Rubies and Rhinestones: Inspiration Abounds!

(Salem, Oregon? I think NOT!)

Hi Friend,

Hard to believe, but it's snowing in Salem, Oregon...

that doesn't happen every day!

Actually, maybe several times a winter we may have a few flurries, or a few inches, but the possibility is there that there could be a few more inches coming tonight/tomorrow.

So, in the last week, since i was here, I've been very busy...I finished up a newsletter for the quilt guild I belong to, 'babysat' for my daughter, and son-in-law (their two grown Labs, Kona and Tucker), over the weekend, hosted my quilting group for a 'Jammie and Movie' night (Doris Day!!--we also had show and tell of our ongoing quilting projects),

(book photos from Amazon)

AND I
took 3 classes!

Last Wednesday, author of 'Skinny Quilts & Tablerunners', and volume 2 of the same-titled book, Eleanor Levie, was a guest at Greenbaum's Quilted Forest, here in Salem. The topic of the class was 'Weave a Skinny Tablerunner.'

What a fun, encouraging woman Eleanor is!

She affirmed everyone's choices of fabric and design in the class, and gave us input on the artistry of each tablerunner, using classic Design Principles. I hope I get to hear her speak sometime (and maybe take another class!)

It was SO much fun! I began work on a pink and green 'lovefest', which makes me think of SPRING (especially now that there's snow on the ground!). The variety of the colors that 14 people chose was astounding. There were a couple with similar colors, but then, the fabrics and ribbon (even rick-rack!) they chose were quite different.

Class #2 happened on Saturday afternoon at Stampin' Cat Studios (a favorite haunt!), also here in Salem. It was 'Soul Collage' with Glenda Goodrich, and that was quite fascinating as well.

There was a group of 9, none of whom had any experience with the technique; but surprisingly, we were able to go deep into the meaning of the collage cards we made; trusting one another, because through various past class work, we were all interrelated.

Soul Collage involves getting to know yourself better through the making of 5" x 8" cards which are collaged with various images that a person is drawn to. There is no rhyme or reason to it...in fact we were told to 'invite our inner critic to take a nap, because she wouldn't be needed!'

It's a right-brained class tapping into our instincts, using meditation, quietness, prayer.

very cool (and also surprising what our right-brain knows about ourselves!)

(Jami and Dayna examine fabric posibilities)

Sunday, one more class which BEGGED to be taken, was 'Prayer Flags,' taught by Jami Moffett, at Stampin' Cat Studios. There were only 3 of us in the class, but we had so much fun, and although it was a 2-hour class, our appetite was whetted/whet (?!) for more!

Of course, once you see the fabrics laid out, and the 'goodies galore,' how can ANYONE not want to make prayer flags?

Okay, you may wonder what
Prayer Flags
are...

In Tibetan or Buddhist beliefs

scraps of fabric are strung together with

meaning, words, quotations, and/or symbols
printed, painted, added to each.

As they are hung outside for the elements to
'weather' and slowly unravel, the words/prayers written on the flags are carried
off into the world.

I love the image of this.

I'm not Tibetan, nor Buddhist.

I'm a Christian, but it's meaingful to pray for others, rejoicing when they're happy, and sorrowing when they hurt. I decided to make my flags to hang in my studio, over the window, as Art, and as Inspiration to pray.

While Jami was introducing the idea of Prayer Flags to us with photos, and inspiration, I doodled a few words which came to mind: Love, Create, Tend, Nurture, and others, ending up with 8 total.

(Nancy experiments with layout)

As I talked Jami afterwards, I told her I wasn't sure I could eliminate a word or two, so I would have an odd number. She suggested I make 8--a flag for each word. So, we got to work, and in the time left (it was only two hours!), I was able to start hand-stitching a couple flags.

(Iridescent silk and hand-stitched copper bells)

Oh, my hand-stitching is so ('sew'!) PATHETIC, and i know it, but hey! I imagined my words going out onto the wind, and tried not to stress out about it--to just 'let it go....'

I was enchanted with the silks, satins, sequins, and bright cottons which Jami had gleaned from old clothing.

How can a quilter NOT go WACKO?!!

(add a little pocket of green...)

Dayna and Nancy spent more time on layout, and I just wanted to sew! I made a pocket on one flag, using a sleeve, folded in half, and stitched down, imagining a place for a Charlotte doll (or strips of paper with names of people I love who I could pray for).

(here are Dayna's laid out)

(close up of Dayna's flags-beautiful lace)

Later on, I'll be able to stamp words or names onto each flag to add more interest, and meaning to each. I also plan to put lace and buttons and a few embellishments on as well.