Paper Collage Portraits

 A while back, I saw this picture on facebook.  It is also on this blog post by the artist.  One of the girls thought it was a mask because of the eyes.

Anyway, I thought it looked like a fun project for the ArtCGirlz to try, even though it's paper.

So those of us at the October meeting brought in magazines and had a blast leafing through them to find the right colors, words, features.....









I had originally thought to do something totally abstract, but then I found the eyes.  So I guess it's semi-abstract.  It was SO much fun. 

When we all showed them at the regular guild meeting, the girls who hadn't been able to come said they wanted to do it.  So at the November meeting, I did it again.  I really need to practice the mosaic thing.  I was trying to hint at a nose and mouth, but the hints were a bit too vague.  It was still fun!












Two new exhibits opened at the Roz Steiner Gallery last week.  Both are interesting! I am happy we have this space on campus- and a new gallery manager so the gallery is open when I'm here. ( I wish they would find a way to do evening and weekend hours, though)
This is the work of Lee Hoag.  The exhibit is called "the Alchemy of Objects".  He takes old stuff and creates sculptures.  I wanted to know what the bits were before, but none of the signs had that information.

This piece reminds me of the hooka the caterpillar smokes in Alice In Wonderland!

I wanted to play with this one.  It looks like a top you could spin!

This one looks like a fabulous night light to me!  He uses a lot of those glass pieces. 

 I wonder where he gets them?

There was another, um, interesting piece.  But I decided it was a bit to "Masculine" to have a place here.*

The lobby gallery- open any hours the college is open- is featuring the work of Courtney Blazon.  The combination of windows and glass on the artwork makes it nearly impossible to get a good picture.  But she shares a lot of her work on her blog.

Check out the snails on the feet of the zebra!
Her work is kind of Alice in Wonderland meets Terry Gilliam. 


*Think of the word "ladylike" in an episode of Everybody loves Raymond and you'll know what I mean.

I look forward to Thanksgiving more than most other holidays.  It breaks my heart that the commercialization of Christmas- fueled by the crass consumerism that drives our broken economy- has diminished this most wonderful of holidays!  As Loudon Wainwright observed, "Forget about Thanksgiving, it's just a buffet in between"

In your feasting, remember it saves money as well as resources to use your good china and cloth napkins rather than  disposables!  Besides, you have all those nice dishes, you might as well use them!

I am grateful for:
Having only 4 foster kittens!
Good sewing time
Good time with friends at/ after the guild meeting
 A warm sunny afternoon of "Indian summer"
It wasn't raining when the fire alarms sent us out into the cold!

A quick update on the copyright saga- and kittens!

 This beautiful cat came in to the shelter last week during my shift.  She is almost exactly what I pictured in my head when I was looking for a cat last year. (Before I met George!)  I mentioned to the "dear" husband how happy I would be if I could have another cat- since the perfect one is available.  But- as he has done for years- he told me I could have a new cat if I get rid of the old one.

The big meanie!!!




Meanwhile, I still have 8 kittens, who have outgrown their room, so I am really hoping to get some of them moved out this week.  Here is a glimpse of what happens every time I go in to take care of them.

You may think, Aww, how cute!  But when one is trying to empty three litter pans, and clean the floor and three or four kittens decide to jump on one's back and head, one is climbing up your leg, then the one on your head starts pulling your hair; it can become moderately annoying. 
 Yes, I'm sitting on the toilet to cuddle them.  It's the guest bathroom, so the potty is the only seat available.





So- about an hour after I posted last time, I got an email from the Sendak contact at Harper Collins.  She complemented my work and my talent rather sincerely.  However, after all these months, it turns out that Warner Brothers owns all the rights other than reprinting parts of the published book, as part of the agreement when they made the movie.  So IF I can find out who I would ask for permission at Warner Brothers, and IF they even understand what I am asking, and IF they agree that as long as I do not intend to use my work for financial gain.......
I thanked the woman at Harper Collins, but told her:

"I will look into who to contact at Warner Brothers, although I have to say at this point I am put off by the whole process.  They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but not when it comes to copyright laws, I guess."

 I still have a really nice quilt. If you come visit, I'll show it to you!

I am feeling very saddened by the devastation caused by the typhoon in Southeast Asia.  I will admit, though, that it occurred to me that climate scientists have been warning of the likelihood of stronger, more violent storms for years and years.  And nothing is changing.  I feel like the Lorax most days.  "Nobody listens too much, don't you know"

I am grateful for:

A joyous reunion with a dear friend on her happiest day

Warm feet

My hubby puts up with my crazy and takes care of me.

Six months before I have to go to the dentist again.

My fellow crazy cat ladies

SO much easier to ask forgiveness than permission!!!

First- here is my only Trick-or-treater from last week.  Isn't she beautiful?!!  (mom prefers to hide behind a mask)

I spent most of my last (three day) weekend marking, layering and basting the raffle quilt, taped to my dining room floor.

 I am really pleased with the way it has turned out.  But it sure would have been easier to have a pattern to follow.  Most of the quilting will be in the ditch style, but there are parts that needed to be marked.  Another member recommended "Kopha" water erasable markers. She said they seem to work much longer than the clover ones. (meaning they don't dry out as quickly) The line seems finer as well.  I got mine at the Stencil Company. 

I'm not sure which of these pictures has the truer color, so I posted both.  The footstool is what I rested on as I was working.  I hoped it would save my knees.  It didn't.









So- the reason for the title of this post- you may remember my "Where the Wild Things Are" quilt.   I made it for the challenge and for my son, Lucas.  I never intended it to be a competition piece or anything.  But I did hope to enter it into a few shows once I got it finished because I was so pleased with how it came out.  The first show I would have entered was the Genesee Valley show LAST June.  I sent my request to Harper Collins in January, as soon as the quilt was finished.  Their website states the usual turn around time is 4 - 8 weeks.  But by April I had still not heard anything from them.  So I resubmitted my request, including the fact that my deadline was fast approaching and would someone at least let me know the request was in process.  A nice lady called me to discuss the request, how the quilt would be used, etc, etc.  I told her I needed a decision by May 1- the date to withdraw the quilt from the show.  Apparently they have a separate person to deal with requests for Maurice Sendak's work.  And- since Mr Sendak had passed away, all requests now go to the Sendak family.  I never heard another word.  The deadline passed and I didn't have another show looming, so I kind of let it drop.  But then I thought about it again a month or so ago and was pretty upset they never responded at all.  So I submitted my request a third time, asking what ever became of my original request and saying I thought it was pretty poor practice to not send me any response at all.  Turns out, once the May 1 deadline passed, they discarded it.  Apparently I would have to submit a request for EACH time I wanted to show the quilt, including dates, location, any media coverage it might get....
Seriously???? For EACH show??? Are you freaking kidding me????  I cannot imagine that level of pettiness!  I have since asked- since I assume this is all about someone fearing I will make money and they won't get their cut-  if there is a license I can buy which would allow me to show the quilt on the condition show entry does not give the sponsor permission to use images of the piece in any way- which means almost nowhere other then my own guild, and possibly my son's bedroom.  I have had no response.
So there is a LOT of truth to the saying that it is easier to ask forgiveness than permission.

I have a problem with copyright laws in all honesty.  I don't know how some ideas and designs- even words!- can be copyrighted.  I don't get how if I buy a quilt book or pattern I can't use it any way I like, or share it with a friend.  I do, however know why they are needed.  I just read a story about an Australian quilt designer who sold her pattern to a publisher who then sold it to someone else.  Maybe she didn't read her contract closely enough, but I still think she should be paid again by the second magazine.


Jane Sassaman told a story when I saw her speak several years ago about entering a hotel and discovering her quilt was the carpeting!  (She successfully sued the carpet manufacturer!) 
I think this is the quilt which was used without her permission.










I get it.  I used someone else's work.  But I am not trying to profit from it.  I just want to be able to show it off since I'm proud of it.  Is that really so much to ask????

My Environmental rant is short this week.  Just stay informed.  Know what is going on in your neighborhood.  If it's something you find objectionable, get the facts yourself.  Don't let "the experts" tell you.  Most of those "experts" have an agenda.  And make sure you aren't making it worse.  Several years ago, there was a proposal for a wind farm near me.  I was excited about it.  But the "NIMBY's"  were very loud and a moratorium on wind farms was passed.  Now the frackers are looking at the same area. HMMM- let's consider these options:  the whoosh, whoosh of a wind turbine, or poisoned air and water.  Not a tough choice.

I am grateful for:
an unexpected call asking my advice
fresh Cuba cheese curds
the kittens who cuddle on my lap and purr the minute I go into the "nursery"
being comfortable warm
being part of a good team

Something to show!

I'm typing on the ipad blogger app, which has very limited functionality.  So pardon the spacing, etc....

I have actually managed to finish a few things the last week or so.   The above piece was from a class i took with George Siciliano over three years ago.  You may remember I spent all three days of the February retreat this year making three of the blocks for this.  Three days!

It's finished now.  I finished the quilting before the class with wendy Butler berns, but i never consider a piece finished until it has a label and sleeve.  Problem was, I didn't have a name I liked for it.  So i put a picture on facebook and asked for suggestions.  My friend Terry suggested "Mystic Thistle", which I loved!  

The dress I made on Saturday.  I started at lunchtime with three yards of fabric.  By dinnertime I had a dress.  I wish more projects could be finished that quickly!  (I should note there is no zipper in this dress.  It's a very easy pattern!)

Shoot, these are out of order.  I quilted the tree project, which also needs a name.  I love how it looks on the back.  I may have goten that from my BFF Mary, who always looks on the backs of her quilts to see how she's doing. 

I added the leaves since the background has flowers in it.  So obviously it is a springtime scene.

I was thinking of adding some beads as flowers on the tree.  I laid them on in the picture below.  So, beads, or no beads?

The raffle quilt top is finished at last.  This is only part of it.  I was marking the quilting on a sheet of vinyl to test out some ideas and spacing.  It's going to be hand quilted.  So we need to get started very soon.  The quilt show is just under a year away.

Thinking "green" this week brings me to the Holiday shopping season.  The stores are jam-packed with stuff they think we want and/ or need.  It's the same garbage every year: decorative tableware, fake pine wreaths and garlands, serving pieces, kitschy little decorations....

 First, in spite of what Martha Stewart would have us believe, we don't need ANY of this junk to enjoy our holiday.

Second, if you do "need" to decorate everything, why can't you store and reuse the same stuff?  Your guests won't care if the napkins are the same ones you used last year, will they? (Note i am assuming you are using cloth napkins?)  it's the people who aree important at holiday gatherings.   NOT the stuff!

I am grateful for:

The time of year when being warm feels good to me.

Potato soup

Finishing things

Crawling back into the covers on a cold morning

Admitting defeat

A very fun class!

The Museum Quilt Guild enjoyed a visit from Wendy Butler Berns last week. We only enjoy a national teacher every couple of years, so it's always exciting! 
Not only is Wendy a warm and energetic teacher, she is loads of fun to be around!







 The class I took was this tiny tree.  Part of her Picture Image Applique series.  This project uses fabric manipulation to add texture to the picture.

This is one of Wendy's samples.

This one is also Wendy's

I didn't put a lot of time into choosing fabrics for the class.  I basically grabbed a light, medium and dark in the colors I thought I would need.  I was disappointed at first that my fabrics were boring, But it made choosing what to use where in my project much easier!

And I was very pleased with the results!!
Since there are flowers in the background, I plan to add green leaves- and maybe some blossoms to my tree when I embellish.

My friend Kathi  made a piece that ended up having a Halloween flavor to it.  Isn't it awesome! (I suggested the moon)

















We laid them all on a table at the end, but it was hard to  get a good picture of them this way! 







Fortunately Wendy took a group picture!  Such a fun day!

The following day, we enjoyed a lecture with Wendy about the stories behind quilts.  She once again had a great show and tell of some of her work. 

I loved how these looked laid out this way- like the dark kitty is a shadow of the light one.  I bought this pattern, of course!

Wendy has to simplify her original quilts to make them into a marketable pattern.  Here is a perfect example of that.

The details she ads to her quilts are worth a closer look.  The butterfly here is 3-d.  I never got a chance to ask how it was done.

And look at the hair on this child!















My friend Jeri shares interesting links about environmental issues on facebook.  I mention this because it is important to stay informed- no matter the issue.  You can say you support this or that, but not know much about it.  I know I have been guilty of that in the past.

I am grateful for:
The ten "extra" minutes of sleep I get by setting my clock ahead, which allows me to hit the snooze once. 
Apple Crisp made with my grandmother's recipe.
Watching the kittens when I bring something new into the "nursery".
A great sewing day!
Rereading a favorite book and getting to "the good parts".

But First...

  I'm posting from the blogger app, so I have very limited options.  Sorry.  I'll try to find a chance to come back to add links and move the pictures around.

My husband has been away on a hunting trip for the last couple of weeks.  My first thought was that I would get SO much sewing done while he was away and I didn't have to stop sewing if I didn't want to when it was time to cook, or whatever.  

(Of course I still had to go to work and take care of the kittens, and do the laundry....)

 I had fabric I was dying to make into an early Fall dress using a pattern I got quite a while ago at some quilt shop or other.   But first...                                        

I had layered this table topper quilt back in the spring.  It's made with leftovers from the Star Light, Star Bright (Scrap Therapy) class I taught several years ago.  I had a bit of fun with the quilting.  The center is meant to sort of look like a poinsettia blossom.

And a sort of orange peel thing in the narrow border.  Very easy, and fun!

Then in the outer border, which is 8 inches wide, I did free form feathers.  I don't recommend doing it this way, but I don't hate how it came out.

Then I found a bag of bits leftover from a couple of projects.  I put them together because I thought they would look nice together.  Kathryn Schmidt (Rule Breaking Quilts) was sort of my inspiration for this.  She has done some blog posts about her "Anything Goes With UFOs" class. (Look here http://quirksltd.wordpress.com/classes/ )  Step one: put your bits and pieces on the design wall.  I ended up rejecting the stripy piece in the center.

This is how it ended up- after a couple of days of  staring and moving things around and cutting and fitting and tearing out and trying something different.  It's a nice size for a crib quilt, but I think it's a bit much for any baby.  It might end up as a tote bag.  Mostly I had fun doing this.  I didn't really need a new dress anyway.

Tomorrow I am taking a class with Wendy Butler Berns, who is the national teacher my guild sponsored this year.  So hopefully I'll have something fun to share after.

Do you have an old appliance in your basement?  I do.  It's a "perfectly good" freezer which is somewhere around 25 years old!  We keep jugs of water in it part of the year when it is more empty to prevent it from having to cool a lot of empty space.  But it is still very inefficient. It needs to be replaced, and disposed of properly of course!  Most retailers will do that for you when they deliver.

I am grateful for:

Bake sales at the college because they usually have brownies.

Accepting my own limitations.

Soup weather! (Broccoli cheddar to get things started!)

Cuddling with George in the mornings.

Wine O'Clock

Ann Brauer Demo

 You may remember this purse I made using techniques Ann Brauer uses in her work.

Since I was obviously an expert after doing one project, I was asked to do a demo on this technique at my guild meeting a couple of weeks ago.

I thought I would share it here as well.





The first thing to remember is that to do this skinny strip technique, you need a LOT of skinny strips.   You are using 3/4" strips.  They finish at 1/4".  So if you want a 10 inch piece, you need 40.  And when you choose the fabrics, leave those pieces you don't think quite "go". They will add a little sparkle to the piece.  This is the before and after of the fabrics I used for my purse.  See how much better they blend after sewing? But the "odd birds" add a little something here and there.

 So to do this, decide how big you want your project to finish and cut a piece of backing and batting slightly larger than that size.  Pin them together around the edges.  ( you could spray baste if you can use that spray- I cannot)
Mark registration points every couple of inches.  This is to keep the strips straight as it is very easy to slant them as you sew.
See the green sample below.  The strips at one end are skewed.  Of course, if you don't care about keeping them straight you can skip this step.

Lay out your strips the way you want them.  If you overlap them so only 1/4" shows, you will have a better idea of how they will look, but it is hard to work with them at the machine that way.
I usually lay the center strip right on the marked line closest to the center of the batting, right side up.  Lay the next strip right sides together and sew a quarter inch seam.  I use a walking foot.
You can work all the way out from the center on one side, the flip it to do the other, or do every other side out from the center.  Just make sure you know where you are so you don't mix up which strip to sew next.

This shows the difference in size from strips to finished piece. The taupe sample has 19 strips.  The bright one has 23.





I don't know yet what the bright one is for.
 I brought it to pass around so all could feel a piece of the fabric you get with this technique.  It is softer than many thought it would be.

I would really like to do one like this next!

Ann shares her process on her blog now and then.  You can see how she assembles her larger pieces in this post.

A quick "green" thought.
Let's all remember that being environmentally conscious is a lifestyle, not a fashion statement.  Most places selling t-shirts, bags, bandanas.... with eco-friendly logos or sayings on them just want to sell you something.  So don't buy it unless you need a new one anyway.  And then look for one made with earth friendly materials.

I am grateful for:
Being part of a group wrapping needy friends in our love.
A rainy day so I can catch up on the puttery stuff inside.
Cuddling my babies at the shelter one more time.(But I hope they aren't there the next time I go)
I finally got my ear unplugged!
Walking through dry fall leaves and listening to that sound they make.