Quilting Arts TV Series 800

The DVDs for Quilting Arts Series 800 are now available! I received my copy last week, and admit that I dropped everything and watched my three segments right away. I'm in episodes 805, 806, and 810.

 

My favorite segment (that I'm in) is the one on serendipitous screen printing, in episode 806. You can watch previews of the episodes here.  I really love being able to watch the episodes at my leisure, rather than waiting for PBS to air them. It's a great group of artists, and there's so much wonderful info in this series!

So much of what I'm working on lately is samples for various articles and projects, so I can't share photos that often, but here's a peek at my design wall and sewing table. (I've cropped out the ironing board and long table covered in batting, thread, fabric, old samples etc.so as not to scar you).

Do you think three sewing machines at once is enough?

New Boyfriend*

When it's hot outside, my thoughts turn to just one thing - dyeing! Sun and heat make the dyes take very well, so I look forward to super crazy hot days.

OK, no pics yet of the fabric I have dyed this week (some still needs to be ironed), but I have been working on some samples for an article for Machine Quilting Unlimited (now available at Barnes & Noble - yeah!). I won't show the finished sample just yet - I'll save that for the article - but thought I'd show two "in progress" shots.

                                     
 Silk screened leaves and rubber band printed lines. (I wrapped the rubber bands around a wood block.)

 Purple aster like flowers screened on top.

I was inspired by the motifs on some vintage fabric that belonged to my aunt. Normally the mustardy color of the background is not one of my faves. However, something about this combo makes me very happy. I'm adding some applique and decorative stitching on top of this.


*In the surface design community, sometimes new fabric, with which one is infatuated, is referred to as a "new boyfriend".

Ode to the Shuttle Team

A long time ago, I was a Space Shuttle Engineer. To this very day, I cannot watch a Space Shuttle launch without crying. They are not tears of sadness, but of sheer awe. Yes, the Space Shuttle is an amazing machine, and the technology remarkable. But what I'm in awe of is the incredible team of people who worked to the best of their abilities to make each launch happen. The dedication, persistence, and, above all else, teamwork required to get that vehicle off the ground, into space, and home safely is a great example to us all. Many thanks to the thousands of people who played a role in the successes of the Shuttle program.

Some of the McDonnell Douglas employees who worked on developing the Spacecraft Trajectory and Mission Planning Simulation. See if you can spot me ;)