Houston Quilt Festival 2014

I made my first quilt in 1976, and have attended the Houston International Quilt Festival every year since it began showing at the George R. Brown Convention Center. It's an overwhelming experience, but for those of us who go every year, we eventually learn how to navigate the "most important" aisles ... the types of quilts we are most interested in ... and try to (mostly) avoid the vendors' booths.

Since I am mostly interested in art quilts, those are the ones I took pictures of ... here are some of my favorites. (Sometimes it was impossible to get a clear shot without one of the black metal statement stands getting in the way ... apologies for that.)

Bedolina Threads by Maggie Vanderweit

Can We Talk About the Steak? by Barbara Yates Beasley

Dazzling Dahlia by Andrea Brokenshire

Direction by Lyric Kinard

Dotting Inside the Box by Sandi Snow
(this quilt won First Place in Art-Abstract, Small)

Drips by Sherri Lipman McCauley

Floppy by Enid Weichselbaum
(this sweet little piece was one of the Silent Auction squares ... so simple and adorable, I meant to
go back and bid on it, but ran out of time ... and money!)

Fly Away Butterflies by Charlotte Hickman

These next three images are of the same quilt ... "Frame of Mind" by Flora Joy. You see a different person depending on where you stand in relation to the quilt. Flora describes her inspiration and a hint of her technique in the statement below the pictures. She won a second place ribbon in the Digital Imagery category.

Galaxy by Lynn Koolish

Gone Fishing by Kim Ritter

Identity Crisis by Suzan Engler
(this won an Honorable Mention in Digital Imagery)

Mangolicious by Ellen Lindner

Panning for Gold by Lea McComas
(won First Place in Art-People, Portraits,and Figures)

Penelope's Poppies by Laura Wasilowski

Pouring Cats by Christina Belding

Red-and-White Exhibit, from the front of the hall.

from the other side ... spectacular!

And now for something completely different ... just a couple of "people pictures" ...

Liz Broussard, all dressed up for her String-It-Up class. Too cute!

Maggie Winfield, adorable as ever in her ca-ra-zy Halloween bat/skeleton outfit,
found time to meet me for a hug-and-chat before I left for home on Friday.

More quilt pictures to be posted tomorrow ... enjoy!

What's For Dinner? Quilt Festival 2014

Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison have juried another really fun fiber-art table setting exhibit at Houston's International Quilt Festival. Here are a few of my favorites.

What's For Dinner? table setting

Funky Shoe Repairs

I was doing a little repair job on my sister's favorite shoes, and for some reason they looked so cool and funky with all the little clips on them, that they needed a portrait of their very own ...

I think she should wear them as-is, don't you?

Miss Maggie's new shoes

My dear sweet friend Maggie Winfield has been decorating shoes again, and I just had to show them to you. She is such a unique fashion plate, and always goes her own way with her unique, funny, and adorable look.

Note the mis-matched socks!

Polka-dots are Maggie's "thing"

                     

These were done with Jamie Fingal's new fabric line ...
aren't they fabulous?

Bonus!  Maggie stitched this sweet little landscape
on the face of a thrift-store clock.

Maggie continues to inspire me every time I see her.  She just brims with light and love, and with artistic enthusiasm.  I'm happy to call her my friend.

Maggie at Quilt Festival, 2010

Gallery Opening a Success

Last night's Opening Artist's Reception of The Art in Fiber at The Copper Shade Tree Gallery in Round Top, Texas was a roaring success. I neglected to find out exactly how many pieces were sold on opening night, but one of my small pieces was among them ... my little "Pink is the New Gray", pictured here:

Pink is the New Gray - SOLD

Here is another little piece that I'm particularly fond of, which you can also see at the gallery.

Pair of Kiwi

The show runs through March 2, and Gerald and Debbie Tobola have once again renewed and refreshed their beautiful gallery to showcase the artwork to its best advantage. I personally think this is the best fiber art show we've had, with more artists and a wider variety of fiber art. I plan to go back in a few weeks to see what I probably missed during the excitement of the Opening.

Hands Project, by members of FiberVoices and Out of Bounds.  Each is 12" square, mounted on artist's canvas.

Gerald and Debbie are the most delightful gallery owners, and know everything you'll want to know about their Artists and art.  Maybe I'll run into you there!

** UPDATE** My "Zen Artist" hand piece (pictured above, in the lower right-hand corner) also sold during the exhibit.

The Art in Fiber, 2014

I'm so happy to be included in the Art in Fiber 2014 exhibit at the Copper Shade Tree Gallery in Round Top, Texas during the month of February, and thru March 2.

Gerald and Debbie Tobola are hosting the opening reception this coming Saturday, February 1, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 (a pleasant drive from Houston, San Antonio, or Austin), and the weather even promises to cooperate.  The charming little town of Round Top is fast becoming an artist's haven, helped along by the Tobolas and friends.

You might want to take the day ... come early to Round Top and wander around this delightful small town, including Henkel Square, and the quaint shops along the surrounding streets.  Fayetteville is also nearby, if you crave a bit of antique shopping.

Please join us for the opening ... there will be wine and hors d'oeuvre, beautiful fiber artwork for viewing and/or sale, and lots of fun!  I hope to see you there.

Quotes Illustrated

I'm honored to have a fiber-art piece included in Lesley Riley's new book, Quotes Illustrated.  It is "101 works of art inspired by words", and includes artwork by Judy Coates Perez, Liz Kettle, Pam Carriker, Lisa Chin, Dayle Doroshow, Loretta Benedetto Marvel, Susie Monday, Meena Schaldenbrand, Larkin Van Horn, and of course, Lesley Riley ... plus many more.

available at Amazon.com

Karey Bresenhan, Founder of the fabulous International Quilt Festival and friend to all quilters and fiber artists, had this to say about the book:  "Thought-provoking. Challenging. Beautiful. Inspiring. A book that combines two of my favorite things -- quotations and art -- is a sure winner, but this one goes beyond being simply a wonderful book. It will be a timeless source of dreams, a book whose pages demand to be studied over and over to see the artistry, details, imagination, and the sumptuous color. Each page is an adventure for the mind and the eye ... and the heart."

As much as I love the individual works of art, I'm especially in love with how each image reflects the artist's interpretation of a favorite quote.  This is a book that I will return to again and again, for reference, inspiration, and sheer enjoyment.  Thank you, Lesley, for including my work in this beautiful book.