ArtCGirlz Mandala Exhibit Opens

Friday night was our opening reception.   There are 8 quilts and 3 paintings done by our group.

 

This is my quilt titled "Where Words Fail...Music Speaks".  I have already talked about this on my blog, which you can read in the post done just before this one.   I invite you to ready about my journey with quilt.

  

Lori Anderson's quilt is called "Healing Shadows".  She took one of her own photos of trees and a manipulated it in a kaleidoscope program to obtain the circle.   Her background frames the photo just perfect.

 

Kathi Everett - "On Wings" - loves the "wings" graphic.   She took a graphic and she and Julie Brandon of Red Dog Enterprises manipulated this graphic on the computer as you see it now, set it against an orange background and printed it out on fabric.   Kathi embellishes it with crystals.

Martha Lorshbaugh calls hers "Zendala Mandala".   She fussy cut a fabric to obtain a perfect mirror imaged pattern.   Her real love is Zentangle and she has quilted an elaborate Zentangle on the top.

Mary Ellen Casey - "Om mani padme hum" - was our show coordinator and she did the only true round quilt and found a great way to hang it.  She was inspired by a commercial pattern and interpreted it in fabric, embellished with thread painting etc.   

Chris Keuhl  - "Sun, Sand, Surf" - had been on vacation at the beach,   She did this using paper piecing technique and added sparkle with crystals and gold leaf.   I LOVE the colors.

Susan Rathbun loves to ice dye ands et out to. Relate a perfect. Or le with dyed fabric.   She wasn't really happy with what she got, so she heavily embellished it with beads (which I love) and. All sit. "Oops, Lemonade"

I did another quilt of just free motion thread stitching on a dark background.   I couldn't get a good picture to show the pretty variegated thread I used.  I call it "The Butterfly Within"

Bethany is our painter.   She did this series of 3 Mandalas  which are very intricate, using a very tiny paintbrush.  

Green - "Ship &  Compass"

Red - "Wellington"

Blue - "Talk In Your Sleep"

Mandala - Completed At Last

Oh how I struggled with this!  It started simply enough with a challenge issued by a local gallery for my ArtCGirlz group to do a show...creating mandalas.   Since mandalas are supposed to be personal, what better than music for me to use.  I already had the theme and I had a circular patterned rust dyed fabric.  I found the center motif and printed it on fabric and appliqués to the rust dyed fabric.   Easy enough.   I then decided to stencil paint the word "PEACE" around the circle as music often brings peace....relief from the everyday stresses.   So far so good,  

I then found the saying "When Words Fail... Music Speaks" and decided to ink stencil it onto the fabric. Still working good!  

  Then I decided to machine quilt the treble clef flourish symbol....Big Problem!   Have you ever tried to quilt through rust???   My machine needle locked up every time.  No matter what I tried it wouldn't work and I decided to quit.   I folded it up and threw it In the bottom of the closet.  About the same time I began to question why I don't do more with my music....I was trained after all and the process of thinking through that led me to concur  with my decision to just stop and not do this project after all.  But like most things, I kept thinking and pulled it back out and tried again and then threw it back again. Finally I decided to add beads to hold things together.   Before that I tried the treble clef sign once more, changing needles, thread, holding my breath and barreling through.   Once I started with the beads I really began to like it more,  then I found a perfect border.....circular, mandala like and I quilted it in circles.  I kept adding beads to the point where I finally don't hate it!  So, it is completed and will hang in the show!    

You can see our show at Blue Pearl Yoga Studio Gallery on Main Street in Batavia,  all of us who are showing have had "journeys"... Personal to us, which I hope will result in the public understanding the intent of this show.

Textured Pumpkin

I love this pumpkin I found at the market. It says it is am heirloom pumpkin.  I just love the texture...it looks wooden.  Not sure how you get wood to look like this, but it is what it reminds me of!

More flowers .... Still growing!

I have 2 planters outside my sun porch door.  Both have coleus, sweet potato vine and impatiens.    As you can see, they are huge this year.  The tallest is almost half way up the window.   Granted they are low windows, but still....

More mandala hints!

Music is my theme!  I have added some beads after quilting the border very intensely!    I don't hate it any more, in fact, it is better now with the embellishments!    Now...to know when to stop!!!!

Mandala quilting continues.....

This piece continues to be a struggle.  If you believe in the intent and worth of a mandala.. I must be destined to " learn" something...but what??

I'm now into quilting concentric circles which has become almost "zen like"...the first time of any peace or serenity on this quilt.   I still don't love it, but I'm trying to complete it and not give up!   And so...it continues!

Mandala Quilt Show by ArtCGirlz

Here is the first of the promos for our Mandala Quilt Show to be open in late September.   The show will be up for 2 months.   Stay tuned for more pictures as we prepare our individual mandala pieces for viewing!!!

More flowers!

Work on the Mandala quilt continues, although I have hit a snag in being able to quilt the rust dyed fabric!  So it is sitting to percolate for a bit!!!!

Meanwhile the flowers around the property continue to show off!

The clematis by the front door is on its second round of flowering!   It is now taller than I am!

The hibiscus in the backyard with its 6-8 inch flowers!     LOVE my flowers!

Mandala

The ArtCGirlz are in the midst of creating mandalas in preparation for an upcoming show in Batavia.  This is the beginning!

I knew I wanted mine to have a music theme.   I started with a piece of muslin that my friend Kathi rust-dyed for me.  I lightly dyed it with Dyna-flo and added the center music symbols   The white is freezer paper as a stencil to stencil paint some wording---maybe!  Stay tuned!!

Antique Shop on HGTV

I saw this shop on an HGTV program - "You Live in What?"  It is an old grain mill converted into an antique shop with an apartment above where the owner lives.  It was a fun place to visit and shop (yes I found a couple of things, very reasonable) and the owner is very interesting and friendly without being "in your face".

Tonight's Art

The carpet tonight. -  not as interesting. 

 But I do like the art in the room...

Then there is the mirror and the lamp...also interesting!

Hibiscus

I really want this hibiscus...called "Erin Rachel".   It's hard to find and not hardy enough to be planted outside but I still want it.   There are many of this plant at Longwood Gardens. 

Art is where you find it.....

This is the carpet in the hallway in our hotel.  I find it very graphic and very appealing!

This is one of the artworks in our room!

Interesting Storefront

This is an interesting ladies apparel storefront I saw in the mall.   The bike is wrapped in heavy jute or twine, the seat and handlebars are another purple fabric, and there were lace doilies in the spokes of the wheels.  All sorts of beads and streamers hung from the top.   Not sure if it means anything but it was very eye catching.  

Another close up.  

Mandevilla

This year's mandevilla plant has reached the top of the garage and is winding around the eave trough.   The flowers are huge this year....one of my favorite climbing plants - ever!

More flowers.....

The first is flowers in a quilt.....it is nothing fancy, just a panel I found I had forgotten I owned.   I wanted to try a different way of quilting feathers.   I don't mark my quilting feathers.....I just free motion quilt them.   I may add some beading. I had a border on it which I ended up hating, so chopped it off and added a binding.   It would look nice in a frame, or as is.  I will probably donate this to my guilds silent auction.

More flowers are starting to arrive everyday.

My lovely butterfly bush near the front door is just starting to put out its flowers.

Not the best photo yet....but the very first hibiscus bloom.   These things are HUGE!

A "Day" of "Lilies"

These are my day lilies right now.  I'm having trouble with blogspot right now, so uploaded photos there and typing on my ipad.   I hope it works.

This lovely pink lily has several flowers, ALL facing the neighbors fence.   It has been hard to get a good picture of it.

Photo A Day

Yesterday I joined a group called "Photo A Day".   This group has been going on all year, but.....well, even though I found it a couple months ago, it took me until this month to decide to join.   Each day you are given a different prompt - and asked to take a picture, any picture, however you might be inspired, regarding this prompt.   Yesterday's prompt was "FAVE SMELL".   Even though I am very sensitive to some smells and frangrances such as soaps and perfumes, I do have a few that I really like.   One is bread that is baking - but since I wasn't baking bread I chose another favorite - Cinnamon.

This is photo is taken peering down into my jar of "Chinese Cinnamon".

Happy Birthday Sammy Renee

Today my oldest granddaughter turns 16.   How did this happen???   Everyone asks that, but the last 16 years have been such a joy!   I am so proud of the person she has become.   She loves life, tries everything...but mostly loves theater and being on stage.

 Brand new baby............the blanket I crocheted for her!

 Dancing with Grandma at the wedding!!!!

She loves Grandma's quilts!!!

 Anything Goes - on stage as Evangeline Harcourt!

Oh...........the drama!!!

All dressed up and ready for the prom - with Grandma Elaine and Grandpa Mark!