Extra Sesamoids?????

So I go to my podiatrist's office today because I've been limping for a few weeks...okay so it's really been a month and a half. The nurse asks me to put on the dreaded lead "apron" (more like a brick coat) and to step onto the x-ray machine. Did you know that podiatrist have their own x-ray contraptions? Anyway, I digress. After I twist my foot this way and that for all the different angles they needed to diagnose my problem, I settle in my room and wait for the Doc. She comes in, intoduces herself and proceeds to squeeze the beejeezuz out my hand to give me one of the strongest handshakes I've ever had. Now I need to go see another doctor about the pain in my hand!

Doc presses and prods my foot then looks at my x-rays. She is blown away! Apparently I have a really rare condition...extra sesamoid bones on ALL of my little toes-ies, something she's only ever seen during her clinical work. Most people just have them on their big toe but, lucky me, I have two of them on all five toes, on each foot no less. She explains that although it is a rare condition it should not be a problematic condition. She then tries to fit me for inserts and adds pads that she fashions herself, cutting these cushiony soft supports to fit the ball of my foot.

Next it's onto a little bit of papier mache casting of the feet. I'm told to lie down on the examination table face down and the nurse massages (yes, I said massages) a cast-like substance onto each foot thereby creating cute little impressions of my long and slender feet. I'm not kidding, the nurse oohed and ahhed at how "slim" my size 9 feet were!!! Nothing but the genes kid, nothing but the genes (although I could have done without the butt I inherited on my backside. I call that HERITAGE now).

Long story short I now have to wear othopedic inserts in all my shoes---no more heels (not that I wore them much anyway), no more flip flops (which I just discovered how to wear only a few months ago with help from my teenaged daughter who laughed incredulously when she found out that bit of info) and no more slip-ons. What is a girl to do? Obey doctor's orders and wear those sneakers that's what, especially since we are headed "across the pond" to England to visit the in-laws for a few weeks. Notice here no in-law jokes what-so-ever...father-in-law (luv ya Ron) might be reading this sometime.

With all that said, I decided to take sick leave when I got back home. Haven't been in the studio today...I know, I know, how will I produce art if I don't even set hurting foot in the room? Tomorrow is another day...and I'm in there early in the a.m. as usual. With my aching foot I'll...

See ya next time "In the Hayloft",

Working with Line and Shape

First a little background on an Art/Crit Group I belong to. There are five of us; Judy, DeLane, Jean, Christine and myself, who meet once a month to crit each other's work and work on any new techniques one of us might be interested in. One of the things we decided to do after each session was try to create piece of quilted art out of the small samples we produced.

At Judy's house we had a fantastic session the other day (okay...so it was a few weeks ago), where she has us working from Katie Pasquini's book "Colour and Composition for the Creative Quilter", in particular, the Line and Shape chapter. Following the directions in the book we proceeded to produce six pieces, four of them in black and white only.

Our first piece we had to use linear lengths cut from a fused black fabric which was then subcut into different widths. There were no restictions on how long or short each shape had to be but you had to choose one of the compositional arrangements from the "Nine-Patch of Composition" suggested in the book. I came up with the piece at left.

It was extrememly hard at first to think of what to do and I just sat there for a long time waiting for something to come to me. The pieces I design are usually not so off the cuff and therefore it takes a little longer for me to produce a finished piece. That's one of the reasons this particular session was so good for all of us...more of a don't think, JUST DO kind of mentality. Something I want to do more of in my work.

Working with fused fabric helped because you didn't have to think about how you were to get it onto the background. There were some anxious moments though trying to get the completed piece over to the ironing board to fuse it in place. Minor expletives were uttered by some.

The second piece was to have no lines parallel to the edge of the foundation and have some form of diagonal placement. When I finished this piece I was not overly enamoured with it. Can't place my finger on just why yet. Sorta boring I'm thinking. You can see where a fused black shape that was part of the semi-circle in the lower left was lost in transport somewhere from Judy's house to mine.

The third piece had to be created solely out curved shapes. By this time I was more confident that I could produce something fairly quickly and was really pleased with what I came up with. It was easy to guess my circular composition layout. If you turn it so the large black shapes are on the bottom it looks like a burning fire. Real cool this one.

At this point in the process I was impressed with what could be produced from different lines and shapes. The shapes I used in the composition were not strictly curves (though not the straight linear pieces I was using before) but their placement suggested a curved shape which I think enhanced the design. I learned a lot from this piece in particular.

The last exercise had us combining any or all of the shapes we'd previously cut but using a fourth composition layout. I wanted to make use of an asymmetrical composition with a negative space without creating unbalance or tension. The heavier shapes at the top add the needed balance (or anchor) to the whole piece that the bottom doesn't have. I also noticed that the curved shape in the lower right and the thinner strips in the bottom center helped to balance the piece as a whole, as well as creating movement, so your eye goes to the negative space and back up to the undulating thick strips. This in turn moves your eye around again. Pleased as punch you could say I am.

Here is a preview of everyones pieces. I think we all did a slam-up job...now to put it into a quilted piece...mmmmhhhh. The coloured pieces were the second part of the exercises we did composing with shape alone and a focal point. these we chose not to include in our finished black and white study. I'll post those as soon as everyone gets them to me.


Jean's and Judy's work


Christine's and DeLane's work


See ya 'In the Hayloft',

Quilt Olympics Event

It been a long two weeks and I'm still trying to catch up on paperwork and have yet to finish the couple of piece I've been working on. Will post those in a few.

Last night I presented a different program to one of the guilds I belong to. We had a QUILT OLYMPICS event where teams compete against each other for prizes. The game I started at the beginning of the meeting was GOTCHA! In this game there is a forbidden word and anyone who says it has to give up one of the 6 pins they started the night with. It was hilarious because there was a lot of bleeping going on...that is, when they remembered to bleep themselves. As the night went on I added more forbidden words. Bet you can't guess what the original word was...QUILT (or any derivative of it).

At the beginning of the program I had everyone recite the Quilt Olympics Pledge. Check out the solemnity of the occasion with all their right hands raised. Such dedication! One of the things I had them promise, other than to do their utmost best for their fellow team members, was to never pass up an opportunity to buy more fabric. No one seemed to object to that bit...wonder why?


Couple of the events included Frog Stitching...every quilter's favorite thing to do (NOT! ) and Thimble Toss...look at those ladies run! Check out one of the team members helping the thimble into the cup. Priceless!
Team 4 trying to name the 36 blocks I had given them

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We had so much fun laughing and enjoying ourselves I'm thinking we will have to do this again.

See ya next time "In the Hayloft",

Mistake Alert!!!

So sorry Susan about the weird redirect. That link sent everyone to a site in Bangkok...how I did that I don't know. The correct site is www.bluemoonriver.com. Anyway, you'll love her work.

See ya next time "In the Hayloft",

Finally Done...Yeh!

Been trying to catch up with paperwork and do get some studio time to finish up some pieces but with kids out of school interuptions abound. Connor, my six year old, just wants to go shopping for Pokemon cards. Will have to indulge him soon to get some peace. Thinking of making a DO NOT DISTURB sign with a timer for my studio door just for these "special" interruptions.


My first child, Andrew, graduated from high school this past Sunday and that was a lovely feeling to experience since it almost didn't happen. As late as two weeks ago he came to me to prepare me for the fact tha he might not graduate but things worked out in the end, thank goodness gracious.


I finally finished an applique piece I had been working on for the past few months. I know, I know...it is small so why did it take so long? It's hand applique people! I just started getting into it so the going's a bit slow...machine work has always been my speed (vroom, vroom).


This one and the other one below are an applique design a friend, Susan Knapp, wanted me to test for her. She did hers all in pink batiks. I told her I'd do four of them but so far have only got 2 of them completely finished. Not bad for a newbie to hand applique, huh? Now for the quilting...hmmm.

See you in the Hayloft,

The Start of a Something Good

Welcome to ME!

I've always wanted to write down my musings but the thought of a diary was just too much for me, hence a blog to let you know about me, my art and the happenings in my life.

I started quilting a long long time ago and, from the very beginning it seems, was designing my own quilts. In the last five years I got real interested in art quilts and love the freedom it gives me, I do what I want and so much for all the rules. I belong to a couple of art groups that has me reaching beyond my own expectations and it is exhilirating. I still teach at a local qult shop and am now trying to publish my own patterns so look for them from my company RedBarn Studios.

That's all for now. Just a quick heads-up, when I get into a real creative groove or, as is usual with all of us, life gets in the way I'll try to post often but be aware and keep checking back.

See ya next time 'In The Hayloft'.