We've Only Just Begun

The little inchie, top center, I made into a sewing charm.

I have a deadline approaching. My small group inchies need to be mailed out. From a larger group of postcard exchangers a smaller group emerged to take on the fun of making inchies and exchanging them. I don't believe any of us had ever made them. Tiny art, big hands. A bit of a problem but you begin to feel the piece and after practice get better at making them. I love it when others give you suggestions because they have been there before. They know the drawbacks and pitfalls and can offer helpful hints.


That is where my middle son is also. Today is the day his career as a police officer begins, officially. Swearing in, graduation - it's just the beginning to a bigger and longer race. The duration will be long, frustrating at times but most of the time filled with gratitude for an opportunity he has been given to serve the public. I know - I watched his father do it well. The oath he took said it all - to protect and to serve.


I'm not always good at serving others. Sometimes I just want to be left alone. But my son thrives on serving others. He is a gentle soul, a happy person with a great heart. Yesterday I had a flat tire and not only did he change the tire; he felt my car needed a good washing. He goes the extra mile. That is what I want to do in my art work. Fannie taught me to look at my art as an extension of myself and to go the extra mile in making the inchies. There is a verse I am reminded of that goes like this: if they want you to walk a mile, go another mile; if he wants your garment give him your cloak also. This is my paraphrase but you get the jest of it. Going the extra mile is where the blessing becomes yours.

"Jesus Is Lord" Challenge

Tuesday - My camera and Kodak pgm do not want to upload. Like anything in life they need to be recharged. When you are feeling your energy running low and your soul needs a bit of rejuvenation where do you go? what do you do? I go back to the Creator of the Universe, the one who breathed into me and gave me life. I quiet myself and wait in solitude, but I am never alone. He is always with me. I found SaltFaithChallenge and decided I would try to create a digital journal page to honor the topic for the week: Jesus Is Lord. I have not finished the page because I want to produce it on fabric and add it to my scrapbook about Morning Dew. I need a name for my scrapbook. Wonder what it will be called? Our artistic creations are breathed through us, brought into reality and many times they speak a name to us as we are creating them. I love the impressions when they come and where they take me to, whether back in time or into the future or just a thought for today. Enjoy your work, whether it brings you a challenge, stretches you a bit or is easy-as-pie because you have done it a zillion times.

I am so thankful every day for what The Almighty G-d has done for me.

Pink Is The Color of the Day

Here are a few more abstract postcards I have been working on. Abstract, as I mentioned earlier is very hard for me to produce in art. I will keep on working on it though. My FAT tags are due for trade in a few days. The theme was "Dream" and I know many little girls dream of becoming a "nurse". My last tag is entitled: Dream "I wanna be a...Nurse". On the back I made an inchie of the breast cancer fabric with the pink ribbon and enclosed it in a holder. I also dyed a cotton ball and q-tip pink and placed them on the back along with gauze and a bandaid.

400th Anniversary - Jamestown: Commemorated Through Quilts

My First Whole Cloth Quilt

The Colonial Piecemakers Quilt Guild, where I am a member, held its first quilt show on September 15 and 16th. 2007 marked the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, Virginia the first permanent settlement in the New World. The show was called "Jamestown: Commemorated Through Quilts". Guild members were challenged to commemorate this event by creating quilts related to Jamestown's history, and its three rich cultural heritages - Native American, English, and African American. The quilt could not be bigger than forty inches square. I created a quilt and named it "Coming Home No More". It paid tribute to Native American losses of lands and waterways. Native Americans called this continent "Turtle Island". The island silhouettes are of my home state, Virginia. This was my first whole cloth quilt and my first time using Caran d'Ache Classic Neocolor II water-soluble colour wax pastels. I appliqued the turtles on to the quilt. I dedicated my quilt to a dear quilting friend, Ruth Salzburg who lost her battle with cancer. The quilts will be on display in a special exhibit at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival XIX on February 21- 24, 2008 at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Smallest of Seeds - Ideas Germinating

Yesterday I received a great package in the mail from my mentor, Fannie. I received my inchies (true, measure one inch, inchies) and they are the most beautiful, little treasures. I am delighted to receive them. She even made an elegant wallet to place them in. The envelope also contained a package of beads and small trinkets, a pencil with the words "Share The Wisdom", a heart pocket and pieces of orange and sparklie white felt. As I was checking out my "goodies" I decided to offer myself a challenge. I will decorate the heart pocket and attempt to make an angel and a dreamsicle pincushion from the felt. When I am finished the challenge, I want to place the inchies, heart pocket and a pick of the pincushions in an art collage to exhibit on my wall from Fannie. I must get her signature on my piece of art. This will be a stretch for me, as I have never done anything like it before but I am up for the challenge.

The tiny little inchies remind me of the parable of the mustard seed found in Matthew 13. The least of all seeds but when grown is the greatest among all herbs and becomes a tree where birds come to lodge in it's branches. Be encouraged: from the smallest, least of ideas can become the greatest, explosion of art ever created.

??? Are you up for the challenges coming your way in life???

A side note: In an earlier post titled "Best Work Ever Produced" I placed a pic of one of my sons. Yesterday he passed his state exam through the police academy. He graduates and officially becomes a police officer on Hallelujah day, October 31. From a tiny seed to a little boy, now a grown man.

Abstraction

This morning I awoke with abstract still on my mind. Why was this concept alluring and at the same time alluding me? I had read in one dictionary "a taking away". Those words drew me back in time when we lost Papa (my father-n-law whom I only knew as "dad) in death and the void that has not been filled in our lives. Then I found a meaning that might help me make "abstract" a reality in my art -"achieving its effect by form and color not realism." But I like the word "abstraction" and its meaning of "visionary idea." The pics posted compose all of the meanings. I hope you enjoy them and reflect on the short time we have here on Earth and the meaning of your life: are you living in abstract or reality? Personally I believe I am living in "abstraction".

Yesterday I realized I liked the back of my abstract postcards as much as the front. This is the back of "Bird in A Cage" and a little picture my son drew when he knew the adults were struggling with the loss of his Papa. The four abstract cards are for Trend Setters..

techniques on postcards: foil, bamboo fiber, feathers, thread, tulle,metallic thread, hand-dyed fiber, arc-i-tec=ture technique from Carol Taylor, fireworks technique from Helen Marshall

You know....

You know when you hit the mark and when you need to keep working. Well here is my second pincushion. What I realized: in July I fractured my finger at my knuckle and it still has not healed properly. Doing handwork causes pain but I am determined to keep going. One of my sons has been to the ER twice in 7days. Yesterday a fellow employee shot a nail gun and accidentally placed a nail right through my son's right thumb. Five stitches later we are actually both laughing because we know he is on the right track drawing closer spiritually to the Awesome Creator of the Universe. He has struggled with depression and anxiety. He loves music and composing lyrics. When he sangs it is like David in the OT singing to Saul to bring comfort to others. His music, actually all my family members music, is sorely missed in my home. When they play together as a family it soothes my soul, comforts my heart and brings me joy. I miss that in my home right now. But each one is picking it back up in their own way.

I need to keep perfecting my handstitches. And I can only do that by practicing. What is it that you need to keep plodding along on until....you reach perfection?

The First and The Last

The first pincushion I have ever attempted to do is posted below. My middle son and his fiancee are planning an April wedding. So tuxs (black-tie affair) are on the brain. I'm not finished embellishing it. The beaded sun face is my first prayer pillow on FATs. It leaves me in the next day or two for a glorious home with another artist. I was practicing my techniques for inchies on the postcard going to a member in group #37.

Plus, I had one Black-eyed Susan inchie left over and could not bear to think it could possibly be a lonely, left-behind little flower sitting all by its self. So being the frugal (LOL) artist I am I wanted it to bless another artistic soul in a new home.

Now for the lasts: today I luncheon with my quilt guild board for the last time as Program Chair. It has been a fun two years but I am ready to move on. I want to begin creating again. I have enjoyed meeting some wonderful quilt teachers that have truly inspired me to take it to the next level in quilting and to think outside the box. Most quilters in my guild are traditionlist and I realized recently I am a non-conformist. One of the teachers I enjoyed bringing to our group was featured in Quilting Arts magazine Oct/Nov 2007 issue in the article "Where and How to Show Your Artwork". Mary Beth Bellah thinks outside the box and loves a challenge. Her site is listed as MaryBethBellah.com.

"So be encouraged when your last seems to be the first maybe your first will be the last." But that's okay because I look at it this way: "At least I tried it once; now its time to move on."

This statement has to do with what many refer to as an "addiction"; you love what you're making so much each time seems to be the first. Also, when you try a new thing and absolutely hate it; maybe it becomes a UFO (unfinished outcast). My term for something I know I am never going to finish. Well, that's enough philosophy for today. You may quote me if you so desire. (lol) Now go and enjoy creating!

Black Eyed Susan

Here is my project for QA PSI's. This is a postcard with inchies going to Barbara at Quilting Arts magazine for all her hard work. Thank you, Barbara. They are black-eyed Susan's from my flower garden.


I have a friend named Susan. She was very dear to me and moved away. But we still try to stay in touch. I may send this to her along with another wall hanging I did for her.

Here is my big project of PSI's an 8x10 wall hanging. It is a computer-generated pic of my black-eyed Susan's from the garden. I cut the pic apart and made inchies. I placed them how I wanted on the fabric, added beads and steam-a-seamed them down. I added gros-grain ribbon at the bottom with beaded letters spelling out "Black Eyed Susan". I cut out another larger flower and appliqued it on. When I get it back from QA I am going to add a zillion black/brown seed beads on the button in the center. In Quilting Arts Oct/Nov 2007 magazine Julie Hirota had a wonderful article on Fiber Tiles. That is where I got this idea from. Hope she does not mind my using the idea. "It's in the mail", "It's on the way" so the sayings go. I hope it makes MA in time.

Bear With Me or Peace Beyond Measure

Yesterday after looking at Fannie's blog and seeing my gift she had made for me, something deep inside me changed. I knew the day was going to begin another spiritual journey into a deeper understanding of many things personally. I wept, and wept at the gift she had made and the humility that a person can have in creating something so beautiful and then give it away. There is a joy in giving that can't be explained just heart-felt.

She doesn't believe me but she is my mentor. She suggested putting my bear in my journal. As you can see he was made many years ago for a cause. I love making gifts for a cause. I usually try to make a quilt every year for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. My little bear has moveable body parts and a heart-felt little pocket for a child to hide special things in. His head band is made of beads. The only other bear I have ever made was like him but out of my grandmother's fabrics and given to my mother as a gift for her to remember mama, my granny.

Today, I will hopefully finish my IQF inchies project but if I don't that is ok. Because in making it another part of me felt a peace beyond measure; a satisfaction with myself I have never felt before. I don't usually measure, there is something liberating in that at times, so it's kind of a little pun - Beyond Measure. How can you measure the gift of freely giving? You see I have not received Fannie's gift but she has already given to me more than I can measure just by knowing it is there.

Are You Taking Time to Smell....?

Today I am working on a PSI project to mail to QA magazine for Houston IQF. I have photographed many flowers from my yard. This project made me realize I have so many I need to go through them and delete the photos I will never use.

While walking my dog this morning I did not find my usual penny but a nickel. Coins from heaven. I want to see more clearly what is really around me. I need to go deeper.

This beautiful flower is from a bouquet my DH bought for me just because. I love the "just becauses". Don't you?

The Learning Curve

There are days you are in the learning curve. This is one of those days for me. This is not originally what I wanted to post. I wanted to upload an amateur video I did showing one of my FAT tags. Needless to say that did not happen.

So I am posting Day 2 of "Walk By Faith, Not By Sight". Day 1 was the beginning of my created blog. I never did explain what Walk By Faith is. One day as I was preparing to walk my dog I decided I wanted some rusty, old, beat up, metal bottle caps. I thought as I walked I would look for some. Like in the OT when God and Adam visited in the garden in the cool of the day, God and I have these little conversations when I walk. He and I have this "thing" about me finding pennies. It reminds me of a promise He gave to me about my life.

Anyway, looking for rusty metal bottle caps expanded on the first day into "Walk By Faith, Not By Sight" and a quilt I may make from this 8-day pickup of "man droppings". You're familiar with doggie droppings, well, man droppings is the name I call the stuff I found on my walk.

It is amazing the unusual droppings one person can find while walking! But The Creator offered a challenge to me in this pickup. I could only pickup droppings that would fit into one of my pants pockets. That proved to be even more interesting. What this little challenge made me do was to become more observant of my surroundings And of course, as I walked the angels continued to drop pennies from Heaven for me to collect and to remind me of my promise. That's what a friend tells me because everyday when I walk I call her and laugh and tell her how many coins I have found for the day. She says it encourages her in her daily walk to trust God. The metals I have found prove to be interesting pieces that draw me to do something with them. And of course, I found the old, rusty, beaten up metal bottle caps I was looking for.

Best Work Ever Produced

Here are some pics of my earlier work. The bridal doll/ wedding dress doll was made using my head piece and wedding gown. She is wooden with moveable arms and legs. I painted her face on.
My grandmother passed away and when she did I inherited some of her fabric. She was artsy and quilted too. The cloth angels were made from grandma's fabrics. What joy and pleasure working with fabric my grandmother had touched and used herself. But one of the greatest works I ever produced is holding his doggie statue. And beside him is a doll he made when he was very young. Those days are passed and he has grown into a fine young man of 21 years young. Soon he will be a third generation police officer and married beginning a career of his own. I always thought he would be a vet; he loves animals so much. How time does fly!!

What's My Story-Was It the Gift or The Giver?

My neighbor had attended a charity event and upon her return home stopped by my home. She expressed to me that she had purchased a gift for me. Upon seeing this wonderful book, a story of a quilt maker, my friend said she felt I also had a story to tell. Here is the wonderful gift she gave to me. It is "The Quilt Maker's Journey" by Jeff Brumbeau. But I have pondered the gift and wonder: Which is the truer gift? the book or the neighbor. I believe I will get her to sign the book with a note and date it for future reference. Another mile stone in my journey. The quote on the inside of the cover mentions "In this touching tale about the value of community, a brave young girl leaves her village in search of the true meaning of happiness." And it is beautifully illustrated by Gail de Marcken. Stop by your local library and take the time to at least look at the beauty within the covers of the book. Inspiration comes from all sorts of places. Are you looking for your inspiration today? Maybe its right in your own backyard, or even closer; within yourself - waiting for someone to encourage you to go for it.

Trumpet Tears-IraqiWar

I joined an Art Quilt Study Group at the beginning of the year. Everyone has an assigned topic each month to focus on. We can make a small 8 1/2 x 11" quilt related to the topic. This was the first one I did on the topic "Trumpets". I began by using a photo of my face, manipulating it in a scrapbook program, putting it on fabric base, adding flag fabric and specialty black fabric to try to produce what looked like the ends of trumpets. No matter how one feels about the war it brings pain and tears and bugle taps for the soldiers brought home to their final resting place.

The trumpet covers the mouth: there is life or death in the power of the tongue. You can choose to use your words to edify and build up another or you can tear down and destroy by the words you speak. Which do you choose today?

MorningDove

I'm here waiting by the fence to chat. I captured on camera this beautiful bird perched on my fence and it never moved; just looked at me with its soft, gentle eyes. What do you see? are you really looking? When you look at me does it feel like I am moving, ready to fly away or just watching over you?

Image Is Everything! What Do You Look Like?

2005 Quilting Arts Magazine offered a challenge entitled "Creative Self-portrait". This is my 8 1/2 x 11 fabric self-portrait. I'm a butterfly. Over 500 artists took part in the challenge. It was so exciting to create an image of what I think I look like. Butterflies always seem to search out the living and the beautiful flowers in nature.

This is an abstract pic postcard symbolizing a
"bridge" using the words

"artist emerging" and "you"

with mirror images representing
reflections from the water.
It will go to a member in my Postcard Xchg #37.

SomewhereO'erCaribbeanRainbow

This is a pic of the front of a postcard for Xchg #37 and the

actual pic I took last year on a cruise in December. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and there it was. This wonderful rainbow extending from the ocean up toward heaven and disappearing somewhere. I had to buy this fabric with all the colors because it reminded me of the rainbow. I used

a fancy stitch in varigated, metallic thread. The actual pic was put on inkjet fabric. It will become the back for the postcard. The theme "Beauty All Around Us". This post is

going in for the early, early edition of MorningDew at 2:14 am. I believe it is time for the editor to retire.

Tag You're It or Inch In A Pinch

I finally posted my FAT tags. Although one of these was not included in the actual finished product. My marathon tag was my first and it opens in the front to reveal a place to put your addy and name. Giving without thought of getting sometimes is hard to do, but once you let go the freedom you experience is all worth it.

Here are my PSI (inchies) headed to Quilting Art Magazine for the International Quilt Festival in Houston. They are all different. I have a difficult time mass producing a piece of art. I always have to change something on them.

It's the free-way or Is that 3-way?

Here are some of my recent works. The three post cards will
go to ladies in Postcard Xchg #37. The sunset is a pic from my camera on the Colonial Parkway
at Jamestown. The middle is an abstract of a bridge in Maymont Park, Richmond. And the
beautiful purple clematis is from my own yard. I am trying to branch out in different works
of art.

Walk Of Faith - Chrysocracy

Today I decided to begin my blog. Wow! I had not planned on doing this. I

was inspired by Fannie and she encouraged me to just do it. I will begin by

posting a pic I have taken of a project I am working toward. The project is

entitled "Walk By Faith, Not By Sight". My dog and I walk every morning.

I am an early bird, but not sure how many worms I catch. This project was

inspired by Creator God talking with me as I take these walks. Hope I can

post the pic. I have tried and not been successful yet.