Still here, still stitching

Life and working for a living have sniped deeply into my "free" time formerly frittered away on the computer. I've been working on free piecing a small top so I can learn how to use the MegaQuilter that will be set up at work soon. You would think I could find a better, more creative way to take advantage of this amazing resource. I'll work on it. This could become a "creature" backdrop! I'm a bit stunned with lack of sleep. For unknown reasons I woke up in the middle of the night and started to watch "Windsor Castle - A Royal Year" on PBS....and couldn't stop watching. For those of you who might have a nodding acquaintance about where and how the British Monarchy does the day to day, check this program out.It was mesmerizing! To all my friends and readers in the UK. I was just astounded at the depth of pride in the tradition of service expressed by the people whose work keep things running smoothly at the Queen's favorite home. It was marvelous to see people costume and conduct themselves with such purpose, each pleat, fold and flourish having a meaning that reaches back into history.

Clearing the Decks

Everything listed on my Like Hotcakes site is priced to sell! All the bundles, all the single pieces are now $10.00 including postage in the US. All of these items are one of a kind so please email me for availability. Paypal to me at deborah@lacativa.com is preferred but, we can work it out, as the song says.

I missed opening night!

...because I was home in the studio most of the day working on this piece, and I'm in Georgia. But I do hope someone scarfed up my portion of wine and cheese. When I have my first solo show I'm serving hard apple cider, raw cookie dough canapes and fried clams. If anyone got to go to this show, drop me a line. Two of my pieces, Exubera and Limbo are taking up a lot of wall space there. Prayers go up to all the gods that someone feels the deep urge to take one or both of them home, paid. ‘ART QUILTS XIII: LUCKY BREAK’ ON EXHIBIT AT CHANDLER CENTER FOR THE ARTS NOV. 7 – DEC. 31 CHANDLER, Ariz. (Oct. 16, 2008) – Art Quilts XIII: Lucky Break, a juried exhibition of contemporary art quilts, will be on display Nov. 7-Dec. 31, 2008, at the Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave. Admission is free. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. An opening reception featuring many of the artists, and the music of jazz guitarist Pete Pancrazi, takes place Friday, Nov. 7, from 7-9 p.m. Admission to this special event also is free. “This year’s exhibition includes works of artists from four countries, the United States, Canada, Belgium and Israel. The pieces were selected to represent the very wide range of techniques and design solutions artists use today to create contemporary pieces. Those techniques range from painting and monoprinting to photo transfer and machine piecing,” says juror/organizer Diane Howell, a Chandler resident. “The image for our promotional postcard this year, Drawing on the Mist by Linda Colsh of Belgium, blends both new and old. It is machine pieced and quilted, but the surface design is made from computer images and screens created by the artist from her own photographs and drawings.” What’s the lucky break? The main image was an unexpected photograph caught while Colsh was photographing street pipes in Berlin Art Quilts XIII: Lucky Break continues the fall tradition of presenting fiber art at the Chandler Center for the Arts. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 people view the show every year, some of them arriving on buses and many of them out-of-state visitors. The Bernina Connection, located at 4219 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, is sponsoring two prizes for the judged portion of the show. Cutting Edge Quiltworks, 1949 W. Ray Road, #33, Chandler, is sponsoring a third-place prize. Honorees will be named by an independent third-party judge. For more information about Art Quilts XIII: Lucky Break, call 480.917.6859. ________________________________________________________________

Shiny things and Sunny Days

I love it when the morning sun can make it through the cobwebs into my studio. In the chaos lurks creativity...somewhere. Until then, here's a little patch to go on the back of a quilt so when the quilt police come looking, there's something to see... And here my magpie brain takes delight in page after page of pretty things to wear. I'm not really a jewelry girl but if I go out without putting earrings on I always wind up grabbing my ears and muttering "NAKED EARS!". Gets me some strange looks and more personal space when I do it in the grocery store line. Reminds me to go buy a lottery ticket.

day-late doodle

In the midst of this "creature" series I thought I would post this drawing that probably dates from sometime in the late 60's. I honestly don't remember, I've held on to it for so long (and have probably posted it in the recent past). It's usually up on my wall of "Things To Look At & Ponder" and now is insinuating itself into the fiber work. There is definitely a kinship to some of my 3D work which is being reconsidered.

running wild

Finally, I got back to some fiber and stitching. I think Big J somehow knows that I have been consorting with a variety of Vikings. There was some crankiness this morning that called for a big time cleaning but then we settled into some creature work and things are shaping up in an appealing way. Later...finished.

Oh Yes We Did!

There is much to say but much more to do. Right now I am deeply grateful to the American voting public who seems to have finally grown up, set aside fear and not squandered this opportunity to elect a leader with a different perspective on the challenges this county faces. Now, as a people, the hope is that we can put away childish things, thoughts and behaviors - the endless gluttony of self concern and self indulgence that has falsely driven our culture and economy - and work together to restore our country's self respect.

It's Done

What beautiful weather we are having for Election Day! One of the two hours I spent in line was standing in a light breeze and strong sunshine. Hope your day goes as well as mine - and remember, if you don't vote, you don't get to complain!

Halloween 1976

Yes, I've been fiddling with fiber a long time. Here's my darling in his prize-winning Mummy costume hand wrapped and spray glued by yers truly. He even went so far as to shave off his mustache so the facial Mudd would crackle properly all over his face. We won a bottle of champagne for best get-up! My "Bride of Frankenstein" costume was not quite as successful. There was not enough hair product in the world to get all my hair to stand up like Elsa Lancaster's did in the movie.

new creatures

Pushing these silk scraps around to my bidding makes me think about pushing paint (again). I thought about giving them transparent wings but these are walking beings, stalking beings, not flyers by any means.

Humbug Halloween

Voodoo appears to be the soul of Halloween here. In fact, when people start knocking at the front door, he is usually already in hiding. I haven't really been able to get into the spirit of Halloween since my boys (um, 23 & 27) and the rest of the neighborhood kids have finally figured out that they are too old for trick-or-treating. Strangers seem to truck into my neighborhood to stand mutely on my doorstep holding out a plastic grocery sack with no clue as to the spirit of holiday. I fully suspect that my candy is being confiscated from them and resold in dollar stores all over the community in the coming year. No one seems to understand or care either "Trick or Treat" or "thanks!". I'm tired of ten year old girls who look like they will leave my doorstep and spend the rest of the evening hooking on the corner. I'm tired of boys pretending (all too well) to be thugs. We have a cat door that opens onto the entryway right where the kids stand waiting for me to open the door. I wanted to reach through the cat door and grab them by the leg!! but it was pointed out that more than one dolt would probably fall down the stairs and sue me for instructing them in the spirit of Halloween. Well, all this griping is moot because this year, I have to work, as in YES! a JOB! and by the time I get home the candles will be out, the candy gone and the spirit flown for another year. This year even Karma is singularly unimpressed with my efforts.

wonders and delights

Never mind that mess on my design wall. If you look at nothing else on the internet for a while, take a look at this . Jude never fails to inspire me.

Back on the wall for now.

All that stitching and still there are design flaws. Value issues abound. There's a lack of focus. Something about the figures is annoying me.

You just get your nose down too close to the technique at hand and the big picture gets away from you every time. Something drastic has to happen here and, for the moment, it's escaping me.