Wheeeeeew!!!!

I am posting early today as I didn't want to wait too long, the counter could be covered with items by this afternoon. I was taking NO chances!!! After cleaning the counter in the sewing room, I re-arranged the items on the peg board. Fortunately the drawers were clean. I have some awesome drawers my husband built. Another photo for another post I think.

I also cleaned the cork board that hangs behind the

sewing machine. It was in desperate need of some TLC.

So now I am just about ready to make a mess again.

The floor

Generally floors aren't overly interesting. This one in my sewing room is very ordinary, has carpeting on it. The remarkable thing about it right now is that you can see the carpet and there is nothing on the carpet !! It is clean for once, there aren't any straight pins. No threads. No scraps of fabric. No pieces of fabric or paper. I am celebrating!!!!!!!!!

Design Wall

The other day on the surfacing list I belong to, someone ask what was on our design walls. Sadly I must admit the same thing is there that was there 6 months ago. Maybe even 9 months ago.

The piece on the left is from the "Darned Quilt" class on QU, I dyed the fabric and some of the thread; the middle piece is a dye painted piece I did in Hollis' dye painting workshop in Paducah last May; and the piece on the right is an appliqued piece from a pattern and I dyed the fabric for it. All in different stages of progress, all not completed. I refuse to tell anyone how many more could be hanging up there or are hanging some place else.

I have been cleaning the sewing room and I have found the machine. The fabric has all been rearranged and I am nearing the end of my quest. I am also taking another online class. It is one on Joggles. I love online classes and encourage people to take them.

More Fun

On Saturday, there was a pedal car auction. My husband thought our grandson needed another vehicle, so he will be the offcial, proud owner of this little pedal car one of these days. It might be a good idea if he learns to walk first though.

COLOR

While cleaning the sewing room I came across more swatches for a color wheel series we did on Dyehard a couple of years ago. Thought I had all of these done, but I guess this must have been from the second series we did. It was a nice surprise, as I enjoy working with the small swatches of color and seeing the number of different dyes used.
Today was sewing day with friends and I put the swatches on card stock instead of sewing. My current sewing projects require all of my concentration and I can't visit. That wouldn't be any fun.

Lemons and limes

I have started a class on Joggles. It is entitled Fertile Earth. It is an embroidery/design class and I am looking forward to it. I need to continue using color and work with design so that I can continue processing things I learned in The Art of Color class.

I am to make something using a veggie or fruit. Not sure what I will use yet, but I have photos.

Drawings

This is one of the drawings I did while in class last week. I am posting it not because it is excellent in any way, but because I sat and drew something quickly. It needs a good deal more work, but I am pleased that I drew something in a short amount of time as it has been 4 1/2 years since I have drawn anything, even though I have attempted to several times. The last drawing I did is still hanging on the design wall of my sewing room waiting to be completed.

Trying to Organize

I have been trying to organize my sewing room for sometime now. I came across this little unit at Christmas and thought it might be handy for some items I use. The small tubs can be removed with contents in tack and taken to where ever I need to use them. I think it will be great when I dig out the other 99% of my sewing room from under the chaos of fabric, books, magazines, etc.

Fabric

On the last day of our color class, we went to a quilt shop in New Braunfels. A very nice quilt store called The Oak Leaf Quilt Shop. Anyone who would allow 15 women to invade their store, run around pulling bolts of fabric from the shelves are wonderful.

We were to bring a piece of fabric we loved or hated, but didn't know what to do with it. I brought the fabric in the center of the photo, a piece I had hand dyed. I am very fond of this piece and was curious to see how commercial fabrics would work with hand dyed fabric. It was actually one of the easier pieces of fabric to come up with other fabric to enhance it. So I purchased the three pieces we came across and plan on using them to make a small piece. I also want to use the fabric I originally dyed to go with the center piece, as soon as I find it in the sewing room that is currently in a "state of reorganization". I think that sounds better than utter chaos.

Color

As I was laying in bed this morning, I noticed the different values that were occurring along the bottom of the curtain. Maybe I was missing Texas, that is about the color it is everywhere down there where I was staying. I also found it interesting that the light at the right hand bottom corner came out blue as there was no blue showing on the carpet.

Color, light, lack of light, the emotion(s) that one feels when seeing a color or colors is amazing to me. I was looking through a catalog that had large floor rugs this morning and found myself analyzing every color they had used. I think I will view color differently from now on. I don't feel the camera captured the color that I was viewing, but it is the photo for the day.

Headed Home

Saturday, Feb. 14th

I woke up with a terrible headache, the pillow was a little soft along with the bed. I had noticed the previous evening that the tile in the shower was the same tile as on the sun room floor at home, love coincidences like that. So naturally I had to get a photo.

Realized after being in San Antonio that is a very large city. I first thought I would remember it in the color of Sage Green, but I have since changed that to Desert Green. Rode in a convertible to the quilt shop, we took the long way around getting there.

Had my carryon checked over thoroughly by a TSA agent. The prism pencil box and Ott light caused a little bit of a problem. I must say it is very interesting to see the images on the screen. We had a nice flight coming home, still didn't get to see anything of Texas as it was cloudy again. The clouds lifted somewhere near the CO/OK border and I saw the wind turbines in the SE corner of the state lined up across the ridges. I need to remember that there is a difference between the East and West terminal at DIA. Maybe I will just have to travel more so that I can get that down Joedy cleaned the house and kitchen and fixed the lazy Susan in the cabinet for Valentines. It was one of the best gifts I have ever had and it is nice to be back home.

Day 5

Friday, Feb. 13th The only negative thing about today was having to leave.

The last day of our class. I shared this experience with 14 other women I enjoyed getting to know and a wonderful instructor. Thanks for a great class Hollis. I have come away with more information than I know what to do with at the moment and it will take time to process it all and sort through it.

We traveled back to San Antonio tonight and I could not resist taking a photo of the faucet in the hotel room. The hot water was on the left hand side where it belonged. Yippeeeee!!!!! All week long I had been bugged by the hot water on the right hand side in my bathroom. Really did like the color of the marble and I have noticed more color than ever before in my life.

Day 4

Thursday, Feb. 12

Another pictureless entry. This is the second time I missed taking a photo. Since this was the 4th day of class that meant we would be leaving the following day, Friday. I had to pack and do a great deal of homework. Let me see, I believe the clock said 2:15 when I climbed into bed. I didn't even bothering thinking about missing this day.

Day 3

Wednesday, Feb. 11th

One of our assignments was to take a photo and reproduce it in in a value scale on one of our grids. As usual I found plenty of interesting things. The first photo is one I took because of the lovely blue cedar berries. There are LOTS of these trees down there and lots of little air plants. This is not a good photo for the assignment however.

The second photo is the one I used for our assignment.

It was an interesting assignment. And I was up just a

little bit later than what I was up the night before doing homework. Hmm, like maybe 1:00. But we were warned ahead of time.

Day 2

Tuesday, Februray 10th

This day was the one day I was more than a little stressed over one of the assignments using the color aid cards. Some days we wondered how much of an aid those cards were.

So as I was laying in bed about to go to sleep, I remembered I hadn't taken a photo. And I thought oh well, too bad. I guess I have finally missed a day and have that out of the way now.

Day 1

Monday, February 9th

These prism pencils and I had the opportunity to become good friends right away. ALL 120 have been sharpened, the are in numerical order, just waiting for the first assignment.

Class went well today, and we didn't have a great deal of homework.

Yep, I'm in Texas

I am going to post the photos for the day I took them in Texas. My husband kindly posted the message to the blog when I couldn't. Apparently when the sun goes down, so goes the internet service.

This is Sunday's post.

I flew Southwest, great flight and after landing in San Antonio, I meet the other four women I was traveling to New Braunfels with at the Double Tree.
The 5 of us, with luggage crammed around everyone, took off toward New Braunfels. There was little room left and we had to unload before we were able to go to the grocery store. We had a great little taxi driver though.

The first photo is the outside of our classroom. We were
about to embark on our color journey at John Newcombe's
Tennis Ranch.

The second is the is the cactus right outside our unit. I am not a cactus fan, I do like the flowers, but not the plant.



I

Technical Difficulties

Susan is in Texas and ask me to post for her. She is having tech. problems (can't get on the inter net) with her laptop. She promised to take a picture every day and post when she gets home.

Stairways

I enjoy seeing different stairways and railings. This one belongs to our daughter and son in law. They have a curved stairway, which I really like.

I am packed and ready to go to the airport tomorrow morning. I will be posting from Texas tomorrow.

Getting Ready

I am packing for my trip to New Braunfels, Texas. I will be taking a color class there next week, taught by Hollis Chatelain. I signed up for this class last May and have been looking forward to it. I have packed the important items for the class in my carry on, that way I know they will arrive at the same time I do.

Birthday Party

I am posting two photos this

evening. Our youngest daughter's 29th birthday was today, so we traveled to Denver to help her celebrate. We went to a sushi place and I tried some. I don't mind the cooked stuff, will not anything raw.
There were numerous plates of different kinds of sushi. Also discovered it is expensive too.

For dessert they brought her a little ginger cookie and creme brulee. We had a wonderful evening with our daughters, their

husbands and fiance.

Gathering Stuff

The pile is getting larger as I gather. I am gathering items on the supply list for Hollis Chatelain's color class in Texas. I will be attending the class next week and leave on Sunday. I signed up for this class last May and I have been looking forward to it. We have already had homework and it is almost done. Just need to cut the construction paper.

How Many Times.......?

As I looked down the road leading north from our home , I wondered how many times in my life I have traveled down this road? This is the direction I travel to go to town, to go on a trip, to see our children and grandson, just about anywhere.

It is a gravel road and it happens to be dry at the moment. But I have seen it covered deep in snow and impassable. I have been on it when it has been so muddy I wondered if I would get home. I have traveled it with ruts so deep I dare not get in them or I might not have a transmission. I have been on it when it was so dusty I thought I was in a dirt storm and prayed that anyone coming from the opposite direction stayed on their side.

When I was growing up our car died in a 50's dust storm on this road and the year after I graduated from high school I was unable to get home because water was running across the road. This road has been a part of my life for many years and I have no idea how many times I have traveled down this road.

back to reality

After being out of commission for a week, it was time to start catching up. One of those areas was laundry!! I folded the items that had been washed, but were still in the laundry room awaiting my return and did a few more loads. Also did some bookwork, that was a challenge!!! I had to think!!!

the lowly tea bag

Sometimes I receive a surprise when I open a package. In this case it was a box of Tuscan Lemon tea. I found the cutest little tea bags inside. The material used is a finely woven fabric and reminds me of the material used in silk screens I use for printing. The tea bag is made in the shape of a triangle and has a nice white string to dip it in and out of the water.

I am going to have to find something to do with these little bags, not sure what it will be, but they will go in the mixed media stash. The tea is quite good, it has a nice lemon flavor.