Happy Thanksgiving

 

With grace and gratitude to all the makers, teachers, business partners, associates, and mentors who inspire, encourage, collaborate, and support the arts, creatives, and their endeavors… a heart-filled Thank You!

The Art's Meow art show

You've heard of "the cat's meow?" This Sunday, Chattanooga is having "The Art's Meow," an Art Show and Celebration of Community Cats.

Orange Cat will be at The Art's Meow art show
and celebration on Sunday, October 13, 2013.

I learned of the event just this week after taking Luci, our "shared, community kitty," for his annual checkup at the Cat Clinic. Dr. Toumayan and the Cat Clinic staff (Jennifer, 'Lissa, Gabrielle and the rest) are wonderful, caring and compassionate professionals and helped organize the event to celebrate the Clinic's 5th anniversary. The art show and sale will benefit all the Chattanooga community cats with proceeds of the 50+ pieces of art—from paintings to jewelry—going to Wally's Friends.

I couldn't help but contribute. So, here is my little piece of kitty fiber art that will be for sale this Sunday, October 13.

"Orange Cat"   10" x 8"
Free-motion embroidery on cotton fabrics.

I've had a fat quarter bundle of "Elements of Nature" fabrics that have been looking for just the right project. This was it! The sky cloud fabric from this bundle is the background of this piece. Free-motion embroidery and other threadwork techniques were used to embellish Orange Cat and the flowers and grass in the foreground.

Detail of threadwork flowers and free-motion quilted clouds.

This piece also includes a cord on the back so it's ready for the wall. Or, it could be set on an easel or put in a shadowbox frame—all feasible display options.

Hanging cord on the back.

The Art's Meow event will take place from noon until 4 pm., this Sunday, October 13, at Uptown Art (corner of Frazier Avenue and North Market in Chattanooga).

The Art's Meow flyer.

Come and join me at The Art's Meow and support Chattanooga's 4-legged kitty friends. The weather forecast is predicting purrrr-fect Chattanooga fall weather. So, take your family and friends out for cat art, b-day cake and ice cream and make it a kitty purrrr-fect day!

The Cat Clinic of Chattanooga
310 Cherokee Blvd., Chattanooga, TN

Wearable art exhibit scheduled

I'm putting the final touches on my entries for the upcoming Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild wearable art exhibit on September 11. The exhibit, entitled "The Power of the Pocket," was conceived in November 2009 and issued as a Guild Challenge to guild members in January 2010. We've been working all year designing our entries that adhere to the Challenge parameters while still expressing our personal styles.

Here is a breakdown of the timetable I generally follow for projects such as this:

• 75% to research materials, techniques and percolate ideas;
• 10% to sketch, swatch, audition, sample and fit;
• 15% for production, finishing and paperwork.

As Abe Lincoln might say, "6 hours to sharpen the axe and 2 hours to chop down the tree." For me, there is nothing like a deadline to keep one motivated and on task!

To provide inspiration as well as technique and construction information, several guild programs were presented throughout the year that focused on pockets, pocket construction, and various embellishment techniques.

As this year's Guild President and emcee for the awards presentation, I'd like to invite everyone to come to the event to celebrate the innovation and beauty of fiber arts with the guild.

The exhibit, a unique collection of wearable art garments, will be on display Saturday, September 11, at Senior Neighbors, 10th and Newby Streets, downtown Chattanooga, from 10:30 am. to 1:30 pm.

Vest Workshop this weekend

I'll be doing a vest workshop using my Yarn Fabrication technique this Saturday for the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild. The members of this group are very artistic, talented and imaginative. I'm looking forward to a day filled with creative energy, fiber and fun.

 Oh, and the weather forecast is predicting mild weather. (yay!)

Stitches Expo--Atlanta

After a 6 to midnight quilting party on Friday (which my business sponsored) and a full workday on Saturday, I was debating whether to attend the final day of the Stitches South Expo in Atlanta. I hadn't pre-registered, but on the other hand I didn't want to miss this opportunity when it was so close--in Atlanta. So, I bucked up and hit the road at 7:30 a.m.--and glad I did!

The Cobb Galleria is a good venue for this event--right off the highway, convenient (and free) parking, a short walk to the entrance, and a facility that is easy to navigate (the expo hall and classrooms were easy to find). There was a nice crowd for a Sunday morning. Yarn and fiber vendors and good representation of local and national yarn and knit shops filled the hall.

I chatted with Hal, the President of Universal Yarn. (A super nice guy.) He remembered our last meeting quite well and asked how things were going at the Studio. He briefed me on Universal's new yarns and upcoming colors. I also got to meet Jean Lux, Universal's marketing director, in person. We've had a few phone and e-mail conversations, so it was nice to put a face with her name.

I made my way through the isles of booths--browsing and drooling over the luscious yarns, inspiring books, knitted garments and accessories. Samples really sell product! Here is what came home with me. Alas, now to find the time to create something with these beauties . . .

Chattanooga 4 Bridges art festival

Despite the overcast sky and intermittent rain showers, the annual 4 Bridges Art Festival in Chattanooga was a bustling venue this past weekend. The work of regional and national artists was diverse and unique and exhibits included sculpture, ceramics, glass, painting, photography, jewelry, glasswork and textiles. Accompanying the art was live music and enticing fair foods.


These hearts, created by ceramic artist, Marilee Hall, caught my eye and three of them came home with me to hang in my studio. I also picked up a freeform crochet handbag, by fiber artist Diane Leshin. Freeform knitting and crochet is a technique with which I've been wanting to experiment. Maybe the bag will inspire me to pick up my hook and yarn and start a scrumble or two.