Update on: What happened to my sidebar?

"What's up??? The sidebars of my blog and some others are WAY down on the bottom -I didn't do anything, honest ~"

Thank you Carol and Debra! It seems that it was an Internet Explorer problem-Grrrrrrrrrr...
I've downloaded Firefox, and VOILA!, my sidebar was back in it's rightful place...

The Memory of Trees

"The Druids believed that trees held on to the memories of people that passed by them"

I think I read this somewhere in connection with my Enya CD titled "The Memory of Trees" - either on the jacket, or the songbook.

This is the beginning of small format, 5 x 7 inch pieces that I'm finally getting around to working on. I wanted the background fabric to have some texture of it's own, so I used a multi-blue woven rayon/linen blend suiting (sorry, the pic's a bit greenish). And then what to use for the tree trunks and branches?- well, I had this UGLY silk/poly tie that was perfect (it's copper, after all). Each tree had to be a little different, so I played around with shapes, fussy-cutting all the way...my favorite so far is the one in the bottom right hand corner!

I discovered this great, firm interfacing: Ultra Firm, made by HTCW...the "trees" are backed with this, with a layer of Stitch Witchery in between - boy does it make the stitching easy!!!
Plans are to probably mount them, and frame them...check back as they evolve ~

Watercolors~Ebb and Flow

Yesterday's PAQA meeting was great! Many water challenge quilts were showcased, along with some other incredible art ~ everytime I've gone in for a meeting has been such inspiration, and there are always new people coming. It's been 5 years since my introduction to this group, and I have never regretted it.

This was my offering for the challenge - I took these photos Tuesday night, and properly said goodbye when it went into Frieda's box! On to Duluth, the Fine Line Creative Center, and other venues unknown-maybe 2 years before I see it again, unless it sells...

The Shiva'd Lutradur worked out great, although it didn't want to fuse easily...a little fabric glue helped! The quilt is about 15x17~

Shiva'd Lutradur

The Professional Art Quilters Alliance(PAQA) have organized a "Water" quilt challenge - entries are due this coming Wednesday at the meeting. I felt I needed just one more element to add: my first attempt at rubbing Shiva paintsticks on Lutradur! I used 3 of the iridescent colors - blue, turquoise, green. It didn't look so great after the first color went on, but then as I added the others, and used a stiff brush (okay, it was a foam brush that I hadn't cleaned, so it was hard as a rock) to do some blending, it started coming to life! Now it's good...and some of the fibers are hairy, but I like that too! Patience, Julaine...you'll have to wait for it to dry now.

Thanks to Frieda Anderson from PAQA for setting this up!!! The "Water" quilts will go to Quilting on the Waterfront in Duluth, and I believe other venues are being arranged...

The Earth Day Quilt is finished!

Actually, it was finished about 2 weeks ago, but my computer decided to go crazy, so...

I named it "A Celtic Blessing" because the inspiration had come from a poem from John O'Donohue (see detail of poem in earlier post). I can still hear his soft, lilting voice reciting this when he was in town a few years ago, speaking at Rockford College. Interesting, full-circle thoughts: the Earth Day event that I created this for was also at the college. Lots of compliments - that always feels good...

Side note - I sold two smaller pieces at the celebration: "Pinned"~a small goddess quilt, and "Breaking Forth with Color"~a piece representing native grasses...they both went to good homes!

Creepy Condiment

While making a healthy chicken salad for dinner last night, I sensed that someone was looking at me...

I wasn't being paranoid, it was the lid from the light mayo jar! On either side of the nose were small droplets of moisture - his freckles, I guess...

Creepy, huh??? 

Update on "Earth Day" quilt

I wasn't sure if this was going in the right direction, but now that I have the other two sections fused on, it's starting to work for me.
The top 2 sections have been quilted, and I'm waiting for a little inspiration to quilt the bottom 2...

For the text of the poem, I printed it on T-shirt transfer paper, and ironed it on the wrong side of some blue cotton. I knew that I couldn't fuse it on the black, so I used a glue called "Unique Stitch" (great product) to adhere it down, and then started stitching - first around the edges, then some short straight lines throughout, so it wouldn't pop up too much. Kinda cool, isn't it? Gee, I can hear the people now, "Is it naugahyde, or is it leather?" (does appear to be vinyl like) - I like it!!!

Thanks to Caity for her nice comments - she likes it, too...
Okay, enough blogging for now - back to quilting ~

The Earth Day celebration is this Sunday, so it's time to stop blogging, and start quilting...

The Scene of the Accident!

I was merrily working on my new quilt (see post below), when I leaned back to grab a piece of fabric, and over I went...it felt as if I was going in slow motion, because I was trying to stop myself (ha-ha, with this body?). Managed to mangle a plastic waste container, and todayI have some interesting colors appearing on my upper arm, and feeling a bit sore...but I'm good to go!!!

See what allowing a pile of fabrics on your studio floor can do for you??? I'm walking and talking proof that being a bit messy (okay, a lot messy) from time to time can be good for your health. Since the floor underneath the carpet is cement, I could have caused some real damage to my bones, and other assorted body parts. I picked myself up, and went right back to my quilt...

New quilt started!

I was asked if I wanted to provide some artwork for an exhibit at an "Earth Day Celebration" at Rockford College coming up on April 23rd. Well, I couldn't start it before the Chicago festival, so...

Here's a shot of my humble start! These are 2 sections - bottom representing earth, and top representing sun. The remaining sections will be water, and 'loved ones.' The size will be about 20x22" - The inspiration for this quilt came from a John O'Donohue poem - "May the nourishment of the earth be yours, May the clarity of light be yours, May the fluency of the ocean be yours, May the protection of the ancestors be yours."

It's taking a while to cut and fuse, and I do have more little fused pieces - so I'm considering making a few other quilts, based on the same theme. I am becoming attached to working on a black background, and going back to my love for geometric shapes...

I'll post more pictures as it evolves, and is quilted, of course!

Fiberart Festival in Rockford yesterday!!!

It was one day - good thing! But...there were a lot less vendors/booths/exhibitors there...we found out that this will be the last year for this festival ~

And...my favorite silk roving person, Connie, wasn't there either (boo-hoo). I am completely out of her gorgeous silver roving, and now I'll have to order some...

This is a photo of my latest easy to do garments! It is a shoulder wrap, 26x80 inches, and is made from my dyed and overdyed rayon. What a glorious fabric to dye for...I have added borders to these with printed rayons, and I was very happy with the way they turned out!!!

I made 3 of these, and they are listed on my other blog of small works that are available for purchase. Check them out~they are beautiful!

Here's the link: http://julainesart.blogspot.com

Spring is here: Fun with images

It must be spring - time to start playing with color again! This is an image that I added the lime background using Picasa's tools, then I added the text in Microsoft Paint - these will be perfect for my new "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" mixed media pieces that I'm working on...

I just recently discovered "Paint" - never thought I would actually have anything that cool with only Word 97...

Recently on the Quiltart list, artists have been talking about using paper on their quilts. Tissue paper, cardstock, watercolor papers. I have printed this image and many others out on 90 lb. watercolor paper that I picked up at an office store - it came in a pad, so I had to cut it down to 8 1/2 x 11 to fit the printer...

Yes, spring is here (by the calendar, at least)!!! Getting ready for my first art festival/fair/show of the year. I'm grateful that the Midway Village Fiberart Show here in Rockford is only one day this year, and that it's INSIDE !

It also (sale) means it's time to sell some inventory (sale) Please check out my other blog: http://julainesart.blogspot.com ~ I have some other pieces that need to be cleared out of my studio and suitcases...so I'm having a SALE now through April!

Here's hoping that springs brings renewed creative energy to all! The Chicago show is in 2 weeks, and that will surely generate some good energy too ~

Older and newer

Newer: This is called "Beauty is Not a Number" - the inspiration for this quilt came from listening to a woman's story ~ that beauty should not be measured by the fact that a woman has 2 breasts, one breast, or none...and getting away from the notion that size dictates everything...

The breasts are represented by buttons, cuff links, a rhinestone belt buckle, and EKG patches ~ the image is printed on cotton, and then has a layer of a sheer novelty fabric over the image, as does the whole piece. Actually, the background has 2 colors of the novelty fabric. To represent scars, I satin-stitched curved lines inside the "chest shapes"...

I made this mini-quilt, which is 10 x 14 inches, after talking with someone who was recovering from mastectomy surgery...I was also thinking about a friend, and fellow quilt artist Bea Zammuto, who died last February...

This quilt and other small works can be seen on my other blog: http://julainesart.blogspot.com

And below, something a little older...

No one has seen this - it had never been photographed before today. It has been displayed in my son's room (he likes my art-nice teenager!) - it was my first piece that I created 5 years ago...It is called "Red Spiral"

Many layers of different fabrics, either all red, or with red in them - satin stitched with variegated rayon thread, and then reverse appliqued - 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches...

On of the reasons for posting this was to challenge myself to FIND any pieces of the fabrics I used in my stash - and I've found three so far!

It was a night

for creativity! I hosted a "Fiber Postcard Workshop" Thursday evening for six very talented women ~ some were artists, and some had never done anything like this before. "We need to do this more often in the church." Some of the postcards are for the Fiberart For A Cause fundraiser (see the link to the right) and others will be part of an art display during the Easter season at our church, Emmanuel Lutheran, in Rockford, Illinois...

The gal in the middle is a new mom, and she would love to have a slumber party/creative night! Well, I will be the "mom" for an upcoming Jr. High lock-in (the care and feeding of 12 teenagers, and keeping them inside, while our youth director does the activities), so this would be a great idea for the same night, and maybe some of them would want to join us (???)

On a personal note, I have just 3 more postcards to send to Virginia, since she has "cut me off" - she didn't want me to get burned out, so I have to stop at 38... recent ones are on my other blog, of which I have donated some: Julaine's Art for Purchase

I also realized that I have an upcoming fiberart show on the first Saturday in April. And what's happening the weekend after that? THE INTERNATIONAL QUILT FESTIVAL-SPRING EDITION IN CHICAGO !!! I'm going in with Bonnie Saxby (see link to the right) and am looking forward to many things happening there. Quilts, VENDORS, more quilts, VENDORS, the Quiltart reception, which is always a fabulous gathering, VENDORS, VENDORS, VENDORS...

New business card!

I did it! I did it! I got this label software, and after many hours of fiddling with it, I was able to create a new business card. I love the font (Manera) and I decided to put my Small Wonders '06 piece on it...crass commercialism here? Gee, I guess I should bring a few to Chicago with me -

I printed them on glossy photo paper (7.99 for 15 sheets) that I got at Walgreen's. I knew that I didn't want a name brand to avoid the printing that's usually on the back of the sheets. The weight is good, and they look so classy...

On another note: I've donated some of the postcards on my other blog to FFAC -