Fantastic Fibers

Jet Trails #8  (47 x 47)

This quilt has been selected by juror Luanne Rimel for the Fantastic Fibers 2012 exhibit at the Yeiser Art Center in Paducah, KY.

A total of 393 entries from 159 fiber artists were received, and 52 works by 43 fiber artists were selected for the exhibition.  A complete list of selected artists and titles has been posted to the front page of the Fantastic Fibers Website below the "2012 Calendar" at http://fantasticfibers.theyeiser.org/.

The exhibition opens March 31 and runs through May 5, 2012.

Cutting into the saris

We spent some time making pieces for jackets from the purple and green sari.












Cutting out some sleeves

A long embroidered skirt that has a blouse and shawl to match.

 

 Suki's favorite was Priscilla's tote bag.  She explored every corner and tried every possible position.

She finally settled on getting herself totally in the bag, with just her head poking out.

Arrival of the saris

This is the package of saris that Priscilla shipped from India.

The saris are in a tote bag, which was wrapped in fabric.

The package was then sewn shut, and the seam was sealed with wax.

There were no other reinforcing materials, but the saris arrived safely.








Here's the stack of saris, and the package also contained a dress and shawl.









And here are a few of the lovely pieces:

Show & Tell - 3

Priscilla brought a few saris to show and shipped more from India that should be here soon.  The silk fabric is very sheer and very soft.




















She also had several doubled and stitched saris in the form of scarves and shawls -- great just to wear or to use as fabric for jackets.

Another beautiful sari in shades of turquoise and blues.

Decisions, Decisions.....














And Suki wasn't the least bit interested in the fabrics;  she was much too busy concentrating on something she spotted in the back yard.    We don't know how she would ever have managed if we had put solid wood doors on the studio instead of the glass ones.....

Show & Tell - 2

Nancy is doing handwork on a piece that she discharged. 

She's also finishing her piece with all the lovely Japanese fabrics.

Priscilla showed us some tote bags she bought inexpensively in India that are zippered and plastic-lined inside.

Pat and Jeanne talked about Jeanne's challenge on her blog http://www.quilt2012.blogspot.com/ to make a 20 x 12 quilt each week, where you can see all the quilts posted for each week. 

Here's an overview of Pat's entries for each week -- great pieces by themselves, but also great sketches for bigger pieces. 

Show & Tell

Priscilla brought this wonderful wall piece in to show us.

She found it on her recent travels in India, and I think it's destined for a prominent space on her living room wall.










In addition to the overall design, there are many individual blocks -- so much to look at!

Priscilla's back

Our friend Priscilla is back from a long trip to India that included volunteering to teach jacket-making skills to women in Jodhpur.  See her blog for more... http://www.priscillakibbee.blogspot.com/

She had some time while there to do a bit of shopping and brought back some beautiful saris.

We spent a little time today figuring out how this beautiful material could be used as fabric for new jackets.








Here's another view of a purple and green sari.  Notice that the design of the print on the end of the sari (to the right) is different than the main part of the sari.

 

Suki was also very happy to see Priscilla and especially appreciated the opportunity to get in the closet and settle in on top of Priscilla's case.

And she got a chance to play her favorite game with Priscilla, trying to catch her finger. 

In the studio

Pat was here for a little sewing and to give me some much-needed help with postcard design.

Suki graced us with her presence and helped by holding down my quilt for me.






Pat is participating in the Quilt 2012 challenge and is finishing up her newest quilt for this week.

GVQC meeting

The Genesee Valley Quilt Club had its regular monthly meeting yesterday.

One of the on-going activities that the Club sponsors is Comfort Quilts. Members make quilts of all sizes that are donated to area groups that distribute them to people who could use a little extra comfort and care.




The monthly meetings also offer the opportunity for members to host a sale table. Bev is behind her table where she offered some of her hand-dyed fabrics along with items from her stash.






Pat was there to offer some antique quilt tops and blocks, which were all taken.

Another camera test

Our resident deer appeared (as they do on a daily basis) so that I got another chance to test out the zoom on my new camera.

Although they are several hundred feet away at the far end of our pasture, they carefully observe the photographer.

Our four regulars seem to feel very at home here and may very well have been raised here or very near by.  Many acres of woods and open farm land surround our property, and no houses or street lights are visible in the miles south of this pasture.  There's lots of room for the herd to wander.

They are attractive and a pleasant addition to our enjoyment of country living --- too bad they are so destructive!!