Category Archives: Pixies Group

100 day Challenge, Daily Practice, Diva Meetings, Drawing, Fiber Artist Stitch Club, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Lost Habitat, Pixies Group, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs), Textile Artist Stitch Club

March

Hello,

With the beginning of March life seems to be opening up a bit.  I have had lots of meetings on Zoom and the Diva’s even meant in person.    The QuEGs  and Pixies had their usual zoom events and I had a new Fiber Artist Stitch Club meeting.  Sharon Peoples  was our new instructor for that class and we are working on stitching photos graphic images.   I am not very far along on this project- but I am started.   One was to trace an image on tissue paper  and then stitch around it. That creates the outline of were there are color changes in the image.

I’m doing the little cross stitches to fill in the areas now.

I also started Creative Strength Training  with Jane Dunnwald  this week.   For that I did  a lesson with black and white  in response to a song.  The limited color really makes for a strong graphic.

There is lots of reading to do for this class too. So I am a busy camper with mental growth.

 

 

 

I did take time out one afternoon this week to do three little 6″ X6″ pieces for the Rochester Gallery for their annual fund raiser.   I could not believe it had been a year sense I did my last bunch .

Progress Report: Lap #7      This work has lots of my altered fabrics in it.  There  is  some  shobori  that   did  Liz two summers ago  as well as lots of printed and painted fabric.  It was a trip down memory lane to work on this one.

 

 

Lap #8    This project is a real out growth of  # 7  as these were the fabrics I did not use as central units in the first quilt.  I had so much fabric cut and stitched together for the surrounds that it seemed silly to just put them in the scrap basket.

 

 

Lost Habitat  This work is 44″ w X 33″t.     I am quite pleased with how this one finally come to completion.     It is my response  to the fires in Colorado last fall when 500+ homes were destroyed by wild fire.   Some folks  had so little time to evacuate that they did not even get there photos or computer backups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed this working on this piece even though the topic is stressing.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Drawing This is a second Neo drawing  that  I did after watching a video on the subject.

 

 

 

Daily Practice This is the work I am doing during the news every nigh.  The colors do not look like Ukraine- but that is the main topic on the news.

 

 

 

Action  I keep stitching away on this project.   I will soon be close to the edges were  I can stitch with purples.

 

 

 

 

 

Beading  I did spend a little time in the bead box this week.   I am still using beads I got from Joyce in the fall,  but some of my own have slipped in too.

 

 

 

 

College Life:  Summer School 1967

Summer school at Ball State in 1967 was two five week sessions. I took Painting 1 and World Literature the first session. Both of my classes were in the morning and I rode my bicycle to campus so I had the freedom to come and go when I wanted. I can’t say that I remember much about the literature class except it was lots of reading as we did a book about every two days. The painting class was with Dr. Nickels, the head of the department. I enjoyed going to Christy Woods every day and finding a quiet place to paint plants and flowers in water color. I got B’s in both of my classes that quarter.

I did not have much social life as Margaret stayed away at school that summer too. I continued my work at the student center dinning service, so I did have spending money, but not much to spend it on. I think that my being a part of the Sailing Club and being a Captain kept me sane. I had lots of afternoon dates with my brother Gene to sail. We went about twice a week that summer. All that sailing led to a great connection with Dr. Kunkel for Gene. The two of them got to be real buddies and Dr. Kunkel often took Gene off to crew for him in races for that summer and several others summers too. There were several weekends where I went off and dove with the Scuba Club that summer. Now the fresh water lakes in Indiana are nice for swimming, and I enjoyed the water skiing as well–but visibility below the surface is four feet at best and not very exciting. I enjoyed the process but was not thrilled enough to purchase more equipment than a mask and flippers. Both items were lost at an outing at the end of the summer.

There was a wonderful summer program at Ball State called “Shoe String Theater” and the family took advantage of it. Dad and I went to all six production, but Mom and Gene were spotty. I saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Vagabond King to mention just a couple. I still love live theater and go often.

Summer school for the second session was Philosophy and an education major requirement, called Human Growth ad Development. I did well in Philosophy and got a B, but in Human Growth I was not so strong and got a C. Along with all of that, there were lots of cards and letters from Eric and a few from Larry.

I hope spring is on your door step,

Keep Creating

Carol

100 day Challenge, Collage, College Life, Creative Strength Training, Daily Practice, Drawing, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Stretch Works

Winter Continues

Hello,

This has been a crazy week as far as weather is concerned.  Snow and cold, then quite warm and back to snow again.   Old Man Winter does not want to let with out a fight.

I had one two meetings this week.  The Retired Art Teachers  Zoomed as did the Pixies.  The Creative Strength Training Class does not officially begin until the first of March, but she still has done lots of pre work with us.    We had a lesson on altering a shape based on a tool.  I selected a tape dispenser and this is my solution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Being the practical person that I am I used the cut-aways  from the project plus a leftover bit of blue to create a second composition.

 

 

 

 

There was also a drawing lesson on contour drawing from Creative Strength Training  this week.  It was a slow  5 min contour drawing.   This is my solution.

 

 

 

 

My friend Joyce sent me a book “Inspired to Design” by Elizabeth Barton  and I have been working through the exercises in it too.   Of the five I have done this simplification assignment was the one I enjoyed the most.

Progress Report:   Lap 7  I enjoyed piecing together this top this week.   I will move forward on the next steps as the new week goes forward.

 

 

 

 

Lap 8  As usual I have pulled the fabric for the next lap quilt too.

 

 

 

Lost Habitat  I was disturbed by the loss of over 500 homes in Colorado due to fire in the fall.   I finally got going on my tribute to them.    The parts are just pinned in place at this point.

Action  I keep working every evening on this project.  My goal now it to have it complete by the first of April.

 

Daily Practice    This is the piece I am working on during the news  every night.

 

 

Stencil work  I ordered some commercial stencils from Stencil Girl in Dec and this week I finally got around to using them.    This is a computation of three stencils that I though played together well.

 

 

 

Bits and Pieces    I finished off and stretched this work this week.

 

 

 

 

College Life- The Indianapolis 500

I was delighted and pleased to see Eric when he picked me up from the bus station in Indianapolis. We went to Grandmother Butter’s apartment and she was her gracious, cheerful self. That also provided me with my first contact with Eric’s brother Dean. I got to meet one of Grandmother Butter’s sisters, Aunt Gretna, plus her two children, Carol and Dick, at dinner that evening, too. Everyone called Aunt Gretna Aunt Deckie, so I did, as well. It was a pleasant evening. Everyone but Carol was excited about going to the race the next day.

In those days the race was always on the 30 of May so it was a Tuesday that year.  It was gray  at 6:30 when we got up to go to the race. We all piled in the car– Grandmother, Aunt Deckie, Dick, Dean, Eric and I–and went off to the race track. It was cold when we joined the line of cars waiting to get into the track. At 8;30 we all tracked up the stairs of the main grandstand to row J in the section at the end of turn four and sat in our seats. Then the famous words came over the loud speaker, “Gentleman start your engines!” The cars growled to life and the crowd stood and cheered. The flag was dropped and the race was off. There was a new entry for the first time in 1967–a turbine car, and it immediately pulled to the front of the pack. When the turbine car passed our stands the sound was more of a swish than the roar like the other cars. Then a cold rain began to fall. The race was stopped after 18 laps and we, like most other folks, retreated to the car and waited for the restart of the race. It rained on and soon it was noon, so we ate cold chicken and deviled eggs and drank pop. We too finally deserted the track as we had watched many folks do through out the afternoon. Eric’s brother, Dean had finals to take on Wednesday we had to send him home, I called home and told my folks that I was going to stay for another day to see the race.

Eric and I went to Larry’s house and palled around with him and his current girl friend Connie for the evening. We went to White Castle for dinner. I had never had little square hamburgers before and we all had a good time. In the morning it was still gray and misting, so Grandmother decided to go into work at Wheaton Van Lines. Eric and I horsed around and talked until the phone rang. It was Aunt Deckie. She told us to look out the window and get hustling, as she was going to pick us up for the race. We hurried across town to Speedway. We were in the parking lot when we heard, “Gentlemen, restart your engines!” I think we missed seeing about two laps, before we got back in our seats. Again it was cold in the stands, but is was exciting. On the day before we had drawn the drivers names from a hat and we all had five folks we were following. Our seats were in a perfect spot to witness several wild crashes and I know I lost two of my drivers in the first one the first day. The turbine car led most of the way but broke down on the last lap of the race, and Mario Andretti won. Upon returning to Grandmothers we ate some lunch and called Larry and told him we would be picking up Connie soon. The three of us drove back to Muncie together where Eric dropped Connie off at her dorm. The Eric and I went to supper. After that we talked a bit more before he started for South Bend. I was very sad to see him go and felt that summer would be a long time, even with Summer school to keep me busy.

I am looking forward to spring and some warmer weather.

Stay safe and Create with joy!

Carol

 

100 Day Challenge, Action, Child Dancer, Childhood Memories, College Life, Drawing, Lap Quilts, People, Pixies Group, Textile Artist Stitch Club

Winter work

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Hello,

We are starting to thaw after the big snow storm we had last weekend.   Only the  meeting was the Pixies, so I got a lot done.

One of the things I did was  a Neurotrophic Drawing.  It is a style with a series of steps that allows one to relax.  I did enjoy it and will do it again some time.

There was an additional assignment from the Textile  Artist Stitch Club from Monique Day.   She instructed us on how to make a plastic sandwich and how to cut more sequins from our sheets.

This in my stitchery with one new sequin pinned on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Overwhelmed  This piece is 32″ w X 40″ l.   I cut up scraps, bits of trim, ribbon and yarn and scattered them across the base .  Then I layered nylon netting on top and stitched the sandwich together.  Last I added the figure that I cut from wool I had washed several times.

 

 

 

Lap Quilt #5  I used lots of fabrics that I had altered in this lap quilt.   I am enjoying the play making these projects  offer me.

 

 

 

 

Action  I am doing the hand work on the figures now. The progress is very slow, but very calming.

 

 

 

Child Dancer  This idea came from a Paul Klee painting that caught my eye as I was flipping through an Art History book looking for a Monet image.   I then had a dream about is so I though I would try to capture that feeling.    I zig-zagged over yarn to create the out lines.

 

 

I am still playing catch up with my Memories so there will be two this week as well.

College Life- Start of Spring Quarter 1967

Over the break between winter and spring quarter, I did a little connecting with my old high school world. I went to see Musical Moods, an event that I had participated in all three years in high school. After the performance I talked with Don Jones and friend Sara Loe. She had been my band partner and played next to me, and she was looking for a friend to double date with her. I agreed to go on a blind date to spend a day spelunking in central Indiana. I did have a good time and, since it was a rainy day, spending it under ground was a good choice. We were the only four folks in that cave that day and we just explored. There were places where we had to crawl on our stomachs and some very narrow ones where we went forward in a vertical position. We all were quite muddy when we emerged, and I was glad it was not my car that we were driving home. I also spent a day scuba diving during that vacation. I enjoyed getting together with those folks, and I even helped Mike and Phil teach several scuba lessons at the YMCA that spring.
My classes for spring quarter really focused on Art. I had realized in the middle of the winter term that I really was not a strong enough artist to make a living doing art, so I had accepted the idea that I would go into teaching. I had Ceramics, Design , and Introduction to Art Teaching that quarter. The other two classes I had were English and Swimming. They did keep me busy.
On Wednesday of the first week back, I went to the Artist Series on campus at Emens to see Generations with Hans Conried. My seat was 101 in row L, and I was very happy with my view. I had taken care of my own wishes and gotten my seat the first day they were available. Friday of that first week Eric and I had our first real date. We went along with Larry and Nancy, a girl he “kidnaped” by asking her at the last minute when she could not say “No,” to see A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. We all laughed a lot and enjoyed it. That is still one of my favorite movies. On Sunday of that same weekend Eric and I went to see the Ingmar Bergman film Virgin Spring at the Foreign Film weekly presentation. For me that film raised lots of questions as I identified closely with the main character. I was both excited and scared at how much I liked Eric, yet I was concerned at how quickly we had become exclusive.
We had lots of dates over the next few weeks. One Saturday we decided to go for a picnic at Dixon Mounds. Eric, Larry and I walked the trials and looked at the mounds and then tried to fly a kite that I had put in the trunk at the last minute. That was not very successful, but we did have a silly time. We also had my parents badminton set, and that was the start of an activity that we played for years. Larry started the fire and we all enjoyed his hotdogs, too. We had lots of “Coke dates” and talked a lot. On another Saturday I took Eric canoeing on the Mississinewa River. The water was high, and we worked really hard on our trip up river. We did not reach our goal, but the trip back down was fun. I remember coming home exhausted. Larry, Eric, and I took off on the Thursday just before Spring Break and drove to Indianapolis to check out the 500 time trials that afternoon.
Back in Muncie, Larry and Eric opted to stay at Barney’s and not go home for the spring break. Instead, they went to work for Manpower, a company that sent people out on hourly jobs. I know one of the days that week, they spent throwing rocks into the reservoir to rebuild the jetty near the harbor where the sailing club had its boats. I on the other hand went with my family on a trip south and east.

College Life- Spring Break Plus

The spring quarter break that year we went south to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. Gene had a new pup tent that we tried out the first night we arrived. Sleeping on the ground in March was quite cold! We took the full day cave tour the next day. It sure was a different experience from the explorative spelunking I had done earlier that spring. The guide was very informative. There were beautifully lit wonderful flowing formations as well as lots of dry areas in the cave. We went for a ride on an underground river and had lunch in a huge open area where we sat at picnic tables and ate bag lunches. The guide asked us to all be quiet and he turned off the lights. It was so dark! I have never “seen” so much darkness. One felt like the only person in a colorless nothing until he turned the lights up slowly again.

That night I slept back in the car top carrier and was much more comfortable. We spent the next day hiking and enjoying the park. I liked the spring flowers and had my first real experience with Rhododendrons. I still love that plant. The next day we drive mostly east and ended up at Myrtle Beach. That was great fun as we had a section of the beach all to ourselves. Gene and I spent the day canoe surfing. We would paddle out and then turn the boat back toward the shore and wait for a big wave. Then we tried to ride the wave into the shore. We got dumped out many times but still had a fun day. I remember the full moon rising over the Atlantic ocean that night and how it looked behind the palm trees. It was glorious to fall asleep to the sound of those leaves clattering against one another and the sound of the water crashing against the shore. I remember seeing a sign for a Black Beach on our way to our camp ground and pressed Dad to go there the next day. When I told him I wanted to see the black sand, he sadly told me the beach was a part of segregation and it was for Black people. I was so very naive.

Then it was back to school and back to classes. One of my classes was Ceramics 1. It was all hand work and an introduction to mixing and making one’s own glazes. One thing we had to get going on at the beginning of the quarter was finding and working on a natural clay project. As it turned out, the college was building a new Science building just to the west of the art building where there was lots of exposed raw earth. So that is where I got my clay. It had been drying out during the break, and I came back to class to break it down, sift it, remoisten the powder, kneed it and began building work with that clay. Mine was a wonderful yellow clay and I built three coil pots with it. One pot blew up in the first firing , but the other two did not. Mom had the finished works around for years.

On Tuesday of the first week back from spring break the Sailing Club had a picnic and boat launch. I asked Eric to go along with me and he did. We all had fun putting the boats back in the water for the new season and many of us got wet feet. We ate hot dogs that we all roasted over the open fire and generally enjoyed ourselves. Then we played flag football. It was mostly a game of chase, but fun. I unexpectedly intercepted the football and got a bit terrorized when everyone suddenly turned in my direction to pull my flags. I had a new respect for actual football players after that event.

Stay safe and enjoy Valentines Day

Carol

100 day Challenge, Childhood Memories, College Life, Grandmother Ruth's Wedding dress, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group

Fresh Start

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Hello,

It feels good to return to an old pattern.   I will try to up date you on a few things.  The collapse of the old computer sure set me up for a lot of new learning.   All the transfer of info is still not complete, but every week things are better.  My biggest hurdle has been the photo program.  An up dated program is now installed and I am getting the hang of it.

The holidays were good to me and I enjoyed my family.  As most of the events I attend have become Zoom meetings  I do not have any other folks work to share.   On Tuesday this week I enjoyed three Zoom meetings and an hour Zoom presentation.   That day was a bit much so I hope to smooth things out so that does not occur again.

The Pixies have been a nice constant through out this time.  Last week Susan challenged us to do a Valentine Dance Card.   This is my solution.

 

 

 

 

I did manage to keep up with my Fabric Artists Stitch Club work. This work is stitching on paper that has been collaged in the workshop from Monique Day- Wild.  I also added candy wrapper foil, an idea from another work shop.

 

 

 

A second workshop by Jessica Grady was about adding  sequins that were made from different materials on to the surface.     I really enjoyed this one.  I used  paper,  foil lined caps, fabric,  part of a pie pan, some Christmas paper, and plastic for  my sequins.           

 

She suggested other shapes and materials so I still have areas to explore here.

 

 

 

 

At the Sisterhood Retreat Joyce kindly passed forward  lots of yarn.  It was mostly sox yarn so I mix two or three strands for this project.   I have been making cowls out of it.  These are the two most recent ones.

 

 

 

  Progress Report:  Grandmother’s Wedding Dress  This work is 39″ w X 52″ l.  The dress is from my Mothers side of the family and it was a gift from my cousin this summer.

The table cloth behind the dress was all done by hand  and the pearls were Grandmothers.

 

 

I hand embroidered  the story and dates of the dresses use on the skirt.

 

 

 

 

Scattered    This work is 32″ w X 17″ t.  I have done lots of hand work  and this  challenge  is part of the Sisterhood  of the Scissors group.   It represents the way my thoughts and actions seem to be during this Covid area.

Lap Quilt 1   I continue to make these simple lap quilts to pass on to the local nursing homes.  I delivered 25 in early December.  I am starting a new batch for this year.

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt 2    I am using these projects to use many of the fabrics that I have printed and altered over the years.  It is fun play for me

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt 3   For this I used many silk kimono fabrics that I had been given by Noel.

 

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lap Quilt 5   I am starting a new work here

 

 

 

 

 

 

100 Day Challenge   I have now assembled and done the free motion quilting on my 100 Day Challenge project and I am calling it Action.  I used six panels that are not in the project to do a little trial work to see what colors I want to use for  the embroidery work.   The yellow is too pale and I like both the red and purple so I am ready to start doing the hand work in both of those colors.

 

 

I have moved on to my college years with the Memories series and I have been doing them every week so I will post two until we are up to date.

College Memories-Trip to NYC

In the fall quarter at Ball State I joined Kallista, the art club. The meetings were held in the West lounge of the Art gallery where all the designer furniture was kept. It was great to get to sit in the Eams Chairs and Catalonia lounger. I liked the Jacobson Egg Chair, too. The club was going to New York City over the Thanksgiving break. I jumped at the chance and volunteered to sell candy at football games and saved my pennies for the trip. After my last test, for The World in the Twenty Century, I got myself ready for the trip.

I got on the train with nineteen other students and three chaperons and headed east at 6:00 am on Monday morning. We stayed in the Hotel Piccadilly at west 45th street and Broadway. I shared a room with three other girls. I was the only freshman on the trip. But I became friends with a gal named Pat, who was a senior, and she sort of looked out for me. We had so many choices of things see and places to visit that it was almost overwhelming. Our first outing was the Museum of Modern Art. I was delighted to see so many paintings that I had only viewed in books, in six- or eight-inch illustrations, or as slide projections that were huge. I recall being struck at how small Starry Night was. The sculpture garden was open to the sky in those days and we walked around the work and posed for photos with the Henry Moores.

The Guggenheim was a real mind blower for me. The pictures I had seen of it did not prepare me for the size. It was so much bigger. I recall looking over the balcony on the top floor after exiting the elevator and loving Frank Lloyd Wright’s spiral design. As we strolled down we stopped and posed for photos in front of the paintings there, too. It seemed to be over with all to soon.

The only other required museum was the Metropolitan. Fortunately, Pat knew what she wanted to see–I was just amazed at the choices. We did the Egyptian exhibit and studied some of the jewelry very closely since jewelry was her major. We also looked at lots of paintings– including Vermeers and Rembrandts. I remember being amazed at how big “Washington Crossing the Delaware” was. I was fascinated by the paint work of the ice in that one. After that, we e explored a little of Central Park outside the museum. Later pat and I joined two boys and went to Rockefeller Center. I love the golden Atlas and the statue over the ice skating rink. We did rent skates and had a good time on the ice. We bought dinner that night from street venders, and I recall having Chestnuts, too. One of the boys, Greg, and I decided to stand in line for tickets to see Johnny Carson that evening. I don’t recall the guests, but I sure remember laughing a lot and getting back to the hotel quite late.

On Thanksgiving day we got our acts together and went to the Macy’s Parade. It was cold standing on the pavement, but I did enjoy the balloons. I remember Snoopy, the Sinclair Dinosaur, and a rather faded Superman. Pat and I did a little shopping that day, but I don’t think I purchased anything. That evening four of us–Pat and I, Greg, and another guy whose name escapes me–went to a Chinese Restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. There were very few folks in the space, but we did have a good time, laughing about our unusual holiday fare. My fortune cookie message said “Be especially careful tonight.”One of the group trips was to the United Nations. It was not in session, but the building sure was impressive. I purchase a gift for Mom in one of the nearby shops and the saleswoman offered to wrap it. I said sure. I happily took the wrapped gift away with me. Later that day I opened the package to show off the gift and found the box to be empty! I was quite disappointed and felt like a gullible fool. The group also took in the Empire State building. No lines to speak of and great views. I recall the Chrysler Building sparkling in the sunshine. We went south from there on the subway, which I found to be a great place to people watch. There was one gal, obviously a model, who was beautiful with long legs and a great coat in the car with us. It made me realize that everyone used that mode of transport. We got out in Greenwich Village and did some gallery hopping there. I was not too impressed at the cutting edge stuff and I think now that was mostly because I just did not know what to look for.

The whole group spent a day in the American Museum of Natural history, too. The dinosaurs were impressive and I thought that was what they are know for. But I remember the display on the Northwest Natives the most. Perhaps that was because Dad was going to Alaska and working with the Tlingit people at the time.

Theater did not get neglected either and I remember we went to several plays. I had been spoiled by the top of the line stuff at Emens at Ball State and can’t say that I remember the name of a single play.

I did enjoy the trip and think it made my Art History class have a bit more meaning even if slides and books pale by comparison to the real things. But that is true of most of art.

College Memories–Pledging and More

After Christmas I went back to campus to face some new challenges. To begin with, I had a new hairdo. I had always wanted to be a brunette and for Christmas got a wig of that hue. I was thrilled that it had so much body, and I could curl it over night without having to sleep on the curlers. The first big event upon returning to school was Sorority Rush. There were eight different sororities at that time, and Rush Teas were spread out over Saturday and Sunday afternoons of the first weekend back to school. I met and talked with so many folks I could not really keep them straight, but I was only asked to pledge Alpha Sigma Tau.

My sorority Mother was a upperclassman named Carolyn. I really like her, although she was the only person I really got to know. I was not particularly happy with the bright yellow beanie, but that was part of the game, so I wore it. Pledging was fun most of the time, with lots of silliness. I did not share classes with any of the other pledges or members. Pledging sure put a new structure in my life. From 6:30 to 9 every Monday to Thursday evening, I was in the sorority suite, a set of rooms in a dormitory. There was a short meeting some evenings, but most of the time was dedicated to silent study. There were lots of social events, and we were expected to be a part of the chapter choral group. I remember a sorority-fraternity Roaring Twenties party that was lots of fun. For it, I made a simple dress of apple green with little white printed daises. I added three rows of four-inch fringe trim to the skirt. I loved that dress so much that after the dance, I removed the trim and wore it to threads. I also made a second dress for the group. We were all to wear matching yellow wool dresses for the big spring Sorority Concert. I did not like the chosen pattern at all.

Another thing that started soon after I went back to school was dating Steve Coomer, the fellow from Larry’s Christmas party who spent the evening blowing his bubble gum. I was flattered that a senior wanted to date me. We went to musical events mostly, but it was not a real healthy relationship. He hated the brown wig and told me so from the start, Somehow that made me want to hang onto it all the more. He also told me that pledging a sorority was a foolish idea. He was jealous of the Twenties dance because it was closed to folks who were not in Greek Life. But we did go to the Valentine’s Dance and I made a special dress for that, too. It was blue velvet. Yes, the song was popular at that time and they did play it at the dance. Things really came to head a bit later when we went to see Porgy and Bess at Emens Auditorium. I was looking forward to the performance because I knew the songs from listening to Mom’s records, but I did not know the story. Students could get free tickets to events by presenting their ID cards at the box office ahead of the performance. Since I was accustomed to second- row seats, because that’s what my folks had for Emens events, I always got tickets early. So I gave Steve my ID on Monday, when he assured me he would take care of getting the tickets. He returned my ID on Sunday afternoon– almost a week later–when he picked me up for the 2:30 performance. When I discovered we were seated on the far left of the upper balcony, I was a little upset. Steve admitted that he had not gotten the tickets until Saturday afternoon, even though he had promised to get them right away. I was really disappointed and upset as the opera went on. I could see only a few details of the sets and costumes, and none of the facial expressions at all.

Enjoy

Carol

 

Childhood Memories, Diva Meetings, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group

Bright Ideas

Hello,
The trees are really showing off now that we have experienced a few cold nights.   I love the way the leaves are drifting off  the trees now too.

A little challenge from the Pixies this week was to think about “Bright Ideas”. Many of us have challenges from the outside world or self imposed. Just where do the bright ideas come from? I find them to be very elusive. At times I as stumped by quilt challenges and feel they just do not apply to my process. I do draw and doodle and some times that process produces an idea for the project. At other times when I want to start a new project I have a firm direction because of a logical leap. But for the tough ones my experience most successful solution is just letting a goal go to the side. Often times, when the problem as been sidelined for a while, the solution with suddenly appear – the bright idea comes into my mind a bit like magic and I am off and running again with a celare direction to solve a problem.

I dyed for what I think will be the last time this season. We had to run the heater to be able to work this week. I did have fun and look forward to using these along with the others this winter.

The Quilt Diva’s also meant this week. Donna is working away on a new set of sculptures. Her work with fimo and found objects is amazing I think.

 

 

 

 

Bev did a few more of her little square pieces. The colors are so ver bright.

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Day Dreaming This work is 29″w X 31″l. The dress is one of my Mothers and so I added a Felix the Cat doll to the person as that was one of her childhood favorites. The flowers are made from wool with free motion drawing on top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elements- Line     I have stared adding sew in lines on this project.

 

 

 

Handwork  I just keep stitching away on this project.  I’d say the end is in sight.

 

 

 


Grandmother’s wedding dress      My cousin Casey gave me Grandmother Ruth’s wedding dress when we visited.   I am going to stitch it down to the blue and embroider the  information about her  and Grandfather Howard on the quilt.

 

 Lap # 22     I just have fun making these quilts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Beginning College

Summer ended and September began as did my freshman year at Ball State. I carried the usual load of six classes and filled my time with lots of extra events too. Dad took me to school every morning and we headed for home every evening after 5. My first class, World History was four days a week at 7:00 a.m. in the theater with 350 other freshmen. I sat in the front row with an old high school friend who was also a commuter, Marila Miller. We agreed that being that close to the teacher, we certainly could not fall asleep. Neither of us had a place to hang out until our next class. Mine was not until 11. We tried the lobby in the music building, next door to the theater. It was cold, uncomfortable and full of traffic.

We quickly discovered the Music Listening Library. Another of my classes was Music Appreciation, so I could do my listening assignments there as well. The space was much quieter and more comfortable with couches and personal listening cubicles. A vocal music student opened the space at 8:00 just as we got out of class. His name was Larry Tackett and we became friends, since it was just the three of us many mornings for several hours. Sometimes I used the head phones and did listen to required music, but just as often Larry would .pick out something for all of us to enjoy while we talked and worked. Larry became a life long friend who sang at my wedding. Later, after we moved to Syracuse, he even lived with us while he taught middle school for the city and worked on a Masters Degree.

The first week end at Ball State the big event was the Watermelon Feed, which I attended with Margaret. It was held in a big field at the west end of campus.We had fun, ate watermelon, of course, and talked to lots of folks, but did not make any solid connections. The Freshman Convocation was the next event. I had been to Emens Auditorium many times with my folks to see plays and musicals, but it felt very different to sit in the middle of a crowd of nosey freshmen. I sat between Susy and Margaret. The only thing I really remember was the president telling us to look to our right and then our left. “Of the three of you only one will be here at graduation.” We all swore to one another that would not be the case with us, but four years later I was the only one with a Ball State diploma.

The Theater became an active place and Drama Majors did performances. I remember going to see “ Half a Sixpence “ and “Mary, Mary”. Because I did most of my studying in the music library I meant and went out with lots of music majors. Recitals and small group assembles most of the time. But I also got to attend and hear Count Basie when he did a performance in Emens for Homecoming weekend. It was wonderful! I also went the “All School Convection” with Pearl Buck that took place that fall. I’d read The Good Earth in high school and I was excited. It was a good lecture, but I mostly recall how passionately she spook on the plight of the many mix blood children that the war had created. There was also a big band day in conjunction with one of the fall football games. I got to see some of my friends from Muncie Central at that even. It was a busy and fun fall.

I will be off at a small quilt retreat next week so there will not be a post.

Enjoy Halloween

Carol

Childhood Memories, Daily Practice, Finger Lakes Fiber Artist Group, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Scrap Happy Quilts

Starting Fall Color

Hello,
We are starting to see fall color here in central New York. I sure enjoy walking through fallen leaves. The sound of  the   shifting  and crushing of  leaves as one passes through them is one of my favorite sounds of fall.

 

 

 

 

It has been a busy week for me with two days spent dying with Liz. I have lots of fabric to was out today.

 

 

 

 

Liz is doing clean up  in this shot.

 

 

 

I had a Finger Lakes Fiber Artist meeting this week.   It is always so good to talk and share with my fellow artists.     Noel had a great piece to share with us.   There is lots of movement here.

 

 

 

 

 

Joan shared too.   She hand dyed all the fabrics in this piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bev also shared her work with us.

There was also a Pixies zoom meeting that I enjoyed.

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Tattered This work is 26″ X 40″. It is made up of cut aways from Granite and Silver with lots of hand beading added for interest.

 

 

 

 

 

Lap # 19 This work was formerly know as Circling Thoughts, but I do not think it is strong enough to be and art quilt. It was a good exercise none the less.

 

 

 

 

Lap # 20 I just had fun putting this piece together. I really like using   my alerted fabrics together.

 

 

 

Day Dreaming I am in the process of building up the face and arm for this project. I will start the assembly this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scrap work I am putting in about an hour a day assembling scraps together so I can make 2.5″ strips to add to the centers for my Roman Strip squares.   they will be used in my next  bed quilt. This step always takes a long time, but I sure like the review of fabric projects that it offers me. Sue Ellen also gave me a box full of strips and unused blocks.    I am mixing  then  into this project so there is lots of variety here.

Handwork I started this project on our trip to visit family. I am building in  more color now.

 

 

Daily Process This project sort of got pushed to the side so I could finish up bindings and such this week. It is good to get back into the habit.

 

Childhood Memories- Summer 1966

Summer after graduation was a busy one. There were lots of water related activities, including scuba diving, canoeing, and swimming. Dad teased me by saying I needed gills to assure my safety. The gang did lots of things together, but like everything else this too was changing. Cecile and Mike still did things with Margaret, Jim and me. But Susy spent most of her time with her family, and Bobby had flunked out of college so he went off to work. We played lots of Putt-Putt, with the winner seeming to change with every game. One day I went regular golfing with Jim Freshwater. That was one sport that did not work at all for me. My swing was way off and I kept sending divots into the air. My score was very high and by the end of the third hole Jim had become disgusted with me. He said I could walk the rest of the course with him if I promised to never golf again. And I never have.

In late July I went to orientation at Ball State. It was three days of tests and meetings with other freshmen and a councilors. The group I was in was full of folks who were all living off campus so there was lots of talk about parking and public transportation. There was a big jump in population on campus and I was glad I was not living in the dorms as there were three and four folks in rooms designed for two. The tour of the campus was not to new to me but that too turned out to be informative. We had our photos take for our student ID’s that we picked up in the fall when we returned to campus. The special mixers in the evenings were fun and I felt excited bout the new adventure a head. I did meet a lot of people but I did not make any connections with folks that I even remember seeing again on campus.

The next big summer event was the Band Trip to Detroit. We went to Greenfield Village, where Margaret and I had fun exploring together and got peppermint sticks at the general store.   There was also a cigar store Indian out front that we both liked. In the afternoon the band group went to the Ford museum. That turned out to be a bit of a rush as we had to hurry to get ready for the concert in the evening. We again went to a practice session with the Detroit Orchestia on Sat morning. In the afternoon the band went to see “Dr Zhivago” in a special movie theater with a big curved movie screen. The sound was great and I enjoyed the movie a lot. On the bus ride home I felt a little sad knowing this was my last adventure with a group that had given me friends and real identity throughout high school.

Be safe

Carol

Childhood Memories, Drawing, Hand work, Pixies Group, Quilt Exploration Group (QuEGs)

Traveling

Hello,
I am now home from our trip to see relatives in Iowa and Indiana. Everyone was very welcoming and we had a good time. In South Bend Eric and I went to the Zoo, the Studebaker Museum and the Oliver Mansion too. I loved  the tourtuses texture.   The shell looks like a topographical map to me.

 

 

 

 

When we were first married we had a Lark , but there were none of them in the    Studebaker  Museum. Lots of cool cars though.

 

 

The Oliver Mansion was built with money from the perfection of cold metal plows. It was a beautiful example of Victorian life. It was really forward looking too as it was built with electricity in mind, even though gas was the only power available at the time.

 

 

I was quite  impressed by  my cousin Casey’s hobby of building structures with individual blocks.     They are like lagos but no locking parts and no glues.     This castle was his  latest production.

 

 

 

Casey had Grandfather’s stuffed Alligator on the shelf along with lots of other old family stuff. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Casey  gave me lots of old family photos. I was flipping through them and came across one of my Mom and her brother Dale that gave me chills. Just before we left I started a piece called Day Dreaming and I had been looking for greens in my fancy fabric suit case. I came across this little old silk dress and decided to use it as the top for the person in my piece. What gave me the chills was it was the dress Mom was wearing in the photo and I did not know that it was one of her pieces of clothing. I am excited to get going on the project now with its new layer of meaning.   I feel confident that my Grandmother Ruth did the Embroidery work.
I had zoom meetings with QuEGs and Pixies this week and I am beginning to get back in the swing of things.

Progress Report: Enamel Beetles      It is 40″ w X 24″ t.  I  finished this work just before I left on my trip.

 

 

I added a beaded butterflies that I had purchased from a friend years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

Day Dreaming   Here is the lay out for the quilt   with the dress pinned down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tattered I am building texture on this work with the beading. I think it will be completed this week.

 

 

Circles This quilt is to the quilting stage now. I am doing zig-zag quilting lines inside the circles to add interest.

 

 

 

 

Knitting I am now working on the final color band. I hope to finish this work this week as well.

 

 

Daily Practice This piece gets only a few stitches every evening. As I try to knit five rows on the poncho during the news first.

 

 

Drawing    I did a little drawing this week just to keep my hand in the game.

 

 

 

 

 

Stitch work    A few weeks ago as a part of stitch club there was an assignment were one filled in areas with random stitching.  I thought this would be  a good project to take on the road as it did not require as much  presion as some things do.   This is how far I got.

 

Childhood Memories- Graduation June 1966

As the end of my senior year drew near, life became a cycle of tests and other activities. Tests are a natural part of the end of any school year, but they seemed more intense this year. At the beginning of May I participated in Musical Moods, for which I made simple costumes for Susan and myself out of printed towels. The flutes played “Quiet Village” while Susan and I on the side did simple hand motions like a Hawaiian dance, only we were seated on our knees. I still feel very calm when I hear that tune. After that it was one banquet after another. First was the Honor Society Banquet, at which the new junior members were charged with upholding academic principles during the coming year. This was followed by the Math Banquet and then the Thespian Banquet. Finally, the senior girls organized a Mother/Daughter Banquet. It was strange to go to the Student Center so often to be served as apposed to serving, which I had been doing for years. All three Grandparents and my cousin Danny came to town, because Mom was graduating from Ball State with her doctorate, too.

The Field House was closed so that a new floor could be installed, so the Senior Baccalaureate ceremony was held at South Side High School. I remember how hot it was and how we girls joked that we wanted to wear just our slips under our robes–but we didn’t, of course. Mom’s Ball State ceremony was on Sunday afternoon and it too was hot, but we were outside on the green and under a tree. The Graduates were in the sun. We were seated on the right side and could easily see Mom walk up the steps of the Art Building to the stage to receiver her degree. I was very proud of her. Monday evening was the Senior Banquet, the last one. My grandparents gave me a small portable tape recorder as a graduation gift. I was delighted and had Grandpa Howard tell me a bunch of war stories that evening. (I wish I knew what happened to that tape now.)

The final event was my Tuesday night graduation at Ball State’s Emens Auditorium. We rehearsed in the morning, and I brought Mike Coleman and Margaret home with me afterwards for pizza with the family. Then all the kids, Gene included, played games in the afternoon. (Gene had a bit of a graduation of his own, as he was moving from Storer Jr. High to Muncie Central in the fall.) Afer my friends left, Mom and I put on our robes and so did Dad. Gene wore his suit, and we took lots of photos. In the evening, I dressed in my robe again and left to play with the band before the ceremony. I felt the band sounded its best of the whole year at that performance. Even with 356 graduates, the ceremony seemed to fly by. When I got to the stage to get my diploma, I smiled–and felt proud as I walked back to my seat. Then time seemed to freeze until we all flipped our tassels. We filed out to “Pomp and Circumstance,” a piece I had played for two years, and I felt good. After the ceremony I took Danny with me to two graduation parties and had a great time. We ate cake and talked a lot. It was all a bit sad, too, as I knew I would never see some of these people again.

A summer of events was in front of me, but for folks like Terry, a gal I had seen daily for three years, it was off to work. Our paths only crossed one more time after that evening.

Stay safe

Carol

Childhood Memories, Curvie Cuts, Enamel Beetles, Hand work, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Uncategorized

Receptions

Hello,
We are starting to feel a bit like fall around here.  More fungus in the yard as you can see.   Eric and I took a long walk this week and did some exploring in our local cemetery.

 

 

 

Oakwood is very old and full of beautiful stone work.  We walked all the way to the old entrance and this is a shot of the Chapel there.   

 

 

There were lots of hills too.

 

 

 

It has been a busy week, with two receptions and a Pixies meeting.   we shared our work hand had a good talk.  I enjoyed both receptions as well.   The first was on Friday in Homer for the Diva group. This shot is or Maureen and her work. The second  was    the Associated Artists reception  in the Manilas Library and was on Sunday. Fun to talk with fellow artists as I had not seen many of them in almost two years.   Glad things are getting a little closer to normal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Progress Report: Lap # 18 This work is 40″ X 56″. The colors sure are summery and peasant.

 

 

 

 

 

Enamel Beetles. I get excited when I can see the end of a project and this time I made a big error in my excitement. I did not measure the work to make sure it was square. I only discovered it when I went to measure for the size. So this morning I had to take the facings off two sides and trim it correctly.

Knitted Poncho I try to put in five rows of knitting every evening on this project. I only have the remainder of the turquoise ball and all the purple one to use up to finish the job.

New Hand Work We area going on a drive west to visit cousins and aunts so I need a new hand project. This is the start.

 

 

 

New Work – Black, Gray and Blue. This work went together very quickly. It is all layered up now too and I only need to decide about the quilting pattern to go forward.

 

 

 

New Project I want to do a piece using the poppies I created earlier so this it my start. I think I will add a figure on the left.

 

 

 

 

Lap # 19 I pulled the fabric and cut the connecting strips for this new project yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Spring 1966

Spring proved to be a very busy time for Mom and me. She was working hard to finish up her desolation. She had enjoyed the field trips the three previous summers with Dr. Cooper to Hawaii, Alaska and Jamaica. I was surprised at her because she could not swim, but she had spent five weeks snorkeling and collecting plants and animals from the sea floor in Jamaica. My senior year she really had to buckle down and get things done. She developed a questionnaire for elementary kids about their science interests. When the results came back, I helped her a little with the coalition of the results. Spring meant studding the data and drawing conclusions and writing about them. It also meant a defense of her findings to the folks on her committee. She was very nervous about that.
I was busy with school, work and lots of events. In early April I went on a double date with Mike Ritter and another couple to Indianapolis to the Circus. I remember the parade at the beginning with horses and elephants, and the early act of trained Tigers. But by the end of that event I was not feeling too well. My stomach ached and I finally asked Mike to take me to the infumery so I could lay down. He went back to the show with my urging and that attendant looked me over and we talked. I nearly sat up and slapped him when he asked me it I was Pregnant. He backed away quickly and said “ I had to ask.” I do not remember much else but I do know we rushed the hour dive home with me in pain the whole time. By the thime wer got to Muncie, things were worse so they took me directly to Ball Memorial Hospital emergency room. Some one must have called my folks because I remember Dad being there and Dr Ball. After the Dr examined me I was told I’d need an emergency Appendectomy. I also got a scolding form Dr Ball for wearing a girdle at my age, and I never wore one again. My cousin Tracy had her appendix removed the previous year and later we compared scars. I was in the hospital for four days and on the way home in the car I realized all the leaves had come out and the world was green. For the second spring in a row I had missed the opening of the spring leaves. The appendix was not the end of my problems in the lower eudemon that spring. Shortly after returning to school my period started. But unlike the usual week, it went on and on. After 28 days I told Mom. It was really heavy by that time and I was going through a pad every two classes. I remember standing up from a math lesson and feeling a big clot move out of me. Dr Ball ended up giving me iron and birth control pills to get it under control. It was an awful experience. I celebrated my 18 Birthday in the middle of all of this. I went out with the gang and we had ice cream. I got lots of cards from them and many form the relatives too. I also was treated to Cake and Ice cream at home that year.
The next big event was the Junior/ Senior Ball. Keith and I went to this one together too. I don’t know who asked who to this event. I made my own dress this time and had fun doing so. It was light blue brocade cotton. I felt so glamorous. The dress later became the dress that I altered to become Lady Guinevere’s costume when we did “Robin Hood” while I was teaching at Onondaga Hill. The ball, called “Rapacity in Gold”, was not so not so golden. I ended up driving do to a little mix up and things just went down hill from there. It was very hot and Keith did not want to dance. We ended up having a fight that ended our relationship. I’m not sure if I drive him home, but I was home and putting the car in the garage by 12:30. All kinda crazy, and Graduation was still a month away.

As I mentioned we are going on a road trip next week so there will not be a post.

Stay safe and keep Creating
Carol

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

Working Away

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

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

Childhood Memories- Gene

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

Stay safe
Carol

 

100 day Challenge, Childhood Memories, Daily Practice, Granite and Silver, Lap Quilts, Pixies Group, Poppy Field, Scrap Happy Quilts, Sisterhood of the Scissors

Inching Forward

Hello-
I hope everyone is doing well as we head into the last few weeks of Aug.    I am just working away one day at a time on my projects.   Sometimes that is all one is doing.    My big excitement for this week a quick trip down to New York City by bus with Liz to see the Virtual Van Gogh show.   I really liked the interactive “rooms” that were set up so one could go into the paintings.   Liz and I got silly and she tried to throw me into the insane asylum at one point.   It was a beautiful experience  and I enjoyed it very much. We walked a few blocks from the display to the World Trade Center Memorial and enjoyed that as well. We followed that by a quick trip back north to the bus terminal and back on the bus at 5:30 for the rid home. It was all a bit of a whirl wind trip but is sure was wonderful.
I had two Zoom meetings this week too. One with the Pixies and a second with the Sisterhood of the Scissors. Bother were good stimulations for me.

Progress Report: Poppy Field This work is 34.5″ w X 43″ l. I made the big poppies at the bottom out of wool roving with thread drawing to hold it all together. The centers are yo-yo’s with beads added to the centers. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granite and Silver The Silver Maple leaves resting on the granite are a great contrast.    The idea is from  a old cover of Adirondack Life magazine. I painted the base with a rubber band brush to get the texture and added nylon net to create shows on the stone, with the leaves on top.   It is a very shallow image.

 

 

Scarp Happy I am having fun doing the rows for this project.

 

 

 

 

Lap quilt # 16 I started to do stitch in the ditch quilting on this work today. I am sure I will finish it soon.

 

 

 

 

 

Lap quilt # 17 This is number  two on the   current assembly process.   I like building the units and then uniting them.

 

 

 

 

100 Days Project I am up to day 71. Today is actually day 73 so I am behind myself I will need to do a few extra later today.

 

Daily Practice This small wipe up rag will be done soon.

 

 

 

 

Childhood Memories- Christmas 1965
We enjoyed a bit of rock hunting at a ranch and then drove on to Big Ben National Park. The camping that night was in a very empty campground. Lots of evergreens in the area and almost every other tree supported a bit of mistletoe. Christmas morning started with a good breakfast and a few gifts. I got a ID Bracelet that I had been hoping for and a beautiful hair piece. I then realized why Gene had wanted a lock of my hair in Nov.     I wore the hair piece a lot when I went back to work as it was a perfect color match.      We    then hit the visitors center, were they had a hug Century Plant decorated with Christmas balls. We went on from  to get our first view of the Rio Grand. The shore was sandy, the water was muddy and there were steep bluffs on both sides. We saw fossils imbedded in the canyon walls. We walked down the canyon a bit and came upon a young man who would take one across the river on the back of his burro for a dime. So on Christmas day we all rode across the river on the back of a mule. We climbed the bluff toward a small village. In the process we were “ attached” by a bunch of bambinos” selling rocks. Grandma and Grandpa both purchased a pockets  full  of useless rocks, but I am sure that the process made the kids day. The town was dusty and very poor. There was a small open school building, scattered mud huts and a saloon. It was sad. The next day we went east and visited a country store. Dad brought us all soda pop that we enjoyed in the heat. We cross the Rio Grand a second time- this time by row boat. On the Mexican side were steps up the bluff and we emerged into a more substantial town. First we came across some men making pack saddles. This village had streets that were packed dirt and many more buildings. There were lots of active people doing business. There was a small church and a water pump in front of it. There was a wooden school house that I went into. There were benches and a chalk board but nothing else. I had my sketchbook and soon tried out the little bit of Spanish I could remember from 3ed grade on some children. Some how I got to asking them their ages. I would write the number and then turn it into one of the cartoon characters that I had created for my Honor Society speech. The kids were thrilled and I folded pages and tore them out and gave them to the kids until I had use all my paper. I didn’t  see much of the town, but I did have a good time.    That night we camped again in Big Bend in a different camp ground. The following day we drove east out of the park and crossed the boarder a third time on a bridge this time. The town was very prosperous. We did lots of shopping there. I perched a famous Mexican Bandit Marionette that wore a sombrero, black flannel suit that sported a white zig-zag trim down the legs and had a six shooter in each hand. Mom purchased me a beautiful turquoise and purple poncho that I loved.    Grandmother got all three kids sombreros. As it turned out, I think our younger cousins, Casey and Curtis ended up with them when we got back to Grandview. My favorite purchase was a guitar that I got for $6.00. I spent hours trying to learn how to play it. But the thing would not hold tuning. The neck kept bending under the pressure of tuning to the point were the strings and the neck were so far apart that one could put there index finger between the strings and the frat board at the bottom and not touch either surface. After our shopping we returned to the states and drove north. Our Next stop was the Alamo. Gene and I had seen the movie and were a bit disappointed. It was much smaller then I expected and being in the middle of the city with big tall buildings all round made it seem even smaller. It sure made me realize how much Hollywood played with reality. We continued north and stopped at Platt National Park, one of the nations smaller parks. It was too cold to wade in the river, but Gene and Danny threw lots of rocks in the river. Crossing Kansas and Missouri we arrived back in Iowa. Dad and Mom went to see Grandpa Merit, but Gene and I did not. Then it was another 12 hour day drive back to Muncie and School the next morning.

Stay safe

Carol Boyer