Filling My Pot

Hi Marti! This is Marti's quilt that was hanging at AQS. Marti lives here and comes to the Carnegie Art Quilt Network meetings and is a member of the River City Fiber Group and one of the curators for Form, Not Function.  This makes me want to just dive right into dyeing!

This is DebR's other quilt in the exhibit...you go girl with your 2 quilts-in-the-exhibit self!  DebR's other quilt can be seen here with the lovely Gabrielle standing in as DebR's double. 

This is Sheril's quilt who I've yet to meet in person but who is active in the state guild which I've just joined so possibly sometime in the coming months I'll meet her at a state guild function.

One of the main highlights for me was the miniature exhibit which I could hardly get close to for the crowd, but Teri had a wonderful miniature displayed and MAQS will now have a permanent exhibit of miniatures. 

Another highlight was meeting Gabrielle in person.  She saw me first and without hesitation I knew who she was and although way too brief it was like running into a friend that I hadn't seen in ages. Of course then I had to make sure I pointed out Gabrielle's quilts to my sister, Deborah, so that she could connect the dots.  And lord, my great grandmother would have loved loved loved her hand quilting stitches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   She favored small stitches that I never achieved to suit her.  Gabrielle, if you stop by and read this, who taught you to hand quilt and what tips can you share?

The Fine Focus exhibit enthralled me! I loved the size, the designs, and the space!  It really made me hungry to enter more exhibits.  We did make it over to Hancock's and Caryl's studio and she was there and was very gracious.  It will definitely be a stop next year when we return. 

There are no words I can muster that would be anywhere near adequate for the amount of details in both of Sharon Schaumber's winning quilts.  Here are images of the backs: (click on the picture to enlarge the image)

  Below is the one quilt that I went absolutely ga-ga over.  The inverted triangle shaped jewelry around her head are actual metal pieces that hang loosely.  It was made by Debra Svitil and is entitled Mwanamwali.

This revigorated my love for faces so I came home and pulled out a dvd I had ordered a couple of years ago by Lura Schwarz Smith called Faces in Fabric.  In addition to watching it I actually made an attempt.  This is my great niece Carmen:

Another quilt that I had trouble walking away from was Future City   by Masumi Kako from Japan. It reminded me of the quilts of Anna Williams and Nancy Crow. An April 4th entry on Fibermania, Melody Johnson's blog outlines a history lesson on Ms Williams and her influence.

Deborah, not a quilter (yet), did feel inspired to embroider some past holiday gifts that had been languishing.  See what she did for me! I also have a nightgown with Karoda on it has well.  Wearing them just makes me feel fabulous!

And here are my new favorite earrings. Made of glass and purchased at Just Creations. 

Tomorrow I'm going to do 2 more faces in fabric using Schwarz Smith's techniques and also attempt one using Bonnie McCaffery's technique.  I've never been satisfied with ones I've made in fabric...I'll put a comparison up tomorrow or the day after...no, that will be Derby and we'll be at my parents for a cookout and our annual Derby pot....so hopefully by Sunday night.  One of them is destined to become my April journal.

Other things that I achieved this month is memberships...I joined LAFTA (Louisvile Area Fiber and Textile Art), I joined the state quilting guild and the quilt art chapter within the guild, I joined SAQA, SDA, NQA, and AQS.  The beautician that does my daughter's hair is also an art quilter and she has scheduled a meeting in late may for African American quilters that I plan to attend.  I'm really not a "joiner" type person, or at least I can say I haven't been much of one in the past but I am open to the journey and this all seems fun to me.  With the anticipation of moving in a few months I've become antsy and excited about having a room of my own to sew in and possibly dye and feed the surface design urge I have more fully and daydreaming about it has just about consumed me...but as my great-grand would say "a half caught chicken don't fill my pot" so I think the memberships have been attempts to fill my pot.

I wish I could remember which recipe I used for the salmon and asparagus, but I don't. I just remember it was good and everyone was satisfied.  But I'm sure I'll try most of the recipes over a period of time and I appreciate those who sent them to me.  I'm a recipe collector and love to experiment in the kitchen.