Last Day of Mosaics on Off the Wall Friday

 

By Gretchen VanNostrand

Contrary to how last week's post read, I really did have a good time on my creative vacation.  I try to do at least one week a year to recharge my batteries and this week surely did.  It wasn't that the piece really lead me to new ideas, but more the people that surrounded me were a pleasure.

One of which was Gretchen VanNostrand of West Virginia.  Gretchen has been quilting for about 20 years, but she specializes in fabric bags and organizers.  So she walked into the class never really having tried anything like this technique before. But let me tell ya, you'd never had known it!  She started with a picture of her beloved Fluffy...a lifelong friend.

Then she proceeded to work diligently from 8 am to 5 pm every day of class.  So many times, I had to stop myself from just chatting with her because I didn't want to break her flow.  Here it is finished... Amazing Right?!?

Fluffy, Gretchen VanNostrand

After my wasteful first couple of days, this is where I finished. Next, I want to do her shirt, hair, and back.  Luckily I have this technique down so I really don't find it daunting.    I'm traveling this week so I haven't quite gotten back to my studio yet.  Truth be known, I haven't unpacked my studio yet.  I'm lucky I got my clothes washed.  BUT SOON.  This is a piece that is not going to linger on my design board.

WIP Sunflowers

Something about the sunflowers I find interesting.  Also, I love that finally, I've gotten my Janome Horizon to successfully machine applique with monofilament thread.  If anybody is wondering, I used the "Automatic" Tension, a 70/10 needle, and decoBob in the bobbin.  WOW!  Made a huge difference.  I really can see myself trying to do a fully machine applique piece soon based on organic shapes rather than 2-1/2" squares.  (Yes I have a passion for sunflowers - here is my first silk painted piece from a few years ago)

As always, I recommend you take a creative vacation!  John C. Campbell just released their upcoming classes.  Or track down Timna Tarr - 'cause she's great!  Or there still are quilt conferences going on throughout the country - Empty Spools, QSDS, and of course my beloved QBL.  JUST DO IT!!

Since I'm traveling, I'll keep this short this week!

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The Tess Take-Over: Publishing an Indie Novel on Off the Wall Friday

I used to think that there was nothing better than a good book—the kind that makes you spend days cocooned in your favorite reading nook, not a care in the world. Turns out, the only thing better than reading a good book is writing one. My name is Tess, and this week I'm taking over my mom's blog to tell you about my debut novel, Kit & Basie (Tales from Long Lily, 1), and how the heck I got to this point. 

My mom can tell you I've been writing stories since before I could accurately spell, but I didn't become serious about being a novelist until adulthood. That was when the Real ideas started to hit me, beautiful worlds filled with complex people, somehow always about love. 

That's what Kit & Basie is: a story about folks who love each other and want to find the place they belong. It's an LGBT, cozy romance that tells the story of an immortal man who falls in love with the fella that moves into his late mother's house. I wrote it as a love letter to the queer folks in my life and all my favorite small towns in Pennsylvania. If this sounds like something that is even remotely up your alley, it is set to release in August 2023. I'm also running a Kickstarter to cover the publishing costs — more on this later! 

My mom asked me to talk about how I landed on this story, this genre. The truth is, sometimes stories are just meant to be told and it's a writer's duty to tell them. I had been wanting to write a collection of interconnected stories about small town people that was just a little magical. I pulled inspiration from The Spoon River Anthology, by Edgar Lee Masters, a collection of poems that narrates the epithets of all the passed residents of Spoon River, Illinois. I also drew lots of inspiration from Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery and even The Raven Cycle, by Maggie Stiefvater. All of these stories feature small-town people that are heavily interconnected with one another. 

Shortly after I conducted all my research, I went to a wedding in Virginia outside the Shenandoah Valley. Driving through Appalachia was a huge source of inspiration. The only downside was, I immediately caught Covid and came back quite ill. Buuut, it meant that I had plenty of time to quarantine and write. 

For the life of me, I don't remember writing the actual words of the first draft. Fever brain will do that to you. But, two months later, BAM! I had a completed manuscript. I recall writing most of it on the back porch, listening to the birdsong, or the soundtrack to the 2003 Pride & Prejudice. I let the novel rest for eight months after it was finished, before making the decision to revise it so that it could be published. Overall, Kit & Basie fell together so perfectly, so differently than I initially imagined, but I believe it's the way it was always supposed to be. 

Now, it must be said, self-publishing is not for the weak of spirit. I am a one-woman publishing house — equal parts author, editor, marketer, publisher, distributor, etc. I've worked with excellent editors and artists who helped me. Some of it was easy! For instance, my best friend is a professional, freelance illustrator. I commissioned her to illustrate the cover. My running draft is pictured below.

But ultimately, despite my collaborators, the end quality of this book is entirely up to me. That has meant editing the book nine million times, developing a social media presence, and planning fundraising. It's a lot on top of working in a library full time and going to grad school, but the hard work has been very worth it. 

For all that self-publishing is a lot of work, time, and money, it was the best choice for me. I knew I could do it. I had enough support from loved ones, artistic connections, and savings to make it happen. The main reason, though, was because the traditional publishing process is very long, tedious, emotionally taxing, and entirely contingent on the state of the book market. I wasn't confident that I'd find an agent or publishing house that would want to publish K&B. It's very short and character driven, and overall not what's on-demand on the book market. Yet, I was confident that the story deserved to be published and read, and I wanted it to be published on my terms. 

The last major undertaking for Kit & Basie's success is the Kickstarter. If you're not familiar with Kickstarter, it's crowdsourcing. Supporters of a project pledge money toward a creative endeavor, and if the creator meets their goal, supporters receive the product and often other goodies too! I decided to launch the Kickstarter as a way to break even on my publishing costs and a way to personally give fun things to the folks who support my journey as an author. My goal is to raise $3,800, and I'm already over 60% of the way there after only 24 hours. Kickstarter is all or nothing, so the only way this project comes to fruition is if it is fully funded. 

If you'd like to support Kit & Basie's publication, you can find the Kickstarter here. Pledging gives you access to the rewards, all designed by either myself or other PA locals. Two of the rewards are pictured below — a keychain I crocheted myself and a tea mix — but there's plenty more to be found on the Kickstarter page linked above! You're able to pledge as much or as little as you'd like, with or without rewards. I promise, every little bit counts. 

Time will only tell about where my journey as an author takes me. My mother is hoping it's more Long Lily stories. I'm hoping it's a fun fantasy story. Whatever it is, I'm excited to find out! Thank you for letting this indie author take over the quilt space today. If you have any questions about the project or even about self-publishing in general, feel free to reach out to tesscarletta@gmail.com. 

Enough about me!

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First & Last with Jenny Lyon on Off the Wall Friday

Jenny

Because me making half square triangles for my Homeward Bound quilt is not very interesting, this week we will continue on with the First & Last Quilt series featuring Jenny Lyon.  Let me preface this with I love Jenny so what follows is absolutely biased.  Still, it's my blog, so I guess that's okay. 

I have been reading Jenny's blog for years and love how she'll detail the true ins and outs of getting a piece done.  With Jenny, she's always happy to give you a peek behind the curtain so you can really see how the sausage is made!  It's been a true pleasure to watch her develop into a nationally known teacher and author.  

First

This is what Jenny calls her "Re-Entry" quilt.  Re-entry since this was her second start at quilting when she finally settled in California.  

She writes, " I saw this at a local quilt shop, signed up for the class, and made the quilt. I didn’t really know how to free-motion quilt. My stitches are uneven; the holes are huge because I used some gigantic needle; there are tucks and uneven distribution of quilting density. The kicker is the tension – horrible! But I still love that quilt."

Last

Morning Breeze, Jenny Lyon

Morning Breeze, Detail, Jenny Lyon

"Morning Breeze is most representative of my style of whole cloth. It represents the drought-tolerant plantings in my yard. This quilt has wool batting and black 50 wt on the top with 100 wt light gray silk thread on the back. The wool gives bad tension no place to hide. My tension had to be dead. on. perfect. And it is."

What I love about this series, is that you can see how the artist develops her voice and what she finds passionate in quilting.  If you want to learn how to free-motion quilt, I highly you suggest you track down one of Jenny's classes. (She's got a full schedule!)   Or buy her book.  Also, she is teaching a week-long fmq class at Marc Adams School of Woodworking.  Spending the week with Jenny sounds like heaven!

Thanks, Jenny for sharing your work.  As always, you're an inspiration.

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First & Last Quilt on Off the Wall Friday

Elizabeth Barton's Solo Show at the Georgia Botanical Gardens, Athens, GA

Okay, a show of hands, who out there had a subscription to Quilter's Newsletter Magazine?  I must have started mine around 1992 and kept it through hmmmm at least 2010.  Honestly, without that magazine, I don't know where I would be as a quilter.  Really, those were pre-internet days when this was my one and only pipeline to the national quilting scene. Besides all the great articles,  I  even managed to do two of their Block of the Month patterns in consecutive years which taught me a ton.  

 Plus I got to meet Bonnie Leman at Quilting by the Lake one year.  I was so young and she was in one of my first classes.  I said, "Bonnie Leman? Oh, just like the editor of Quilter's Newsletter."  She said, "I was the editor of Quilter's Newsletter".  So here the little old lady quietly sitting behind me all week was THE- Bonnie - Leman.  She thought it funny I was so impressed.  I thought it funny that she didn't realize how the magazine she had started in  1969 had changed the lives of so many quilters.

One of my favorite columns in the magazine was the First Quilt....Last Quilt.  It's where nationally known quilters would show one of the first quilts they made and then show their latest creations. I loved seeing how far the quilters had come over the years.  But it was more than that.  Seeing where they started and where they ended up, gave me hope that maybe one day I too, could be that good.  Every time I would read the column I would end up saying "WoW".   It was the first clue, that these were just regular ladies who with patience and persistence and a whole lot of hard work had perfected their art. 

Sadly, QNM was shuttered in 2016.  BUT...I was thinking....wouldn't it be fun to revive my favorite column.  With that, I put the word out to some of my favorite quilters and asked for their first and last quilts.  Happily, I have gotten back a few replies!  

So this week, I thought we would start with Elizabeth Barton.  You can find her very readable blog here and her website here.  She shares some of her earliest pieces....

First

Elizabeth writes, "My first fiber piece" never had a name! Or if it did I don't remember!!  I made it by appliqueing silk and wool and other fabrics onto a piece of jute - they were sort of like grouped buildings!  I hadn't heard about piecing - yet...I think that was done about 1967"

Strange Beauty, Elizabeth Barton

"I cut the red waves free hand...it took me 4 attempts to get it right...I had to dye 4 lots of red and blue fabric!!!!  the image is based on the Hamilton Steel Mill in Hamilton Ontario

The Middle

.Where the Bongo Trees Grow, Elizabeth Barton,  60" by 60"

"It is part of a series of 10 quilts called "Idea of a City" and is inspired by Durham - UK.  On top of a hill that the River Weir winds around is a castle and a cathedral...magical mystical places....As I was making it I was thinking about magical castles...in magical lands...that the Owl and the Pussy Cat might have sailed to!!!"

(Note from Nina....yes...you read that right...Elizabeth did a series of 10 - 60" by 60" Cityscapes ...let that sink in a minute)

Last

This is a section of Elizabeth's spring show at the Georgia Botanical Gardens in Athens, GA.  It featured the pairing of her watercolor landscapes with abstract shibori dyed art quilts.  Gorgeous right?

A big thank you goes out to Elizabeth for sharing her work and hopefully inspiring some new quilters!  

In the upcoming weeks I will be sharing other artists' "First & Last" (including my own since I  just  found it  this week!)  If anybody would like to be included in this column please just email me.  Remember you never know who you are going to inspire!!

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Sew Spaces with Toni Raynolds on Off the Wall Friday

Toni with her Mosaic Dog

 I love seeing where other people create.  Normally, I'm not the nosey type, but when it comes to seeing people's sewing spaces, the voyeur in me comes out! This tendency popped up recently when I asked
my new friend, Toni Raynolds, to show off her space.  I met Toni in a class we took with Timna Tarr at Marc Adams School of Woodworking.    Toni's space seemed to strike the right balance of practical and cozy so I thought I'd ask her to share it with everyone.

Thanks, Toni for accepting my invitation to share your space!! 

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your quilting journey so far?

Sure!  I was born and raised in the bluegrass state of Kentucky where I still reside today. I am blessed to live in horse country in Lexington, KY near Keeneland racetrack and tons of gorgeous horse farms. I've been quilting for about five years now but until I started quilting, I didn't believe I had a crafty bone in my body.   Thankfully due to a sewing machine my mother bought me and a quilting ministry at our church, I am now completely obsessed! At this stage, I find myself still exploring every technique possible and learning as much as I can. My mother says I love those "artsy fartsy" style quilts while she leans more towards traditional style quilts. I don't think I found one particular style that defines me as a quilter....yet. One day maybe. I'm always up for something new!

Where is your sewing space and how did you pick it?

My Sewing space is on the first level of my home in a room that looks like it's supposed to be a spare bedroom. It's a rather large space and so it seems to be the perfect fit.  I don't really have a fancy name for my space. It's just my "sewing room" as it reads on the sign made by one of my quilting buds.

How did you come up with the layout?

Oh, the layout.... that's a constant challenge and it seems every 4 to 6 months I end up rearranging it.  The current layout seems to work the best for now because even though the room is fairly large, I have collected a lot of stuff. So trying to fit three tables all with their own sewing machine, a cutting table, a wall of fabrics and a longarm was a real challenge. I have found though that having a horseshoe layout for my sewing tables is the most effective.

My longarm is located towards the back of the room with a nice view of the trees and animals out the window.

For me, it was really important to have my fabrics and my threads out in the open. I love seeing all the pretty colors, plus it makes it easy to find and store fabrics or choose that perfect thread.  My thread holders were custom-made by a wood craftsman in Berea Country, which I think of as the crafting city of the U.S. The artisans found here are amazing.  The thread cabinets are a modified version of  a pattern by Vos found on Etsy.

My fabric wall is made of an IKEA Kallax 5X5 cube unit and it works perfectly. I also have other bookshelves and smaller IKEA units to keep my fabric out in the open for easy selection when sewing. It also has several doors at the bottom for storage of additional items I may need to access easily such as spare starch, comic boards (which I use as a mini "bolt" to wrap my fabric around), etc.

I also love repurposing old CD storage shelves to convert them into fat quarter, jelly roll storage, etc.  Ikea's CD tower is perfect for this purpose. I have also bought several of these at thrift stores. My favorite one is the rotating tower. 

Lastly on the opposite wall is where I have my cutting table where I store additional threads, project boxes, and various stabilizers/tools stored for quick and easy access,

What is your favorite part of your space? 

I love all of it. So it's difficult to point out just one single thing, but I do know that my vintage, hand-crafted sewing cabinet is one of my most treasured items. My husband bought this for my birthday a couple years back because he knew how much I loved it. It's perfect for holding extra threads, buttons, zippers, and all kinds of items I may need but are not critical to have close at hand. This was handmade for the previous owner by her son. I feel so blessed to be the current keeper of it until it's ready to pass on to someone else as a beloved treasure.

What is your least favorite part of the space?

There are really two things. First, since adding the long arm to the room, I can no longer access the bottom of my floor-to-ceiling design wall which I customized and attached to the wall following a very easy/cost-effective method similar to this one on Swim Bike Quilt's blog. The only other thing I'd like to be able to change is the placement of my sewing machines. I'd really like to have those in front of my window instead of the longarm but for now, this setup is the best because when I had the long arm in the front of the room, I was always bumping into it and had to walk around it.

You told me you're going to start selling fabric online.  Can you tell me more about that?

YES! I'm sew excited about this opportunity to turn my passion into a real business. I started out selling crafts on Etsy but have decided to do a reset and transition my business into an online quilt store where I will sell fabrics, books, patterns, and notions.  Plus I'll offer classes and tutorials. I'm working on restructuring my store right now and hope to re-launch by the end of the year.  Sharing my love for quilting and sewing as well as, having the opportunity to share my experiences to help others grow as quilters is something I have a strong desire to do. I hope launching my new fabric store, SewcialArts, will be a stepping stone towards getting there.  So, be on the lookout for lovesewcialart.com! In fact, if you visit now, you can sign up to be notified as soon as my store launches!

Thanks, Toni for sharing your sewing space.  It's amazing!!

I hope in the future to be sharing other people's sewing places.  I find it fascinating how people set up their places to create!  

If you have a blog post on YOUR SEWING SPACE...please feel free to link it on the SEW MANY SPACES blog link-up that is perpetually open.  Also if you know of someone who would like to be interviewed for this series, please feel free to contact me!

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EPP According to Tula Pink on Off the Wall Friday

La Passacaglia, Tula Pink Style, 2016

So yes, it's true.  My English Paper Piecing bug has been reawaken and has been taken to new heights.  I knew that my creative juices would start to flow again...sooner or later...but I would have never guessed that a simple EPP kit in little girls colors would spur it!!  While I finished up the 40 little umbrella blocks of the Abbie quilt I'm making, I started to think what next?!  As usual I started

researching what other people are doing currently with EPP.  Well, apparently, while I've been in my Menofog....there have been truly creative artists dragging bringing the technique into the 21st century (who knew?!  apparently not me...but yeah I'm always the last to know).  And what they are doing with the technique is

  A-Mazing!

One of these artists is Tula Pink.  Now...she.... I have heard of. She's an illustrator, fabric designer, author, quilter etc. What I didn't realize though is that not only she is crazy talented  but she's crazy funny and not one to hide that light of hers under a bushel!! Her designs are featured on all sorts of creative things plus she has sponsorships for Aurifil and Bernina.  Let's just say that Tula is one smart chick that has put the B into Branding which is exactly what every artist should be doing!

What finally put her on my radar though is when I took time to watch her EPP  videos she put out on YouTube in conjunction with the Fat Quarter Shop. Not only were they super informative without a lot of fluff (OMGosh am I the only one that hates fluffy videos?!?!) but they were FREE!  The set of videos were truly informative AND entertaining.  I highly suggest them for anybody doing EPP.  If you're interested in her creative process, you can get a nice glimpse of it here!

That all said ... coming from her videos  ...  I thought I would share some words of wisdom she's gleaned over 15 yrs of doing the technique. 

On Time Management . . .

"I have a lot of quilts to make before I die, so I have to get through them as quickly as possible"

"Maximum Impression. Minimum Effort. My goal every time"

On Perfection . . .

"Striving for perfection is admirable.  Achieving perfection is super boring and never gonna happen."

"Don't try to be perfect.  Put your effort into hiding your mistakes."

On Quilt Sizing. . .

"If I can't fit myself under a quilt, I'm really not interested"

On Friendship. . .

"Anybody who judges you by the back of your quilt, and not your front isn't your real friend."

Upon Thread and Glue Use . . .

"We are not in a thread drought.  Please do not sew till the last inch or two."

"The glue does not need to survive the apocalypses"

Tula teaching during her video

I'm sure I missed a bunch more but I was stitching and listening so I'm sure you understand!  I'm quite sure that the world today needs more people like Tula Pink in it  ... interesting... creative...smart & Fun!

It's amazing what inspiration you can find online!!  We are truly blessed by those that share!!!

hmmmmm... there is a segue in there somewhere ....

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Kathy Loomis at Quilting By the Lake - Off the Wall Friday

Quilting By the Lake 2011

 I love Quilting by the Lake.  I mean, I really LOVE it!!  Being at the annual quilt conference each year is really my idea of a perfect vacation.  Now I realize that most people's idea of vacation does not consist of schlepping all their stuff onto a college campus, spending 6 nights sleeping in a strange bed, sewing 12 hours a day and taking the risk of creating in front of perfect strangers.  BUT, mine IS!

After 15 yrs at the conference held in Syracuse, NY, I have a routine.  I always arrive early on Sunday afternoon to unpack my classroom, then my dorm room, go grab groceries at a nearby Wegman's and THEN sit down to pick out NEXT year's class.  I know that sounds funny!  But what can I say?  I'm a planner.  You can imagine my surprise when I saw that our very own Kathleen Loomis was going to be teaching this year during second session!  I thought - Hey  - I know her!!

Onodaga Community College, Home of Quilting by the Lake

So I thought it would be fun to ask her about it!

Kathy, I've been reading your blog for years and love it!  Can you tell my readers a bit about your back ground?

I retired from a career in journalism and corporate communication and decided I would become an artist.  Since I only knew one art-like skill – quiltmaking – and time was a-wasting, I have mainly worked in that medium ever since.  I learned to sew as a kid and made my first quilt (self-taught) in high school. 

Improvisational Strip Piecing

I didn't know you were teaching nationally.  Have you've been doing it long?  What kind of classes do you teach?

I don’t make a big deal out of marketing myself as a teacher because I don’t want to spend my whole life on the road – heck, I’m retired!! -- but I love teaching and will do it for anybody who invites me.  I’ve taught for groups in Florida, Boston, Philadelphia, Kentucky, Indiana, at the Crow Barn, and overseas in Japan, Germany and the Czech Republic.  

I’ve done classes as short as three hours but my favorites are the longer ones.  I don’t teach projects because my cosmic goal as a teacher is that nobody should ever have to use other people’s patterns.  Most of my workshops start with a specific technique but the real learning starts when people have to make decisions about color and composition.  I can be their guide, help them get the self-confidence to make those decisions, and show them ways to think those problems through.

Vendors at Quilting by the Lake

Can you tell us a bit about the classes you are teaching at Quilting by the Lake this year.  What can a student expect?

At QBL I’ll be teaching two workshops: two days on improvisational strip piecing and three days on fine line piecing.  In the first one, we’ll make strip-pieced panels and then cut them up and rearrange them into finished compositions.  There will be a lot of discussion and experimentation with color selection, and then on the second day, lots of work on the wall with discussion of  design principles.

Fine Line Piecing by Kathleen Loomis

In the second one, I’ll teach how to piece very fine lines, and then we’ll explore two different ways to use that technique in a quilt.  One way is large-to-small, where you start with a large piece of fabric, slice it apart, and piece it back together with a very fine line in between – then you do this again and again and again, like drawing lines across your paper with a ruler, with the intervening spaces getting smaller and smaller.  The other way is small-to-large, where you start with tiny modules and piece them together into a finished composition.  Again, we’ll end up on the design wall working with the basics of balance, repetition, all that stuff.

Quilting by the Lake 2016

A lot of times, I get people telling me that they are afraid to invest time and money into a national conference.  Why do you think its worth the investment?

I’m a huge believer in workshops, having been a student for 16 weeks with Nancy Crow over the years, as well as with many other teachers.  Let me count the ways.   You get away from the laundry and the husband and the social engagements and all you have to do for a whole week is sew and think about art; it’s so much easier to focus on your work without all those other distractions.  The facilities are great, with a big empty table all your own, good lighting, design walls, ironing boards everywhere, and somebody will always lend you a spool of black thread if yours runs out.  You hang out with other people who are keen on the same things you are, with lots of time to talk, share, learn, show-and-tell, bitch, moan and celebrate. And of course, you get to work closely with a teacher who has been there, done that, and will help you get there too.
  ( I would add that this is EXACTLY  how I feel - spending the week with a bunch of people that know the difference between a quilt and a tapestry and what you do does not normally involve yarn is priceless! - NM)

Thank you Kathy!!  I hope this has inspired you to take the leap to going to a national conference!  It certainly changed my life and it could change yours!!  

Quilting by the Lake is running  July 16-28, 2017.  Please visit the webpage for information on the full range of classes.  There are still plenty of great classes open for all levels and interests!  

So What Have You Been Up to Creatively?

The Value of Black & White - Part II - Off The Wall Friday

 Black and White #2, Kay Sorensen

Figure/Ground Study #3, Sandra Palmer Ciolino

So with my latest lesson on value, I've fallen in love with the monochromatic palette of White through Black.  I admit, I never thought I would.  I mean with all the gorgeous colors in the world why stick to only Black and White?  Not to mention, SHOW OF HANDS, who here became a quilter because it was just an extension of coloring left over from childhood?

That all said, I had a thoroughly fun time doing my latest Project, Cropped.  Katie asked us to crop a photo and recreate it in only black, gray and white paying specific attention to the values.  Once I got the crop right (thanks again for all the help), the piece wasn't too hard.  But I do love how it came out!




                                                  

Legends Never Die, Maria Dlugosch

                                         

Cropped, Nina-Marie Sayre

Here's my self critique -

• This is a diagonal cruciform composition using a monochromatic palette
•  A visual pathway is created though the quilt, with the darkest of darks leading the eye
• There is plenty of variety of shapes as well as negative space to rest the eye.
• The palette chosen reflects the nostalgic mood of the piece.
• The photo has been cropped to show a more interesting portrayal of  the original.
• The focal point - although having contrast - could have even more emphasis.  Is it the O or is it the W? Or is the star?  UGH?!  (there is always something isn't there!)

Star Dreams of Snow, Kari Anderson, @andersondesignworks

Zen, Beth Schellenberger

Still I don't know what was more fun with this piece - doing the actual work to see the finish product or researching all the signs!  With all the new super bright In-Your-Face LED signs out there yelling at us to "Like Us on Facebook" - I really do miss these retro masterpieces  of an era not so long ago.

Anyways, before I get even more melancholy, Cropped has started me looking  at what other quilters have done with this particular palette.  And let me tell you - there is some AMAZING work out there.  A few artists have granted permission to share some here!  I have included links to their online presence so you can check out the rest of their truly fantastic work!

Nicole Dunn

I hope this has inspired you to take the plunge in the monochromatic gray scale world.  Without Katie to nudge me in that direction, I might never have tried it!  So glad she did!!

So What Have You Been Up to Creatively?