Native American Beadwork

Here are some photos of the bead work on display at the Crazy Horse Memorial. Sorry some of the photos are not great quality, but the detail is not worth skipping. I left the on site bookstore with two beadwork reference books. My husband bought a souvenir arrow. I guess you can't take the boy out of the man. :)

Katrina

This is the quilt that I made a couple of days after Hurricane Katrina first slammed into New Orleans. I had so much confusion and emotion going through me as I helplessly watched the horrific images on the television. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and how our government wasn't responding.


The emotions swirled inside of me so strongly that I needed a safe way to express them. I created this quilt out of various fabrics and cut up feedsacks to reflect the chaos that I was seeing and feeling.


Emotion still raged through me once I was finished and so on the back of the quilt I took a pen to fabric and furiously wrote all of my thoughts, feelings, despair and prayers.


And now it is the 3rd year anniversary, and our government still has not adequately responded. I try very hard not to get political on this blog, but please, let us elect a new administration that will actually work for the people, not against them. This madness has got to end.

My heart goes out to the residents of New Orleans, I pray that Hurricane Gustav spares them, and I give heartfelt thanks to every private citizen who has gone and visited New Orleans to help try and rebuild it, (such as my friend Ann and her husband, who went this past May for their 2nd time with Habitat for Humanity to help build. You can read a bit about their experience here.) To those of you who have volunteered, donated money, said a prayer or lent a helping hand in any other way, thank you for keeping the faith alive, as you all represent the true spirit of America.

Wash Day - Oh Boy! -updated

My new print cloth arrived the other day. Instead of working on my last Art Quilt like I should be, I couldn't resist diving in to see how these one of a kind dye lots would turn out. I've had my formulas planned for weeks. The fabric is an 80x80 thread count batik quality. Wow does it accept the dye well. My favorite of the batch has to be the fabric that looks like sugar maples in the fall.

I just added a link to my blog roll for The Sandbag Handbag. This blog contains pictures of handbags that have been created from leftover sandbags. They are being sold in a few locations in downtown Iowa City to raise money for the local crisis center and victims of the June flooding. If you are visiting the area please stop in and take a look. The bags are resonably priced and the money goes to a great cause!

Greetings from South Dakota

The name of my blog inspired the idea for the art quilt above. When I started my blog I thought it would be fun to treat my blog entries like postcards to friends and family members. This is a continuation of work for our local Art Quilt group. We are working from "Art Quilt Workbook" by Jane Davila and Elin Waterston. One of the first activities in the book is to recreate a photo using fabrics. The buffalo in this quilt was reproduced from a photo taken at Custer State Park. I decided he (or she?) would make a great postcard. I surrounded the buffalo with photo transfers of postcards that I collected from our travels and two vintage postcards from my grandmother. The vintage postcards are actually souvenir folders. Each includes 20 photos of the area. They were published in the 1930's. Postage to send these was 1-1/2 cents.

I have two more quilts completed and a 4th to start and finish before the mail goes out on Saturday. These mini quilts will be on display along with others from the Wisconsin Quilters Inc. Guild at the Madison Quilt Expo. Dates for the show are September 11th - 13th.

This quilt is called "Iron Mountain Road".

Here is "Roots in South Dakota" completed.

Eames Lounge Chair Debut on NBC

Video of Charles and Ray Eames discussing their chair designs with Arleen Francis on NBC in 1956.
Towards the end of this clip their is a very cool filmstrip promoting the Eames' latest chair of the time.

Greetings from the Crazy Horse Memorial

I've been meaning to write this entry since we returned from South Dakota earlier this Spring. The highlight of our trip was the Crazy Horse Memorial. This project was started 60 years ago when a group of Native Americans including Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear invited sculptor Korzak Ziolkowski to create a monument in the Black Hills to a Native American Hero.

Here is a view of the Crazy Horse Memorial from the viewing deck and a scale model of the completed sculpture. The monument is one mile away.

In this picture you can see the former outline of the mountain and the work that is in progress on the horses head.

I did not re-size these photos before posting. You can click on each photo to explore them. In the photo above there is man in a hard hat just under Crazy Horse's chin. He is looking below toward a person who is repelling down the rock face. In the lower right hand corner there is a large excavator.

The work on this project is funded by private donations. Ziolkowski was a firm believer of private enterprise, turning down funds from the government. The progress on the project is directly related to funds collected. The foundation has three major goals: the mountain carving, the Indian Museum of North America, and the Indian University (and Medical Training Center) of North America.

The scale of this project is mammoth. Korzak Ziolkowski worked on this project for years, both alone and with the help of his family. I loved the presentation that accompanies the viewing of the work in progress. My favorite part of the presentation was seeing the pictures of his children helping him load dynamite. Ziolkowski Korczak worked for nearly 36 years and refused to take any salary for this memorial. He worked on the project until his death October 20, 1982, at age 74. His wife and children continue his work.

We came to this monument not knowing what to expect. We ended up spending 4 hours more than we had planned. The museum collections are wonderful. I especially enjoyed the beadwork displays. It took a few months to write this post because I left this place feeling so many different emotions. I will not share these thoughts as I think everone should expirience this place from their own point of view. If you ever make it to this part of the world do not miss a chance to see this work in progress. You won't be sorry.

“You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.” - Richard Bach

Chicken Condo

I thought I would share with you one of my favorite sites. A cool green trailer that sits in a large open field. It's a retro, luxury chicken coop condo for these free range hens!


It's so cool even the bulls want to hang out by it!

Puts a smile on my face every time I pass by!

Greetings from Blogland

This photo is of my favorite garden flower, the Gloriosa Daisy. It is a biennial flower derived from the Black Eyed Susan. It grows abundantly from seed once planted.

One of the things I love about blogging is being able to travel the world while staying at home. But what I love most is the kind and supportive people I've met since I started my blog in May. Today I received a note from Jackie that she had given my blog this award:

I have to tell you I was just thrilled. I love Jackie's blog. It is one of my first stops. Her creativity through her fiber arts and views of the natural world are so inspiring to me. I think she would be surprised how many friends I have told about her blog. So thank you Jackie!

This award comes with a few rules:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog
2. Link to the person you received your award from
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs for an award
4. Put links to those blogs on yours
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.

Over the next few posts I'll be sharing my favorite blogs with you.

My first award goes to Patsy's Middle of No Where. Not only is her blog fun to explore but she was the catalyst that led me to start my own blog. Patsy has a beautiful quilt retreat in Southwestern Wisconsin. If you ever get a chance to stay at her retreat you will not be sorry. The food is wonderful and the workspace has everything a quilter needs. On her blog you will find photos of her weekend guests and their work. Patsy loves to shop at thrift stores and she shares her finds. It's so fun to visit her retreat and see where her purchases end up. Here's a link to an earlier post I did about Patsy's ability to breathe new life into found objects.

Another one of my favorite blogs is Robyn's Art Propelled. Her amazing spirit is evident in her writing. Her wood carvings and totems are beautiful. How she comes up with such wonderful ideas is beyond me. Take time to explore her work. There is much to see.

Derby girls are everywhere.

This morning we skated with Twisted Pixie, a skater from a new league in NY. We had a great time skating around in the basketball court and talking about derby. She skates in an OSDA league (they're working on building a guy team, girl team, and a co-ed team), and she cross dresses, so our derby experiences have been very different. We talked about derby names, and different ways of blocking, and drills we've done. We're planning to skate again tomorrow too, and I'm psyched.

I love how easy it is to make connections like this through roller derby. If I had been walking down the street in bondage pants and purple synth dreads and I passed another person dressed similarly, I'd be as likely to get a snotty look as a smile. If I see another person on roller skates with a jersey carrying a derby-esque name, we geek out for a while and make plans to practice together and have breakfast. 

Derby can be as cliquish as any goth club, but it's funny how that mainly seems to apply to one's own league. Meeting people from other leagues has always come with an almost creepy level of acceptance. I don't get it. Still, I really like it. :D

I love skating.

Today has been AWESOME. Highlights include:

1. Watching a bunch of morons in a car get trapped in the throng of drag queens going to drag bingo. One real beast of a woman in said car yelled "get off, faggot!" when a drag queen tried to pose for a photo next to the car, and even hit the drag queen when she walked over to the car window. This is obviously a colossally bad idea when in Provincetown, surrounded by about a hundred gay people. The drag queen returned the favor by nailing the bigot pretty hard in her torso, and the crowd cheered. I half expected the crowd to flip over the car!

2. Speaking of fierce, one shop in Ptown bought a bunch of Project Runway gowns! We saw them on display the other day, but two drag queens wore two of them to drag bingo tonight. One was in the Christian Siriano prom gown (it really is hideous) and the other was in the Stella trash bag gown (so, so, so bad). I got to see both up close and see how jacked up they are inside. Crazy stitching everywhere! It's a good thing the judges don't see what's inside them...

3. We met another derby girl! Well, she skates as a woman, and does OSDA as opposed to WFTDA. We're meeting "Twisted Pixie" tomorrow at the basketball court for some skating. So awesome.

4. Steve looked hella handsome in his cowboy hat and huge stompy boots. It's fun to walk around with such a hot cowboy during the cowboy-themed Carnival week.*

5. Skating around in a frilly pink thing while eating fried dough made me feel oddly like a little girl in a fairy princess costume. I can't describe how much fun that was. I want to do this all the time.  I definitely get a lot of fun attention this way. Lots of photos of me will surface on the flickr pages of total strangers later in the week. Hopefully my ass looks good, because you could definitely see it.

6. I'm very aware of how much better I've gotten as a skater since I tried street skating here last year. I'm not as terrified of the hills and potholes as I was before. Sometimes I need reminders that I've improved so much. It feels pretty great.

*No one has openly mistaken him for a drag king yet. I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

Mid Century Utilitarian

Introducing the 2nd piece in my newest line of functional art quilts. (Wow, 2 new pieces in 10 days... the devil must be ice skating!) Just like the one previously posted here, this too was inspired by mid-century design and also by those beautiful, faded utilitarian quilts, often made in the past by farm woman, from used pieces of wool and dyed indigo cloth. (Although mine is 100% cotton).


I tried to emulate the look and feel by choice of color, and simple construction. I also washed this piece as a final step in its construction to give it that puckered, aged and worn look. And just like my first quilt in this series, this one also functions both as a decorative piece of art which can be hung on the wall, and as a functional object that can be used. Available now in my Silly BooDilly Shop.

And one more "Thank You" to everyone who left comments on my last two posts, and/or sent me emails. I treasure each and every one of your responses. It is nice to know that there is so much thoughtfulness, kindness, support, love and understanding out there!

Hooray!

Steve has been waking me up as early as possible (not that early) so we can go to a little basketball court near my parents' P-Town rental. This is where we're practicing skating. I still can't believe such a perfect skating surface just happened to be a two-minute walk from the place we're staying.

It's fun to go out skating with him. He's making SO MUCH PROGRESS in a short time! He'll be ready to skate around at the skating rink in no time. He's bending his knees, leaning into turns, and barely falling at all. Hell, when he does fall, he falls the right way - toward his pads and not on his back. :D Hooray for my skating monkey!

I just hope I'm not being a huge annoying jerk as I try to learn how to do hop-turns. I'm so worried about being that dumb-jock boyfriend who wants to "teach" his girlfriend basketball and spends the whole time stealing the ball, dunking, and doing victory dances.

Lucky Me, Unlucky Husband

I had a wonderful surprise when I went in to the Red Door Gallery on Saturday. Sandy, the gallery manager, had the perfect display for my jewelry. I have spent hours on the internet trying to find something that would work well. I guess I should have been looking for an eye glass display instead of a jewelry display. This unit was donated to the gallery by a local eye doctor.

I've been sewing like crazy trying to get a new supply of earrings ready for the fall and winter. I received a custom order for a large pendant last week (thanks Alli) which inspired me to get back to work on my jewelry. I have a bit more sewing to finish before I can start to assemble and solder. Here's a sneak peak at a few items in the works.

I took the day off of work on Monday so I could drive my husband to get his wisdom teeth taken out. Look what I found our road trip to the dentist. I've been looking for a field of mature sunflowers to photograph for several years. I will try to make it back a bit later this month when the seeds start to darken. I plan to take the photos when the sun is not so high in the sky. Also I'd like to spend more time here. I felt a bit guilty leaving my husband sitting in the car icing his jaws. I thought he was awfully sweet for letting me stop.

This last photo is a shot of our journeys end. The approach to our farm from the east is through a walnut grove. I love the way the sunlight filters through these trees no matter what time of day it is.

Feeling Better

Well, I am feeling much better from my last post. The blues got a bit worse before getting better, but ultimately two things really helped to bring me out of my funk. The first thing was reading the comments left... a heartfelt thank you to those that offered comfort, wisdom, and understanding. I really appreciated all of your words.

The second thing was, I started to zero in on and identify the biggest cause of my sadness. It was feeling like I hadn't done enough with my girls as they were growing up, and longing to go back in time so that I could do it over, and better. So I made a list of all the things I wished I had done. And as I read over my list I began to realize that I HAD done all of the things I had wanted to. And not only had I done them, I had done most of them in spades. I was a hands on, down in the dirt with them, type of mom. I read books with them, I played and explored with them, I cuddled and fell asleep with them... We built forts and painted pictures and took long walks... Sometimes I got mad over stupid things, but I also talked to them, worked things out, said I was sorry, and always tried my best. So enough already with the blues. I had my time as the mother of young children, and I spent it well. Now I get to enjoy this phase of the game, and I am ready to play!


Yesterday we moved eldest daughter, (on the left) into college for her 2nd year. She has a great room, (twice the size of last year's) and a great friend that she is rooming with. Youngest daughter is to my right, she just joined the tennis team and is really looking forward to starting high school this year. I am a very proud, (and happy) mama!

Hee hee

I skated up and down Commercial St. today and had a lovely time. Steve walked with me, kindly carrying my crocs so we could stop for a lunch break. On hills I tended to lose him (because I'd have to speed up to go uphill, and I couldn't help but pick up even more speed on my way down). While I felt bad about that, this gave him the chance to overhear some choice things that people said about me when I was out of earshot. Two gems:

The (presumably) straight-ish couple
Woman: [whispers to the dude with her]
Dude: So go tell her that!
W: No!
D: It's ok. We're both attracted.

The two gay guys on bikes passing us in the opposite direction as I race down a steep hill in a deep squat
Guy 1: I just wanted to smack her ass.
Guy 2: Yeah, but she looks like one of those derby girls. She'll probably kick your ass.

I love Provincetown. I want to keep my skates on all the time here.

Lazy Day Sunday

I love these Ligularia. It is hard to find a dramatic plant that will grow in the shade.



This is where I am spending my afternoon today. The temperature is supposed to be rising this week so I want to take advantage of a cool day with a book. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Best of Show win at Brisbane Royal Show

Prize-winning quilt 'Pieces of Time' quilted by Koolkat Quilting won Best in Show in the Quilts across Queensland competition judged during the 2008 Brisbane Royal Show held in August.
'Pieces of Time' was a collaborative quilt made by Queensland Quilters Inc. and here are the girls receiving their Best of Show and Best in Class awards from RNA official Jan McMillan (left)during the awards ceremony on Saturday August 10.

Where Did The Time Go?

Hard to believe that summer will soon be ending, but as eldest daughter prepares to leave for her 2nd year of college this weekend, and youngest daughter is soon headed off for her first year of high school, I have to face the fact that another summer has come and gone. I also have to face the fact that it wasn't at all what I had hoped it would be. There was no dreamy, lazy, day magic to this summer. It was pretty much hustle and bustle, with everyone going in a different direction.

The last couple of days I have been increasingly sad, as I come to the realization that our family, my little family, has changed. The dynamics are so different then just last year. We didn't seem as united this summer. There weren't lots of family dinners, or a great vacation, and only two day trips. There was no time for anything else.

As my children stop being children, and keep becoming young adults, (seemingly all too fast) creating lives of there own separate from the rest of the family, I realize I am going to have to redefine in my own mind what a family is, as well as my role in it. How do we all keep growing, evolving, shifting, yet still stay a close family? Still stay connected, even when our individual lives are starting to feel so separate? I would love to hear some sage advice from anyone who has traveled down this path before me. Not only do I feel like I need direction, but I feel like I need a flashlight and a roadmap and a tool box.

While feeling all blue and melancholy over summer not being what I had dreamed of, I found these lovely photos taken by the very talented artist Irene Suchocki. These beautiful photographic images make my soul sing as they capture what my heart longs for summer to be like.

Start Where You Are


This Way Into Summer


Summer is when ...


The Swing Set"


Letting go of time

To see more of Irene's dreamy images visit her Etsy shop isphotograpy.

In other news, the very sweet and talented Sandra Ree from Bubble Babble, recently choose me as one of several recipients to pass this award on to. Thank you so much, Sandra!


Now, I am suppose to pass this on to 7 other blogs, and as I have mentioned in some past posts, this part always sends me into a tail spin of panic. You are talking to a woman who has a hard time going to the grocery store because there are too many good choices, (I mean come on, 5000 different toothpastes!?! How does one decided!?!) That's why Hubby does 95% of all grocery shopping... but I digress... the point is I can't pick! So I will pass this award onto each and every one of you who gets up every morning, (or night, for those nocturnal folks) and steps out into the blogosphere, connecting with other like minded souls. Sharing bits of yourself, and offering encouragement to the rest of us who are trying to do the same. Thanks, you are all the best!

TUTU!

I just got back from Patterson's Back Bay Dancewear. It was the best mother-daughter trip ever. It's a dance place in Burlington, MA, and we went there in search of a tutu. As you can see, we found one.

We spent about a half hour digging through the craziest ballet, hip hop, jazz, modern, and flamenco dancewear that I've ever seen. I even saw ice-skating dresses. I was in a totally different world, and I was completely shocked at how much fun I was having. My tutu and sparkly-thing-loving, rhinestone-obsessed inner child is alive, well, and doing little pirouettes in my heart. :D

Naturally, when we got home, everyone had to take a turn in the tutu. Well, the dogs didn't really want to, but we have opposable thumbs and used them to assert our places as dominant members of this tutu-wearing pack. I think Goblin could rock a little version of this one if I appease her with enough snausages. Molly barked through the whole thing, but we managed to get her to hold still juuuust long enough to pose for a photo. I'm sure the neighbors thought we were stark raving mad.

After about a million dog treats and a million more blurry photos later, the humans had to have a go in the tutu. I wish I could get them to wear them to my first bout in the Spring. I suspect they wouldn't be as easily persuaded as the dogs, though. Anyone want to donate a new convertible or a house on Commercial St. in Provincetown or pretty much anywhere in Tuscany?

Needlework Treasures

My grandmother has been on my mind a lot lately, likely because of the work on my South Dakota journal quilts. I even dreamed of her last night. We had a wonderful conversation and I did not want to wake to my alarm clock.

My grandmother traveled the world after she retired. She sold miniature paintings and needlepoint canvases for a little extra pocket money. When she was 100 she moved out of her apartment into assisted living. I helped sort through items from her household. Anything handmade that did not find a home with someone came to my house for safe keeping to be gifted to great grandchildren when they reach adulthood. Here are a few of the items I kept for myself. This bell pull was made by my Grandmother. It hangs next to our front entry.

I saw this embroidered purse and fell in love with it. When I showed it to my mother she told me she had made it for my Grandmother as a gift at least 40 years ago. My mom and I were attending a quilting retreat together that weekend and she brought it as her "show and tell".

The Molas are from her travels to Panama. They originate from the Kuna Indians on Nalunega Island. This hangs in my workroom. I love to marvel at the delicate hand work.

This cross stitch sampler hung in my grandma's home. I don't know if it was made by grandma or one of her sisters. I will bring it with me next time I visit in hopes she remembers it's origin.