Here's some stuff I made at ArtFest

This is the adorable little suitcase I made in Pamela Huntington's Just In Case class. I was a bit apprehensive going into this class because Pam's style is very pretty and vintagey with soft muted colors. I love her work, but my style is very different. I thought I would be the weird girl with the bright colors. I was the only one with colors this bright, but it was all good as everyone in the class brought their own unique style. The cases all turned out very different and each was a very personal expression of its maker.

One of the many cool things about ArtFest is how down-to-earth the teachers were. The three I had were almost more facilitators than teachers. They showed us techniques and they answered questions and gave excellent guidance, but most of the time in class was spent making and there was an expectation that we would pretty much do whatever the heck we wanted. The teachers were so accessible and encouraging to every single student. The atmosphere was "we're all artists here" not "I'm the teacher and you are the students." Pam was just delighted with all the different directions we pushed her techniques.


Here's the inside of my case. One of the main reasons I chose this class was to get some instruction on making fabric paper. I've tried it before and never could get it right, so I was very excited to finally figure it out. The inside top and bottom are fabric paper made with a batik and tissue paper with embedded bits of paper and fake flowers.

The other technique that was super-cool was the way we applied the fabric around the outside edges (the hot pink "binding" in the top photo). You soak the fabric in watered-down glue. The fabric gets all sticky and stretchy and you can just stick it right on your surface and manipulate it to fit. It dries nice and tight and very solidly attached.

I'll post more about my other classes soon.

Finally

It's finally spring.

Sunday I went for a walk. More of a stroll really.

It's finally warm. I wore shorts, a t-shirt and sandals. My hair is long enough for a ponytail now.


Trees are finally leafing out, flowers are finally blooming. I just ambled along, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my skin, the chattering of the birds. Letting myself get distracted by flashes of color, wander into fields for a closer look, literally stop and smell the flowers.

This one smelled exotic and spicy.

Lovely.

Garden Party Dresses

Here's my excuse for not posting more about Artfest yet. I'm very busy making art! (OK, and I haven't gotten around to taking pics of the art I bought and the art I made.) But I have been busy finishing up this quilt. I'm calling it Garden Party Dresses and it's 21" by 27". And it has a sleeve and a label and it's going to hang in a show this weekend. That's me, right on time!

The show is Imagination Unleashed: Dreams and Illusions put on by Sew Uniquely You. Saturday and Sunday, the 26th and 27th at The Old Church Arts and Cultural Center, 405 William Street, Post Falls, ID. It's a contemporary/art quilt show and Anna has promised that my paper quilt won't be "that weird quilt made by that weird girl."

Pistol took an active helper cat role in finishing this up. Such a good little (gigantic) helper cat.

"You should definitely use this thread mom. It smells good." (Yes, he's the one who put the thread on the quilt block.)


"Hmm, and maybe some of these buttons. They look tasty!"

ArtFest 2008

So...umm...wow. I'm having a bit of a hard time being coherent about ArtFest. I use superlatives like wonderful and amazing a lot here at art:quilt:play. And that's ok, because I'm all about appreciating the wonder of everyday life. But ArtFest was something...more. ArtFest has a reputation for its great atmosphere, its creative energy, so I was hoping for a really cool experience. I got that...times 10.

It was magical. Yes, the classes were awesome and the setting is beautiful. But the atmosphere...Wow! There was such openness, energy, sharing, acceptance, understanding, friendship, freedom to be yourself. I lived completely in the moment for 3 full days. After all the stuff I've dealt with over the last year-and-a-half, I was so ready for this time and place. It felt like a miracle.

OK, enough babbling. This picture of me with new friends Kristie, Cheryl and Layla sums it up much better than I can. Just plain joy.

Exhilarated. Exhausted.

Home from Artfest. Unbelievably wonderful and amazing. Lots more later. Must take nap now.

There's no place like home

Be it ever so snowy. I was so happy to get home Friday night that I didn't even mind this icky blanket of cold-and-wetness. After a completely ridiculous week in which I started a new job AND cleaned the rest of my junk out of the garage so we could close early on the sale of our house, I packed my bags Sunday night and went to Olympia for a week of new-job training. And if you think that was a run-on sentence, try living it. Sheesh!

The trip had it's ups - a wonderfully restorative lunch hour spent at the Scarlet Empress, an early evening spent at Shipwreck Beads (holy cow people! this place is HUGE!!!), a lovely family birthday party for cousin Ryan, a fun, interesting class packed with good information. The trip also had its downs - cold, snowy (!) weather and me in lightweight business clothes, a stinky rental car with no ice scraper, a pervasive feeling of exhaustion, reports of a depressed cat waiting for me at home. On balance it was a good week, but I just wanted to go HOME.

Yeah right. When I got to the airport my flight was already delayed over an hour due to weather. Then there was a maintenance issue with the plane. Then we boarded. Then we sat and watched maintenance guys in baggy yellow rain pants climb on and off the plane. Then we got off the plane and went back to the terminal. Then we got on a different plane. Then we sat and watched the baggy yellow rain pants guys get on and off that plane. Then we got off that plane and stood waiting in the freezing cold tunnel place. Then we got back on the first plane. Then we sat and watched the baggy yellow rain pants guys get on and off that plane. Finally we took off, still under the threat that if we couldn't land in Spokane due to the weather, they would bring us back to Seattle. Noooooo! There was giddiness and cheering when we landed in Spokane. I didn't even mind having to clean all the snow off my car. After all, at least I had an ice scraper.

Bits and Pieces

I'm it.

Sheila tagged me a while ago to list 7 random things about me. So here goes:

1. I don't like coffee. Or really anything bitter. Dark chocolate and some vegetables are challenging.
2. Pistol is the first cat I've ever lived with. I used to think cat people were a bit crazy. Now I get it.
3. I like lots of light. I don't really get the whole dimmer switch concept.
4. I have a law degree but I don't practice law.
5. I've been left-handed from the cradle. Mom says anything placed in my little baby right hand would be immediately switched to the left hand.
6. I surround myself with bright color, but I prefer to wear neutrals.
7. I like the process of sewing by hand a lot more than the process of sewing by machine.

I have another one of these deals from Judy so stay tuned for more random quirky stuff.