Hand-built clay candleholder, Pixie, by Tammy Vitale of Tam’s Originals

Day of surprises.  Went downstairs to maybe wire some of the word tiles I didn’t get to yesterday.  I did finish the fish and pack for Friday’s Creek load in today, but never made it to the word tiles.  Did MaryKay and mailed orders out.  Made the saying painting commission.  Talked to a firend I haven’t talked to in a long time for an hour and a half.  But I’m off track.  I went downstairs to do some wiring and wound up putting together a kiln load and turning on the kiln.  Two torsos take up one side.  I can carefully get half shelves opposite.  As it turns out, I had exactly enough for a very full load opposite the torsos.  So I have started the day out productively.

I have been thinking about how I am not much browsing the web lately and how I used to.  I have kept on my desktop an article on quilts so I went looking this morning (after starting the kiln load) for my article on the Gees Bend Quilters to reference and along the way found a lot of interesting articles that I’ve written and stuck in the "Doesn’t fit Anywhere" file (I love the:  wow, did I write that? that I get sometimes from reading odd bits and pieces I’ve written over the years, not just here.  This morning was no different).  I have an intention of evenutally listing all my writing so I can reference things quickly.  But that sort of goes along with not browsing much lately.  I have, instead, been spending time in the studio.  It seems to be one or the other.  By the time I’m out of the studio, I’m ready to veg and play Pyramids until I fall asleep in my chair.  At any rate, I found the Gees Bend Quilters and it was in a post called "What is Art Anyways?" which sort of fits a strand of discussion on a new art board I joined:  World Wide Women Artists.  I finally figured out how to post there since software snafus had kept me from doing so (it was easy, I’m just afraid of technology).

So here’s the article that sent me in search of Gee’s Bend from Art Daily:  Quilters of Color Network of New York.  "The Fuller Craft Museum prsents the exhibit Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Roun’:  … through November 26…by the men and women of the Quilters of Color Network of New York….[the show] features traditional and contemporary designs by fifteen artists based in the greater New York City area.  The quilts on exhibit cover a wide range of techniques, including hand and machine quilting, embroidery, surface design and beading.  Many of the quilts are narrative and reflect the cultural and political history of the quilters…"

I’m a big fan of quilts.  Including the kind that are just made to snuggle under when the air turns crisp and snappy (like last night).  There is absolutely nothing in the world better than snuggling under a warm quilt with only your nose in the cooler room air.

Speaking of quilts, Grandson, now just under 4.5, is finally taking interest in the one I made him that includes clothing pieces from me, Husband, his Mom and Dad, his uncle (Son) and his other Grandmother, and my father, as well as pieces of cloth from my own mother’s sewing bag (none of her clothes since she died almost 25 years before he was born).  Daughter’s quilt, at last inspection, is truely showing it’s age despite having been almost remade about 4 years ago.  It is 27 years old and yes she still sleeps under it every night.

thought for the day:  Tomato Sandwich:  the most important thing, obviously is the tomato.  It needs to be ripe and grown close by; it shouldn’t be from a supermarket, or there’s no real point to the sandwich.  It’s best if it has a bit of that odd dry-tomato-stem smell on it, from the garden.  O:  Oprah Magazine, July 2006