Exhibits to See

If you're looking for a nice place to take holiday guests...2 exhibits come to mind. First is the LINT exhibit at the Grovewood Gallery (see previous post for pictures) The Grovewood Gallery is right behind the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. It's a wonderful exhibit which is attached to a lovely shop of beautiful art items....which is right next door to a great little restaurant......And if that isn't enough...right across the road from the Grove Park Inn - a wonderful place to walk around with lots and lots of Christmas Trees...all decorated with a different theme...Whew!...Talk about a run on sentence!
There is also a lovely exhibit of Judy Heywards work at the NC Arboretum. Judy is an art quilter extraordinaire and a master of machine work. Here's a sneak peak at some of her work and I do hope you'll get to see it...it's wonderful in person! This one is "Low Country Musings."
And "Cosmic Interference".....

"Shady Ladies" with the wonderful beading on the bottom.

And my personal favorite...(they're all wonderful but we always have to have the "one" we want to take home with us)...."Honey Locust Beans".

"Plantasia".....

"Sunflower Afternoon"

"Swamp Hibiscus" is very large and breathtaking but couldn't get back far enough to get the entire quilt...so you'll just have to go and see it in person...worth the trip!

"Althea's Waltz in the Starlight Ballroom"...what a title! I often wonder where artists get titles from...usually great stories behind them.

And "Heliotrope's Glissando"....

And "Charleston Beckonings"

Judy is new to the Asheville area and we are so happy to have her here...Welcome Judy! For more of Judy's work, check out her blog and website.

Rust, Found Objects and Things That go Bump in the Night

Okay, well maybe not things that go bump in the night...but you gotta admit....it was catchy!....I'm in this wonderful little group with others who love and adore fiber like myself. We share ideas, techniques and have the most amazing "Show and Tells". Carol Sloan - a wonderful mixed media artist created this wonderful book in a box. Her imagination to create such an interesting piece just blew me away.....I could have poured over it for hours. The box is created (inside and out) with found objects, handmade papers, personal objects that Carol found or had in her collection - all very meaningful. The twig on the left is a real twig...The teeth on the right are from crab claws Carol ate and yes boiled and cleaned to make suitable to use as an attached object.
The little figurine at the bottom was in her collection....real bark on the top and all kinds of wonderful beads. Notice the sides with the "old fashioned" tape measure...haven't seen one of those in years.

On the top are rocks shaped like a heart. Carol is always on the look-out for rocks in the shape of hearts.

And reverse stamping...where you lay the paint down, stamp into it with a dry stamp and the paint is lifted off in the shape of the stamp. I really like this technique as it's so subtle.

The front of the book....

Really pretty doilies, words and cheesecloth.....

Carol makes little bags out of sheer fabric to hold small rocks, buttons and other memorabilia.

Carol made the leaves (below) using a water soluble stabilizer...her first attempt. They turned out really nice.

And words...lots and lots of words....Carol teaches classes in mixed media art. Check out her blog for a list of workshops.

Patsy showed us her amazing stitching and trapunto work...Patsy dyes all her own fabrics and creates her own designs. She also has a line of DVDs on machine quilting that will make a believer out of anyone...they are in a word - fabulous! Check out Patsy's website or blog to see more of her work.

Patsy uses a product called Liquid Stitch. I'm interested to try this...sounds like a time saver and also very effective and easy to use. She has used it on the piece below and stitched the edge with her "EKG" stitch.....

And I promised you rust and you shall have rust...This is a scarf my friend Nancy made. It's China silk with rust...think it's really some interesting patterning.

Nancy's philosophy is anything "white" should not remain white....She is a colorist and really good at it....Batting, fabric, "unknowns" from the thrift store....nothing is exempt once it reaches her hands.

So in case you're wondering what created this wonderful shape...here it is...found at a Thrift store.

So Nancy gave this to me and now it's my turn to use it...can hardly wait to see what I get...I'm also starting with some silk. Nancy also showed us a bag she embellished with felting, handstitching, buttons and beads.

And then onto the lesson for the day..."Anyone can draw or doodle"....I've always said I can't draw my way out of a paper bag...but Carol proved us wrong...just takes some practice. She brought along all her supplies to share, watercolors, erasers, pencils...it was great fun, very addictive and freeing.

Adding little lines and squiggles, dots and circles...etc...adds more personality.

A fun day!.....

When Subways Were Safe to Ride

A while back I made this piece based on a drawing of my father in law - John Simmons. The story behind the drawing was the inspiration for this quilt and here's how it goes....Years ago, back in the 40s my newly married father in law worked in New York City - down at the docks..... on the late shift. He traveled to and from work on the subway..... late at night..... not too many people around. (Now if you've ever been to NY and traveled the subways, you know it can be a bit crazy, scary and sometimes not too safe). On this particular evening (around 2am) he nodded off while riding home. As he was sleeping a young man sitting across the way, sketched his picture. Upon awakening, the young man handed him his small piece of art. I guess he was very touched as he kept it for many years. At some point in time, my mother in law gave it to me and.........oh happy day...knew I would do something artistic with it. I love family stories...they make great subject matter.
The background is a lightweight canvas that's been microwave dyed for a soft mottled affect.
I enlarged the image and transferred it to fabric using a transparency. I also used stamps both conventional and non to create more interest.

An old document from my family was photocopied and then transferred to background.

Ink was dripped on the document to "age" it a bit and a skyline of NY City transferred to the bottom using a transparency.

This is a copy of the original picture which was quite small...I did enlarge it for the quilt. The small one was made into a screen to use as a label on the back.

A screen was also made of the story behind the picture....Most people look at the piece and don't get the significance of the title....(I wouldn't either) so I thought to put the story on the back of the piece.

and the back....stretched over "museum wrap" canvas stretchers, covered with muslin and a wire hanging.

I love using transparencies for image transfers and it's quite easy. Start with a transparency made for inkjet printers and are not "quick dry". The Quick Dry ones will not stay solvent as long or print as well. I've also had good results with "store brands".

Copy the image you want to transfer on your ink jet printer - it can be colored or black and white. There is a definite way to feed a transparency through (a right and wrong side) but good directions come with the box. You may have to play with your printer a bit to get the right settings as far as "paper". Some printers have a transparency option, some don't but work anyway. I've heard people tape the transparency to a piece of paper and run it through that way. You'll be making a mirror image; if writing is involved and you want it to read correctly, reverse the image before copying onto the transparency. I also write the word "right" on the right side....sometimes it's hard to tell.

For best results, iron the fabric being used. I like fabric that has a little color movement....this was dyed in the microwave (designated one in my studio).

You will need an Acrylic medium in gloss or matte. These mediums can be found at an art supply store or chain craft store. I'm using matte for this piece.

Spread the medium onto the right side of the fabric - Not the transparency. Make sure the medium is evenly spread.

Use a wide brush to make it go smoother and faster.

Lay the transparency with the right side facing the medium coated fabric. Burnish using the back of a spoon and moving over entire transparency using gentle pressure.

You can also use a burnisher made specifically for transferring...both work well.

Check the image by pulling up the corner. As long as you don't pull up entire transparency, it can be laid down and worked some more.

And the finished transfer......

The transparency will still have some ink left on it....you can get a very light print from it, but the transparency itself cannot be used again for another print.

You can leave the image as is or embellish it further with paint, thread etc. I used textile paint to stamp on top of the original quilt for further texture.

I really like this method for transferring images...it's really quite easy and good results.

New Works by LINT Opening

The opening for LINTs New Works show at the Grovewood Gallery in Asheville, NC was exciting and very festive. It's always exciting to see your work or that of your friends in a gallery setting with great light, perfect walls and people to "ooohhh and ahhh".....not always the case in everyday life ....but on Saturday.... at the Grovewood Gallery, this was the way it was.

Here's a tour of some of the wonderful pieces you'll see if you make it to the show and I hope you do....Jen Swearingtons "Come Home".

Jude Stueckers "Honeybee".

Norma Bradley's "Celebration"....

Sondra Dorn's "Ferns in Forest"

Kathy Spencers very colorful piece...I always photograph the name after the quilt and this photo came out blurry so couldn't post the name..It's a wonderful piece with a great story.

Susan Lee's "Silent and Sunless and Deep"....

Bernie Rowell's "Building Bridges"....

Suzanne Gernandts wonderful woven piece...again couldn't get the name.

Vicki Essigs woven piece - untitled and that's a real Cicada wing she incorporated into the weaving.

Peggy DeBells piece....very unique... a must see in person

Janice Maddox's "Tyger, Tyger"....

and Diana Dinardis's wonderful piece...

There are more pieces to see at the show...so many wonderful and unique surface design techniques as well as interesting machine work. The show will hang until December 31...hope you can stop by.

New Works by LINT

The Grovewood Gallery located behind the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC is hosting an exhibit of New Works by LINT - Ladies in New Textiles. The grounds are beautiful and the walk up to the gallery is worth the trip alone.
The buildings in this small complex, including a museum and artist's studios have an old world charm, covered with ivy and surrounded by art in every form.

Giant sculptures along the way....

An amazing and very musical wind forest created by artist Lyman Whitaker....

The wind chimes are wonderful to listen to....

Along with animals you are "not allowed to feed".....

And funny faces to spook you from behind the trees...

And then this beautiful wooden door that invites you to enter....

an exhibit by LINT. LINT stands for Ladies in New Textiles; the group consists of 13 fiber artists who meet monthly to share their work, plan exhibits, brainstorm and generally show support for each other. The opening for this exhibit is Saturday, November 7 from 11 - 3.

It was great fun hanging....

and measuring to make sure everything was perfectly straight.....

And now...a sneak preview of what you'll see. Sondra Dorns beautiful "Forest with Vines".

And this wonderful piece by Susan Webb Lee....

And Norma Bradley who does amazing things with sheers....

and my piece "Morning's Glory"

Hope you can stop by ....if not for the opening then sometime until Dec 31. The gallery is part of the Grovewood shop which houses beautiful art items for sale and next door is a wonderful little restaurant....a good place to bring holiday company.

Fiber Arts Alliance

The Fiber Arts Alliance of Asheville, NC met yesterday in downtown Asheville. The program for the day was books as an artform, designing and making them. I've always loved books, both reading and collecting them but never realized the amount of possibilities this artform offers. Jan Sapp did a very interesting program with lots of samples, great information and materials for anyone who wanted to participate in making a small book. She is an excellent instructor and will be teaching this at AB Tech in Asheville. Here is one of the many samples she shared with the group.
and the inside......was very clever.

My pal Mary Stori took some great pictures and a wonderful write-up on the meeting...so check her blog for some great details. In the meantime, I'll concentrate on the wonderful...as always....show and tell. McKenna Linn is a charter member of the group....moved to Florida awhile back...(sad....) and missed us so much, she moved back (yeaaahhh). We are so happy to have her back with us...a most talented and lovely lady. She was mentioning how her work has reflected where she lives. The next few pieces are her Florida pieces - very tropical and brightly colored.

And a detail....

I love this wonderful collage of tropical subject matter.

And can this gal stitch!....wow, beautiful work....

This next piece is by Veronica VonZwehl...don't know if you remember her work from the Asheville Quilt Guild Quilt Show - "Birch Trees"...Yup...the same gal. She does amazing work!

Julie Bagamary created this wonderful piece for her son...see more of Julies work on her blog.

And here is our own Cherize...who is learning how to spin. She does not have access to a wheel so is doing a method of "drop-spinning". Weavers, please forgive me as I probably have the term wrong...am doing this from memory. But it was so interesting the way the roving is hooked over something on top of the yarn holder and wound into a manageable yarn. What tickles me more is the way so many of our creative selves will make use of every moment and resource to make something wonderful out of something ordinary.....Watching Cherize do this with such intensity and still be part of the bookmaking lesson just tickled me to pieces.....you go girl!

It was a great meeting and last but not least....want to say....Anita...We Missed You...Get Well Soon!!!!

Quotes and Quilts

I used to live in Marietta, GA and was part of several fiber art groups. Occasionally someone went out of town and would bring back a small treat ....a fat quarter, some new thread, a new trinket of sorts...... It was great fun and always a wonderful surprise; these "treats" came to be known as a "Happy". One of my favorite "Happys" was this wonderful little book with handmade paper. I wanted to save it for something special..... didn't use it for a while. After finding scraps of paper here and there filled with quotes, I thought my book to be the perfect place to hold them...so it became my book of quotes. I was reading my friend Carol Sloans blog about her quotes and it inspired me to hunt down my own....stashed away on a shelf somewhere and here it is.....
I stamp on the pages to "prettify" them ....and then add the quotes. They are from everywhere. Sometimes a movie will have a wonderful line (so many from The Hours)...I write it down (in the dark, in the theatre...) and it winds up here...sometimes it's just something one of my friends have said (very cool friends who say very profound things)...winds up here. I like using quotes to write on fabric. Sometimes it becomes a silk screen and sometimes I'll just write it. My handwriting is terrible but I don't mind the way it looks on fabric.

My dear friend and very accomplished artist - Barbara Butler made this wonderful quilt many years ago. She used quotes she'ld been saving for over 30 years. I loved the fact that as you looked at it, many reflected the "sign of the times" One quote was "Peace"....definitely the 60s.

The first time my daughter saw this, she stood and admired.... for 20 minutes...totally intrigued..... reading every quote.

It's a wonderful piece and a great way to use quotes or any other kind of writing. It's also a great idea for a scrap quilt.

I love the "Mr Rogers" quote from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.

If you're wanting to write on fabric, choose something made for fabric, textiles etc. so that it's permanent. I use a Pigma pen. It also helps to back the fabric with freezer paper while writing to prevent shifting.

Have a great weekend and a spooky and wonderful Halloween...and don't forget to set your clocks back...What are you going to do with that extra hour?

Morning's Glory Quilt

Years ago I took a weeklong workshop with David Walker - a fiber artist "extraordinaire". He told us that whenever he finished a quilt, he would light lots of candles in his studio, turn off the lights (except for one on his quilt), open a great bottle of wine, put on his favorite music and enjoy the moment and what he had accomplished. I've always loved that; wish I could say I do the same...not as easy with people and pets around...about all I can manage is the wine. I did finish my quilt today and it does feel good. So here are some details.....
While previewing it on the wall, my son said it needed more sparkle and I agree. The only way to incorporate it in the quilt at this point was through the quilting. I didn't want the whole thing quilted with metallic...just a touch here and there.
I used a mylar (flat shiny thread) which can be wicked to use but it was cooperating this time around. There is nothing better for giving glitz than a mylar, so much reflection.

I also used a couching thread - Candlelight by YLI in the bobbin and sewed from the back of the quilt. You can see the heavier threadwork.

I used a very subdued "non-descript" color to quilt the other areas. I didn't want the quilting to be too dominant.

The extra threadwork on the flowers and leaves gave it more dimension which it needed.

More threadwork on the leaves and fabric curls.

I dyed the fabric for the back and used the same mylar in the bobbin so the back would be sparkly also.

I used to be a designer for the Fairfield Fashion Show. The show itself had many wonderful sponsors who gave us great products to use for our creations. As a result, I've built up an enormous thread collection including many decorative threads. Mylars are hard to use on the top of the machine because they break easily but work very well in the bobbin.....so to use up these threads, I started to put them in the bobbin. Before I realized it, so many quilts had a "sparkly" back to them and I liked the look.

So now I use them all the time on the back. I will say, it was a bear to sew those parts that used mylar on top and bottom.

I faced the quilt as I wanted the edges to be plain - without a binding. I used a clothing construction technique to face the quilts.

and here is the finished piece.

I was still stumped on a name but had a thought..... when I walk in the morning (in the summer), first thing I see outside are the Morning Glories and they are glorious.....so Morning's Glory.

Birdhouses and Morning Glories

A while back I started a new piece inspired by a Bluebird house a neighbor gave me as a house warming gift. I love the weathered look and coupled with a vine like plant, thought it would make a pretty quilt. The working title is Birdhouses and Morning Glories...not much "pizazz" and am trying to come up with a better title.....
Any ideas??
Anyway....the picture of the birdhouse was to be part of the background, so thought it should be fairly subdued. I turned it into a Sepia print in Photoshop Elements.

I cropped the image and enlarged parts of it to make it into interesting design elements.

I wasn't concerned about direction...just wanted it to work into an interesting background.

So...all shapes and sizes were printed on fabric....wanted lots of choices for designing.

I liked the nail and strong wood grain in the part below....

I had some wonderful "granite" patterned fabric that worked really well with the digital imagery.

I like that the background is interesting without being overpowering.

I had printed some monoprints on the purchased fabric; it seemed to work well with the printed imagery (see below).

and the pieced background......

At this point I thought it needed a little "sparkling up" so scoured my big collection of couching threads and found this amazing little sparkle.

I set my machine for a narrow zig zag and threaded it with a monofilament on top. I laid the threads down along the narrow fabric strips and zig-zagged it in place.

The threadwork gives it a little more definition which I like and think is important.

A detail of the threadwork.....

I had already decided on a "greenish-blue" for the flower and dyed some mercerized cotton using procion mx dyes. I used Marine blue and a Chino brown ...the 2 together in the same fabric seem to give it more movement.

Nice (above) but not enough definition...so what to do? Think the flower needed more movement so I divided the flower into sections and cut each section taking into consideration a "light source" (another blog). I also thought the use of a textile paint along the edges would make it "pop"! Think it pops and additional threadwork will help.

So here are the 2 flowers side by side...a before and after (after is first)...so I guess it's after and before.

Next step was to pin everything in place, put on design wall and live with it for a while. It's always amazing to me to leave something up, go in and out of the room, looking at it everyday, how it often takes on a new perspective. Sometimes, something will click that I don't like...never saw it in the beginning but after looking at it everyday...it's glaring!...so for me it's important to take the time to "live with it" for a while.

I wanted a lot of movement so did fabric swirls and curls....I also wanted the flowers to meander around the birdhouse as that's how they are in the garden.

Next step is to fuse and sew the appliques down, then machine quilt. I've actually been doing that for a few days...almost done so will show you the results in the next post...

Boone, NC Revisited

My husband and I love to take short trips in the fall, taking advantage of the beautiful weather and color. Yesterday our destination was Boone, NC. I was there 2 weeks ago with my PTA group to see "12 Voices" at the Turgin Center for Visual Arts; I wanted John to see it also - so up to Boone we went. Our first stop was the Annex to the original Mast General store. Mast is our favorite store in Asheville, this one in Valle Crucis is the oldest one - over 100 years old. It's great fun to see, like taking a trip back in time.
I love all the "penny" candy in barrels...not a penny anymore but so much fun to get a bucket and pick and choose from a great variety.

There is an entrance in the back of Mast General with a sitting area and wonderful old, rusted signs.

And shelves loaded with jams and jellies....

I love this old Coke machine...still in use and very different than the ones we have today.

And the wonderful antiques along the ledge.

This wonderful piece holds all kinds of nuts and bolts and still sold the same way (loose) they were 100 years ago...No packages here!

And a genuine "sit and play a spell" station for checkers...

And remember these wonderful post office boxes with the little dials to create your own combination. My parents had one and here they're still in use.

Love this sewing cabinet....

And more antiques...

The floors were very uneven everywhere....so "watch you step".

These chairs in the shoe department really tickled me.

Our next stop was along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Moses Cone Craft Shop - one of 5 shops owned and operated by the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Members of the guild sell their work in these shops.

We drove home along the Blue Ridge Parkway which is always magical, especially this time of year. The views were breathtaking.

The parkway in the late afternoon is my favorite time - there are deep shadows on the mountains.

I can see why they are called the "Blue Ridge" Mountains.

Some wonderful rock formations along the way...will put these in Photoshop to play with.

And even some icicles...wow, keeps getting better and better.

And the color....of course, the color.

Such a magical day...and today back to work in my studio.

Silkscreens and Transparencies

A while back, in the middle of designing a quilt, I had a brainstorm - to use an image screened onto a transparent piece of plastic to lay over the quilt. This gave me a good feel as to how the image would work and where to place it. It was a great time saver and confidence booster; it is scary to screen an image onto a quilt because it's so permanent...no turning back kind of thing....gulp!!
When I make a screen using my Thermofax, I finish the edge with duct tape, and print the image on the outside of a folder. I now take it one step further and make an image on plastic to use as a designing tool....this is stored in the folder also. It's a great time saver to have it already done and wonderful for the designing process.

I buy the plastic at a chain sewing store. It's on a roll and sold by the yard. I think it's 4mm weight but not positive. It's a nice weight to work with.

I lay it over a piece of fabric or part of the quilt itself to see how it'll work.

This is one of my favorite designs as I love the movement...haven't used it yet.

Previewing it over fabric....

This next fabric is too busy for the intricate nature of the design.

This is a feather I found on a morning walk...made into a wonderful screen.

And here it is over a piece of fabric.

This technique can also be used for stamping. Stamp the image on a piece of heavier plastic; lay it on top of your quilt for a preview. I love silk screening and stamping but always hold my breath waiting to see how the image works with the quilt...this takes the guess out of it.

Goodbye Mr. Stripey

By August, I'm ready for summer to be over with the beautiful fall upon us and the holidays just around the corner. But I'm never ready to say goodbye to the beautiful flowers and veggies that are the best part of summer.
I've just heard that a frost is coming in so I've picked our last tomatoes......and this is it so I'll savor every bite...it has to last until next year. This year we tried some different types of tomatoes. My son's school had a sale in the horticulture department; we bought many varieties including some heirlooms, we had never tried before. We fell in love with "Mr Stripey" a great name for a tomato. It's the one in front, very yellow-orange when ripe and has stripes on the bottom. When used in a salad, it looks like you've added peaches instead of tomatoes. The flavor is beyond good. I'm very psychological about things like this. I like tomatoes to be red, potatoes to be white etc. It's hard to get enthused when they're a color I don't picture them to be. So Mr. Stripey appears on the vine and I think, will this be as good as a real tomato? Well very real it was and I highly recommend you add this to your list of tomatoes if you grow your own......
My son also picked a bouquet of Dahlias ...probably the last ones, and I'm really enjoying them.

And the beautiful Coleus which will not last much longer....

So Goodbye to Mr. Stripey and all the wonderful colors and tastes of summer...hope to see lots more of you next year!

Potato Dextrin Resist

I love creating fabric and have always been fascinated by resists. I love the "crackled" look which traditional hot wax batik will produce but don't like working with hot wax. A good alternative is the corn or potato starches. It's a finer looking crackle but still a neat effect.
Pro Chemical sells the potato and corn dextrin for this technique.
The first step is to make the starch by mixing potato dextrin and water into a thickened paste....directions on package. Set this aside or refrigerate until ready to use. It can be refrigerated for a limited time; see package for details.
Using a piece of insulation board - around 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, pin the fabric down tight. I pin every 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. As the paste is applied and allowed to dry, it shrinks and cracks.

Placing the pins at an angle with the top of the pin going outward and the bottom of the pin going in, stretches the fabric more tightly.

Next step is to apply the paste. It was an experiment of sorts to see how thick to apply it; I found the thicker areas to be more crackled. A thin layer will allow you to see the fabric underneath; a thicker layer will conceal the fabric. Allow the paste to dry thoroughly....like overnight. You will see it starting to crack as it dries.

Next step was to apply the color to "fill" in the cracked areas. You can use a thickened dye (preferred) or a fabric paint such as Set a Color. A dye will leave the fabric soft to the touch, a paint will alter the hand of the fabric. I like using a procion dye thickened with sodium alginate. In order for the dye to be permanent, it must have soda ash (the mordant for mx) in it. Next photo is fabric covered with potato dextrin solution....

To avoid extensive pinning, (time consuming), you can hoop it like in the picture below.

And now to apply the dye.... It is applied thick enough so you don't see the fabric underneath.

The dye needs time to react with the fabric. In order to do so, the fabric must be moist; cover it with plastic to prevent drying and leave overnight.

Now for the fun part....to remove the dye and see the results. I rinse in a laundry tub first to remove excess dye, then wash in cold water, then hot water with synthrapol. I wash the fabric until water is clear. And the results....very subtle but interesting I think.....

There's a flour resist technique which I'm anxious to try. I may do so this week which is supposed to be rainy and therefore good studio days...here in Asheville, NC.

Craggy Gardens, NC

John (hubby) and I do a lot of short trips in the fall; we love the weather and of course the beautiful fall foliage. Recently we ventured up the Blue Ridge Parkway which is a national treasure; it runs from Virginia to Georgia. It's a 2 lane well paved country road; it meanders over and through the tops of the Blue Ridge mountains. It's slow going along this route, but the scenery will take your breath away. It runs through Asheville, NC so we can pick it up easily. Even trips to the mall will tempt me to take this route, I never tire of it. Our destination for this day was Craggy Gardens where the spookiest and craggiest of trees live. I see how it got its name.

I'm always fascinated by these trees and must have a hundred pictures already.

Love this next one with the peeling bark....

They have a "lacey look" I think....

And with everything I photograph, there's always the potential for a quilt.

Onto even more spookier territory...the deep dark forests...love it!

And the beautiful views along the way...you could see forever...it seems!

And the Asheville Water Reservoir - a speck in the distance.

I love the colorful berries in the foreground....

Such a perfect day ...