Art2Mail

In a previous post I wrote about joining the internet fabric postcard group Art2Mail (art2mail.com), having learned about it from the amazing Liz Nutter. (See the May archives about Cedar Lakes WV to see photos of Liz's work.) What fun to find a bit of art in my mailbox!

Working in a 4"x6" format is new to me. Creating these postcards gets me into the studio and gives me an oportunity to experiment with ideas and techniques. Below are my first two completed cards.

Bits of hand-dyed and commerical fabrics were arranged on hand-painted fabric in my first postcard. Rubber stamping, glitter and metallic threads complete the composition.

I created a whimsical little house from commercial fabrics and my hand-dyes for card #2. The background fabric was airbrushed using Deka Silk paint a while back.

A Real Slice of Americana

My husband and I are fortunate to live near uptown Charlotte in one of the city's oldest neighborhoods. Yesterday many of its residents came together to celebrate our nation's independence. Moms, Dads, kids and dogs - all dressed in red, white and blue - decorated bikes and wagons, cars and pick-up trucks to stroll and ride down the expansive avenue which is Queens Road West. A canopy of century-old oaks formed a great archway over them as they laughed, smiled and giggled their way through the neighborhood.

It was what I call a pure, golden day, reminiscent of the 1950's when I was a kid. There was nothing artificial, just the fun of getting together with one's neighbor to enjoy the day. Just look at the faces of the participants to see what I mean.

These great photos were all taken by my husband, Bill Guerrant. Click on any image for a closer view.

These girls anxiously wait for the parade to begin.

The parade heads down Queens Road West, one of the prettiest streets in Charlotte. Trees along the way were decked out in flags.

Many of our four-footed friends played a huge role in the parade. The two pooches in the front belong to a couple from South Africa. I've never seen such elegant doggie finery!

Patriotically decked out, this Jack Russel couldn't wait to get into the action.

This adorable Lab, sporting a flag in his collar, rode in style! Isn't he a love?

Groovin' With the Blue and Orange

If you're a regular reader, you know I've struggled with the idea of creating a blue and orange wedding quilt for my son and his bride. Having worked on a New York Beauty quilt (in blue, orange, yellow and acid green) for over 18 months (see June 9 entry) and knowing how much work remains, I impulsively decided to "knock something out." I saw a very cool quilt in Carol Britt's fabulous booth (Batiks Etc. and Sew What Fabrics, Wytheville Va.) www.batiks.com at our quilt show this spring. It had been made using Tricia Cribbs' Turning Twenty book. The hook was the line on the book's cover: "Make this quilt in as little as 5 hours!" With only twenty fat quarters of wild and funky blue and orange fabrics, I could stitch the quilt in a day!

Although making the quilt top took much, much longer than I'd anticipated, probably because I don't make full-size quilts, Tricia's quite clever technique made the actual sewing a fun and simple process.

Thankfully, I knew of a wonderfully talented long-arm quilter (Rebecca Verrier-Watt) who not only was a member of my home guild but whose work I'd seen and admired. She was hired to quilt my top and did an excellent job. Thanks, Rebecca!

Binding the 97" x 117" quilt was actually quite simple. I stitched the double bias binding to the back of the quilt and brought it to the front where it was sewn by machine with a decorative stitch. Voila! I had a blue and orange "knock around" quilt to present to the kids. They can curl up in it with their puppy dogs and not have to worry about harming an heirloom quilt. Now when I get the New York Beauty done, that will be a different matter.

Click on any of the images for a closer look.

I chose fabrics I felt were happy and fun.

A very appropriate heart motif was chosen for the machine quilting, done beautifully by Harrisburg NC's Rebecca Verrier-Watt. I couldn't be more pleased. Rebecca's website: www.thequiltersstation.com