store update

October Burritos (3)

I've just spent the morning adding some of the fall equinox fabrics to the store...why is it that there are still heaps and stacks of fabric all over the  place?
I suspect they are breeding like bunnies.

For those who might wonder about the price increases, these new cloth burritos are bigger than the ones I have sold in the past. 

Back to work, cloth woman!

Super textures (2)

homecoming

The mailman delivered two quilts yesterday.


I had forgotten "Up on Wheels" and "Roadkill" were traveling!! I absolutely have to update my website if for no other reason than tracking the travels of pieces.

All I know for sure is that they were included in a special exhibit at one of the Mancuso shows. Annie Copeland asked me to select two from my gallery months ago. I have to go get some rods and put these up on the walls - I need these colors in my eye especially this time of year

the invisibility cloak

Here's an update on my project for Jude's Magic Cloth Diaries online class,

warming up for Halloween

proceeds of the day

terrible light, this little task lamp but you get the drift. If there's any sun at all tomorrow I'm going to reshoot these in groups, take out a precious few to keep and get the rest ready to sell in the store.

they are so soft and full of texture

another run at the colors

I'm taking advantage of the warm temps to squeeze in one more outdoor dye fest. Got the dyes out of the fridge early and letting them get up to temp before I have to go online this afternoon...hurry hurry....I hate it but, oh well. tomorrow..thunderstorms followed by cold air.

Jimmy looked around the studio this morning and said
"speaking of hoarders.."  yes, yes, I know. I have to let some of these go soon.

For my birthday, Jim and the boys gave me my first laptop. I've been shopping online for weeks but had to go put "hands on" yesterday and came home with this nifty Acer Aspire.

It was a great buy and does things I couldn't imagine. The old monster box in the living room was built in the stone ages (2005) and has been sounding like a guinea pig given birth. It's headed for it's last round up and has given faithful, solid service but it's days are numbered. Now all I have to do is figure our replacements for all the old, outdated software that I'm so used to.

this is my idea of interior decorating.

Everyone has called and sung me...

 ..."Happy birthday Mrs. Hood..."

Here I am sitting in the almost dark, waiting with my coffee for the sun to come through the front door and light up the room so I can stitch a while. It's chilly but worth the wait. It's my birthday...today I give cats their worm pills! Yee ha!

the devil's in the details

The devil being trixie element of the work, the thing that pulls you in and make you go "jeeze" or "yuk" or makes the hair in your arms stand up.


It could also refer to the pitfall of of focusing on the tiny things and letting the big picture get lost in all those details.

I was just reminded by these colors of Taken by the Night and the need to loosen up, take an unexpected turn or two and slow down.

It's a good thing there are only 24 hours in a day.

and speaking of details, remember the bead show I went to awhile back?

I cobbled these earring together myself. Sea opals, freshwater pearls and silver and I am satisfied. 

full moon measures

I found this little moon wandering around the studio and decided it was an appropriate day to put it work in the new piece. Now I'm off to snag some embroidery thread and needles, fresh for this project. Stitching has begun!
I also discovered ACRES more of the woven, gridded cotton that this piece is based on...lots of plans for others in a series.

the chase is on

Sometimes the horse bolts and you have to chase it down with saddle and bridle.


It's raining and cool here for the first time in ages. Contemplation time. No more false moves..the stage is set.

the following studies were done with an ancient paint program, PSP5 if you can believe it. I will be sad when it stops working.

I could do this all day but a handful gives me an idea of how I want to go with the stitching. As much as I may like or dislike any one of these, the finished piece will only refer to the digital image, not copy any one entirely.

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a good sundays work

I've been up before the sun putting little bits of cloth together until I decide I liked the way things look.


The bristle of all the pins is distracting so my next step is to baste the whole piece with great leaping jumps of a single strand of blue thread..easy to cut and pull out as I need to along the way.

It's very easy to lose sight of the whole picture during this part of the process. Strokes for the sake of taking them won't add up.


All the cloths I've chosen are loose and open - the thread and needle pass through with almost no resistance - quite probably more than one of those little red spots is my blood.

So easy to be sidetracked by the juicy splendor of the individual fabrics but it will be easy to make design revisions before settling in the stitching that ties everything together, the marks that will make it whole.





1300 posts. really? 
Should I throw a party?