sadfugeeface

Walking

2012-01-30T19:12:00.001-06:00

I haven't mentioned all the walking I've been doing lately. Hmmmm...why's that? I don't know.
November was not a good month for walking because I was so busy working on this house. But right before the holidays, I did a LOT of walking and have made a concerted effort since then to get in my 4 miles at least three times a week, especially when the weather cooperates. I haven't been wearing my pedometer, so I don't have any mileage to report.
We have had a wonderfully mild winter so far, so it's been good to get out in the sun and on chilly days, layering is the way to go. Of course February is coming up and that month here can go whichever way it wants. As long as there isn't any heavy precipitation, I expect I'll bundle up and get out to clear my head and stretch my legs.

HUH?

2012-01-26T11:14:00.000-06:00

Something's up with Google. If anyone has read the new and improved policy, please let me know what it means.
It doesn't take effect til March, so maybe I can figure it out for myself by then, but any help is greatly appreciated.

What's up?

2012-01-18T21:30:00.000-06:00

my new years eve meal--yummy--lamb & side dishes

lovely cava to toast the new year

The above photos are from New Years Eve. That was a tasty lamb roast with tons of garlic and fresh rosemary, cooked to perfect rareness. A nice Spanish Cava for sipping at midnight at the fire pit, listening to the neighbors fireworks.
Not much going on these days....besides the usual dysfunction. I have been busy sewing, mainly because I need to get through this pile of stuff that has to get done. My goal for next few days, weeks, months, is to get some income generating behind me and find time for artistic endeavors. Sanity restoring is the primary goal for the new year. When I look back on my recent past, art making is the one thing missing from my life right now and it has had a negative effect on my perception of who I am and what I want from my existence. I did make some pieces a few months ago that were straight from my heart. I will not be showing them publicly (except to my good friends who watched me create them) but they are in my living space to remind me where I have been this year. I wrote messages to myself in those quilts and really need to read them everyday.
Wow! That sounds so pretentious. So far this blog has been the sunny side of this life and I was able to find a lot of happy positive things to write about. Maybe it's just the winter blues we all get this time of year and my mood will improve as the weather does. The eternal optimist inside me has not been speaking loudly enough and I need to listen to her more carefully. She will always be there for me.
Okay, that was even more pretentious. How did I do THAT??

Artist of the Month

2012-01-03T21:26:00.002-06:00

The Memphis Association of Craft Artists has a website and every month one of the members is showcased. In January I was given the honor.www.memphiscrafts.org

The end of this year

2011-12-30T21:09:00.000-06:00

And hoping for a more productive year ahead. With less anger and more joy.

Happy Merry Christmas Birthday

2011-12-25T21:36:00.000-06:00

Today, my granddaughter turned 18. I made the requested dinner of sorts, spanikopita and crab rangoon. Also a birthday cake in the shape of a Smurf house....????......whatever........ No photos of the food. It's all gone now.

Happy Holidaze

2011-12-21T14:29:00.000-06:00

This is on the Christmas card we sent out for 2011. The caption reads "Peace, Love and Dope(s)"
Apologies to Yoko.

Sad strange little man with no voice of his own

2011-12-18T12:02:00.000-06:00

hallelujah!!

2011-12-11T13:47:00.000-06:00

Friday am

Friday pm

The last piece of siding is up---yay!! Of course there are some other things to do, like boxing in the rafters and a little trim near the roof to be fixed. And the painting and relandscaping, but that can wait a while. I hardly know what to do with myself. Well that's not true, there's still sewing and never ending housework on the inside.

Surprise!

2011-12-07T09:16:00.000-06:00

Since I don't get to watch much TV these days, I am not always up on the latest weather reports and forecasts. It snowed during the night and into the morning today. I am just not a fan of snow. Especially after three days of rain and dreariness. At least I'm getting some sewing done. In my nice warm space.
There is a party scheduled for this evening that I feel obligated to attend. As long as there is no ice, I will brave the white stuff and go. brrrrr.......

PROGRESS

2011-12-03T21:40:00.001-06:00

The last two days have been spent on siding before the rains come....again. We finished the siding on the east wall this afternoon. The sense of completion is very satisfying I must say. We were dreading this wall since we had to get up on ladders and there were so many fiddly cuts involving the windows and all the pesky angles along the roof line. But we did it and nearly broke our arms patting ourselves on the back for doing such a good job. Thanks to good friends who have offered encouragement and brought cookies to fortify us in our labor.
The north wall is still unfinished. That is where the worst of the rot and repairs had to be made. It is also the wall that covers my sewing space which is now warm and quiet. This wall should be pretty easy as far as the siding goes. No ladders or fussy cuts. Don't want to jinx myself with too much discussion here.

today--the last piece at the top

where we left off the other day

Why did I not do this years ago (when I was younger, btw) and have all this luxury to enjoy? Oh well, it's done now and I am as happy as a clam. That was a subject of conversation this afternoon, what exactly makes a clam happy?
The addition looks so good, even better than I had imagined it would be. When it gets painted I may pass out!!

December is here--oh my......

2011-12-01T20:35:00.001-06:00

Today has been a laid back kind of day, a good one too. Friend Fred has arrived to be a Memphian. I could not be happier. Friend Marion arrived to be a Memphian back in August, so the joy is doubled. Now if I could convince my sister to be a Memphian, that would be really great!
Of course things will have to get busy VERY soon to finish this project on the house. Like tomorrow. The weather is holding up pretty well although today was a tad chilly. The next couple of days are looking good for outdoor activity.
I will post more photos when things have moved along to a more complete stage.

Back to Fiber Art (finally)

2011-11-27T20:05:00.001-06:00

Today, I was able to enjoy my new warm space. The weather has turned dreary and cold and rainy. But I stayed in and machine quilted a piece that has been laying around for a while.
It was very good and quiet in my wonderfully improved space. The wind blew outside but not in here! I thought the window unit was a bit noisy back in August when it was installed, but it seems it was the vibration of the old wall making all the racket. WOW what a difference. Just like modern times.

Progress in the face of pesky holidays

2011-11-25T21:25:00.000-06:00

The title is a joke. I had quite a nice Thanksgiving with my sons and Vincent and in laws. We went to my younger son's house and made him jealous of all the fun he has missed working like immigrant labor on the "siding" project. We did borrow his extension ladder for the east part of the house. He has been keeping up with all the "joy" by reading this crap.
Today we got some more of the siding up on the remaining walls. It looks SO GOOD!!!! I will take photos tomorrow, but they are not nearly as entertaining as the ones with the rot. hahaha. Maybe when we get to the point where the rafters are boxed in or when I get back to fiber art or sewing---those photos will be fun..............

Progress

2011-11-23T16:11:00.001-06:00

The rains came for the last few days, so we got some time off from the outside work. I did anyway. Max has been doing fiddly things with the blue foam stuff.
My attention was turned to the interior so I can get back to income generating. I hung insulation and covered it with luaun, then trimmed around the window with corner molding. Don't look too closely at the mitered corners. I was in a hurry and it is just my work space.

wall before insulation

completed wall (except for painting)

In any event I am happy as a clam with the improved space. With the new energy efficient heat A/C unit and all the insulation and double paned windows, I should be toasty warm this winter and able to get lots accomplished. And the savings on the utility bill will be very welcome.

Even more Progress

2011-11-19T22:32:00.000-06:00

Things are moving along quite well. We've had two VERY productive days and got things to a point that if the big rains predicted fall upon us, we can sleep easy knowing there won't be any major damage. We got the cement board up this morning and all that's left is the wood siding, maybe a few more pieces of the insulation board to be attached too.
I cannot get over how quiet my sewing room is now that it is properly insulated and the window is more than a sheet of tissue paper over a big hole. The wall no longer vibrates when a plane passes over and the neighbor's barking dogs aren't quite as noisy. Of course it looks like a bomb has gone off inside there, and I HAVE to get it put back together ASAP. The grindstone is screaming for my nose!!
A good day all round. The Noodlemans invited me for an early dinner at our favorite Mexican joint and a little retail therapy, too. Then Vincent came to spend a few days. Life is looking up.
Thanks go out to my friends who have left encouraging comments.

The north side

2011-11-17T21:38:00.000-06:00

As reported in an earlier post, the north wall of the addition had to be nearly rebuilt because of the damage over time from insects, rot and neglect.

eyewww--rot!

framing in the hole left from old windows

where we left off yesterday-inside view

where we left off yesterday--outside view

sheathing completed

A WINDOW!!!

Today we got the window installed after putting up the plywood sheathing. The door stills needs to be trimmed out and of course now the interior is in destruction mode because of the window replacement. AND the siding needs to go up. Yikes! What a process. But things are moving in a forward direction.

Progress in the face of douchebaggery

2011-11-16T22:04:00.000-06:00

So we are making the daily trip to the hardware store after a quick side trip to Danver's for yummy burgers. I pull into a parking space next to a van from some recovery center here in Midtown ( what better place for recovering druggies and alcoholics?) and while I am enjoy the luscious burger, some guy says, "Excuse me MISTER, would you mind moving your truck so I can load this cement mix into the van?"
I'll admit, I am not the most girliest of girls, but I had not realized menopause had taken such a toll. Gee whiz, I did pluck that pesky whisker from my chin last night!
The only other thing I can think of is that getting up at 7 am and picking up the tarp the wind and rain have blown everywhere just didn't leave me enough time to put on makeup and fix my hair in a proper feminine style for all the hard working guys at the Home Depot to enjoy.
Today the rain stopped but a cold wind was blowing. That did not deter the team here on Willett from the continuous repair of rot and sheathing replacement. I had sense to take photos and will post maybe tomorrow after the window has been replaced. Of course, I had to have my obligatory hissy fit in the morning. My son will surely be happier than I when all this is over. We were kidding today about how easy the siding installation will be when all the repairs are done. That's just holding up boards compared to all this work.

Progress in the rain

2011-11-15T22:38:00.000-06:00

It hasn't rained in forever, but now that there is an outdoor project, of course the skies open. And my son is probably quite annoyed with me, too, since I seem to want to do more than hold up the other end of the boards. Most likely, my bad attitude has to do with the fact I have some kind of yucky upper respiratory crud that isn't quite bad enough to make me take to my sick bed (so he could actually get something done without my kvetching) but just enough to put me in a bad temper.
We pulled off the old siding and sheathing on the last wall and founds TONS of rot ughhhh--it is so nasty. And the window is rotten too, so it will have to be replaced. It is an absolute miracle this end of the house has not fallen over a long time ago. We(meaning my son) worked under a tarp today and most likely, according to the local weather guy--Dave Brown--will have to be under it early tomorrow too.
So, boys and girls, when all the repairs are done on the north side, and we get back to just siding, that will be a fucking piece of cake. Of course it will look totally like an awesome million dollars too. This will be the BEST Xmas gift to myself I ever had!!!!

Progress

2011-11-13T19:39:00.000-06:00

Oops, I nearly forgot to show the south side and the finished siding. The rafters still need to be boxed in, but I hope to have the siding up on the rest of the addition by Thanksgiving, but maybe will have to wait til spring to paint. And by I, I mean we--my son and myself.
The weather here is crazy, so there may be enough nice days in December for painting. We never know. People talk about the weather not as idle chatter for a reason.

more progress

2011-11-13T19:29:00.001-06:00

east side exposed

rotten stuff with bad shims

repairs covered with plywood

Another day on the house project. We thought most of the rot was at the bottom of the wall but upon closer inspection the bottom of the window was bad too. So we went to the hardware store AGAIN! replaced the studs under the window and this time covered the scab on this cancer with part of a sheet of plywood. Being a firm believer in adhesives, I put some Liquid Nails on the inside of this repair, and if this shit falls off in the future, place bets now that THIS will be standing when the rest of the addition falls down! Blue insulation and siding tomorrow--fingers crossed.
We had a discussion over whether the actual window gets to stay. There will be many hours of glazing removal, glass and glazing replacement, trim and molding replacements, then tedious painting. I voted for a huge piece of plywood, but relented and the window stays.
Improper window installation was the reason for all the rot. But that happened in the late '60s and those who did this deed are long gone. Thanks guys!

Progress

2011-11-11T21:28:00.000-06:00

south side-trim on windows

photo taken at corner of south and east side--WOW!

My new day job

2011-11-11T21:22:00.000-06:00

east side-before

south side in progress

stuff

south side-further progress

Due to a huge project my son and I have taken on, I have not kept up with posting here. We are replacing the ancient siding on the addition to this house. Many days have been spent at the hardware stores gathering tools and supplies--ibuprofen included.
There was quite a bit of rotten wood that had to be replaced and we are expecting much more bad stuff when we get to the north side of the addition. We have one side nearly completed and are riding high on a huge wave of accomplishment.It is such a vast improvement and looks really great! I do hope we can keep up the pace and not get bogged down in the actual LABOR of the job before us. We also need to beat the upcoming crappy weather.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-30T19:03:00.000-05:00

Enjoy your goodies!!

Happiness

2011-10-26T19:54:00.000-05:00

Some of the gourds from Ripley looked just like eggs. I dug in the bin and got all I could find. This afternoon I cleaned up this little corner of the yard and made a small "installation" and I am very happy to see it. Of course, I am easily amused.

Another day in the country

2011-10-24T19:09:00.000-05:00

My life is turning into that old Canned Heat song.

Yesterday I went back to the Noodlemans, this time to get pumpkins. And the companionship and grilled food didn't hurt either. We drove up to Ripley to the Carmack's farm to find the barn open with a few pumpkins, lots of gourds, and signs with prices--$1 a piece, 50 cents for the small gourds--and a handmade repository for the money. Totally on the honor system. My faith in the society is restored.
Besides these lovelies, there are many small ornamental gourds, some that look like eggs. I plan on creating a small tableau with my concrete chickens and a nest. Photos of that at a later date.
A very good day. The fun grows on trees in the country, sometimes on the ground.

Fun stuff

2011-10-18T20:54:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Noodleman is quite the artist (always has been) and makes gracious living look easy. She has a keen mind and can figure out how to make the nicest silk purse from the most mundane of the sow's ear.

glass globes with solar powered tea lights

Halloween rat

Take her on your next outing to the thrift store and you will come home with a treasure.

A Day in the Country

2011-10-18T20:47:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we went to visit the Noodleman's. Our usual day to go up there is Sunday, but I had a previous commitment that day, so did the Noodlemans and Vincent was here for the weekend, so Saturday was the day to go.
Mr. Noodleman brought home stuff to put on the fire-yummy--and we all pitched in to create a delicious meal. Afterwards, walnut bowling was the order of the day. As in prehistoric times, a new game was discovered, walnut baseball. All you need is a bucket of black walnuts in their green shells, a fairly substantial stick off the ground, a pitcher, catcher, and batter. Fortunately, Vincent has a good arm and pitched walnuts for half an hour. With much encouragement from Emaw and Mrs. Noodleman, he managed to throw to the strike zone more often than not.

walnut bowling

The sun set on a very good day.

something weird

2011-10-11T19:26:00.001-05:00

It is nearly the middle of October and I am ready for the trip to Ripley to buy pumpkins from the farmer on Carmack Road. Maybe he will have gourds too this year. It has been very dry here lately which is good for gourds. Last year we had a wet summer and fall after a torrential spring, so the gourds did not fare as well as other crops. The pumpkins were awesome.
Back to my little yard.......I have watered and picked suckers off this tomato plant all spring and summer. It was purchased from Home Depot garden center with a tag that proclaimed it a "patio" tomato, which in my humble opinion meant it was supposed to be grown in a container. I also protected it from the blasted squirrels, mockingbirds and the ever damned blue jays, and it flowered, yet never produced anything resembling a sought after home grown tomato. We all know there is nothing better in a summer than a luscious big red juicy tomato, sun kissed, ready to bite into to make the hot days worth suffering through. We had one of the hottest summers on record. So hot, I had to get up before 6 am to go for a walk.

the patio tomato plant as of Oct 11, 2011

NOW, in the waning days of the growing season, when I am looking forward to ornamental fall vegetables, this plant, that was so carefully looked after and tended has decided to bear fruit!!!! Will there be enough warmth and sunshine left to make these babies red and full of that elusive taste that one expects of the vine ripened orbs that excite all gardeners and foodies??? All I can do now is hope for the best and keep my fingers crossed.

The End of an Era

2011-10-04T20:28:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Webster passed away today. Marie was one of the most stylish, demanding, fashion conscious people any dressmaker could ever sew for. And I like to think she was my friend.
When I took her on as a client 20 something years ago, it was not without trepidation as her reputation as a fashionista (before the term was invented, mind you) with a keen eye for detail was well known in the sewing circles here.
Marie Webster will forever and always hold a dear place in my heart because she trusted my talent as a dressmaker and I can only hope I lived up to her standards of excellence in the time we shared making her wardrobe. She expected the best and I had to step up my game to the highest level of my sewing abilities and learn what made a garment a piece of art. It's because of Marie that I can make a bound buttonhole that is the envy of any top notch designer and understand how much better a jacket will hang with the proper underlining. And how wonderful the feel of silk charmeuse is against your skin when you slide on that tropic weight wool jacket, that jacket that has a lapel roll in just the right way because it was built in as the garment was cut. She helped me hone my pattern making skills by handing me photos torn out of Town & Country magazines and Neiman Marcus catalogs with a hunk of the finest fabrics available and saying, "This is what I want." I learned more sewing for her than I ever could have had I gone to any design school.
She was a dressmaker's dream and the angels in heaven had better have the most wonderful, perfect fitting wings ready for Marie Webster. She will wear nothing less.

Something funny

2011-10-03T22:08:00.000-05:00

This is how last week was for me. Let me know what you think about my "quilty" writing.

Good News and Bad News

2011-10-03T22:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I got to spend the day with Vincent, a rare treat these days since he has moved to the country with his mother--an hour and half away. When I went to visit my nephew last weekend to pick up my new bike, he graciously gave a bike to my grandson.( These are two bicycle fanatics who have never laid eyes on one another, mind you.)
After a delicious breakfast of pancakes and bacon, I showed Vincent his surprise, and he was duly impressed with the big boy bike, especially the kickstand! Of course we rode to the little park around the corner, cuz that's what one does at your grandma's house over here. And that bike stood up all by itself when he got off it, because it has a KICKSTAND!
So the bad news is Vincent had to go home. Fortunately, country living agrees with him (and his mother) but I miss him and wish he was closer. I let him take his other bike home so he can have something to ride. That boy is a natural on two wheels. It's like he knew how to ride all his life all he needed was a bike under him.

Fun stuff

2011-09-30T22:56:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month was my birthday and I spent most of that day doing something just for me. Just frittered the whole day away. This is what I did. Not my original idea, but very fun to make and so cute! Of course, I had to make a tiny box for the pixie shoes to live in and that was loads of fun too. Notice how I took the photos with out having my messy sewing room in the background to distract you.

New bike

2011-09-30T22:47:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, I drove to Milan TN to get one of my nephew's bikes. He has restored some very nice vintage bicycles and sells them, but after hearing of my plight, offered one to me. In return for his generosity, I took several wall hangings that I thought he and his wife might like and let him choose the one he wanted. He must be a very good husband, because although his wife was working that day, he chose a piece she really likes too. She is quite talented, too and makes some very special jewelry and other ornaments. Her blog is on my list--Dandy Apple--have a look.


1970's Huffy--made in Ohio

Today I bought a bell and tomorrow the plan is to go to a bike store to look for a basket. It has been recommended by someone (you know who you are) to get those handle bar streamers. Maybe I will if I find just the right ones. Oh yeah, I can see me now--59 yr old dried up old lady riding around Midtown with handle bar streamers......wait...it is Midtown....no one will notice.

The stolen bicycle situation near resolution

2011-09-21T21:44:00.001-05:00

1 of 6 weddings

did I mention how big this is?

A couple of photos from the recent trip to St. Louis. (Obviously, I don't get out much, and you'd think I'd been on a world cruise as many times as I have written about it.)
The plan for this weekend is to drive to Milan Tn and get a bike from my nephew who posted photos on his Face Book page of some of the bicycles he has been collecting and refurbishing. This dear child has offered me one of his lovely vintage bikes. This means so much to me, because I did not want to go out and buy some cheap thing to replace the bike that was stolen, which I had since 1993 and had recently been riding a lot. Big thanks to my generous nephew.

Fabric

2011-09-15T05:33:00.000-05:00

The fabric I printed with the recent screens turned out pretty good. I cut into it before I took photos of the whole piece but you get the idea. With other fabrics added to a design and some clever quilting and stitching, this could be a decent art quilt.

St. Louis

2011-09-12T21:22:00.000-05:00

The trip to the art fair near St. Louis was so much fun. The Noodlemans are kinda crazy and it must run in the family.
While at the Arch in downtown (and I cannot say enough good things about the commuter train we took to get there) I saw at least six couples, with complete wedding entourage, get hitched. And I was there for only about an hour and a half! Guess it's the thing to do up there. A limo would pull up, the entire wedding party would pile out, like clowns out of a VW, go up the stairs to the park at the bottom of the Arch, brief ceremony, photo op, then off to the reception.(I took photos too.) Brides in big fluffy white dresses, guys in tuxedos, groomsmen, bridesmaids--the works!

wearing my new earrings, waiting for the train

it is HUGE!!!

something on the tracks @ the downtown station

And the Arch is HUGE!!! The last time I was up that way was nearly 20 years ago and I never actually went to the park where the thing is, just drove by it. Last weekend we went to see it and I was amazed at how accessible it is. It just sticks up right out of the ground and it is HUGE!!! It reminded me of the machine in that scifi movie with Jodie Foster--"Contact"--did I mention how f***ing BIG it is???

Balance

2011-09-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

The screen printed fabrics came out pretty good and I will post photos as soon as I take them. Last week was a bizzy one, full of activity playing nanny for my friend's children, making progress on a new set of graduation dresses and making the aforementioned fabric. On Friday morning, I went with the Noodlemans to attend the art fair in Clayton, MO. WOW!!! It was very nice and I had a lot of fun. We walked our feet off for two and a half days, stayed at a hotel a block away from the fair, ate everything we wanted (except the cheesecake-what was wrong with us?) saw more art than I have seen in one place in a long, long time and went downtown to see The Arch.
St. Louis has a commuter train, the MetroLink, that is very easy to ride and stops at all the convenient places, plus isn't too expensive. We were able to park at the hotel and never get back in the car until it was time to come home. That is my idea of a vacation. (Sleeping is also a good thing to do on vacation.)

what I want to be when I grow up

So now I'm back home and my punishment for having fun--this is where the balance comes in--is that my bike was stolen from the shed in the backyard Friday morning. boohoo--I loved my bike and had I been here to monitor the perimeter, it wouldn't be gone with someone who might not love at much as I did. I actually cried a little last night, because in addition to riding my bike, I will miss the bell and the nifty side basket on it, too.

Back to fiber art

2011-09-07T09:25:00.000-05:00

The original intent of this blog was to show anyone interested some of my fiber art and I have fallen away from that. The other day I got an idea for some deconstructed screen printing and put dye on three screens. Maybe today I can find time to put the designs on fabric.
Lately I've been making visual reminders for myself to help me get past my need to control my surroundings. So I decided to explore a self portrait. First I made some trading cards to interpret the theme "Below the Surface" and you can see one of those ATCs on the link to Fiber Antics blog. Also you see the work of the very talented artist who writes that blog, a very bizzy gal for sure!

abstract filler

sequin waste and potato bag for texture

The drawings I did for those cards inspired me to go further and that's the basis for these screens. How they will translate to fabric via the deconstructed process is anyone's guess, and I will post the results. Fingers crossed.

Another day older......

2011-09-05T07:52:00.000-05:00

My birthday was the other day and as a gift to myself I made a meatloaf to go with the lovely tomato jam from my recent trip to Lexington. It was quite delicious. The bread was some I bought at the grubbery in one of those paper bags, the really chi-chi stuff. It has been so long since I've done any real cooking, I was surprised at how well it came out, so I guess cooking goes along with swimming and bike riding.

Wedding dress

2011-08-30T20:40:00.000-05:00

side view of bodice

waist to bust dart trimmed

Returning to the wedding dress construction. It might be a little hard to see the actual progression here but I will try to explain it. In the first photo I have draped the lace onto the dress form over the foundation of the bodice which has been sewn from three layers of fabric--the silk cotton lawn over a sturdy base of cotton acetate, which gives the same appearance as the lawn over the bemberg skirt. The bodice is lined with bemberg with a seam along the neck edge. Shaping of the bodice foundation is from side bust and waist to bust darts. You can see where the shaping of the lace comes into play at the side bust dart and waist to bust darts. Following the design of the lace, I trimmed around the motifs and overlapped them, lots of pinning, then free motion stitching along the edges of the lace motifs to hold it all into place. This way there are no obvious straight line darts on the lace layer. This a technique I saw in a Threads magazine (my favorite sewing mag) article written by Susan Khalje several years ago. Hope I have spelled her name correctly.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

Bizzy weekend

2011-08-29T08:25:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we had a wonderful surprise--Vincent came for a short visit. Oh I miss that child!! He has lost his first tooth and seems to be doing well in the 1st grade at his new school. We rode bikes and played at the park, then we had to take that long drive back to where he's living waayyy out in the country. Maybe he can stay longer on the next break from school.
His big sister, Olivia, has completed her first week as a college freshman. YAY! We have survived for the most part. YAY!
Here are photos from Thursday's outing to the country.

the cows are coming home

muscadines

Today, I am judging quilts at the regional fair, and that should be fun since I am such a judgmental person (according to a certain other person) hahaha.

Food

2011-08-25T20:01:00.000-05:00

pork chops on the left

After today, I will not have to eat another bite the rest of this week. Bailey's Truck Stop has the yummiest buffet around those parts. Meats and veggies. The pork chops were so good I ate three!! They were dipped in a peppery coating then fried in hot something (probably grease) making them crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. No knife and fork for this little pig, I picked them up and chowed down. Mashed potatoes, green beans, black eyed peas, squash cooked with onion, cole slaw, tasty yeast rolls and fluffy corn bread. Then I went back for seconds!!
After lunch, when we decided we could actually move, we ventured to the farmer's market in town. There I purchased, tomatoes, green beans, cantaloupe (which smells like heaven) and a watermelon. All in all a lovely day, especially since I had such wonderful companions to eat and shop with me.

A Day in the Country

2011-08-25T06:57:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm off to the far eastern lands of Lexington TN to visit a friend there and have lunch at the truck stop near Parker's Crossroads. Yummy. My able traveling companion is the ever stalwart Marion, who has recently moved back to town. This will be a welcome break from my routine. Photos soon if I remember to take some.
Last night I attended a Memphis Association of Craft Artists member meeting and had a busy time showing how to photograph a quilt. Not really all that busy, but I do hope I was able to impart some helpful information.

The Interwebs

2011-08-17T21:43:00.001-05:00

This evening I looked at the stats for this measly blog, and am so surprised at what I found. The Russians are looking at my blog!! How strange!?! Why would a Russian person want to look at this crap?

But I did discover the most looked at posts were those of the dress constructions. So I need to get bizzy and finish up the postings of the graduation dresses and the wedding dress, huh? I took plenty of pictures and have no other excuse but that I am a lazy slug. And I really have other things to do besides sit at this laptop everyday.
So here are some photos of the lace draped on Mabel (my skinny dress form) to determine placement of the lace on the bodice of the recently completed wedding dress--the one I miss so much!! It was such a pretty thing and I loved every minute of making it.
Gee, my sewing room is a wreck.

Fan photos

2011-08-15T08:15:00.000-05:00

the shy & retiring Mrs. Smith

August--Memphis--Elvis

WOW!!

Hey kids, here are the pictures of the sewing guild workshop from last Thursday. They all started out as plain white cotton fans from Dharma Trading and were transformed before our very eyes into wonderful works of art that also serve a useful function in these parts. No menopausal woman in her right mind goes out of the house without a personal cooling device!

Bizzy week

2011-08-14T20:14:00.000-05:00

These past few days have been packed full of activity. After hours spent waiting on delivery people the week before it was a most welcome change. Monday was mental health day with sewing girlz, Wednesday evening board meeting with MACA folks (a great member meeting planned for later this month), more fun with sewing friends on Thursday at guild, and on Tuesday and Friday I got some work done on a dress for a fitting Saturday morning. Today, I cleared out some of the jungle in my backyard with the help of my son and the electric chain saw--my new favorite power tool. We went out for BBQ and beer afterwards since we didn't have a proper birthday celebration for him last week. There's still a ton of work to do out there, but fingers crossed the weather will continue to be as pleasant as it is today.
On Thursday at the Memphis Sewing guild, we decorated fans for our program "Beat the Heat" and had lots of fun. Photos later as I haven't gotten around to downloading the pics yet.

hallelujah

2011-08-06T21:14:00.001-05:00

The delivery/installers FINALLY showed up and now I have cool and quiet air in my sewing space. I did not realize how noisy the old AC was until today. Besides the mold spewing disease from that old appliance, I'm surprised I have not experienced profound hearing loss. OMG I'm lucky to be alive!!!!!!!!!!!! hahaha
While waiting for the guys to put in the AC I played around with my body double. I had to cut it apart again, but decided to put it over one of the three dress forms I have collected ( I can smell an episode of "Hoarders" now) and I am very happy that I made such an executive decision.
I have a nice blouse from two summers ago (cue "Hoarders) that is WAAAYY too big, but I did love wearing that blouse, and I used the improved dress form setup to fit and alter it. Now when I get my sewing room back to an operational place (Monday afternoon), I can sew said shirt and continue to love wearing it. It is white seersucker, the perfect fabric for Memphis summers and once it is smaller and has been through a soaking in Oxyclean--my new favorite cleaning agent--and a wash cycle, I will feel like a million dollars in that shirt.

Photo ops

2011-08-03T09:52:00.000-05:00

Finally got around to getting these pics off my camera and into computer. Yesterday, the AC in my sewing room finally gave it up after thirty years and I had to find a replacement. My fingers are crossed for a timely delivery of said new appliance, as the predicted temperature today is 104 degrees F. Yikes!

close up of foiling detail

Working in the sewing room is tolerable, especially in the morning, but far from comfortable once the afternoon arrives. Fortunately I have nothing pressing on my schedule, so I may turn my attention to sketching in another part of the house. Or maybe--just maybe--a little housework. NAH!!!
Here's the latest little quilt in the series I've been working on. It's called NOTHING-STOPS-LOVE which can be interpreted in so many ways. Take your pick.

Verklempt

2011-08-02T13:01:00.000-05:00

The bride and her mother picked up the wedding dress today and I teared up a tiny bit. That beautiful garment has been a constant companion all summer and now she's gone and I miss her.
In the meantime I finished one of the art quilts that was banging around in my head and need to hang it in a place where I can see it daily. I am trying to use this series of wall hangings as visual reminders in an effort to balance myself. (ooo that sounds a little too self aware.)
Of course I have taken plenty of photos of the things I've been doing lately and when I get them ALL downloaded and organized, I'll post them. I still haven't completed the series on the graduation dresses, so please do not hold your breath.

Wildlife

2011-07-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, we had a second birthday celebration for Vincent at the Noodlemans. Sun, swimming, running with the dogs, good food too, of course. We saw this critter in the carport.
On Thursday, I met with the people who are putting together a fun project for a local extended stay house. More on that at a later date--with photos.
This week I will be finishing the wedding dress and gearing up for more graduation dresses.
AND Project Runway starts on Thursday evening!!!! Yah!!

Back to the grind

2011-07-19T10:18:00.000-05:00

Vincent was here for 17 wonderful days. He celebrated his birthday twice and ran us all ragged. I already miss him, but need to get back to some serious income generating.
I have a couple of projects coming down the pipeline that are giving me a more positive outlook on the future. One of them could be a big change that would propel me in a new direction. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it all works out to the benefit of my good friends as well as myself.
I found time to work on a few art quilts that were banging around in my head looking for a way out. I am pleased with them, for the most part, as they have added to the pleasant feelings I've had with Vincent's visit. Not that I'm dancing amongst the unicorns in a field of flowers with rainbows overhead. There are emotional setbacks, but I'm learning to move on and get my life under control. (TMI??) So I must focus on the positive prospects on the horizon.

Vincent's birthday cake(s)--yummy

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my baby boy today!!

Summer Holiday

2011-07-08T15:03:00.000-05:00

running with a sparkler--fun!

The Fourth of July was great. Spent Sunday with my brother and sister in law, bought fireworks on the way home from there and blew them up with the neighbors here Monday evening. Vincent, my grandson has been here since last week and that is a very good thing. His birthday is Sunday and I hope he gets to stay till then.

Other quilt stuff

2011-07-01T10:05:00.000-05:00

The outgoing president of the guild can request blocks to be made by the members and I usually try to comply since being president is a labor of love and it takes a real woman to step up to the challenge.
The most recent past prez wanted tulip blocks and was graciously accommodated by the web mistress in her request with a pattern to be paper pieced. My hair stood on end at the thought since I am THE WORST paper piecer EVER!

looks pretty good

But duty called and I jumped right in without reading the instructions (not my strong suit either) and actually did a pretty good job. Thanks to Mrs. Smith for letting me copy her pattern, since my printer is broken (grrrrr). As it turned out, I used the proper colors, even though I had not read the instructions for color choices provided by the recipient of the blocks. whew! Notice that I sewed the side strips on with out the paper, because I knew I would screw up sooner or later with this block and did not want to push my luck.

Art Quilt

2011-07-01T09:48:00.000-05:00

Since this blog was supposed to be about my adventures in art quilting, maybe I should share some recent work.
A couple of weeks ago I played around with the discharge paste on dark cotton fabrics. I had an idea for something with hands after seeing a post on one of my favorite blogs. Inspiration is out there in the world when you keep your eyes and mind open.

Bravely, I ignored the warning on the jar of discharge paste to avoid prolonged contact with skin and painted my palms. Then I used them like stamps on the black and navy fabrics. After the paste dried, I ironed according to instructions (I did wash my hands right away between these steps) and was very pleased with the results. There are two small wall hangings so far and others are floating in my head right now begging to be created.

Summer Solstice

2011-06-22T08:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the solstice and I had a tiny celebration with a small stick fire and a glass of wine. (I highly recommend Relax Cool Red!) Of course I missed the actual time of the event, but at least there was a recognition of the day before it ended.
The weather was decent considering the very high temps we have had this month, so I rode my bike for a bit in the evening and enjoyed the cooler air whizzing across my face and arms.
Earlier in the day, I did some deconstructed screen printing and I need to get busy washing that stuff today.
Happy summer to all!

Avert your eyes at the proper moment

2011-06-19T18:58:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday, a group of us from the sewing Guild got together and made body double dress forms. It was quite an undertaking, I must say. I had never done this before and thankfully, a couple of the people there had done this several years ago. I do not know what would have happened without their astute guidance. Plus some stalwart members came to help wrap and not be wrapped in return. Thank you and you know who you are.
We wrapped three in the morning and then broke for lunch. Yummy food shared by all. Three more in the afternoon. My turn. While being taped up I experienced a rise in my anxiety levels but it soon passed and all went well for the majority of those being wrapped. Our hostess with the mostest and one of the morning wrappees did not fare too well. But at the end of the day (and especially the next morning) all was forgotten and the experience will go down in history as a good one. More photos of the process will be posted on the guild website and anyone interested in that should contact me for the link.

front (duh)

back--needs a bit of repair in that one place

Until you have done this you cannot understand what it entails. The end result is so worth it in my mind, even though it has completely destroyed my personal mental body image. When I finish all the trimming and details and make my form pretty, I should feel differently towards it. Embrace it, love it, call it my own.
P.S. I need to either clean up my sewing room or drag out the backdrop more often. What a dump!!!

Wedding dress

2011-06-15T15:24:00.000-05:00

front

back

The bride and her entourage came for a fitting today and things are going very well. Hurray! Not only am I happy, the MOB seems to be okay with it too. At least she is not wailing with disgust. hahahaha...... These photos are just a sneak peek--they are of the beginning muslin from the first fitting. Today the dress had the lace on it and needed a bit of tweaking. More later.

Where we left off....

2011-06-14T18:21:00.001-05:00

positioning template for curved band

pin marking center of horizontal band; blue marker

blue dots for guide

longer edge stitched


miter corners before stitching

This is where we left off at the second graduation dress's construction. I'm not including the construction of the skirt panels because they were done similarly to the first dress and who wants to be redundant today? Not I!!
Of course the photos came up first and I don't know how to change them.
The skirt has a lace band about 2/3 of the way down. I made a paper template of the curve for the piece of lace to be formed to. I traced it with a blue wash out marker--just made little dots--and placed pins on the vertical lace bands to mark their centers. I pinned the lace along the longer edge first and sewed with a straight stitch, then pulled up a thread along the edge of the lace to make it fit into the smaller edge of the curve. Straight stitching again.
After all this sewing, I trimmed the batiste away from the back of the lace and pressed and zigzagged, like I did on the other dress.
At the intersection of each vertical band I had to miter the lace and stitch that, then trim it away on the back. Those seams were covered with small medallions cut out of the lace that's leftover from the bodice. I don't think I got photos of that but I'll check my files. If not, maybe the dress's people will send me the photos they promised from the graduation ceremony.
Next will be photos of the bodice getting connected to the skirt. Enjoy!

Recent acquisitions

2011-06-12T21:28:00.000-05:00

The other day I was at my son's friend's house and he showed me some stuff he was planning on taking to sell for scrap. I bought some of it because I thought it was quite groovy and that made both of us pretty happy. (According to a recent comment on this blog, that is important, thank you!)

love this color!

needs some TLC

plant stand in center is new--to me

three tuteurs--love them

cloud like shoes..mmmmmm

My walking shoes were getting very shabby too, the tread was wearing down, so I bought new ones. They are ASICs and when I tried them on I remarked to the sales person, "ooohh it's like walking on clouds!" Turns out the style of the shoe is called "cumulus 13"!???!!!! Who'd a thought......

Nightie night

2011-06-10T21:04:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Memphis Sewing Guild day. This is always a good day because I get to meet up with friends who are as excited about sewing as I am and we go to lunch afterwards. What is not to like about lunch with friends!!
The program was "Jammies in June". several months ago I bought some very nice knit fabric and a little while later acquired a lovely soft dotted Swiss with the intention of making a couple of night gowns to MY preference. I do not like a gown that is too short or too long. If it's too short then it creeps up around the waist and if it's too long it tangles up on your legs. Both scenarios make for an uncomfortable night's sleep.
In the next to last issue of Threads magazine special publication "Simple Stuff to Sew" (or something to that effect--more info send me a message) there was an article on making a gown and accompanying robe. The gown was simple (duh) so I drew off the pattern according to the instructions, which had an error on one of the measurements--but I solved that problem and continued with the gown construction.
I spent three or four hours ( the day before the guild meeting, mind you) and completed two totally perfect night gowns--one of which I am wearing as I blog--that were a big hit at the meeting too.
Of course, Patricia had to show me up with a super sexy style she co-opted from a swim suit top she found on sale. OHHH, that girl!!!!
I'm wearing the knit version(no phone calls please) and the gown made of dotted Swiss looks like something a bride would wear on her wedding night (gag). Both versions are light as a feather-perfect for hot Memphis summer nights and make me VERY happy. The most important part!!!!
Maybe I will take photos once I finish the wedding dress currently under construction. Photos coming soon, I promise.

Yikes

2011-06-03T10:10:00.001-05:00

After rereading my last two posts, I realized I need to get out more or get a new life. The latest post was just a rehash of the one before.
My grand daughter left yesterday and I will miss her very much. We had fun while she was here. She needs to get her college plans together ASAP. I have promised her a laptop, but will not deliver on that promise till she is enrolled in some institution of higher learning.
And now that she is gone I must get busy finding gainful employment of some sort. (Oops, I'm rehashing again.) I will be starting on a new dress next week and will try to document the progress of that project for everyone's entertainment.
A friend suggested I read "The Creative Entrepreneur" and do the exercises in it. I have gone so far as to buy the book, but haven't delved into it yet. Last year I bought a copy of Julia Cameron's book on overcoming artist's block "The Artist"s Way" and did some of that. Mostly, I liked the journaling aspect of it and although I haven't continued with the daily morning pages, I still do quite a bit of what I like to call page dumping. When I reread some of the writing, which is done in stream of consciousness style, it seems a little disjointed (maybe my husband IS right and I should be heavily medicated and/or institutionalized!) but at least I can get what I am feeling about my current situation out of my head and documented to a certain extent. And the psychologist I'm seeing says writing all this stuff down is good.
I also keep a little journal about walking and that makes me very happy. It has drawings and little paintings in it, in addition to the writing. It's pages are decorated with images from the hand carved stamps I made. Little feet walking on the pages. Mileages. I walk a LOT and should probably start looking for new shoes soon. The ones I am wearing now are a year old and the tread is looking pretty shabby.
Yesterday, I presented a program on mixing pattern pieces in a garment for the sewing guild in Collierville. Everyone was very nice and I hate that I had to skip the lunch afterwards. Lunching with the ladies is always a good thing and I try to never pass up an opportunity to do so.

Holiday Inn Express--queen bed all to myself,aaahhh.....

Okay, enough of this shit. I'm going to work on some art today.

Summer has arrived

2011-05-31T18:25:00.000-05:00

Last week I was wearing a hoodie to ward off the chill and now the AC is cranked up. I really miss having the windows open, but the humidity here is down right cruel. Walking has to be done in the early am or it is just too hot for outdoor exercise later in the day.
My mileage for May has been very good--89.57 miles logged on the pedometer. That does not include walking back and forth in the house (where did I put my glasses? what did I do with my purse?) and errands that are close by that I was able to walk to instead of driving, plus I rode bikes with my granddaughter a couple of times while she's been here. We went to the Holiday Inn Express this past weekend and swam in the heated pool, but I'm sure the gyro plate I had at the restaurant totally wiped out those gains! Of course the eatery was in walking distance so we opted for that mode of travel.

I did find the photos of my deconstructed screen print fabric and downloaded them this morning. It's okay but looks a little unfinished to me. Really needs something added. I'm sure I will find the time soon, although I do need to beat the dollar bushes this summer. Waiting tables sounds good right now, but I have zero experience with that and I am pushing 60. With all the weird stuff going on around here, I may have to conquer those fears and jump into unknown territories soon.

Whazzup

2011-05-27T07:32:00.000-05:00

Just now realized how long it has been since my last post. Sewing has been reduced to a very slow crawl, in comparison to all the last few months of constant garment construction. I do have many photos to share, but haven't been inspired to organize and post. ??? Guess I need a little distance from the memory of all that labor before I can look at those white dresses again. They really turned out beautifully and I got lots of positive feedback from their people. Soon I'll post new sewing stuff with lots of construction photos.
Last week I was inspired to do some screen printing. The dyed screens had been laying in the basement for months and I was a bit worried if they would work very well. Especially since we have had so much wet weather here and the basement floor stays wet during rainy periods. Anyway, I pulled some prints onto cotton fabric which had been treated with soda ash solution. Turned out very nice. I may go back and put some other surface treatment on it but for right now it's fine. I did take photos but can't remember if they are downloaded into my files.
Also there's a few new art quilts in progress. And I have updated my walking sketchbook a little. Taking off a little time to air out my brain, but I will very soon need to beat the bushes for income. Put that freshly aired brain to good use!

photo used for a trading card

My grand daughter is here for a few more days. She just graduated from high school and we are chillin' for a bit. The walking continues and my mileage for May is GREAT, plus we had a little bike ride last evening, since the weather was very nice, and we needed to work off some of the massive amount of food consumed earlier in the day.

Slip

2011-05-13T20:17:00.000-05:00

This is the slip that will be worn under the second graduation dress. It is constructed from two layers of silk crepe de chine from Thai Silks. The straps are made with some of the vintage lace provided by the graduate's generous grandmother, with ribbon run through the openings in the beading. Of course it looks much nicer on the graduate. My dress form leans in a most unattractive manner.

Will it never end?

2011-05-09T05:49:00.001-05:00

The rain seems to have stopped for a while, but the flooding from up river is causing lots of problems for many residents here. Creeks and streams are backing up due to snow melt and the long rainy spring in the entire Eastern US. But you most likely know that if you have watched a news report in the last few weeks. And Osama bin Laden is still dead.
The sewing has slowed down, and I'm looking forward to a little break. Just a tiny one, because I hate it when things slow waaay down and I'm broke all summer. What I really want is a decent part time job that I can go to, work at, leave it behind at the end of the shift, and get paid on a regular basis. Dream on.

I have plenty of photos of the things I've put together these last few months, but need to get them organized and ready for more posts on dress construction. That will have to wait til later this week. But for now here is a photo of the first dress ready to be pressed. Notice my fab cordless iron. It's a Maytag, purchased at the quilt show many years ago. I use it only for pressing these dresses as there's no cord to wrinkle up the parts I just finished unwrinkling. I hate it when that happens!

Mileage

2011-05-04T19:06:00.000-05:00

Okay no photos today but my walking mileage for April was very good and I need a little bragging right now. The total for the past month is 89.64 miles and I'm sure I have actually walked more than that with errands where I did not wear my pedometer. Plus today I feel all pure and holy because I walked to the diagnostic center to get a follow up mammogram and that was 3.36 miles round trip. And I'm fine. The new technologies of imaging found a weird spot last fall and it turned out to be nothing unusual. WHEW!! I am probably in better shape than I have been in my entire life and no doubt will be run over by a delivery truck one day while walking for my health.
Now back to the grindstone..................

And STILL sewing!!

2011-04-23T17:14:00.000-05:00

Arrrggghhh----so busy I haven't time to post. But soon I will have something new and wonderful with photos of what I've been up to.

Bizzy (and photo of clematis)

2011-04-11T21:54:00.001-05:00

I've been working on the other graduation dress and will start on the third one this week. In addition, I have made progress on the carnival costumes, and am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on that project. The carnival stuff is interesting and I've been making these suits for over ten years except for a few of them. One of the "kings" went to Prince Charles' tailor one year, at least that's what I heard. It got held up in customs and arrived at a very late hour (or so I was told). Looked pretty good in the photos and I'd really like to know what the invoice on that adventure was.
I have been taking photos of the progress on the graduation dress, but for some reason I haven't on the carnival costume. Maybe I should. When time allows, I will post updates on the dresses. The first one is completed--well--there are a couple of snaps and some pressing left to do, but it is finished and the graduate and her mother really love it.
Soon I will be working on a lovely wedding dress for a friend's daughter. She wants a vintagey type dress and I have some nice lace and some ideas on how to put it together with a very nice piece of cotton/silk lawn from Thai Silks.

Not much time for art, although I did get some stitching done today on an art quilt that I started in a workshop led by my friend, Vanessa, a few weeks ago. It is from a photo I took in 2007 in Southern California at Crystal Cove. I have many great pictures from that trip. One of them was the subject of my entry into the last chapter of the Journal Quilt Project at the Houston quilt show. Ahh the good old days....
On the personal front, things are not so great. My granddaughter is in trouble, my dear little grandson has disappeared with his mentally unstable mother, and the marriage counselor fired us today.
Good thing I have work to keep me busy.

Still sewing

2011-03-30T07:17:00.000-05:00

These photos show the set up of the machine for making all the !@#$%^&* tucks. It's not all that difficult, just time consuming and mind numbing. Two threads and a twin needle and my trusty old Elna. You can see the stitch settings a little in the top photo. I've been sewing on this machine since the early '80's.

The sewing continues, but at a slower pace while my granddaughter is here for her spring break. The first grad dress is finished just needs pressing. The slip to the second dress is done (lovely bias silk crepe) and progress is being made on the dress. Got one of the carnival costumes out and have a close deadline on the other ones, so I will push ahead on that this coming week.

Mileage

2011-03-23T23:00:00.000-05:00

The weather has been glorious and very conducive to walking. My pedometer has logged nearly 60 miles this month. I have walked to the post office two days this week and although it is not more than two miles round trip, it is a good walk and I feel I have accomplished a practical task and got my exercise too. I am such a Lutheran!
Saturday I went to the daffodil show at Dixon Garden and Gallery. Lots of spring blooming flowers. The tulips were beautiful and I got some info on how to identify jonquils, daffodils and narcissi that inhabit my yard.
I have been so busy with sewing I have little time for my garden. This seems to happen every year. When I am not so busy, the summer heat comes and I am less inclined to work in the yard.
Progress is being made on the graduation dresses and the carnival costumes, too. Photos in next posting.

The other graduation dress

2011-03-14T22:06:00.000-05:00

There are three dresses in progress at this point in time. A lot of the construction techniques are the same from dress to dress but some of the details vary. On this dress I am using an old dresser scarf for the bodice embellishment. Some of the elements on the scarf are very fragile and I have tried to avoid using them.
The muslin has been fitted and cut apart to make the pattern, which has been in turn cut from Swiss batiste. The lace edges were removed from the scarf and the remaining piece has been basted (by hand,ugh) onto the front bodice. Note it is flat but darts will have to be sewn in to form it into a three dimensional object. The darts are basted in then the rest of the lace is secured to the front bodice by draping it over the edge of the table. The resulting edges will be eased in when the lace is machine sewed to the batiste, which will be trimmed away.
This took a lot of planning, so if anybody I have been around for the last few weeks thought I looked spaced out, this is the reason. I think about this stuff while walking, driving, drinking coffee, drinking wine, drinking beer, watching tv, taking a shower, taking a c**p, reading the newspaper, reading a magazine. Whatever.

one edge trimmed away

basted while flat

becoming 3D

a little out of sequence, bodice draped over table edge

If you have any questions, just ask.

Quilt stuff

2011-03-11T21:15:00.000-06:00

Before I forget completely, there are happenings on the art quilt front, which was the reason for this blog initially. The quilt I entered in the AQS show was rejected--boohoo.

notice the red dot

The group show I was in at the Jewish Community Center closed on February 28. What a wonderful surprise when I got there for the take down--one of my wall hangings sold!! That was a very nice surprise. I can only hope it has gone to a good home.
This was made with some of my deconstructed screen printed fabrics. I really liked this quilt. I'm not used to using red in my art work, so this was a stretch for me.

Back to the dress

2011-03-11T18:08:00.000-06:00

In this episode we will embellish and attach the bottom tier of the dress. I cut the piece of batiste using the pattern I made from the fitting muslin. Vertical tucks were sewn on the center front following the center front crease as a guide. Gentle pressing on the tucks, then I lined up the placement of the next rows of tucks by placing the upper skirt on top of the bottom tier and finger pressing a placement crease. Seven tucks are sewn in each space below the loop design of the upper skirt. There are three bands of vertical tucks on the front and back pieces.
After the tucks are completed, much pinning to attach the skirt pieces together. I used the same technique as I did when inserting the lace on the bodice.

center panel of tucks

finding placement for tucks

The bodice is basted to the skirt and is waiting for another fitting.

A break from sewing stuff

2011-03-11T17:48:00.000-06:00

I do hope everyone is enjoying the progress of the graduation dress and there will be many more posts on that subject. In fact, I have started on another dress and that will be shown soon.
On other fronts, I went to a fantastic lunch out in the country last Saturday and have a photo to share of the lovely, delightful and tasty dessert. Everything dessert ought to be!
The weekend before I took my grandson to visit the Noodlemans. A wonderfully pleasant day with family, also as it should be.
Thursday was Memphis Sewing Guild meeting and lunch afterwards. The program was a challenge with projects made from a not so attractive fabric. Lots of fun. If you google Memphis Sewing Guild you can see what we did. The outfit for the Boykin Spaniel was hilarious. I'd send the link but have not yet mastered that aspect of computer science.

sorbet, homemade cake and berries!!

Tomorrow, I'm attending a workshop on making a wall hanging from a favorite photograph. I've had the photograph since 2007 (when I went to Southern California) and dyed fabric to make it with, so now I can get some professional help to bring this project to reality. Looking forward to a day with sewing friends. Then after that, go pick up Mr. Man for a grandma sleepover and bike riding fun. The weather has been extremely cooperative and walking mileages are looking good for March. Anything will be better than the dismal numbers from the last two months.

Sleeves

2011-03-05T23:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was a very productive day, sewing wise. Finished the loop design on the skirt and started putting the sleeves into the bodice of the graduation dress currently under construction. The sleeves are attached to the bodice with entredeaux. The photos will give a quick tutorial on putting an heirloom garment together with that stuff. I've used the entredeaux to attach the sleeves and also to attach lace edging to the neck line. Most of the other seams have been joined with lace insertion. That gives a fairly strong construction join but the entredeaux is very strong and is good for a seam where strength is important, such as the sleeves to the bodice.

Stitched along edge of "holes"

extra fabric trimmed away

zigzag along trimmed edge to finish

Insertion and edging sewn together with zigzag stitch

lace sewn to beading then attached to sleeve

sleeve sewn to other edge of entredeaux in same manner as before

The lace on the lower edge of the sleeve is a combination of two laces which have been zigzagged together. Ribbon will be woven through the holes in the beading--the lace that is between the sleeve and the edging. When the ribbon is pulled up, the sleeve will be slightly gathered by the adjustment.
There are other photos and if anyone needs further elaboration, I will post them upon request.

More sewing and a little walking

2011-03-02T16:54:00.000-06:00

There were errands to run this morning and since the weather has turned all spring-like, I went for a walk upon my return. A little lunch, then I hit the sewing machine for more progress on the graduation dress currently under construction. I'm adding the tucked bits into the "loops" design on the skirt. The actual construction had me puzzled for days, but it finally came to me how to get those ovals inside the lace loops without having to do a lot of basting (bleh) or having two layers of fabric in there, which would not contribute to a light airy look and be harder to trim away.
The floral elements from the hankie were added to the tucked ovals first then the fabric trimmed from behind the motif.
Lace was stitched into place on the outer edge with a straight stitch, but I may sew the rest with a zig zag. That way I won't need to turn the edges back, since there isn't a lot of strain on these seams like there is on the upper part of the skirt. The horizontal edges will have to be double stitched though since the bottom of the skirt will be attached there. Sounds complicated but all will be revealed.

lace has been persuaded to conform to an oval shape-ha!

pinning before stitching the horizontal bits

oval removed-exhale

more pins

almost done

nicely trimmed

Back to the loops. After pinning and stitching the lace across the bottom edge, I pulled up a thread on the lace and tightened it to conform to the inner shape of the oval. A little pressing to persuade it to stay that way. Then I took a deep breath and cut out the inner oval, which is replaced with the tucked bit. Much pinning, then stitching to hold it all in place. A little trimming along the edges of the tucked piece. Whew! One down, five to go.
The photos might be out of sequence with the text, but my sewing skills are far superior to my computer skills. And what's not to love about using your imagination anyway.
Next episode, I will be attaching sleeves to the bodice, which has extra lace now, and entredeaux is involved in that construction phase. Then we will go on to the bottom tier of the skirt. More tucks!!!

March comes in like a lamb

2011-03-01T17:02:00.000-06:00

The weather cooperated today for a full route of walking. The sun was shining and there was only a slight chill in the air. The best part of today is that February is OVER! It has been a rather dismal month (bad weather, disease, work) and the total mileage on my pedometer was very sad. Less than 20 miles. Yikes! I walked that in a week last fall.
But now it's March and one can only hope the promise of spring will bring better days. I'm trying not to use the word hope this year, to give myself a more forceful outlook on life. Get what I need and want. To get up and DO. As nice a concept as hope is, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a brighter future, I need action right now.
Oh dear, I certainly didn't intend to stand on a soap box.

The Quilt That Never Was

2011-02-22T08:10:00.000-06:00

Tonight is the Uncommon Threads Quilt Guild meeting where everyone who made a challenge quilt will reveal their work. I will not be one of those people. That quilt just did not get done. My heart was not in it, I didn't like the design I chose and working on it was a constant struggle. Everything that could go wrong did.
But the good news is I am able to admit all this to myself and not feel guilty for wasting supplies and time on something I shouldn't have started in the first place.
I did start quilting it but might be able to salvage some of the batting for a smaller project.

Most of last week I worked with a friend assembling and packaging gift baskets. It was like factory/sweatshop work. But my friend is quite enjoyable and made lunch for us each day and that helped the time go by. It's going to be a while before I want to see cellophane and green tulle again.
Now I must put my nose on my own grindstone for the rest of this week and work on graduation dresses. When I was in Nashville last Saturday, I was able to visit the wonderful fabric store there and picked up more swatches for another project. Fingers crossed that I have found the right shade of red wool gabardine.

Graduation dress

2011-02-11T08:50:00.000-06:00

Last year I made several posts giving an overview of the construction of a graduation dress. This year I decided to post some examples of the details of one (or two) of the dresses I'm working on. These photos are from a dress that has lots of tucks and a very pretty lace treatment on the skirt. I have already made the muslin, done a fitting and cut it apart for the pattern pieces, which have in turn been cut from Swiss batiste and sewn together.
The tucked pieces of the dress are cut from a panel of batiste that I spent HOURS stitching on with a twin needle. HOURS!
The oblong motifs are cut from an old hankie, then attached with free motion stitching to the tucked piece.
The vertical lace elements are added to the dress with straight stitching, centering the lace over the construction seams. The fabric behind the lace is trimmed away, the trimmed edges are pressed towards the dress and held in place with zig zag stitching.

lace centered over seam and straight stitched

fabric trimmed

fabric being trimmed

excess fabric pressed away from lace

zig zag on edges

part of the tucked panel (HOURS!)

motif cut from hankie to be free motioned stitched onto tucked piece

loopy design on skirt

Bodice with motif and other lace that may or may not be added

The "loopy" design was traced onto the batiste skirt with a wash away pen. The lace was stitched on following the tracing. The tucked bit is basted on right now, but will be stitched later after another fitting.
Of course it all is puckered but will be pressed nice and smooth as construction continues and when the dress is finished. If you have any questions, ask away!

Not Again!!!

2011-02-10T05:47:00.000-06:00

It snowed yesterday--a lot!!! And now the temps have dropped to the teens and the city is a solid sheet of ice. Especially the streets. Traffic last evening churned up the precipitation on the pavements and then it all froze overnight. The Sewing Guild meeting has been canceled and I will miss having lunch with the girlz, but the grindstone has been calling my nose and I must heed the request.
The main sewing I'm involved in now is graduation dresses. Last year, I did a series of posts on one dress from start to finish, and decided to do something similar this time but with a more detailed direction. Photos to come later, maybe even this afternoon, depending on how much actual sewing gets done here. The only heat source in my sewing area is a tiny space heater and the forecast doesn't call for balmy temps. We'll be lucky to get to 32 degrees.
The quilt I've been working on for the Quilt Guild challenge has not gone as planned and my heart is just NOT in it. In fact, I am considering taking the whole mess and dumping it in the trash. Of course the guilt of wasting all that fabric and time will haunt me till the end of time. Damn those Lutherans!

Walking

2011-02-04T08:03:00.001-06:00

In an effort to maintain my weight and keep my bones strong, I started walking last March. I think I have done very well as my current route is about 4 miles and I can complete it in 50-60 minutes. While the weather was good and even on the horrendously hot days of summer, when I walked in the early morning, I managed to squeeze in 15 or 20 miles a week and sometimes more. During the chilly days of December, I bundled up and walked at least 10 or 15 miles a week.
This has all gone to hell this month. My total mileage for the entire month of January is a little over 45 miles and I have not taken one step so far this month. It is not helping that I have strep throat AGAIN and feel like crap. Plus when I do feel better I have other obligations to catch up on. AND snow and cold temperatures are predicted for the next several days. boohoo.
Spring and good health will not arrive soon enough for me.
On the art front, the opening reception for the group show of the Memphis Association of Craft Artists, at the Jewish Community Center, went very well last Sunday. My friends showed up (yeah!) and there were some sales of artists works--not mine (boohoo) and Vincent behaved like a good boy.
The quilt I am making for the guild challenge is coming along. I have been working on it only at the Monday thing, see a previous post about that, so progress has been delayed because of my absence from there. The quilts are due on the 22nd of February and I'm hoping there will not be a President's Day holiday at the center as that will throw a rather large monkey wrench into my plans. But I will endeavor to finish this project, mainly because of my protestant upbringing (which a lot of days I wish I could overcome).
If you go to my friend Patricia's blog you can find the story of her progress on her challenge offering. It is a lot more interesting than anything here. Just click on the link to Sew What's Next on my blog list. I would make it a "hot" link in this post, but I don't know how.
My next project involves some Amish style piecing, which will be done on Mondays. I will post photos of that during the construction and photos of the challenge quilt after February 22nd.

Art Show

2011-01-28T08:35:00.000-06:00

If it's February, it must be the MACA group show at the Jewish Community Center. Yesterday was the set up day. I got there around 9 am to receive the art works of the 13 other members who committed to being in the show. The center has a very nice food kiosk and I availed myself of a lovely bagel and cream cheese while waiting. And a rather large cup of coffee.
Everyone showed up with their art by noon and many stayed to help with the setting up, which went smoothly. We had the art installed by 1:45 pm. The center has a very good hanging system in the gallery, which was beautifully redecorated a few years ago. Very nice venue. The art changes monthly and they host local artists as well as traveling shows from places far and wide.
The opening reception is Sunday from 2-4pm. The art will remain in the gallery till Feb 28.

before set up

yummy

some of the helpers-thanks y'all

after

Mental Health Monday

2011-01-24T18:46:00.001-06:00

Today turned out to be an exceedingly good day, after a rocky morning. I finally was able to get out to the community center and have some community with my sewing friends. It has been nearly a MONTH since I'd been there, for one reason or another. Also, worked in a little retail therapy at the Super Target beforehand.

Worked on the quilt for the guild challenge, which is due in February. Got to look at the books and magazines brought by others and took one of my recent acquisitions "Drawing Lab," one of the North Light publishers offerings. Sewed, chatted, had a Target salad for lunch, what a day!!!
Here's photos of the room before anyone else arrived. You can tell why we love going out there, even though it's nearly as far as the moon for me to drive. haha And a photo of my latest deconstructed screen printing adventures. Love the blue. It's actually brighter in "real life". The next ones will be red!

Week's end

2011-01-22T21:35:00.000-06:00

Although this week started out poorly, it has improved. Thursday was a very nice day, in spite of the snow. A little jaunt out to Shelby Forest for a meeting with sewing friends, made the snow almost inconsequential. In fact, it kind of set a soothing mood to the rest of that day. There was a snow fog that made it seem I was driving home in a big white bubble. Fortunately the roads were clear so there was no winter driving anxiety. Friday morning was quite a different story weather wise, with icy conditions and my vehicle commandeered by the husband going to work. So I spent the better part of the morning in the basement with some deconstructed screen printing--oh joy! Haven't washed it out yet so no photos.
Today I did something I rarely do and that was to travel to Nashville for the day to meet with the other chapter presidents of the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists. It was quite a pleasant experience. I accompanied a friend who is also in the group, in fact she is the president of TACA, and had a really good time on the drive and at the meeting. Plus, we got to stop at Trader Joe's AND a totally awesome fabric store, Textiles, Inc. There wasn't really enough time to explore the shopping places, but I am motivated to go back to see more of what's available, especially at the fabric store.
I am not much of a traveler, so this was a big deal for me. Going on a 3 hour drive is like going to the moon and way out of my comfort zone. Maybe there is hope for me.

Snow update

2011-01-18T08:56:00.000-06:00

Even though the temps have been reasonable and it has rained, the snow people are trying to hang on and have become snownubs. Especially the ones on the north sides of houses and buildings. It's amazing how long this stuff lasts. What do the citizens in the northeastern U.S. do with all the mess?
Because the temperature has moderated, I was able to get out and walk this past weekend. Felt great to get some fresh-slightly chilly-air and it certainly helped clear my lungs from this rotten cold that won't go away. Maybe I can catch a quick stroll between showers today. My mileage for the month so far is not very spectacular. I walked more in a week in November than I have so far in January.
The artist's group I belong to (and am president of) is having a show that opens at the end of the month. I am trying to organize the setup and get my work together to put in the exhibit. I still need to finish one piece, so maybe I'll be inspired to get that done today and make fitting muslins too. Fingers crossed for a productive day.

Snow monsters on parade

2011-01-11T21:05:00.001-06:00

the guy who lives here has a mohawk, too

such a loving couple

small children live here

good use for extra buttons

kids live here, too

and here

Feeling quite brave this afternoon, I ventured out to the grubbery (the vehicle cooperated) and on the way home saw many interesting structures built by various neighbors. As cold as it is predicted to be this week, they may around for a while, but I decided not to tempt fate and got photos.

Snow is a four letter word

2011-01-10T12:27:00.000-06:00

chilled reisling

snow pit

brrr

Last night we got our obligatory snow fall. It's pretty for about a day, in my opinion. The worst part is I am missing my mental health day, which I've missed for almost a month now because of pesky holiday closings or family matters that took precedence. On top of it all I have a cold with a croupy cough that must go away!! SOON!! Pass the Nyquil, please.

Walking in this new year

2011-01-03T20:13:00.000-06:00

Got my rear end out two days already and walked the regular route. It's nearly 4 miles. The other day--New Year's Day--was cloudy but not too cold. Today was sunny and brisk. It was afternoon before I got out so I did not see the regular crowd of dogs and their people. Or much of anyone else.
Today, I got a new hat that covers my ears and is quite stylish so it should improve my walking profile a lot. That weird little headband thingy I bought a couple months ago, does NOTHING for my style. I think my hair is the wrong length to wear such a thing. But it did keep my ears warm.
I finished a couple of quilts this weekend and now I'm looking at grad dresses again. The grindstone is calling my nose. Photos soon.

Challenge quilts

2010-12-28T20:55:00.000-06:00

The other day I sewed all the 16x 20 quilts together and put a sleeve on the top edge and hung it up. Then I took it down to hang up the quilt I needed to photograph to enter the AQS contest, then hung it back up. Whew the ladder got a workout too. Probably the most exercise I've got since this crappy cold weather set in. It's just too cold and dreary for walking (no matter how much I bundle up) and although the temps forecasted (sp?) for tomorrow sound good, rain is imminent. Boohoo! Since my spectacular week of Thanksgiving, when I walked over 30 miles, I have been a slug in comparison. Plus I've nearly eaten my body weight in candy. Ugh. I do not want to get that sweet tooth back. And my vehicle is acting up again.
Will stress and anxiety see me out of this year? Okay by me as long as it does not follow me into the next one!

2010 online challenge quilts

So here's a photo of all my challenge quilts from 2010. I really did enjoy doing these and was able to put so much more of my heart into my work than ever before. I hope to continue the feeling with whatever art I make from here on out.

2010 challenge quilt

2010-12-26T17:52:00.000-06:00

Alas, the 2010 online challenge has come to an end, as all good things must. I'm not sure where we are supposed to post the final installments so I'm showing it here.

The final theme is "Destination". Very fitting place to end up, I think. This offering describes a happy place for me, the home body. I hope to someday get to that happy place, wherever it may be.(For some reason I remain the eternal optimist, despite my comments to the contrary.)
I sewed all the challenge quilts together today and will post a photo of that on a different day.

Holidaze

2010-12-24T16:55:00.001-06:00

It's nearly over! I have not been a holiday person since forever and this year seems to be worse than other years. Worse than the year I asked my teenage children if they REALLY wanted a tree in the house. Being boys they had no preference one way or the other and it was fine by me to not have that dead plant in the house again, since the tree from the year before did not make it to the curb till nearly Easter. Ah, Easter. At least yummy chocolate bunnies are involved in that holiday.

So here's the best I can do to summon up any holiday spirit. This is the card that was sent to all deserving friends and relatives for the xmas season of 2010. Enjoy. The caption on the card was something about food. This refers to the weight loss experienced at this domicile. You can lose 40 lbs in no time at all, if you quit cooking dinner!

Winter Solstice

2010-12-21T23:26:00.000-06:00

Even though it was a few hours late, I had a solstice fire this evening. I missed my pyro buddy, but he had to go home and I had to attend a guild function. I spent ALL day at the zoo with my grandson and missed the actual solstice time preparing food and myself for the get together, but I did have a fire to celebrate the time of year. Unfortunately there is a tinge of sadness as was the case for the summer solstice last June. I do so hope my life gets back on track soon. I'm starting to believe it has something to do with planetary alignment. Just when I start feeling like things might improve, there's a full moon or equinox or the earth has a hiccup and I'm back at square one.
But what else can I do but dust myself off and set on another course that might be in the direction I should be heading. We'll see.

Artistic Validation

2010-12-14T19:47:00.000-06:00

Dragon Moon

Today, I installed the wall hanging that a wonderful art supporter commissioned. I had a very hard time walking away from the quilt, but it's new person assured me it would be well loved in it's new home. I enjoyed every moment of creating the quilt and it was a total pleasure working with the art supporter. I wish everyday could be this fulfilling.

A date to remember

2010-12-11T15:32:00.000-06:00

Today would have been my father's 100th birthday. He was born in 1910. For some weird reason this is special to me and I sent "Happy Birthday Dad" cards to my siblings to honor the occasion. It seemed like the right thing to do.

It's Official Now

2010-12-07T22:16:00.001-06:00

Tonight I attended the Memphis Association of Craft Artists annual holiday party. My first function as the incoming president of this fine organization. The food was fabulous and plenty. It is an awesome responsibility and I hope I can live up to everyone's goals and expectations, especially since I have a tough act to follow. Gail Grice, the out going prez, raised the bar VERY high. Fortunately, the board is an outstanding group of people, who are willing to work for the members. Wish us luck for the coming year.

Walking

2010-11-28T17:23:00.001-06:00

This week, I made a milestone in my endeavor to remain reasonably healthy. I walked a total of thirty miles in the last seven days. And good thing, since I've eaten more this week than the rest of the month of November put together. These pesky winter holidays are upon us and all the well meaning folks abound, wanting us to eat their yummy food. And we feel so eager to comply, since the food IS yummy!!
So as long as the weather cooperates, and the food fest continues, I guess I'll be walking a lot, a WHOLE LOT! I bought a nice warm sweatshirt, thermal underwear and colorful little gloves to keep me warm on these cold days.
Anyway, I am determined to be thin and fit. Walking is the best. I love being alone with my thoughts and most days the sun is warm and invites me to come outside and wander. Thankfully I still can remember which way is home. Life is good.

Aftermath

2010-11-26T13:37:00.000-06:00

The day after the huge feast. This day is completely different from yesterday--it's 30 degrees colder, I'm 200% fuller, the sun is shining and I'm waiting on the plumber to come back again. Old house, old pipes and the same could be said for me too (haha).
Since I'm stuck here for who knows how long, I worked on the final online challenge quilt. The last theme is "Destination" which I think is very fitting for the final chapter. Notice how many references I make to the end of this exercise. I am very sad for the challenge to end. It has been such a rewarding experience for me to explore different techniques and put a little more of my heart into my art work. And the challenge helped me express some of the turmoil in my life this past year or so. (Lots of "ex" words too. Hmmmm....maybe I'm up for a little more exploring?) Anyway, the quilt is mostly done, just some hand stitching left, and it seems to fit my conception of the theme in a non threatening way. Every challenge theme offered up a suggestion for the extreme in my mind. But my main goal is to keep the peace and I might have myself a personal challenge in 2011 to produce the quilts I REALLY wanted to make. At the very least I did get to think about how to make them and that was fun too.

theme of the day

veggies for poncit

noodles for poncit

a few dishes being served

Enough of me, back to food. Every thing was yummy and there was lots of it. Bad Americans!

Oh Boohoo two

2010-11-22T20:21:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I get the other rejection letter in the snail mail Saturday, after I had been by the art gallery on Broad Avenue on Friday evening and they had only two of my pieces up for the huge street party that was happening Friday and Saturday. Needless to say I had a tiny pity party complete with tears, then promptly got over it.
Took Vincent to visit the Noodlemans on Sunday and what a wonderful relaxing day in the country. Donuts from Banky's. Barbecued pork chops and yummy macaroni and cheese--just like Mama used to make! Amy's fabulously strong coffee. Slight hiccup taking Mr. Man home. Then a huge dose of mental health Monday--there was cake, too-- followed by a surprise visit from my friend from the West Coast. This week is shaping up to be a good one. Fingers crossed!

Rejectee

2010-11-12T09:28:00.001-06:00


frazzled

Here is one of the quilts rejected from the Form Not Function show. I like it and my friends like it too, so that's good enough for me.