Every once in a while it just becomes evident that some reorganization and cleaning have to happen - even in the studio. Years of Fiber Arts magazines fill two of the magazine boxes above. Sadly they will be a fixed collection as Fiber Arts is no longer being published. My subscription goes back to 1997. I love looking over old issues for inspiration every so often. I had magazines in stacks all over the studio. They needed rounding up!
I love having a large area of bulletin board so I can keep track of all the odds and ends that I collect. However, these two have been propped up sitting on the end of my work table since I moved into the studio. Only one of them had a wire on it, so I had to put wire on the other in the same place and with the same length so that when they were hung separately they would hang evenly, together. You can see why they have been sitting for years untouched. I finally tackled it and they now hang on the wall. Not only do I have a few more inches to my table, but they won't ever be knocked off into the abyss behind the table ever again. :)
Above, the old verticals hang over the slider onto the deck. These verticals have been the bane of my existence since we moved in. The bottoms were connected by chains which rattled when moved, and were dirty and warped, hanging unevenly. Below, bye-bye, verticals - hello, sheers. The sheers look lovely, flowing and light. In the winter they will get switched out with curtains lined with energy efficient fabric.
We have three large windows, 80" wide and two sliders on either end of the studio. That's five curtain rods and 10 curtain panels. This was a big project, still not complete but I have all the things I need. All I have to do is add some time and sweat.
And so long as I am in the cleaning and organizing mood, I took on the spare bedroom which was our daughter, Andie's room up until January when she took an apartment of her own. I'm having family come for a weekend in two weeks, so I needed to get it finished. While only a 10' x 11' room, the bright windows, pastel yellow and open bed frame help it feel bigger. No I did not make the quilt on the bed. I had one of my pieces on the wall above the bed but sold it. I'll have to make something fun to grace the wall. 
While cleaning this morning I looked out into the yard to find a brood of turkeys. There were three adult females with 6 babies, two of which were still very small. They let me get pretty close with my camera. One of the moms let go with a shake of dust and dirt and stretched her tail feathers for me, giving me a bit of the typical turkey tailfan. Then off they went slowly into the underbrush. This house has been a constant drain in upkeep of both two acres of yard and a 1980's style home needing some love and updating, but sometimes the perks are just so wonderful. I have a great studio where I can watch turkeys strut across the yard with their babies. Who could ask for more.
Girasole11 1/2" x 11 1/2"completed 6/24/2011silk & cotton batiks fused and stitched by machine, embellished with buttons & beads
Even though it was a rather sleepy, gray day, I finished "Girasole" for the SAQA auction. Now all I have to do is get it mailed to New Mexico by next Saturday.
I like to spend a bit of my time surfing around the information highway and reading in the morning. It's like going to school - you learn things. Often I will find some inspiration that will spark the energy for my day. I was checking out the new posts from the blogs I love following and I found the profound body of a lecture by Jane Dunnewold called "What Matters?" I copied it and saved it for future reading. It is deep reading and has so many sparks to fuel the fire of thought that one morning is not enough. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is struggling at all with the "why's" of life. It is written from the perspective of the artist but cuts across all that is human.
I have copied an excerpt below which reads like a checklist of qualities which one would employ to develop a sense of community. I was drawn in to it's functionality and it resonates with my internal search for finding my community.
"If we see the good in cultivating community, sharing our gifts, being with people who love what we love, then there are qualities we can foster that will make the experience richer:
These properties create a fertile environment where certain capacities can grow -
Kindness
Generosity, which is making an offer for its own sake, not for its exchange value
Cooperation - For me to win, you must win.
Statesmanship - setting aside person preferences for the group good.
Forgiveness, which signals a new beginning, and choosing to stay in present time.
An acceptance of imperfection - recognizing that our gifts are intertwined with our limitations and being willing to deal with it, without passing judgment.
Mystery - which creates space for what is unknowable in life, and honors it.
When we work intentionally to foster the above properties and capacities in the 
community we are part of, we open the way to a life of satisfaction and creativity."
http://www.existentialneighborhood.blogspot.com/
There is so much more of her lecture that would spark deep internal questioning and thought. I highly recommend reading and re-reading it to anyone who is searching for internal development and clarity. Thank you Jane, for publishing your lecture and if I ever see you listed as a key speaker in the future, you can be sure I will be in the audience.
My gardens are bursting with color, shape, line and design. Above is a mandevilla which I usually buy in it's common shade of pink. But I was loving the smaller pure red blooms of this strain.
As the flowers prepare to open they create such a lovely shape, star-like. Whenever I see shapes in nature I am reminded of Jane Sassaman, who is a master at drawing her graphic shapes from nature.
Caught in his frenzy of pollen gathering, this bee, one of many, will spend hours hovering in the cat mint. They just love it and will return daily as long as the flowers are blooming.
Canterbury Bells are steeped in my memory as one of the many floral remembrances I have of the gardens around my home as a child. They are such a sunny, happy flower. I just can't help but love them. 
But this year I am truly in love. Foxglove is just the most stunningly gorgeous flower. It's shape is sensuous with it's gentle sweep, it's colors vibrant and subtle at the same time and the spots are just mesmerizing.
I feel the seed of a new quilt forming in my head. My mind works, oh so much faster than my hands can.
Just a mention of the SAQA auction which I am sending a piece into. For information follow the link.
Studio Art Quilt Associates' Auction begins on Monday, September 12th at 2:00 pm EST and conclude on Sunday, October 2 at 2:00 pm EST. Price points are: $750, $550, $350, $250, $150 and $75. The funds raised through the Auction are critical to supporting SAQA's exhibitions, catalogs and outreach programs.
For more information on SAQA and what we are all about: www.SAQA.com
It's a bit blurry but you get the idea. My little digital camera is full. I need to go back and purge some pictures. The piece above is the drawing for my SAQA auction piece. I need to bang it out so I can get it off to them by July 2. The name of it is "Girasole" (sunflower in Italian, and also the name of my studio.)
Girasole is 12" x 12" and is being constructed of a silk background, cotton batik backing, poly fil and batik cotton piecing. I will also embellish with buttons and beads when through with the sewing. It's a start and I will keep you posted.
Every once in a while it just becomes evident that some reorganization and cleaning have to happen - even in the studio. Years of Fiber Arts magazines fill two of the magazine boxes above. Sadly they will be a fixed collection as Fiber Arts is no longer being published. My subscription goes back to 1997. I love looking over old issues for inspiration every so often. I had magazines in stacks all over the studio. They needed rounding up!
I love having a large area of bulletin board so I can keep track of all the odds and ends that I collect. However, these two have been propped up sitting on the end of my work table since I moved into the studio. Only one of them had a wire on it, so I had to put wire on the other in the same place and with the same length so that when they were hung separately they would hang evenly, together. You can see why they have been sitting for years untouched. I finally tackled it and they now hang on the wall. Not only do I have a few more inches to my table, but they won't ever be knocked off into the abyss behind the table ever again. :)
Above, the old verticals hang over the slider onto the deck. These verticals have been the bane of my existence since we moved in. The bottoms were connected by chains which rattled when moved, and were dirty and warped, hanging unevenly. Below, bye-bye, verticals - hello, sheers. The sheers look lovely, flowing and light. In the winter they will get switched out with curtains lined with energy efficient fabric.
We have three large windows, 80" wide and two sliders on either end of the studio. That's five curtain rods and 10 curtain panels. This was a big project, still not complete but I have all the things I need. All I have to do is add some time and sweat.
And so long as I am in the cleaning and organizing mood, I took on the spare bedroom which was our daughter, Andie's room up until January when she took an apartment of her own. I'm having family come for a weekend in two weeks, so I needed to get it finished. While only a 10' x 11' room, the bright windows, pastel yellow and open bed frame help it feel bigger. No I did not make the quilt on the bed. I had one of my pieces on the wall above the bed but sold it. I'll have to make something fun to grace the wall. 
While cleaning this morning I looked out into the yard to find a brood of turkeys. There were three adult females with 6 babies, two of which were still very small. They let me get pretty close with my camera. One of the moms let go with a shake of dust and dirt and stretched her tail feathers for me, giving me a bit of the typical turkey tailfan. Then off they went slowly into the underbrush. This house has been a constant drain in upkeep of both two acres of yard and a 1980's style home needing some love and updating, but sometimes the perks are just so wonderful. I have a great studio where I can watch turkeys strut across the yard with their babies. Who could ask for more.
