Altar Cloth & Paraments: Dedicated!

Sunday was the dedication/blessing of the completed parament set for First Presbyterian Church! I think they looked really good in their new home. I hope they bring lots of joy to the worship there for many years to come.



(CLICK the photos to see them bigger & better!)

Old School Selfie and New Repurposed Clothing

I don't have a smart phone.....I'm not that smart, plus, I have a really old, grandfathered cellphone account that gives me 5 phones for under $130. I keep checking and talking with them, but if I switch to smartness, my bill goes up over $100, and that's just for 1 smart phone! Yikes!

So...this is me wearing my recycled cashmere and men's shirt top....yep, in the bathroom with a regular digital camera! But the weather is so pretty, and I love wearing it so I wanted to share.

I've entered March like a lion, roaring thru the first weekend and making 1 new top a day on Saturday, Sunday and Monday! They're all listed in the Etsy shop already, and I really think they're pretty and perfect for this time of year.

This weekend I have GOT to clean, though! My bedroom & the inevitable upstairs bathroom are calling my name, so at least Saturday I'll be a no-show in the Art Barn.



I got accepted into a really cool craft show in May, so I've already started stacking up plushie "skins" to be sewn and stuffed for my booth. I'm also working on a new item since the show is right before Mother's Day; a sort of everlasting corsage from cashmere sweater scraps and vintage buttons. I'm messing around with the flower shape right now, but as they come together, I'll share!

Working and loving it!

Busy working in the gorgeous studio.....I have a pile of cashmere sweaters from the thrift shop all washed and ready!

See the pile? so pretty!

I'm scheduled to do some arts & crafts type festivals this May & July, so I'm concentrating right now on increasing my inventory of super-soft and cuddly Kashmere Kitties....not only are they cute, but they're environmentally-friendly!


See the cut & sewn up "skins" that I made next?? They look a little creepy and forlorn like that, I know.


I've also drafted NEW patterns for cashmere plushness! I've got a pattern that doubles as either a lamb or a puppy (see the pink & blue skins lower left) and I re-patterned an Owl, mostly for Dear Daughter. That will be the argyle "skin" on the bottom right!

Stay tuned, I'll post pics as I get them all stuffed and pretty!

It's the new & improved Art Barn!

When we first moved in, the poor place was a disaster! If we weren't sure where to put it, it ended up in the barn. Piles and stacks and bins, oh my! See the Disaster Site.

I did finally get a bit of organization going, setting up a sewing area...see, it was my Little Slice of Heaven!

Well, things have REALLY changed! Last Black Friday-day after Thanksgiving, my baby brother pulled up with his truck & trailer and unloaded a ton of wood & tools. We built a loft! Or as he calls it, a mezzanine. It is gorgeous! Sturdy, BIG, proper stairs, tons of space for storage!
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Dear daughter & I spent the next 6 weeks hauling stuff to Goodwill, to the trash, organizing, emptying bags, boxes, tubs and bins. Hubby installed the new eco florescent fixtures baby brother gave me for Christmas, and a great shop fan. And now.....


Unveiling the new & improved Art Barn!! There is a lovely seating area, with a coffee pot next to the furnace & fridge. There is Floor Space! There is organization! I actually KNOW where things are, and more importantly, can GET to them! Storage bins are upstairs, labelled. The only bins I still need to empty & organize are the fabrics, although those are semi-sorted already.



Room for cutting tables, all the supplies sorted and grouped together, Ana has her own area, plenty of room to move stuff around! My jewelry bench is finally put back together. Okay, so that area still needs sorted out, but at least it's all in one place! Stereo equipment & speakers are hooked up, and the CDs are actually right next door. I can put things AWAY and find them again the next time! Room for visitors, classes, parties, it's so wonderful!



Yes, I have been working, although most of what I've been sewing are UFO's (Un-Finished Objects) getting them done and tagged & properly put away. It has been really great to work in the new space, and I kind of hate to mess it up! That pile of tubs in the back, near the overhead door?? Empty!! There are still a couple items that need to go to Goodwill (anyone want some GIANT speakers?) but my, it is so awesome!

First day of Autumn (where did my summer go?)

I don't know about you, but it almost seems as though I completely missed this summer. June went by in a blur, July was a week long, and I don't even remember there being an August! And now, it is Equinox, and the leaves are falling, and I dumped out my leggy petunia pots to get ready for pumpkins.

I have been busy, though, and it looks like I'll be stitching night and day from now until New Year's!

Beehive Bookstore is now selling "D-Town Totes...locally made bags for local folks"; yes, Red Panty tote bags, mostly made from scraps of upholstery fabrics given to me by an interior designer friend.

December First Friday here in town will be the opening night of a joint art effort between myself and supremely talented Cyrus Fire. I'm created plushies based on his paintings. The first is a character he painted as a label for a new, local beer brewer. Evil Cupcake Ale! See the pointy teeth?? See the disgruntled cherry on top?? Bad cupcake! I'm going to sneak some of my own plushies into the show, too, especially the Li'l Devils and Ghost Kitties. Maybe they will feast on zombie santa??

May is for Beginnings and Endings

It's May, and I'm not sure where April went!

The Red Panty trunk show at the City Art Center was a success from my point of view; lots of ladies came to check out the clothing, try it on, and purchases were made!



Trista Hill & I led the First Ladies Night ART evening at the http://www.cityartcenter.org/. We had 6 participants, and through centering, expressive movement, drawing and observation exercises, opened up our creativity! Trista & I will lead another Ladies Night ART on Friday, May 25th, so don't miss it!

Over the weekend, I spent 2 days at the College of Wooster; Friday was IS presentation day, and of course Ana was fabulous! She's so natural, you don't even realize she's reading from her notes. Then Sunday the Equestrian Team had its first ever Rodeo, featuring dressage, hunt seat, all types of stirring horse & rider drills set to wonderful music. The Western riders gave a calf roping demo, and Ana was the first to snag hers! She looked so good! I didn't get to take a single picture myself, since I was the announcer reading the script that gave the riders' bios, horse information, etc. But it was a gorgeous day, and a lot of fun!

What's up next? Well, in the next 14 days, I'll hang 2 quilt shows at work, dismantle the senior art show on graduation day at OWU, see my beloved daughter graduate from Wooster (her father is wearing full Scottish dress, Prince Charlie jacket, Wallace plaid kilt!), move said daughter back home for good (for awhile), give a talk about my art quilts to a big guild in Columbus that I used to belong to, enjoy First Friday in Delaware, try to clean, organize, sort and get rid of some stuff around the homestead. In the meantime, still trying to exercise my thumb and get it fully recovered....I had no idea it would be such a slow process. It is, however, better than BEFORE the surgery, so I don't regret it. Apparently, I am old and do not bounce back from things like I used to!

Red Panty Workshop!

Yep! I'm doing it!

If you'd like to make your very own Red Panty style garment, sign up for a 1-day workshop! Saturday, June 9th, from 10-5pm, ending with our very own little Runway Show!

I'll take you through the steps I use to create a top from recycled thrift clothes, from fabric selection, layout, deconstruction, pattern choice/making, to the actual sewing. At the end of the day, you should be able to strut down the runway looking fabulous, darling!

Sign up! you know you want to!

(I can email the flyer to you, just contact me!)

Bugs, dirt and Chert!

or...How I spent my summer vacation!! Helping dear daughter with her approved excavation at a Metro Park!

Last week we spend 3 days hiking to and from the site, doing soil probes, sticking little orange flags in the ground at promising places.

Today, one of the park rangers gave us a lift in the pickup, helping get our equipment VERY close to the site! We still had to slog it over extremely wooded terrain, til I nearly thought I should just give up! But we're starting at an interior point, and we got the 2-meter square pegged, cleared, and started digging!! Well, scraping, really! and guess what?? We've already found artifacts! Yes!!!

Little flakes of chert, commonly called flint, that show signs of being worked! Here's Ana bagging & tagging her first find! Check out the close up photos over on HER blog, Ana's Geoarchaeology Journey!

I'm a travelling Gal!

This week is a busy one; took Dear Daughter to Wooster today to pick up equipment for her archaeological dig which starts THURSDAY!!! YAY!!

Tomorrow I go to Newark to interview for an exhibit of my quilts at a lovely new art space....wish me luck!


Wednesday I buzz to the Short North to see Sherri at Go Figure, and I'm taking a few new items that I just finished today. I love the raglan pattern, it's so comfortable, very flattering!

Where are You going this week??

Spoke too soon!

I should have known I'd jinx myself on Monday! Not only has it rained for 2 days, now it's supposed to snow like the dickens tonight!

Well, here is the new tunic top I finished Monday; I made myself a longer version to wear as a dress.

Christmas trees everywhere!

Yes, I have begun putting up the multiple trees in the house, and I've gotten the biggest ones up.


There's the pretty pink one in the front room (do you see the kitty sleeping on the couch??) accompanied by the new wreath that dear daughter made me....that's a Godiva box decoration in the middle!





There's the green tree in the center room....we've perched it on the concrete and stone pad where the pellet stove was. We gave that to the guy who put in our air conditioning, but the pad is even heavier and will require a jack hammer to remove. So, for now, it makes a nice tree stand!



I still need to figure out new tree skirts, and all the little trees need to come out of their boxes, but it's a start! I think I like the green tree the best; daughter and I re-did the decorations last year when the house we were living in was on the holiday home tour. I'm sure there are older posts to show that.

Is your tree up yet?

Stage Fright

I'm getting a wee bit nervous...I'm giving a little "Gallery Talk" for the closing of my art quilt exhibit here on campus.

I like to think that my quilts each express themselves pretty well, and don't really need further explanation. I did add a few statements on the wall, giving more information on a few of the series that I did.

Many of the quilts in this particular exhibit are rather dark, expressing some intimate feelings that I won't often admit to. So, how do I discuss things I don't want to discuss?

I'm thinking I'll talk a bit about process, more about actual technique and form. I think the technique of using fabric is something different enough, I'll be able to draw attention away from my thought process and keep things focusing on the "how", rather than the "why"!

I mean, does the viewer really need to know that part of my thoughts about the Valentine series comes from the fact that I like to read paranormal, vampire romance novels? I don't think so!

Blue Bottles and Poison Ivy

I think that Autumn is starting to creep in....I do like the smell of burning leaves, although any more, most cities don't allow it.

I've lit my chiminea a couple of times and have been burning the dead sticks that constantly fall out of the giant maple trees; what is it about them, everywhere we've lived, they shed like cats!

I'm working on my blue bottle garden, though...I need to find some bolt cutters to use on my rebar, but dowels work fairly well for the shorter limbs. Sad, though, the tall ones bent right over from the rain. Yep, that's poison ivy peeking through the pine needles and snaking up the tree trunk. I'll have to deal with it soon, before it gets out of hand.

I've been collecting sculpture to fill in around it...Killer Bunnies that I bought from a graduating senior a few years back, and a turtle and cobra my brother Michael made me from parts when his engine exploded.







My father-in-law's dog is enjoying the backyard more, now that it is a bit cooler. Floyd, too, likes to sit outside and enjoy the antics of the squirrels and stray cats.





Lots of exciting things coming up for me, with my clothing line....Stay Tuned!

Interview on the Internet

Well, it's been 3 months since our move to the new house! So many changes, good, bad, ugly, but we're still rolling with the punches!

Bottom line: I've still got boxes to unpack, walls to paint, and more stuff than ever has been moved to the barn "temporarily" and is in my way, but I'm sewing alot lately.

In June, Pam Spence interviewed me for an online Columbus magazine, The Artist's Interview. She had seen my Red Panty Clothing and was intrigued enough to want to learn more, and I was happy to oblige! Check out the link above; there are even a couple pics of me.

Here at the homestead, we are settling in. I've got pots of herbs on the back porch, perennials in the front, and I'm making basil flavored olive oil!


My father in law has now been with us for a full month, and thanks to my cooking, he's gained back some weight. I think he's tolerating us well; I know his dog, Lilybell, is enjoying the freedom of going out, coming in, going out, coming in ad nausea.


Here Ron is giving her a MUCH needed bath!

Finished Work

I have finished quilting the 5 new pieces for my upcoming show on campus; I wish they were larger, I did a mental count of the number of pieces it will take to fill the space, and I'm a little concerned, but it is what it is!

Since I sold 2 of the "valentines" in February, I made 2 more to bring the set to 3. Here is Burning Love and Stuck on You. More anatomical drawings from the 19th century; Stuck on You actually shows the pins used to hold back the sac around the heart....kinda creepy, right??! I just had to enhance it with some fine T-pins I was storing.

Now I just need to finish painting the living room in the new house...I got it all taped off last night, and painted 1 wall, but I have to rehearse this evening for an upcoming gig, so no painting til tomorrow.

And I need to design/cut out/sew/deliver an entire new line of recycled clothing by next Saturday for the Gallery Hop in Columbus.

And I need to have my head examined!

A House, a Home!

We are in contract! We will have a house soon!

Hubby & I have been together 27 years, living together 25, renting all that time. But no more! We are in contract for a sweet house here in town!

It is set up with a space on the first floor so that in the event his dad comes to live with us, the only accommodation we'll need to make it switching out a tub for a shower, and perhaps a little ramp to the back door.

Sweet picket fencing, and can you see, there are TWO garages!! One for 2 cars, and another BIG one, can you say workshop?? That one is heated for comfort in the winter. These face the alley out back.

When hubby & I went on the 3rd look-at, we took daughter along, too. It was nice, because the 4 feet of snow had finally melted and we could actually see what lay beneath. In the back, there is a curious hill of earth, which Ana & I quickly dubbed the ancient burial mound, but which apparently had a water feature at one point, and now is extra dirt to use. Ana & I found an awesome stele of stone at the nursery store, with a cleft in it for water to gurgle down. Perfect, we'll create our own henge!
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There is a lovely landing at the top of the stairs; that door leads to a balcony!

I can't wait to make this our own, make it into a home!

Tempus Finally!

Yea!! Last night we REopened my exhibit at Corner Framing, and this time there were lots of people coming by! Including my 'rents, my baby bro & his sweetie, lots of friends, and random passers-by!

I had 2 glasses of wine, followed by a nice stiff cup of espresso, and went home feeling good!

Here is a little Valentine for all! (currently featured in the exhibit!)

These feature old anatomical drawings of the heart, printed out on fabric, plus lots of stitching!

Tempus Tantrum!

So, ok, lots of agonizing and working late, and we got snowed out!! Although a handful of brave souls mushed through the blustery drifts, it was pretty much a wash-out!!

SOooooo.....we're going to try again next week! Main Street Delaware rescheduled their First Friday festivities, and Linda at Corner Framing is going to break out more treats, and we'll just try again next Friday, Feb. 15th, 6-9ish. But the gallery will be open next week regular hours, and here's a peek! North Wall, South Wall, the snow that kept everyone away, a few of the quilts, and the brownies that were amazine! (Thanks Nicole!)