THANK YOU Ricky , Alex, Quilts Inc, and IQA

Bob R from Houston show was so kind to send me this pic last week.  I was so danged nervous at the Houston Intl.  Awards ceremony.   Big deal for me to receive double the pleasure for having BOTH Ricky and Alex present my award sponsored by TheQuiltShow.com. Class people they are and Ricky was suffering through that smile with knee pain.  Thanks Quilt Show staff (one and all.)

WHERE HAS She Been?!

Beats me!   I'm not dead... not fading away for all time.  I have been teaching... showing work , doing some custom quilting for hire when I could... I'll be back on line once things settle down a bit .  Sometimes life takes turns that consume us.  No pity party here.... just is...   A stepson  diagnosed in May with glioblastoma turned many lives upside down. By the grace of God and love of family, it has brought family members even closer.. in constant collaboration in supporting and dealing! Out of state family hit a different rough spot which took a toll we are dealing with and seeing positive results.  Enough said. I've just had higher personal priorities of late as I'm sure many have.   I just looked up a 2016 instruction I posted  to give a friend and realized  by lack of posting, I seemed to have vanished!! 
Good news nonetheless... My very large White Knight Horse earned a blue ribbon  last month in Houston... and now lives with a new owner in the midwest.  Shock! Nice surprise!   Have a great safe holiday all and give thanks for all the good you have in life!!    Holiday Hugs....   Patt

Loving this Baby Owl

On the same cruise... another painting.. this time a baby owl just out of the nest... on it's own.  Drawing down and covered... the beginnings of this baby begins first thing with his tender left eye... That has to be good so I enjoy the rest of the painting.   I don't think I've painted anything more tedious than the owls body of feathers.  Painting owl feathers is definitely a "Journey" of patience and change.

(c) 

I can hardly wait to quilt this piece. I can feel the craggy grey/black twigs.

                                             (c) image

Cruising The Waterways with "LaLa"

Sometime back I was given owner permission to paint this gorgeous dog named "LaLa"  I'm doing this on a cruise ship.. Perfect time to relax and paint.
Drawing down, fabric taped over and away we go... first the eyes and face .... then blocked in wet into wet body colors.
 I rather like this unfinished..out of focus look... I may do this a second time and keep it loose.

For this effort, I chose to stay real. "LaLa" painted... now to frame out with a bit of white fabric and gray to keep a fresh clean look.. 

Quilting is back home and so fun.  Wind sweeping upward into the clouds so quilting was too.

I'm using a multi value blue twist... a thread type I seldom use on competitive quilts as the twist can sometimes be interpreted as an irregular length stitch

Overall...looking pretty sweet!

The Dawg is done!

I was so very tickled when a beagle had won the Westminster Dog Show a while back... They are so danged cute.  So frankly to put a smile on my own face, I had painted one on my recent retreat in Sedona. The "DAWG" is now quilted, bound, hanging sleeve complete. He still tickles me.

Lots of thread on this doggy.

Click on photo for an enlarged view.  Contact Patt with questions about The Dawg!

Apron Tails Flying

This is a group project for a friend...   You know... the type that deals with UFOs.  This started with individual Apron blocks made by the Wanabe Quilters of Orange County, Ca.
Time to help out the blocks owner by putting them together, adding sashing and a border ,  making a quilt sandwich and quilting it for the owner.  No idea where the old pattern came from but it has turned out really cute.   Since this is Father's Day.... I'll showcase the matching His and Hers aprons. What a hoot!

One of my favorite blocks...

 The overall quilting is  now finished and ready for binding....

  

Tucked Away To Play

I am on hiatus in one of my favorite places on earth..... Sedona,  AZ voted some years back as one of the ten most beautiful cites in the U.S.   Gotta be true!
 Because life has been a bit tense of late ( bad news about health of my step son. etc... I was ready for downtime and some fabric painting.) I am able to take a full set of Tsukineko inks and markers with me in a small plastic case.   heres how I travel with them... even internationally ...   Bottled inks in a plastic case... Fantastix applicators divided in small plastic bags in low to high numeric range.   Pretty simple plan... easy enough to pull out the needed fantastic and inks as needed.

This is a "friends traveling alone together" experience meaning we have separate rooms  next door to each other...   rooms on the edge of Oak Creek.    Well, somebody has to stay here.  ;-D   While we are all quilters, one is piecing,  one is drawing, one painting.  We spend time together daily and also have downtime on our own. Perfect.

I needed to paint some small fun things as relaxation  therapy. First up a playful beagle. He made me smile.

Then a small bird .. this time not painted on white fabric but a pale soft green batik.  As long as the base fabric is a light value... these transparent inks can  completely change color and value.

..After being here a couple of sweet  relaxing days....  I am ready to work on a more complex project. 

While I seldom do this... this time I am doing a smaller painting before tackling my large project of the same subject.  I do this when 1) the  ultimate piece is pretty important to me,  and 2) I want to discover  where the bumps in the road will be and maybe how to solve them before I embark on a really large project.  

The subject : a barn owl in flight....   here's the early start - up close. 

(c) patt blair 

This will be a long width, short length composition...    Plenty of time invested... close to the end of the learning process.  Time to let my eyes rest before I make a really big mistake.

(c)  patt blair

Click on any photo for enlarged views. 

Viewers Choice - Spring 2017 Paducah

How Sweet This Was...

"White Knight" 52.5 L x 60"W"

detail quilting:

The drawings for this piece sat  rolled up in the corner for 3 years ... ready when I was.  The problem??.... How to paint that massive mane I wanted. Finally.... 'caution thrown to the wind and off I went..... painting seemed much like weaving.. or maybe braiding. All good. 'Happy he is done.  Click on photo/s for enlarged view.

The Pride of a Lion

Well, what else would you call it...?  I've wanted to create a class piece like this for some time... just what animal??  The  self created challenge.... no more than 6 inks, 1  black marker, and an on hand black pigma pen.  I chose a mid value purple, blue, yellow, orange, cherry pink, and lime green.    I created a basic contour drawing, placed it under my favorite painting fabric... and away we go.  Using a black fabric marker, the the eyes, nose, and mouth are marked in. Simple enough.

Next I decided which color I would use as a dark. and blocked that in.

 I then added some would-be lighter , warmer colors...  yellow in the eyes.. Then a puzzle fest began adding some orange.

Once the yellow and black around the eyes were dry.... some extra warmth. darker value on the edges of the eyes.  Starting some dry brush value of blue.. then the creating in the zone journey began until...

He was one colorful and proud lion.  Once all ink was bone dry.... The black marker returned to add a FEW interesting darks and swirls.  I'll likely try this approach again. Soooo fun!

Couldn't stand it.... quilted!! 

Beautiful Work by Temecula Retreat Pals

Yes all are artists now even if  they never painted before.... Carole

 These  below.. originated from my newest 'optional class drawing'  " Gotta Be Me"   there were several done... each with different "painted" 30s/40s fabrics . Everyone had fun  playing with the painted quilt. It was a  relaxing process and a great intro to "inking" on fabric.  I was on the move and  didn't catch photos of all so I'm "thinking" the one below is Gloria Mauno's.  

 This one I believe is Lisa Bigelows

This is the second of Elaine Swatnicki's who challenged herself to paint a different blue bird  she sees around her home.  

Lisa also tackled ( first project) my tiger eyes drawing/painting. She painted every bit of this piece....

For Linda,,, she came with this photo

and created this painting... Way cool! 

Carole 

had previously taken a photo of this  now painted lake/bridge... That sky will be FUN to quilt!!!  ENVY ENVY!!! 

 Other Carol's photo 

and her painting with changes that fostered even greater  interest. 

Karmens Tinker Bell (English Bulldog)  in progress ( ;-) 

 At a Costa Rican sanctuary, Miyo photographed her Mom holding/ hugging a baby sloth 

and Miyo's sweet-faced sloth is certainly true to life ...  This piece demanded so much patience... Big Kudos to Miyo. SOO much negative space painting as these are transparent inks. 

Jan's business trip complete with an unexpected snow storm prompted a unplanned but necessary purchase of "Man Boots"  She took this photo herself .... of her own foot.  That would be an interesting picture too. ;-)

Das Boot! 

                                  A fast and furious Portrait demo Monday evening.

"SOMETHING" happened to  other pictures taken... or at least I thought I had taken! rats!

Temecula Never Better

Is this beautiful or what??  4 days in April in Temecula, Ca....   ;-)  . I've been to Vina De Lestonnac Retreat Center many times over the years but never in April and  it was never more beautiful than this week. .

A  requested show and tell brought to class by Keats Scott  made me smile... This plain fun piece is 3 " ink painted ladies" sketched from a long ago photo. Commercial 'garden-like' fabrics behind and in front with PIGs in the Garden" To me, the lady on the left  clearly resembles FDR.  Too fun! This piece will be for sale in one of Keats  Artist Co-ops.  What Fun!!!!

" Our April 2017 Artist Colony"  ;-D ... The Seated and the Kneeling L to R Carole Donahoe (Rosemont, Ca) , Patt( Mt. Baldy, Ca) , Linda Easley( Laguna Woods, Ca).

 Standing L to R: Jean Heil (Pine Grove, Ca) , Miyo Inouye-Kretsch(Temecula, Ca)   Shelly Gragg(San Diego, Ca),  Jan Dolan( Temecula, Ca) ,Karmen Brister( Porter, TX), Keats Scott
( Silverton, Co), Carol Mercer(Sanger, Ca) , LeeMary Heath( Ramona, Ca), Elaine Swatnicki (Ramona, Ca) , Gloria Mauno (Escondido, Ca) , Lisa Bigelow (Ramona, Ca.)  ( Missing ;-(  is Beverly Reyes, Lakeside, ca... due to needed early departure)
 BTW...  Thank you to whomever helped me up off the concrete! ;-D

Sooo much beautiful work came out of this (first April retreat). I'll post some shortly. Most have signed up to return next April.  What a great group!!!! This  gorgeous, peaceful venue remains a slice of heaven.

Maundy Thursday...

 With Easter being this coming Sunday.... Today is Holy Thursday... the day of the Last Supper. An evening communion by candlelight was quite beautiful. No words spoken... some quiet and  prayerful songs sang in the distance, candles lighted.  This is done in remembrance of Him.

Prepping for Papa Christmas

UNUSUAL  to be doing this class in April but I am thrilled as I love this Father Christmas piece personalized by each student.  On Saturday I will be with Pine Needles Quilters in Wrightwood, California. These are mountain people so I feel akin to them as my home is on the south side of the same mountain as Wrightwood on the North. 17 miles away as the crow flies.... 55 via highway. Sort of funny.
The time afforded in a one day class calls for the face of Father Christmas to be pre painted so that the other work is playful and time doable.  I did a bunch of these for students yesterday.  Ready set... an abbreviated look at the face painting process.

First.... fabric cut the size of drawing...laid atop  and skin tone ink added... heat set.

The beginning process looks elementary.... I want students to know " it's a process" ;-D

Kind of creepy looking 'eh?  (This face is about 1 1/2 inches high)

Finally darks and highlights added and voila.. I'm ready for Class.. ;-D Yeah!

S Curve, Circle, and Basket Quilting

'Am working on a customer project of a wall piece of applique.  This a a beautifully done quilt top made by a skilled quilter so I need to do it justice with quilting.  I needed a background fill with interest and quilting of a flower basket .  Since it is not my quilt,  I can only show the quilting motifs used.  I love the background fill of echoed S curves and small circles.  Because there are plenty of curves in the applique designs, before I began any S curve quilting, I did a 1/4" straight stitch around the flower basket and the inside edge next to the border.  This adds a mental sense of order that benefit the many curves.   All the better with directional changes of echoed groups of S curves. A thread that is slightly darker than the background fabric makes the quilting show up.  I used a gorgeous longarm cone of a neutral  thread made by Glide (color name= Shell). By the way, my Gammill seems to like Glide threads.  Thank you  to whoever invented thread stands. In additon to the many drawers  of domestic machine threads 'stashed", I can also use some longarm threads on my domestic machine work.

The fabric used for the basket  was likened to curved cobblestone. The individual stones begged me to do a darker outline stitch in the mortar areas. This was not rocket science but you can see the improved texture of the individual 'bricks' that successfully translate to an interesting basket surface. .

Those pieces of applique that lie across the basket surface really show up.   (All applique was outlined with super thin monofilament before any work began on this quilt. )

My next effort will be to use the same monofilament to do as little quilting as possible on florals ( just enough to show off fussy cut fabrics  w/ petal changes)  I am not often  thrilled with  visable ( regular) thread atop florals. ( the exception...  sometimes stamens ).  This project will overall take nearly as much time as a lightly quilted  bed quilt but this piece of art  calls for special attention to show off the top makers work.