WooHoo! I Make Someone's Day

WooHoo! Judy of "in the Dyes" has bestowed the "You Make My Day" award upon me. Her blog, plus about seventy-five others, makes mine. I can't say that I read all of them everyday, but I do keep up with everyone's projects and activities on a fairly regular basis. Of all those bloggers who make my days, I find it impossible to select only ten to pass this award onto. Soooo, if you've gotten a comment or an email from me please know that "you make my day" and you deserve this award.

Thank you, Judy, and thanks to all of you who share your creations and lives with me.

Now, to share with you what I've been up to. The making of these two pieces gets me caught up in the block exchange I'm participating in with my SMQ Guild bee. Each of us makes a block in a theme and size of the recipients choice. There's one recipient every month.

Aurora Borealis - 10"x 7"

Castle Wall - 11"x 8 1/2"

Both are constructed in my "ortwork" technique. However, the top one has only silk roving under tulle ... no scraps or orts. Yarns create vines on the wall. These became the quilting lines across the face of the stones. Otherwise, I free-motion quilted around each one.

I was the first recipient and will post photos of the blocks I received tomorrow.

My Very Own Elvis Tribute Artist

Today is Elvis's 73rd birthday. Elvis and my husband were born the same year. I don't know where Elvis is on this day, but Lee is still a rock'n'rollin'



... or is that a movin' and a groovin'?

He made the video during a visit to Graceland to pay homage to the king this past Thanksgiving.

Happy Birthday, Elvis, wherever you are!

Note: If the above video doesn't work for you, go here to download it in a Quicktime movie format (best and largest picture) or here to view it on YouTube.

To see more of Lee's and my tributes to the king click on the "Elvis" label below this post.

Birthday

Today I celebrate my 66th birthday.
I believe you're never too old to play. Here's the result of my playing with "photo booth".

Now, you've seen another side of me.

Sledding in Oak Park

It's winter wonderland here in the Chicago area. Our younger son's family has gotten me out and about in it ... and boy do my fingers and toes get cold.
My extreme digits turned almost as white as the snow at the sled hill.
This is a gentle hill for young children in a city park.
For the most part, parents stand at the top to get the kids situated on their sleds and off to a good start with a gentle push.
My hands warmed up around a mug of hot chocolate with marsh mellows when we got home. Now if there were only something comparable to have warmed my toes.

Old and New

OLD ... These are two of my pieces created with the technique of smocking. That method of stitchery is a surface embroidery across the surface of pre-pleated fabric.
NEW ... My Christmas present from our older son is Adobe Photoshop. Wow! My head is getting a workout learning how to utilize that program. I foresee a lot of hard work ahead of me. So far, I've learned to straighten bowed frames caused by the distortion of my camera's lens, to eliminate backgrounds, and to add shadows.
I would give more information about these pieces, but all of that is in Tennessee and I'm in Chicago. These pieces are so old that I've forgotten their titles even though they hang on our livingroom walls. I'll add captions to the above photos when I get home in January.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I fly north today and won't have Internet access for a week. I'll be back after Christmas. In the meantime, here's a bit of holiday humor from our house.
This is the area over our kitchen sink. Lee is holding a piece of fabric to cover the daylight from the window into the courtyard. Geriatric Elvis standing under the mistletoe is his contribution. The beaded wire tree is made by my sister-in-law in Memphis. My friend, Alicia, painted the light bulbs and I thread wrapped styrofoam balls. The "sugar plum" fairy stirring a pot is my kitchen mascot. She lives in this spot and is a part of every arrangement.

I wish all of you happy holidays!

A Silk Quilt for Christmas Present

About twelve years ago I had made a silk cuddle quilt for my friend. She absolutely loved it ... to death. Silk is light-weight, soft and fluid. A silk quilt gives just the right amount of warmth for an afternoon nap no matter the season. I've made a new one to replace the tattered one that she's gallantly been trying to keep mended.
The center panel is an Anne Kline silk scarf that has special meaning for my friend. The brightly colored silk print expands the center and sets off the lion on point. The muted green calms the "shouting" orange and pink.
Her old silk quilt was hand-quilted. This one is done by machine. I was inspired by Ferrets marvelous work. Her patterning is dense, whereas I kept my variations on the spiral open to maintain a soft drape to the quilt. To help keep that quality I used Thermore ultra thin batting.

The backing is made from one of my friend's favorite dresses. She had passed it onto me, but it was more "her" than "me" so it had just hung in my closet for the last year or so. It was a wonderful batik printed rayon that had long sleeves which produced four squares in the center. The double layered bodice had enough material to make the rest of the back.
The muted hues on this side is a nice foil for the bright orange and pink silks on the other. A soft light brown cotton print for the binding bridges the two sides.

Sssshhhh! if you know my friend, Alicia.