I would love to show the progress on the quilts but since they will be debuting at the July Long Beach show (if they get selected). Restrictions on posting to a blog or website are in effect. I will tell you that I had fun using a Wordle as part of my design element and I will be adding my “color twist” after everything the quilting. The rules allow up to 10% color and I am hoping I mess this part up as it will be paint.

I will be getting a “pre-critique” from my sister when I show it to her later this month. I took a photo early in the process so it will be interesting to compare the “before, during, and last” when I get it all done. David and I did share at the Quilts on the Wall meeting our progress. They are so totally different in scope. Someone described David’s quilt as “disturbing” and Mark Stone picked mine as his favorite.

Keep creating and remember that you can get a major amount of work done in small blocks of time!

Alex is so smart and so interested in everything, even math. Jessica is just a hoot. Strongly opinionated but still sweet and very smart also. We always teased her father about getting an offspring just like him and he did. He is going to have a handful when she gets older.

David and I have been working on our black and white quilts for the Quilts on the Wall exhibit that will be at Long Beach in July. I am hoping to get some stitching done on mine this week. I am blessed to have some time off and hope to get a decent amount of work done on the stitch designs.

I am also trying to get some Thermofax designs done. Not sure if this will find its way into the current quilt but maybe on one of the sister pieces. I actually have 3 pieces of the black and white design. One I actually did with some fusible applique, and two that I had printed by Spoonflower as backup pieces. Currently I have put away the first piece and am working with one of the Spoonflower pieces. There are areas of the original piece I like better, but there is a major design element on the printed piece that I have not been able to do on the original top. I am thinking this may be a “series” just because of the three pieces started. One may be over dyed, so that will be fun also. The only hint I will give on mine is that Shakespeare plays a part. David’s is a more timely, political statement so we have several centuries covered.

David’s work and mine are so different that it is fun to see them both on the design board side by side. When we hosted the Textures December meeting at our house earlier this month it was fun to see the reactions to our pieces.

When I drove down to the Maytag store where we purchased the unit that replaced the original stove/microwave combo, they informed me it was eleven years ago! As the original one attached to the stove, we had to replace the microwave AND the stove. This time, I replaced only the microwave.

The most unfortunate thing about the timing of the control panel death, was that I had just baked a bunch of potatoes the day before to use during the week by, you guessed it, heating them in the microwave. I could deal with using the tea kettle for my hot water in the morning, but it is really hard to heat those potatoes without “nuking” them in the “Radar Range”. It was amazing to realize all the little things I use the microwave for. If you don’t believe me, duct tape yours closed for a week and see how well it works for you.

The latest microwave is a sleek, black model that matches the stove. It is so smart, it actually knows when the popcorn’s done. The best and coolest part is that it has a rectangular tray in it. You can actually put in an oblong casserole dish and it won’t knock into the door because it doesn’t spin. The tray moves for and aft while also moving side to side. Fun to watch the first couple of times.

One thing I learned that I will pass on (from actually reading the instruction book) is that you should not leave the metal rack in the oven unless you are actually using it. The rack should only be used when double stacking items in the microwave. Mine is now hanging on a hook for when I need it. How many times have I cooked multiple layers in the microwave in the last eleven years? Maybe four times. I would put the rack away, but then I would forget where it was.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone. May your microwave last to the next decade!

To find out if the email contact addresses I have on one thousand business cards are still good.

Unfortunately, so far, I have been unsuccessful of redirecting the domain I own to point to this one. Resolving this in a day or two and the “real” address will be working again. I have an email in to the domain holder about my dismal failure and inability to figure it out. I am hoping they take pity on me and get it redirected quickly.

Wish me luck. I need it.

I am getting the walls painted, the new floor is in and the base boards are painted. I have a few touch up areas to do on the walls. I am waiting on David to recover from his very bad cold so that he can install the base boards and then I think we can start putting everything back in. We will be looking to see if the room will go back the way it was or if we will change things around a bit.

I do like the new floor (tiles as opposed to carpet) as cleaning and finding pins will be so much easier. The walls are bright and cheery (how could it not be when one of the colors is called “Goldfish”) and did I mention each wall is a different color? I even got close enough to the window to clean it. The sun comes streaming through in the morning. Wonderful.

Microsoft decided recently to upgrade their website offerings with high-end tools. They now are going to charge a fee to host all websites. Unfortunately, I use only a few of the tools but the ones I use kick me up into a higher cost tier. I have done some research on other hosting sites and found that Weebly most closely fits my needs. Weebly is adding new features all the time, and have been responsive to my questions.

I will announce when I have the website up and running. Please forgive me if there are some broken links as I will be testing each one and may miss some.

So being ever cautious, I had David take out massive amounts of drywall, insulation and anything else that seemed remotely damp. That meant all the carpet and pad had to go. Anything that was on the floor we removed from the studio and relocated throughout the house except the very large granite topped base cabinet. We are now in the process of deciding how to put it all back together. It wasn’t our plan to redo the studio so soon but new paint and flooring is on the way.

If you want to see the beginning of the demolition project, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzz_s6dxwoA

D-Rings for Slats

David and I attended the SAQA meeting at the Front Porch Gallery. Several tips were given by Julie Weaverling, Assistant Director, for hanging in galleries. It was a great meeting with lots of tips and information. The Front Porch Gallery preference is for D-rings but she reminded all the artists to check with the gallery they are working with for specific hanging requirements.

The gallery’s preference is to have picture hanging wire strung tightly between the D-rings and the ends of the wire wrapped with tape. This protects the art and the fingers of those hanging the piece. This allows the gallery to hang the piece from a single center point. If the wire is not tight, it will show above the art and this is not acceptable. If this is not possible, the gallery will use a 2 point system to hang the piece by using nails with the D-Rings or holes drilled in the slat.

AQS has a good video on YouTube for adding a sleeve to your quilt. It is features Bonnie Browning as the demonstrator.

If you struggle with exactly the best way to  hang your quilt or fiber art Bonnie’s instructions break down the steps and simplifies the process.

 I have some recommendations that I use that are a little different from what Bonnie presents in her video. 

  * I always put my sleeve about 1 inch below the top edge instead of her recommended 1/2 inch. This still keeps the top edge from flopping over (if the sleeve is too low) but ensures that the sleeve will never show above the art piece when hanging.  

 * I recommend that the sleeve length is a minimum of 2-3  inches shorter that the width of the quilt. Be sure to center the sleeve on the quilt so the “pull back” from the sides is even. This allows the gallery or show to hang your quilt without the “hanger” showing. I now make my sleeves about 4 inches shorter. This allows 2 inches per side and still gives support to the edges. I am then able to use multiple types of mounting systems on the slat if the gallery has a specific need.

 If using slats in the sleeve, D-rings mounted towards the end or drilled holes in the end of the slats are easily accessed for nails or hooks.

 * A large or heavy piece is best sleeved in 2 pieces with a space of about 2-4 inches between the sleeves. This allows for a center support as well.