learned about paraphrasing and plagiarism. Mom explained how I could not use words that I did not know or copy someone else’s words without giving them credit. It was like steeling she said. Learning that difference and skill helped me all through my education.

Miss Eaton loved Ancient history and I learned a love of some of it too. Ancient Egypt really came alive for me. Before her class all I knew about Egypt was from Bible stories about Moses. She did lots of explaining and we did several projects. But the one I remember the most was making Scarab Beetles. She gave us all an oval of plaster that she had cast in a spoon. We carved the lines of the beetle in the plaster dome and a Egyptian hydrophilic on the flat side. We painted them with Easter egg dyes. I really loved the mythology of Greece and Rome. Near the end of our study of that topic we did  a painting of our favorite god, goddess or myth. We were given a large sheet of heavy paper and told to draw a simple drawing first in pencil and them draw over it in chalk. Keep it “simple like a coloring book page”she said. I was drawing from an image in my text book when Mom came in and asked me “How  is coping an artist image  different then copying someone else’s words?” After we talked,  she asked me how I could make the picture my own. We decided one could add things, take things away,  and move them around in the picture make it my own work  . She also pointed out that you could go to a different source and mix things  into the image. After having me list what I really wanted in the picture – Diana, an Owl, a bow, the moon, Diana’s dogs and a deer she went off to get an aid. She had a green Art Deco vase with leaping deer in relief on it. They were simple too,so I started with them and Diana and built my picture. I remember I did not include all the parts I had mentioned.   Back in the class room, when  we outlined the drawing in chalk and that forced  a bit more simplification. The we pained up to the lines with thick tempera paint. That step was repeated and then lastly we painted over it all with black India Ink. After it was dry we went to the janitors closet and washed the paintings gently under the faucet so the black came away on the thick tempera as did some of the color. It was magically beautiful and well worth all the time and effort.

Stay safe and keep Creating

Carol

 

 

Childhood Memories, Crows, Drawing, Mayan- Turtle Dancer, NEW, Pixies Group, Series, Squares a Dancing

Equinox

Hello,

I hope that the equinox was noted by folks this week. I sure am seeing evidence of the shorter day light. For a  few days every year  the sun lines up directly with my east facing door to the studio.  Those days  are now past and the sun is rising and setting at  about 7.
This week the Textile Artist Stitch Club teacher Carissa Caiksen, suggested and then showed us how to add found objects to the surface of our stuff shapes. I added some rusted washers and nuts that I had collected.

I added stitches to the surface of the shapes   as she suggested as well.

This was a fun challenge I think.

 

 

 

 

 

The Pixies had there third online meeting this week. We are getting better and better at working through the connections. There are two challenges this time. One was to do a group drawing that we can connect together into one image. I did my hand and I have sent it off to be married with the others. Can’t wait to see how this project goes. The second was more explorations with Crows. I did this little 12″ X 12″ piece this time. The crows are drawn in crayon on interfacing that I got two years ago in Mexico when I was visiting Susan. The wax in the crayons does make the crows shinny and it also makes it a bit difficult to free motion stitch over.
I did Dye with Liz again this week.

Progress Report: Green on Green This work s 32.5″ X 47.5″. It is all stitch in the ditch quilting. This work will also go to the nursing home for folks confined to wheel chairs.

 

 

This project has lots of hand dyed and hand manipulated fabrics too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turtle Dancer I am doing the outline and applique stitching on this work now. I can see the end of that process and I will move onto the quilting. I drew a new subject this week as well.

 

 

Sweet Peas I started this work when I was in Mexico   visiting with Susan. It finally made it to the top of the pile so I free motion quilted it this week. I will add facings and finish it.

 

 

 

 

New Work I spent and afternoon making silk paper this week. My main goal was to make material for the fire project that is on my mind. I also made these clouds to use in my next crow pieces as well. Yesterday I cut stencils of 8 crow forms to use with the clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

Squares a Dancing The collection of squares grew by seven more this week. I now have 175 and I am working on the next batch.

 

 

New Top   I pulled out these fabrics and I am considering using them together for my next top.  I always like to have something in the background waiting my attention

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories: Farm Yard continued
A little ways from the sheep shed on the southwest side of the barn yard was the Machine Shed. It was a corrugated metal shed that was open on the north side. The tractor- “Big Red”, the disk, the cultivator, the seeder, the mower, the plow, several hay wagons and various other big tools and wagons lived in that space. On the back wall were the old harness sets. Grandfather loved horses and I do remember the last team. They were both white and called Sugar and Salt. Dad use to tell stories about how he and Grandpa would go to the Chicago Stock yards and get wild horses that were brought in from the western plains by train. Grandfather had a good eye for selecting two horses that were similar in size and color to make good looking teams. They would then purchase the horses and bring them back to the farm. It was Dad’s job to break them to ride, harness and pull the farm machinery. When he was growing up there were always four teams on the farm. One older and more experienced team, two in training and a third that was “ green”. Grandfather would sell the oldest team when he was ready to go again to Chicago and get a new team. Horses usually live twenty to thirty years, so it was a good system to make additional money.
There was a narrow lane that lead to a field between the machine shed and the hog house, the next building on the south side of the farm yard. The hog house was a long one story red building with windows and a cement floor. As kids we did not go in there much as hog are unpredictable and dangerous however, I do recall one visit just after piglets were born. They were cute and squealed a lot.  At the eastern end of the hog house was a red stock loading ramp. Using fences and gates, Grandpa could load all his animals into trucks with that ramp. East and north of the hog house was the mud lot. This area connected four barns, was in constant use and was always muddy. The windmill with a connecting stock tank to hold the water that the wind driven pump brought up form the well, was next to the gate on the west side. It was the main gate from the farm yard and it was metal and always closed unless in use. There was a cement pad there that extended along the big barn to help machinery make the transition from the dry are to the muddy lot. In the south east corner of the mud lot was the big gray barn. Dad told me that was were they used to house the horses in the lower level.  I only remember the barn being used to store hay. The loft was a great place to play in the mornings, but often became too hot in the afternoons. The cats liked to have their kittens there and on occasion we found them.  In the center of the mud lot was the corn crib. Having it here meant it was easy to shovel out the corn for the animals. There was also a metal silo behind the crib.  At the back of the mud lot was a gate that went to the big meadow pasture with the creek. On the south west corner of the mud lot was the big red main barn. It had big sliding doors on the west and east sides so you could drive through it. In the front and to the left was the corn cob elevator. That piece of machinery also was used to raise bales of hay to the lofts. It was on wheels and could easily be moved. In the back of the barn, on both sides of the pull through, were “ tight rooms”. One was used for oats and the other for shelled corn. Gene and I loved to enter and climb to the tops of the grain piles and slide down.

Keep Creating  and stay safe

Carol

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories, Mayan - Monkey Dancer, Mayan- Turtle Dancer, Squares a Dancing, Textile Artist Stitch Club, Thread Painting

Lake Visit

 

Hello-
Summer is winding down and I see signs of fall around here. When we went for our second trip to Mill Site late last week, we saw many trees starting to color. The second Treadle Sewing machine went to a second family and they were very grateful. It is good to pass things forward. Judy has been working away on her piecing.
That is the part she enjoys the most and she had two projects. This one with little pink squares and a second in shades of blue. She and Nancy spent a peasant morning arranging the squares for that project.

Liz ans I dyed today. We had a good time as it has been a long times sense we did any of that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed my Textile Artists Stitch Class from last week with Anne Kelly. The project was a book of memorable experiences or trips. I did mine on the trip to Australia that I took with Wendy last Nov.
Page one is of a Pygmy Penguin. That was a cold and enjoyable evening.

 

 

The second is a Koala. We visited three parks were they were on display and we even got to hold one.

 

 


Then I could not forget to honor the dive day on the Great Barrier Reef. The water was so pleasant and the sights so wonderful.

 

The last page was my celebration of the ocean and the wonderful time we had.

 

 

 

Then this weeks Textile Artist Stitch Club teacher was Allish Henderson. She had a do a portrait collage on hand made paper and with free motion drawing. And easy thing for me with all my work for the childhood series.

 

 

 

Progress Report: Golden Earth I am done assembling this base. It has lots of my hand dyed fabric in it. Now I need to do the top work and finish it

 

 

 

 

Wool Birds I am almost done quilting on this project. It is fun and simple.

 

 

 

Monkey Dancer- Mayan Series Last evening I finished the outlining of appliqued parts of this work. I will start the quilting soon

 

 

Turtle Dancer- Mayan Series I have only drawn this work and need to enlarge it and start the pieces.

 

 

 

 

Laura’s Blue Birds I made these little Eastern Blue Birds for my friend Laura. She liked my Bee shirt and said she too had a short that needed spots covered. I will trim them up and send them in the next day or two.

 

 

 

Bunk Bed quilt 1 I am putting the boarders on this quilt now. It is a Christmas present so I have lots of time. I will make a second that is very slimier for the other bed. Then the twins will have a set.

Wool Rug This is a pure experiment. Liz got me started on it when she showed me the tool she had purchased to roll the fabric. I thought it looked remarkable like a belt buckle and went home and found one . The matched and I was off and running.

 

 

I followed the instruction and created a monster of a ball of the wool. Note the red buckle.

 

 

 

 

I started to assemble it yesterday. It is slow work and I had to improvise the ends as they were wadding up. Good thing this is not going out into the world.

 

 

 

 

Masks Eric wanted a new mask without a tie in the back so I tried a new design. I will make a few more as I fear that we will be wearing them a while.

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New Green    I started a new top using lots of the greens I had hand dyed.  It is very early in the process.

 

 

 

 

 

Squares a Dancing    I finished 21 squares in the last two weeks.  I am still enjoying the process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood- McElhinny Farm Summer 3
Spending time on the farm meant Gene and I had to find or create our own fun. We spent a lot of time playing in the creek in the east meadow. I learn one summer about the effects of fertilizer runoff from the farms up stream, as that caused a algae bloom in the creek water way. Sure made for a sluggish flow. The only place in the creek that it did not grow was in the pools under the trees where the cattle often stood in the afternoons to cool off. Gene and I would waded in and used sticks to haul out big clumps of the green stuff. We piled it on the rocks on the shore where it looked like green and gray laundry drying there. I was always amazed at how small the piles had become when we went back to the creek a few days late and all the water had drained out.
On the farm north of Grandmother’s farm and across the gravel road lived the Cumming family. It consisted of three folks, Holt, Lillian and Sue. Some afternoons and after a call from Grandmother, Gene and I would walk up the road to join Sue in some play. They had an old plow horse that we would ride bare back. The horse was named Ginny. Sue would set in the front follow by myself and Gene was the last. When Ginny had enough of our foolishness she would run across the pasture and down a gully, quickly charging up the other side. We would all slide forward on the down plunge onto the horses neck and just a quickly, slide backward and off Ginny’s rump. Gene always landed on the bottom with Sue and myself on top him. Ginny would gallop away and that was the end of that game. On one trip down to the Cummings we spent the afternoon making sorghum. With the plants in old grain bags we beat the bags on the steps to remove the seed from the tops of the staffs. Then the seeds went into a hoper and were grown down a bit before they were cooked. We never got to taste the fruits of that afternoon, but we still had a good time. There was yet another farm with kids farther north of the Cummings. Buddy was the oldest in that bunch and he was a year older then Sue. Sometimes we were all together and playing. One of our games that was strictly a farm kid game, was played only when the corn was tall, it was called “ Halls and Doors”. We would go out in the field and space our selves at the end of a row- a hall and then quickly run down between the rows all counting to ten as fast as we could. When one reached 10- we called “Doors!” and then everyone had to change rows and begin to count again. If one caught up to a fellow runner in the field and tagged them, the person tagged had to stop and count to twenty before they could move again while the rest of the folks went forward. The goal was to get to the end of the field first. This game has disappeared because the new improved corn plants can be plated much closer together and there are no more “Doors” wide enough to pass through in the fields. One time while we were in the south meadow of the Cummings farm we were all climbing trees. Buddy was showing off and making his sway back and forth. He lost his grip and fell to the ground braking his right arm. It was a very clean break and it looked like he had a second wrist. He yelled and cried all the way back to the house with the rest if use following. Lillian bundled him into the car and we all went home. Buddy proudly showed off his cast at church on Sunday the next time we saw him.

Enjoy fall and all it means to you.

Stay safe and be creative

Carol

Childhood Memories, Drawing, Mayan- Vulture Priest, Squares a Dancing

Health

Hello
The human body is an amazing machine. It does so many things with out our giving it any thought. There are lots of actions that go on in our bodies with out or direction like the heart beats regularly, we breath in and out, the digestive track dose it thing and we maintain a constant body temperature. All that plus the actions our body takes on with our brains commands, like walking, eating, talking, touching, hearing and sleeping to name a few. We take it all for granted until something goes wrong. When we trip that is when we notice how we are walking.        When we get bitten by a misquote is when we notice the exposed skin. When one gets sick is when we realize how much we take out good health for granted. So take good care of your health now while you have it, it is one of your most valuable possessions, for without it you have nothing of value.
This week was a “by week” for the Textile Artist Stitch Group so her was no new assignment, but I did finish up my Concertina Book from the week before.

Cover

 

 

 

 

 

Spread one

Spread two.      I enjoyed adding the hand work to these    pieces.

 

 

Third section

 

 

The final

 

 

 

 

Liz and I did do a bit of dyeing this week. This is her mixing the dye power. Can you see her smiling?

The pieces in the pot are washing out the color.   I like this green.

Work on the line that Liz dye painted.

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Scrap Happy I added the rows all together and added the boarders as well as the first step of binding. I can see the end of this project now.

 

Top I put this top together and although I like the color – it is not doing any thing for me now. It is in the ugly stage and I am ready to toss it out. Guess it will have to disappear for a while before I can see it’s potential again.

 

 

 

Squares a Dancing I just keep putting in the time on this project. I now have 77 squares done.

 

 

 

 

Vulture Priest I finished the top this week and now I only need to do the scepter and I will be ready to quilt it.

 

 

Parrot Priest As I can see the end of the Vulture Priest,  I moved onto do a drawing for the Parrot Priest so I can start on it this week. I am happy with this series.

 

 

 

Drawing     I am still doing a bit of  drawing.  These are all ocean micro plants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Thanksgivings Mornings
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> Even after we moved to Carroll, my family still drove the 5 hours it took to return home   to the Grandparents for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. For Thanksgiving we left from school on Wednesday. Mom packed sandwiches and fruit so we could avoid a dinner stop. But as we neared the edge of Illinois we would often stop at a dairy bar called “ Cow Jumps over the Moon” and get ice cream. The place had an amazing sign on top. It was a big shell with the moon, stars and the cow ,of course ,all outlined in neon. The cow’s neon turned on and off in a series so the cow actually appeared to jump over the moon in the course of sixty seconds. It was wonderful to my eyes. We then drove on to Grandmother Ester’s house where we stayed. We would arrive and talk a bit before going up to bed. I remember it being very cold in the mornings and snuggling back under the quilts until Grandfather Merritt got the coal loaded and stoked up. That changed when they got a new furnace of course. Thanksgiving was Grandmother Ester’s big day. She always cooked a big turkey with all the trimmings for the family gathering. I don’t remember much of a breakfast- Grandmother was too busy, so we as a family just mostly went out for a long walk to stay out from under foot. We would exit through the door yard into the machine yard, past the wind mill, and climb the big wooden gate into the barn yard. We crossed between the two barns and the corn crib to climb another wooden gate moving into the east pasture. Grandfather usually had cattle there, but I do remember one time when he housed some horses as well. We avoided the cow pies that were near the gate as grandfather fed hay from a  rack there. Then into the grass and down to the meadow to wander along the creek. Gene threw rocks as usual, but we mostly walked along, noting the changes in the few pool sizes and such. At the far south east end of the creek on Grandfather’s land was a big sandstone cliff where we almost always found some conoides- fossilized sea plant steams. Mom said that the Native Americans used them as beads and I can easily see why. Many times we would cross the fence near the creek into the neighbors pasture and explore the old abandoned sandstone church. There was never a roof in my memory and the window and door frames were gone too. There must have been stairs at one point as the two door jambs were about three feet off the ground. There were three window openings on both the east and west sides. The back wall was solid stone to the peak. We would then climb the hill behind the church to the fenced cemetery that was well maintained and always mowed. It was a fascinating place to me with lots of old markers. That was where I learned how many children  died  in their first year- some lives as brief as three days, five days, four months up to two years. Then there seemed to be a drop off. There was a huge oak tree in the south east corner. It had low branches and Gene and I love to climb it. It was so big around at the stump that Mom, Gene and I could barely touch hands if we all wrapped our arms around it. In the south east corner of that cemetery was a big sink whole about the size of a barn. Mom said she was sure there were caves in the hills around there. We did discover a opening in a corner of Grandfather’s pasture up behind the cliff face. Grandfather fenced off the area so no animals would wander in accidentally. There was a lane that lead out to the gravel road from the cemetery that separated Grandfathers land from the neighbors. One summer while I was out there with only Snookie, Grandfather’s dog, I startled an orange furred bodied  bat hanging from a branch along that lane. There was also a mound that was along the lane on Grandfathers pasture that Mom speculated was an Indian mound, but we never did anything to follow that up. We wandered back to the house around 11:30 and prepared for the feast.

Stay safe and keep creating

Carol

Childhood Memories, Hand work, Lines of Inquire, Mayan- Eagle priest, Mayan- Vulture Priest, Scrap Happy Quilts, Series, Squares a Dancing

Quiet week

Hello,
I hope folks are staying safe and enjoying summer. The Mulberry tree we walk under is nearing its end of the fruit baring time.  On the other hand, the wild raspberry patch is just getting started, so I enjoy a little treat on my way home.

The Textile Artists Stitch Club teacher for this week is Sue Stone. We are to weave a base out of fabric strips and stitch over it. To help with the stitching, it is suggested that one draw the image on tissue paper and then stitch thought it. I have only just started that second step. I like that idea however.
Liz and I over dyed this week. I pulled out some fabrics that were dyed before, but were not real successful. It was quite hot and the photo shows how the heat effected me. I really look wilted. The process was done in the Shobori style, were one warps the fabric around a poll and does immersion dyeing. I really like the effects as the colors are so very rich. We are going to do some more of that next week too. It is fun and there is lots of surprise in the process as one does not always have control of how the dye will work.

 

 

 

Progress Report: Eagle Priest- Mayan Series #3 This work is 21″ X 23″. It is the third one in the series. I learn something with each project.

 

 

 

 

I like the headdress and face area of this work. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vulture Priest- Mayan series # 4 This work is all fused down now and I am starting to do the out line stitching. Some parts are three layers thick and hard to pass the needle through.

 

 

 

 

Squares a Dancing I just keep making one and a little more every evening. I have 56 squares now.

 

 

 

 

 

Layers I pulled this out of the pile after not looking at it for a week. I immediately saw what it needed  and made additions. Now I am ready to square it up and finish the project. It is great what time can do to help clear ones  vision.

Lines of Inquire This piece us all quilted in the ditch. I am now outlining the metallic inserts in gold thread. I will make passes around each one until I have quilted the work.

 

 

New Scrap Happy I cut centers in four colors and added the sides to them. Now they are all cut into squares and I can begin assembling the top.  Yes, they are Minions

Childhood Memories- Playground
Our playground in the fifth grade was a different scene from the fourth. We had big long jump ropes and could play group games with them. The girls took turns jumping and twirling. We played a lot of Aces- a game were one ran into the twirling rope and jumped once , then exited. The next person in line was to let the rope pass once and enter, then do the same single jump. After all the girls playing had jumped the single jump, one repeated running into the rope, but jumped twice. If someone missed by jumping on the rope or not entering on time, they replaced one of the twirlers and the game when back to Aces or one again. There were lots of rhyming songs that we jumped to as well- like Johnny Over the Ocean, Sampson and Delila, Blondie and Dagwood and one that we had to modify to use. It was Little Robin Red Breast. In that rhyme the last line ends in “poop”. We got around saying that by clapping when we got to that word. We played Double Dutch where two ropes were set in action going in the opposite directions. Lana Turner was the queen of that game until she broke her leg falling off a fence. We all admired the cast and were impressed by her painted toe nails when she came back to school. She said it itched and the crutches hurt her arm pits. She finally let folks sign the cast, but I was not one who signed. In the sixth grade I got a Pogo Stick for Christmas. By spring I was very good at its use and could cover lots of ground with it. I had no trouble pogoing to and from school. I even got so I could do jump rope rhymes too. I let lots of other kids try using it. It does take skill and I remained the champion of that event. In that year my best friend became Evelyn Stouton. I walked to her house after school many times. She had three sisters and she was the third girl in the family. She got mostly “hand me down” clothing and she did not like that much. But her older sisters also made her more sophisticated. Her room, in the attic was our hang out spot. Her bed was in a little cubby with a small window at the end. It was fun to lye there and watch people walk by. Her family moved over the summer and I was quite disappointed in the fall.
> My parents took me to the dentist as my teeth were a little out of alignment. After a discussion it was decided that the Dentist would try a new experimental technique to fix the problem. So one morning I went to the Dentist office at 8:00 instead of school. The dentist put bands on back teeth and wires on springs were attached to the bands
that would force my teeth forward. When I was done I walked the five blocks to school and joined my class. We had Chow main for lunch that day. I took one bite and suddenly my mouth was full of springs and wires as well as food. I went to Miss Herd and she told me to run back to the dentist as she knew he played Golf on Wednesday afternoons. I did run and barely made it to the office in time as he was in his car and the nurse had to flag him down. The dentist took all the wires and connections out and made a cast of my teeth. A few weeks later I got two retainers, one for the top and one for the bottom. I wore the bottom for about 9 months and the top for about a year. My bottom teeth are still a little crowded and crooked in the front.

Enjoy the holiday and Stay Safe

Carol

Childhood Memories, Scrap Happy Quilts, Squares a Dancing, Uncategorized

Moving Slowly

Hello,
It seems like the my world is moving slowly. I have spent so much time out in the garden and yard that there is not a lot of action in the studio.   Eric and I did come across a surprise on our walk on Monday.   Eric put his foot in the shot so one could see the size.   He was in the middle of the road. Eric carefully moved him to the side of the road in the shade. By the time we got back about thirty min later he was no were in sight.

I did go and dye with Liz on Tuesday. These two pieces got washed out yesterday and there are two more pieces in the washer at the moment.

 

 

 

 

I sorted the fabric I had altered and as these stacks show I really do not need to make any additional pieces.   But is is so much fun that I am  am not going to stop now.   I pulled out and set aside pieces to do two new starts while I was sorting. The cutting table is clear now and I am ready to begin.

 

 

Progress Report: Scrap Happy I need to do the last bit of quilting on this work and it will be finished. This is the fourth one this year and I already have a home for it.

 

 

Mayan Series # 3- Eagle Priest I am doing the outline and detail stitching now. There are lots of part in this work.

 

 

 

 

 

Layers This work is moving forward. I need to create a few more mazes and stitch all of them down. It is beginning to come together.

 

 

 

 

 

Squares a Dancing I finally have a name that I am happy with for this project. I got busy doing hand work on this project this week as there was no new project for Stitch Club. I now have 35 squares done and about 10 started. It is pleasant work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Greeley, Colorado

In Dad’s continuing push to improve himself, he and mom decided to get more education. So we went to Greeley Colorado for two summers so they could work on  Master’s Degrees at the College there. We lived in a trailer in a park that had about 55 units. Ours was number 22. Our lot was near the narrow end of the pie sliced shaped park and the Rail Road ran along the back side. I recall hearing it at night many a time.  We  kids  tried to flatten pennies on the rails, but never found any after the train had passed. Mom and Dad both took classes and Gene and I went to summer school in the mornings. It was lots of review, but we also learned Spanish. I can still count to twenty, know the days of the week and the months of the year in Spanish. As well as how to say” I do not know how to speak Spanish”. I remember setting out under the olive tree on our plot and making a diorama of irrigation for one of my class projects. As I said before, my skills at reading were below grade level so I took special one on one lessons. The teacher used a reward system to get me to read more outside of our time too. I was given an Annie Oaklie paper doll and could earn a new dress for her with each book I read. She was a special type of paper doll as static cling electricity was the method that held the dress to the doll- no tabs.   At this time I also discovered Classic Comic books. I often got one at the grocery on our weekly trip. I remember “Green Mansions” and “the Moonstone” very vividly. I was into model making at this time too. I did several monsters like Frankenstein and the Mummy. I also did one of Perry the   Flying Squirrel- from a Disney movie. In the winter that year I did the Invisible Man and later the Invisible Woman.

There were lots of kids in the park so there were always lots of folks to play with. In the trailer next door lived a girl named Silvia. She was a Seventh Day Adventist. I recall Mom explaining to me about how folks believed different things about religion. One Saturday I went to church with Silvia. In the church school class they were having a biblical knowledge contest. I was the only one who knew that the Ark landed on Mt Arrowwrat. The teacher was impressed and a bit annoyed at the other kids that an outsider knew that information. Two tailors down in the opposite direction lived the Donally family. The dad was studding Biology  like mom . They had three kids, and  the boy was Gene’s age. The two girls were younger. I often helped the Mon get the three year old to sleep at nap time. In the evening we often went along with the family  for ice cream stand for Dilly Bars.   They were ice cream on a stick that was dipped in chocolate.   Some sticks were stamped with “Free” on them.     I never got one but I recall Gene getting a free ice cream two weeks in a row.     To entertain and keep the kids engaged, Mr Donally made up a car identification game. For example if one spotted a Jeep, one would sing out” Beep beep, there goes a Jeep” – or “Wee I see a Volkswagen”. We laughed a lot too. This is was also the time I became aware of popular culture and begged for a Hula Hoop. When I finally got my yellow hoop I played with it for hours. I finally wore out the staple that held the circle in place by back spinning it too much on concrete. It was also the time dad made a concession to near bare feet in the form of Thongs- or Flip Flops as they are now called. After the blisters between the first and second toes healed up, I wore yellow thongs until the button on the bottom wore off the bottom. By then it was winter and I never got another pair. My only other big memory those summers was playing dolls with Silvia and Sally. Sally was the owner’s daughter and we played “ Barbie” on her screened porch. I had   my Betsy McCall of course and although they traded dresses and they played at jobs and balls. I was quite content to play the little girl  with Betsy and have fun. The experience really confirmed my feelings that being a grown up was not something I wanted to rush forward toward.   It was a good way to spend summer.

Enjoy the season and Keep Creating

Carol

 

Big Pop, Blue Corn, Childhood Memories, Curvie Cuts, Drawing, Experiments, Queen Ann's Lace, Re Work, SAQA Blocks, Scrap Happy Quilts, Thread Painting

Working Away

Hello
I hope all are doing well. I see more and more evidence of spring every day with daily changes in my garden as well as the trees see blooming on my walks.   It is wonderful to see the world filling in with green.

 

 

 

I spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon assembling stuff in the yard. My grandson gave me this windmill for Christmas. It moves beautifully in the light breezes now.

 

 

 

 

Then I moved on to this swing. That took three hours and really was a two man job. Eric came and helped at the end.   I need to seal it now.

 

 

 

There was one last challenge do for  the Textile Artists Stitching group this week. I will move on to it when I finish the folk art challenge from the week before. I have used this project as a chance to do some exploring with stitches and techniques I have not tried in along time. I am making progress even though it is slow.   Sense there is no dead line for this , I am enjoying the exploration.

I did finish my SAQA entry for the auction this week too. It is 12″ X 12″ and called Spring is Coming. I enjoy doing works for this great group and have done so for many years.
I will ship the last of my masks to the Navajo Nation this week too. They put out a call and I am glad to do this.

 

 

Progress Report: Big Pop This piece is 30″ w X 41″ t . We have been eating a lot of popcorn and I have always loved it so it seemed appropriate to make a bit of a tribute. The corns are appliqued on top of the curie cut  base unit.

 

I added paint to the kernels to add interest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Corn- Rework This piece is 40 “ X 32″ and is a rework of a older piece. I changed the orientation to horizontal and appliqued the corns on top. It was an okay piece before but this helps I think.

This is a shot of it before additions were made.

 

 

 

Ethel always said I made beautiful backgrounds. So when I was painting kernels for the first piece I just did additional ones in a smaller fashion for this piece. It was enjoyable and now the piece is out of the dark and will go somewhere I hope.

Queen Anne’s Lace Tiles This work is my attempt to try a project from a Quilting Arts Magazine article by Julie Hirota in the Oct/ Nov 2007 issue. I have only really applied the tiling and the attachment technique she suggested. The grommets attachments  are  a slow and some what frustrating process. It takes me about 15 min. to do each tile. I will finish it but doubt I will use this technique again. As my Dad always said” It is just as valuable to know what you don’t want to do as to know what you do want.” It’s part of learning.

 

Mayan Project I did do my first drawing for this project and then I enlarged it. It is early in the process. But I am looking forward to moving on it.   I hope there will be six panels when it is complete.

 

 

 

 

Thread Painting I decided to do some more birds for my next project  thread project. The Red-winged Black Birds will be a warm up  of sorts. The true challenge will be the Heroin as it is so large  with very little color change.   They are drawn on wash-away  and ready to go into the hoop now.

 

 

 

Drawing I did a lot of sketching this week but not a lot of the drawing.

 

 

 

 

 

Scarp Happy I am done assembling the top and I am working on the boarders now. I have two  borders on all four sides.    I plan to add  one more before I add  the binding.   The work also needs some additional quilting.

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Grandfather Howard stories

Not only did Grandfather Howard collect coins and rocks he had lots of other interests. He sold Hudson’s and ran a SUPER 8 S station, The cars were mostly used ones. He was always quick to laugh and play jokes. He told this  story about how he fooled one of his dealership friends.   It seemed he took the engine out of one of his cars, then hauled it to Muskatine.    At the top of the hill they disconnected the tow rope and giving the car a starting push rolled down the hill where Grandfather skillfully “drove “ into the dealership. He got out and his friend came out and walked around the car looking in the windows and such. They went in to the office and completed the deal. When they came out the car was still setting out front even thought the dealer had told his mechanic to pull it into the bay.    Only when the mechanic laughing said he couldn’t did the joke get revealed.
Grandfather ran a Essix Super 6 gas station in town during the depression. He discovered that someone was stealing gas at night as he noticed unexplained shortages. So one night at closing time he put some rice in the nozzle of the pump. A few days later a man came to him with an ailing car.    Knowing what to look for, Grandfather quickly had his thief.     He took many things in trade for gas at that time. One of the best things he said was family photo albums as folks usually came back when they had the money to retrieve them. Years later when I helped Grandmother Ruth clean out the flour house one summer, we still found lots of those albums and I still have one of the more interesting ones full of strange faces and tintypes.   In the basement was a little green safe on wheels that we often played with as kids. We would wheel it about and try for hours to “crack” it. We were sure it was full of valuable stuff. The year I was a senior, at Christmas time,   when the family was gathered in the basement and enjoying the fire place – Someone asked Grandfather to open that safe. He did and I wish he had not. It was full of IOU’s mostly of folks who were long dead he said as he tossed then into the burring fire. Grand father closed the station in town as the new highway passed west of the main street. He built a new station, a Phillips 66 and diner there. Mom told stories about making pies at night to sell the following day at the diner. She was also a waitress  there and said she hated that job. Twice a year the a gypsy family would migrate through. The dilapidated vehicle would pull into the station, then folks would pour out, scattering in all directions. The leader would stand respectfully next to the pump and talk with Grandfather as he put in the gas. When the car was serviced the leader would shrilly whistle and all folks who had not returned before pilled into the car and off they went. Then Mom, Grandmother Ruth and Grandpa would see if they could discover what was missing- be it a wrench or a bottle or two of soda pop. Grandfather would laugh and say” Well they must need it more then we do.”
Eventually Grandfather sold that station and built a new one diagonally across the intersection. It was a DX station. He also built some tourist cabins there and did quilt well with that venture. The cabins were simple- a bed, a sink , a stool , and on the out side a car port of sorts.     He was successful at that venture.

Childhood Memories – More Grandfather Howard

My grandfather Howard was fascinated by electricity and gadgets. He wired all three of the houses that he helped build for my family and built one for himself and Uncle Dale and his family too. He even set up a wireless for Grandmother Ruth’s students so they could hear a broad cast by the president in her classroom. Grandfather purchased the first television I ever saw. It had a round screen that was about 6 inches across. It only got one channel- out of Chicago and was very snowy! He purchased a record recording machine when I was about 7. I recall cutting a record about the wonders of the park in Columbus Junction and I still have it somewhere. He did taxidermy for a while and I recall a owl that hung in the basement for years. The glass eyes fascinated me. He also stuff a three and half foot alligator from his Pecan Farm in Georgia. We played with it for a while then it disappeared when he discovered how dangerous the arsenic it was stuffed with was.  There was also a tanned fur rug of a badger that he as credited with creating.
He was a skilled wood worker. He built a little cabinet for me with doors and drawers. He then a few years later built a much more elaborate one for my cousin Tracy. I also was the recipient of a wonderful doll house that was a copy of the floor plan for the house in Carroll. It even had the stairs to the attic. It was to scale for my Betsy Mc Call. I had fun with mom collecting furniture and  doing curtains and rugs for it. I still have the dolls and the furniture, but the house went back to the Grandparent house when we moved to Muncie. It was in the basement for years turned on its side so one could use the walls as shelves to store other stuff on.       Grandfather  was in World War II in the Navy. When I was a teenager he gave me one of his old blue wool uniform shirts. I wore it with pride until I wore holes in the elbows. He had a great Macrame Belt that was made of small nylon cord done in square knots. The letters U S NAVY were part of the design. It was amazing to me.
He taught me to eat a baked potato when I was 6, with lots of butter, pepper and salt. He introduced me to lots of exotic cheeses. That became a game of sorts    and he would often pick up something especially strange just to test with me. I remember Coon Cheese- it was awful. One year at Christmas, I was dressed in my new white lace blouse and black and white plaid wrap around skirt and he gave me my first Pomegranate. It was love at first bite. It was also quite messy and I ruined my new blouse with the red juices, but it was worth it. I still look forward to my first Pomegranate of the winter and think of him when I eat it. He was always experimenting with food. The first year Eric came to Christmas with the family, Grandfather made turkey ( from his farm) with pink rice dressing. He had soaked the rice in Hawaiian Punch.
Grandfather was a justice of the Peace . I remember when I was in third grade he let me number the pages in his court book. I was so very proud. We had to play quietly out doors when he was holding court. In is capacity as Justice he married my cousin Russell to Donna in Whisky Holler on the Bell Farm. My cousin Danny, the oldest grandchild, could drive. He was bragging that now he could speed and get away with it as Grandfather was the judge. To that Grandfather said” You better not- I’ll throw the book at you!”   I had a wonderful grandfather and I remember him with great fondness.

Stay safe and keep Creating

Carol

Agitated Aggie, Childhood Memories, Curvie Cuts, Drawing, FAD (Fiber Art Dames), Granite, Hand work, NEW, Pomegranate, Re Work, SAQA Blocks, Scrap Happy Quilts, Sisterhood of the Scissors, Snow Dyeing

Getting Warmer

Hello,
Spring is winning the battle for the weather. I see more and more evidence of new growth every day. My Blood root for example is doing beautifully and Betty’s flowers are also blooming.

 

 

 

 

 

I continue to work away on the Textile Artist stitching challenges. This is my applique piece. It is not at all the assignment – I could not get logged on until Friday so I will do it later.

 

This weeks is folk art and I am started as this shot shows. Again I am stretching the piece to fit what I wish to accomplish.    I will incorporate as much of the instruction as I can.
My Fad group meant on Zoom again this week and it was good to talk with them.

 

Progress Report: Agitated Aggie This work is 38″ w X 41″ l. It is my solution to the Sisterhood of the Scissors Canada challenge. Many of us purchased the print fabric and the challenge was to use it. I have only seen one other work doing the challenge.


 When I was in Florida I came across more material by the same artist so I added a second piece of material to my piece. It’s the same artist and meant to go with the first. It is the colored background piece here.

Granite I keep doing the hand work on this project during the news.   This is a close up.

 

 

 

 

 

Re Work Self Challenge I was cleaning and came across this piece in the process and although it is okay, I decided to use it as a base for a new work. Stay tuned.

 

 

 

Popcorn I spent an afternoon this week playing and decided to paint giant kernels of Popcorn. They came out fine so I built a curvy cut base to applique them on. It is pin basted and ready for quilting now.

 

 

 

 


New Sea Floor A long time ago I painted some fusible inner facing. In my cleaning this week I uncovered it. I thought it looked like something I could use as a abase for a small underwater piece. Pulled some shells and found a bag of yarns and ribbons. More play in my future.

Queen Anne’s Lace When I was painting I also did this little piece. I had reread an article in Quilting Arts from Oct/Nov 2007 and it got me thinking about a tiling technique of quilting. This may or may not work. But Experimenting is always just taking a chance.

 

 

Mini’s    I cut up one of the quilts that I discovered in my cleaning and made these little starts for use on cards.   Only the one on the bottom right is done.

 

 

 

Scrap Happy   I finished the first of the pieces that I started at the beginning of the isolation.   It is a queen sized piece.

 

 

Drawing I was influenced by the Sketchbook Revival class and so I did some clean the brush painting on a few pages of the sketchbook. This is what the page suggested to me.

 

 

I went back to my herb book and while I was on the phone I drew this Dill. It may have influenced the Queen Anne’s Lace I did later too.

 

 

 

 

Popcorn- well we have eaten a lot of that of late and it too was on the desk when I was waiting on the phone.    It grew into the later work.

 

Then I just opened the sketchbook in the middle of eating my orange and did this drawing.   I see know that it needs strengthening  the green was too intense for this subject sense I did not draw with a strong enough pen.

 

 

 

Snow Dyeing  I actually did this last week but was in the process of washing it out last Friday.  The two dark pieces are from this summer and were in the bottom of the bucket.

 

Childhood Grandfather Howard

Grandfather Howard was a wonder filled inquisitive person. He often went to Auctions and other places and purchased boxes of books. Then he read most of them. One of the other things he collected was coins. He build a wonderful display that hung in the Den for many years. It held a pounded metal curved blade, brass collars, strings of shells and beads, strange little stamped metal pieces as well as many other odd items that were used as currency and trade goods in Africa.
I remember one summer asking Grandmother Ruth for some dress up clothes and she went to the attic to look. I was allowed to climb the stairs and wait near the top. I spent the time slipping my hands into the space between the flooring and the ceiling were lots of small stuff had be placed. I explored and I pulled out a heave cigar box. It was filled with three rows of silver dollars lain end to end. I called to grandmother “ Look what I found.” “Where did you find them she asked ?” I pointed as she took them form my hands. She carried them up into the attic and they were never seen again as far as I know.
Grandfather collected rocks all his life. He built shelves in the basement from floor to ceiling and displayed his collection there. He also fronted the fire place there and at the cabin with wonderful rocks and geodes. Uncle Paul even carved a pink sand stone dinosaur with a green stone eye, that was featured as part of that fireplace. There was also a part of the basement that was a workshop. There was a rock tumbler that was always running and as a result there were baskets full of Michigan Agates all over the place. The space had a lot of cutting and grinding tools as well as buffer and polishes. He kindly showed me how to use all of those tools and I spent many happy hours working away at carving and creating little works of my own. I still have a stone rabbit and tiger eye “arrow head “ I made.
There was lots of new highway construction in the 50’s and 60’s. We did lots of traveling by car as did lots of Americans. When Grandfather was along , one could count on many stops at the raw cuts along the road side for a bit of exploration. I recall one time when we stopped and collected about 100 petrified Hor Coral. They polished up beautifully and two of them ended up in that fireplace I mentioned.
Grandfather won ribbons for his rock creations . He designed and built three swag lamps that had shades made from sliced beautiful rocks that he suspended in fiber glass. When the light passed thou the stones it was beautiful. Of his two big hobbies, he said that Rock Hounds were much more fun. At Grandfather Howard’s death his collection was given to the University of Iowa and they were glad to have it. My cousin Tracy also took some of the stones to use in her classroom as she was a Science teacher.
Mom too became a Rock Hound and many was the time we carried rocks home in the car. When Mom retied to Tucson, I would visit every February break and we would go to the Gem and Mineral show. I purchased stone beads and she bought more rocks of course.

Stay safe and keep Creating

Carol

Agitated Aggie, Childhood Memories, Drawing, Granite, Linen Shirt, SAQA Blocks

Coping

Hello,
I hope everyone is coping well with the social isolation. I find I am focusing more on my art although I do not seem to be producing more.    I continue to do my daily walks and find that the time I spend moving and being out of doors very good for my overall feelings of healthiness.    It is a good time to be out in nature as it is changing so much now too.

I did complete the Sketchbook Revival program this week.
Chiara Mazzette.   She directed  us through a water color landscape. I like what she had to say, but feel my work is really lacking this time.

We did water color sun flowers with Olga Soroking. I found this class very enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

 

Cartoon character development was the goal of the workshop with Ildiko Karasy. Her relaxed style was easy to follow and enjoy.

 

 

 

 

Melissa Lee did a strong little exercise on simple one point perspective. I am glad that I did the exercises and feel I am moving forward in my own sketchbook as a result.

I got a slow start on Textile Artist – stitching challenge this week. It is about applique and this is my layout.

 

 

 

I continue to make masks like many quilters. I delivered 20 on Tuesday.   In my process of cleaning
drawers I did discover yesterday some  elastic so I am sure I will make a few more.     This is really helping cut down on my fat quarter collection too.

 

Progress Report: Kites and Flowers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This work is 43″ w X 44.5″ t.   It is the final piece from the Regina  complete it challenge. 

 

 

She gave me a piece white piece o fabric with stenciled kites on it.   I first dyed the fabric yellow and then I used it on my work.    (upper left here)      I have  added the hand painted floral- very old- and built the quilt. 

 

I really enjoyed this challenge.

 

 

 

Agitated Aggie I am done with the stitch in the ditch part of this project. I am now doing free motion outlining of the characters. The second is the back.

 

 

 

 

Scrap Happy This project is moving along.   This shot is of one corner.   I am adding the boarders now and have two on all four sides. I will add one more boarder and then add a binding.

Shirt I stated adding hand stitches to this   linen shirt this week.    I am trying to keep it simple.

 

 

 

 

 

Granite This project continues to move along. I am beginning to see the end of work in some areas.

Drawing As I said earlier I am working at the sketchbook a bit more. I pulled on of Mom’s old books out and I am drawing from the flower photos in it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 X 12  I did a little exploring for this project.  I got out a stencil I had cut but never used and tried it a few times.   The one  exploration was on metallic fabric and really like how that appears.    More to follow.   Then I tried it on the  project.   I am ready to do some free motion work on it next. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Childhood Memories- Museums at the University of Iowa

Dad always believed that education was the way to better and more fulling life. I recall him taking Saturday classes at the University of Iowa. Grandpa Howard, a reinnance man himself, often took classes at the same time. Grandfather even took a class in Spanish. Grandfather was so outstanding in his geology classes that when he had completed all they had to offer, they asked him to come and work for them. Grandfather laughed and thanked them saying “ You can’t really do that- I didn’t graduate from high school.” He was a very smart man!
On several occasions Mom, Gene and I rode along and went to the Museums on campus to entertain ourselves.
My favorite was the Museum of Natural History. There were great displays there. I think that those experiences influenced Mom when she later did displays for Ball State. I have a very vivid memory of the Hall on Mankind. There were lots of ethnic costumes, mostly Native American. My favorite was of a crouching man in a solo cabinet. He was dresses in a beautiful carved and painted wooden raven’s head mask that was about 5 feet long from the shoulder rest to the tip of the beak. It was colored in black, red and white in the beautiful patterns of the North West Coast Natives. I spent most of my time in that room just studying the that figure and I tried to draw what I remember when I got home. The were rooms of sea creatures in jars and shells as well as rooms full of mammals. There was a room full of drawers where one could carefully open the drawer to revel rows of stuffed small birds lying on there sides. There were always three examples of the species, a male, a female and a adolescent. I few had wing spreads, a nest and sometimes eggs. Mom carefully controlled what we looked at each time and we both got to choose two drawers. She would read the outside first to see if we knew what we were about to see and she used the geographical to encourage or discourage our choices. She also got to choose two drawers and would choose two species that we knew to check out. She was always teaching.
There was a second room of drawers that were full of insects. There were lots more examples of each type of insect in each of those drawers. Mom did not structure our learning there so carefully. I do remember a drawer full of bees and a second full of enamel beetles. The beetles were amazingly colorful.
On one of the visits we went to the Museum of Art. It was very enjoyable to me of course. But my most vivid memory was of going down a stairwell, turning a corner and coming face to face with an eight foot red poppy. It was a Georgia Okeef. I was awe struck and stopped point blank on the stop. It was so very beautifully intense and I was in love and  I have loved her work ever sense.

Stay Healthy  and keep Creating
Carol