This tee shirt was dyed first at an angle, then I stenciled the design and also added some crystals.  

This purse started out with a piece navy fabric, I then stenciled it with copper fabric paint.  

WHAT TO DO NEXT?

What to do next?

I finished up all the projects I was working on, even some really small pieces that I started a long time ago.
I have a dozen ideas, but can't seem to decide which one will be worth putting the effort into.

I know, those of you artful quilters who have ( made it big) by that I mean those of you who have entered into competitions and won first places and money and machines, and teach on a regular basis, now are saying that you are just going to make art for art's sake
and if it gets into the shows ok, if not, that is o.k. also.

Maybe someday I will feel that way to, but for now when I make a big piece it feels like it must be something that will at least have a chance of getting accepted. There is so much fantastic pieces out there these days.

So, this is my solution------------- I start decorating clothes. This way I get my creative juices going, and it takes only hours instead of weeks or months. And in the meantime I can contemplate WHAT NEXT!
So here is a sampling of what I have been working on!

This is the finished project from a class I took at Get-Away last month. I really learned a lot and plan to do more.The shading is all done with threadwork. I really think it is good to take classes along the way. There is always something new and just being in class with other students helps to get the creative juices going. 

This is my latest quilt. I have been trying to put more depth into my quilts, and this is a picture my husband took on a trip to Italy many years ago.  

This is my latest piece, finally finished. It was inspired by a picture that my husband took on a trip to Italy. I have been trying to get more depth into my quilts this year, and this is a pretty good start. It was done by fusing each piece on, but when I started to sew on the top some of the pieces started to come up. So, I wound up doing an applique stitch around each piece.  

This is the Challange quilt. We were suppost to choose a song and then make a quilt symbolizing it. Mine is Starry Starry night, written about the artist Van Gough and the version I love is sung by Josh Groban. The moon was done in a mosiac style and the stars were outlined with threads by hand.  

This is a close up of my Challenge quilt. The middle star has the challenge fabric which was black and white, only I dyed it. It has little musical notes on it.  

Sorry I hit the wrong key. Jaunita's class was called Quilters Collage. I just got to busy in the class I forgot to take any pictures. This picture is of Pat in the Blue shirt.  

I took a class from a friend by the name of Pat Jennings. She taught Adventures in Portraiture. Such fun and I loved learning a new technique. The possibilities are endless. I also took a class from Jaunita Yeager called Quilters 

This is my friend Cindy Vough who is our Vice President, and she was in charge of putting together Get- Away this year and next. She did a great job! 

This quilt was made a couple of years ago and won Best Use of Color at our State Get-Away in 2005. It as well as the other entries traveled all over Kentucky, and was shown at guilds and schools and other venues for one year. I was very happy to see it again. 

Quilters Are Jack of all Trades!!!

One of my quilts is being considered to use on a post card, as advertisement for an upcoming show. Of course I am very excited to be considered, and as I was taking pictures yesterday, it occured to me how many skills one has to master in order to be competative in the world of quilting today.

Not only does one have to think up an idea for a quilt, then design it in paper or whatever works for you. Then she must chose fabric and make the top. From there she must choose a backing and sandwich it together. It doesn't stop there as the next step is to decide how she is going to quilt it. Practically no one hand quilts anymore, so then there is the question of FREE MOTION QUILTING. This scares some people to death, and I must confess it takes a lot of hours of practice to become proficient. SO, now it is quilted and bound------------- but that doesn't end the process.

It took me some time and money (I must confess) to figure out a working program to photograph my quilts. I started out borrowing a friends 35mm camera, and spent hours trying to find slide film and a place that would develop the film. So I finally purchased a 3 mega digital camera. Then the shows decided you could send in digital cd, but they wanted at least 4 mega. So, I bouhgt the bullett and purchased a 6 mega. Of course I had to learn the new technology also and how to download the pictures and THEN somehow get them into a program that would allow then to go to my blog. ( I can't tell you how many hours I spent figuring out that one.

All in all, QUILTERS are amazing. Especially those who like to compete! It will be a cold day in hell when this profession really makes one a lot of money, so the love of the craft keeps us going. I know it is for the ART that makes it all worth it, and for the glory of being selected as standing out of the crowd. So, I guess I will do it in some stages as long as I can sit at my machine and see what I am working on.

My hat is off to those of you who continue the tradition!

Monkey's looking at monkeys!! This is Linda and we both had the same idea at the same time.  

Here is another. Painted red and stenciled with dark purple. Looks like snakeskin. 

I have been making fabric to use in purses. The following are just samples. Painted with a basecoat and then stenciled. Could be cool. 

Beautiful Irisis 

Could be turned into and interesting quilt! 

Our Art Quilt group met at the Arboretum on the campus of the Univeristy of Kentucky to take pictures. Mainly ones we think might be turned into quilts. I loved this one with the reflection of the tree from the other side of the pond. 

FOR YOU ????????????????

OK I AM GOING TO THROW OUT SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU AND I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY FEEDBACK.

My friend Cindy and I were discussing the Paducah show as we were returning home.

The topic of conversation was the Long Arm machines.
Especially the ones with the stitch regulator.

It seems all the top winners are either using the LA
or are having the tops quilted by someone else.
I have a problem with this. #1 is it fair to have your quilt, quilted by someone else and only have to acknowledge that someone (no name) worked on the quilt?
#2 Is it fair for those of us who have home machines without stitch regulators to have to compete with the LA? I know there is a separate catagory for LA but that only applies to those quilters who enter that catagory, and the rest just have them or do them on the LA and enter into the regular catagories.

There seems to be an inequity somewhere.
Also I am seeing quilts like the two quilters from France who always win top prizes. These quilts are done and acknowledged that two people work on them. Shouldn't that fall into the group catagory?

The winners were exceptional this year. The Best of show was almost mind boggling. Someone said it took her 4 years to complete and she invested $6,ooo.00 in crystals applied to the back.

So, anyway, let me know what you think on these topics and perhaps if enough people are thinking along the same lines we can get the shows to make some changes.

This is a picture of the new Four ??? something perforning arts building. I think they held the fashion show there this year. 

Another view of the wall. As you can see it was raining. Seems like it is always raining when we visit Paducah. Doesn't dampen our spirits just really makes the hair a disaster! 

This is a picture of the flood wall along the river. If you have never visited before each panel has a historical painting. 

Obviously this is the front view. 

We visited Caryl Bryant Fallert's new studio. Still not finished but open. She was there and we had a nice chat and bought some things. 

This is by Inge Mardal & Steen Hougs, from France. They always win. But back to my ranting. Shouldn't this be in the catagory of group. More than one person worked on it. Maybe I need to ask exactally what the rules are? 

What to say? 

This was my favorite. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but the colors and the design were the greatest.