Are We There Yet?

I don't know how other artists do it.  Have shows one after another, that is.  Maybe they have staff.  :-)  I've entered only one per year -- and for only three years -- but it's preoccupying me so completely that it's been haunting my dreams. I wake up making lists, and fussing -- and hoping I can pull it all off.  Even though I know my daughter will be here to help me that weekend, it's the before stuff that's been filling those lists. I think I'm keeping up but also hope I don't forget anything!

Meanwhile, "Wonder" has its sleeve, and has been wrapped for the trip to Santa Fe.  Here's what it looked like in one last photo, hanging on my living room wall the other evening:

I'm quite happy to let SAQA take its own photograph for the online auction.  :-)  That blue-on-white-with-metallic-thread-and-beads is one heckuva thing to shoot, especially for a 'point-and-click' person like me!

The price list is finished and all pieces packed and priced, with artist's statement and a post-card enclosed -- except for "Waiting for the Train", which may or may not make it in time.

I managed to get the sky and water quilted:

Then I began adding that silk ribbon I dyed last week:

I've got quite a section of long bull-rushes added since that photo was taken -- enough to know that I had to add in the puddle of water and the glimpse of a bush on the right, both in the original photo, in order to give the piece better balance.

See what I mean?  

That's done now, and I'm back to the embroidery, which includes cotton floss accents along with 3 colours of silk ribbon (so far).  I like the way it's progressing, but it seems to be taking forever.

The weather forecast is for 5-15 cm wet snow between later this evening and tomorrow evening, so perhaps an April Snow Day is just what I need to keep me plugging away and 'git-er-dun'.

OH!  And I almost forgot (again)!  Thanks to arlee for keeping me on the path of the New Moon and the TUSAL 2013.  Here's how my Ort Jar looked on April 10:

Whoa!  If you compare it to last month, you'll see I've been working hard!

And another OH!  Here's the finished sleeveless turtleneck top -- which now needs a wash so it'll be ready for Santa Fe:

I'm linking this up to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday; seeing what others are up to is like getting a cyber-hug and reassurance that "All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well".  Have a great weekend!

Moon Watch

I confess I'm not one to pay attention to the phases of the moon.  The full moon is always a delightful surprise, especially if it's so bright that I don't need my high beams driving home after dark on Highway 12 east of Lacombe.

So...I've sorta been relying on arlee to poke me when it's time for the TUSAL 2013 ORT Report.  Last month I took a photo and then ran out of time to post it on The Day, and then forgot altogether -- which I believe is at least slightly in the spirit of a Totally Useless Stitch-Along, don't you?

So here's what my jar looked like at the last New Moon:

ORT Jar New Moon Feb 2013

And here's what it looks like this morning:

ORT Jar New Moon March 2013

That orange stuff is 'way down there.  See it on the right?  I've obviously been working!

Thanks for the wake-up call, arlee.  Now let's go cut more thread!

I've Just Been Reminded and...It's...

Post #975!

Which, of course means another give-away!

But first...Remember back at the end of December when I decided to participate in TUSAL?  Well, according to DaffyCat, we are to post our ORT 'progress' on the New Moon each month -- and arlee reminded me that today -- January 11th -- is the first NM of 2013.  Time to report in:

Here's what my ORT jar looked like on December 31, 2013 (before the start of the current TUSAL):

Before

And here she is today:

 TUSAL #1-2013

Shows I've been working, eh? Eh?  Eh?  ;-)

I know.  Totally Useless -- that's what the TUSAL is all about.  :-)

Now down to business!  About that give-away...

This is the third (and final) give-away in the run-up to my 1,000-post, ten-year blog anniversary -- the last of three books...about books and book arts.  This one is Books Unbound: 20 Innovative Bookmaking Projects by Michael Jacobs (North Light Books, 2006).

(N.B.: Cover in photo varies slightly from my copy.)

Again, it's been languishing in my library lo these last several years, in pristine condition, because I fell too deeply in love with fabric, fibre and floss to begin to play with paper and book-making...

So...let's just say I'll make a random draw from any and all commenters to this blog post between now and 11:59 p.m. Sunday, January 13 which, by the way, will mark the end of my daughter's birthday for 2013...And yes, just for that time, I'll ease up again on the Word Verification and put up with all the spam.  See how much I love you, Gentle Readers?  :-)

Ta-ta for now!

I Couldn't Resist

After several Serious Posts, it's definitely time to lighten up a bit -- and having read arlee's post this morning (she wrote it late last night), I simply had to check it out and tag along.  "It" is the TUSAL  (Totally Useless Stitch ALong) going on over on Mary Ann's blog.

The TUSAL consists of collecting one's ORTs (Old Ratty Threads) in some sort of container and then sharing one's collected amount every New Moon (the next of which. apparently, is January 11, 2013).  It's a bit of a giggle, considering I used ORTs to create the very first piece I ever had juried into an exhibit.

Snippets: An Art Quilter's Learning Curve - 16" x 16"  (2008)
Photo credit: Gina Blank 

This is the current state of my ORT jar -- in reality a huge goblet I was given at a Credit Women's conference in another lifetime:

I used to use a recycled paper bag for my ORTs, but was inspired to use the jar by a fellow-quilter (I want to say Monika K-W, but I'm not entirely certain of that) to recycle something more attractive.  :-)  Post-"Snippets", I've generally thrown out my ORTs when the jar gets full, but perhaps in light of the TUSAL I'll save them through 2013 and see what I can make of them next year around this time.  I've promised to start fresh for the TUSAL by tossing the last of my 2012 ORTs and beginning the new year with an empty jar!

So...a bit o' tongue-in-cheek humour, a new community to explore, some astrophysical education, some recycling and the promise of a potential project at the end -- what's not to like?