Suki in the studio

Many of the readers of the blog indicate that they enjoy the quilting images, but really "tune in" to check on the exploits of Inspector Suki.

A recently acquired piece of hardware, a Drobo to provide automatic data backup, provides her latest warm perch.













Here she hides in her favorite basket, hoping that her partially hidden figure will allow her to spring into action on a new mission with a surprise pounce!

















Retreating to the bottom of the basket will provide even more cover. Maybe something interesting will drop into her lap.









A cardinal sits on a bush just outside of Nancy Hicks' kitchen window. Suki would love to visit the next time someone stops there and join Nancy's kitties in watching the birds from her window.

Another Jacket Day

Most of the gals from the last jacket class were back in the studio for another day of sewing and working towards finishing their jackets.
Even though Priscilla couldn't join us, everyone was working hard and kept their noses to the grindstone!







Caris has the back panel finished and embellished with hand stitching, and her front panels are ready for final stitching.











Donna finished one her front panels and has the fabrics laid out for the other.













Caren made some wonderful purple seminole strips that will be the focus for a new vest, and Caris has a strip she made but then decided not to use in her jacket. I think that means she'll have to design another jacket to make use of it.....

Sewing Day

Priscilla found this wonderful leaf print fabric that might become a focal point for a new jacket or quilt. Although she's hard to see, Suki is on Priscilla's chair and looks like she's checking out the fabrics.
















Beth brought in all the fabric strips she made from some of her old fabrics while she was away on vacation. They might end up in quilts, totes, or other projects.










Priscilla started auditioning fabrics to coordiate with the colorful cross stitched piece she's using as the focal point.



















These are the panels for a jacket Priscilla started a little while ago, that are on the agenda to be finished soon. We noted that the color palette looks a bit similar to the new pieces going up on the design wall... :-)

RAFA meeting

The Rochester Area Fiber Artists' group had its first meeting at a new location in East Rochester.

The large room accommodates setting up the tables in a large square.

Beth Brandkamp is home from her travels in FL and NC and is sporting a wonderful tan.

Beth showed us one of the Hmong story quilts she just purchased from Priscilla.

Priscilla showed us her Vegetable Man quilt.

This is one of the three pieces that Mary Wieser completed recently and shared with us.







Mary Rankin finished this quilt for her grandson, which involved watching a lot of basketball on tv to get information for the player's pose and his uniform.

Sarah Terry just finished this quilt which incorporates pieces of metal that she burnished.

Karen Rakowski made this one-block wonder quilt.

Kimono Exhibit

The Rochester newspaper, the Democrat and Chronicle, announced the new exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery -- a nationwide touring exhibit of kimonos from the Montgomery Collection in Lugano, Switzerland. "Fashioning Kimono: Art Deco and Modernism in Japan" will be at the gallery from Jan 31 through April 4 and features 100 examples of traditional garments from the 1890s to the 1950s.






The opening exhibition party had a huge crowd and waiting lines for the timed admissions to the show. A volunteer in the gift shop estimated that over 1600 people came for the evening's events.









Although many of the visitors were dressed in their kimonos, I think this young man was a gallery volunteer. He said his attire was typical of that of a shogun's.














My blurry picture is from the ballroom, where people were enjoying dancing to music provided by Rochester Brass and Electric. The event also included sake tastings, tea tastings, jazz music, line dancers, origami demonstrations, ikebana demonstrations, and more.

Starting my jacket

It's always fun to have one of Priscilla's classes here at the studio, and I took advantage of the opportunity to join in the jacket making.

I've been wanting to see what I could do with the beautiful silk scraps that my friend, Marcia Murphy, shared with me and decided to incorporate them into a kimono-style jacket.

Many luscious pieces, but most of them in odd shapes and small sizes, make it a challenge to decide which ones to use.




The color choices changed many times before I settled on the purple and green pieces.

The back and the two front panels are "roughed in."






The front panels will have less organic and more hard-line geometric shapes to better match the rectangle shapes on the back panel.

The sleeves will be made from more of the dark purple fabric, and the front band will be black.

Hopefully there will be time next week to work on it some more....

Jacket class pictures

A few more pictures from our jacket class....

Nancy Crouch is surrounded by the beautiful fabrics she is creating for her jacket.







Donna Patrick worked on a piece of fabric that she had scrunched. She had wet the fabric, twisted it, and let it dry to create texture with the resulting wrinkles.

Now she is sewing various threads and ribbons onto it.





Here's the final product, due to become a section of the front of her jacket.








Liz Scott is busy getting the lining ready to be sewn into her jacket.

Jacket class - Day 3

This was the last day of our class with Priscilla. It was over much too soon, but everyone made great progress on their jackets.

Liz Scott finished her Halloween jacket and modeled it for us, complete with matching green shoes!
















Here's the back of Liz's jacket with several of its fun fabrics. Liz also made the lining for her jacket with more of her Halloween fabrics.














Caren Betlinski finished the pieces of her vest by couching on rows of red beads and gold cording. She's getting some advice from Priscilla on adding a button closure.











Caris Burton changed patterns for her jacket and reorganized the fabrics she'll use. By the afternoon she was busy sewing it together.

Jacket class - Day 2

Priscilla brought in her beautiful turquoise coat that she made of "scrunched" batik fabric so she could better explain the scrunching and embellishing options. Caren Betlinski, Liz Scott, and Nancy Crouch were checking the coat when Inspector Suki came along to help.






Liz has made a lot of progress on her Halloween coat, and Nancy is making more fabrics to go with her beautiful focus fabric by Sherrill Khan.







Donna Patrick completed the back of her jacket.










Caren has the pieces of her red and black vest completed. I think beads and then the lining are on her agenda for tomorrow.

Jacket class - Day 1

We're having another jacket class with Priscilla Kibbee here at the studio.

Caren Betlinski completed a lovely jacket today -- one she started in Priscilla's last class.














The back of her jacket features one of her threadpainted flowers.

















Suki picked her spot this morning, joining Nancy Crouch at her table. Nancy had the longest drive from Montour Falls, but made it even with all the rains in her area.






Donna Patrick is starting her jacket with a central panel on the back that features a mola from Priscilla's last trip to the San Blas Islands.