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Happy Distractions

Yikes!  If I miss a week of posts, it is because I am in a groove with something, or just really having fun.  Or, both situations – if I’m in a creative or other productive groove, I’m having fun.  Last week flew by from canning green tomato relish, and preparing and participating in a local art festival.  I was not a vendor at the festival, but I volunteered to demo my stitching and fabric collage techniques.  Here are a couple of views of my table of creative collage chaos:

The weather was perfect, and I enjoyed renewing acquaintances with local artists.  We all agreed that we need to get together more and promote our skills in the community, and encourage others to learn new things.  One of my goals is find ways to stitch more out in public view, and talk to people about what I am doing.  There are many ways to accomplish this: make something while waiting for an appointment, get out and sketch while on break, have artist trading cards to give away to anyone who asks about what you are doing.  Talk about why art is important to you, and why you like your chosen media.  Have fun!

 

 

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On the Road Again – To Quilt National!

Well, I’m not am exhibitor in Quilt National, but I am pleased to announce that I will be a vendor at the Dairy Barn Arts Center’s QuiltFest.  Hours are Saturday, August 31 from 10-6 and Sunday, September 1 from 10-4.

I will have my own hand-dyed fabric, embellishing trim packs, vintage textiles, Ohio Amish made sewing baskets and embroidery thread from House of Embroidery.  In addition to the creative supplies, I will be selling some of my fabric collage wall hangings and boxes.  Come on out to beautiful Athens, Ohio and buy some beautiful things!

 

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ICAD Week Seven

Tomorrow is the last official day of the index-card-a-day challenge, I am indeed going to fall short on finishing 61 cards in 61 days.  I’m still going to finish the last few, just a few days late!  After I get the last few cards made, I will pick up were I left off on my attempts at the challenge in 2017 and 2018.  My goal is to get five cards done a week until the gaps are all filled in.

I have learned a lot by doing the ICAD challenge, and I have gotten some new ideas for art quilts.  Some of the prompts were really tough for me to complete, as I had great difficulty in coming up with an idea.  Along the way , I learned a couple of new words, tried new art supplies and learned how to (or not to) combine various art media.  In the next couple of weeks, I will feature a few individual cards and discuss the process in creating them, and show a few that have inspired me.

Here are week seven’s efforts:

The prompts were direction, pool, wabi-sabi, amethyst, turnpike, topographic and billboard.

Check back on Thursday for a quilt show announcement.

 

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ICAD Weeks Five and Six

I continue to lag behind on the index-card-a-day challenge, but I am determined to finish all the prompts by July 31.  I know the point is to schedule time to make something every day, and I usually have no problem doing that.  Sometimes, it is a problem.  For those of you that are struggling to get into a creative habit, I’m with you, it is not always easy.  Starting a new, positive habit can be just as challenging as quitting a negative habit.  If you want to do it, keep at it.

Since I have lots of lost time to make up, here are the cards I made for week five:

Prompts were: terracotta, lemon or lemonade, mis-matched, caramel, ogee, constellation, pine tree.  Week six looks like this:

Prompts were: thesaurus, botanical, clue, color chart, blueprint, card catalog, keychain or charm.  Check back on Tuesday for my take on week seven and eight, I promise!

 

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Summer Meadows

I have really derailed over the last week and a half – with this blog, the index-card-a-day challenge, and more.  However, I was having a fabulous time indulging in a hobby that has consumed me for most of my life at BreyerFest– the collectors’ convention for model horses.

I’m still trying to ease back into my usual routine, so here’s a couple of images of the meadows that surround my home.

I look forward to seeing the vibrant orange butterfly weed flowers each July, and I have captured them in an ongoing series of fiber art pieces:

Take some time this week to study a landscape that you see frequently, make note of what you notice most in it, then find something that you haven’t noticed.  Does it inspire you creatively?