Daylillies—they bloom for a day and are gone

In the past few weeks, the TV, radio and internet news have had an influx of stories about the passing of celebrities—some surprising, others somewhat anticipated. Pop stars, talk show hosts, actresses, actors, TV personalities... Listening to the retrospectives of their careers prompts a stroll down the proverbial Memory Lane: where we were when we first heard their music, who our friends were when their TV show was popular, how their TV show became part of our nightly or weekly routine, or the guy/girl we were dating when the celebrity’s song/show/album/etc. first topped the charts. We recall the people and experiences that touched our lives, made their marks and hold fondly the memories they have left with us. It seems like it was just yesterday...

ATC swaps

I host a monthly ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap. The June trade was yesterday and the cards just get better and better! We've started a series using the theme, The Elements, with the first month featuring “Air.”

I am always amazed at the variety of interpretations of our themes—insightful, imaginative, fanciful, endearing and humorous—all captured on a mere 2.5” x 3.5” card. The techniques and materials used are just as diverse: stamping, painting, sun printing, ink jet printing, digital photo collage and stitching on cotton, silk, and paper with embellishments of feathers, beads, sequins and thread. It is best to view these up close and in person, so this will have to suffice here. For their size, these little cards have a huge WOW factor!Below is how one artist (#7 above) created her set of cards. Each trader received a section of the larger composition.
We welcome new ATC traders all the time! So, if you'd like to participate in an ATC swap, e-mail me at veronicaquilts@gmail.com. I'll get you signed up for the next trade.

Arashi Shibori

At my quilt guild tonight, we had a show and tell of the hand dyed pieces from a recent dye workshop. There were piles of beautiful cottons, Kona cotton and silk charmeuse awaiting an opportunity to be incorporated into a quilt or wearable. Here is a piece of arashi shibori (folded and pole wrapped) that I did. "Arashi" translates to "storm." The fabric is a bamboo/cotton blend and it has a soft finish and a fabulous hand. I would love to turn this piece into a long vest--it would move and flow as one walked. Here is a picture of the full piece.

Hand dyed yarn bundles

My quilt guild had a dye workshop. Along with fabric, I hand dyed some yarns: a cotton/rayon tape yarn (greens), a bamboo/cotton (blues/magenta), and a combed cotton (red-orange). Outside of a trip to a guild meeting for Show and Tell, they are snuggled up in little bundles for me to ponder over and pet until I find a perfect project for them (and the time to work on it).
They look like my little kitty--only sometimes she snores. Zzzzzz ...