The sewing machine joins what the scissors have cut asunder, plus whatever else comes in its path.  ~Mason Cooley

Adding to that thought…whatever I placed on the living room carpet, Bibby made sure to make a mess of:

As soon as I walked out of the room, she would do her little gremlin mischief….wish I could have caught her in the act.

But in the end, despite her entertaining disruptions, I was able to sew together this quilt:

It’s a large double,  in size.  I’m considering borders, making it large enough for a queen-sized bed.  If you remember, this quilt is a collaboration between members of my Running with Scissors group.    Ebay has a charity auction site, and will send the proceeds from a raffle directly to an organization of our choice….I hope to use this service and auction off this quilt.

But first, I’m still pondering, maybe a large red and white zigzag border (think huge rickrack) going around the edge.  I’m kind of liking that idea….hmmmmm…..And then, we need to get it quilted professionally because it’s so large…and we are not the hand quilting types!

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

But a little gold and glitter in the middle of February is more than welcome….

Last Sunday Feb 12, 2012  (2-12-2012) was a serendipitous date for 212 Art Center.  The occasion was marked with a party….the “Arti Gras”!   We enjoyed great food, danced, and appropriately acted silly….I came home with beads!  (No flashing required!)

Many came embellished:

And most of us took advantage of the photo booth filled with props:

Or had our face painted:

We learned to two-step to the beat of  Cajun music…and had jambalaya, sushi and other delicious morsels.

Two Twelve Art Center is a community, a village of like-minded souls.  And on this night we celebrated this community, the friendships and the generous spirit that is the heart of Two Twelve Arts.

I worked with my Running with Scissors group, a day of picking Kat’s brain, and being inspired by her creative mind.  She has made a series of art quilts called “Secret Life Quilts”.  They ooze with the sensibilities, personality and humor of my friend, Kat.  I have a smile from the heart when I see these quilts.  I think the group felt the same and wanted to have a go at trying out Kat’s idea.  So we all made our own Secret Life quilt.

Many many piles of fabric, all willing to share what they had:

Took and Ruth working away:

Jane’s black cat quilt was my absolute favorite:

There’s Leann….undoubtedly cooking up some trouble….with Barb out of the photo, but you can see her shark jumping out of the water:

Well, maybe Johanna’s pipe smoking dog is my favorite:

And here is my lady, who has a hibiscus in her hair and is ready to fly away from snow, and winter, and ice for sandy beaches and palm trees…..

Thank you Kat, I have learned so much from you…today and every other day, you are a light!.  And RWS friends…you are all wonderful,  creative friends and inspirations!

You can see many of Kat’s Secret Life quilts on her blog, here.

The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to.  ~F. Scott Fitzgerald

Sleeplessness is a desert without vegetation or inhabitants.  ~Jessamyn West

That was me, Friday night….I like to get up early.  But 3AM…really???  Thinking a nap on Saturday afternoon would help, I indulged in two hours of blissful rest.  But Saturday evening, do you think I could fall asleep ….no, another night of restlessness.  Jeff has a terrible cold,  he had a rough night…which might have something to do with my sleepless night. 

Over the weekend we had a little party for Mom.  She was so happy to have all her peeps celebrating with her, and especially her two great-grandchildren.  One of her best gifts was news from my nephew, Ron and his wife Courtney.  They are expecting another baby in September.

I am also taking her to the Detroit Institute of Arts this weekend…her birthday celebration continues!  We will see “Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus”.    Then in March, we are taking a watercolor class together…yup, my 80-year-old momma and I.

Natalie will have a “brudder or sista”….in 7 months!

(Note to self:  Buy some birthday candles!)

Colton will have a new cousin!

Colton thought Marlo might have some hidden art talent, so we helped her paint…..one thing I do know:  Marlo is the Queen of Forbearance!

And I did make one “something” this week.  A shadowbox,  all jazzed up with my favorite photo of mom.  She loved it.

“Young at Heart”…that’s my mom’s spirit, even if the body sometimes doesn’t want to coöperate!

It takes a long time to grow young. — Pablo Picasso

“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.” – William Shakespeare

Today you are about 29,332 days old. Now 80 doesn’t sound so bad does it.
~Unknown Author

Youth is the gift of nature, but age is the work of art. — Garson Kanin

Happy 80th Birthday, MOM!!!!!

The highlight of February’s  First Friday in Northville is the opening of the “6th Annual Members Show” at the Art House.

Joan is the manager of the Art House, and puts so much energy and passion into the House….but she and her crew pulled out all the stops with this wonderful exhibit.  I asked Joan where her art was…she sheepishly grinned and said “I took mine down to make room for everyone else”.  The Northville area’s filled with talented artists producing quality work.

My friends know that any photos I take will be blob fodder, so I’ve included some photos of their work…but you are just going to have to go see the rest of the show yourself!  Hurry…the last day is February 18.

Here’s Joan with Jeff in front of his art piece, Formation.

I love Janice’s collaged fiber pieces:

Peggy’s bold use of color is one of the elements I love about her paintings:

…along with a joie de vivre emanating from her work…

Leann  left before I could photograph her with her work…..she continues her assemblages inspired by voodoo culture.  I own several of Leann’s doll, and love her unique style:

Leann has started a new series about  music….

And I dressed to match my rooster…

Go check out the show….!

Hello!  What a day, sunny and the mid 50’s…..

Satisfying to look out the window today….mostly….

I’ve been knitting…..but don’t ask what I’ve been knitting, ask “how” I’m knitting!

We’re taught, here in the US, to hold the feeding length of yarn in the right hand.  To knit one must drop the right needle and “throw” the yarn over the other needle.  But using  the European or “continental” technique, one holds the yarn in the left hand…no “throwing” involved…one slick motion.  Almost like crochet.  I have wanted to learn this technique FOREVER!  It just took YouTube to finally get me there.  She’s a very patient teacher, doesn’t mind demonstrating….over and over… basic instructions.

It feels so smooth to knit this way…it must be easier on arthritic fingers.  The option to change from one technique to the other is beneficial when knitting for long periods.

I still need practice….I don’t have speed or a loose tension yet, and  I still have to remember to breath when I’m knitting this way!  That will come in due time, after I have a new stash of dish cloths.

I feel like I want to frame this little dishcloth!   Learning something new is quite gratifying!

Here is the YouTube video I found most helpful:

Learn Something New!

The only way to have a friend is to be one.   -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bibbs chose Marlo to be her friend, from the very first day we had her.     When we were driving home, after picking her up at the shelter, she was in a carrier on my lap meowing and carrying on something terrible.  But the minute I put her in the back seat, next to Marlo she was content and even started purring.  Its been that way ever since. 

Marlo, on the other hand, refuses to return any affection.  She snubs her, tolerates her.  But Bibby is perfectly okay with their level of friendship and cherishes Marlo’s companionship. 

“I don’t like those, they are too tasty!”

While giving me a tour of their soon to be home, and his mom calls him because its time to leave:

“Can’t you see were talking here!”

I’m reading him a dinosaur story book, and he sees one of those flying bird dinosaurs:

“That’s a pterodactyl, a flying reptile.”  

We are talking about dinosaurs, and I ask him if he would like me to make him a dinosaur quilt…

“Yes, and we can make a fort with it.  Let’s do it right now, can we use this chair, Grandma?”

After refusing to give his Aunt Steph a hug and kiss goodbye, I ask him why he won’t:

“Because I’m too dirty, I need a bath to get nice and shiny again.”

Going down the basement steps with a flashlight in his hand, and Marlo, our dog, is following him:

Don’t worry Marlo, I’m your protector, I have a light.”

Caught during a stream of talk, going from one subject to another without a pause:

“I want a baby, Grandma.  A real baby, not a fake one.”

After his dad warns him not to do something.  His mom had just explained to him, a day or two before, that dad isn’t yelling at him… he just has a big strong voice that can, evidently, be a little scary:

“Daddy, we’ve talked about your voice before!”

If he said this once, he has said it a hundred times:

“I can do it myself!”

While him and I are sitting on the floor, putting together a puzzle, he looks at me with a big smile and says:

“Grandma, this is so fun. I love doing puzzles with you.”