I'm Here

We have arrived in Michigan. It hardly seems as if we had ever left. Our young families did a good job "opening" the cottage over Memorial Day weekend. So good, that for the first time in all the 45 summers that I've been coming here I felt that I could just move my stuff in and do "my own thing". The first evening of our arrival I had my Brother s1500 set up and was quilting. Yeah!

"The Beach" - 8"x10" - 2003

This is the first quilt scene that I had ever made. The Summer 2003 issue of AQS's magazine, American Quilter, got me started. The article, "Accidental Landscapes" by Karen Eckmeier, looked like fun and easy to do. One of her sample projects was a beach scene, so I thought I'd try do our beach on Lake Michigan. This was done while I was in Tennessee and it's from my memory and feelings about this beach that I've been playing on since I was 20 years old.

Stay tuned for more pieces done in this technique. I'll also include a general description of the "layered curves" technique.

I'm Off

I am off to Michigan. This space won't have any additions for about a week. Here's a quilt I had begun last summer that features our family cottage on Lake Michigan.

"MaCowCowa" - 20"x27" -2006

I used a "wonky" perspective to portray this 3-story barn of a cottage that has a cow theme. Hence, the name for the cottage. My intent was to convey the summer fun atmosphere that pervades. There is a fairly constant stream of family and friends visiting us and the beach. We have a lot of fun, sun, comraderie, good food, creative energy and projects ... and of course Elvis.

Give a honk and a wave if you see a black trailer on the road with a sign that asks, "Where's Elvis?" between Tennessee and Michigan in the next few days.

"Across the River" Update

I've had a few moments the last couple of evenings and couldn't resist working on this piece that was begun in Dottie Moore's workshop. This is what you last saw when I wrote that I wouldn't have time to work on it until I got to Michigan.

Yarn has been couched around the outside edge of the picture piece. Leaves and branches have been free-motion quilted on the mono-print/sun-print background. Also, I've rotated the background piece and repositioned the small picture piece on it.

"Across the River" - 18"x18" - in progress

Kids Sewing

It's nearly time to move to Studio North in Michigan. I'm looking forward to sharing that space with those who "like to make stuff" ... most especially my grandchildren. Last summer the three then-6-year old boys finally got to operate Granellie's sewing machine. Each of them have been totally fascinated for years. Every time I sat down to sew, at least one of them would be at my elbow. They got to hand me things, fetch, and take care of the pins.

I always knew that I'd be letting these boys sew, but I hadn't a clue how we'd go about it. Last summer I met a woman in Colorado who's been teaching children to sew for years. She advised positioning the standing child between me and the machine. This worked great! The child felt like he had total control from turning the machine on, to lifting and lowering the presser foot, to pushing the button for reverse stitching,and of course stepping on the foot petal. All the while my hands were at the ready to make any corrections as well as to help guide the fabric. Also, I could talk/instruct quietly right into their ear. As you can see in the above photo, Jackson is doing very well sewing a super cape for his stuffed dolphin. Winston is patiently awaiting his turn. Jennings is still selecting his fabric.

I had drawn the seam lines for the boys to follow. Pins were placed along it about two inches apart. I instructed them to stop the machine when they had sewn to a pin and remove it before continuing. The frequent starts and stops kept them from racing the motor. I was amazed at how quickly they had control of the machine. PLUS, they know NOT to sew over the pins and WHY after a few broken needles. The first project of super capes for two dolphins, one cat, and a doll was a BIG success. All three boys helped make the one for Tessa's doll. She declined learning how to sew saying, "I'm too young (she was 4). Maybe next year."

Jennings Quilt - 24"x18" - 2005

Jackson's Quilt - 24"x18" -2005

The next project for the twins were quilts (the above photos) for those same dolphins. Again, they selected fabrics from a drawer full of novelty prints. I rotary cut them into squares. They arranged the fabrics on a design board. Part of the project was for them to figure out WHAT got sewn together WHEN. After the piecing was finished they used the acrylic ruler to draw the diagonal quilting lines across the squares (I had to hide the chalk wheel marker after that). They chose backing fabric and helped pin baste the quilt together. And of course, they did the machine quilting. The last design decision was which fabric to bind the edge. By that point, they each had reached their limit and I stitched the binding on. All this took place over two days. One boy built and painted a sail boat with his father while the other was making his quilt.

Jennings presented this picture to me at Christmas time when I was in Chicago for the holidays. All the important parts of the sewing machine are there ... especially the light.

The last weekend Jackson and Jennings were at the cottage their mother and I took them to the fabric store to choose fleece for new robes. The boys and I stitched those together during Christmas vacation. I can't wait to see what they'd like to sew this summer. Winston gets to go first, since he ran out of sewing time last year. I think Tessa may feel ready. I'm looking forward to a fun, busy time in the studio.

"Add Your Voice"

There is a journal, "Add Your Voice", sent out by Dottie Moore that is traveling about the country. Dottie is collecting the voices of women of all ages. She wants to know your dreams, insights and wisdom. Who are you? What role does creativity play in defining who you are? Tell her about a person or an event in your life, that you would like to pass on to a younger woman? If you are a woman age 18 years or older, she invites you to e-mail her with your journal entry at dottie@creativetraces.com.

That journal was brought to Knoxville in 2003 by Kate Cox and I had the opportunity to add my voice:

At the age of 30 I thought, "if I'm an artist at all, fiber is my medium." It wasn't until the age of 50 that I could comfortably proclaim (but not too loudly), "I am an artist". Now at the age of 60 plus I can say it confidently with the realization, "I'm the medium for art to be expressed through."

I can think of no other explanation for the phenomenon that happens so often during most every piece I make. At some point in the process of creation the piece begins to "speak". When this happens I feel there's a dialog between it and me. The consequence is that I intuitively know the color, the line, the shape, the texture, etc. that is required. I'm not saying that I breeze through the decision making process. It's just easier to recognize the placement, the color, the thread, the fabric, or the embellishment that is needed.

I wish it were possible to explain how to get to this way of working. The things that I do know that may help to get "here" is to establish a personal foundation.
- To know your medium ... its possibilities and its limitations.
- To develop your skills and craftmanship.
- Don't be too detail oriented at the beginning of a project. Leave room for an idea to expand and develop.

And the most important thing is to do all of the above with a sense of play and exploration. Remember the journey can be more exciting than the destination.

It's all a wonder! I thank God for the vision to see and the talent to express.

The photo is the center of "Into the Light" that I had described in a post this past March.