I belong to a professional organization of textile artists called Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). Every year they host a fundraiser where members participate by creating and donating 12″x12″ art quilts for auction. I’ve been a bystander in the event, never yet having either donated a quilt or submitted a bid on one. That’s not… Continue reading The Side-Eye Glance
October in Michigan brings brisk mornings and cool evenings that bookend rainy days or resurrected summer days, trees with fluttering leaves of vibrant colors, pumpkins on porches, apples by the bushel, and for a small group of old friends and I, a now annual trek to the Upper Peninsula for a weekend of reconnection. Some… Continue reading High School Friends
My creative muse took a temporary detour this winter into the world of photography. Inspiration struck after I read an online article highlighting the work of amateur photographers on the app site EyeEm and -voila!- a mini obsession was born. In short order, I was documenting the ordinary scenes along my rural road, taking portrait… Continue reading Photo-Play
A couple of months ago it was my granddaughter Natalie’s turn for some time and undivided attention in the sewing studio. Her wish? – to make a blanket for a new baby cousin on the way (due now in just a week!). The perfect fabric for her project was already in my stash, a coral… Continue reading Baby Love
All the right stars have aligned today and I can finally catch up on some quilt related projects – including writing about them. Lots of blog worthy events have happened in the past several weeks; things like finishing The Princess (woot! woot!), giving a trunk show to a local guild, a day trip to Grand Rapids… Continue reading Renewed, Reviewed, and Reveals!
My grandkids are no strangers to the sewing room and often ask to work on projects when they occasionally spend the night. As they’ve gotten older their project interests are a little more complex and it’s become evident that taking turns for single overnights, in order to have undivided attention and ample work space, is… Continue reading A Parrot(t) Tale
A couple of weeks ago I gave a teaser shot of my grandson Chase’s completed portrait. This quilt was 3 years in the making, due mostly to the extended periods of time it spent hanging on my design wall waiting for attention. It’s completion came about all of a sudden and for two reasons: 1)… Continue reading What Color Would You Be?
I’ve heard it said that friends are the gifts we give ourselves – and I’ve been lucky enough to have given myself a few treasures along the way. Mostly though, it’s been my good fortune just to have been included in a group of friends, either by circumstance or through shared interests. After all, introverts… Continue reading The Art of Connection, Part Two
I’m looking out the window at the falling snow and thinking today’s outside wintery weather mix is telling me to cozy up inside and write a “mix” kind of post. One of the biggest mix it up moves I made this year was to take a break from the quilt challenges – but that doesn’t… Continue reading Forecast: A Wintery Mix
How long can I take to finish a quilt that I think about frequently, have hanging on my design wall – that is actually out and ready to go at all times – and truly WANT to finish? Apparently, the answer is yet to be determined but suffice to say, a lo-o-o-ong time. The Princess… Continue reading Quiltus Interruptus
Ellen Parrott 