Zentangle

Southern California has been having a lot of rain and now it feels a little more like the Christmas Season, as we all think it should be cold this time of year.  As a kid we had snow in Chicago, but am glad, as adult, I don't have to drive in it or bundle up in it -- too old too make snow angels, snowmen and sidewalk tunnels from old memories.
I have been a little house bound this last week after surgery on my foot - can't drive.  I cherish any time out in somebodies car.  Due to a wonderful friend, Phyllis, I was able, yesterday, to attend a very fun Christmas Class at my friends house, Dianne of  Desiree Designs.  We made Zentangles and it was a real inspiring day. It was a great day to celebrate the season, meeting new friends and artists, drawing and painting, and eating wonderful Potato Soup, Quiche and rich goodies on a rainy day. I'm sure all the calories was removed from the food before we got there!  This is the Zentangle I created and I know I will do more - have lots of ideas for a new quilt coming up.

Soft Expressions local news

I'm always exited, as any artist is, to see their work in print. Local shop and Online store "Soft Expressions" is featuring a Quilts on the Wall exhibit.   My quilt "Pieces" is featured on their advertising. Go to the link below and scroll to the bottom for the Exhibit information .Copy and Paste the link into your browser.
http://www.softexpressions.com/frames/Flinkindex.html

New Project

Finally getting back to some quilting.  I have been working intermittently on a small quilt with lots of beading.  Not finished yet, but have posted this photo of a partial corner.  It has been a really fun project and I am hoping to finish it by December 22nd to enter in an upcoming quilt show.  Parts were a big experiment with attaching the panels together with free motion stitching using "Blendables" 12wt and 30wt thread. 

Making Videos

All this is new to me, but I am learning. Today I was making a video using some of my photos from over 1500 photos I took on my trip to the Northwest this summer.  I used a program I have called "Muvee" and this is the result. Photos are beaches, birds, sunsets, family, and quilts from Sisters Quilt Show I was able to attend. You can view it on You Tube .  Enjoy!

I also did a video on my camera while visiting my brother in Penn Valley.  He has been building a model train layout in his barn.  A new engine he just got has sound and I took the video while he was running it for me.  A little blurry because I had to stand too close as there is little room around the setup.  You can view it on You tube.

Jeans Jacket

While traveling this summer I found this wonderful jeans jacket at Cold Water Creek outlet in Washington.  I really liked the multiple panels it had and that is was not regular jeans fabric.  It is a soft silky fabric.  I did some basic stripping, and added an embroidered panel I colored with water color pencils, then beaded the seams between each panel. 

Dyeing

It's always fun to do simple projects, and today I am doing just that, with dyeing some doilies for my current project.   Usually working on my patio with plastic bags draped on the table is what I do most often. But, today it is very windy and I have draped my kitchen with plastic bags.

A few years back, I got some silk dye, that is iron-set, from a friend who bought it in Switzerland.  The dyes are very brilliant in color.  I needed some turquoise, purple and pinks doilies today. .  The process is very easy: 1) you spray the doily with water. 2) Put small amounts of dye into an artist pallet dish, using a large eye dropper. 3) Using an soft, brush from the orient I dab color onto the doily.   I let the colors run into one another, and I also overlap them for obtaining other colors.  The result is always surprising!   I dry them on a large plastic bag -- don't use paper towel or this will soak up all the color. Do this only if you want very light pastels. When dry they should be heat set with an iron.

The photo above is some of the finished project drying.

I use paper towels for my mop up after each doily is colored - I save them - who knows what surprises I could get using them in another quilt.
Thank you Karen and Christa for the doilies you added to my collection.

Back to work

Sorry for no posts lately.  While in Yosemite, we got a call that there was a sewage back up in the park where we live and had to hurry home.  We have been frantically trying to get the house repaired and back into our home.  Thankful to have had the trailer for this time, but all has been very stressful and it's been kind of like packing to move and then unpack again.  We are finally back in our home and hopefully I can get back to creating starting this week. 

Home now

We were in Yosemite this past week.  Such a shame to see all the fire damage from several years ago and dryness this year.  Almost no water in the park at all - this first photo is Bridal Veil Falls, with only sprays and trickles now.  I took this other photo in the park, brought it into Photoshop, put it in B&W and teeked it "A la Ansel Adams" style.  Think it looks pretty good.

Had to leave early for home because of an emergency at our house. Water damage.  Looks like my sewing days will be nil for a while - oh, how I will miss that.  Really have a lot of creating to do.  

A camera

Couldn't be without my camera for inspiration in my quilting. I love taking all kinds of photos, especially close-ups with my macro setting.  On this trip I have taken over 1,200 photos!  Here are a couple of flowers I got in close-ups in Nevada City and the Humming birds stood still for me while eating on my brother's porch.  Now in Yosemite and hope to get some good Falls photos.

New Block

Close up

This is my finished block for the Quilt Visions member challenge.  Theme is "Leaves and Trees with Embroidery". Entitled "Fall is Coming" and has machine embroidered leaves, my bias circles and "bead clumping" techniques.  I'm very happy with it.  Trip is winding down and this will  be the last thing I work on until I get home in the next couple of weeks.

Morning at the Beach

Walking on the beach this morning was so peaceful. As all my friends know, the beach is my favorite place and we were all alone out there this morning.  The seagulls were our only onlookers and we walked for 3-1/2 miles. This was the last day of minus tides this month so I was able to get this great photo of the star fish on the rocks, that are normally under the water.

Labor Day Weekend

Fun weekend with  family - brother-in-law Don, and wife, Barb joined us camping at Pacific Beach, Oregon.  We did bike riding in Tillamook several times, stopping for lunch to revive ourselves - - Enjoying every minute of it. Our new folding bikes have provided many hours of delightful riding these past 3 months.

Barb and I combed the beach yesterday for several hours and here are some of my treasures -- agates, beach glass, and unusual pieces of shells.

The flowers in the northwest have been profuse for months now.  This photo was taken when we went for a favorite Mocha.  Won't it make a beautiful quilt! I have taken many photos this last three months that have inspired me for many quilt projects - old barns, birds, flowers, rivers, bridges and trees.

Thank you everyone

Thanks to all my friends and family who have looked at my new blog - I am excited about doing it.  I will get a better photo of me when I get home ---after traveling for 3 months I am having very bad hair days.  I had to take the photo with my computer  camera, just trying to get something temporary

I belong to a small post card exchange in my neighborhood.  Been working on getting mine ready for the October exchange, theme is "Sewing".  A lot of the girls embroider them, but I am here in the trailer just playing with my creations.  I made these from some scraps of a quilted block I did for another project and added strips from my stash here in the trailer.A few buttons for embellishment.   Edges are yarn whipped stitched around the edge.

New creation

Getting a little stitching done in the trailer.  This is a piece I have quilted and some of the bias and thread I have picked for it.  More later on this one.

On the move

We left Chehalis, Washington 2 days ago and are now back on the beach in Pacific City, Oregon. Has rained for a couple of days but did some beach combing anyway.  This morning it was a little foggy, but I got this photo just as the sky was beginning to clear.  Love the ocean and all it's beaches, my favorite parts of this trip. These are the first deer I've seen on this trip.

My first blog

Welcome all my friends and family --- I have started a blog and hope you will follow me in my adventures of traveling and quilting.