Spring is for Quilt Shows...

 

Traditional, whimsical, innovative, masterful- whatever your cup of quilting tea, you'll get your fill at a quilt show. A local quilt shop, Miss Dee's in Palatka, Florida, kicked off spring with her Quilts by the River. It's so inspiring to enjoy a quilt show and see the wonderful pool of talent on display! This lovely  Hidden Circles by Shelley Stauffer is so beautifully pieced and hand quilted that it stopped me in my tracks. It fairly sparkles. I tried looking up the pattern in my copy of Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns, but didn't find a match. It's complex for sure.

And then there were the aliens. This one entertains. We Come in Piece is the entry of Janel Bendis, Lisa and Candi. The improvisational piecing is a study in itself, but then the quirky bodies and expressions on the characters were a separate story. What fun it must have been to make this one. As you can see, it earned a blue ribbon in its category.

Still more whimsical creatures, this time a turtle study. And once again, the improv piecing is the star. Such a dynamic quilt! It's Heard of Turtles by Phoenix Quiltcon Group.

Between the wonderful colors and the sawtooth design, this quilt almost vibrates! Sometimes I like to study quilts to see how they were made. This one appears to be one-half of a Delectable Mountains block combined four to a block around a center square. It's likely the quilter relied on partial seam construction, which you don't see often, but works well in this block. Aidan's Quilt is by Nancy Grout.

I love cats and found the panel and colors chosen for Cynthia Irvin's Cat Quilt to be so appealing. In addition, the machine quilting was top notch. Each of those circles has a different quilting motif, densely stitched. Another blue ribbon quilt.

Fellow members of the Country Road Quilters in Ocala had quilts on exhibit. Linda Renderer made this charming ribbon winner titles Scrappy Spiderweb. It's quilted by Barbara Dees. Linda is a whiz at beautiful machine applique and fabric selection. The purple background sets off the Sampler-style piecing and graceful border beautifully.

Another guild member who is also a master at piecing is Janice McCall. This wonderful Sampler quilt titled Moonbeams was quilted by guild member Debra Johnston and earned an Honorable Mention ribbon.

My quilt, Cosmic Moon Pies, also earned an Honorable Mention at the show, so that was rewarding. It was also quilted by Debra Johnston. More photos and story here.

My husband Jack and I went for a picnic at Ravine Gardens, the state park in Palatka. There we saw this ???... I'm not sure just what, but of course I was drawn to it and had to get a photo! I guess it's a custom three-wheeler. But what a beauty.

The gardens feature a lot of stone work completed by Conservation Corps workers in the early 1930s after the Great Depression.

Palatka is Azalea central in the spring. The park was blooming beautifully. Hope you enjoyed the show!

Who Let the Dog Out???

Wait a minute! My last post was December 2025?? I've been AWOL. How does the time slip by so quickly? One way it happens is to get distracted by a new pet. And sewing. This little dog quilt is one I put together based on a cartoon drawing I did in a tutorial by Carol Owen. I thought it needed to be translated into fabric. And there were plenty of scraps to play with, so here is this little dude.

 

Then there was this little dude. His name is Dusty and he came home with us from a rescue farm. Timid, quiet, and as sweet as can be. We'd been missing our dogs who passed away from old age. We had debated the wisdom of getting another dog at our "advanced age," so to speak. But we fell for Dusty and home he came.

He is just so loving. One morning when we lost power and it was quite cold in January, Dusty knew what to do. Get under a quilt. With me. He was one sweet boy. Until.... After Dusty was with us for a week and adjusting quite nicely, we went to church for a couple of hours. He apparently, unbeknownst to us and the the rescue organization, had extreme separation anxiety! He escaped his room (he was known as an escape artist) and went on a rampage. Oh my goodness!! I never experienced anything like it with a dog before. Dusty is a pack dog. He is unable to be only dog. So, with heavy hearts, we arranged to return him. We packed his meds, his food, and belongings and provided copious notes on the care and feeding of Dusty. We felt better when we saw how happy he was to be back among his comrades. Not being Caesar Millan, and having lives that require us to go places without a dog, we knew that Dusty's emotional needs were too great for us. And I'm not a fan of sedating a dog. The good news... Dusty was adopted by a family who already had a couple of dogs. I think he will much happier there. So happy ending to an unhappy story. 

And here is a look at just a fraction of the chaos Dusty caused to our vertical blinds. Imagine how stressed the little guy was! But sheesh... It took our son (bless him!) two days to help us right the ship "just like it never happened." But I am now convinced... no more dogs for me. It was a painful experience because I just loved Dusty from day one. Live and learn. But I'm happy that he's happy now!

And Then it Jumped Right on the Wall!

 

This is the unintended quilt, and the last finish of 2025. It's titled "Riley's Starry Daydreams", and it's headed for Charlotte on a plane (with me) in the morning. I'd planned to complete quite another quilt project to welcome our first great granddaughter into this world. But instead, this quilt happened. 

It began with a stack of charm squares given to me by a quilting friend. And with a cute, free pattern using charm squares by Pat Sloan called "O My Stars". I'd eyed those squares for several months, and even put a post-it note on them with Pat's pattern name. But there was just one stack of squares, and I needed more to make the design. Our guild treasure sale yielded some fat quarters that went with the 5" squares. Before I knew what was happening, I'd started slicing and cutting, and arranging the pieces on the design wall.

Of course there are several other quilt projects that were waiting in line already. But did that stop this quilt from happening?? NO, it did not. And longarm quilter Deb Johnston happened to have a spot open to quilt this and get it back to me quickly. She quilted a cute star and bubble design.

Does this ever happen in your sewing room? Projects that simply insist on being next and jumping the line? Inexplicable, but I love the quilt and recommend Pat's easy to follow pattern. Try it yourself, it's a quick project, even if a little pushy.

If You Love Textiles...

 

There is a lot to see and love in Ocala, Florida, this December! An exhibit titled "Homemade, Handmade, The Natural: The Transformative Nature of Fiber Art" is on display all month at the Brick City Center for the Arts in downtown. This hanging by Kevin Mierez-Galo features yarn, roving, faux fur and rope combined into "Brown is the Warmest Color II", hung on driftwood. So much inviting texture that it's hard to comply with the "Please do not touch" sign!

"Where Style is a Pleasure" by Stephanie Mutarelli is a humorous take on Publix Supermarket's slogan, "Where Shopping is a Pleasure." She crafted her garment from 8 reusable shopping bags plus a sub wrapper. Would you wear it? I think I might enjoy a runway twirl in it.

My "Homage to Menswear" was accepted into the exhibit. This crazy-quilt style wall hanging was pieced using men's ties, tie labels, and fancy machine stitching. My husband was a banker and he and a coworker contributed old ties to my collection. One tie provides a clue to their careers, while another  features a child's drawing that was featured in UNICEF merchandise some years ago. Can you spot both?

A riot of colorful acrylic yarns combine to make Charlita Whitehead's "Curves of Escape", a rug hooking art piece.

"Timber (Log #1)" is the entry of Charlita Whitehead and Jordan Shapot. It features hand tufted yarn on a handmade wood armature. So creative! And again, it invites touch. But I restrained myself with effort!

"Denim Portrait of a Horse" presents denim in a whole new light! Combined with painting on canvas, this piece was made by Stacie Pedrick. Ocala being "The Horse Capital of the World", it's always fun to see equine art, especially in fabric. There are more fiber items to see in this exhibit and a fun gift shop that features the work of local artists. Many of those items also feature equine art.

And just 10 minutes or so east of downtown, you can find more fiber art on display at the Appleton Musuem of Art. They are featuring the work of Betty Ford-White in an exhibit titled "Under the Cover of Knowledge". Her specialty is Pine Cone quilts- bed coverings or wall art made by stitching concentric rings of folded fabric pieces known as Prairie Points.

Also referred to as Pine Burr, Target, or Cuckle Burr quilts, they reflect a tradition dating back to African American culture in the Carolinas. Made by hand, this style of quilt is heavy! 

One of her quilts, "Betty and Butler Cuckleburr", designed by her husband, features 20 two-dollar bills folded and stitched into the piece. I challenge you to find them when you see the quilt. I couldn't. This exhibit is on through January 2026. And the museum also has a delightful gift shop with unique items.

So, it's a fiber two-fer in the heart of Central Florida. Come visit if you can. If not, I hope you enjoyed this armchair visit! Happy holidays!

You NEED This Field Trip...

 Welcome to Whimzeyland! What is that, you might ask? It's a bit hard to describe, so I'll let the photos do most of the talking. Artists and partners Todd and Kiaralinda have teamed up to create an outdoor art space at their home and studio in Safety Harbor, Florida. They've packed it brimful with a fun, colorful celebration of recycled and upcycled art. Just my kind of place!

Lots of mosaic works on sidewalks, walls, and everywhere. Creativity does indeed run wild. The hours of work that have gone into creating everything here is astonishing to contemplate. And the space has that "curated chaos" feel that might be challenging for anyone who prefers organized, predictable places.

Have some old discs? Suspend them from trees and branches on bead strands.

Blue bottles and whimsical plant spikes are found around every turn.

The venue is also known as "The Bowling Ball" house because of these, the many painted bowling balls that accent the foot paths. I read that this is how it all began- the owners received a large selection of bowling balls for free. They began to paint them, and things grew from there.

Find some new friends as you wander the grounds. And let the creative juices flow as you take in the many ways the most humble of materials have been repurposed. The mobile is crafted from assorted bottle caps. Clever! Cheap!

Do you have any idea what these colorful things might be, or once have been? I'm clueless. But they are imposing and dominate the garden. Let me know if you recognize them.

This dog is clearly barking up the right tree! A closer look at the twirly things on the upper right reveals that they are spiral strips cut from products that come in covered bottles- think coffee creamers and the like. Clever! Cheap!

You can tell from the plant leaves that this eye is no small thing! Another mosaic, it adorns the wall of the guest house next door to the main attraction. Collections of everything have found their way to Whimzeyland on their way to the landfill. Old copper jello molds decorate a kitchen ceiling, mid-century modern ashtrays (atomic age colorful ceramic) accent the wall outside the art studio. Something to delight the eye everywhere you look. A visit here has been on my list for a long time, so I was happy, happy to get there at last. Whimzeyland is free to visit (there is a donation bucket if you'd care to support), or you can arrange private tours for a fee.

Will She Go Round in Circles...

Round and round- I'm so drawn to quilts with circles. This is "Cosmic MoonPies"- a quilt title I like better than Drunkard's Path, which is the name of the curved, pieced block units. Mine began when I cut scraps using acrylic templates, paired the pieces up, and then used them as "leaders and enders" between seams of other quilt projects. The leaders and enders, as you likely know, are great for keeping seam ends from getting sucked into the needle hole and causing thread nests. And they allow for smooth chain piecing, saving time on projects. The bonus is that once they pile up in numbers, you have another entire quilt. Win/Win. Longarmer Debra Johnston quilted this one and used such a pretty swirling motif.

 Of course my eye goes to round things in the environment, too. I find these round bales just so pleasing to look at. It's that time of year here.

And at the Quilt Fest in Jacksonville, FL, this fall, I snapped photo after photo of circle quilts. This is "Star Jet" pieced by Deborah Krajkowski. Her statement explained that she is currently exploring movement in quilts using circular shapes.

"Modern" by Adriane Elwood is simple and so effective. The colors she selected add to the appeal.

"Taking a Shot or Two" is a play on words by Julia Chervoni. She made her quilt using Kaffe Fassett shot cotton (a special type of weave) fabrics in solids and striped.

Pam Everitt combined a scrappy pieced background with extra circles leftover from previous projects in "Orange Peel." Quilters don't let fabric go to waste!

This is "Turnabout" made by quilting friend Linda of Flourishing Palms blog. She appliqued her improv quilt and used Big Stitch for the quilting. So many pleasing curved lines. It received a Judge's Recognition ribbon. Apparently I'm not the only one who loves curved quilt designs. They're everywhere! 

Finest in Fiber Arts, Part 2

 

There was so much to see at the Dunedin Fine Arts Museum's exhibit- four separate displays in one exhibit. This was the sight upon entering the exhibit room for Double Vision: Wendy Bruce + Meg Pierce. Beautiful lighting, airy space, and so much fiber inspiration. The hanging baby dresses were all altered with indigo dyes and shibori techniques. It was enough to make my heart beat just a little faster. 

Altering infant gowns with stitch and dye is something that fiber artists seem to shine at. The delicacy and nostalgia of the gowns and dresses paired with surface design is just so appealing. This one is "Blue Shift" by Meg Pierce.

Also part of this exhibit were some fiber webs and intricate stitchery.  The detail in "The Twelfth Summer" by Wendy Bruce was quite astonishing.

I understand the concept of soluble stabilizer and stitching, but these pieces are definitely next level. There is a coffee filter in "1 A.M." by Wendy Bruce. Can you spot it? I wonder if some of the areas were needle-punched, or are just intensive machine stitching.

Yet another child's white nightie became something special with the indigo dye.

Many of the pieces were displayed as wall art, but the hanging dresses really caught my eye as they twirled with even the slightest movement of air. Better to appreciate the front and the back!

Leaving the gallery room, I traveled down a hallway to view the Deborah Snider: Full Circle exhibit. Deborah makes beautiful use of commercial fabric motifs and figures to create her dynamic quilts. This one is titled "Saints and Sweeties Ride the Range."

I recognized and recalled some, but not all, of the fabric motifs she incorporated into her Mandala style quilts. This one is titled "Color Wheel: Stereotypes" and has a beaded edge. I'll put this annual exhibit on my calendar for next year! It's worth the drive.