random access

I remember years ago being in a crit group that had a challenge, and the phrase was "random access."  Just now I looked up the meaning of the phrase and it was so confusing that I gave up trying to get it.  Back in the day, it had to do with computer memory (RAM= random access memory, which means it could find things that were not sequential). I think.  Seems to me that this was the piece I made for this challenge. The piece was called "Seeking a Reading" and it had to do with Madame somebody-or-other, who was a palm-reader and whose card was found in the walls of what became the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in Manhattan.  I already forget what made the connection for me - but maybe it was having random access to memories or who knows what.

In any case, I am not sure how I got started on this tangent -- but if I trace it back to my day, I will no doubt find a link.  I am attempting to clean out my mother's apartment and the saga continues.  I have finally hired someone to help me make decisions of what to do with all these books, gorgeous antique cut glass, and everything else.  It all has memories for me.  My Nanny (pictured above when she was young) collected this stuff and so did my mother.  Now it all has to go.

On a brighter note - I got an email from Judy Carpenter this morning with a photo of her latest quilt,
Maggieville.  Here is a peek at a bit of this whimsical piece, which you can see and read about on her blog.

Getting an early start tomorrow - will try to post over the weekend from the Mt. Holyoke Campus.

scarves, scarves, scarves

Not much question where this day went! I turned my kitchen island into a workstation because my sewing room workspace was/is slightly indisposed. Ahem. Of course, this may look familiar, but it is worse than usual, I think.

Even though these scarves had to be yellow, they are not all the same yellow. And even though they had to have certain common elements, everything else I added was up for grabs, depending on my mood, which screens and dyes were at hand, etc. etc.  Here are two of them, for example.

I have been paid for my work and now the Class of 19XX is going to sell them to raise money for the alumni fund.  I decided that instead of having people rifle through a pile of 50 slightly different items, hemming and hawing over which one they liked better, I would order from ClearBags and fold/insert each into one of those little bags.  They will pay their money and take their chances - they get what they get. The people taking turns selling them will have an easier time. 

What I didn't bargain for is how long it would take me to number, tag, fold, and insert the little beauties so they look NEAT.  Half the day and I am still not done.  But I have about 3/4 of them packaged, so that's not bad. I can take the rest with me to my crit group tomorrow and these can be my "what I have been doing for the last three months" contribution.

I will confess that I would rather teach for several days than to ever do another commission this large. However, it's almost done and I can move on. To what?

I suppose I could do something with this piece sitting on my bulletin board/design wall.  

 It is not as blue as these bad photos make it look: it's really gray.  This (below) is what it was previously (actually, this is the other half I haven't done anything with yet). A contribution from my friend Rachel. 

Or, maybe I should start something completely new. It might be time for some therapy strips.  Well, it will all have to wait. The rest of the week is scheduled up the wazoo.  Time to rest up for it.

where did the day go?

Vanished in a cloud of answering emails, sending out supply lists, and a little bit of website tweaking.  

 
For those of you who can get to my my exhibit in North Carolina, here is where it is.  

Of course, I took terrible pictures, but here are a few anyway.  Even though it was a retrospective, the quilts that spoke to each other or worked together were not necessarily in chronological order and didn't go up the way I had pictured that they might.  Hanging a show is a trip and a learning experience, every single time. 

 This was part of the wall on the right of the sanctuary.

This was one section of the back wall.

These next two pieces were on the front wall, hanging together.  It was the first time I had seen them displayed in many years.  The first time they hung together it was 1998 and I put them into the guild show.  They shared first prize -- not because they were perfect, but because they had impact.  The judges were artists, not quilt police.

Last Stop

Prozna St., Warsaw

Below, Marni and one of her assistants are adjusting the work on this Walker hanging system.  I had to cut holes in the sleeves of several of my pieces to accomodate the hanging fixtures.sigh...

 

This is a very short week.  Got home late Sunday night (it is a long drive) and spent Monday doing errands and dealing with my mother's apartment, which I now have to clean out and put on the market in very short order.  Not easy with all my traveling.  Don't ask. Tomorrow, I am ironing, numbering, folding and packing 50 silk scarves. Thursday is my crit group -- we have not seen each other in eons .  Of course, I have nothing to show because everything current is in the exhibit. Friday I am spending with my college roommate whom I have not seen in 25 years. THAT should be lovely. And there is the week! 

So -- off goes this sleep-deprived person to make some coffee and iron some scarves, which are sitting on my kitchen island.  I know this is a boring post but honestly, my life isn't that interesting. Trust me on this.

home and in retrospect...

 Have you stayed tuned?  The rest of the time in Durham-Chapel Hill was so busy and I found it so hard to post from my iPad that I gave up till I got home.  Here I am - knee-deep in contracts and paperwork and emails that waited for me while I was away.

Earlier, I neglected to mention that we went to the North Carolina Museum of Art while we were there. The new part of the museum looks from the outside like warehouses, but inside it is light and airy and is simply one of the best-designed art spaces I have ever seen. Here are two of my favorite pieces of the contemporary art that was there. The figure was covered in buttons and made us smile.

The painting reminded me of  Terry Jarrard-Dimond's work, which I love.

Saturday afternoon we hung the artwork on the sanctuary walls.  The sanctuary was designed so that the walls surrounding the seating could show artwork -- and it's great because the congregation can look at the art while they are worshipping.  Art and spirituality -- what a lovely combination!

No two people would hang a show precisely the same way in most cases, but in this case it became clear almost immediately how the 20-something pieces I brought would speak to each other and the process went pretty easily.  We were helped by the art committee volunteers who straightened, aligned, and labeled the pieces and I am very pleased with the way everything flows.  I think there were only 2 pieces I did not hang.

  Later, I will post whatever pictures I took that actually came out:-).

Weekend in the Triangle

After a rather long day on the road,we arrived last night in Durham. To say that route 95 was a parking lot from D.C till way past Richmond,VA into understate the traffic conditions. But we made it and went out to a fabulous dinner with our friends Marni and Fred.

Today, we had a tour of the Chapel at Duke University-- a beautiful and imposing neo gothic structure.

More later.

up late tonight & a book review

Watching all 4 episodes of The Great British Sewing Bee, season one. Insane, but I really needed to sit and do nothing tonight.  Sandy Snowden posted the links today and the shows were fun to watch. However, I've had my fill and don't think I'll watch the reruns of season 2.

What I haven't had my fill of is Valerie Goodwin's soon-to-be-published, gorgeous new book, Art Quilt Maps. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy and have to say It is a treat for the eye, a moving personal journey, and a poetic guide to creating your own fiber art maps. 

In fact, from the introduction through the galleries at the end, I found the book compelling enough to procrastinate my "must-do" chores until I had read from start to finish.

Beautifully illustrated with examples of her own work and a gallery of other artists' maps, the book shows how original and diverse the results can be.  Valerie takes us from starting places (visual and verbal exercises that generate ideas) through creating the layers, to arriving at the finish line (what to add at the end to make your work distinctive).  Along the way, her own design and creative process will inspire you to try this way of working.  

If you love Valerie's work, as I do, or have taken a workshop with her, you will certainly want a copy when it is released.  Now that my list of 'must-do" chores has gotten shorter, I'm going to go back and read it again. It's a winner!

 

I'm backK

From down the rabbit hole of travel/teaching and 9 days, 24/7 with Miss Emma.  Three year olds are not for the faint of heart or for old people -- at least, not for more than a few days. - LOL.  I have finally recovered.  Here, a snippet from one of the more endearing conversations.  

And then, the (all-too-rare) nap.

She refused to sleep under anything but my rescued/repaired 1930's feedsack quilt.

During this past recovery week I have been getting my work ready for my exhibit in North Carolina, opening next Sunday, May 5.  Uh - I still have one piece to finish, which I hope to get done today. 
Driving down on Thursday, hanging the show on Saturday.  If you're in driving distance of Chapel HIll, here is the info.

In Retrospect...

Solo Exhibit by Rayna Gillman

5 - June 23, 2013

Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist

106 Purefoy Road, Chapel Hill, North Carolina  27514

Phone No. 919-942-2050 

 Free-Form Quilt Class

When I go back in June to take down the show, I'm teaching a two-day class in Washington, NC before I hit Chapel HIll.  If you didn't get a newsletter e-update

here's the info: $115 for the two days and space is limited to 20 people.  Registration opens on Saturday, May 4 and you should contact  Katherine McNeese to register.

Back to cleaning up and finishing this final quilt!

The joys of travel

It ' s not that I didn't love every minute in Atlanta and Athens; I had a wonderful time and two terrific classes. I met my cousin, made new friends, and enjoyed southern hospitality. I should have been home by now. But I am still sitting in the Atlanta airport.

I have been here since 8:am for a 10:00 flight that was, along with two earlier and two subsequent flights CANCELLED due to weather. Weather? Uh huh. The usual suspect. I managed to get the last seat on the last flight out of Atlanta to EWR--at 5:39(supposedly) tonight.

With that, hot-footed it over to the United club lounge, where I am spending the day with a hundred other souls who are In the same boat. Well, maybe not 100--but multitudinous (is there such a word?) numerous. Many. Lots.tons. The bartender is having a good day.

Happily, the amenities here include free snacks: liquid and otherwise.

And I have a big fat detective book by Elizabeth George to keep me occupied. I am on standby for a slightly earlier flight but at this point it does not matter.

I have to say that the United agent at this club is such a sweetheart that it is almost enough to make me switch from hating United to merely disliking them:-/.
More after the commercial.

New friends, new family

Here I am with my cousin Reba from Atlanta. We hit it off right away and seem to have a lot in common, although we still haven't figured out where the connection began. We think it was in our great-great grandparents' generation, but have not been able to prove it yet. Meantime, we are enjoying ourselves. Here we are at the barbecue place for lunch.

Over the weekend, fun class: strips and squares:infinite design variations. I was so happy to see Judy Carpenter. We met years ago when I taught at John C. Campbell and she took my surface design class. Here she is with a pile of slice/diced/sewn together units the first day.

And here is what she was creating and took home to finish by the end of day two! It will be a quilt for her granddaughter. Judy was so excited! Http://judyinthe dyes.blogspot.com

Gretchen had never made a quilt in her life and was delighted to discover she could make one without worrying about matching seams. Here is hers.

Today I am in Athens,eating branch outdoors and it is lovely. This afternoon I start another class and tonight, lecture at the guild meeting. Stay tuned.

junk food

Not something I eat a lot of but yesterday's activities drove me to it.  I went to the studio to put in a day of printing the last 8 or 10 scarves I need for my college reunion next month.  Had not been there in a couple of months because of traveling and LIFE and when I got there, I realized I had brought a bunch of scarves home to dye and had left them there. Duh. 

So...I gathered up my screens, made some print paste in the studio blender, grabbed some dyes, a portable print thingie made of pink insulation foam, and headed home.  Long story short --set the print board on the island, got two done and a third started before I quit for the day.  Fortunately, I had carted home an old wooden drying rack from my mother's apartment some months ago (why??).  Here's what  my formerly pristine kitchen looked like yesterday.

It is just as well I have everything at home because the day after I return from Georgia I have to go to Brooklyn, take Tommy to the airport, and bring Miss Emma home with me for a week.  She can amuse herself safely at home doing collage while I print. 

So, off to the airport shortly where I will see my friend Judy Carpenter (yay!), meet my distant cousin Reba (our ancestors were related, we think), and have a fun time teaching. 

Will catch up with you soon.

yawn...

Did much of my packing and then this afternoon into this evening, stitched the 3rd in my Totem series.  Not finished yet, but at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Tomorrow I wrap up the odds and ends of packing and do a few things for myself before I leave home.  If I can get my iPad to cooperate, I will blog from the Sunny South (at least I hope it's sunny!).

When I get home, I will have Emma here for "girls' week with Nanny" while her parents take a much-needed vacation.  After that, guess who will need one?

                

                                                             

surfaces

This is the state of my sewing room.  The blue suitcase has still not been unpacked from when I got home 10 or 12 days ago.  It is full of fabrics I have to unload and then decide whether I will repack it or try and squeeze the fabrics and my clothing into one large bag. The red thing in front is my carry-on bag, probably partly empty. What a mess!

This is the state of my dining table.  I cleaned it off after last Monday's seder and hen had to load it up again with quilts to be sorted, tagged, and labeled for my exhbit in North Carolina.  It doesn't look organized, but I know exactly what is in each pile and what needs to be done. Some of these will go to Georgia with me on Friday for my program in Athens.

Lest you think I am a complete disaster, I will show you that there is one surface in this house which is so clear of STUFF that my weekend visitors nearly fainted when they walked into the kitchen.

 

 So there you have it.  True, it hasn't looked like this since 2008 -- but one out of three ain't bad.

Cheers!

R.

what day is it?

I remembered it was Thursday this morning when I saw that all the neighbors had put out their garbage. Oops - dragged mine out just in time and noticed this.  

Does this mean spring is really on its way?  I don't quite trust it; I remember snow on April 15th one year, a long time ago.

This morning, still cleaning up from Monday night's seder, I went down to the lower level to put my grandmother's dishes away and saw a crowd outside my sliding glass doors.  By the time I came back down with my camera, they had moved away.  I counted 19 of them. 

 I spent the rest of the day going through my quilts, measuring, pricing, checking sleeves, and making lists of what I will be exhibiting in Chapel Hill in May.  O tedium.  Still not finished, but must finish by tomorrow and send off the info.  I also have to add labels and fiddle with sleeves to accommodate the Walker hanging system. Oh, and I have put a quilt on the list that I have not yet finished.  Guess I'd better do that, too.

I remembered it was Thursday again tonight at 6:55 when I realized I had a 7:00 meeting of my Modern Quilt Guild and was going to be late.  Most of the people in the guild don't actually make Modern Quilts, but Amy showed one tonight.  She said it was intended to be the back of something else but she liked it so much, she made it the front of this one.  

It is later than I intended to stay up but I am trying to get back into the habit of blogging before I go to bed.  Now I can say goodnight!

back at it

I am still in the process of responding individually, wherever possible, to your generous and comforting comments to my last post.  Forgive me if I've missed you -- I am overwhelmed by your kindness.

Last week, as we sat shiva, the house was filled with friends, family, and more food than we could eat, from Monday through Wednesday night. Thursday I did nothing and Friday I shopped and started cooking for Passover.  I was probably insane to have the first Seder on Monday night, a week after my mother's funeral - but it also meant being with my family twice in one week: a pleasure!  Miss Emma kept us entertained, the boys were lively, and there was much hilarity as my kids remembered their Nana and looked at old pictures.  The memories were all good.

SO - back to where I was before this all happened! I was teaching at Quilting Adventures in hill country --New Braunfels, TX -- one of the most delightful experiences I have had.  The T Bar M resort where Quilting Adventures is held is beautiful, the accomodations are just fine, and the food is good.  Debby and Kim, who run the annual retreat (plus some shorter ones during the year) are warm-hearted and lots of fun.  I got to spend some time with Robbi Eklow, who is always a pleasure to be with.

I was also teaching one of my favorite classes - 4 days of Cinderella Quilts.  You can't believe the transformations that occurred as the students created magic from their old blocks plus new strips and squares.  Here are some befores and afters from class.

This is one  from a pile of blocks Betty brought with her.  By the time she redid the rest of blocks, she had the makings of a modern quilt.

 

Once she was on a roll,she started another quilt from scratch and ended with a finished top. She plans to attach it to a black canvas when she has quilted it.

I gave each student one of these 9 patches  to see what they would do with them. I don't have all the pictures, but everyone did something different.

 Donna used the 9 patch and the other block from her stash as jumping-off points for her quilt.

 If you look carefully, you can see bits of both of them in her finished top.

Louise started her new work with a couple of house blocks she had brought with her.

 By the time she had chopped them up and re-imagined new houses, she had a much more imaginative quilt than the original would have been.

When Ilene showed up with a pile of these blocks, I thought they were hopeless.

But she proved me wrong.  Here is the work in progress -- some original blocks, some transformed, and a bunch of strips she had just sewn together in combinations she liked. She didn't know how she would use them, but she found a way.

 

This is what she took home with her.

We spent a lot of time on ad hoc and slow design -- moving things around ad infinitum and talking about why a particular layout did or did not work.  After a while, their eyes began to know what looked balanced without being boring and they learned to trust their instincts. This was a class that made everybody smile because they were so happy with their results.  

Next week, I'm off to Atlanta.  Maybe by the time I get home it will be edging toward spring in NJ.

Thanks again for all your caring messages.

love,

Rayna