Detail of rusted scarf.

Just Dotty!

This tower of fabrics is just a small selection of the polka dot fabrics I've collected over the years. Click on fabrics to get a closer look.

I love polka dots! They always make me think of those little puff-sleeved dresses my Mother made for my three sisters and me when we were little. How I loved those dresses, especially the ones with white pique' collars.

I've been collecting polka dots of all kinds for years. They are extremely popular right now and the designs are terrific. It's a great time to stock up. I think I'm low on reds and oranges actually - hint, hint.

I'm in the middle of a huge studio revamp so have been engaged in "nesting" activities. I can spend hours refolding, fondling, rediscovering and reaquainting myself with each treasure on my shelf. Quilters understand this kind of behavior; I'm not even going to try to explain it to anyone else.

Today I got into my polka dots, making a huge leaning tower of over three dozen of my favorites. And then when I ran errands, I found that Puffs tissues are now packaged in polka dots. How cool is that? I just had to buy TWO!

These polka dotty Puffs cubes are the coolest! Wish they came in different colors.

Creating Fiber Postcards

My sister Patty Cramer created this fabulous postcard for my last birthday. She even made the cake in my favorite colors - purple and red! Thanks, Patty.

I like the art I create. I like having a style that is recognizable to many. I hope I've found my groove, hope my "MoJo is working" as my father used to say. But there's a big difference between a groove and a rut.

In an effort to get a bit of a jump start towards doing something different, I've joined the internet group Art2Mail (art2mail.com) in which members create and exchange 4x6" fiber postcards. We're an international group of 25 artists with very different backgrounds. I can't wait to see what happens with this!

Get the Perfect Color by Overpainting Fabrics

I received an interesting comment to yesterday's post about overpainting fabric. Apparently, not everyone does this?? I often use this technique as an easy solution to finding just the right fabric when nothing in my stash will do. I've also used paint to enhance the chroma of a color. Try it - it's not only great fun, but will give you fabrics not everyone else has.

Below are two quilts for which I overpainted existing black on white prints. Click on images for a larger view.

For Moody Blues, I used a watered down mixture of cobalt blue and aquamarine to overpaint the border fabric, originally a black on white print. This gave me the color I was looking for.

His Eye is on the Sparrow was created from a mixture of my hand-dyes, recycled (the 'bird splat' fabric was my son's shirt when he was in third grade) and overpainted fabrics. I again used music fabric, this time painted in more aqua than blue tones, as this piece is named for my favorite hymn.

New Favorite Colors

While working on a wedding quilt over the past 18 months, I've learned to love the color combination of blue and orange. It is everywhere! This poster of Bill Monroe, shot in the studio of Michelle and Nathaniel Stitzlein, is a knock out!

Acid green and yellow were added to blue and orange for this quilt. Many of the quarter circles have images representing favorite things in the lives of our son and his bride. Using Deka Silk paint, I overpainted the vintage ice cream fabric (purchased from textile dealer Bonnie Ouellette) a soft yellow. It originally had a white background.

When my son Matthew was married in late 2005, I wanted to create a very special wedding quilt for him and his bride Suzie. I asked them what their favorite colors were. "Blue and orange." "Together?" I asked. "Yes."

I wasn't sure at that time that I could make a blue and orange quilt so added acid green and yellow. I should have known the kids had an inside scoop on what's 'hip' as I'm seeing the blue and orange combo everywhere! Even the Blogger page on which I'm typing uses it.

One hundred New York Beauty blocks later I've almost finished their quilt. A partial block is shown above. The foundation pieced border is nearing completion. Now to set everything together and have it quilted. My completion goal is September.