Ricë's little journal

I won this cute little tiny blank journal by leaving a Comment on Ricë Freeman Zachary's blog, 

Notes from the Voodoo Cafe

and it just arrived in today's mail.  Thank you so much, Ricë, I love this little book!

A "Chili" Auction

Karen Stiehl Osborn is holding an on-line auction of her wonderful artquilt "Fifteen", to raise funds to pay for the vet bills of "Chili", a tiny little 3-legged chihuahua she is fostering.  Please go to her newsletter to see the quilt, the doggie, and also a couple of Karen's lovely watercolor-and-ink paintings ... very inspiring!

Free Hugs!

click on ...

FREE HUGS

I don't usually post videos or music, but this one, about "free hugs" in Sondrio, Italy, brought tears to my eyes.  The combination of Leonard Cohen's gorgeous song, "Hallelujah", sung here by Alexandra Burke, is just too beautiful and touching for me to be able to express.

Enjoy your FREE HUGS!

The Ever-Adorable Maggie Winfield

I'm a little late posting this ... the Ever-Adorable Maggie Winfield

won First Place (Viewer's Choice) in her division for a challange quilt she made for Quilt Wyoming, in mid-July.  Here's a picture of it ... way to go, Maggie!

"The Key" at Long Beach Quilt Festival

I had a couple of nice surprises with these two videos, in both of which my art quilt, "The Key", is highlighted.  Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison curated the exhibit, "Beneath the Surface", and did an incredible job with it.

The first video about "Beneath the Surface" is at Dinner at Eight's blog ... it is introduced by Rhianna White, and includes short interviews with both Jamie and Leslie.  Here's the direct link to the Quilts, Inc. video.  You will need to click on "Videos", and then on "Beneath the Surface".

The second video is by Luana Rubin of eQuilter.  She is highlighting some of her favorite quilts at the Festival, including some from "Beneath the Surface".  Luana is a specialty fabric designer, and I'm thrilled that "The Key" is included in her "favorites".

It was fun to get to see a bit of a "sneak preview" of what will also be at the Houston International Quilt Festival this Fall.

Fancy-Dress Pool Party

They said dress "normally"
He thought they said "Formally!"

My Dad's sense of humor ... and free reign with Photoshop ... often renders this kind of family picture.  I sometimes wonder what future generations will think of Grandpa!
(But how about my gorgeous 87-year-old Mom standing at the top of the steps!)

Roman Squares Revisited

My friend Liz Broussard has published another beautiful quilt pattern ... a new addition to her well-known Cannibalized Series ... and I'm proud to present it here for the first time.

Turn a very easy-to-make block into something elaborate with just 2 cuts per block - 
it will stun your friends!


Scrap lovers, get out those 2 ½" strips and start sewing.  
Fabric selection is not about color, it is about value.

You'll want to use lots of different darks that yield 
a strong contrast within the block.

This pattern is written for the intermediate quilter and is meant to nudge you creatively.  You will use your quilt construction and rotary cutting skills, as well as your eagerness to try something different.  

 Your best price of $4.50 for a downloadable PDF file is available through PayPal, payable to broussardea@yahoo.com.  (Go to www.paypal.com.  It's easy and free to 

set up an account if you don't already have one.)

At PayPal, please put "Roman Squares Revisited Order" in the Subject line,

and type your full name and email address in the Message box.

If you prefer to receive a hard copy through USPS, or to use a personal check or money order, 
your cost will be $10, including shipping and handling (within the Continental U.S.)  
Please contact Liz at compusword@msn.com for mailing instructions 
of your check or money order payment, or if you have any questions.


Quilt Shops and Teachers, please contact Liz for special bulk pricing.

-------------------------
I love this quilt pattern, and know that it has already garnered a lot of excitement from the StashBuster Yahoo group.  Try it, I think you'll like it!

Beneath the Surface Catalog

The other day I received my catalog for the Beneath the Surface exhibit.  It's a beautiful little book, 6-3/4" square, displaying the artwork of all 37 artists who were juried into this invitational exhibit.  Each artist has a page with her artist's statement, and a facing full-page image of her fiber art.

                                                                    ( Front Cover)

(Back Cover)

The rules for entering were a 36" x 48" size (vertical orientation) created with the artist's original design, interpreting the theme of "Beneath the Surface" as desired.

The Key, 36" x 48"
Linda Teddlie Minton

The Key, detail

The Key:  A human form, viewed as if with x-ray vision; semi-submerged, revealing floating organs and cells, along with a key ... to what?

X-ray image, scanned and manipulated in Photoshop, printed on cotton fabric.  Colored with Caran d'Ache water-soluble wax pastels, machine quilted.


Beneath the Surface is presented by Dinner at Eight Artists; curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison, and will be exhibited at Quilt Festival in Long Beach, California next week.  It will then travel to the Houston Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas in November.

Soulless

Well I seem to be on a reading-and-reviewing jag lately.  As someone who has always loved science fiction and fantasy but finds the current craze for all-things-Twilight a bit gag-inducing, it was refreshing to find a light, humorous, and literate take on the vampire/werewolf genre.

First, I should say that I'm sure that the Twilight series is fine for innocent young things whose mothers are anxious for their daughters to remain pure for their future husbands ... and for those same mothers who long for their own days of sheer romance without the dangers inherent in more mature relationships.  However, when I first heard of the original book ... long before the movies ever came out ... I tried (the operative word being "tried") to read it.  I literally could not force myself beyond the first couple of chapters, the book was so poorly written.  I was actually astonished that it found a publisher and an editor who allowed it to come to print in its current form.  Nevertheless, that series is aimed at a different readership, and is not the subject of this review.

Reading Soulless, by Gail Carriger, was like finding a surprising little crystal dish of fresh strawberries, when you were expecting a lump of heavy bread pudding.  (I use the food analogies intentionally, as the heroine is refreshingly interested in all things gustatory, and makes no bones about her determination to remain well-fed.)  Set in an alternate-world Victorian England where supernatural beings are well-known, "Soulless" starts off with a bang:  at a ball, after having retreated alone to the library, Miss Alexia Tarabotti happens upon "an unexpected vampire."  He advances toward her, "darkly shimmering out of the library shadows with feeding fangs ready.  However, the moment he touched Miss Tarabotti, he was suddenly no longer darkly doing anything at all.  He was simply standing there, the faint sounds of a string quartet in the background as he foolishly fished about with his tongue for fangs unaccountably mislaid."

  Since our heroine is "different" in many ways from her mother and sisters, she is considered to be an unmarriageable spinster at the ripe old age of 26.  As a result of this status, she is rather more adventurous, outspoken, and hardheaded than other ladies of her station in life, and has decided that she might as well enjoy it.  With the addition of some of the most interesting and delightful characters I've encountered in a long time (a loud, messy, gorgeous werewolf police inspector, an adorably effeminate Lord of the Realm vampire who takes her under his wing, a stalwart old-family butler who reminds me of Jeeves, and who I hope to see more of in subsequent books, a silly girlfriend with atrocious taste in hats but a warm heart, and several others), Soulless has become my favorite-book-of-the-week.

How to classify this book?  Well, obviously a Supernatural Fantasy, but unlike anything I've read in that genre before.  A Romance, yes; but again, not typical at all ... Miss Tarabotti is entirely too independent-minded and mischievous to fall into that trap!  A Mystery, yes; although a not too taxing one.  The best part of reading this book was how many times I giggled and re-read favorite lines and paragraphs and whole passages ... some of which were quite erotic in a very proper Victorian way, and some of which were just so wonderfully well-written that I had to enjoy them again.

It's not surprising to find that the author, Gail Carriger, is the daughter of British expatriates.  Her sense of humor carries over into her brief Interview located at the end of the book.

Unfortunately, my blasted Editor's Eye caught several errors, including a couple of anachronisms.  They were few and far between, however, and should not impinge upon your enjoyment of this wonderful addition to your library.

Highly recommended ... and I can't wait to read the next one, Changeless (which is luckily already in my possession.)

A Bad Day for Sorry

Well I just had to get back to the computer in order to share a (new?) book that I just finished, that just tickled me pink.  (I love the cover artwork too.)  Not exactly a work of great literature (nor was it intended to be) ... a bit rough in patches, but well written (hooray!), and very much worth a summer read, especially for women who:
     * have ever been abused or known someone who has been abused;
     * have ever had Justice Fantasies about someone who has hurt them;
     * have a good sense of humor;
     * can handle a little bit of bad language every now and then ... not overdone;
     * have a soft place in their hearts for comfortable, sweet Southern dialect;
     * have ever wondered about unusual ways a rotary cutter could be used (and I don't mean slicing pizza!)

A Bad Day for Sorry:
This little book (280 pages ... anything under 400 pages is "little" to me) was a fast and fun read.  It bills itself as a crime novel, but it's really much more than that.  I won't tell you much more than that our heroine, Stella Hardesty, is a 50-year-old widow who had "dispatched her abusive husband with a wrench" before the story opens, and a few years later, is "so busy delivering home-style justice, helping other women deal with their own abusive husbands and boyfriends, that she's barely got time to run her sewing shop."

I fell in love with Stella, her soft heart and hard ways.  There are other characters who will surprise you, too -- it's not only Stella's own personality that teaches us not to judge a book by its cover!

As soon as I closed the cover on the last page, I immediately started looking for another book by this author, and found out that this was her first novel!  She does have another one out, called "A Bad Day for Pretty", but so far, it's only in hardback, and I must wait for it in paperback ... I'll let you know when that one comes out too.  It's so rare that I find an author that I really like, and Sophie Littlefield is one ... I just wanted to share my enjoyment of this book with you.

I've been loving these past few rainy days in San Antonio ... too gloomy to go outside, just perfect reading weather.  Now back to Studio cleaning!

Dinner at Eight - My Artist's Profile

Thanks to Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison, and their Dinner at Eight Artists, my Artist's Profile was featured yesterday on their blog. Go see it if you have a minute.

They are profiling all the artists who were invited and juried into their "Beneath the Surface" exhibit which will be premiering at Quilt Festival in Long Beach, CA. My 36" x 48" entry is titled "The Key", and here is a detail shot as a teaser.

Artist's Grasshopper Shoes

These are a more economical, but just as beautiful, version of the Z-Coil shoes offered earlier. Since the shoes themselves are less expensive, I can offer them at a lower price. These little Grasshoppers are what we used to naively call "tennis shoes", back before there were all these different styles of athletic shoes. They are a "Stretch Plus" sneaker, Size 8M, retailing (white) at $50. They have a nice thick inner sole, accepted by the American Podiatric Medical Association. I'm offering them (new-in-box) with my signed artwork, at $110.

If you'd like me to custom-paint shoes for you, please contact me at linda.t.minton@gmail.com.

Artist's Mudd Shoes

Here are some really cool shoes for summer ... comfy clogs by Mudd, new-in-box, with the addition of my signed painted artwork. They are size 7M, which retailed (white) at $40. I'm offering them at $90. They have been painted with special leather paints that won't crack, and protected with a coat of satin acrylic sealer. These clogs run a little large, so if you normally wear a size 7-1/2, these would probably fit you.

I've had several inquiries about painting your choice of shoes for you. Yes, I'll be happy to do that. Just contact me privately at linda.t.minton@gmail.com and we can discuss having you send your shoes to me, or else purchasing a new pair on-line and having them shipped directly to me for painting. I will also be happy to shop and purchase the shoes for you if you like. They need to be white or off-white smooth leather (not suede, sorry!) for the paints to be effective.

Artist's Z-Coil Shoes

Have been painting shoes lately ... first my own Z-Coils, which I have worn and worn and worn ... ALWAYS get fabulous comments on them wherever I were them, to art openings, quilt shows, just out and about. I thought others might like to own some Fabulous Art Shoes as well, so here are some I'm offering.

(The website construction has bogged down, so I'm slipping them in here in the meantime.)

This first pair are Z-Coils, the famous "shoes with a spring" ... they are wonderful for nurses, doctors, salespeople, and others who are on their feet all day ... including Artists! I've painted these to reflect two of my favorite sayings ... the right shoe says "Tragically Cool, Incredibly Hip", and the left shoe says "Awaiting Additional Inspiration". The style is a Taos Clog Strap, size 7M, retailing on the Z-Coil website for $230 (plain white). I'm selling them (new in box) with my signed artwork on them, protected with a coat of Satin Acrylic Finish, for $295.

Notice the Eyes of Wisdom (or are they the Eyes of Curiosity?) that will keep you company wherever you go. Mine always get lots of attention, so whenever I wear them, I always come home in a good mood, from having been stopped and talked to by strangers who want to know about them.

More shoes coming up in another post or two ...

Accepted!

Fiber artists Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison, along with their Dinner At Eight group, have created a special exhibit entitled "Beneath the Surface" that will debut at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, CA, July 22-25, 2010. The exhibit will be sponsored by Moore's Sewing Centers and Brother International.

I'm so excited that my piece, "The Key", created especially for this exhibit, has been juried in, and so I'm giving you a tiny sneak preview of it. This just shows a few inches of the 36x48" piece.

I can't wait to see what all the other artists have chosen to do with the theme, "Beneath the Surface".

Cats & Chipmunks in Love

Dipping a toe back into blogland ... having finally gotten moved from Houston to San Antonio, but still not quite settled. Couldn't resist stealing this directly from Cute Overload, for your amusement. The best part is Chip's giddy profession of love.

Piglet is going to a new home

Thanks to a happy intervention by Gwen Estes of the MQR list, my Piglet the A-1 Elite Quilting Machine (along with all her accoutrements) is heading for her new home with Sue S. in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Thank you Gwen, and thank you Sue! I know Piglet will be happy in her new home.

Piglet the A-1 Elite Quilting Machine needs a new home.

A-1 ELITE Quilting Machine – Great Sale Bargain!

(This picture is some of my Dad's Photoshopping Magic ... it took 3 of me to teach my Mom to use the machine! But don't worry, she didn't quilt a stitch ... she was kind of scared of it, LOL!)

I’m moving house and consolidating furniture, etc., to move in with my sister and brother … we’re finally going to have our “Teddlie Kids Compound”!

Unfortunately, there is no room for my beloved “Piglet”, which is what I named my A-1 Elite longarm quilting machine. So here’s your chance for a great deal … I’m including a LOT of extras that don’t come with a new machine from the dealer.

First, the machine itself … it’s a WHITE 2004 Model 923 with a 12’ table. This was the first year that they came out with the white model, and it looks so much nicer in your home than one of the machine-metal-grey ones. Both the machine head and the table are a nice creamy off-white color, and in pristine condition.

9” x 23” throat size
Stitch-Rite adjustment panel and needle positioner
Ergo-Lift hydraulic table lift, for easy positioning
Large capacity “M” bobbin
Laser Light
Batting Access Lever
Vibration free table
ErgoGrip™ Ergonomically Designed Handle Bars
Dual Light with Black Light Option
All the little things that you need … needle-type oiling bottles, tiny tools, fabric clamps, etc.
Micro Handles (knobs) for micro-stippling. I never used these, because the Ergo-Grip handles worked great for me.
Instruction Book

In addition, here’s what I’m throwing in with the A-1:

Saddle stool for sit-down quilting (my favorite!) I paid $165 for it.

48” x 130” chair mat for using under the saddle stool. I paid $225 for it.

Custom-made batting stand – holds 4 rolls of batting horizontally, for ease of pulling off just the amount you need. No way to put a price on this … my handy-man Dad constructed this for me from white PVC pipes!

This shows only 3 batting rolls loaded, but the curved PVC-pipe holders are moveable, with a simple screwdriver. I currently have 4 rolls loaded.

Dad had the foresight to add locking casters!

6 rolls (full and some partial) premium batting of various thicknesses. Including Warm & Natural, Quilters Dream, Hobbs Heirloom Wool, etc.

A custom-made 130”-long cutting mat to fit the table, grid-marked by the inch. This is the heavy-duty self-healing cutting mat with a translucent, non-glare surface. I paid $140 for it, and it has been a godsend for squaring up and trimming quilts while still on the machine.

Quilt EZ Stylus with A-1 Adaptor, and Double Spiral template (still in the box), a $130 value.

Circle Lord Basic, a $600 value.

Stand-Alone Bobbin Winder, a $90 value.

2 Wood (oak) Tool Trays from Snuggler’s Cove, a $192 value (www.snugglerscovequilting.net/page7)

Groz-Beckert Titanium Machine Needles in the 3 most usable sizes: 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0.

About 25 extra bobbins, Size M, and 2 extra Bobbin Cases

Various small tools for servicing your machine.

About 40 hard-plastic templates, rulers, and shapes for use with the longarm ruler base.

About 30 paper pantograph rolls, including many of the favorites such as Stars & Loops, Little Hands, Nouveau Gingko, Ribbon Candy, and many more.

FREE software!
Linda’s Electric Quilters: Rick’s Maintenance Library, a $50 value (http://www.lequilters.com/)
(although this refers to the Gammill machines, it is also quite useful for other brands)
Kaleidoscope Kreator (http://www.kaleidoscopecollections.com/)
Quilted Photo Xpress 2.0, by Tammie Bowser, a $55 value (http://www.mosaicquilt.com/) (mosaic designing)
Fabric Studio 1.0, an $80 value. (http://www.thefabstudio.com/) (create & print your own fabric)

FREE DVD’s!
Maintaining/Repairing Your Long Arm Quilting Machine by Donita Reeve (VHS format)
Stewart Plank’s Timing & Tensions for the A-1 Quilting Machine
Linda’s Longarm Quilting, Season 100 (Complete set of 13 Episodes) with Linda Taylor
Linda’s Longarm Quilting, Season 200 (Complete set of 13 Episodes) with Linda Taylor
Advanced Artistic Freeform 2, with Linda Taylor
Fancy Feather Frenzy 2, with Linda Taylor
Ricky Tims Presents: Quilting Caveman Style
Ricky Tims Presents: Grand Finale
Mastering the Art of McTavishing, with Karen McTavish
Fantasy Freehand: Basic Techniques, with Nichole Webb
Fantasy Freehand: Advanced Techniques, with Nichole Webb

PLUS anything else I happen to come across that is associated with the longarm, maybe even a couple of bolts of fabric.

My favorite features of the A-1 are: the non-vibration of the table (thanks to Stewart Plank’s innovative construction) … the hydraulic table lift, you won’t believe how much you will use it! … the lightweight feel and maneuverability of the machine head in use – no more back and shoulder aches! … and the ability to sit down or stand up to quilt (I almost always sit). Not to mention the fact that the pretty white color is so much more “home-friendly” if your studio is located in your home. (Made in the U.S.A.!)

I paid $15,500 for the machine, and am throwing in all the extras described above, all for $12,000! Cash or Cashier’s Check, sorry I’m not set up to take credit cards. The machine is in beautiful condition, as I have taken care of “Piglet” religiously. Although I did do some customer quilting on it, I mostly used it for my own art-quilting, so it has only had light use.

Available for pick-up only, in West Houston (near Katy), Texas.

If you are interested in this great deal, please either leave me a Comment, or email me at ltmquilt@swbell.net.

Silkies Framed

My friend Diane and her husband Al commissioned me to create a special art quilt for Al's office, featuring their beloved Silky Terriers. Muuuuuch later, the quilt was completed, and they took it to be framed by a wonderful frame artist in Cinco Ranch, who created a custom-made hardwood frame for it.

The quilt actually hangs free inside the double-glassed frame, so that the fabric does not touch the glass on either the front or the back.

Diane and Al invited me to see it before it is installed, since the back of the frame is glass, as well as the front, so that the back of the quilt can be seen too. Here's a pic of Diane and Al, with their beautifully framed art quilt.

If you'd like to see the detail shots, click here.

Book of Secrets

This little Book of Secrets is made from a gallery-wrapped canvas as the front cover/secret box, with paste-papers as the pages. I still haven't inserted any images in the cut-outs ... when will I ever get around to that? But I still love the little book, and it's "secret" charm.