Spring Break in April

   THE SUN IS OUT! In April I wanted to get to NYC to see the Degenerates Show at the Neue Galerie. The lines were long, but I found it helpful to get there ten minutes before the museum opened. I once made an oil painting of Hitler's Degenerate Artists. Hitler put up one show of art he had preferred, but more people attended the other show of artists' work he ridiculed. Here is my painting, containing names of some of the 125 artists censored by the Nazis and others from the Renaissance up to the present who have been subjected to public censorship. Click on photos to enlarge.

    I returned to NYC the next week to meet elementary school friends who were in the area to see Ann's grandchild in a musical. I took those bracelets and NYC quilt birthday card I showed last month.  One bracelet was way too big...but it feels good to make something to gift when you gather with old pals. I enjoyed playing with photos and videos afterwards...at one point making a video with my iPhone of the slideshow and music on my computer. I used Comic Life software to collage photos.

    Easter was next when Joe and David tied the eggs on the tree. After setting our casual table, Joe and I made string eggs we saw at Ben Franklin. We blew up balloons and wound string around. We anchored string by painting all over with a watery white glue called Stiffy. After we hung these to dry overnight, we hid dyed eggs, burst the balloons and draped the string shapes on the lights. It was fun to be kids, but may not do that craft again :*))

     I made up 8 blocks for Katie's Project Hope Quilt and painted (sample) and stitched in the plain areas. I used Jaquard fabric paints and small brushes.  I also created a challenge quilt with strips, cutting casually, called "Where oh Where oh Where is Spring." Here is an earlier photo. I have since free-motion stitched the title in the top row and am still working on this. This quilt will be interactive.

     The Journal Quilt Connection is getting excited about the QC quilt show May 30 to June 1. Hope to have photos soon. This is too much for one post so I am off to bed! Thanks for looking and come to the show!

Elana's Winter

Click video link QC quilt show above

More Journaling: three new quilts

     Summer passed too fast; and I was not very productive. So I decided to make three journal quilts in a weekend. My Journal Quilt Connection had invited the president of our guild to visit; and I hated not to do my part to contribute.

      I always look for a subject that is memorable or I don't want to forget. These journal quilts are supposed to be sketches, hopefully with an edge. On the back of last week's blog's self-portrait (September 3), I added an embroidered hypodermic needle (lots of lidocaine that day) and clock (8 to 5 off and on in surgery); and I will surely add more details to the quilts I am showing this week:

      Coming up is the 25th anniversary of my group at the museum. Almost thirty of us will meet to lunch in Boston this coming week. I found a fabric with paintings (a mix of artists on the front and Seurat on the back). On the reverse, I added a duplicate fabric for a pocket into which I will insert a DVD of all our earlier reunions along with a music fragment of "I'll Be Seeing You." I used a clock again to remind how fast time passes when you are having fun. A glue-gun helped attach beads to the clock to form XXV (25 years). Then I got busy designing a menu.
 

      One day Joe and I found we could leave Boston at noon, get to Portland ME to see a show at the art museum, stop in Ogunquit at the Oarweed for lobster on the water and return to Boston early in the evening. With Joe's teaching a law class (he never stops laboring), I fear I will lose my September or fall trip to Maine and the many art destinations there. I got those pretty fabrics at the City Quilter in NYC and had been wanting to use them.  The easel is made of bias tape.

Click to enlarge all photos

     And speaking of Joe's non-retirement, he has been gathering little $3.50 pots of cactus at Home Depot that grow to form a little house of horrors. He says cactus is the one plant he can't kill. This quilt commemorates two. A very little one started growing a long, long stem and we didn't know what it was or if we should cut it off. Recently it sprouted lots of little white flowers at the far end. I gave Joe the strange 4 long finger variety. It was his birthday and I needed a present. I saw this bizarre cactus in a window of a Chelsea NYC florist. The four long spikes have grown to four extremely long arms that are loping and encircling all the other cactus...as I suggested...a Little Shop of Horrors.

 More quilting and details could be added to each.