In August, my father’s sister (my godmother) passed to the next world. With her passing, I am aware that I am quickly becoming the “oldest” generation alive in my family. Needless to say with the big 50 approaching, I’m feeling older than my years. I’m calling it a mid-life crisis, even though I’m well passed mid-life (I don’t expect to live to 100). I want to get more out of life. That’s what makes what I’m doing exciting. I’m making larger footsteps in my journey and I’m finding it quite exciting.

So in this light, even though I know it is near the end of November, I have to tell you about another adventure that I had in October. It was a bittersweet journey that was extremely powerful for me.

My godmother’s memorial service was held in Florida in late October. Where she lived in Florida isn’t very convenient to airports and if I flew I would have to rent a car. It looked like the best opportunity to get to the services was to drive. Unfortunately, finding a travel partner wasn’t promising. So I made the decision to travel alone and make it a 5-day journey. I had never done this before, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.

As it turned out, on the way to Florida, I was able to stop in SW Georgia to meet someone who was selling her collection of sewing machines. A friend of mine met me there and hauled the machines off to his house for me to pick up later.

My next stop was Florida. Before my godmother’s services, I put myself on a mission to see a live manatee. On a rainy Saturday morning, I found myself alone in a wonderful state park/zoo. I was mesmerized with this opportunity of watching the gorgeous animals and birds without the disturbance of other people (except the keepers). No kids screaming, or people talking, or competition for that fabulous photo opportunity. For 2 hours I was in heaven…and I got to see the manatee.

The next day I was on the road again to visit family in Savannah, GA. I really love that town and I love my cousin who lives there. I had a great time and the next day found myself on the road home. The 5-day journey was over.

Between my highlighted stops, I had a lot of time to be alone. I listened to upbeat music on my XM radio. I thought a million thoughts. Cried a few tears. I was awestruck by the beauty of the country-side which I drove. And I surprised myself, by how much I enjoyed my journey and being alone. Well not completely alone, I did pick up a hitchhiker at McDonalds who became my mascot for the road trip. Now that I’m home, I’m anxious for another opportunity for a road trip. Who knew, I would really like traveling alone.

When I started writing this post, I was sitting in a beach front home in Virginia watching the waves crash the shore. My sewing machine was waiting, in front of the window, for me to start her up and work on my project.  When I got tired of sewing, I could look up and stare at the beach front…what a view!

I was there on a quilting retreat with 11 other like-mined professional art quilters. These women were extremely enthusiastic about having a few days to walk away from their busy lives and dedicate to their sewing passion. I was quite impressed with the talent that surrounded me. I was also very impressed with them as individuals. Each of them had a sense of calm about them that radiated throughout the house. No worries, just enjoyment!

Each morning I awoke with the enthusiasm of a child at Christmas. I would jump from my bed and peer out the window to see the sun start to peak over the ocean horizon. I would quickly get dressed and walk to the shore and sit down to watch the sun rise from the depths of the sea. Wow! Each morning the view was just as spectacular as the previous morning. I felt so comforted sitting there in this vast space watching the birds and dolphins play. I truly needed this down time.

I also needed the creative time. Ideas are streaming, spurred on by conversations, challenges, and sheer beauty that surrounded me that weekend. During the weekend, I started and completed a 12″x12″ cat portrait, that I’m calling “Scat Cat.” This piece was made especially for Animal Advocates of Moore County and their annual silent auction fund raiser in December. They are doing good things and I’m glad to help them. This piece is special to me, because of the memories of the weekend it was created. I wish I could always work with a sewing machine with a view like that.

For this exhibit, I am proud to say I will have an entirely new collection of work for your enjoyment. I’ve been busy, busy, busy…thinking, dreaming, and executing my ideas. This exhibit has encouraged me to step back into my roots and break the rules. The best way to describe my work is as an art quilt. Just don’t let the word “quilt” confuse you, these pieces are not just quilts. They are art pieces that merge my love of fabric and quilting with my love of paints and mixed media.

Above all, these new pieces truly reflect my life-long culmination of creative adventure and exploration with a color pallet deeply influenced by my love and study of nature. I spent many years walking through forest and wetlands, the beauty I witnessed first hand has deeply affected me. With this opportunity to work with LiquidAmber, I have pulled from my core, dug deep into my soul and produced a collection for which I am very proud.

I invite you to join me for the Artist’s Reception on Sunday, October 2, 2011 from 2 to 4pm. If you can’t make it for this first Sunday reception, you can view the display any time in October during LiquidAmbers’s normal business hours.

Gallery Hours:
Closed Mondays, Tues thru Fri: 10:30-5:30pm
Sat: 9:30 – 5:30pm, Sun: 11:00 – 5:00pm

We may need to call this year the Centennial Summer. So many days reaching 100+ degrees. As the saying goes, “if you can’t beat it, join it!”

That’s what I did last weekend with my friend Laura. We were dyeing. No…not dying from the heat, but dyeing wool using the sun (aka solar dyeing).

Laura lives on a small farm and, amongst many things, she raises fiber animals for their wool, hand spins it into yarn and knits or weaves it into things (e.g., hats, gloves, table linens, etc). She’s fabulous and her farm is so peaceful.

Last weekend she invited several of us to visit and experiment with solar dyeing wool. I know little about all of this, so it was fun for me  to watch and learn. Here’s what we did:

1) Laura pre-washed sheared wool and we soaked it  in buckets of water.

2) We mixed acid dyes in 50/50 vinegar solution in glass mayo jars. (Thanks to Renee for supplying the Jacquard dye.) You could be precise about your measurements, especially if you wanted to recreate your results at another time. Although they were at the ready, we all decided no measuring spoons or cups for us.

3) Next, we placed hunks of the wool into the jar and set them in the hot sun. For a faster reaction time, we placed the jars on a car sun-reflector.

4) The jars of wool had to stay in the sun to get hot and have the dye react with the fibers. We knew the wool was ready when the dye solution had expired, meaning all the dye had moved into the fibers which leaves the solution clear.

The process took several hours. And instead of watching the jars in the hot sun, we went inside with the a/c. We had a fabulous cool lunch, and brought out spinning wheels (my spindle) and made yarn and talked of many different things.

At the end of the day, we took our jars home and washed our wool. What a surprise to see the intense colors! The day reminds me of Don McLean’s song “Vincent”.

Summer, Summer Dayz ~sic~
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze,
Swirling clouds in violet haze,
Reflect in Vincent’s eyes of china blue.
Colors changing hue, morning field of amber grain,
Weathered faces lined in pain,
Are soothed beneath the artist’s loving hand.

Thank you Laura and Renee for the beautiful Summer, Summer Day.

Taking time to focus on my art has been very cathartic. During the process I’m contemplating on what makes me happy and where I want to be. I’m letting my art happen during this mindful experience and I’m discovering a lot. I think everyone needs to spend some time alone. Being rushed or having others demand your attention doesn’t allow you to truly focus on what’s right in front of you. Its important to understand what is driving you, or not. Taking time to reflect on your journey is very rewarding.

What also is rewarding is the art work I’m producing. Pictured on this post is my newest piece, “Solitude” (dimensions: 36” x 46″). It’s not quite a quilt and not quite a painting, but contains components of both. Its embellished with thread-painting, which is basically using thread as your paint and the sewing machine as the brush (I love doing this). The leaf is created entirely from thread. The entire piece is pure me, mixed media and fiber.

For me, the mighty silhouette of the tree (red maple) is a powerful image. Strength, beauty, patience, power, are a few words that I conjure in my mind. I’m also reminded to hang on for the ride and stay grounded, even if things don’t go so smoothly. This month has helped me realize how fortunate I am in many ways. If you can find the time, I encourage you to spend it alone with yourself. Its amazing what you can discover in the solitude.

It is truly a weird feeling to stop at a store that you’ve frequented for years and see a magazine on the rack that contains something your wrote. When my pincushion article came out in Quilts and More magazine this February, I was surprised to see it at all the grocery stores in town. I would see it and giggle inside, then poke my husband and say, “Look, its MY magazine.” The thrill has inspired me to try to  get published more, unfortunately, I can’t say anything about what I’m trying. You’ll just have to wait and see.

Since we last met, I was happily selling kits for the “Early Bloomers” pincushion on my Etsy store, busy editing a sewing book, having fun inspiring new sewers in my sewing classes at the community college, and dreaming about what’s next. In the furry of activity, I visited with my aunt in the Bay area and helped her with the process of down-sizing as she moves onto the next chapter of her life.  Just a busy month of stuff going on … freelance style.

During all of this, Spring happened. The dogwoods are in full bloom, the daffodils have come and gone, the azaleas are preparing to explode. Its spring!!! My favorite season.

Here in the south spring comes early, but doesn’t seem to stay very long. And, that’s true for Better Homes and Garden’s Quilts and More, Spring 2011 magazine.  The spring edition appeared in early February and will be gone from the shelves by April 26. If you haven’t seen my article, make it a point to look for it or you can order a copy from my Etsy store. This 15 minutes of fame is fading from my life, like the tulips in my yard, all too quickly.

Through all of this I’m reminded, that life is short and you should do what you love. We’re all on a journey of hills and valleys which makes it especially important to stop and take in the beauty when it appears. Spring is a great time of year to remember that.

Other teaching opportunities have opened up, to include teaching surface design at local non-profit artist group in town. I’ll post more about this when the details are finalized, but I have to say I’m excited to share my joy of creative play.

In other news, my big secret will be revealed next month. I am so anxious and excited about this, but I must wait until I’m told it is OK to share the news.

My big news for this month was hearing that a piece I submitted to the 2012 Quilting Arts Calendar competition was selected as a finalist. The winners will be selected mid-February. I am so honored to be a finalist, I know the talent that enters this competition. Quilt artist Susan Brubaker Knapp is also one of the finalists. I met her a year-or-so ago and have been a fan since. Her work inspired me to create my entry, so you can imagine my honor to be in her company as the Quilting Arts staff makes their final selections.

My inspiration for all of this occurred in August. I had to make the difficult decision to put my old and sick German shepherd dog out of his misery. For 12 years, he was part of everything I did and making this decision rocked my core. His passing forced me to think about what I was doing with my life. I realized I had gifts to share, so I decided to really pursue teaching opportunities. I also realized that I have a passion for what I do. Creating things is more than just a hobby, it is the core element of my being. So, I am placing more focus on creating and then sharing what I make with others. This year I am hoping to inspire people as others have inspired me. It took “The Perfect Storm” (aka my dog) to show me the road.

As a kid, I remember going to outdoor fairs/exhibits during the summer. I remember the Renaissance fair at the local college, the air shows, the fire works displays at the local parks and of course, being a child of the 70′s I remember the Bicentennial celebrations and outdoor events.

On Saturday I celebrated Summer and Independence Day in this days-gone-by kind of way. My friend invited me to Old Threshers Reunion in Denton, NC. Having grown up in Chicago, I really didn’t know what I agreed to do.  I thought it was some sort of overgrown reunion for the Thresher family. Boy, did I get that wrong.

A thresher is a a farm machine that separates seeds or grain from husks and straw. For example, Eli Whitney’s cotton gin is a thresher. So knowing what a thresher is, you may wonder why they would have a reunion.

I got it the answer as soon as I saw all the tractors lined up. Its like antique car collecting. The people who attend this reunion are proud of preserving the history of our nation, especially how machinery has played a role in farming.

In an era of Internet, cellphones, cable TV and a plethora of other technical devices, it is fascinating to see real “machines” in action. Steam and early gasoline engines where everywhere. We were greeted by a beautifully restored working steam train and the sound of “hit and miss” engines was the melody we heard all day.

Along with the engines that were entered into the judged events, there were vendors of all sorts. There was a mix of carnival-style vendors selling t-shirts, trinkets, chicken on stick and Italian ice.

There was also a wide variety of flea market and antique vendors. Clearly the mission of these vendors was to entice the sales from the thresher enthusiasts. We found tables and tables of old tools, gears and spare parts. I found myself attracted to all the old oil cans. Do younger people even know what these are?

As someone who loves the “old way” of doing traditional craft, I found myself fascinated more than I could believe. The wood and iron combined with the beauty of the machinery and the smell of engine oil, had me mesmerized as we wondered the fair grounds. The people that were around us weren’t the big city type I grew up with.  Overalls seemed to be the respected uniform of the day. It was a step back in time, comforting me as it reminded me of my summer excursions as a kid.

At noon, everyone stopped. I mean everyone and we all turned toward the American flag to listen to the National Anthem sung over the loud speakers. This event alone sent chills down my spine. I so wanted to take out my camera to capture what I was seeing around me, but it was most important to respect what we were all doing. This day reminded me I am proud to be an American.

Today, I found myself knitting under a magnolia tree at the local farmer’s market with several similar minded folk. The local yarn shop hosted the gathering. It was a warm summer day, but a gentle breeze and good company cooled our souls. The mayor of the town stopped by to chat, he was pleased to see us all.

The next best thing to knitting in public is exposing your knitting in public. My friend Sharon proudly exposed her stocking-clad feet to the world this week. Well, she did it with some prodding from me, because I wanted to take a picture of the new socks I made her. Awhile back, Sharon gifted me with the book “Favorite Socks: 25 timeless designs.” To show my appreciation for the gift, I knitted Sharon a pair of socks using the “Embossed Leaves” pattern by Mona Schimdt and used yarn dyed by my friend Lynn Koolish. The finished socks were cozy and fun to make. Probably the fastest pair of socks I ever made.

So, the next time you see someone knitting in public, be not afraid. We are harmless. Our pointed sticks are intended to make stitches, not war, and we can make amazing things from balls of string. If you’re nice to us, you too may become a recipient of a hand-knitted treasure.

These school memories have been flooding me this past week, because last week I went on a field trip. My friend Ami Simms visited North Carolina last week and we planned a visit to Spoonflower while she was here. Spoonflower is an Internet-based business that prints fabric on demand. The Spoonflower community (some 70,000 individuals)  create their own designs, upload them to Spoonflower and “wa-la” in a week or so they can have their designs printed on fabric delivered to their door. Amazing!

Rolls of fabric waiting for printing

If you’re not so talented, you’re in luck! Many of the highly creative members of the Spoonflower community offer their designs for sale on Spoonflower’s public marketplace. The marketplace offers the largest collection of independent fabric designers in the world. And to think that this company was only founded 2 years ago, talk about a success story.

Machines print fabric on-demand

Ami and I were able to tour the Spoonflower facilities housed in a former sock mill in Mebane, NC. We were greeted by the lovely Kim Fraser, who inspired her husband, Stephen, to start this business in May 2008. As someone who loves those “how’s it made”  TV shows, I was in my glory.

Heated rollers set the designs into fabric

I was fascinated by the machines and the simple complexity of Spoonflower’s operation. I was overwhelmed by the colorful designs being printed before my eyes on rolls and rolls of fabric. I was in fiber-licious heaven looking at and touching the diversity of fabrics that Spoonflower offers for their on-demand printing. I was inspired to design things that could be printed at Spoonflower.

Printed fabric cut, folded, and prepped for shipping

Above all, I was impressed with Stephen and Kim and their dedicated crew. Spoonflower is American ingenuity in action. This is someone taking an idea, running with it, and succeeding in difficult economic times. It is wonderful to see a company who is helping pave the way to bring the textile industries back to North Carolina.  I am inspired in more ways than one. I guess that’s why field trips are fun.