Searching for my fabric

This weekend is the big quilt show in Paducah, Kentucky. I usually go to it with a wonderful group of friends but due to many circumstances I will be unable to go with them. Gary has generously offered to drive to the show on Saturday.
The quilt show consists of two things ..the quilt show where at least 100 quilts are displayed including grand prize winners. The quilts are always amazing.....and it is fun to see them all. The second thing is, of course, is my favorite part, booth upon booth of vendors selling everything related to making quilts...quilting machines, sewing machines, all kinds of patterns and quilting notions, books, wool felt, embellishments and buttons, ribbon and lace and of course the most important item....fabric! I have been going to Paducah with my friends for at least 7 years and every year I wish this was the year I would have a fabric line that might be sold in the booths or ....and this might be too much to hope for.... to be used in an award winning quilt. Well the year is finally here...I have two lines of fabric out in the market with a third line coming out this spring.
So Saturday I will be searching the show for my fabric...Gary will be my photographer and take pictures of me in the booths if I find my fabric. I am keeping my fingers crossed I at least find one booth with my fabric in it. And I also hope I do not spend an arm and a leg buying lots of stuff.......I am thinking Gary might be able to keep me in check.
So check back next week to see if I found my fabric anywhere and see what I bought in the booths....I will also take pics and post my five favorite quilts from the show...they will most likely be Japanese because I am always drawn to them.
So here is a peek at the show...be sure to play the Paducah song while you look at these pics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnwitcwWF9A

Doodle an Alphabet

I am sorry I have been away from my blog for a bit. My lovely and sweet mother-in-law Kay was very sick and for awhile it was touch and go. She is better now...back in her home with her cat Buddy by her side. Gary and his siblings are taking turns staying with her so she can be in her home while she gets stronger. So I am back to writing my blog regularly again.

I knew when I decided to go into licensing I would need to develop handwritten lettering that would go with my style of artwork. At first I panicked...how would I do this...I am not very good working with type...that is why I married a graphic designer...Gary could always put in any type I needed in any project I did and he could design logos and stationary for me. But that was not going to work anymore, embroidered images need embroidered type. How did I develop the handwritten type I always use....I doodled letters and words whenever I talked to my mom and friends on the phone. I would write the same word over and over putting different swirls on the letters, mixing upper and lower case letters until I created lettering I liked. Here are examples of some new letters I am working on.

What’s in my studio?

There is something about wooden blocks that intrigues me. I like the oldness and patina of the wood and colors, the smallness of the images on them as well as the simple and graphic style of the illustrations. I amazes me how many different versions of blocks have been done through the ages. And I like that most flea markets and antique malls always have them and they cost little to buy. And they do not take up much room in my studio. Here are some of my favorite blocks.

Srooms

Since I cannot show you new work I will show you some older work. Once the mushroom craze hit I knew I wanted to do mushroom plushes. One of the first projects I give my students in my licensed image class is do develop and design a character line. When you design a character line you have to remember to do two things. First all of the characters need to look as if they work as a set with colors and characteristics in common....same type of eyes and noses, similar ways of styling the bodies and outfits. Second all of the characters need something that makes that character different from others in the set....a silly hat, an emotion or expression, tall, chubby, wild hairdo. Take a look at the Ugly Dolls and you will see what I mean. www.uglydolls.com. So I decided I would make my mushroom plushes into a character line as an example to show my students.
First I sketched a bunch of images...was not sure whether I wanted the face on the mushroom or on the mushroom stem (on the mushroom) how to make each one distinct (tall, chubby), which characters to keep, what material to make them out of, (wool felt) how big should I make them (small). Once I made the decisions I started sewing. Sheila has never been able to get much interest in them from manufacturers....a little too odd...but my students love them. My photographer Curt Dennison curtdennisonphotography.com helped me name them and came up with the character group name. He admitted he was a bit of a stoner in college.

Dood, Seymour, Alfalfa, Mickey, Sparkey

Zena, LindyLou, Twinkle, Bebe, Tulip

Polka and Dot, Flora, Fauna and DripDrop

Back from Spring Break

The good thing about teaching at a university is you get to have a Spring Break. It is so nice to have a week off from teaching. Since Annie is at college, this is the first year Gary and I took some time off on my Spring Break. We just went to my mom’s condo in the Ozarks but it was very nice to just get away.

Of course no trip to the Ozarks is complete unless I do a little junking. Since we are not far from Columbia MO, we always go up to Artichoke Annie’s,,,my favorite antique mall. Did not buy too much...even the cashiers I know there were amazed....and of course Gary was thrilled.

I did take some pictures of fun things I saw at the mall.

A charming purse made from a coconut

 

Who would not want to drink lemonade out of these mugs....the perfect set of dinnerware for Easter.

Isn’t this a great mid century modern clock? I am sure it was designed by George Nelson.

Who would not want this manly looking bob cat looking down at you in your man cave?

Now that I am older it is time for me to start wearing some age appropriate clothing.

Take me out to the ball game!

If only there were proms at college...Annie could so wear this.

The new green tea

Gary would not let me get this for our garden...bet you are surprised about that.

Maybe I should do some sand wall art ....bet it would license well.

Woof woof...want a dog cookie?

Woof woof.....I need to be in your house.

The perfect lamp for a bedroom shared with a man.

This is the one thing I really wanted. It is a rarish Holt Howard pitcher from the 60s....the only thing that kept me from buying it was the price $125.00. 

I have an odd sense of humor

One of my favorite booths at Renegade Craft is the Mincing Mockingbird. www.etsy.com/shop/mincingmockingbird Joyce loves their booth also and we usually spend time laughing it up at their magnets, cards and products. I am not sure why I think their work is so funny but I do. I never fit into my family with my humor....all of them loved Jay Leno....I loved David Letterman. Things I thought were funny they would look at me like I was nuts. Luckily I found Gary... he laughed at the same things I did...oddities in life, weird signs. It is important in my book to marry a man who has the same sense of humor. When Anna was younger she got mad at Gary and me and told us we had ruined her sense of humor. She grew up watching indie movies. So she thought Napolean Dynamite was funny but Good Burger, which all her classmates thought was hilarious, did not provoke a laugh from her. Her boyfriend likes Will Ferrell movies...she told him if she had to see a Will Ferell movie it would make her eyes bleed.
So I hope you have a laugh at these. And if you do not please do not give up on my blog.