That's the name for this variation of a log cabin quilt pattern.. although it might be one crazy and colorful courthouse! It looks right at home flung over the mossy backyard fence. I just finished piecing the top and it will soon be quilted for the Quilts for Quake Survivors benefit auction.
Spring weather couldn't be far away...wishful thinking! I finally finished this chain stitch sampler, which makes me think of the things this season brings. Rebecca Ringquist is a favorite embroidery artist of mine and she designs a series of samplers which are a good exercise in stitching. You can find ready-to-stitch linen samplers at her etsy shop.
I found another great Japanese stitching book recently at the Kinokuniya Bookstore near Portland. They carry a large selection of crafting books; the text is Japanese but most have excellent diagrams for executing the projects with relative ease.
Switching gears a bit...I have in hand my finished sgraffito ceramic tiles, which Maggie was so kind to fire and glaze. This was part of the work accomplished at our pottery play date at the Kennedy Creek studio. What fun!
Just a couple of days after returning home from Olympia, I was off to Tucson to enjoy a visit with Libby, my friend and fellow jewelry artist. The trip was planned to coincide with the Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show events that take place each year in Tucson. Libby guided us through 3 of her favorite bead shows during my short stay. It was a bit of a shopping frenzy, I must admit, mixed together with a load of inspiration.
One of my favorite vendors was Sandra Younger of The Knotty-Do-It-All, a design board that makes knotted cord jewelry much easier to create. Sandra made a bracelet for me using one of the charms I got from the Green Girl Studios booth, and I came home with one of her boards.
I found some nice things at Akonye Kena's booth; some hand-dyed fabric, a couple of bags, and a handmade photo album. This organization partners with young artisans in Africa to provide a venue for selling their goods, including colorful beads made of recycled paper.
A few other little treasures that found their way into my bags.
Last Friday, buddies Debi and Tory piled into my vehicle and the three of us set out to Olympia, Washington for a clay play weekend at the lovely home and studio of our friend and potter extraordinaire, Maggie Roberts. Maggie and her hubs, Dave, are the owner-artists of Kennedy Creek Pottery.
In the studio teacher Maggie expertly led us through several projects; here with Debi and Tory on either side, busy with their creations.
I was so pleased with my birdhouse! Tory and I each made one of these to add to our gardens when they are fired and glazed.
We created a village of pottery houses; some are painted with colored slip (liquid clay).
And here are the tiles we made using the sgraffito technique, carving through dark slip to reveal white porcelain clay beneath. This was great fun! My tiles are at center and upper-center.
Thanks to our hosts Maggie, Dave, and Spud the wonder-Corgi, we had an amazing time.
Week One of Misty Mawn's online workshop "Stretching Within" has given me a jumpstart in the drawing and sketching department. I'm really looking forward to this week's "Painting" section; it will no doubt take me beyond the 5-week course to explore all of the assignments in this class. Misty has put together an amazing collection of lessons, videos, and opportunities for sharing our work online.
And then there is the purging and organizing going on in my workspace.
It feels good to know that I'll have an easier time finding things when starting new projects.
Bright and shiny bits bring a little spark to this time of year, when days of darkness and rain are the norm in my part of the world.
Each year seems to go by more quickly than the one before...I'm always left at the end of December with a feeling of how things were, both good and bad. For me, 2010 was a journey of self-improvement, discovery, and creativity, with only few bumps along the way. My intention is to carry some of the good things into the next 12 months. This lovely piece made by art pal Gloria Sowell reminds me of that.
I enjoy thinking about the year ahead and making a few new plans; of travel, of stretching creatively, of doing things that have been put off for one reason or another. What are your intentions for 2011?
