Quilty Thoughts & Board Game Bonanza

I'm still on my quilting hiatus, lol. I know, I know...is there such a thing? Yes. I'm on a break until May. There's just too much going on with the new gig and needing to wrap up the edits for the third Dark Dreams anthology. Add travel in a few days and this month's gone "Goodbye."

Don't think I don't have all sorts of "Oooo" and "Aaah" ideas running through my mind. I'm definitely taking my sketchbook with me when I take the train down to Charleston, South Carolina next week. I will definitely have enough time to think and draw. I will take my sashiko sampler with me though and maybe some other things I can hand piece. I'm starting up an Etsy online store soon, but I need inventory first. Hmm...

I got into playing board games with my husband. Karoda, knowing your epic games with your family, you will be delighted to know that he now hates to play Scrabble with me...and let's not even start talking about how he feels about playing Boggle, LOL. Word games aren't his thing. The game Risk, however, has been going on for into the third week now--the two of us --along with his cousin--battling it out to conquer the world, LOL. I haven't played board games in years. Too much fun.

New Printer Excitement

I'm pretty excited. Ticked off at my old printer and its ink cartridge costs from beyond, I went out and bought a spankin' brand new Epson CX7800. It's an all-in-one with those cool Durabrite inks. Ooooo...I can print all sorts of stuff onto my fabric.

Mwah-HA-haaaa!!!

D.C. Artist Robert Weiner

Colorwave by Robert Weiner

Is this an art quilt?

No, but it sure looks like one doesn't it?

It is actually a glass piece by D.C. glass artist Robert Weiner. According to his website, he uses over 170 murrine design combinations that he fuses at low temperatures. This piece is part of his "Colorbar Murrine Series" and I think it's gorgeous. His work will be among the 120 artists chosen to participate in the Smithsonian Crafts Show, April 20-23, at the National Building Museum.

"Mentality Retraining"

Sorry this is such a long one, but I had a great comment on my last post. To sum it up, it was about being happy in their new job and having to do "mentality retraining." I so understand that. It's like shaking off years of a way of thinking. Of freeing my mind to be myself again. Someone once told me I should never want to work somewhere that I feel I have to hide my talents and I don't have to do that at this new job.

For over 2 years, I was working against my personality type. Every day that I had to hold it in and hold my tongue led to hating myself as much as I hated what I was doing. My drawer was filled with ginger ales, chews and powder to ease my stomach--I was so ill every morning.

One day a few weeks ago, I was sticking labels on a large board mailing and thought about something a colleague told me at an event. A Native American illustrator--Greggory--was sitting at the next table and told me how he was working a job he hated and one day it hit him. He said, "You might think this sounds crazy, but all I could think was 'What I am doing is not honoring my ancestors.'" He quit and started his own graphic design company. I told him I didn't think it sounded crazy at all and we talked for the rest of the time there. I thought about that statement and it felt like my world stopped and restarted at that moment. I looked at those books and thought, "I am not honoring my ancestors. I'll never do another one of these again." That very day I found the ad that led me to being hired at my new gig now. Call it fortuitous. Call it the ancestors at work. I don't know. All I know is that I'm so much happier where I am now.

Here's a quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer: "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

First Day at the New Job

Well, I'd like to say that my first day went really well.

My co-workers are so nice and it's such a change of pace. It's always a little scary and weird at first when you start out somewhere new. SO much to learn. So much to find out, you know? You should see the stack of material I need to read. I want to be as well-versed as possible so that I can really know what I'm editing and writing about. It's nice to be working in my field again and I'm really happy about it.

Adinkra stamp

I got a request to see the back of my adinkra stamp.

It has four wooden prongs stuck into the back. At its apex, a piece of canvas-like fabric is wrapped around it and secured with a string tie. It's actually pretty sturdy.

Zawadi & Calabash Adinkra Dyeing Stamps

Today was the last day at my job. My staff took me to breakfast and my co-workers took me to lunch. It's been one of those weirdly wonderful days. It's always a little funny feeling after you leave a job, like, "Oooo...I have no idea what to expect next, but darn I'm looking forward to it!"

The U Street/Shaw area is a historic, vibrant neighborhood here in D.C. where my grandmother hung out in high school and remembers as "Black Broadway." In the 1920s-40s, it was known as the epicenter of Black life here in D.C. Performers such as Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway were regulars here. Now it is filled with shops, clubs, lounges and restaurants. I love it.

In my happy giddy state on this beautiful warm day, I visited a favorite store named Zawadi, at 1524 U St. They specialize in African goods such as jewelry, home accessories and more. I got into a great conversation with the owner, Irene, about my favorite African country--Senegal--where I stayed for a month back in 2001 and where she regularly shops for her goods.

When I told her I was an art quilter, she pulled out a basket of African fabric remnants! The one above is from Mali, and it still has the threads in it from the resist stitch method the dyers used! They used a fine small running stitch. I also was tickled to find a calabash gourd stamp used to create adinkra fabrics in Ghana! My stamp's symbol is "Hye wo nhye"/"Unburnability", "toughness and imperishability of self." If you're ever in D.C., stop through! I'm sure you'll find something beautiful!

Woo-Hoo! Book 3!

Woo-hoo! Going crazy for two weeks paid off!

My short story "Flight", will be in the third installment of the Dark Dreams anthology series! Yay!

D.C. Artist Sam Gilliam

top: From Shiraz and bottom, Day to Night, by Sam Gilliam

I was reading a local magazine and they talked about prominent Washington D.C. artist Sam Gilliam. Part of a movement called the Washington Color School, his beautiful works are so vibrant and many of his paintings have canvases that are draped and seem to "flow". Something about his work reminds me so much of the textiles that many of us on AQ create. Enjoy!

On Mythology and Legend

DebR, are you watching this?! SciFi's showing a miniseries version of Ring of the Nibelungs. They're calling it Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King. I'm really enjoying it.

I love mythology. I love epic tales. I love fantasy and scifi stories. There's something about them that just takes you to another place. I've always enjoyed reading the myths of cultures from all over the world. One thing that you end up finding it that despite the geographic differences, there are similiarities all over the world in the legends that we tell. Wonderful.

Website Updated!

I thought I'd update my official website and add some of my new pieces. Spring cleaning, LOL!

There's always a regular thread of debate on the QA listserv about whether to call yourself a quilter/art quilter/fiber artist or textile artist. I went with "Textile Arts" for the site because I will eventually include other textile pursuits on it such as handbags, accessories and maybe even garments, and I want that option open to me in the future. Other than that, I usually refer to myself as an "art quilter" or "textile artist."

iPod Magic 8-Ball Meme

Yup. That's the back of my iPod with its Maria Callas quote. I bought this almost 2 years ago now. I don't know what I'd do without it, lol.

Thought I'd break out the iPod and try Diane's meme: Essentially, you go to "shuffle songs" and see which random songs answer your questions. Here goes:

How does the world see me?
Dreams by The Game

Will I have a happy life?
Think Twice by Erykah Badu

What do my friends really think of me?
Fool of Me by Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Oh my...

Do people secretly lust after me?
Fear Not of Man by Mos Def
I don't know what to say about that

How can I make myself happy?
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Ella Fitzgerald
Or this one either, LOL

What should I do with my life?
Start from Scratch by The Game
LOL! I'm trying!

Will I ever have children?
Don't Cry by Seal

What is some good advice for me?
I Still Believe by Mariah Carey

How will I be remembered?
Don't Quit on Me by Ruben Studdard

What is my signature dance song?
Danger Zone by Gwen Stefani

What do I think my current theme song is?
Free by Destiny's Child

What song will play at my funeral?
Never Too Much by Luther Vandross

What type of men do I like?
The One by Prince

What is my day going to be like?
Oh No by the Commodores
LOL!

Off Deadline...Whew!

Yup. That's me in my "home clothes" of a sweater (I'm always cold), tank top and ripped jeans. Why am I so happy? I've been working on my story for the Dark Dreams anthology series. If accepted, this will be my third one. The second book comes out next month and I'm pretty excited. I showed the first one to my cousin while at Border's and she said, "COOL! You have a book--in a bookstore!" Yeah, I think it's pretty darn cool too.

The first one I wrote for my editor he didn't seem to dig, so I wrote a brand new one called "Flight"--about a French Jesuit missionary expedition gone wrong in 1660s Illinois and what happens to a former slave "freed" by this. I enjoyed writing it, but I'm glad it's done, LOL.

Whew. I am done. Time for a new project or in my case, wrapping up some old ones.

Spring Means Starting Fresh

I resigned my job on the first day of Spring on Monday and it felt so right. It was time for a change. I am going to a brand new gig as a communications and development person for a vocal arts organization and I'm very excited about it. I'll be back in my field again and they're really excited about having me.

There's just something about Spring, isn't it? It's still cold here in D.C., but it's the whole prospect of the world waking up that got me on the ball to wake myself up too, you know? I needed a fresh start for myself. I'm going to try to get as many unfinished projects done as possible, rearrange things at home, get myself right healthwise by exercising more and take better care of myself.

Spring seems like the perfect excuse to get cracking.

MAQF Goodies

For days, I've been thinking that the slowness of my internet was due to some weirdness from my computer post-crash. One little email to Comcast asking about their servers being overloaded or anything and all of a sudden it's working like magic... Shhh...I might not want to complain too loudly or they might make it work slowly again. I am so rolling my eyes.

FINALLY I get to post the coooooolest threads I've ever bought and the other goodies I got at the MAQF show! I got a sashiko sampler to try. I couldn't resist the little chickies pattern. I also bought threads from Superior threads. Ooooooo... For participating in the machine demo, I got this cool, sturdy bag from Bernina (my name is freemotioned from the demo on the other side) and a cool Hmong Pa nDau square. It is beautifully appliqued with these teeensy tiny stitches.

Enjoy!

My Computer Sucks

Happy St. Paddy's Day to you all! Here's my annual pic that I'll probably use for forever, lol.

I would just like to say that my computer sucks. It just hasn't been right since that crash the other week. I was going to post my cool threads and stuff I got at MAQF, but noooooo, it had other ideas, LOL.

I am two seconds from getting a Mac. I had one in the past and loved it. I mean, I loved Macs at a time when there was no software for it and the computer guys literally laughed when I went to CompUSA and asked for some. It was really slim pickins then.

Now, I'm ready to chuck this PC I've got and call it a day.

Writer's Block from Beyond

Sorry it's been a while. I'm on deadline for that short story and I've got a vicious case of writer's block. Instead of rewriting, I decided to give my editor a brand, spankin' new one by the 24th. What was I thinking? Can we say "Elle, that's just darn crazy?!" LOL. It'll get done though (arrrgh).

In the meantime, I've had to put quilting on the backburner until that story's done. And I've got such an itch to do this sashiko thing-y I picked up at MAQF. My next quilt's going to be the "Grandma" one. You know, I never did post what I scored while at the show. I think you'll all enjoy it.

Awww. Darn. AGAIN.

Arrgh. This time Starbirth: Keyhole Nebula #2 didn't make SPUN. I almost want to just start saving my money by not entering these things already, LOL! Getting rejected twice in one week is more than a Sew Chick can take, LOL. As always, on to the next one.

I would like to give a warm "Congrats" to fellow AQ'er Rayna on her two pieces, one of which was chosen as the image of the exhibit!

Gordon Parks

I was talking to my best friend and lamenting my short story and my quilt being rejected all in the same day. She said, "Don't worry. You can write, you can draw, you can quilt. You're multitalented and versatile." On my end, I laughed and said, "Yeah, that's me--the female Gordon Parks."

Later on that evening I found out that Gordon Parks had just passed away.

Who was he? Photographer. Author. Director. Poet. Composer. He was all of these things. Some know him for making the movie "Shaft", others--"The Learning Tree", which made him the first major African American director in Hollywood. He was also the first African American photographer to work for both Vogue and Life magazines and is considered one of the best photographers of the 20th century.

For me, he was an inspiration. Proof that being able to be successful in many creative disciplines was not only possible, but very real. He was the embodiment of the concept that the creative mind is only limited by oneself...

Awww. Darn.

Well, it wasn't meant to be. I didn't see my name on the ARTQUILTSimages selection list. Rejected! Booooooo.

I guess "Just Me Being Negative" didn't work for 'em. That really sucks!

On to the next show for it.

Biting One's Nails

I just read the prospectus for ARTQUILTSimages and they're posting the participants on the website tomorrow. I hope mine gets picked! Cross your fingers for me!

Break Time

Took a week off from quilting after the frenzy that was prepping for entering those shows last week. I was looking at the "Grandma" quilt and thinking, "Hmm...I need to finish that." So I think that I will. I don't know how I feel about the starkness of that white. The original had a brocaded curtain behind her. Any suggestions for recreating the pattern?

More Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival Photos

Here's more quilting fun from the 2006 Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival:

Diane Wold:
Carol Taylor, "Dispersion":


Marian Coleman:

Pauline Salzman, "Threads from Hell":

Marguerite Jay Gignoux:

My fellow Uhuru guild member and conference buddy, Sheryl, resting our hurting, hurting feet after a long fun day of guiltgazing and doodad-shopping:

I'm In! NQA Annual Show

I'm pretty excited. "Tish Groove" is going to be in the 37th Annual Show of the National Quilting Association. Yay!

Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival Tour!

Here I am at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival! Note the pre-quilt shopping frenzy smile! Some of our fellow AQ ringers had quilts there:

Julie's "Tarot: 5 of Wands"


Desiree's "Transformation" (Best Trad. Pictorial)


Diane's "Grotto"


Sheril's "Free at Last"

Pat's "Threads of Our Lives"

Here I am looking studious as I test-drive a dream machine for me--a Bernina with the stitch regulator. Mmmm...

I was almost overwhelmed by the amount and beauty of so many of the quilts. I'll try to feature some across the next two postings or so. Here is the Best Innovative, "Spirit of Tibet" by Barbara Swinea & Linda Cantrell and the fabulous Best of Show, Charlotte Warr & Aubry Kae Andersen's "Starcrossed."


I did get a chance to meet Vikki and there we are in front of her quilt! Her guild, the 54-40 African American Quilters of Virginia had a very nice, large section featuring their quilts!

I had such a good time yesterday I was practically giddy!

WOO-HOO!! Off to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival!

I'm heading down to Hampton with my guild to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival! I am so excited! I've never been to a quilt show before. GASP. Yeah, I know, right? I'm really looking forward to it.

While I'm there I'll get to see quilts by AQ ring members Diane, Desiree, and Sheril. I also get to meet AQ member Vikki and the ladies of the 54-40 African American Quilters Guild of VA.

I'll make sure that I take plenty of pictures!

"Just Me Being Negative"--DONE!

D-O-N-E! This is "Just Me Bring Negative" (its full title). The smaller pieces are joined by needleweaving. I got my submission off to PAQA-South for their ARTQUILTSimages exhibit.

I cut it a little close for comfort, but I'm going to sleep well tonight. There's nothing like being up last night needleweaving at 2 am. Yawn.

Keyhole Nebula 2--DONE!

Remember the scorched fabric from when I was working on Starbirth: Keyhole Nebula?

Well, I cropped it and it's my SPUN entry now, LOL. Keyhole Nebula #2. I like the quilting I did on this little 12 x 12.5 piece better than #1!

Detail Shot--"Me Being Negative"

Here's a detail shot from "Just Me Being Negative." I just have to join the pieces and I'll be DONE. Then I can photograph it and send it off to the Images exhibit. I've been trying to be a bit more proactive about trying to enter my pieces into shows, you know?

"Being Negative" Quilt Challenges

I will be done with "Being Negative" tomorrow. I handquilted that central image and the smaller ones and freemotioned the rest of it. Once I back it, I'm attaching the smaller images via needle weaving--something new for me. Only problem is that I have no idea how to hang it as it would be from the top, smaller images. Any suggestions?

I intentionally quilted the central image in a way that would leave it a little full and poufy. I wanted it to have a more 3D-ish effect to make the lying on a pillow part really stand out. I am going to submit this to the PAQA-South "Images" exhibit. I see a FedEx-ed entry in my future as the deadline's Friday, LOL.

Thread & Memory

I am almost truly done with "Being Negative". Got Ol' Singer to work and everything, go fig. I realized I didn't have any lavendar thread and it would be a perfect color for a part. I went through my threads and there was my great-grandmother's little spool sitting there. I'll admit I was a little apprehensive. I keep it in there as a momento as we were very very close, but I figured she'd rather that I used it.

So I did.

And I think the color turned out beautifully. As I was sewing with it, I felt so good as I couldn't help but think that it was her favorite color and I was using the exact thread she had used herself. I think it was meant to be.

CRASH! AAIGH!

My hard drive crashed last night and was wiped out. I have spent all day getting my computer running again. AAAIGH.

Lucky for me, I backed up my novels and stories, websites, scanned ancestor photos/genealogy info and quilting stuff on a thumb drive 2 weeks ago. I saw that it was running slow and got paranoid about saving stuff.

I did lose my entire iPod library though. Damn. Now there's something to cry about. 2339 songs. I have all the CDs and backed up bought ones. I'll have to pull it from my iPod itself. I hope they'll all go over. Cross your fingers for me. This sucks!

Hoopla Traders

My husband and I had a little time to kill and popped into this wonderful little store called Hoopla Traders on Valentine's Day. Located on 8th St. SE in Capitol Hill (across from Barrack's Row) here in D.C., we found the enthusiasm of the sales rep infectious. They specialize in hand-crafted gifts and there's an emphasis on artists and artisans there. I love stores like that--unpretentious and where you can tell the owners really put a lot of thought into what and who they carry.

We really liked its vibe and the layout too. The whole store is set up in a series of rooms. It was like uncovering surprise after surprise. Great store!

On Quilting & Connections

Years ago back when I was an intern at a magazine, I was wrapping up my last college semester and preparing to leave. My editor asked me if I'd like to go on a press trip somewhere warm. I said "Okay" thinking Florida or somewhere like that in the States and then she said "Kingston." I was off to Jamaica! I had a great time with the other journalists as we visited wonderful hotels and resorts, the Bob Marley Museum, Devon House--where I met actress Sheryl Lee Ralph by accident (her mom had a shop there), and sipped fresh Blue Mountain coffee on a plantation high in, well, the Blue Mountains.

I made a friend, a fellow journalist named Nathasha, and we lost touch a few years back. She's now an editor and recently contacted me because she found me through quilting. Turns out she's an art quilter too! How cool is that? (Ohhhh...did I just go all Rachael Ray with that expression? Yikes, LOL.) It's nice to have found an old friend again through quilting!

Snow Daze

Well, it seems like the weatherfolks were on point for once. Yup, that's my car.

Ughhhh...I hate winter and snow. I could absolutely do without it.

Hand Quilting for Dummies

I haven't hand-sewn in quite a while, but since Ol' Singer's on the blink, I thought I'd try it again. While I enjoy the experience of feeling the thread being pulled through, I now know that I like using my machine better. There are certains "effects" I like in my quilting that I can't get by hand.

I've also found that, despite owning 6 different kinds of thimbles, I hate using one for the most part. Now I have a callous on one finger ("Wow, now that's ladylike!" my husband joked. Ha.Ha.) and prickmarks on my thumb. I have this thing about being able to feel what I'm doing. I do like using these little ThimblePad things. Okay, I really like using these ThimblePad things. They slide around a little once they warm, but I still feel everything. For you hand quilters who hate thimbles too, what do you like to use?

I've quilted all of the smaller "snapshots" now. I don't know how well the stitching comes up in these photos, but here they are!

Elle's Ziploc O'Fun!

Working on the "Negative" piece. Each of the small ones will be handquilted as I haven't tested Ol' Singer yet and, well, I like the effect. I got some work done on the way in to work this morning--hence, the Ziploc bag. I wish it was warmer, because during lunch I'd go sit somewhere outside and work. Right now, there are very few places here in downtown D.C. where you can go and do that without feeling like someone's waiting for your space.

I'm about to go fight it out at the Social Security office this afternoon. I went to file my taxes and the IRS told me my birthday was wrong. What?! How come no one has ever let me know before? How come no one let me know when they caught it? I called S.S. and sure enough, my birth date was reversed and always has been for over 31 years!! Can you imagine?! Arrrrrrgh. What a pain!

"Being Negative" Quilt Beginning!

Well, the photos are printed out and the main one fused down onto some lovely painted fabric by my guild member Elsie Houston. When I first saw that fabric it spoke to me. I knew exactly then that I'd make this quilt from it and told her I had a great idea for it. She found it funny as she didn't like it or how it turned out. I was like, are you kidding me? What you can't see it that the pale green has shades of very pale blues, lavendars and grays as well.

I've got an idea for this inspired by some African textiles I saw...Hmm...

New Quilt Beginning: "Me Being..."

What do these images have in common? They're part of a new quilt I'm working on. I've been going through something really emotional for me and this will be a reflection of how I've been feeling.

I'll keep you all posted as I make progress. I've been printing the images out today. They've been turning out pretty well. I haven't killed my printer yet, so cross your fingers.

When I took the pics (w/my camera phone!) my husband was like, "What in the world are you doing?" I have to admit, I was looking pretty strange. I told him "Art." He said, "Ahhhhh." Nice to have a dude who gets me.

Art Quilt Inspiration & One's Own Style

Picked this up at the bookstore the other day. There are so many incredible pieces in it that I felt really inspired. It was great to see fellow AQ ringers Melody, Alison and Lisa in it.

Lately, because I seem to be working in portraiture, I've been feeling as if my pieces aren't as "artsy". I know, I know, I suppose they are, but I see so many wonderful abstract pieces and mine feel very...different. I guess every artist goes through this from time to time. All I know is that my backgrounds are really influenced by African textiles, and I think that all of that time spent in the museums overseas seeing the works of so many great master painters really affected me. Maybe I'm getting a feel for my own style?