Altered Photo Artistry

My second class at Quilting in the Desert was with Beth Wheeler and Lori Marquette. The first day was working from our own flower photographs, while the second day was working with collages. Since I've taught Imagery on Fabrics for 15 years now, much was the same, but my interest was in learning about the newest developments in ink and printers. I've read for quite some time now that pigment inks are the preferred for photo imagery and that Epson printers far surpass the others in quality of printing on fabrics. Beth actually went out and purchaed an Epson 1100 Workforce between classes which was a great testimonial to the superiority of Epson's quality. The Durabrite inks used by Epson (and others) has come highly recommended to me and I'll now pursue that printer.

The second day (digital collage) was great fun working with layers in Photoshop Elements. 

Abstracting from Nature

This week, we are taking classes at Quilting in the Desert. The first 3 days are with Jane Sassaman in her class called "Abstracting from Nature". I've taken classes with Jane before here in Phoenix and at Paducah. Here is a photo of a sample with the theme of cactus as well as other photos. The middle photo is an imitation of Jane's "Willow" that was named for her daughter. My rendition is now in my mother's dining room.

Cuttting with the Accuquilt

Members of the Saguaro Stitchers of Ahwatukee came to cut with the Accuquilt today. Betty and Sylvia cut as Peggy organized their finished fabrics into baggies in preparation for an upcoming applique series they are offering to their guild members. Their assembly line was very efficient! Their guild hosted me for a cutting party earlier this month.  

I'm available for similar guild presentations or private cutting parties. Email me if you're interested... I also do custom cutting for quilters.

The Making of an Alzheimer's Art Quilt Donation

Today I began another quilt donation for AAQI. Here is a photo of the progress I made today. I'm part of the $1,000 Pledge group and this one will be sent off as soon as I finish it. I'll continue to work on it and let you watch the progression.

Remember that you too can donate or purchase quilts at the monthly auctions. For more information, go to www.alzquilts.org.

AQG Quilt Show Entries Due TODAY!!

Today is the deadline for submissions for the Arizona Quilters Guild Annual Show to be held in Mesa, AZ, March 10-12. Mark you calendars for this great regional show. I entered two quilts and you can see them when you attend the show. See you there!

Art Unraveled 2011

I'm confirmed in all of my classes at Art Unraveled 2011. Registration opened January 1 and I wanted badly to get into some of the collage and mixed media classes. This year the event is August 1-9 here in Phoenix and I'm taking 4 classes. Visit www.artunraveled.com to see a list of workshops available and see my August 2010 posts for info on what I participated in last year. Great fun!

Here's a hint...I signed up for classes with Susan Duran Wilson, co-author of Image Transfer Workshop, which I love.

Chandler Center for the Arts

I was privileged to visit the art quilt exhibit of the Chandler Center for the Arts this evening, where I saw two pieces by Susan Lenz of South Carolina. This is the first I have seen in person of her incredible work, but you may remember that I was the subject of one of Susan's quilts in her Decision series. The theme was "I donated my body to science."  I have included an image here with Susan's permission. The show closes on Friday and it is a must see. Special thanks to Diane Howell, the Co-Curator for the 15th annual exhibit and Susan Lenz for allowing me to be part of her Decision series.

For a previous post on this series, see my July 7, 2010 blog entry.

Zoe's Space Quilt

There's nothing like grandchildren to inspire quilt-making. This photo is 7-year-old Zoe's space quilt. It was shipped off to Ohio over the weekend.

Arabesque from Accuquilt

Accuquilt Update

Here is one of Ricky Tims' signature dye cuts from Accuquilt. Feel free to email me and ask any questions. I have the Studio cutter. And kudos to my quilter, Sharon Brooks. She's amazing.

Baby Quilts by Accuquilt

The blue and yellow needs a blue print binding, don't you think?

And that extra circle on the pink quilt is really just a sunspot coming in the window.

Sky Photos

Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson

Grand Canyon in Snow

Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix