Blue Ridge Magic

Living in Asheville, NC has so many wonderful things going for it but one of the best in my opinion is the Blue Ridge Parkway which runs right through it. The parkway is a national treasure with breathtaking views everywhere you look. I will go out of my way to take the parkway rather than one of the roads more conveniently located...I never tire of it.

We do many long drives during all seasons but especially the fall with all the brilliant color. This is a culmination of more than one trip this season.

I get a lot of inspiration from the photos I take...I love the layering of mountains and think done in layers of organza would achieve a nice effect.

I also love the bright foliage close in to give it perspective.

I've always had a love affair with trees and this one is magnificent.  I store it in my picture file for trees and yes...there it was...a picture of if taken many times before. I must do something with this someday soon.

Another beautiful vista.....

We hit the highest point on the parkway at 6053 feet...mighty cold up there.

Looking Glass Mountain which does look like glass is always great to see and does stand out because of its odd shape and bald top.

Another fabulous tree for my picture file....

More beautiful vistas.....

Some good color...think we were a little too late on the higher points on the parkway and missed the peak....still pretty though.

The Asheville Water Shed you can see above surrounded by such wonderful mountains.

And 2 different weeks along the parkway...above...you can see the difference in leaf change....It's been nice to get out and some beautiful cool weather and NO news to watch...a nice escape if only for a little while.

I Woke up this Morning

and looked outside to see this. 

 This is in my front yard. We do live in a small subdivision @ 14 houses and lots of property so we're not on top of each other.

 This whole area was a pathway for the deer which they still use and live in the woods across from us.

 But it's always a thrill to see these beautiful creatures...

 and one of the many reasons why I love living here.

Hope you're having a good day and getting to spend time in your studio.

Too Early for the White Stuff

As a rule, we never have snow this early - Nov 1...Yikes.....I do like snow as long as I don't have to drive in it or shovel it. I love to watch it falling but then I want it to be gone.

 The weather channel was right for a change, living in such a mountainous area, they often don't get it right.

 It's odd to see the fall foliage still on the trees with the snow coming down...

 a winter wonderland. I'm glad I have some great sewing projects just calling to me...

 and some hot soup and cocoa.

Til next time...

Judy

Feathering the Nest

Years ago when we first moved in, our neighbor gave us a Blue bird house as a gift and every year since, we've had 2 or more families come and take up housekeeping each spring/summer.  

It's always been a highlight for me to watch the new little baby birds learning to fly while keeping our cats indoors for the duration.

The Blue birds have always had this house, it's a given ...until this year when the swallows beat them to it. I think the Blue birds were upset as we would see them circling around the house. We do like to peek when the time is right just to see what's going on inside. What a surprise when we peeked in and saw this.

The nest was completely surrounded by feathers.

It was a work of art.

Nature never ceases to amaze me.

Needless to say, when they all left for the season, I retrieved the nest. My 2 year old granddaughter will love seeing it.......It's just amazing!

Working with Deconstructive Screened Fabric

We seem to do a lot of deconstructive screen printing in my Fiber Junkies group - one of our favorite techniques;  but on the other hand, the fabric can be difficult to work with. It's very busy .

 I've had this leaf print for a while...I remember making it while at John C Campbell Folk School; our classroom was next to a garden that had luscious plants and one with oversized leaves. We managed to control ourselves and try to share a few leaves amongst ourselves.  I love the print but don't have a clue what to do with it.

 I have an oversize printer which I haven't used for that purpose in a while and decided to get my notes out from Pat Minks weeklong workshop years ago. She show us how to do settings for an oversized print. This one was 11" x 14". I also thought a tree printed on top would work well with this oversized leaf. I pulled it up in photoshop elements, turned it into a black and white and lowered the opacity of the image so it would be semi transparent when printing. This allowed the tree to show though which I liked. It's still quilt busy but gives me some direction as to where I might go with this.

 I also tried another leaf with a tree image on top but the image did not work well and got lost in the leaf so this might have to go in my scrap pile.

 I had another set of smaller leaves done with the color "Nutmeg" which is so pretty but quite strong. This was only an 8 x 10" size so I used my C-88 printer which does a beautiful job on smaller things.

 I lowered the opacity of the image and it's a hit or miss how transparent it will be but I liked the amount. The image of the tree is still very present but you can see the leaves through it.

 This is a little bit closer detail. I did some stitching around the tree in black thread. I also stitched around the leaves with a monofilament thread - I wanted more texture but not more color.

It lent itself to being matted and I like the double mat with the thin strip of black against the orange. It's an easy way to finish a piece - no borders, no sleeves and looks nice.
Til next time...

Nature Center Inspiration

I had my 8 month old granddaughter visiting this past week and one of the things we did was to visit the Nature Center in Asheville.  It's been many years since I've been there and there are many more animals and walking paths, picnic areas - it was a wonderful day.

 All of the animals are native to this part of the country making it more personal and fun.

 Audrey was fascinated with the huge snake she tried to reach out and touch, oops except for that glass in the way.

 The cougars were among my favorite. Being a lover of cats, it was fun to see the big cats doing the same thing as my 4 domestic ones.

 And there are still lots of "winter trees" which I love with all the crazy configuration of branches.

 
My most fascinating time was with the wolves....all kinds - red, grey and white, and at one point they all set to howling, each kind of wolf had a different howl -  it was amazing. One of those moments you wish for but rarely happen. And so here is my inspiration - to photograph these beautiful animals through a chain linked fence or glass. I did both but when I did the glass, the trees behind me reflected on the glass and came through on the picture of the wolf I didn't realize this until I downloaded the photos. I love the "double exposure" kind of thing and am thinking I might want to do a quilt using this picture.

Snowstorms and I've Been RAAK'D

The snow is here and I really do love it as long as it's not too often. I love being kept indoors in my studio with a fire going in the fireplace.  Our snow was nothing major but pretty just the same.  It's very cold outside and I'm happy to be housebound. 

 This is a view of the front, I stepped outside for just a second and snapped a few photos.

 Our Daffodils are in bloom right along the side here, probably not so anymore; I was looking forward to picking a bunch.

A winter wonderland!

 And onto a "gift" I received while teaching at Mid-Atlantic. At the end of each day, I would straighten my room, putting away, throwing out and get ready for the next day.  I came upon this small quilt on a table where I keep all the patterns and handouts. At first I thought someone had left it by mistake. I hung it up thinking the person who accidentally left it, would come back. By the third day, I asked my class about it as on the back was...

 You've been RAAK'D which is a Random Act of Art Kindness. I hadn't heard of that and was surprised and happy to think someone had left it for me.  This wonderful treasure has found a new home and is hanging in my studio where I keep my favorite things. It's a lovely piece and also makes me wonder who might have done this. I have a few thoughts on that, but for now I'll say, if you're reading this, Thank You.  I love it and cherish the idea that you thought of me.