Wonderful Students

I've been a teacher all of my life...first in public school, then very humble beginnings in a local quiltshop, graduating to conferences and guilds around the country. It has always been a joyful experience and one, where I often find I've learned more than I've taught....and always one of the best parts is when you get an email, or a student finds you at a conference to share their finished piece from your workshop. So as I puff out my chest...let me introduce you to 3 very talented and lovely ladies who recently shared their finished piece of art with me.

Lorie Groetzinger took my "Nature to Paper to Fabric" workshop where students transfer real leaves to a special paper and then to fabric. Lorie created such a unique piece using leaves, a paper pieced background and a branch as a holder....and if that wasn't enough...

Look at this fabulous spider web she created with thread. If you look closely at the top picture, it sits in the middle between the branch and edge of the wallhanging. It's subtle but a wow moment when you come upon it.

and several details of the beautiful leaves and their placement on the piece. Lorie did a wonderful job and I love that she shared this with me....Good Job, Lorie!!

Dawn Jennings took my Layered Naturescapes at another symposium and just made my day when she brought it to share. Well, It's fantastic, not only did I love the piece.... but thought the attention to detail was amazing. Dawn started with a base piece, added imagery, then a layer of silk organza and more imagery.

She went a step further by adding yarns, threads and seashells....

and this darling seahorse upon which I commented that it looked so vintage. Well, it was and what a lucky find for her; it adds so much to the piece. Great Job...Dawn!

Debbie Campbell signed up for my workshop again...this time to create a partner for this piece which is eye-popping and beautiful. Debbie started with a base piece, added pink cone flowers, painted organza and more flowers on top. The flowers on top really pop, making the ones on the first layer more dimensional and distant.

Debbie's second piece will utilize Daisies and similar background and organza colors so she can use them together. I was so happy to have Debbie back (we go way back together) and to see another wonderful piece developing....hope she sends photos (hint...hint...)and....Great job...Debbie!
Hats off to 3 lovely and very talented ladies and how lucky am I to know them as a student and friend.

North Carolina Symposium

The North Carolina Symposium was held last week in Raleigh, NC at William Peace University. The symposium is hosted by a different guild each year which allows it to move around the state. I was teaching my Layered Naturescapes workshop which is always great fun. 

My cats seem to have a 6th sense about these things and love it when they find an open suitcase...I think they try and hide in hopes of tagging along but I always catch them in time... 

 Raleigh was a straight shot on I-40 except for when I got to the last 15 mins...of course my GPS died on me an hour into the trip and my google maps would not connect...There I was on Glenwood Avenue and didn't know where to go..After 3 gas stations, I found my way ...A little old lady who was quite feisty and smart told me (she was probably a quilter)...but I know from experience, a trip wouldn't be complete if I didn't get lost. Just ask anyone who knows me...So here is a pic of the lovely WP Univ campus...

It was quite small and easy for everyone to get aroound.

So onto the workshop...this one always fills and is the most fun to teach. There were 22 lovely ladies so we were bulging at the seams but quilters are the nicest people and everyone was very respectful of each other's space. We did have a table of goodies - silk paint, textile paint, silk screens and tulle...

The 1st part of this workshop is to paint (using Dye-na-Flow) a piece of silk organza. The colors should work with the base piece since this will serve as an overlay.

Crinkling up the organza provides lots of nooks and crannies for the paint flow giving it an interesting dimension when dry.

We used the hall for drying which can take up to a couple of hours. If it's a sunny day, students often put their silk on bushes and grass outside which speeds up drying time.

So the next step while organza is drying is to create some interesting imagery on the base piece of fabric. This is achieved through silk screens and appliques.

This very clever gal also used some wonderful yarns for embellishment underneath the organza.

The organza is placed on top...

and more imagery added to organza...which is yet to be done here...but it's off to a wonderful start.

This gal had a fabulous piece of fabric she dyed and was using as a base. She has silk screened some trees on top and next will add the organza.

I loved this piece...it was incredibly soft and pretty.

and a detail where you can see how interesting the painted organza is. Crinkling the fabric will create the mottled look you see above.

I loved this piece with the beautiful ferns (this will be an underwater scene) and then using a fancy tulle with ribbon

added this to the top.

This piece was so playful and I failed to get a picture of the next step...but it did feature dolphins jumping out of the water. The clouds were more tweaked and some beautiful colors used.
It was such a big group, I had a hard time remembering names...but I will say this...I got the "happy chills" when walking up and down seeing what everyone was doing...These gals were incredibly talented and did some beautiful pieces...I hope they'll email a picture when they're done.

Welcome to Woolworth Walk

Last summer, my 2 pals, Kate and Mary and myself decided to look into getting a booth at Woolworth Walk in downtown Asheville. The building is the original Woolworth and on the register for historical buildings. It now houses artist's work. Located on Haywood Street, (Asheville's main street), it is the hub of activity, especially during tourist season.

We just got notified that a booth was available on the lower level. It needed a new color for the walls...so a few days before move-in day, we had our painting party...first coat.

You've heard the expression...about as much fun as "watching paint dry"....that's absolute truth. We literally had to hang around before doing the second coat...but it does look nice and fresh and new. Once we decided on what wall would be whose..., I could go home and map out what to hang.

I pushed the tables back in my studio, giving me an open area to tape off the size of the wall. It was so tempting to try and fill up all the space but then remembering, quilts can't go to the floor. This is the plan I came up with.

Kate did a great job building a scarf rack. We hung it on an angle; the hooks were positioned on a angle also.

While we did the scarf rack, Mary started on her wall...

and it looks great.

The ladder holds much of Mary's hand crafted felted items and boxes.

Mine is hung...still needs a liittle tweaking and straightening of some quilts. Taking a picture helps to point out what needs to be done.

Our scarf rack works great; Kate and I are sharing it.

Kate's wall is done. We are all using the canvas holder (lower left) for matted items and the shelf above for cards.

And our first visitors...quilters...of course!

And when you're done with seeing everything...you can go upstairs to the old restored soda fountain for lunch.

Such a fun place to visit...hope you'll stop by.

"Nature's Apothecary"

Mountain Art Quilters is a parlor group of the national organization - SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Association). Linda Sexton-Patrick started the group a few years back with just a few people. It has grown into a nice size and every meeting shows new faces.

 We had our first show and it runs through June 1 so if you're in the area, hopefully you can drop by.

 Here are some of the lovely pieces you'll see...Susan Lee stands next to 2 of her pieces.

 I love this piece by Lynne Harrill who made this in honor of her dad when he passed away. It's called "Show Some Emotion". Her dad taught her how to sew and bought her her first sewing machine at the age of 10.

 And another piece by Lynne.

 Kathy Briggs is known for her intricate piecing which serve as backgrounds for some beautiful applique.

 This one is by Kathy also - "Fire"

 "Sentinel" by Julie Bagamary with her wonderful handstitching (top)

 and "Green Leaf" by Julie.

 "Ferns and Vines" by Lisa Heller

 and a close-up which shows some deconstructive screen printed fabric used very effectively.

 Linda Sexton-Patrick with her piece

 and another one of Linda's colorful pieces - "Summer Sizzle"

 "Winter Trees" by Paula B. Entin

 and "Glimpse at the Borderlands also by Paula

 "Pines in the Woods" by Lynn Della Posta

 and Jenny Perry with her "Autumn in the Mountains. Jenny does beautiful machine work.

 "Ode to Joy" by Mary Jane Lappin....

 and "Underwater Escapades" by Shirley Parkin

 The next 2..are my quilts...which I forgot to take a picture of at the show...above is "Happy Blues"

and this one is "Winter Tides". Growing up on Long Island and walking along Jones Beach in the off season had a lovely, calming affect...This piece was made with that in mind.
Our SAQA group meets @ 3 X a year so I'm still getting to know these gals and their beautiful work.