Meeting Martine

Martine House with her piece "Family Entanglements"

No trip to Asheville is complete without a visit to the Folk Art Center. What a wonderful surprise to see Martine House exhibiting there! I've long admired her beautifully stiched work but had not met her personally. We had a chance to visit and talk about the power of art to convey our innermost feelings. Martine and I are definitely on the same page.

Do take time to visit her website http://www.housefiber.com/ Her work is intricately stunning. Click here to read Martine's blog: http://housefiber.blogspot.com

Mary Stori recently wrote about the current focus of Martine's beautiful work on her blog:
http://marystori.blogspot.com/2009/05/martine-house.html

Martine and I with her recent piece "Reliquary" which makes a very strong statement "about the future of our planet and what we are doing to it." I share her concern.

Photo credit: Bill Guerrant

Thrifting - A Way of Life

I love old things. Parents who lived through the Great Depression, coupled with tagging along on junk yard trips with my father were early influences. Just the beginning, really. I was surrounded by old things growing up in a 19th century farmhouse. Unlike some girls, I enjoyed having a box of hand-me-down clothes arrive from Chicago, through Agnes, our neighbor down the road. Agnes was from Denmark and made the most delightful Danish pastries in the world! I could write several pages about Agnes and Elmer (Agnes called him Yelmer), but I digress.

My sister Sharon and I shared a couple of apartments in Chicago and LA after we were out of school. In those days, furnished apartments were quite common. But occasionally we'd need a piece of furniture. One of the best sources in LA was Allied Van Lines where unclaimed shipments were sold. Sharon was going for a new table, but I convinced her to buy an adorable old painted one. It was an aqua oval drop-leaf and came with four chairs. I think she paid about $17.00 for the set. She kept it for over 40 years before handing it down to our niece, Kari.

Old stuff lasts and increases in value. Nothing in our house is new except for appliances (which DON'T last) and the upholstered stuff. A lot of it came from thrift stores, estate sales, the flea market or family with an occasional SOR (side of road) find.

When I was a lot younger, part of my passion was the thrill of the hunt. That was when I was buying and selling professionally. But now it's more a matter of thinking green, of keeping useful things out of the landfill, of living responsibly.

Below are a few gems spotted last week when I was looking for wool.

Value Village is a national chain.

I spied this charmer at the thrift store across the street. My Mother had the same model.

Singer 401A

Whoa! For the machine AND the cabinet???

Quilts were less than $10. back in the day. This string pieced version is priced at $25.30.

My DH once had a typewriter just like this! The price is way out of line, imho.

There are many blogs devoted entirely to thrifting. One of my favorites is: http://apronthriftgirl.typepad.com/apron_thrift_girl/ Check it out. You'll be amazed at what this woman finds. She's one dedicated thrifter - and I love her blog name.

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. May your day be blessed.

Contemplating Change

I've had a hard time working in my studio since it was redone over a year ago. Today, I think I finally figured out why.

In the former arrangement, my cutting table was accessible from both sides. I could face the design wall while cutting/contemplating. When my new Horn cabinet arrived, I placed it where the cutting table had been. I think I'll swap it with the table so I'll still face the design area but be able to get to both sides of my cutting surface. Ahhhhh. I feel better already.

I feel constricted every time I try to use this table. I'd planned to move it three feet from the wall, but never did. Bulletin boards I bought last spring are still not up.

I'm going to play around with the floor plan a bit. The room is much less crowded than before, but I'm not inspired in it at all.


There is no art on the walls and everything is white. This is a major part of my problem. My sister was probably right when she told me to paint the room a color, but don't tell her that. Now where did I leave my hammer? I have two wonderful Judith Vierow prints to hang!

Falling Leaves

My son Matthew planted this tree when he was little and it was too.

I love gathering the leaves in the fall,
and then using them in my work.
Artist trading card, 4 x 6"

Although leaves preserved in glycerine are more durable than those pressed, I have used both.

What Happened?

Hello again, dear readers. As Thanksgiving nears, I know you're all probably deep into preparations.

I've been absent for a while, catching up with things here. Today I decided my blog banner needed a new look. I'm having a brain fan, and can't determine what size photo I should upload. Guidelines are nowhere. After trying six different images which did not fill the template, I ended up with what you see. It is obviously too large and has thrown the blog layout all off. What happened? I'm off all caffeine - and it shows! I'll have to try again later.

Thank a Veteran

Bill Guerrant
Americal Division
Chu Lai, Vietnam
1968

Thank a veteran - especially today.

Dyeing Wool

Original Wool

Dyed Wool

I've stockpiled a lot of wool over the years. Last week I overdyed some of it with Kool-Aid. This piece was done in strawberry. I love the transformation!

I did a google search and found several recipes. Next - Easter egg dye. Yes, I have it. Y'all should know by now I never throw anything away.

Semper Fi

Today marks the 234th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Semper Fi. I salute you.

New Source for Thread Holders

Mums straight from the grocery store.

I bought a bunch of spider mums recently. To keep the petals intact, the florist had enclosed each blossom in netting. I tried to remove the first net by pulling from the top, which didn't work. I had to carefully remove it from the bottom or else the whole flower pulled off. I'm going to save these little nets, as they'll be perfect to keep threads from raveling off their spools.

These nets are sold through quilting catalogs for just that purpose. But these were a free bonus with my bouquet. How cool is that?

Use caution when removing the netting.

Spider mum set free!

Gallery Opening in Asheville

New Gallery in Asheville
Susan's work is in the upper right.

I've long admired the work of my friend, Susan Webb Lee. She and I were members of a small fiber group in Charlotte and both belong to the Art Quilt Network which meets twice a year in Columbus OH. Susan and five other artists have just announced the opening of a new gallery.

In a joint venture with Biltmore Farms, the six Asheville artists have opened ECHO Gallery. Grand opening is this Friday, October 23, from 6-9 p.m. Light hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be served.

ECHO Gallery will feature the works of: Genie Maples and Barbara Fisher, painters; Lou Theriault, ceramist; Anna Koloseike, ceramic sculptur; Susan Webb Lee, textile artist, and Laurie McCarriar, photographic art. I'm anxious to visit, as the art looks innovative and beautiful.

For further information and directions, go to: echoasheville.com The photo above is also clickable.

Christmas in October

Cal Sargent Memorial Tree

Several years ago, my DH's family made a grand decision. We would have the big family holiday gathering in October! No dragging the kids from their toys Christmas morning; no traveling. Besides, we no longer had enough plates or chairs!

We rotate (my DH, his brother and sister) so each is responsible for the party every third year. Nearly everyone sails, so the natural spot was the Catawba Yacht Club, where my husband's family has been members since before he was born. It's practically where they grew up, where they learned about all things nautical and learned to fish. It is perfect - large enough to hold the clan (whose numbers approach 30) and no one has to clean their house! It's potluck and very casual. We usually have great BBQ or fried chicken as the entree.

If the weather is warm, those with boats take everyone sailing. Yesterday was chilly, so the boys fished while we big kids watched and stayed near the fireplace. It's wonderful to catch up and see how much the kids have grown. We're fortunate that most of the family lives in the Charlotte area except for four in the mountains and four in Atlanta.

Thought I'd share a few shots from our celebration:

Almost All of Us
Photo credit: Bill Guerrant

Michael

Joseph

Chase

Few things make a boy happier than fishing - except having a dog.

The Beast.

Below, my DH and his sister try to get the oven (The Beast) to heat. After they'd given up, I took a peek and said, "Look guys, it has to boot up like a computer." Was I right? Well, the asparagus casserole was deliciously hot!

Two great minds at work.