Thursday, March 12, 2009

Back to the Studio




Well, not exactly my studio, but back to Newark Museum's Arts Workshop and an eight-week class with Judy Langille. Someday I'll get my basement studio organized for dyeing, but that will be a long time coming I'm afraid. In the meantime, the space and company is great at Newark, and I'm getting back into some previously started pieces after a too-long hiatus. I forgot to take photos of befores and afters, but I did snap this photo after adding three colors. It's still batching, so I'm not sure the colors will be as strong as I'd like, but as I don't like the piece at all yet, there's more work to be done anyway.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Sometimes It's the Little Things

On Sunday, I had a chance to exercise the knee at the Somerset, NJ, quilt show. (The knee survived, but is still a bit stiff. More physical therapy today.) The Somerset show has become a sort of harbinger of spring for me: it falls between the one in Willamsburg, which I never get to, and Lancaster, which I've been going to for ages. I always like to see the ribbon winners from Williamsburg, especially when they are by friends, like Gloria Hansen who won a blue ribbon for Blushing Triangles #4. There were also some interesting special exhibits, including an exhibit of an every-AKC-breed dog quilt by Linda Hibbert. (Need I say I still have the patterns and the black and white fabrics to make blocks for an English Springer Spaniel and a Shih Tzu?)




I was overwhelmed by fabric and gadgets. But so happy with the things I bought: a small hoop, a piece of beeswax, and a fat quarter of a fabric that called to me. Plus I treated myself to a beautiful scarf from Usha at Heirloom Batik.