Towards the Feminine

I call this "Towards the Feminine". This was an attempt for the Quilting Arts challenge for "Go Green", which I realized would break the "copyright" rule, as I used name brand products in the work, and probably would not get into the magazine.

I cut this to 5 inches square too, which is an inch short for my weekly quilt. But, this is going to suffice as my weekly, and I may add some frou-frou to the edges to make it 6 inches square. I have a few hours left...

This is made from a Tampax tampon wrapper, Kotex wrappers, a Carefree pantyliner wrapper and backing paper, a dyed dryer sheet and some craft felt with glitter in it. The pink embroidery "yarn" is made from the ties that the Kotex package uses to pull the top shut. I was really happy with the way this came out, and then realized it wouldn't work for the contest. However, I have to say that it would not be the same work without the name brands identifying what all this crap is. This is the last week for the Recycled theme, and I don't know yet what I am doing for next month's theme.

New York Comic Con

Hot on the heels of my chosen artform's huge show, I go to my profession's second largest US show, New York Comic Con. I don't talk about it often on my blog, but I do work in the comic book industry.
There were many highlights of the show, but I was mainly at our company's booth working the machines I was there to demo.
I did see a comic blogger that I read very often first thing on Friday morning before the show opened in the restroom. I recognized her from the enormous picture of herself in her blog's banner. I said hello, asked her if she was Valerie. She was a bit flustered, I think she was shocked to be recognized. I told her I read her blog, and said that I recognized her from her picture on her blog. (She did blog about getting a haircut for the show even..) Her version of events are here.
Anyway, I thought she was very nice. Would have loved to talk to her more, about women in comics who are not creators or editors or artists, but those of us behind the scenes making a big difference in the industry just the same. My point of sale project is pretty important, at least I think so, and as a long time fan and a woman in comics, I would like to had that conversation, even to see where it would have gone. Maybe some other day. I did finally join Friends of Lulu...
Anyway, I am in Baltimore until Wednesday, so no quilt art updates until I am back...

Recycling from IQA Chicago

My weekly quilt this week is firmly on the theme of "recycled" for April. As I described on my earlier post about the show, and the "Surviving the Runway" luncheon, I took some of the scraps on the table to use in this week's quilt. I think this makes a perfect memento of the event, and our win for our table team.

Used here are tissue paper, a bingo card, a paper doily, gesso, pink paint to take down the bingo card color, ink from a stamp pad in the prize pack I won, and Wright's hem tape used on our model, that was origianlly grey but I dyed with pomegranate juice. Too bad this is not 5x5 inches (my weekly quilts are 6x6) or I would enter it into Quilting Art's current reader challenge!

International Quilt Festival Chicago- Day 4

Well, it's over.
I got up this morning to SNOW. Isn't it supposed to be Spring?? Ugh. Off I drive to the show.
I get there a bit early, so I look to drop my stuff off in class to find that the teacher needs a "Teacher's Pet". Since I am first to come to the class, I get to be the one to do it if I want. Sure, why not? I am a sucker for volunteer jobs. This class is taught by Barb Broshous and we are making long stem 3-D roses. They are gorgeous on a quilt. She mainly does dimensional flowers so this is right up my alley. I thought this was a hand sewing class, but to my surprise, there are very expensive Huskvarna Viking machines in the room. The class was fun, and small, only 10 of us, which was a nice change of pace. I had a good time, and Barb is a kind and patient teacher.
I could barely bring myself to go to the show floor again, I was so tired. But I made it through the last of the journal quilts.
I was stopped by Pokey Bolton for a few words, as she folded her beutiful fabrics she just bought. (Yes, she stopped me to say hello. OMG!PONIES!!1!) I also stopped by to say hi to Frieda Anderson, who took my photo and said she would put it on her blog, as I am an avid reader of hers. We took Judy Perez's class together a while back, so it was good to see her again. Her work is so nice, and her dyed fabrics are wonderfully bright. I also met a wonderful fiber collage artist named Lynn Krawczyk, who was so nice, and showed me some of her wool purchases, into which she plans to make evil plushies, once she saw my Uglidoll on my bag. She was very cool, and her work is so cool in person.
I met up with two of my "Fiber Divas" guild members, and shopped at a few booths with them. But after stumbling around the last few places, I decided it was time to go.
I'd like to invite anyone I met along the way to comment or email me to stay in touch!!

International Quilt Festival Chicago -Day 3

This morning came bright and early and I was off to the show before you know it. Traffic to the show was much lighter, though it has not stopped raining. I get there and parkin a good spot in the garage. It's 8:20 am.

I head to the Education Office because I am the "Teacher's Pet" for this morning's class on foiling on fabric. Tricia, our instructor, doesn't like the term "teacher's pet" so I was the classrom "cat". Despite the upsetting events at the end of the class (see previous post for the long winded story), I did enjoy the class very much, and Tricia was wonderful and I enjoyed her presence very much. She is a reverend and a spiritual healer, and I think her energy in this area helped me get over what happened and be able to get on with my day. I helped clean up and returned my materials to the education office and recieved my pin for a job well done.

As I walked to the show, I was in shock over how many people seemed to be pouring in. It was amazing. But, there is also a fashion accessory show going on int he same hall as the quilt show, so many of these folks were there for that. I can only imagine what parking was like after 10 am when both shows opened...
Anyway, once I was in, it was not as bad as I had thought. The quilt area was populated about like so:

So, I was able to the entire quilt area in about 2 hours, except for the small journal quilts, which I am saving for tomorrow. I read a lot of the current 2007 journal quilt artist's statements, so that took the longest. While there are amazing works in the show, it seemed like there are fewer than before, and I mean about the larger works, the bed sized quilts, as it were. Could be my perception though.
I ran into a fellow guild member in the bathroom, of all places.

I ate some lunch and walked to floor a bit more too. The floor was not as jam packed as I expected, so either a lot of people were eating lunch, or the busses of tour groups had left. It mainly looked like this:

I ran into Bonnie McCaffery again. I met Beryl Taylor at the Quilting Arts booth. At this point, I resume my aisle walking and complete the circuit. I shop again at a few booths that I wanted to go back to, but for the most part, my shopping excusion is done. In a separate post, I will do Show and Tell of my shopping treasures. The floor was still frustratingly slow paced, especially when the folks in front of you stop abruptly because something caught their eye. I found a seat and people watched for quite a while, but in the end decided to cut out before the floor closed in order to do some errands at home. While I sat there, I came up with new show floor rules:

1. Like driving, walk on the right side of the aisle, and let the people on the left flow in the other direction. You slow everyone down by "swimming upstream".

2. If you see something in a booth that catches your eye, be courteous to the people behind you and step into that booth and out of the flow of traffic.

3. This should be a given, but do not take pictures of the quilts at the booths. Ugh.

4. While some bumping is inevitable, there's no reson to be intentional.

5. Say "excuse me" if you want to get past someone, and acknowlege someone else's plea to be excused in some way that lets them know you heard them.

So those are my rules. There could be so many others, but this would help immensely.

I have to get this off my chest - at IQA and side rant

I will post Day 3 of the IQA show in a bit, but this has bothered me all day.

To start this off right, in my class last night on Tyvek, I sat at the back of the class, and next to me sat a latecomer, and we were the last two that got anything handed out. We were handed our Tyvek, and later in the class I heard her tell the teacher that she did not get the Tyvek since she was at the back. At that point, I didn't think much of it, but I was annoyed- I know full well she got that Tyvek, and just scammed her way into more.

Today's class is on foiling, and I was the "teacher's pet", meaning I volunteered ahead of time to be the helper to take roll call, etc, so the teacher doesn't have to. We had a great time foiling away. This same woman who sat to my right last night is now sitting in the row in front of me. Several people were in the same class from the night before and we were having a great time. I brought a rubber stamp of a pear, and it was a big hit, since my samples using the pear came out so well. At about an hour left, I packed all of my materials up in a plastic bin I use to tote my things to class, but left the lid off. I traded half a sheet of purple foil I had in my sample pack for a half a sheet of pink with another classmate. Since we had so much time left, I decided to mess around with a glue gun and my sheet of copper colored foil. When I returned to my seat about 10 minutes later, I wanted to accent the copper with gold foil. I looked to the top of my box where I left my samples of foil. It was gone. I tore the box apart, to no avail. I asked if anyone near me picked up any foil that fell on the floor? No, everyone says. Some ask what's wrong, and I explain my foil is missing. Several start helping me look. We all turn around and survey the stations I had been in in the room, no luck.

At this point, I'm pissed. I say so all close by seatmates can hear, but not casuing a scene, "that if they wanted it that bad, they could have asked and I would have given it to them" and "I hope when they look at those pears in the foil they think of what they have done". I even say "You know, I paid for this class too. This is wrong on so many levels." and my coup-de-grace "I believe Karma will get whoever did this ten fold." Now this woman has the nerve to say "I believe that too". Everyone is sympathetic. But it was gone, so there was nothing to be done about it now. The class seems somewhat over and my seatmates leave.

As teacher's pet, I begin cleaning up as people are filing out. I unplug one of the irons in the back of the room, and clear off that table except for the cooling iron. I come back to the ironing table a minute later, and I see the woman leaving the room (huh? again?) and on the table near the iron is a stack of foil. My foil. With the pears visible. It was not there before. And after checking the foil, the half sheet of purple I did not trade away is still not there.

Now I know someone will say that I must not have seen it there, and maybe I misplaced it, but I was not the only one looking. And there was another stack of foil that was there that I returned to someone else on that very table witht he cooling iron, so I am certain it was cleared, and we commiserated that it was my classmates' foil and not mine. I know it was that woman. In my heart, I know it.

Now, If I see her again it will take ALL of my strength of will not to cuss her out right there. Someone told me to bless her, because nothing is more a kick in the shin than killing them with kindness when they know they were wrong. I'll tell you my thought in a bit.

But this is the real meat of it. When have you ever heard of a QUILTER who did something like that? I mean, I have met a few curmudgeonly quilters, but NEVER a thief or a liar quilter. How sad must your life be that you steal supplies from other students when taking a QUILTING CLASS?

My husband and many other family members will tell you that I am not as nice as I may seem in person, and no one is more protective of her "things" than me. My stuff is MY STUFF. I am the kind of person who yells at children to get off my lawn, and glares out the window when a car goes by that I don't like the look of. I am very protective of my stuff! I am the Queen of Mean! I even have a tiara now.

In the end, this really, really hurt me. I felt safe in the quilting class enough to not lock up all of my things like I normally would. I was doing everything I could to help other classmates out as teacher's pet. And that was my reward? For a good chunk of time, I was heartbroken, thinking I was some sort of target. I was weak, this was my fault, I should have not been so nice to everyone and hoarded my things in the back of the room where my back is to no one.

But now.... I know it was the action of sad person who has nothing better in life than to steal what was someone else's and lie to good and giving people for more than what everyone else got.

I hope it tortures her everyday to know that I know what she did. And by writing this I am releasing this negative energy out and I am going to move on. Thanks for "listening".

International Quilt Festival Chicago -Day 2

Driving in to the show this morning was tough, because last night seemed so very very late.

My first class of the day was about making Quilting a business, which I took as an exploration, possibly to sell my quilts eventually, but aslo to explore some ideas on reaching quilters on the internet, and some web tools our industry is missing that I know of from the comic book industry (like show floor blogging and interviews... maybe next year). Morna Golletz was our teacher in this class and I learned a great deal.

Next, the show floor... again a glutton for punishment. However, the vendors area was PACKED. On Friday. And just at about noon! So about 10 steps into the show I meet up with new friends from my Riverwalk Guild. We decide to eat lunch. Yum!

Fueled for the afternoon, I spend a good bit of time in the vendors area again as best as I can manage, often getting bumped and pushed and elbowed. While I love the vendors area, I also hate it. Tomorrow will be a good example of why, and I will take photos.

I stopped at the Quilting Arts booth area to see the artists in "residence" doing on floor demos of various techniques. I spoke again with Judy Coates Perez, whos is so very nice, and chatted a bit about her painted works. I also spoke with Kelli Perkins, who was so kind to explain her work and was so inspiring also. I also chatted with Pokey Bolton again about the embellishing machine she was demo-ing. And I saw a paint on fabric technique by Julaine Lofquist-Birch which used dried on shaving cream.

I shopped the next couple of hours and No, I still haven't walked the whole vendor area yet. I started at lane 900, and ended at lane 1400. Tomorrow and Sunday I will do the rest. Tomorrow will be mostly quilts, after my show. At this point, I am being bumped so often, I cannot stand it any more. I buy those thirsty towels on an impulse. I walk past Alex Anderson, whose line has died down. I briefly consider going back to tell her how much I love her podcasts.

Now, I scheduled classes back in January as soon as the classes opened. I did not know that the Friday night class I took would interfere with the Tiara Parade and QuiltArt Reception. Oh noes! Class starts at 6pm, reception at 5pm.

So I decide to go to the reception for an hour. I even made a tiara. In the food line, I finally MEET Bonnie McCaffery, tell her how I missed her yesterday, and she is a lovely person. I also meet Virginia Spiegel! She is also lovely. I met lots of QuiltArt list "readers" and "contributors" and I am so sorry if I can't remember all of your names right now. But the one I enjoy immensely is speaking with Karey Bresenhan. I told her how much fun I was having at the show and thanked her so very much for holding the reception. I saw so many other quilters I would have loved to say hello to. Sadly, before the tiara parade, I had to leave for my class, as I did not want to upset my teacher by barging in late. So I left, but before I did, I had one quick photo taken of me as proof.

My class was by Tricia Spitzmueller on Tyvek manipulation. This was a fun class, and it was again very good to sit down. Here are my class projects!

Thus the long rainy drive back home and looking forward to another class and more show on Day 3!!

International Quilt Festival Chicago- Day 1

I should have thought of this sooner, I don't know why no one is "blogging" the show. I will do a much better job on this next time, maybe even wi-fi it from the show floor.

Anyways, Day one:

I participated in the Thursday Luncheon "Surviving the Runway", in which I met a lovely group of ladies, of whose names I am poor at remembering, but who all have this blog and website address and should feel free to email me. The challenge was to design an outfit for our model, who could potentially win a BabyLock Embellisher machine! Well, we danced, we laughed, we designed, and we crafted, and the lone picture of our design is this:

Ok, you had to be there. The mask had a beak on it that flapped up and down when our lovely model Lea shook her head. Yes, we used the tablecloth to wrap her in. Yes, it was ridiculous. Well, WE WON! We all got bags of paint, trims, batting, and a rubbing plate, and our model won the Embellisher! It was a thrill to start off the entire show. I took ephemera scraps for a "recycled" weekly quilt...

Afterwards, I was chilling out to some vidcasts on my iPod before the show floor opened. Well, as I am watching Bonnie McCaffery on the iPod, I look up to see her walking RIGHT TOWARDS ME. I did a doubletake to her face on the screen...it was like out of a movie. I opened my mouth to say something... . Nothing. I couldn't bring myself to squawk her name out. Darn! I missed a great chance!

Next, the vendors on the show floor, and nothing I can say will do it justice. I will take pictures tomorrow. While I hear Houston is larger, this show tired my 35 year old butt out.

After about an hour and a half, I'm very tired, so I check to see if I can get into a Quilting Arts Make It University class. The deal is this: you put your name into a fishbowl. Only 25 can get in. If you put your name in twice and get caught, BUSTED! You can't be in it. Once in, the class costs a whopping $10. It's a great deal, and you have a good chance of being in the class on Preview night. I put my name in, and was called by the effervescent Patricia "Pokey" Bolton. As she calls my name, get this! She says, "I know your name from my blog". OMG!! PONIES! She knows my NAME??? Besides being called for the class, I could die just from that and be a happy woman. I am able to bring myself to sit, and I am so glad to be off my feet. I make this:

Not wanting to miss another opportunity to meet someone, and after blowing my chance with Bonnie McCaffery, I stop to say hello to Pokey and tell her how she made my day. We chatted ever so briefly per these rules, and off I stumble home.

ATCs for trade

Trading these on my various ATC trading websites. Yay!

I'm on vacation!!

A much needed respite before my workload takes off in comic book land.
I am happy to be on vacation, at home, not going anywhere, and just relaxing and making art. The IQA Chicago show is also this week, so I am ready to immerse myself in the artworks and fantastic classes I'm going to be taking at the show. I may make a "tiara" for the tiara parade at the Quilt Artists reception I am attending too. I have a couple of days to figure one out....

Last night my husband and I relaxed in front of the TV with the most midless drvel on so we could paint and quilt repectively. I am still hand quilting the beast of a quilt that is my very first quilt top. I have to admit, my hand is cramped up after hours of hand quilting, of which I am still not any good at. This quilt is hideous too. Points don't match, I knew nothing about ironing seams to any particular side, and the fact that it's mostly flat without puckers is amazing. I don't know if I can work on it tonight or not, my poor fingers need a break.

Podcasts and Vidcasts

Podcasts
Quilting
http://www.alexandersonquilts.com/ - Alex Anderson's podcast
http://www.simplearts.com/blogs/index.php - Annie Smith's Quilting podcast
Sewing
http://sewforthnow.libsyn.com/ - Sewing related podcast.
Crafting
http://craftlit.blogspot.com/ - Podcast for crafters who like to read.
http://craftsanity.com/ - Podcasts for crafters who love handmade things.
http://www.craftypod.com/ - The podcast about Making Stuff.
http://www.craftcast.com/ - More handmade crafting podcast goodness.

Some defunct Quilt and craft podcasts, whose episodes are still available:
http://quiltcast.blogspot.com/
http://www.lizziebcre8ive.com/podcast/default.asp

Vidcasts
Quilting
http://bonniemccaffery.com/vidcast.html - Bonnie McCaffery's videos
Sewing
http://www.threadbanger.com/ - For people who like to make their own fashion.

Baby Sock Flower Bouquet

I made this bouquet of "flowers" out of a pack of baby socks I got from Target. My cousin had a party for her daughter's Christening and I thought this would make a cute gift in place of a quilt I am still working towards.

Recycled Materials Month- Tenkei Marshmallows

I saved this bag after consuming the delicious chocolate-filled marshmallows inside for over a year. I love the little character on it. I also got sent a pack of candies and San-X tissues from the Japanese Etsy seller who my husband bought my Gocco machine from. So I wanted to make a mini quilt out of the candy wrappers and tissues for my first week on the "recycled materials" theme. I love Japanese "kawaii" or "super cute" stuff. This way I get to keep the little bag and tissue as artwork...

I have been on a "green" kick since before Earth Hour... I have switched a good number of incandescent bulbs to fluorescent ones. I'm buying less chemicals and cleaning with more natural solutions, and am trying to switch from paper towels to rags that we can rewash. I have a new high efficiency washer and dryer too. My heat is on 67 degrees and my air was barely below 80 degrees last summer. It's a small start.

Defenders of the Night

I was already an adult when the Disney cartoon "Gargoyles" came out. I love the show. I recorded as many as I could. The last season aired when I had already moved to Baltimore. I collected the toys and merchandise. I was a huge fan.

In fact, my soon to be husband bought me a gift of a Gargoyles toy as his first gift for me. And on our first Valentine's day, this motif of Goliath, the main character, was made for me. He cut out about 50 or so of these at 2 inches high and taped them from varying lengths from the ceiling for me as a surprise. I still have all of them, still with the strings attached. I still DVR the show from it's 3:30 am Toon Disney timeslot.

This was an easy choice for a "personal shrine" quilt, as I used to have all of my Gargoyles merchandise collected in one area much like a shrine. The letters of the title were not so easy, even after working with fonts all through March, but I wanted the "flavor" of the show, not a reproduction. I bound the edges with a fused binding as well, and that made the edges easy to do.

Name dropping- Mimi Dietrich

I forget sometimes that I was mentioned in a book, and that my work appeared in it, though it's indistinguishable from other people's work in the book.
In the year 2000, I was taking Mimi Dietrich's famous Baltimore Album class at Seminole Sampler in Catonsville, MD. This was an expensive class, but met once a month for 12 months, and by the end of it, you were supposed to have finished 12 blocks for your album quilt.
During that year, Mimi was writing her Bed and Breakfast Quilts book. I worked on one of the applique blocks in the book, and my name appeared as a credit.
Mimi is one of the sweetest and nicest people you will meet, and there is no better applique teacher than her. I refer to my "BAQ" class notes all the time.

I am a Project Runway Addict.

Hi, my name is Cheryl and I'm a Project Runway addict.
In fact, I follow th show itself, the former contestants, and much more on my fave site for PR news, Blogging Project Runway. I have even contributed a couple of times, check them out here and here! I'm such a nerd, and while I would never apply to be part of the show, I do love it. The PR people are holding auditions here in Chicago today!