Post by Honeylioness on Feb 16, 2010 14:53:17 GMT -5
To: Anne G
Date: Tue, Feb 16, 2010 09:26 AM
Subject: Gerald Roy Exhibition
Anne,
Thank you so much for sending me the notice about Gerald's show in Boston this past weekend. I have am hosting a young lady (Anne) from eastern Germany this year while she attends Lowell High - and recently she starting asking more questions about this
"quilting" thing I seem to spend so much time on. In her part of the world it is still a little known art or craft form.
So Saturday afternoon we drove into Cambridge and took the T into Boston - the gallery was an easy walk from the Boston Common, and as the building is the only blue one in a sea of brick on it's street you can't miss it.
Anne liked the exhibit very much and was surprised at how colors she would normally dismiss as "ughhh" she found herself liking when put together in certain ways. She has been to Africa several times and found some of Gerald's "Fugue" series quilts very similar in feel to African art and patterns she had seen there. While not a
large group in attendance for the talk, and I think I was the only other quilter in the room - it was great to hear how another quilter finds their inspiration and to hear them talk about their process and methods .
Not only did I come away from the afternoon with a couple of great new tips for working through the design process and a fresh perspective on using older textiles and odd pieces, but I felt a bit more energized creatively - something I have been struggling
with lately.
Overall it was a lovely day I got to spend with Anne. Thank you again for letting me know about the showing.
~Melissa Dawson
p.s. I have attached a couple of pictures of Gerald during his talk and one of my "daughter" Anne.
******************************
Honeylioness - 02/16/10 08:54 AM
I hope all those who had yesterday off enjoyed their long weekend - and for those who had to work I hope the day was an easy one.
Saturday I took Anne into Boston for a gallery talk by a local quilt maker and collector. Even though the group was a small one and she was definitely the youngest person in the room by at least three decade she seemed to enjoy seeing the art and listening to how an artist goes about his specific creative process. A visit to the large bookstore downtown - thank you gift cards! - and we capped the day with Chinese Food.
I cooked a special brunch for us on Sunday with her new favorite food - cinnamon rolls - and afterward she presented me with a heart shaped box of chocolates from my favorite West Coast firm. And told me how much she appreciated all I did for her and how glad she was that I was her "mom" for the year.
AHhhhhhhhhh - just when you want to strangle them, teenagers have a way of worming their way back into your heart.
Then MORE good news - I was checking my bank accounts online and what did I see?
My IRS Refund!!!! <*Insert happy happy joy joy dance here*> It only took them eight days from the time I filed to deposit the money. Oh joy, I can breathe again now that my savings is healthy once more - AND I have the money for pay for my annual quilt vacation.
And speaking of quilts - I finished the embellishments on my peacock quilt Saturday afternoon, ironed and basted it for quilting on Sunday, and yesterday was in my studio by 9:00 am. I told Anne I was going to spend an entire day sewing - and I did. I actually FINISHED quilting the peacock and background! Just have to lattice quilt the borders and I can add the binding, sleeve and do the final hand work border on the peacock.
I have been considering .... but friends say I have to change that to I WILL .... be entering this quilt into the show at VQF. I am nervous as hell even typing that. I have never entered any of my quilts in anything other than my own small guild shows before. I can hear that voice in my head saying it is not good enough - but perhaps I just need to bite the bullet and DO it anyways.
Anywho .... that's enough rambling from me for the moment.
*********************************
So I have been thinking a lot the last few days about my decision to enter my Accidental Peacock into the Vermont Quilt Festival Show. And while I am saying that I will be entering it - that doesn't mean I don't still have some major reservations.
I am honestly not sure what makes me the most skittish - hearing people say bad things about it or simply overlook it all together at the show. Or having to deal graciously with positive comments and attention. And as much as I tell myself that the judges comments really should not matter that much, after all it is just their opinion and perhaps my style is the opposite of theirs, it does make me nervous knowing I will get judges comments back.
On the other hand I have seen some of the other quilts that have hung at VQF over the years, and I am ashamed to say that some have made me scratch my head and wonder ... "Why?" and others - well, let's just say I do not have the self assurance to have displayed that item if I had made it. I guess it has just been easier to focus on those over the top oh my gosh I could never do that in a hundred years of practice quilts. The ones that leave you standing there with your jaw on your chest..
My mother says that my work show originality and self expression and so of course it is NOT like everyone elses. Maybe that is what has me a bit spooked - the feeling that to judge my quilt is to judge me as a person. Actually, judging anything I make feels that way to me - be it food or fabric.
I wonder if the DSR's newest version will have a section just for us textile junkies and our specific issues.
*********************************
shanendoah - 02/16/10 12:46 PM
honeylioness - I am so jealous of your ability to quilt. Growing up, all of the quilts in our house were made by my Nana. By the time I was old enough to appreciate them and want to learn how, she had to stop due to eyesight and tremors. Now we are slowly losing her to dementia, so I can't even talk to her about it.
nitza19 - 02/16/10 05:13 PM
Honey - re: the quilt contest: DO IT.
SES_Books - 02/16/10 05:37 PM
Honey-[/b]-You better enter your Peacock quilt for judging or some of us will hunt you down and demand an explanation!
The past week without a computer has been horrible. I missed you all so much. I had way too much time to listen to the news and worry about the fragility of Greece and the other PIGS (love that acronym). The concern about the Euro and the world economy, the volatility of the markets and the massive debts this country has and is adding to truly has me concerned. How long can people continue in denial and pass everything on to their great-grandchildren. There will be a day of reckoning that will not be pleasant. I realized that we on this thread focus on very "micro" issues that we can try to control but it seems no one is paying attention to the "macro" issues, just sweeping everything under the rug.
teh mom - 02/16/10 05:46 PM[/u]
Honey-Yarp! It is a wonderful quilt, and an awe inspiring idea and design.
moneysquirrel - 02/16/10 07:02 PM
Honey -[/b]- Enter the Peacock!
Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 02/17/10 06:15 PM
Honey(2) [/b]Over the moon to hear that you'll submit the peacock quilt!!!
Honeylioness - 02/17/10 09:00 PM
Okay ladies - I have been taking to heart the quote startsmart sent me weeks ago - and in that spirit I have compiled some new pictures of my Peacock as he is today - the quilting on the body of the quilt is done - now back to work on the lattice pattern in the border.
Peacock Quilt
s25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/honey36_/Peacock%20Quilt
3catslady - 02/17/10 09:59 PM
Honey; [/b] That worked. Thanks and if you don't put it in a show, I'll come up there and do it for you. It is so beautiful.
teh mom - 02/17/10 10:02 PM
Honey[/b]-the quilt, beautiful, absolutely beautiful! (and you too).
SarahJese - 02/17/10 10:05 PM
Honey [/b]- hope you don't mind but I sneaked (snuck? lol) a peak at it and your Peacock Quilt is beautiful. One of the things about most hand work is that there are small differences in it and yours looks almost too perfect! Definitely enter it and this is from someone who has sewn since age 4.
startsmart - 02/17/10 11:15 PM
honey[/b] - you. must. enter. this. quilt! If I had the funds I would hire you to make me a quilt since I have neither sewing skills nor the inclination to poke myself repeatedly with needles. It's not winning that's important here - although they'd be stark raving lunatics not to choose you to confer the blue ribbon - it's showing others the talent that you have hidden away. Listen carefully, this is not bragging. This is not showing off. This is sharing your gift.
SES_Books - 02/17/10 11:28 PM
Honey[/b]-- you refer to your peacock as a quilt. That is not a quilt, it is a piece of textile art. Once you are awarded the GRAND PRIZE of all prizes it will be displayed with the Bayeaux Tapestry, correct? Will it be on a nationwide tour before going to Normandy?
ETA: Sharing this work of art is not being boastful, not sharing it would be a case of false pride which is far more grievous than boasting.
moneysquirrel - 02/17/10 11:35 PM
honey(2) -[/b]- Love the detail work and all the pretties on the quilt. I am so proud that you are entering it.
nitza19 - 02/18/10 12:21 AM
Honey[/b] - You know how I feel about the peacock quilt, since you got to see my reaction firsthand. It's priceless, seriously. Other people should get to experience it. They will feel so inspired!
iascubagal - 02/18/10 12:41 AM
Honey - Your quilt is lovely.[/b]
beingthriftyisnifty - 02/18/10 05:16 AM
Honeylioness[/b]- Gorgeous quilt! I am totally amazed by the whole piece! I love the bead work and the different embroider stitches. INCREDIBLE! Cant wait to hear how awesome you do at the show!!!
dakota4600 - 02/18/10 10:05 AM
Honey- [/b]The quilt is beautiful. Definitely enter it.
azmomx3 - 02/18/10 10:42 AM
HONEY:[/b] God has clearly given you a gift and our gifts our meant to be shared! "We become the person God created us to be WHEN we ask God for guidance AND do what HE tells us to do" (Stormie Omartian)I pray everyday for my children to discover their God given gift early in life AND readily share that gift. You are amazing and incredibly talented.
Honeylioness - 02/18/10 01:25 PM[/u]
Ladies, thanks to you I am a WRECK!! A bleary eyed emotional WRECK!
After sending Anne off yesterday evening with her friend to go hang out at the Mall I was back in "The Zone" and have half the border quilted now. I still need to make and apply the binding and then hand sew the black braided trim around the outline of the peacock and attach the hanging sleeve. Then photograph it. The first eligible post date to send in my entry is March 1st. I am determined I will be swinging by the post office before work to mail this off on that day.
Then I sat down after fixing the link and saw all your comments. THAT is what destroyed me. At first it was just a little lump in my throat, then my vision got blurry, finally - well, it must have been all the fabric dust in the air that made my eyes that red and puffy. I don't think you can really understand what it means to me to have such a support system and cheering squad after being without one for years.
Thank you so much for your continued support of this endeavor. I truly don't share my work with too many people and after a while it's easy to not really heed their praise - after all - isn't one's mother SUPPOSED to think everything you touch is gold?
A special thank you to startsmart for her wiser-beyond-her-years words and to nitza. When I was in her town and showed her the partially completed top over dinner I saw how she gently stroked the peacock and his embellishments - that to me is the sign of someone who really does appreciate the work that goes into making something by hand - and with her family background in textiles I do take very much to heart her comments and words of approval.
Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 02/18/10 04:58 PM
Honey, Like the beautiful peacock, you keep your gorgeous feathers from view but when displayed, their beauty is dazzling. Red rose
E.T.A., on an artistic note, the black trim is a brainwave. To increase the brilliance of color, black is the natural foil. Cleopatra knew this instinctively, as she applied kohl to line her famous eyes. Russian folk artists choose black or the darkest navy to showcase bright colors used in decorative arts.
Date: Tue, Feb 16, 2010 09:26 AM
Subject: Gerald Roy Exhibition
Anne,
Thank you so much for sending me the notice about Gerald's show in Boston this past weekend. I have am hosting a young lady (Anne) from eastern Germany this year while she attends Lowell High - and recently she starting asking more questions about this
"quilting" thing I seem to spend so much time on. In her part of the world it is still a little known art or craft form.
So Saturday afternoon we drove into Cambridge and took the T into Boston - the gallery was an easy walk from the Boston Common, and as the building is the only blue one in a sea of brick on it's street you can't miss it.
Anne liked the exhibit very much and was surprised at how colors she would normally dismiss as "ughhh" she found herself liking when put together in certain ways. She has been to Africa several times and found some of Gerald's "Fugue" series quilts very similar in feel to African art and patterns she had seen there. While not a
large group in attendance for the talk, and I think I was the only other quilter in the room - it was great to hear how another quilter finds their inspiration and to hear them talk about their process and methods .
Not only did I come away from the afternoon with a couple of great new tips for working through the design process and a fresh perspective on using older textiles and odd pieces, but I felt a bit more energized creatively - something I have been struggling
with lately.
Overall it was a lovely day I got to spend with Anne. Thank you again for letting me know about the showing.
~Melissa Dawson
p.s. I have attached a couple of pictures of Gerald during his talk and one of my "daughter" Anne.
******************************
Honeylioness - 02/16/10 08:54 AM
I hope all those who had yesterday off enjoyed their long weekend - and for those who had to work I hope the day was an easy one.
Saturday I took Anne into Boston for a gallery talk by a local quilt maker and collector. Even though the group was a small one and she was definitely the youngest person in the room by at least three decade she seemed to enjoy seeing the art and listening to how an artist goes about his specific creative process. A visit to the large bookstore downtown - thank you gift cards! - and we capped the day with Chinese Food.
I cooked a special brunch for us on Sunday with her new favorite food - cinnamon rolls - and afterward she presented me with a heart shaped box of chocolates from my favorite West Coast firm. And told me how much she appreciated all I did for her and how glad she was that I was her "mom" for the year.
AHhhhhhhhhh - just when you want to strangle them, teenagers have a way of worming their way back into your heart.
Then MORE good news - I was checking my bank accounts online and what did I see?
My IRS Refund!!!! <*Insert happy happy joy joy dance here*> It only took them eight days from the time I filed to deposit the money. Oh joy, I can breathe again now that my savings is healthy once more - AND I have the money for pay for my annual quilt vacation.And speaking of quilts - I finished the embellishments on my peacock quilt Saturday afternoon, ironed and basted it for quilting on Sunday, and yesterday was in my studio by 9:00 am. I told Anne I was going to spend an entire day sewing - and I did. I actually FINISHED quilting the peacock and background! Just have to lattice quilt the borders and I can add the binding, sleeve and do the final hand work border on the peacock.
I have been considering .... but friends say I have to change that to I WILL .... be entering this quilt into the show at VQF. I am nervous as hell even typing that. I have never entered any of my quilts in anything other than my own small guild shows before. I can hear that voice in my head saying it is not good enough - but perhaps I just need to bite the bullet and DO it anyways.
Anywho .... that's enough rambling from me for the moment.
*********************************
So I have been thinking a lot the last few days about my decision to enter my Accidental Peacock into the Vermont Quilt Festival Show. And while I am saying that I will be entering it - that doesn't mean I don't still have some major reservations.
I am honestly not sure what makes me the most skittish - hearing people say bad things about it or simply overlook it all together at the show. Or having to deal graciously with positive comments and attention. And as much as I tell myself that the judges comments really should not matter that much, after all it is just their opinion and perhaps my style is the opposite of theirs, it does make me nervous knowing I will get judges comments back.
On the other hand I have seen some of the other quilts that have hung at VQF over the years, and I am ashamed to say that some have made me scratch my head and wonder ... "Why?" and others - well, let's just say I do not have the self assurance to have displayed that item if I had made it. I guess it has just been easier to focus on those over the top oh my gosh I could never do that in a hundred years of practice quilts. The ones that leave you standing there with your jaw on your chest..
My mother says that my work show originality and self expression and so of course it is NOT like everyone elses. Maybe that is what has me a bit spooked - the feeling that to judge my quilt is to judge me as a person. Actually, judging anything I make feels that way to me - be it food or fabric.
I wonder if the DSR's newest version will have a section just for us textile junkies and our specific issues.
*********************************
shanendoah - 02/16/10 12:46 PM
honeylioness - I am so jealous of your ability to quilt. Growing up, all of the quilts in our house were made by my Nana. By the time I was old enough to appreciate them and want to learn how, she had to stop due to eyesight and tremors. Now we are slowly losing her to dementia, so I can't even talk to her about it.
nitza19 - 02/16/10 05:13 PM
Honey - re: the quilt contest: DO IT.
SES_Books - 02/16/10 05:37 PM
Honey-[/b]-You better enter your Peacock quilt for judging or some of us will hunt you down and demand an explanation!
The past week without a computer has been horrible. I missed you all so much. I had way too much time to listen to the news and worry about the fragility of Greece and the other PIGS (love that acronym). The concern about the Euro and the world economy, the volatility of the markets and the massive debts this country has and is adding to truly has me concerned. How long can people continue in denial and pass everything on to their great-grandchildren. There will be a day of reckoning that will not be pleasant. I realized that we on this thread focus on very "micro" issues that we can try to control but it seems no one is paying attention to the "macro" issues, just sweeping everything under the rug.
teh mom - 02/16/10 05:46 PM[/u]
but friends say I have to change that to I WILL
Honey-Yarp! It is a wonderful quilt, and an awe inspiring idea and design.
moneysquirrel - 02/16/10 07:02 PM
Honey -[/b]- Enter the Peacock!
Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 02/17/10 06:15 PM
Honey(2) [/b]Over the moon to hear that you'll submit the peacock quilt!!!
Honeylioness - 02/17/10 09:00 PM
Okay ladies - I have been taking to heart the quote startsmart sent me weeks ago - and in that spirit I have compiled some new pictures of my Peacock as he is today - the quilting on the body of the quilt is done - now back to work on the lattice pattern in the border.
Peacock Quilt
s25.photobucket.com/albums/c72/honey36_/Peacock%20Quilt
3catslady - 02/17/10 09:59 PM
Honey; [/b] That worked. Thanks and if you don't put it in a show, I'll come up there and do it for you. It is so beautiful.
teh mom - 02/17/10 10:02 PM
Honey[/b]-the quilt, beautiful, absolutely beautiful! (and you too).
SarahJese - 02/17/10 10:05 PM
Honey [/b]- hope you don't mind but I sneaked (snuck? lol) a peak at it and your Peacock Quilt is beautiful. One of the things about most hand work is that there are small differences in it and yours looks almost too perfect! Definitely enter it and this is from someone who has sewn since age 4.
startsmart - 02/17/10 11:15 PM
honey[/b] - you. must. enter. this. quilt! If I had the funds I would hire you to make me a quilt since I have neither sewing skills nor the inclination to poke myself repeatedly with needles. It's not winning that's important here - although they'd be stark raving lunatics not to choose you to confer the blue ribbon - it's showing others the talent that you have hidden away. Listen carefully, this is not bragging. This is not showing off. This is sharing your gift.
SES_Books - 02/17/10 11:28 PM
Honey[/b]-- you refer to your peacock as a quilt. That is not a quilt, it is a piece of textile art. Once you are awarded the GRAND PRIZE of all prizes it will be displayed with the Bayeaux Tapestry, correct? Will it be on a nationwide tour before going to Normandy?
ETA: Sharing this work of art is not being boastful, not sharing it would be a case of false pride which is far more grievous than boasting.
moneysquirrel - 02/17/10 11:35 PM
honey(2) -[/b]- Love the detail work and all the pretties on the quilt. I am so proud that you are entering it.
nitza19 - 02/18/10 12:21 AM
Honey[/b] - You know how I feel about the peacock quilt, since you got to see my reaction firsthand. It's priceless, seriously. Other people should get to experience it. They will feel so inspired!
iascubagal - 02/18/10 12:41 AM
Honey - Your quilt is lovely.[/b]
beingthriftyisnifty - 02/18/10 05:16 AM
Honeylioness[/b]- Gorgeous quilt! I am totally amazed by the whole piece! I love the bead work and the different embroider stitches. INCREDIBLE! Cant wait to hear how awesome you do at the show!!!
dakota4600 - 02/18/10 10:05 AM
Honey- [/b]The quilt is beautiful. Definitely enter it.
azmomx3 - 02/18/10 10:42 AM
HONEY:[/b] God has clearly given you a gift and our gifts our meant to be shared! "We become the person God created us to be WHEN we ask God for guidance AND do what HE tells us to do" (Stormie Omartian)I pray everyday for my children to discover their God given gift early in life AND readily share that gift. You are amazing and incredibly talented.
Honeylioness - 02/18/10 01:25 PM[/u]
Ladies, thanks to you I am a WRECK!! A bleary eyed emotional WRECK!
After sending Anne off yesterday evening with her friend to go hang out at the Mall I was back in "The Zone" and have half the border quilted now. I still need to make and apply the binding and then hand sew the black braided trim around the outline of the peacock and attach the hanging sleeve. Then photograph it. The first eligible post date to send in my entry is March 1st. I am determined I will be swinging by the post office before work to mail this off on that day.
Then I sat down after fixing the link and saw all your comments. THAT is what destroyed me. At first it was just a little lump in my throat, then my vision got blurry, finally - well, it must have been all the fabric dust in the air that made my eyes that red and puffy. I don't think you can really understand what it means to me to have such a support system and cheering squad after being without one for years.
Thank you so much for your continued support of this endeavor. I truly don't share my work with too many people and after a while it's easy to not really heed their praise - after all - isn't one's mother SUPPOSED to think everything you touch is gold?
A special thank you to startsmart for her wiser-beyond-her-years words and to nitza. When I was in her town and showed her the partially completed top over dinner I saw how she gently stroked the peacock and his embellishments - that to me is the sign of someone who really does appreciate the work that goes into making something by hand - and with her family background in textiles I do take very much to heart her comments and words of approval.
Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 02/18/10 04:58 PM
Honey, Like the beautiful peacock, you keep your gorgeous feathers from view but when displayed, their beauty is dazzling. Red rose
E.T.A., on an artistic note, the black trim is a brainwave. To increase the brilliance of color, black is the natural foil. Cleopatra knew this instinctively, as she applied kohl to line her famous eyes. Russian folk artists choose black or the darkest navy to showcase bright colors used in decorative arts.