approx. 15" x 15"

Starry Night

After doing the piece for MIA's Foot in the Door I wanted to try some other things with that particular technique. I put fusible on the back of a navy/black mottled fabric and sliced it into thin strips. On the ironing board I started putting them down on white fabric. Below I'm done with that first cutting.

More strips.

And the end:

Can you see stars on a dark night?

Try squinting.

Foot in the Door 4 at Minneapolis Institute of Arts Museum

Opening Reception Night = MAD HOUSE! You can see from the photo above that it was shoulder to shoulder in the entire room. Puts a whole new spin on the postcard that says "Rub elbows with hundreds of Minnesota artists." Rub elbows, arms, shoulders, backs, butts, et al! When I took this photo I didn't know my piece was in it.

A large percentage of the 4,800 Artists showed up, plus many family and friends, the Museums "Third Thursday" event, and even Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles. It was nuts! When I got there the line to the MAEP was only as far as Ancient Art and it took about 25 minutes to reach the exhibit, but when I walked out the line was through the entire museum beginning at "China", which is the hall above the Museum Lobby! I'll go back another time when no-one is there.

In the museum lobby they played a slide show on the wall. Not only were all the Entrants pieces photographed and flickered by less than one second at a time, but also a time-lapse of the installation.

To see all the pieces, click here. I'm somewhere in the 50's.

Elephants Panty Liners...

Actually, they're baby burp cloths...about 20" long, soft knit on one side and terrycloth on the other side. Aunt Elsie had me make some for her years ago, she gives them as baby gifts. I don't remember hers looking so panty-liner-ish.

Last weekend my brother came over and he and my Dad rewired the entire 2nd floor of the old section of the house! It took them 7 hours. It all started because I have a bad outlet in my sewing room...turns out that cloth covered wiring from the 1920's doesn't last quite a century. That and they couldn't just stop after replacing only one line.

I had to clear out some shelving so they could reach this particular plug, and not that taking things off a shelf is hard, but sorting them to put them back is.

Of the many unfinished projects on the shelf, I've been keeping this soft knit since May of 2003 when Mom's best-friend, Sharon Faucette, asked me to take her daughters overly-loved baby blanket and make something memorable with it (her daughter has her own babies now). I made a pillow and had used these soft knits as part of it. I also made a little blanket to match.

In trying to get old projects done, I've listed several things I need to accomplish any given project so that I can get the items if they're on sale or whatever. For the baby burp cloths I wanted terry cloth. I got the regular stuff at JoAnns...and it shrunk an inch, but it's pretty soft compared to when it was on the bolt. So I spent quite a bit of time drawing up this shape only to figure out I'd drawn a huge pantyliner! Aunt Elsie sewed sweet little embroidery patches on them and I think I'll have to do that too....another item to add to the shopping list.

I wouldn't have made these if I'd just thrown away the soft knit years ago...but no, I had to keep it and eventually conjure up a project to make with it.

Caron Lages ~ And Still Counting

I finished up the last of the quilts I had of Carons for her And Still Counting project. Some were already started by other MCQ members when I would bring them to meetings with needles, and I finished those off. And I also did some on the machine, which I didn't enjoy as much (even tho' it was 10X faster) because each of the stars/asterisks represent a Iraqi person who died and by doing them so close together I feel it's not representing each person respectfully. I did some where I tried to move the quilt slightly after each asterisk.
When Caron was here for my Quilt Party she was starting on hanging sleeves and so I copied one she left behind. I made about 150. She only needs 1,000!

I'm looking forward to Thursday for opening night of the "Foot In The Door" exhibit at Minneapolis Institute of Art where I have a piece hanging. One out of circa 4,800!!

Title for my first cookbook...

"The Coroner's Cookbook"

I think that title would just kill the New York Times Best Seller list.
I'd have to examine all my notes and come up with a body of recipes to dissect.
It could be so stressful it would be the death of me, but it would be a crime not to.
Shall I start with liver and onions? Or some kind of kidney recipe? Swedish Blood Pudding? Something with artichoke hearts? Leg of lamb? Rib roast? Pigs feet?

Music by the World Health Organization!

In the actual listing of new music CD's acquired at the library:
"World Health Organization ~ Greatest Hits (Music CD)"
(you have to go to the 'next 50' to see the above quoted)
Yes, it actually says "World Health Organization"...not "The Who".
So...

Don't miss out on the World Health Organizations best hits! Remember these?

"W.H.O.oooooo are you? Whose W.H.O., whose W.H.O.?
W.H.O.oooooo are you? Whose W.H.O., whose W.H.O.?
I woke up in a cheap patel
where a bed bug knew my name.
He said "I'll be coming home with you
and I will never go away"

"People try to put us d-d-down, (talkin' 'bout my gonorrhea)
Just because we get around (talkin' 'bout my gonorrhea)
Things they do look awfully c-c-cold (talkin' 'bout my gonorrhea)
I hope I die before I get old (talkin' 'bout my gonorrhea)
This is my gonorrhea,
this is my gonorrhea, baby..."

And the popular Christmas hit:

"I want Human Pappilomavirus for Christmas!
And only Human Pappilomavirus will do.
No Chlamydia, no Tuburculosis, I only like Human Pappilomavirus..."

~lol~ I crack myself up!

Many of you might not remember "Enza" from the Spanish flu of 1918:

"I knew a birdie, it's name was Enza, I opened the window and in flew Enza!"

In all seriousness, the Hennepin County Library employee who made this mistake might have done it on purpose as a slam for Pete Townshends current child sex offender problem...

I haven't had chocolate since pudding.

At my impromtu Quilt Party tonight there was an abundance of chocolate and giggling...even at old jokes most appreciated by 15 year old boys!

What do you call a man with no arms and no legs, in a lake?
Bob.

What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in a pile of leaves?
Russel.

What do you call a woman with one leg and one arm?
Ilene.
(Bet she doesn't have a leg to stand on!) :-D

**update at 11:30 pm, When Eric and I told these jokes to Isaac he said "I've never heard thos before!"**

No sewing machines were buzzing, but there was rotary cutting and lots of knitting needles clicking away on socks and sweaters.

Carn, Sarah and I worked on french knots for Carns project And Still Counting.
I hope that everyone who knows her can complete some more quilts for her, so she can reach her Memorial Day deadline.

In my excitement of dreaming of her completion she pointed it out that the deadline only marks the end of Phase One. Phase Two is sewing sleeves to the back of 1,000 of the blocks so that it is suitable for hanging in any venue.

I think she really needs a happy push on this; because as any project that's so monumental and emotional, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and feel defeated about reaching completion.
And Carn needs help with publicity, getting the word out, getting hanging venues and such.

And I wish I knew someone who could professionally photograph it for free, and then another person who could print her Artist postcards for free.

In some stream of discussion I brought up that I wouldn't take a $5,000.00 Visa card in exchange for those people going through my closet, embarassing me on national television, standing in that mirrored closet of shame, and filming me privately when I'm wearing bad fashion. (Which is every minute of every day)
Carn and Sarah said they would go for it, if the show was actually about showing you how to dress for success at places like Kohls and JC Penney. Carn said that anybody could find fashion in NYC, but try finding it at Herbergers in St. Cloud Minnesota! I forgot what she said about Herbergers, something about velour sweat suits and clothing for ages 70 and up.

So that gave me the idea to write to that show, and Herbergers and Kohls and tell them they should set something up... maybe Carn and Sarah will get a phone call! ;-D

Trenton Lee Stewarts The Mysterious Benedict Society Series

I just finished listening to all three of this series and it was really a fun read...or "listen" in my case.

New Crayola colors I want...

Varicose Vein Blue and
Varicose Vein Purple
Highway Sign Green
Anemic White Person
Dirty Snow Grey
Dried Salty Roads Grey ~or~
Dirty Salty Windshield Grey (same color)
Grey Hairs Grey
Cold Cheeks Mauve
Almost Frostbite Skin Red