Project Sock Design Contest

I am a patterned sock junkie and found a sock company called Little MissMatched. They sell 3 sock packs of similar but different designs so they don't match on purpose.. They are having a Season 2 sock design contest from people who wear their socks and/or visit thier website. I took a stab at it and the photo above is my entry. The deadline is April 15th and the company chooses the finalists then the public votes for their favorite on Little MissMatched website. The winner receives money, free socks and the ability to help design their socks. I have no idea how many people enter this contest and what my odds are. This was a fun project and I bought a new large box of colored pencils to color in the socks. I had a flashback of when I was a child when I drew and colored pictures all the time before sewing entered my world. P.S. according to Stacy and Clinton from "What Not to Wear" it is tacky to wear patterned socks if you are older than 5 but I stil do but under jeans and not with dresses, capris or shorts!!

New Fabric Postcards

I decided to make a few (12) more fabric postcards to sell or use as greeting cards. I used the same technique of strip piecing gradations of one/two colors but laid the strips on the diagonal. I used the same pattern pieces from the quilts in my last post to create the eyes and nose. I embellished the eyes with glitter nail polish (hooray for OPI and Creative Nail polish!!!) and finished the edges with a decorative stitch and Sulky Blendables thread. I do six at a time so it's not a Oshkosh B'Gosh factory job flashback!! They are filled with Fast2Fuse and I used a beige batik on the back because the batik doesn't have a transparency like some solid woven fabrics do. I keep the background fabric very simple so if the card is actually used as a postcard with writing the lettering is visable. These postcards are easy to complete and you feel like you accomplished something in a short amount of time.

Two Flips and Two Inverted Bobs

I displayed two of the quilt tops of the funky women wall hangings last week. I used a variety of colors to hopefully appeal to the shoppers at The Old Church Gallery in Cedar River MI. I had fun with these small quilts and
have an idea for a hippie chick and a lady ga-ga fame monster!!

New Work for Art Gallery

I have explored this style before and am having fun with these smaller pieces (aprox. 15 x 18 ). I have had my work displayed for sale at the Old Church Gallery in Cedar River MI near Menominee where I live. I struggle with randomly making things that I hope people will purchase but I decided to stay smaller and have fun. I have four pieces in various gradations of colorful batiks. I have two hairstyles and my mind is spinning with other hairstyles like punker girl or retro flapper or afro disco chick!! I may use neutrals or pastels but I want to stay with the brights because that's what I gravitate towards. They are ready to quilt, bind and embellish. I like this technique because I like the contrast of straight and curved lines, contrast in color and the fun of the hairstyles choices.

Convergence Class Sample

I hope to teach a Convergence construction class at Quilter's Haven Quilt Shop in Menominee MI and this is my class sample. I had attempted to teach this class before and the owner thought people are afraid of it thinking it is too difficult. I want to show it is easy with straight stitiching and rotary cutting. My sample is in fabrics more subdued that I would normally chose with contrasting borders. I fussy cut Kaffe flowers and fused them to the top of the quilt. I embellished the quilt with some fun felt flowers I found at Joanns and a few rhinestones and glliter nail polish. I liked the contrast of the fuzzy felt and the shiny rhinestones/glitter. The weather here in the upper midwest has gone from beautiful sunshine and above normal temps to damp, rainy and foggy. I have managed to get the mother of all head colds. This cold has caused me to miss work and not be in my studio until late yesterday. I think I'm going to be able to taste my food today and not have to blow my nose every second.

My Artists Reception

I had my artists reception yesterday in the gallery in my local public library. This is a photo of Jordana, my daughter, and myself at the exhibit. She is the food goddess because I could have never pulled off the wonderful food she created. It's not just the food but the platters and display (art of food!!) that makes it. Jordana used pieces from my fabric collection, in my favorite color pink, to decorate the table. She even add hints of pink and red in the food!! I had a variety of people from my local quilt guild, my co-workers at Pine St. Quilts, Pizazz Salon customers, even a couple from my church! It was nice to have people see my work that I have never met. It was fun, I loved chatting with everyone and Cheryl Hoffman from Spies Library was amazing in her hospitality!!

Seasonal Art Exhibit

The MAAC (Menominee Area Arts Council) Seasonal Art Exhibit has switched from winter to spring as of March 1st. The display is at the Menominee MI City Hall. I have my Dandelion Fairy quilt on display which is the photo on the left. On the right, I chose the photo of a lily, which was photographed by a area high school student, because spring reminds me of the upcoming flower season. The display is there until May 31st during business hours.