Painting practice this morning.


The last page in my watercolor sketchbook. I used this moleskine when taking an on-line class with Jane LaFazio (through Joggles.com). Jane is a good teacher and I really enjoyed it!

Frankly pleased with my new "floaty" sundress.....it's in the 90's here! I'm still a gal who loves the Laura Ashley look! This is my own adaptation of her pattern (funny how my figure has changed in 20 some years!!!)...found ancient pearl buttons in my button jar too!

Now, this dress cost me quite a bit, as I had to buy a new sewing machine to make it!!! LOL!

I love the automatic buttonholes on the Janome! It took less than 15 minutes to make all 7, and I'm just learning the machine!

Mom had reminded me that I could do the buttonholes by hand,...and wouldn't that be charming????? Of course it probably would have taken me 4-5 hours rather than 15 minutes!

I love getting a consistent well-made, perfectly sized for the buttonhole result with the machine...and with 3 grandbabies coming this summer, I'm sure to use it!

Summer mornings, once again I'm out of the house to water everything...

It is still cool enough (barely) that the leaf lettuce is thriving! I love fresh salad from the garden!

It won't be long before the lettuce "bolts" and goes to seed as the cilantro is doing.
I'm putting in annuals for the duration of the summer back here. Zinnias are coming up among the coleus!

In a bed nearby, I have planted 4 tomatoes, 1 Black Crim, 1 Cherokee Purple and 2 Arkansas Travelers. I was surprised to see several coming volunteer from last year's tomatoes...what fun!

After the garden chores, it is time to be inside with air-conditioning. Mom and I are making a few charity quilts. I have lots of fabric to "work up"! Here Mom is taking a break from piecing 4 patches on the antique Singer Featherweight. I have the new Janome to "break in"!

We came home from our trip to see family and found the hydrangea in full bloom for the first time!

I love the deep pink! This is an "Endless Summer" hydrangea which is supposed to bloom all summer....we shall see!

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With summer humidity coming and Memorial Day yesterday I am craving a floaty sundress!!

Yesterday, I was at work, patterns were 99 cents each. I bought several and some fabric. However, I am SO happy that I have kept my old (1980's) Laura Ashley pattern. It is modest, comfortable, actually "floats" rather than "fits" and is a great pattern to showcase a fabric!

So, no form-fitting plunging necklines, no spagetti straps, no skimpy skirts....this is my favorite!!! [And the romper might be cute for gardening too!] Off to the sewing room now!

Appreciating the garden at this moment.

St. Francis with the hostas.

"Endless Summer" Hydrangea beginning to bloom. Below a lily is delightful!

All is quiet and peaceful now....more severe weather expected this evening and into the night.

90 miles north of here, the city of Joplin, Missouri, is in shreds from Sunday evening's tornado. No peaceful garden there....reminding us how quickly things can change and how to savor the little things!

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I am finishing up some projects to take to my daughter's. Here, knitted caps and sweaters for the expected twin girls!

Three irregular and free form art quilts are now mounted on light green acrylic paint- washed canvas panels.

I love seeing them all together on the primitive bench!

What a fun class! My little shrine art quilt is finished!

It just found its home surrounding a small incense burner in my studio (trying to get out the musty smells from all the rain, AND wanting the smell of the yoga studio I go to!).

One more art quilt lesson left, then I will be "on my own" and really missing the teacher, Jane LaFazio!

A photo of a Japanese flycatcher was the inspiration for this small art quilt. A friend had given me a piece of golden dragon fly fabric which is perfect with it! Primitive, playful and irregular, embellished with lots of embroidery, these art quilts are small treasures!

These were created as I am taking a class with Jane LaFazio at Joggles.com. The last one is based on the line of poetry "My heart is like a singing bird" (Christina Rosetti) and has hearts and music LOL!

Our fifth and current class is on making a 3-dimentional art quilt which can stand alone. A "shrine". I am planning one with a lotus inside, using some of my Japanese indigo antique fabrics and....

embroidered trim from the sleeves of this tunic. The tunic is from a thrift store but the sleeves are too tight. So it is a low cost way to find some ethnic embellishment if I cut them out, making the tunic sleeveless now ( pj top for summer???), and use the trim from the ends of the sleeve in decorating this next art quilt!

Some have requested that I show the creative changes I made to the linen camp shirt which I got at the thrift store. Here are some photos showing the embroidery (with natural linen thread) and the crochet trim I added. I was able to lenghten the sleeves about 3.5 inches this way! [Cropped fabric from the lower edge of the shirt and used it on the sleeves.]

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I'm getting started on the bird themed art quilts today......Jane LaFazio's online class.

Life goes on.... [blogger totally removed the last post during their maintenance yesterday. It was about the elm tree being cut down]

So, moving right along, here is today's post!

This wonderful heavy handmade wooden bench was made by Wally Clark and belongs to my nephew. We are storing it for a few weeks as the nephew is moving. Wally used tree branches and parts of an old church pew. I like it right here, under a painting I once did of the woodpile behind our house (40 years ago!)

This week we had a similar woodpile in our front yard here, as the ancient elm was cut down.

It was tempting to keep some of that wood for Wally.....no telling what wonderful things he could have made from it!

The "indigo dog" portrait art quilts are almost finished...they just need the hanging sleeves on the back!

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A cross-section of the mighty elm which stood in our front yard.

Below, Mr. P showing just how big the trunk was!

Photo in this morning's paper.....the Dalai Lama arriving here yesterday!

NOTE: the security guard!

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Our good friend, Karen has a birthday this weekend. She has requested this flourless chocolate cake for her celebration. Looks good to me!

From Mother's Day 2009.....now a blossom!

"Sorbet" peony! Delightful!

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Working on my art projects.....I found a soft corduroy shirt in a thrift store.

The colors and design were just what I needed for the frame and back of my wool and raw silk pillow

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Still working on the "Indigo Dog" portraits of Juniper! Adding black machine stitching and will be quilting with large hand stitching too.

Jane LaFazio's classes are great!

Trying new ideas in Jane LaFazio's on-line art quilt class.

Working this week on a pet portrait on canvas. This (above)is the work in progress. I am trying 2 versions!

The pet is in the photo below, Juniper, who belongs to my son and his wife!

Full blown beauty!

One large peony in a small glass vase (on a raw silk cloth).

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I have finished stitching on the little morning mist in the Ozarks art quilt. This was really fun! Our next art quilt is done with wool felt.

I'm a natural.....

lover of natural fibers, that is! I cannot "abide" (as my grandmother would have put it) polyester!

So I was delighted to find wonderful 100% linen shirts at the local thrift shops! They even have pearl buttons and each was less than $3.00! My "inner hippie artist" wants to embellish them a bit more and make them uniquely "mine"!

While I was at the large fabric store where I work part-time, yesterday, I checked on threads to use for this. I found LINEN embroidery floss!!!! [It is being discontinued...so I may need to buy it all--Ha!]

There were only a few soft natural colors, but the green works perfectly, I think, on my green linen and the taupe is great on the natural linen. I am considering using the cotton crochet thread to further embellish and make the sleeves of this former natural linen "camp shirt" a bit longer...we will see!
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I have also enrolled in another class with Jane LaFazio! this one is on experimental art quilts...and will have more fun opportunities for embellishment and stitching!

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this is a landscape quilt, about 8.5"X11". It is called "Morning Mist in the Ozark Springtime".

Off to stitich now!

A collage finally finished. This is from the on-line class I took with Jane LaFazio.

It is on watercolor paper and uses other papers and my sketches and paintings. The sparrow was painted first on muslin then fused to the collage with fusible webbing. The pomegranate in her hand is stenciled, then beaded. It is about Kishimojin a Japanese Buddhist goddess who is the protectress of pregnant women and young children. She is usually shown with a pomegranate in her left hand (symbolising fertility!)

This seems an appropriate subject for my artwork this time, as I will be the proud grandmother of three new babies by the end of this coming summer!

sometimes things just happen......

These May Day flowers were meant to go to our daughter for her birthday tomorrow...May 1st. However, they were delivered here today by someone's error. So we are enjoying them and are happy to share them on the blog.

[Now, for the energy to paint them!!!!...I'm still a little tired from all those hours of watching the wedding! LOL! and knitting while watching!]

I was browsing the Internet for "royal wedding fabric" (there seems to be some, but hard to find!) and came across this charming pincushion. Lots of fun!!!!
Kits are available here!

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I am happy to say that the sun is out today! Of course, the devastation in Alabama and Georgia is heartbreaking and terrifying. My prayers go out for all in that area.