wrapping up the week

My suitcase is filled with so much fabric that I am considering leaving half my clothes here or wearing layers so I won't be over the weight limit for luggage. Bob will weigh my suitcase tomorrow morning and then we shall see.  This is the stuff I bought at Hancock's last week.

This is the fabric I bought today from Helene, having greatly restrained myself.  One of those grays was the only one left or I would have taken more -- and that green was 1/1.  I am somewhat determined to do some color testing when I get home so I can find a dyeing method that works for me.  Remains to be seen what that will turn out to be.

Yesterday was a crazy-busy day. We went to observe a natural dyeing workshop being given by the Artist in Residence this month in Paducah, Jennifer E. Moss. Interesting how the colors differ depending on the mordant, but waaaaay too much math for my taste.

 

 She is a metalsmith and fiber artist who works in wool.  Here are a few of the pieces she has created with wire and wool while she has been here.

 Afterwards, we went next door to see the work of Freda Fairchild. Multi-talented, she is a printmaker and fiber artist who makes gorgeous jewelry and works in mixed media.  I am lucky enough to own one of her works on paper.

Next stop, Gallery 1925 to the opening and artist's talk by Ursula Schneider, printmaker and painter who was an absolute delight to listen to, as she talked about her work and her process. She does woodcuts (Hanga) and her paintings are amazing.

Finally, Lily Liu had a trunk show at Bob and Helene's Gallery, Jefferson Street Studios.  She repurposes clothing and transforms them into beautiful garments with shibori.  It was a real fashion show and lots of Paducah's artists and patrons showed up to hang out, try on clothes, and buy.  What fun!

Today, Helene and I just hung out and sewed. Tonight we made curried carrot frozen yogurt and I think it is yummy. Helene preferred the peach she made this morning - and we both preferred eating Jeni's ice cream, which is now available in the gourmet market here. Oink Oink.

 

Home tomorrow and back to real life, which doesn't bear thinking about at the moment. It has been the best R & R I can remember ever having had.  Thanks, Bob and Helene!

Friday night in Paducah

Curious about a Jewish community in Paducah, I did some research and found the remnants of a once-vibrant community that dates back to the Civil War.  The building is beautiful and there is an historical marker outside.

Summer services are at 5:30 and there is no rabbi.  Mala, the president of the congregation, led the brief service for the four of us who attended. They were so happy to see me that they couldn't stop thanking me for coming and gave me the honor of lighting the candles.

Although I am reform, I prefer the Hebrew for most of the prayers and remember them better when  there is a melody (which there wasn't).  Mala told me that 6 years ago when she moved here there were 25 people on a Friday night.  Most of them were old and many have since died. 


As in many places, the malls killed the individual retail businesses, leaving the downtown vacant. Because there are no cities nearby and there is neither industry nor corporate headquarters here, there are no jobs.  The kids leave for college and never come back because there is no work, so the only ones left are aging.  She said they will hang on as long as they can; this is the story in many small Southern towns.  The nearest viable congregation is in Carbondale, IL - an hour and a half away - and only because there is a university there. 
That's the story.  I feel that I did a mitzvah, but it left me feeling very sad.

taking the tour

This town is kinda growing on me.  The art community is terrific - and downtown is full of gorgeous old buildings; some of them occupied and others waiting to be renovated.  For the last two nights, dinner downtown and then walking tours with my camera. As we left the restaurant, this was the sky.

 

Then we turned around and saw this piece of street sculpture. Public art is a wonderful thing.

  

 A couple of blocks away, the old market that now houses The Yeiser and its gift shop.  If you've been to Paducah,you've bee inside this building that extends back for a block.  For some reason it make me think of the old market in Charleston, which still functions as one -- for tourists.

Across the street to your right, this beautiful building built originally as C.C.Cohen.  Looks like it was a hotel with a restaurant downstairs. There is another restaurant there and I don't know what is upstairs now. Apartments??   Such elegant windows!

Somewhere along the line I caught this reflection in a window.

As we walked toward Broadway, past the trendy restaurants, I realized they had left the street in its original condition.

A block over was the main business district now filled with antique and craft shops

that once sold hardware

 jewelry, shoes, dry goods, clothing, and everything else you might need. 

 Next door to the Finkel Building, a haunting scene right out of a Hopper painting.

 The buildings on Broadway were, and still are,beautiful. There are remnants of elegance, from the entryways to the signs, to the cast-iron fronts.  Many have been redone; others are waiting for the right buyers with the right amount of money to restore them.

 

 

This is a town that is reinventing itself and that continues to evolve.

Wednesday in Paducah

Continuing to work in Helene's sunny studio, we never left the house yesterday till it was past time for dinner. I worked on the green piece I've been struggling with for several weeks and finally took it off the wall partially sewn together, to be continued in my own sunny studio.  This is not easy work, is it?
I believe I am thinking too much as I work.

Helene gave me a pile of 20 year old blocks she and some friends of hers had made for a challenge which never materialized.  I can understand why.  Here are two of them.

 Clearly, there was nothing to do with them other than to put one on top of the other and slice.

Then I alternated the slices till they were relatively pleasing.

.

Added some strips of my beloved lime green, sewed them all together, and voilà.

So now, more UFOs to play with when I don't know what else to do or need a break from the real work of creating from scratch:-).

new post

I'm in Pacucah, KY on vacation. No teaching, just hanging out with Helene and spending time in her studio, playing.  What a treat!

Well, we have not spent every minute in the studio: yesterday our first stop was the Quilt Museum, where we saw the exhibit from the U.K.  No pictures allowed in that museum, but there were some stunners in that show.  Yesterday wes the last day, so I just got in under the wire to see work by "30 of the most talented innovative quilt artists from the United Kingdom who are continually pushing the envelope of what a quilt is and what it can say."  Unfortunately, no photos allowed, but here is Marlene Cohen's quilt, Family.

After the Quilt Museum, we went to the computer store to buy a new power supply for my laptop, which decided it was too tired to work anymore.  The nearest Apple store is in Nashville, but fortunately there was an authorized fixer in Paducah or I'd still be unable to blog.  ARGH. 

Last night was the monthly Paducah Fiber Artists meeting and I was lucky enough to be here for it. Everybody brings something to eat - pot luck - and some of the members drive as much as several hours to attend, it's such a great group. Mixed media, weaving, clothing, quilts, surface design - lots of variety. The member who weaves is making bags and totes with a secret ingredient.  Here is one of them.

 This piece is done in silk and when it is finished, will be going to Korea (I think) for an exhibit.

  Irene cut up a recycled jacket and used the faces as part of this quilt. Fun!

  

Those of you who know Bob Davis from QSDS will recognize him on the right.

Today we spent most of the time in the studio - ahhhh --- bliss. 

 Before I get to the rest of the post, here is the missing sign from yesterday's post. It belongs above the arrow.

Ok -- now moving on...

For days I have been stitching/unstitching this quilt.  I'd like to finish it before I leave for Paducah but it doesn't look promising.  Here is part of it.  I don't know why I am having such a hard time with this piece, but it is not cooperating with me. Maybe trying to quilt straight lines with crooked pieces is not a good idea.  Or maybe I should not try to quilt at night.  Anyway, it is almost done - and so am I.

As long as we are on the subject of quilts...
Every so often, somebody sends me a picture of a quilt they have made that was inspired by my book. A while ago, Kim at Quilting-Adventures (the retreat in New Braunfels, TX) sent me a photo of these quilts.

I am especially impressed that other people are finishing their quilts while I am slogging away.

I am taking work with me when I leave, so maybe I will actually have time to create while I am on vacation. Isn't that what a vacation is for??  Meantime, I am quilting the piece in the daytime and I think it is making a difference:-)

only in New Jersey

If you live in New Jersey, you know it is the most confusing state in the union for road signs.
This one is so stupid, it made the tv news. Par for the course - there are hundreds more idiotic signs all over the state.
When I saw this next signpost the other day, I knew immediately there was something missing.    But you also don't need the missing sign because the green sign with the yellow arrow gives you all the information you need.  That's probably why they haven't replaced it.  Anybody care to guess what this yellow & green sign is telling you?  If you live in New Jersey, you should know.

Pictures worthy of a wordless Wednesday but of course, I couldn't post these without some words:-)

too busy to blog

Last week was another merry-go-round of activity and it finally stopped tonight, so here I am -- feet on the ground. Wednesday and Thursday I taught a class in deconstructed screen printing. Here are just a couple of examples of the work that resulted.

Thursday night after class, I hot-footed it over the the Morris Museum for the opening of SAQA's Sightlines exhbit, an invitational by Virginia Spiegel. It's a traveling exhibit and if it comes to your area, don't miss it! The 14 pieces were hung very differently from the way they were hung in Houston; the pieces spoke to each other and the show was a stunner. My pictures didn't come out very well,but here is Shelley Brenner Baird's piece, done on her painter's old dropcloth.

 

On Saturday, I went to the NY Metro Modern Quilt Guild meeting. I hadn't been there in over a year so it was good to see old friends and meet new ones. Victoria Findlay-Wolfe, president of the group, has been writing a book based on her blog, 15 Minutes of Play (she has a few blogs). She has announced (so I can, too) that her book is coming out from C&T in the Fall.   I can't wait to see it and I will certainly review it on this blog as well as on the North Jersey Modern Quilt blog.

 After the meeting, we headed out to Williamsburg, Brooklyn - home of trendy restaurants (isn't all of Brooklyn these days?) and a food event called Smorgasburg, which happens every Saturday.  Dozens of food vendors assemble and you can work your way around, tasting cuisines from many countries. I headed for the pupusas, which were fabulous and honestly better than the ones I have had at my local Salvadoran restaurant. Here is a good view of the venue.

 It was pretty crowded, but well below the very specific limit set on this sign. 4,676?? Do you suppose the occupancy police actually show up and do a head count?  Another "only in New York."

Nearby Bedford Avenue is a funky street with bars, shops, bookstalls, and lots of grit and graffiti. Here is my favorite door.

And some street art whose artist has a sense of humor.  Can you read it??

 All in all, another joyful day in NY!