Catching Up

Oh my . . . summer has flown by and now here it is the middle of September. I'm still here. Still designing. Still sewing a little here and there. Looking forward to lots more sewing when the cooler weather settles in.

Last week it was time to get my act together and make a pin cushion for the Pin Cushion Party blog hop over at Crazy Mom Quilts. This is Amanda Jean's first fabric line and it's so so fun. You'll be seeing my post and pin cushion on Saturday so stay tuned. In the mean time, go check out some of the cute pin cushions everyone is making with her fabric line. The line is called Good Neighbors and is sold exclusively by Connecting Threads. Here's a little sneak peek of some of the fabrics.

This week it was on to getting my mini started for the Kaffe Mini Swap happening mostly on Facebook and Instagram. If you're a Kaffe lover then take a look at #kaffeminiswap on Intsagram for some inspiration. Lots of fun things going on there. Here's some of the Kaffe prints I'm using. The one in the lower right, called Ferns, is a new one in my stash. I'm just loving the purple and aquas together. Definitely need to get more of this one.

This is what I have going on so far. I may add a little more . . . or not. We'll see. You might recognize the block. It's the same one I'm using for my Christmas quilt. You can see more about that on my blog under the Drunkard's Path QAL tab.

My other major WIP of the month is my next color post. September is the month for Yellow so I'm seeing yellow everywhere. Each new month finds me searching my home and environment for the chosen color and as a result I have become even more aware of color. Try it. You really will see more.

If you haven't seen my other color posts go here. So far I've done Purple, Green, Red and Blue. You can also see my daughter's color posts here on her blog.  Her jewelry is all about color so she's having just as much fun as I am looking for color. See her jewelry at Emily Claire Studio.

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

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Special Sale

Emily Claire Studio is having a BIG sale !

As many of you know, Emily is my daughter 

and a very talented jewelry artist as well.

She's having her first ever online sale 

so please hop over and check out her work.

Today through Friday all jewelry in Emily's new shop is 25% off.

Just use coupon code HAPPY25 at checkout.

Visit EmilyClaireStudio 

and use the shop button to see her current pieces.
If something you like is sold out please just shoot her an email.

Earrings, necklaces, rings. 

Pretty. Pretty. And colorful too. 

That's what I love about her jewelry . . . all the color.

Follow Emily on Instagram:  @emilyclairestudio

Tag your favorite style with #emilyclairestudio

Follow her on Pinterest 

Pin your favorites:  pinterest.com/eclairestudio

EmilyClaireStudio

just remember to use coupon code HAPPY25

Thanks for stopping by.

The Color Purple

I wanted to share some of the lovely spring color in bloom around my yard.

Thankfully I took the photos above last week because yesterday my irises looked like this.
Mother's Day in Colorado . . . snow two years in a row.

As I looked through my photos, I realized spring around the yard is dominated by The Color Purple.
Purple isn't a color I frequently work with in my quilts. It doesn't have a big place in my stash and yet I really like it. Here's a couple of fabric pulls that I've been playing with. I can see more purple in my quilting future.  : )

The Color Purple made an appearance in my Cascade quilt pattern. Even though it's not the primary color, purple plays a vital role in establishing the design. Fits in quite well with the garden too.

Springtime also means lilacs. I love lilacs. For the first time we have blooms on the upstart lilac bush that took root in the backyard. Lilacs remind me of my Aunt Lu who frequently made them the subject of a painting. I'm happy to have one of her last lilac paintings done while she was in her 80's.

I've always thought of The Color Purple as a little bit old fashioned. I know that's not really the case, but shades of lavender and violet remind of my Grandmother. She often wore a shade of purple. It also happens to be my birthstone . . . amethyst. This tea cup and the ring on the left are family heirlooms that make me think of Grandma.

The Color Purple plays a big part in my daughter Emily's jewelry. She says amethyst is one of her best sellers. Here's just a few of her amethyst pieces.

Radiant Orchid, a pinkish purple, was the Pantone color of the year in 2014. Purple is definitely
not old fashioned anymore. Here's a little Radiant Orchid paint chip next to my new favorite purple sweater. It's perfect with Emily's necklace in one of my favorite styles . . . her double ring design.
Visit Emily Claire Studios for more purple/amethyst jewelry. She has a brand new shop set up now through her website.

How about you . . . does purple have a place in your stash, your wardrobe or your jewelry?

I love color, so I'm thinking posts on color just might become a regular thing around here. Stay tuned.
For now, I'll leave you with this purple glass sculpture by Chihuly shown last summer at the Denver Botanical Gardens. It was stunning!!!

Linking this post up with Really Random Thursdays at Live a Colorful Life.

Sugar Plum Bazaar

The handmade market season opens this coming weekend for my daughter, Emily. She will be packing up and heading off to her first show of the year.

The Sugar Plum Bazaar in downtown Denver Saturday, April 11 from 10 - 7:00 and Sunday April 12 from 10- 4:00. Location is in the McNichols Building, 144 W Colfax. The building is on the north west corner of Civic Center Park across from the Denver County Courthouse. There is plenty of parking in the Denver Post building at 1516 Cleveland Place across from the McNichols.

What does this have to do with WIP Wednesday you ask? Well it means I need to get the ginormous tote bag to hold her booth sign and a few other display items done. You may recall I talked about this last winter but at that time the shows were just about done for the year . . . so I procrastinated. Time has run out now. It needs to be done by tomorrow. It will be done tomorrow.  : )

I don't really do much 3D sewing and this was a custom job so I had to figure it out on my own. The sign might not look that big but it's 24" x 59" so the tote will be about 28" x 62"  HUGE!!!  I did a little preplanning and then just had to dive in and start. It may not be put together in the best fashion, but I think it will work just fine. There's even space to hold extra items as her display grows.

This is my little furry helper. She wiggled her way into the lining while I was trying to attach it. Not the easiest way to maneuver something large through the machine with the added bulk of a cat.

Emily has many new pieces that are beautiful. This is one of my new favorites. A lovely cluster necklace with matching earrings. Love the design and the cool colors.

She is also open to custom work. Take a look at this custom piece she made for me to wear at QuiltCon. Just perfect for my quilting passion.

She'll gladly make one just for you with your favorite quilty saying.  Or any favorite saying  . . . it doesn't have to be quilt related. How about the names of your kids. That would certainly make a wonderful Mother's day gift don't you think?

Other custom pieces include these fun necklaces with inspirational phrases. Here's one of my favorites.

These are some of her signature circle pieces. There will be many colors and styles to choose from including earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings.

I've said it before and I'll just keep saying it . . . I'm so proud of her for following her dream and running her own business. Hop over to Emily Claire Studio and take a look at her work. Follow her blog or follow her Instagram feed. Help spread the word.

Check out this list to see her other market dates for 2015. She'll be adding more as they come along.

The Sugar Plum Bazaar is free. There will be food trucks available and there will be a bar serving specialty drinks, beer and wine while you shop. Plus some sweet treats stand selling other yummy goodies. So why not make a day of it with some girlfriends. Get out to enjoy the gorgeous spring weather. Look for Emily Claire Studios and stop by to say hello. Emily would love to meet you!

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Free Chihuly Exhibition and Jewelry Sale

If you live in Denver or along the Front Range, time is running out to see the Chihuly exhibit at the Denver Botanical Gardens. It all comes to an end Nov 30th. I went earlier in the summer and it's AMAZING!  You can see photos and read more about my visit here and get information on hours here. This coming Friday and Saturday November 14-15th admission is FREE!!!

Plus it's also the annual Botanical Gardens Holiday Gift Show featuring 50 vendors selling handmade items such as bath and body products, specialty foods, clothing and jewelry. You can't beat that deal. A fantastic free art exhibit and holiday shopping all at the same time.

But wait, . . . there's more! I'm happy to say my daughter will be there selling her lovely Emily Claire Studio jewelry. She has some beautiful new pieces along with her signature circle necklaces. All jewelry is designed and handmade by her from silver and semiprecious gemstones. Here's a little peek at what you can expect to find. She's happy to do custom orders too. How about a special phrase for that special someone?

If you can't make this weekend, she'll also be at these shows:

Sugar Plum Bazaar  

Nov 22 10:00 - 7:00 and Nov 23 10:00 - 4:00  

McNichols Building 144 W. Colfax, Denver, CO

Firefly Handmade Market 

Dec 6th 10:00 - 5:00 and Dec 7th 11:00 - 4:00  

Exdo Event Center in RiNo Denver Arts District

Make plans now for both. Chihuly's art is a must see and so is Emily's jewelry if I do say so myself  : )

Around the World Blog Hop

Thanks to Cindy of Live a Colorful Life, it's now my turn on the Around the World Blog Hop.
Cindy and I will be roomies at QuiltCon and I'm looking forward to meeting her in person for the first time after spending the last couple of years getting to know her as part of the Mid Century Modern quilt bee. I'm ever so grateful that she invited me to be a part of the MCM bee because I have gotten to know so many wonderful quilters not to mention make some great blocks.

What am I working on?
Seems like an easy enough question doesn't it? Yet I find it hard to put into words since I'm working on lots of ideas and designs with little to show for it in terms of sewing. My studio cabinet doors are covered with sketches as I contemplate which quilt(s) I can get done in time to enter in the QuiltCon show. I was lucky enough to have two quilts in the 2013 QuiltCon show (you can see them here) but I didn't get go. This time I am going (yea!!!) and would really like to enter something. The deadline looms so I need to make progress from sketches to real sewing very very soon. Are you going to QuiltCon? Do you plan to enter a quilt?

How does my work differ from others?
The main thing I bring to my work is my sense of design. I almost always make a quilt from my own original idea and believe they have a strong graphic quality to them even when they are block based. As a matter of fact, I love designing a block and then exploring all the possibilities for how it can be used. Another aspect of my style is color which is usually bright and saturated. The final thing I might mention is my love of large scale prints . . . especially from the Kaffe Fassett collective. I love the color and the riot of activity a large scale print offers. Many of my more graphic concepts are well suited for solid fabrics and I do love the look of an all solid quilts. But once I've worked with solids for awhile, I'm drawn right back in and need a strong fix of prints to feed my addiction. One last thing about my style is an interest in sometimes using traditional prints like batiks and florals in more modern, unusual ways. I've got to find some way to use up my older stash.

Here's a glimpse at some of my work both old and new.

All solids make for great bold, graphic compositions.

All prints make for a riot of visual activity. This is where I'm most at home. And the second quilt shows the variety within a single pattern design which is another thing I love about designing. Same design, same arrangement, just a different fabric application.

Here are some traditional fabrics used in a bold new ways. 

Why do I create?
It's who I am at my very core . . . a designer first and foremost. I have a graphic design degree and over the years felt drawn toward quilting which provided the opportunity to combine color with printed pattern to create designs in fabric. My husband and I recently went to Taos, NM to visit the galleries and get a little art fix. During one conversation I commented on how I love to photograph nature and yet those photos don't necessarily translate directly into my quilting. In other words, I don't make art quilts from my photos. But nature is very inspiring to me so I found myself wondering why it doesn't make a more direct correlation to my quilt designs? Later in the trip I finally made the connection  . . . it's a matter of composition and it does impact my quilting. I'm always composing when I take pictures. I love the details, the line and shape, the color of what I see. I do the same thing when I design a quilt. I play with a composition using line, shape, pattern and color. Sometimes that inspiration might come from my photos other times another source like fine art. I guess that makes me a composer which is certainly ironic because I know nothing about music.

Here's one such composition from our trip . . . do you know anyone who photographs a garden hose?

How does my creative process work?
You could sum up my process this way.

• I play. I play on the computer way too much designing and manipulating to see all that's possible. This exploration is also part of what I include in my patterns because I really want you to explore the options that a given design might hold. I also play with fabrics to see how they speak to me. I'm trying to spend more time with the fabrics and less time on the computer but it's hard. Guess I'm addicted to both. The computer is my sketchbook and I could seriously play all day.
• I consume a healthy dose of dark chocolate on hand at all times.
• I consult with my colleagues.

This is me playing with fabrics . . . this concept will hopefully become a new pattern next year.

This is me playing with the design possibilities of an idea on the computer.

These are my design colleagues. I am fortunate to have several . . . 

Sometimes one of them has a strong opinion . . . 

Other times they just don't pay attention . . . 

But I can always count on these artistic consultants and am grateful for their input and support . . . 

I hope you've enjoyed getting to know a little more about me. It's been fun thinking about these questions and has given me a chance to reflect on what I do and why I love it.

To continue the fun of going Around the World, I'm nominating Stephanie of Venus de Hilo. Stephanie was one of my earliest followers and blogs from the lovely Hawaiian tropics. We share a love of color and Kaffe Fassett. In her bio she says; "I like intense prints (the kind with 18 different color dots on the selvedge), bright colors, bold design, and in-your-face color and pattern combinations. I get a kick out of exploring new possibilities with traditional blocks and methods, combining them with current fabrics and bold colors in unexpected ways."  I couldn't have said it better myself. Can't wait to meet Stephanie for real at QuiltCon.

I am also nominating someone very very close to home, my daughter Emily of Emily Claire Studio who just started blogging this year about her jewelry and living the creative life. I'm hoping she can spread the blogging fun into another creative area beyond quilting.

Emily and Stephanie will be posting next Monday, October 6. I hope you'll visit their blogs and keep the journey Around the World alive. And thanks again Cindy for inviting me on this blog hop.

If you've read this far, thanks. I know you've probably already read plenty of these posts and no doubt may have participated in it yourself. I don't know the background of this hop other than it's been going on for awhile. It's a really fun way to share a little about yourself plus meet and get to know more about other like minded bloggers . . . so enjoy the journey.