Did I mention...

that I like black and white???

These are 

just a few of my quilts

with

black

and

white

with bits of color

Stay tuned...

there will be more!!!

The power of art....

Research says....

that there is a powerful connection between art, healing and your health....

Some of us need science to verify hypotheses, to see the proof, to truly believe,

to make sense of their little world...

I am one of those who doesn't

perhaps that makes me seem gullible, vulnerable, easily influenced 

I just know that sometimes when the heart hurts

burying myself in the rhythm of stitching, or lettering or journaling

swaddles me in a blanket of time that allows me to heal, to relax, 

maybe even escape for a few minutes..

so that I can come out stronger, healthier, and happier

ready to face whatever comes my way!!!

"Borderline, My A$$: NOONE Asked You"

allowed me just that

and for that I am forever grateful....

"Art washes from the soul dust of everyday life."

-Picasso

Just about time...

..to get in some last minute bidding on the first round of quilts being auctioned off 

by Quilt Alliance on eBay!!!!

But

there are still a few hours left to bid on my quilt!!!

As she gets ready to head to her new home, 

I will probably not see "Olive. Olive You." again ....

but I still enjoy Olive in real life...

often enjoying some breakfast together...

and now that it is mid November,

it is just about time to start some holiday projects

that probably could have been started months ago...

and when I am not rushing to get these done,

I am always working on something else...

in black and white, of course!

My symphony

I looked up the definition of a symphony 

and found that it can be defined as... 

"anything characterized by a harmonious combination of elements,especially 

an effective combination of colors"

-dictionary.com

or....

"something regarded, typically favorably, as a composition of different elements"

                                                                          -Google

I started composing this symphony over the summer

during a period of great emotion and transition in my life.

I began with my 'go-to' combination, 

black fabric and white fabric...

two elements that I like to work with and find to be a harmonious combination

but I decided to spice it up a bit 

with some small bits of ice-dyed fabric

 left over from another art work..

Interestingly, while adding purple was a bit intentional 

(as part of our fiber art group challenge) 

and a bit of a whim..

I have discovered that the color purple relates to the imagination

 and inspires high ideas... 

it is an introspective color, 

allowing us to get in touch with our deeper thoughts...

very meaningful for me right now. 

Yellow, on the other hand,

is associated with joy, happiness, intellect and energy...

something I am seeking every day!

and so my symphony began to evolve....

over time...

as more elements were slowly added...

with no real plan in mind...

composing as I went along...

and when I thought it was finished being pieced

I decided to hand quilt my composition...

allowing this creation to unfold before my eyes..

and finally, 

my....

"Ode to Someone I Love: It's Not All Black and White"

and the back,

 cherries,

just because...

Start the bidding....

Do I hear..???

Yes, 

Olive. Olive you  

is going home with one lucky winner some time in the next week or so....

The quilt, along with the many other "Animals We Love" quilts 

are being auctioned off on eBay

(check out the  Quilt Alliance website- she's the cover girl today!) over the next few weeks...

But the real Olive

continues to entertain us at home 

with her cuteness...

her studiousness....

her squeaky voice...

and her cuddly, lovable disposition.....

In the meantime, 

while you all are bidding on the quilts,

we  are enjoying a little cheesecake

(all one-million calories or so.... I mean, 2 lbs of cream cheese, for goodness sake!)

courtesy of Nature Boy....

and I am putting the finishing touches on my latest project...

 that is getting ready to be packed up 

along with the quilts of the fiber art group I belong to

on a journey around the USA with Mancuso Quilt Fest

 Stay tuned.....

.

Yep, I am....

back in the saddle

doing something you stopped doing for a period of time; Friedman's career seemed to be finished a month ago, but he's back in the saddle and playing for Houston.

-from The Free Dictionary

Yeeeeeeeeha!!!! 

This weekend, I put on my cowboy boots and ten gallon hat

and ...

Okay, I don't own either

but

It seems that I am beginning to find my groove again!!

 

I spent some time at the sewing machine, 

working on a project that has taken many pauses over the past year

 and still has a way to go!!!

This is the now very famous Olive with her late companion, Tinkerbelle.

Originally, this photo taken by my youngest child, "Sugarbaby",

was supposed to be a small quilt 

destined for the Quilt Alliance "Animals We Love" Contest

but the project outgrew the dimensional limitations (16"x16")

(as well as the innocence of the original photo!!!)

and so we all know what happened to that contest..

(a refresher just in case you forgot!!!)

Now the project 

needs a lot more thread and perhaps some added dimension.

And eventually, a title....

Thelma and Louise?

Girls on the Lam?

 

Stay tuned...

I attended a lecture at our local art museum 

entitled "Art is a Feminist Issue"

in conjunction with a current exhibit,

Audrey Flack: Heroines.

An octogenarian, Ms Flack

created an exhibit of mixed media drawings and prints to

highlight women neglected or demonized by history.

The pieces in this exhibit were all completed within the past few years...

 

So maybe my best work is yet to come!!

I also began some hand stitching 

which I find particularly relaxing ...

This project has a deadline so I may have to speed up my relaxation!!!

Not to be confined to the sewing needle,

I dabbled a bit in the kitchen...

and even donned the ol' running shoes...

Life is full of surprises!!!