ARIZONA ... Here we come!

(Above:  Epitaph Banner Installation as seen in Rocky Mount's Imperial Center, January 2012.  This installation is now headed to to an invitational fiber show called Shifting Threads at Artlink's Auer Center for Arts and Culture in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Click on image to enlarge.)

Later this afternoon Steve and I are flying to Phoenix in order to attend the reception for my solo show, Decision Portraits, at Vision Gallery in Chandler.  I'm very excited.  This will be the first time almost all the work will be displayed out of the frames with signage that includes the entire "behind-the-scene" story for each one.  I will take lots of photos for this blog!  Vision Gallery has also installed an iSnap.

What's an iSnap?  Well ... from their website:  iSnap is a social network of people sharing and viewing photos snapped at events and venues all over the world. iSnap connects people to the things they like to do and places they love to visit. Photos are shared from iSnap photo stations installed in interesting places by people who want to share the moment! 


(Above:  An iSnap station.)

From what I understand, people coming to see the Decision Portrait exhibit will have the opportunity to sign one of my model's releases and have this iSnap take their photo ... sending it directly to me along with their email address and a brief statement about their personal decision.  If this works out, I'm planning to create a unique book called Vision Decisions.  Now, how cool is that? !!!


(Above:  Dropping off boxes of artwork headed to exhibits!  Thumbs up FedEx Ground!)

Before leaving, I had to package a lot of artwork up and mail it out.  My recently finished piece, An Artful Journey, went via the USPS and is on its way to Dale Rollerson in Perth, Australia.  The big Penske box in the photo above contains my Epitaph Banner Installation, I Do / I Don't Installation, and Ancestors.  It is headed to an invitational fiber show called Shifting Threads in Artlink's Auer Center for Art and Culture in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  I'm really excited about this opportunity ... especially since the director found my work via my website and blog!  I love the Internet!  (I also love the guys at FedEx office who always help and ask about my artwork!)


(Above:  I Do / I Don't Installation as seen during Install-It 2011 in Columbia, South Carolina. Click on image to enlarge.)

Believe it or not, all these wedding veils, the "tie-the-knot" ribbons ...

(Above:  Epitaph Banner Installation in Rocky Mount, 2012.  Click on image to enlarge.)

... all these chiffon banners and their 19" dowels ...

(Above:  Ancestors, wrapped and embellished wooden spools with thumbnail reproduction family photos on the ends.  Click on image to enlarge.)

... and two fiber vessels full of wrapped and stitched wooden spools ....

ALL FIT INTO THAT ONE BOX and it only weighed twenty pounds!


(Above:  The reverse of Texting From the Grave.  Click on image to enlarge.)

Two of the other boxes are headed to the same place, the SAQA exhibition shipping center in Solon, Ohio.  Since they are headed to two different SAQA exhibitions, they had to travel separately.  The piece above is Texting From the Grave.  It was accepted into the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) traveling show called Text Messages. After it was accepted, emails were sent requesting artists NOT to show "full frontal images" on their blogs and/or website.  Of course, I already had done this ... so I had to alter that blog post.  It is HERE.  All images showing the full, front were replaced with a cool photo from a cemetery and the promise that the blog post will be resurrected when permitted.   Of course, there is nothing in such a rule that says I can't show the back of the work!


(Above:  Lift and Tuck.  Click on image to enlarge.)

In the other box headed to Solon, Ohio is Lift and Tuck.  I'll see it next at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England this August.  I'm quite excited to be going to this event.  (By the way, there was no request asking that the work NOT be on a blog or website.  I don't know why one has such an issue and the other exhibition doesn't.)

I have two links to share!  CLICK HERE to read an article about The Decision Portraits in the Arizona Central newspaper.  Also ... I had no idea that Two Hours at the Beach was selected for an on-line SAQA virtual show curated by Cynthia Wenslow called Tesserae.  I found this when visiting the SAQA website confirming the shipping center's address!  The photo of my work is HERE ... it is sideways, but it is there nonetheless!  (It isn't sideways in the slideshow ... but a "good composition" should look good from every angle!)

An Artful Journey

(Above:  An Artful Journey, Grave Rubbing Art Quilt.  13" x 13".  Antique crazy quilt block and Victorian lace with vintage crochet, recycled felt, and crayon grave rubbing on silk combined with hand embroidery and free motion machine stitching.  Vintage buttons from the Czech Republic.  Beads and sequins.  Click on image to enlarge.)

A couple of months ago I got the nicest message from Dale Rollerson of The Thread Studio in Perth, Australia.  She asked if I would send a small work for an upcoming exhibit she was mounting called An Artful Journey.  This show will be held during the Western Australian Craft Show at the Claremont Fairgrounds, August 2 - 4, 2013.  One of the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Association) trunk shows will be at this event as well as workshops and "open studios" for local artists.  Dale wrote:  "...I want to hang an exhibition of one of my pieces of work, together with work of artists whose work I admire. I am hopefully looking to hang 20 pieces of work. I have titled it ‘My Artful Journey’ because that is what my work is about and I suspect for most of you – yours too." 

I've been purchasing fiber art supplies from The Thread Studios for years.  I don't know what I'd do without their wide selection of chiffon scarves, metallic foil, and other incredible items.  My "In Box" and "Faux-Stained Glass" series depend on these supplies!  When conducting a workshop, I distribute a "resource and bibliography" list ... which includes the contact information and website for The Thread Studio.  I really admire ... and NEED ... Dale Rollerson.  Thus, OF COURSE, I was flattered and accepted her invitation to send a small piece that is indicative of my "artful journey".  


(Above:  An Artful Journey, detail.  Click on image to enlarge.)

At first I thought I'd simply send a small art quilt ... any small art quilt.  But ... that didn't seem quite right.  Next, I thought I'd simply send one of my "Window" series pieces ... but these are generally framed ... which would make it expensive to ship and difficult to hang in a pipe-and-drape convention hall setting.  Also, this didn't seem quite right either.  Something was missing, but what?

Finally, I knew I had to make something special ... something through which my story, my ARTFUL JOURNEY, could be told.  Something that would link my work to others ... just as Dale was doing by asking artists she admired to participate.  Something that traces my inspirations to a life in stitches.  This is the result.  Here is the narrative:

My "artful journey" into contemporary quilting started accidentally during a 2008, six-week art residency at the MacNamara Foundation on the remote Westport Island in Maine.  I was at the beginning of my Decision Portrait Series ... working on Blood Donor and Tattoo Artist.  Duncan Slade, the studio manager, pointed out that these pieces were, in fact, art quilts.  They possessed three distinct layers and were held together by stitch.  I failed to notice this because 1) the the bottom layer is actually a heavy, decorative paper, 2) I intended to frame the work, and 3) there is no "binding" or even a common edge.  Yet, Duncan Slade knows art quilts.  He and his collaborative wife, Gail Fraas, had three pieces selected for Robert Shaw's definitive tome on the subject, The Art Quilt, published in 1997.  I was shocked.  Me?  An art quilter?  Really?  Well, in my confusion, I picked up a copy of Jeanne Williamson's  The Uncommon Quilter.  I read to page 85.  That page changed my life.  It suggested taking an ordinary crayon and a piece of fabric ... and making a grave rubbing.

I made a grave rubbing ... and then a second one ... and then a third one ... and then I lost track.  It quickly became an obsession.  Within a year, one of my Grave Rubbing Art Quilts was accepted into ArtQuilt Elements.  Soon, the grave rubbings led to other, related work ... collected epitaphs stitched with water soluble stabilizer on the sheerest chiffon banners, artificial flowers amassed from cemetery dumpsters, xylene photo transfers of graveyard sculptures on paper.  Multiple juried exhibition acceptances and awards resulted.  My solo show, Last Words, took form.  I am still very much obsessed.

This journey helped me define the creative concepts that truly resonate with me.  I am passionate about repurposing textiles from the past, the suggestion of passing time, and the ethereal nature of memory.  The theme of universal mortality is with me always.  Along the way, the Grave Rubbing Art Quilt series and my association with the Internet connected world of textile artists have introduced me to some marvelous people ... like Julie Mackinder who took me to my all time favorite cemetery in Nottingham, UK; like Annica Lindsten in Stockholm who let me tag along on a trip with Pian Bates to visit Sara Lechner in Austria ... where we all went to the Czech Republic and I bought the beautiful, antique glass buttons that edge this little art quilt; like Arlee Barr, Maggie Grey, and Lynda Monk who are also showing work in Dale's upcoming show but were invited to share work in Cyber Fyber, a show I mounted in 2009 here in Columbia; like so many other, international fiber enthusiasts that leave comments on my blog and Facebook page.  I am grateful to many, many more ... especially to Dale for having my work in her exhibition.  My "artful journey" is alive and well in the face of impending mortality ... just like the journey of life.  I'd want it no other way. 

 

(Above:  An Artful Journey, reverse.  Click on image to enlarge.)

I am linking this post to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Fridays", a site to share fiber artworks.  

Decision Portraits at Vision Gallery!

(Above:  Front of the exhibition postcard.  Click on image to enlarge.)

Steve and I are quite excited that the coming weekend will find us in Chandler, Arizona at Vision Gallery with the opening reception for my solo show, The Decision Portraits.  We are flying out on Friday, attending the opening on Saturday from 4 - 6 and driving to Organ Cactus Cactus National Monument ... visiting ghost towns ... and the the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park. 


(Above:  Reverse of the exhibition postcard.  Click on image to enlarge.)

This will be the first time that the portraits will be displayed with full statements ... basically, the behind-the-scene story on each work.  These narratives are all on-line, on my Decision Portrait Series blog (which does read like a book!)  I can't wait to see people's reactions when confronted by both the stitched portrait and the full explanation.  I'm also excited because publicity is happening ... as in this article in the Central Arizona!  I'll be blogging about this trip and show in the coming week!  Can't wait!

Sunday a week ago and through this last weekend ... or ... FINALLY CAUGHT UP!

(Above:  Randomly selected "anonymous" vintage photos mounted on fabric.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

I've been behind in my blogging ... almost exactly a week ... for at least a week ... until now!  This post begins eight days ago on the Sunday before Mother's Day with an experiment that has been tumbling around in my mind for months, maybe a year.  I've been thinking about all the vintage family snapshots I've collected from Bill Mishoe's Tuesday night walk-around auctions of used household goods.  Who are all these people?  Why did their keepsakes end up in a "box lot" or on a "table lot" sold for a few dollars?  What do these pictures mean to me?  How should I use them in my art?

In addition to the photos, I have old letters, military discharge papers, tax records, receipts, ticket stubs, a baby book, hand written recipes, and all sorts of other ephemera from families I don't know.  They peak my curiosity.  They are steeped with stories I can't quite hear.  They have all the ethereal qualities of ordinary memories from the past, ever changing and fading into the distance.  I find all these things wonderful and sad ... bittersweet ... indicative of life.  How can I, as an artist, use these things to communicate my feelings and the sense of half-hidden history they seem to represent?  Well, I had a "foggy vision" of these photos ... stitched into a grid, suspended about six inches in front of a gallery wall, casting their shadow on the white surface behind them.  So ... how to achieve this?  EXPERIMENT!

I randomly selected several images ... the top ones stacked inside a fairly large box.  I used Fusion 4000, a clear heat-activated film used in the custom picture framing industry, to mount the images in my heat-press onto an off-white piece of fabric.  (No ... I don't know what kind of fabric.  It really doesn't matter.  Like almost all my material, it came from Bill Mishoe's auction!  It was simply in some, anonymous woman's stash sold by the box or table!)      


Then, I cut the photo out.  Basically, all these photos are now permanently backed with fabric.



Next, I used a dab of gel medium on the center, back of each photo ... and placed them onto a piece of Pellon's Stitch and Tear.  I allowed this to dry ... adhering the photos to the Stitch-n-Tear.



Setting my Bernina to free motion and using a variegated off-white to sage green cotton thread, I stitched the photos together. 



The process of stitching is exactly the same as I generally use to construct my In Box Series pieces ... outlining the edge of the photo and creating stitched "bridges" to link each one in all directions.



Finally, I turned the work over and tore away all the Stitch-n-Tear from between the images.

 

This was the result of my experiment.  SUCCESS!  Although the "experiment" is not "suspended" approximately six inches from the wall behind it, I know how I want to construct a wooden ledge from which to hang the actual work (yet to be made).  I envision this future piece being at least 5' in height and 10' in length.  The large size will create a sense of impact, a subtle suggestion of all the many people whose images are unknown.  The space between the future piece and the wall is important.  It will allow the grid of photos to physically occupy an area "in front of" the wall ... as opposed to the area "on the wall".  The grid of photos will be like a transparent curtain, something between the present and the past ... casting a shadow.  It is going to be GREAT!  (Okay ... very labor intensive but GREAT!  At least in my mind!) 

Since the experiment revealed a process of working and indicated that the attempt to create a larger work would be successful.  I spent most of last week using my tacking iron to position hundreds and hundreds of anonymous photos on more material ... then mount them in my heat press.



I'm been cutting out the photos ever since!  This is going to take a while but I think I'm going to love the results!  There will likely be more blogging as the weeks progress.  This piece (God willing that it is achieved!) will be part of my November solo show at the Tapps Art Center in Columbia.  I'm calling the exhibit, I Am Not Invisible.  I don't yet have a name for this piece but I'm sure that all the cutting, stitching, and tearing away the Stitch-n-Tear will suggest an appropriate title!

 
(Above:  View from Liberty Bridge, Greenville, SC.)

For Mother's Day, Steve and I drove to Greenville, South Carolina in order to attend Artisphere, a weekend outdoor arts festival that enjoys a great reputation as one of the nation's top shows.  I can see why!  We had a blast.  The artwork was outstanding.  The attendance was amazing.  Okay ... the weather couldn't have been better!  Steve and I spent quite a lot of time looking at the plastic canopies that protected the various artists' booths.  We will be purchasing one in the coming year ... and I will apply to this festival next year!  It is hard to get accepted ...

 
(Above:  Liberty Bridge, Greenville, SC.)

... because this festival is so great.  All the artists complimented the organization, said they were selling well, and had outstanding traffic.  Yet, I'm happy to report that I did get accepted into the 37th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.  This event, like Artisphere, has the reputation of being "so good that it is hard to get in"!

Book marks, tags, and framed keys ... or what I did last Friday and Saturday!

(Above:  Book marks made this past weekend.  Click on any image in this post to enlarge.)

Try as I might, I'm still behind in my blogging despite entries on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  I'm determined to catch up.  I just don't know when!  This post shows how I spent my studio time last Friday and Saturday ... making book marks.  Here's a step-by-step tutorial of the process that I repeated over 195 times!


(Above:  Various decorative threads and sock yarn ... rolling around on the floor with the ends through the braiding/cording foot of my Bernina.)

First, I scramble around in the large plastic containers in which I keep (in total disorder) random yarns and decorative threads.  My sister Wanda would be appalled.  She's a talented counted thread embroiderer with all her floss organized and listed on her computer kept inventory.  I, on the other hand, am a mess.  I love my mess and love selecting seven or eight threads/yarns/ribbon to shove through the # 21 braiding/cording foot of my Bernina.  This is exactly how I start my fiber vessels which I wrote about last week ... HERE.    


(Above:  Unstitched book marks waiting for fiber embellishments.  I included an ordinary writing pen just for size!)

Of course, I've already prepared about two hundred paper book marks.  These are just two decorative papers that I dry mounted together.  (Okay ... I own a frame shop.  A heavy watercolor paper works just as well ... and would be a great way to use less successful paintings for those who attempt such artwork.  There are other heavy weight papers available in many craft and art supply stores that would work too.)



I set the machine on a rather wide zigzag ... and the stitch length is fairly long as well.  I start in the middle of the book mark's end and zigzag in a curving manner up one side of the paper bookmark.  Don't stitch too close to the edges ... just a nice, gently meandering path. 



At the other end, I stop, raise the foot, flip the book mark to the opposite side, and position the lengths of decorative thread nicely on the other side. 



Stitch back down that side ... following the bobbin thread of zigzag stitches.



When you approach the end ...



... grab the decorative threads from both sides in your left hand ... stitch to the end .  Then, right at the book mark's bottom edge, hold the threads tight and prevent the dog feet from moving forward.  This forces the machine to zigzag over itself ... in place ... making the threads into a "tassel". 




Stop stitching.  Pull the book mark to the side.  Cut the threads/yarn/tassel ... leaving about three inches on the book mark and three or so inches through the #21 foot that will start the next book mark.  Repeat. 



For me, the motions of this stitching start a repetitive rhythm.  It doesn't take long before there are plenty of half-finished book marks beside my machine ... my 1008 Bernina. 


(Above:  My two Berninas ... both set up for making book marks.)

As much as I enjoy the recurring cycle of stitching these book marks, I can't seem to continue for more than an hour or two at the same task.  No problem!  I have two Berninas!  My 1630 is at the ready for the second step!



I set the Bernina 1630 to one of my favorite stitch patterns.  I start at the same place ... the bottom end ... and stitch up one side of the book mark ... stitching the pattern along the edge of the zigzagged yarns/threads.



At the opposite end, I perform the same movement .... stop, raise the foot, flip the book mark to the reverse, center the needle, lower the foot, and stitch back down the opposite side of the book mark.  I always start and end in the same basic place ... at the bottom edge, in the middle.  Thus, when I cut the sewing thread, the excess just joins the yarn/thread/tassel.



Of course, there is a slight problem with stitching through paper.  The underneath side isn't as "flat" and nice as the "top" side of the stitching.  A bone burnisher takes care of the issue ... smoothing the paper holes out!  Generally, I stitch the thread/yarn in the meandering path for about an hour ... then I transfer over to the other machine and stitch the decorative stitching for about an hour.  At the end of two days ...

 

...I've got nearly 200 book marks.  These are sold at the South Carolina Artisan Center in Walterboro and here at Mouse House.  The reason I decided to make them last weekend was because the SC Artisan Center called requesting more.  They'd sold out.  Seventy-five were mailed off on Monday.  The other 100 or so are now at Mouse House (first photo in this blog post).

(Above:  Strips of watercolor paper, painted ... waiting to be made into tagged keys like those hanging on the wall behind them.)

Another thing I was "out of" was paper tags for keys.  So, I took a break from the book marks and painted a large piece of heavy watercolor paper, tore it into strips, and used one to make the tags for the three ocean related keys below.   Steve had already made the frames using scrap moulding for the slivers of painted and stitched canvas I'd cut up earlier in the year.
   

(Above:  The Key to Fair Weather and A Safe Harbor; The Key to Smooth Seas and Tranquil Waters; and  The Key to Gentle Breezes and Calm Currents.)

Each tag is two sided ... but now, I'm ready to make more keys for my Wall of Keys.  It's an on-going project ... sort of like my book marks.  Make a hundred or so ... but you will always need more!

I am linking this blog post to Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Fridays", a site for sharing fiber artworks.

Palmetto Hands and Carl Sandburg ... or what I did last Thursday!

(Above:  Anonymous, a Grave Rubbing Art Quilt.  Click on any image in this post to enlarge.)

Palmetto Hands is the very best juried fine craft exhibition in South Carolina.  It is held every year in May during the North Charlestons Arts Festival at the Charleston Convention Center.  I had four pieces accepted this year, two in the category of 3D Mixed Media and two in the category of Fibers.  Artwork can be shipped but I elected to drop my work off in person.  The awards were announced on Friday night.  I wasn't able to attend but later learned that Anonymous won a $250 honorable mention award!  I'm thrilled.
 

(Above from left to right:  The Book of the Dead; Charles Otis, a Grave Rubbing Art Quilt; and Bundles Of ... .  These were my other pieces in Palmetto Hands 2013.  Click on image to enlarge.)

I really wanted to attend the opening and award announcements because the work is always wonderful.  I know several of the other people who enter every year.  I don't, however, know Matt Wilson.  I've admired his work through the years ... and was able to get a peak at one of his pieces this year.  It was sitting on a nearby table when I dropped off my art.  I seriously love this hilariously excellent masterpiece!  I am totally amused by its perfect title:  One Fish, Two Fish, Glass Fish, Blue Fish.



(Above:  One Fish, Two Fish, Glass Fish, Blue Fish, Matt Wilson's 3D Mixed Media assemblage including a wine carafe, flatware, a sieve, and Richard ... the Blue Fish!  Definitely click on this image to investigate this fabulous piece of art!)

Anne Trabue Nelson, the North Charleston arts coordinator, told me that Matt Wilson lives in the area and would be coming daily to feed Richard, the Blue Fish!  How wonderful!  Living art! 

From North Charleston I drove the back roads north to Lake City and took down The Canopy, my piece in the recent Artfields 10-day festival.  It was a little sad to roll the work and shove it back into the giant plastic bag ... but I've got good news about The Canopy!  It will be displayed at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios in a show called Artfields Extended, May 24th - June 4th.  This show will include work by the artists from South Carolina's Midlands accepted into the Artfields 10-day festival. Each artist will display his or her piece from Artfields and one other.  I've selected Handed Down, my "Best of Show" winner from last year's Palmetto Hands show.  I just picked it up after a year in the Palmetto Hands traveling show.  The opening reception is on Friday, May 24th from 5 - 9 but I won't be there.  I'll be in Athens, Ohio for the opening of Quilt National 2013 ... to see Circular Churchyard, my piece accepted there!


(Handed Down, last year's Palmetto Hands "Best of Show" winner ... and the piece that will hang at Artfields Extended later this month.  Click on image to enlarge.)

By the time I returned home, "First Thursday on Main Street" was already in full swing.  Steve and I walked there and back talking.  That night I put the finishing touches/stitches of Carl Sandburg, a Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series piece I started in Galesburg, Illinois at the birthplace of Carl Sandburg. 


(Carl Sandburg, A Grave Rubbing Art Quilt.  47" x 48".  Crayon rubbing and vintage textiles.  Free motion machine embroidery and hand stitching.  Click on image to enlarge.)

This is one of those pieces that I work on over months ... meticulously (or compulsively!) plying a stitch every eighth of a square inch.  It is a labor of love, something on which to work while the television is on or riding in the car, and something to share when asked about my work.  It seems fitting that I'm posting it today, a week after finishing it. 


(Above:  Making the grave rubbings from Remembrance Rock.  Photo by Mathias Dingman.)

Why?  Well, today is my elder Mathias Lenz Dingman's twenty-fifth birthday.  He was with me in Galesburg when I made the rubbings off Remembrance Rock and the stepping stones surrounding it which are the memorial to Carl Sandburg and his final resting place.  I blogged about it HERE. 


(Above:  Detail from Carl Sandburg.  Click on any image to enlarge.)

This piece is something like the 60th on in my Grave Rubbing Art Quilt Series.  From the start, I didn't want anyone famous.  In fact, I generally avoided capturing any names at all.  Yet, in Galesburg I was given permission to make the rubbings from Remembrance Rock ... a tribute to Carl Sandburg.  I had to think about it.  Did I really WANT to make this art quilt?  How would it fit into a series that conceptually was meant to subtly suggest to viewers their own fates, their own last words?  This series was created in order to communicate universal mortality, the passage of time through generations, personal legacy and the ethereal nature of memory.  How would Carl Sandburg fit into this?


(Above:  Detail of Carl Sandburg, A Grave Rubbing Art Quilt.)

Finally it hit me!  Who better to represent "America", all Americans, than a Carl Sandburg who hopped a train as a young man to go off and experience this country and then write Pultizer Prize winning poetry from the viewpoint of the common worker?  Yes, Carl Sandburg is a perfect choice ... the "Every Man" (or Woman) to represent us all.  From that moment on, this art quilt became a labor of love. 


(Above:  Detail from Carl Sandburg.  Click on image to enlarge.)

I used two vintage tablecloths.  The white one had a handmade crochet edge ... at is over four inches in width.  The tan one was actually more rectangular.  I ripped it with a jagged edge across the middle and pinned it back together, overlapping, to create the size I needed.  Some anonymous woman must have spent hours on the cross stitched pattern.  I know I spent hours doing all the running stitches over the white tablecloth and seeding stitches all over the tan one!  


(Above:  The reverse of Carl Sanburg.  Click on image to enlarge.)

For the reverse, I used a more ordinary, non-embellished white tablecloth.  The edge is entirely buttonhole stitched.  Then, I addeda pretty card table-sized tablecloth with a blue edge and appliqued ladies wearing gowns.  Finally, I added another doily onto which I free motion stitched the title and information.  I spent last Thursday evening stitching through this reverse and into the recycled felt batting ... firmly attaching the back to the front along the interior seams and around the appliques.  I love evenings like this!


(Above:  Detail of the reverse.)

So ... now I've caught up with my blogging through last week.  I'm determined to finally CATCH UP by tomorrow!