After a fun week in California celebrating my mother's (and her twins'!) 80th birthday I got back into the studio to catch up on some bag production.  I love all of them, maybe I should just keep some and use a different one everyday?  :)

Guatemalan w/ batiks & leather

It's gotten colder the past couple days. Today it felt like a Weaving Day! So, I've threaded up the loom with rayone chenille and will be making some scarves.  A nice afternoon to pop in a movie and stay where it's warm...

African Mudcloth & Lamb

rayon chenille makes the BEST scarves!

more Guatemalan cottons

larger Mudcloth totes

I spent TWO months on TWO projects.  Normally I would have whipped them out in a couple weeks, but these customers knew (or didn't....) exactly what they wanted and we went through a number of modifications before the physical matched the picture in their heads :)  

 The first version of the wedding dress was full with an asymmetrical hemline, it ended up being a much more fitted affair by the end :)  Lots of changes, fittings, ripping, but finally the king sized tee-shirt quilt and the wedding dress left the building.  whew...    Now I am about a month behind on my production pieces. Late nights await.

I have 14 new bags cut out and ready to sew for the fall/holiday bazaar season.  Time is limited, so I need to put my nose to the grindstone.  African Mudcloth, Guatemalan handwovens; Dutch wax batiks, Bali batiks, I just love these ethnic fabrics mixed with the Italian lambskin.                

A few posts back we were all excited about our studio. Throughout the winter it was wonderful, until the cardio-kickboxers moved in last March.... Long story short, we started the entire process over and have moved one door to the right, to what we hope is a long-term relationship!! After about 3 intense weeks of gutting, painting, and moving we are again back in business :) Same amount of area as the last one, but with a slightly different lay-out. I think it may actually end up being better for us. We have a small kitchen; lots of storage in the back; a separate area for wet projects. It's nice to be settled and creating again! I am simultaneously working on a commission quilt; a wedding dress; quilting a friends placemats; and designing bags for the fall. Lots to do, and a wonderful place to do it in :)

My latest ArtBug Bags: I've decided to give each style a name! the ClutchBug and the On-the-GoBug; the HoboBug; the ToteBug; and the Beachbug. Every time I finish a bag I want to keep it! Maybe it's the ethnic fabrics, or perhaps the supple lambskin, but they are so fun to make and I like each one more than the one before. I am experimenting with various patterns and styles, the possibilities are endless......

Robbie's quilt - way later than his graduation! This is what you do when a boy says, 'My school colors are black and gold, but I also like red/white/blue'! Found that gorgeous paisley border in my stash and it just fell together from there.

Corlis at her machine and a view of the cutting table. Things are coming together and we are settling in, organizing, and finally working on fun stuff again!

My space when it was tidy! Now that I'm in production mode things have gotten a bit out of hand! Leather/batik bags, pashmina shawls & berets to felt, lots of projects in the works. Gearing up for holiday sales and perhaps an Open House!

I made this one for myself! beautiful Dutch Wax batiks from Curacao and other parts of the world. low contrast, but I like the effect, and my all-time favorite batik for a border! The new studio in progress. Loads of light and more space!!! Hooray :)Wish I could figure out how to get the text around these pics, I feel like I waste space...
It's been a busy summer. Made some bridesmaids dresses, and about 11 quilts for graduation, myself, cousin Kim, a couple baby quilts. Now my 'studio sister' and I are in the midst of renovating a new space. LOTS of work, but the end result will be sublime :)
This is Ayla's quilt, a sweet color scheme for a sweet baby
Abby's
These are from the book Happy Hour

This year's batch of BQ2 quilts (pattern by Maple Island Quilts)

Its May in Fairbanks so that means graduating seniors! Here are a few of the quilts I made this year. This pattern is by BlueUndergroundStudio and is called 'Toe the Lime'. Fun to make and a great way to use some of your stash!

Toe the Lime quilt from Blue Underground. A great way to use your stash!!

a fat-pack of Mary Englebreight fabrics and a background, lovely quilt for Annika. Lots and lots of sewing in July, now we're just painting, packing, and getting ready for our studio move.

When tennis season ended I was able to get back into the studio. Here is my jacket (when it was in progress) " 'That's Amore' ". It is currently on display at Back Porch Fabrics in California at a show with Rachel Kincy Clark and friends based on Ethnic influences. Italy is one of my favorite countries, the people, landscape, colors, the cuisine. Not to mention it is where half of my family originated! Silk diuppioni and free-motion quilting, finished off with a Murano style glass button. The bags are lambskin and decorator weight tapestries. I also have a batch made with Guatemalan handwovens and Bali batiks. As I complete one it becomes my favorite!! Right now I am finishing up a few quilts for friends/family. The BQ2 pattern is a snap to put together and gives one an exceptional place to showcase some of the beautiful fabrics available today. Bali Pops are packets of 2 1/2" cuts of batiks that I randomly sew into strip sets and then cut into squares, I use the 'Garden Delight' method of setting them and turning them on point. Both are great patterns if you're needing a quilt in a hurry!

I am gearing up for a lot of traveling. First off Jr nationals/curling to watch my daughter play. We will be trading the cold of Fairbanks for the winds of Bemidji! After that I get to visit my sister in Portland Oregon before heading up to Vancouver Canada. I will again be an Olympic Curling Statistician. Fun times, wonderful friends, and the best curling the world has to offer. In March I will be coaching the Team Alaska girls at the Arctic Winter Games in Grand Prairie, Alberta. Packing awaits.....

I have the pleasure of helping coach the Lathrop High School tennis team. They won the season title with the best w/l record, & here is their picture after winning the Regional Championships! It was awesome :) Our boys doubles team went on to win at State. An excellent season all the way around! Now, it's back to the studio. Purses are piling up and I'm going through an amazing amount of thread....

After the kitchen I tackled the guest room. Katy was supposed to spend the summer here, but plans changed. At least the room is ready for visitors and another project completed.... next stop, the studio

I can't seem to keep up with this thing.  Here is a picture of my most recent 'major accomplishment' ... painting my kitchen! I started re-covering my dining room chairs but didn't buy enough fabric.... dang.. I did manage to make matching valances for the dining room windows though.  Aqua - so retro....

Lucky 13!  These don't have borders, yet, but the colors were really great to work with.  I am now onto a costuming project for a production of 'Grease' so switching gears into the 50's!  I dream this pattern and look forward to experimenting with a few more fabric combinations after a brief respite.  Spring refuses to be 'sprung' around here but we ARE enjoying more daylight.

Two more -  I really like these. One is so cheerful and the other one contains some eclectic fabrics that I've had around for awhile.
The red/pink started out looking suspiciously like a Valentine so I injected the orange and purple and it turned out quite pleasing!  My daughter chose fabrics for the other one based on the floral border. A strange color combination but it worked in the end (at least she likes it!).  Three to go and I'll be able to take a breather. My final count will be Lucky 13!

The calendar says it's the vernal equinox and the beginning of spring.  This does NOT pertain to Fairbanks!  It is only 10 degrees, who would consider that spring??  At least the sun is shining longer everyday and the roads are clearing up.  The light has been pouring through my studio windows and it's pleasantly warm in there. I've got two more graduation quilts to piece and then I'll be able to turn my focus to some art pieces.  

My quilt list grew and I'll probably have 12 of these by the time I'm done!

The whole project took on a life of it's own, but I'm having fun with them.

It's been a good way of testing out color schemes, too.

9 down, two to go. Making progress on the graduation quilts, and loving each one more than its predecessor.  This quilt, called Snapshots, is from the book 'Happy Hour'.  (It goes together quickly and smoothly if you need a quilt in a jiffy.  And, of course, you get to play with all your fabric!).  It is so appropriately named for my project. Many happy hours spent watching my daughter and her friends together and taking lots of snapshots. These kids will be scattering like leaves to various colleges across the country next fall.  I'm hoping that when they crawl under their quilt it will help give them a sense of connection to one another.  We've watched them go from kindergartners to wonderful young adults, full of potential and with so many adventures awaiting them.  I'm not sure what an empty nest will bring for me, but more than likely I'll find more time in the studio :)