Inspiring - Inventive -Indianpolis

We went to the IMA yesterday to see this show. It was SO good. Lots of designers I don't know and some from the usual suspects :Gaultier, Versace, Dolce Gabanna, Vivienne Westwood. This demin dress was my very favorite thing. I was plesantly surprised at the amount of repurposed fabrics turned into dresses and suits. The denim is all recycled. As for the rest of the museum, the girls wanted to start on the third floor - Contemporary Art and work our way down thru Asian and African on level two, then European and American on level one. Courtney was DONE by the time we got to European Decorative Arts. She practically ran thru that gallery. Neither one of the girls much cares for contemporary stuff. They caught me studying a 4' periwinkle square canvas and had a fit. But really, they love a musuem and a book store, so I can't complain too much. Speaking of book stores, we visited the museum gift shop and they had loads of books. I looked at the Allison Willouby skirt book and was impressed! She's like a sister, y'know - An Interweave Press sister, that is.

The last dress here has a paper skirt. We had such a great day.

Today, Whit had a date at 8:45 am - Conner took her to run the Habitat for Humanity 5K in Bloomington. Last night I dreamed she beat him by 10 minutes. They ran together in real life today. I guess he's okay as a first boyfriend. I had to get in 8 miles today. I did it and then was ruined for the rest of the day. Too tired to get any good work done in the studio. I felt like I would have wrecked stuff instead of making good progress. I'll get some things tonight that I can continue on tomorrow. Back to school on Monday, for something like 7 weeks. It will fly. The girls have track meets, I have the Big Elementary Art Show, Chicago and training for the Mini, which is only 5 weeks away.

Happy Spring Break!

1. We are watching the most frightening show on TV - JOHN AND KATE PLUS EIGHT. Why doesn't this show have one of those viewer warnings at the beginning? Something like:

The following program contains graphic images of a control freak mom, her Swiffer and her brood of eight in various stages of potty training. Scenes featuring the dad may incite rage in otherwise calm individuals. Viewer discretion is advised.

Tonight they went to the Crayola factory. They went to the hands on part of the factory where the kids could make projects with Crayola crayons, markers, clay and stuff. Kate told them they could only do crayon things. No markers or paint or other "crazy" stuff. She told those tiny littles that they had better not get anything on their clothes. Whoo hoo - fun mommy.

And the dad? Not exactly a ball of fire, that one.

2. It has been snowing on and off for the last two days. Winter backlash.

3. Got the Studio Ish of CPS today. Kim Sherrod has a lovely article in there. And I live in Indianapolis.

4. Went to Bloomington today. Hobby Lobby has HPP and I needed to get a couple of things for some step outs for The Book. The girls found a few spring tops at the mall - all cute and on sale.

5. The latest Courtneyism- we were at Burger King and she was reading her cup. It has a long essay on the back about the wonders of choosing your own drink, blah, blah, blah. I heard her say "top secret fascination" . What?

She was reading a sentence that says something about..." you can have your top securely fastened or go without a lid..." .

6. The Book is on Amazon. It's real. It's happening. Cheryl and I have not been on the premier episode of "Punk'd: Mixed Media Style".

7. Yesterday, I tried to read a book for fun. The Secret Life of Bees. Could not do it. Creative Writing has eaten the reading-for-fun part of my brain.

8. I have not had a Spring Break Starbucks yet. Maybe tomorrow. The girls are working at the shop the next few days to make some $$ for IU soccer camp. Tomorrow is Big Cleaning Day for me. I have this fantasy that I can get all the step out artwork done by Wednesday afternoon and in the mail. Maybe it's a dare, not a fantasy. Hmm.

9. That is an old picture. I am cold and it is about New Mexico, which sounds warm to me.

Fourteen In Progress

The Series of Fourteen is in full swing and I find myself stealing every odd moment I can to work on them. I was so distracted by the thought of these books lying idle that I got up an hour earlier than I needed to this morning to get a little done on them before church. I snapped this pic when we got home. Creative Writing homework due today, so I have to get that done before I can play books this afternoon. My goal is to have seven of them done this week and then get the other seven and the round display box done over spring break, march 24 - 28. We aren't going on a trip. The girls have soccer a couple of times and Whit has track practice three times - and the Crane sisters do not miss practice. The girls and I are planning a Day of Culture, however. There is a special fashion exhibit on loan from LA at the Indianapolis Museum of Art so we're going there and having lunch at Pannera (Panera?) whichever. And I want to clean and clean. The time to really clean - scrub baseboards, clean out closets, get rid of stuff - that's a real luxury to me. I am in that mood to get rid of all that is unnecessary in my life. Less distraction from the really important things, less to clean or launder, less to dust. My eyes long to see clear, empty space with no disorganized piles scattered here and there.

Just a Question

HOW in the WORLD does ONE innocent little book become a series of FOURTEEN? What is wrong with me? Why can't I leave well enough alone? Do you think I am posessed?

Oh, yeah, and the series of 14 will be displayed in a round fabric box. I had to use a compass and a ruler for that pattern.

Breathing Again

I feel like I'm able to breathe again! I didn't realize how many things I had going on until, one by one, I see them ending. I think The Book is officially written and rewritten and tidied up, thanks to Darlene. We didn't email a single time today. I hope I get to work with her again. Yes, I'm saying that I want to do another book. I loved the entire process! Thinking of projects, making them for the first time ever in the world, writing the instructions; I love that stuff. It was like writing complicated lesson plans. And it's March. The month of Spring, Spring Break, Easter and the beginning of soccer season. And more light. I've missed the sun terribly.

This is the canvas book I'll be teaching at MIU in Chicago. I will be demo-ing these little beauties in Open Studios, too. I'm working on a bunch of variations. That's another thing - I am ON FIRE to make stuff. I designed and made an entire 6 x 6 x 12 fabric box in one day (Saturday) to house my year-long project 6 x 6 quilts. I'll show ya that later.

This is from a couple of weeks ago, I think. This one might be my favorite, so far. It's called "Walt Whitman" because I read something for my creative writing class where the author quoted him and Courtney was studying "Oh Captain" in literature. She informed me that it wasn't about a ship at all. So he was on my mind. "I contain multitudes" is the quote that keeps running thru my brain, like the last song I hear on the radio before I get out of the car at school. Hey, Uncle Walt, leave me alone for a minute, will ya?

I think this is the only finished quilt I haven't shown you yet. That orange, shiny thing in the middle is a leftover hunk of paper fabric -CPS Issue 1-that I made for the True Colors challenge for Chicago. I made a totally orange quilt, very Heatherette inspired. Found out Friday - I'M IN! It was one of the most fun (funnest) things I've made in a long time. It turned out better than I envisioned. I rarely like things I make. I can't show it to you, though. Sorry.

Marching in

Where in the world have I been for the last 2 weeks? Right here. Doing homework of one kind and another. My eyes have been so full of necessary words that I couldn't stomach writing anything I didn't absolutely have to . Here are three of my 6" quilts. The only one I want to talk about is the one on the right.

I know blogdom has been waiting with baited breath for my commentary on the whole Kelvin Sampson circus, so here it is:

I was worried when they hired the guy. He had been in trouble at Oklahoma for the same kind of thing - breaking rules about recruiting. But the university president at the time, Herbert, wanted him, or so I hear, so he got the gig. And big surprise, the cheater cheats. IU has a new pres - McRobbie, an Aussie, strangely enough, who inherited this mess. I think this whole episode proves that women are better equipped to be university presidents and athletic directors than men. Every intelligent woman over the age of twelve knows exactly what the little quilt says - once a cheater, always a cheater.

The ticket on the quilt is from the home game right after the allegations came out - Sampson was booed when he came out. I thought it was so hypocritical. Everybody liked him fine a week before and they knew he was a cheater when he got the job. Why is everybody actin' so high and mighty now? Hoosiers - what are you gonna do?

Cheryl and I have been eyeball deep in edits for the book, and I must say it's coming together very nicely, thanks to out wonderful editor, Darlene D'agostino. She has facilitated a great dialogue between the two of us in the book. It sounds like us talking on the phone or emails.

I'll be back at MIU this year and Open Studios at the Chicago Quilt Show. Can't wait. I had so much fun last year! I will be posting the projects I'll be demoing in the next week. Check out the CPS website for more details on Chigaco. I have dreamed about shopping for fabric in that incredible place all year! There was one fabric covered in tiny Eiffel towers that I was too tight to buy last year and I have kicked myself daily for it. This year, I throw caution to the wind...for a day or two, anyway.

Cheryl and I will be teaching at Random Arts in Saluda, NC May 30 and 31. I can absolutely promise you will laugh alot and make some fun projects. I cannot wait to Cheryl again in person and celebrate finishing The Book! Join us!

Yesterday, the girls and I ran a 10k - only 6.2miles, but 10 sounds so much better. Courtney smoked it in 48:15, Whit had a 53:11 and me...? Friday night Courtney was talking about her goal for the race. She wanted a 48 or under. She said to me, "You don't really have a goal for it, do you mom?" I informed her that I did indeed have a goal - to finish vertically. It's slow and it's ugly, but I did it. Today, she started hounding me about working harder to get faster.