needle+thread=calmness

I wish I could get to London to see the new V&A exhibit. The V&A will present its first ever exhibition of British quilts, with examples dating from 1700 to the present day!

This exhibit is timely as quilts and quilting fabrics seem to be taking on a life of their own. As a child I always watched my grandma quilt. She made quilts for the bed and to hang on the wall. One of my favorite quilts of hers is one where she printed photos of the family onto swatches of fabric and quilted the family into the quilt....a family tree quilt! What I love most about this quilt is all the little details that she has sewn onto it....a button from an old dress and jewelry from the past. A special quilt indeed. (I wish I had a photograph to post with this.)

It seems like over the past 10 years there has been a surge of younger artists beginning to quilt. Along with this has come a wave of designers creating quilting fabrics with edgy designs and bold colors. Quilting fabrics these days are not just used for quilts but for clothing as well. I wrote about my friend Josephine Kimberling last month. She is a great example of one of the new designers out there creating great quilting fabrics with bold and bright colors. A few others that I like are Amy Butler, Heather Bailey and Anna Maria Horner.
Why has quilting seen this surge of popularity? Is it because of the "handmade movement". Or is it the economy and the time we live in?

I grew up sewing. My grandma who was quilting was also teaching me to sew clothes for my Barbi's. I have always enjoyed sewing. There is a calmness that settles with me-much like how I feel when I am painting. Is this why other people sew? To take a break from the ciaos and focus on a needle and thread? Why do you sew? I really wan to know. Grandma-why did you start quilting?

gotta love it!

I want this!

photo from alaskan eyes

Upcoming Events

I have added a new feature to the blog (look at the right hand side of the page): Upcoming Events. You can now keep tabs on where I will be! Notice on March 28 I will be participating in the annual international festival at the American International School of Budapest. Stay tuned for more info...

Loving Lavender

Back in December I worked on a fun project for my friend Catherine. She and her husband were giving the gift of lavender for the holidays. They harvested the lavender from their farm and had lotion, oil and soap made. She had seen my notebook s and loved them. She had the idea of including notebooks in with the lavender baskets. Everything was going to be pulled together with the packaging...all done by me!

It was a great project for a number of reasons. First, Catherine and I think the same, we have the same taste and get excited over the same little things....like matching purple ribbon and small bits of apple green on the labels! So it was fun to collaborate with her on the designs. Second, I have never done labels for a project like this and am really happy with how they turned out. They are completely my style. Which means it was easy to work on. The ideas came quickly and naturally. I love when I can work on a project and the idea doesn't feel forced.

Bath Oil and Body Lotion

close up of labelsnotebooksWhat do you think?

escaping the city: a weekend in csákberény

A retreat to the countryside is always good for the heart and mind. I took no computer, we had no TV (although we don't own one anyway) and had a cottage full of inspiring designer books & magazines and two sketchbooks. Did I mention the view? Rolling hills and vineyards...absolutely beautiful! A weekend recap...

warm fire

yummy homemade soup (nagyon finom!)
bike ride through town
walk through the vineyards
delicious local white wine
read, read and read
sketch ideas
take a nap
take a hot bath with lots of candles
dinner with dear friends
play with snoopy the dog
fantasize about owning our own cottage someday

Csákberény

Kis Alma Haz (Little Apple House)Inspiration and sketchingInspiration can be found all around the houseHomemade goodiesInspiring & productive weekend!

Thank you to our dear friends for letting us escape to their cottage for the weekend. It was a wonderfully relaxing time.

happily buried in creative work

I got so many emails from the last post. Thank you to everyone!! I am working on a few more projects that I am very excited to talk about....but I need to wait a bit longer. Call me superstitious but I don't want to say too much too soon. Sometimes things fall through...you just never know. Lets just say it is a big project and if all goes well I will be spilling everything in May! (I am jumping up and down right now:)

I have been drawing more the past two months than I can ever remember. It feels really good.
Do you recognize the ink drawing below? It is the beginnings of what became "Secret Garden" for Alluminare.
I am so excited to be heading to the countryside this weekend with Steven. We are going to get to have dinner with one of my dearest friends and stay in one of her cottages. I blogged about this special place here and here. I am looking forward to bike rides, long walks and wine next to the fireplace and being computer free. Just sketchbook and paints:) I suspect I will have some very good photos on Monday. Until then, cheers and Happy Thursday!

one cat out of the bag...alluminare!

One of my big projects is finally up and public! I am a new designer for Alluminare! Alluminare is an online lighting, wallpaper, pillow, and fabric by the yard company. Once you find a pattern you like, you can change the colors to match your taste and needs. Cool concept, hugh? Well I have submitted three designs and I am really happy with how they have turned out.

Click on the below image to take you to my page.

Below are my three designs and some items I made on the website. I had so much fun recoloring and seeing the design on lamps, wallpaper and cushions!

"Retro Bloom"
Pendant lamp with Retro Bloom in purples

"Moroccan Medallion"

Moroccan Medallion recolored in browns and blue and sized to wallpaper.
"Secret Garden"Secret Garden recolored in greens and seen as wallpaper.
Secret Garden recolored for cushions!