Blessings on Easter Weekend

This is my quilt named "Venus Rising: Out of Addiction" which I made late last fall for the 4 women exhibit at my local library. I also knew of a national quilt exhibit which in every other year called Sacred Threads Quilts (2011). http://www.sacredthreadsquilts.com/. The theme of this quilt exhibit is spirituality and has subcategories such as peace, joy, healing etc. I received notice by e-mail yesterday that my piece has been selected to be part of the exhibit which will be this summer in the Washington DC area. The website has all the details. Eventually the quilts will be on their website as well.

Then a few weeks ago I received an e-mail from Marina and Dale at a quilt blog http://www.quiltinspiration.blogspot.com/. They viewed my quilt blog (YEAH) and loved my Homonym/Mad as a March Hare art quilt and asked permission to use it in their quilt inspiration blog. I said yes and it is on their blog today. They were so kind to pick my quilt and it say such nice words about my quilts etc. So I am very blessed to have these two forms of abundance come my way this weekend. Happy Easter!!

The Ever Changing Quilt

This quilt started as an idea for a mixed media piece that was to go on a 16 x 20 canvas. I drew out the picture and realized I needed to make this into a quilt which I would staple to an art frame for an upcoming exhibit at an art gallery. I thought it would be more gallery ready if it had no binding and was mounted on a frame. The design took up a lot of the 16 x 20 space and I added extra for the roll over of the stapling process. I then put the mixed media project on hold. So I get to the point were I feel I'm done with the quilt and ready to mount it to the frame and decide, ever though I used fleece (thinner) instead of quilt batting, it was too bulky to staple to the frame. I was getting used to the extra background when I looked at it and stared at it for two weeks and decided I was a quilter and make it a quilt with a binding and utilize the extra fabric. I still like a binding that is hand sewed to the back of the quilt instead  of a machine or fused binding. I added coloful beans to the binding edge and some glitter on the yellow highlights, green eyelids and the lips. I added two wool flowers and a wood button for in the hair. My design is similar to my "Hera and Aphrodite" quilt I did last year with the mosaic fusing technique. Several people thought "Hera" was too stern so on this piece I softened her by changing her brow position, gave her pouty lips and "Barbie Doll" eyes. I named this quilt "Rainbow Avatar." The mixed media piece is still on hold because I really like to fuse fabric to fabric and sew and not glue things to things. I had an a-ha moment where I realized I love my sewing machine and there is a reason I do what I do and not paint on canvas. Hug your sewing machine if you have one!!

Why I Have NOt Been In the Studio

I have not been in my studio as much because I am taking an 8 week course in Green Bay (WI) on entrepreneurialship. I want to have a small business related to my art quilts and want to do it the RIGHT way. This photo is the cover of my text book. I am enrolled at Urban Hope Entrepreneurial Center in Green Bay and having a blast-my head explodes after each 3 hr. class from all the info I am learning. There are guest speakers from the community explaining how to write a mission statement, the legal and tax part of a small business etc. and my favorite part is marketin! so I am new to LinkedIn. I have purchased Print Shop to help me create my quilt patterns more efficiently and cost effective. My local friend, Glenda, has been kind enough to give me a 2 hr. lesson on how to do Print Shop- so now I have another obsession!! I have my 2011 Hoffman Challenge quilt finished and my Michigan Art Quilt Invitational piece finished but can't post until July went it gets closer to the mailing date because I want it to be confidential. And I've been tickering with a mixed media project which has been shelved because I had an a-ah moment that I love to sew my projects not attach fiber etc. to a canvas!! So I hug my sewing machine daily and show gratitude toward it as my favorite sewing tool!! Take care and I want to make a mermaid next!!