Artistree, Reno NV

I was just in Reno for Thanksgiving visiting my husband's family and went for a visit to Nancy Nelson's ArtisTree Studio. It is a great store with lots of fun things. We are going to work on a class for me to come teach after the first of the year. If you are ever in Reno go see her beautiful shop and look around. www.artistreestudio.com
She was nice enough to invite me to do an artist challenge, I am very excited and came up with a few ideas already...now to find the time! I have a Craft Fair at work on December 11th...sock creatures are the featured item. I have to put a pot of coffee on each night before then so I can get them finished up..another great batch of them if I may say so myself!
Happy Beginning of the Holidays!

Remember your small stores

It has been a very exciting week for America. I want to remind everyone to remember the small businesses that we can patronize. The small fabric/quilt , yarn, bead and craft stores. Some are barely hanging on. I have gone into my big box stores to take advantage of the sales on some of my basic items, but I made an effort to hit a few small bead and quilt shops on my way to Port Townsend for AFF. Just a little bit helps is the way I look at it. I know we will make it through this tough time. I got discouraged in Sept and Oct because I have had to go back to work 5 days a week and wont' be able to work in my studio like I wanted, I decided to just plug along with my projects and not give up HOPE that things will turn around. I feel much better now and believe in that HOPE. I finished my best quilt to date and it will be hanging in Fibers in Motion for a while, I heard back from Somerset Studios and my piece will be published in the next HOME issue and my sock Creature Class is filling up for November. My husband and I are staying positive about the economy and the new year. Just wanted to say my 2 cents worth...will keep to my art in up coming posts.

Art Fiber Fest, Port Townsend, Oct 2008

These pics are from my class "Inspirational Fabric Collage" at AFF a few weekends ago. The gals did a great job with them. We had a great time and I wanted to thank them for signing up for my class. I had a really fun time with my Dorm mates as well. Just like a big adult slumber party! I loved my class with Tracy Lampe and Lisa Engelbrecht. There were so many fun classes to choose from it was hard to decide but I liked what I had and look forward to the next AFF.

Fourth of July in Fossil Oregon

I just spent two days at the Wilson Ranch Retreat for our annual Veltman Family gathering. My mother-in-law, Patty, is from Condon Oregon so we trek there each summer for a small parade and fireworks. This year we happened on the same weekend as the Wheeler County Bluegrass Festival in Fossil. It was great and in such a beautiful setting on the lawn of the old court house. The Wilson Ranch looked especially beautiful this year...even after coming for the last six years this one was my favorite for some reason. The wild flowers were beautiful, the hay fields were green and the Barn Swallows had me entranced with their swooping and diving. I did finally get a picture of one close up as it rested on the TV dish and it looked like it had a light peach velvet under belly and midnight blue feathers on his head and wings...I know now why artists find them so intriguing. I have always thought the ranch was beautiful but since my last visit I have taken a nature journal water color class and I met Kaffe Fasset. I look at so many things differently now. I love my pictures and did a little sketching. I would love to gather a group together of fellow artists and rent the big Homestead Room down stairs where we can do artwork at night and walk around the ranch and sketch during the day..a new retreat in the making!.

Kaffe Fassett Workshop

Man what a weekend! Fibers in Motion hosted Kaffe Fassett here in Portland on May 10th for a slide show and lecture and then on Sunday May 11th there was a workshop in the store for 25 of us quilters...it was wonderful! I am on such a creative high right now I feel I can do just about anything! The above picture is Kaffe critiquing my quilt layout at the end of the day and let me tell you all 25 quilts were beautiful. He and his business partner Brandon Malby worked with us all day long going around and giving suggestions and pulling fabric suggestion together for each quilt. He came by and suggested an orange fabric and then wisked away. I had Luann cut me a half yard of it and another orange I liked and put it up and man oh man was it beautiful..."Juicy" as Kaffe would say in his descriptions of wonderful color combinations. I truly loved being around him and watching him look at all the layouts and fabrics. Thank you Luann for bringing him to us! We will never be the same.
This week is also Quilt market and I am able to go as a teacher connected with Fibers In Motion. I am extremely excited for this and look forward to seeing all the new fabrics, tools and books coming out. I have gone to the Outdoor Clothing and Ski shows for years but have never been so excited to walk the show like I am for this. I know I will come home and have to document all my ideas right away so I don't forget about them.
I am putting together my teaching schedule for the summer. Please see the sidebar for updated classes and schedule

New look for the Blog

I hope you have a friend like I have...Paula you are the best. My art buddy here in Portland is Paula.www.dreamciclejourneys.blogspot.com I went to her house yesterday and she helped me go through all the fun things on customizing this blogspot . We had fun. I was so inspired by her studio and journals she is working on. I really needed that shot in the arm. So thank you Paula. I have been working on the not so fun stuff to pay the bills. I need to push through that so I can get back to the fun stuff in my studio. I did get excepted to teach Inspirational Fabric Collage at Art Fiber Fest in October 2008 and Silly Sock Creatures at Art and Soul Retreat in October 2008. I really look forward to both those venues. The class schedules should be up on their websites by end of March. visit them now and check the exact dates. View my side bar for pictures of the socks creatures and fabric collage.
Remember Life is Good!

Sock Creatures the Next Adventure!

This was a really fun class I had a few weeks ago at Fibers in Motion. My Sock Creature classes were asking for MORE..show us MORE. So we had "The Next Adventure" We made some four-legged friends and had a great time laughing. Everyone did a great job. Look for more classes this spring at Fibers. LuAnn said she will put me on the schedule again!

Close Incounter

Happy New Year! My slogan this year is "USE IT UP" I have way too much fabric and stuff in my studio and I don't want to get rid of it so I have to use it up. I was very inspired by the Uncommon Quilter where Jeanne Williamson made a small quilt each week for 7 years. Now I am not committing to 52 quilts this year but I am going to try and use up some my fabrics and "Do-dads" I have in my studio. My first one here was inspired by an exhibit at the Portland Art Museum my friend Paula and I went to yesterday...Chuck Close. He does wonderful stuff. This small 8.5" x 11 quilt was inspired from his color work. I love it. I will have more to come.
Remember Life is Good!