Warmth and Love

I find myself as busy as I'd like to be.  And focusing on what brightens my path, so to speak.  

This Trip around the World quilt is large and NOW I see the photo is wonky. I had to stand over a ladder to get the photo.  This commission was a fulfilling experience, connecting these colors and places.  The T-Shirts from Turkey, NYC and Egypt allowed bold connecting prints.  Thanks to the color guys for the blue.

Thanks also to Amelia Island Quilters for encouragement and inspiration.

This next photo is from our dining room gallery show at www.stonesoupkitchen.net  (also on Facebook).  It was quite an honor and us  www.encoreproductionsatl.com  girls and friends festooned the Patio with paper lanterns.  All during the Atlanta Belt Line Lantern parade.  Many are still shining. 

Man combs his mustache with a fork;  Sally and Helen unaware.

Otherwise, I'm still playing with Kandinsky's Roses

Flowers for Aiming Sun Allen

Me and Kelley Jo with Bill Murray

With thanks to Fred Babb and Robin Melroy.

So much has happened this year, it's easier to say less.  A year of Loss, and the healing power of Creating things.  Making Art for the sheer joy of it.  To replenish your soul. 

Kandinsky Roses

New Studio with a Morning Sun view.  Ikea cart LOVE on the right.

I feel a bit pretentious to align my playing with fabrics to Kandinsky's mastery of color and balance.  I find his work very inspiring and these Roses grew from his Circles. The interplay is lively and interesting to me.    

This Rose Quilt's rectangular block structure allows me to throw around blossoms of color without too much concern for technique. All along the garden grid.  This is for Julia and Asher's Asheville wedding, May 3.  Her Mom Jude helped with the colors.

btw I'd love to find someone who works in acrylic to make a perfectly sized 6.5" X 8.5" Ruler.  Often I want to focus on one block from fabric yardage and need two rulers to carve out the rectangle.  Here is the Stack I've accumulated.

Kandinsky Roses with stack of colors for Quilts to Be.

The same roses made this for Ann DeYonker.  She's my daughter Mariel's Lovely and loving Mother-in-law so here's her bouquet of roses.  Ann's son Paul is the newest member of our family.  We celebrate his 30th birthday April 19.

Mariel and Callan hold it for my photo.
Mariel didn't care for the antique floral inner border I had also used in the center.  I replaced it for nine center blocks.  Go figure.

Paul's 30th Birthday Collection

And Jules' 1939 Oscars GWTW

 Both Paul and Jules' quilts continue others I've done in the past.  Paul's fabs from he and Mel's wedding and Jules' 1939 Oscar Quilt includes film strips from Hayden's in 2010.  Both get help in cohesion by framing with Indigo. 

I found several Japanese indigos in San Francisco at Britex.  I Love how my fabrics remind me of travels.   These quilts both include flower prints from Hawaii and Mel's friend Colette (thanks)
The Gryffindor crest, with blue diamonds, is for Paul's wife, Ms. Diamond, and our travels to Harry Potter world. Florabama is a bar on Orange Beach, AL.  He and Mel have been there many times.
I now call this type T-Shirt quilt the Clean out the Closet.

The dancing fabric borders bring all the Track and Field events together.

 And finally, this T-Shirt quilt is just finished using Fred Babb's "Art Can't Hurt You."  Thanks Robin Melroy for the well worn shirt.  And also your help during our past Gathering of Artists.

 Back to the Morning Sun Studio!

Peachtree Road Race quilt

Marcie collected 21 Peachtree Road Race T-Shirts for her husband Myles' quilt.  Ali and Josh, along with big brother Adam (not pictured), can tell you which shirts their Dad has worn the most.  Now the quilt can use all 21 to keep them warm.

At www.intownquilters.com the best fabric and notions shop in Atlanta

The label for the back.

Earth Day is every day!

Everything is blooming in the most inspiring way.  Gotta love Spring in Atlanta.

I want to credit this artist.  She made this Blackbird Tree for the St Augustine Fiber guild.  

It's so uplifting and warm. Like spring.

I've been playing with 6X8 blocks and need a ruler!  The mfg ignored my request so it must cost a mint to special order.  Here's a perfect sized Kandinsky Rose.  

Baby Granddaughter for Butch Gilreath.  He built my parents' new house.  YAY!

This next quilt for was made with sock monkey fabrics for colorful preschoolers.  The Children's School has a child named Awesome (2nd row) and it's an Awesome Children's School.  It doesn't seem so long ago since Callan & Mariel were making handprints at Cliff Valley School.  (Wistful sigh)

From trip to San Francisco

Dancing into spring...

Syracuse Cultural Workers card I love

T-Shirt Quilts and Kandinsky Roses

This Sun Bird made a boring quilt Fun for me.

I made this Twin Sized Quilt for my parents' new home in Chickamauga, GA.  

I call this Memory Keeper Quilt since it is based on clothing and fabrics found while cleaning out their old basement. The Log Cabins represent home. 

Mom and Dad's Memory Keeper Quilt has five Kandinsky Roses

This next quilt is a T-Shirt Commission for Michael Gray's 21st Birthday:

Twelve T-Shirts for Michael Gray make a twin sized Quilt

 This quilt has SeaGlass colors with Mom's Linen collection. All the blocks are 6.5" X 8.5" rectangles.  Kandinsky Roses grew on the sides.  The fruit fabric border is from Kaffe Fassett collective.

Paula's Linens are now a Quilt. 

Those three quilts were made with my 6.5" X 8.5" dream ruler.  The T-Shirt blocks are sized with 6X8 multiples.  It's easier to make a 66X80 (etc) finished quilt without having to wrestle the large size all at once.

Silly me.  Bird Tree of Life at East Cobb Quilt Guild show.  June 2013

Quilts this Summer

Hali June is the eighth high school graduate in our next generation.  I'm a year late and happy to get Hali's Oranges completed. Pictured are Steinmann cousins Callan, Mariel, Hali, Connie, Lindsay and Jennilee.  Outside my studio on August 4.

I also love working with smaller things.  This is a photo of Coleman's Creek near my friend Kelley Jo Ellis' Clayton, GA home.  I printed it on organza and overlaid log cabin blocks, then embellished to try and create water with fibers. Rosie is in the creek at lower right.

 The Ease of Green,  8"X8"

Can't beat the original creek.

I've loved this studio but have decided to move it.  I work in the mornings and this room faces West.  I'm moving to a larger space in my home that faces East.  For morning quilting.  This room will become a library since the flannel design wall can be changed to book cases.  And it will be nice for reading...   All in good time, my pretty!

It will also be nice that this front room won't stay a MESS!

This quilt was made for Amelia Carter's soon to be born daughter Reagan Delores.  Amelia's mother Delores was one of my best friends.  We worked together as Fulton County AFDC Caseworkers in the early 80's and traveled via VW Bug to D.C. to visit our friend Cate Fosl.  We found a shop called Chocolate Strawberries and this quilt reminds me of our trip.

Keisha says the baby's room is colored chocolate and rose...
Chocolate Roses (38"X50") for Delores' granddaughter.

Art Updates

Mona visits the Atlanta Dogwood Festival and makes us all smile...

This IMAGINE Postcard I gave to Intown Quilters

"IMAGINE all the people, sharing all the world..."

Many of my fabric creations are inspired by music.  This next block represents Germany.  The Beatles first played as a group in Hamburg so they came along for a ride on the Stein.  I donated this, along with a balloon representing Europe, to a Trip Around the World Block Book.

Beatles in Germany... Beer mug from Sculpey

This Balloon, on the book cover, represents all the countries of Europe

I've made several Tree of Life quilts.  This one I kept.  

Fair Trade made bamboo quilt hanger from Ten Thousand Villages

This Tree of Life detail is from my friend Delores Clark's memorial quilt.  I love the 3-D leaves.  Her daughters Keisha and Amelia have the quilt.  I miss my friend.

Delores Shabazz Clark, a Tree of Life