Update

We are off to Atlanta this week. Since we returned from Virginia Beach, all my time has been spent assessing paintings, and getting all the promo created and printed. I also have a new laptop to set up and switch files over, so there hasn't been any painting going on of late. It makes me feel a bit out of sorts........

I will leave you with a cool story about a previously anonymous drawing now confirmed as a da Vinci. Great for us, fantastic for the current owner.

Moon Garden won a ribbon at festival!

My quilt Moon Garden has won an honorable mention in the painted category at International Quilt Festival. If you are at festival make sure you ask someone to show you the back of the quilt, so you can see all the hidden images quilted into the background.

I probably won't have time to post until I get back from festival, but I will post lots of pictures when I do. 

Countdown to opening day.

I am always amazed when a painting moves so quickly along, without a hitch. It does not happen often for me, so I am basking in the wonder that is the "Shepherdess." She seemed to come along like magic. Meant to be.

Craig and I went to visit family over the long weekend and by Sunday, I was beginning to mull over the FCCA and NVFAA shows which both open in a few weeks. I have hardware to hunt down, varnishing to do, more promotion as well as working on the reception food and drinks. Some of the paintings are so new that they will get no more than a coat of retouching varnish.
So, all that to say I am pretty much wrapped up with painting and won't be back at it in a focused manner for awhile.


On a very cool note, the Van Gogh museum is displaying Vincent's letters alongside paintings he is speaking about in those letters.

Toasty soft handwarmers

With the instant arrival of fall and obvious signs of winter I have been finishing up projects started last year and thinking about new ones. I like to have a lot of hand warmers around because when the weather starts getting really cold and I need full coverage outside I will wear these inside. I don't know about you, but my hands get so cold when I am at the computer in the winter and with these I can still type.

Luckily hand warmers are pretty fast to knit, which is always nice because you can feel like you have actually accomplished something in a fairly short time. I have made so many of these fingerless gloves over the years, I can now just knit the body with out a pattern and then customize them with interesting cable patterns that I come across, like this one from a sock pattern. These are made with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, which is so soft, I am very sensitive to prickly wool and these feels wonderful on.

Misyfuse buttons at Festival

When you are at Festival be sure to head over to Mistyfuse, booth 957.  Iris has made some cool buttons with different artquilts on them. This one has my quilt Arbol de Vida. There are also buttons with the work of Pamela Allen, Jamie Fingal, Yvonne Porcella and Eserita Austin. It will be hard to choose just one, I hope she has made a lot.

Be seen on The Quilt Scene!

On Tuesday my daughter Nina and I will be going to International Quilt Festival for lots of fun and creative adventures and our first stop will be the Quilting Arts booth 1244, to be seen on the Quilt Scene!

On preview night (Wednesday) I will be doing Open Studios from 7:30-9:30, next to Make it University, just look up at the hanging aisle signs for the huge MIU banner next to aisle 1200. If you are cruising the show floor, stop by and say hi.

Thursday, I will be teaching Mixed Media Painted Fabric, there are still a few spaces left. If you take the class you will get one of these cool collage kits, I would love to see you there, check the IQF website for class registration.

Friday I am teaching a workshop in Make It University at noon: Metal Magic.

You really want to get into this workshop because some lucky participant will win a Walnut Hollow Metal tool kit ($29.99 value)!

At 2:30 I will be back in Open Studios, so drop by and check out what I am working on and see some artwork published in Quilting Arts and Cloth Paper Scissors up close.

Saturday I am teaching Painting whole cloth fabric and then helping out in Surviving the Runway at 5:30. This is one of the highlights of festival and really shouldn't be missed, best people watching on the show floor!

Must Have Cardigan Finished!

With the arrival of fall and cold weather, I decided to pick up the sweater that I started last year and finished it just in time for the chilly mornings we are getting here in Chicago.

The best part about this sweater besides the soft cotton yarn from Knitpicks is the fact that it actually fits!