Marty's Fiber Musings: March 2012

Yes, I was going to: However ~

I wasn't going to stay on the computer all morning.....I was going to sew! I was going to finish this `Gray Matters' Korean Pojagi inspired table runner.

and then I was going to start cutting and sewing on these fabrics that have been on the design wall for inspiration all week.

I was also going to quilt the border on Mary's quilt: the one she has dedicated to community service.

I was really going to do all that.....until I found this leaf-stamped twill

on Patchwork Pottery

and from there, I went to
when the bough breaks

then I fell into
Eva Ason's Art Corner and drooled over her classic car paintings.

And why haven't I ever heard of
Society Six: where I found and

especially loved this stationery card by Shannonblue simply AIR ~

and how could I ever have missed following debbie - DebbieDoos?

I haven't procrastinated, I just haven't done all that I was going to do this morning.....Life is good on a Saturday morning.

Photoshop Sketchbook

My parade got rained out today........but I'm all about making light of it!

A photography back drop giveaway...what a deal!

While I'm not a professional photographer, I do enjoy setting the stage when I photograph. Which means that I search for backdrops, tripods, lights....all the stuff that might make my pictures pop. So, I was delighted when I ran across Backdrop Outlet.....and even more delighted to see that they are hosting a giveaway along with Crisp PhotoWorks. Oh boy....a 5' x 9' rose cloth in ivory. What a deal!

Go visit Mira at Crisp PhotoWorks to get in on this giveaway. While I would love to win, I won't be jealous if you do....I promise!

Paparadelle with Kale Pesto: via Farmhouse Table

I've just subscribed: A most delicious blog chock full of recipes: Farmhouse Table. My first glimpse was this recipe....looks so good and seems to be so easily prepared. One of those 'must try' recipes!

EDITED...........I WAS THUMBING BACK THROUGH SOME OF MY OLDER POSTS AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS BLOG NO LONGER EXISTS. SADLY, THE VIEWER CANNOT SEE HOW SCRUMPTIOUS THIS RECIPE MIGHT HAVE BEEN.

Paparadelle with Kale Pesto & Toasted Pine Nuts

Creative Card Making: via The Creative Space

I'm all about making whimsical note cards.....love this one from The Creative Space. Ashley used paper scraps, but we quilters would want to use fabric scraps....the method would still be the same.

Thanks Ashley for The Creative Space that generously shared this DIY project and more.

The Reluctant Royals: Bertie and Elizabeth

Saw Bertie & Elizabeth DVD today and enjoyed it very much....just as much as The King's Speech.

Elizabeth was a commoner with a sense of humor.....who had an unfaltering devotion to the king. When thrown into royalty she learned the royal wave and gave it with the best of them!

Pojagi Art Quilt: Linen and Orange

Korean Patchwork: Pojagi....Front

Back

Hanging in a window: The seams become part of the design.

In keeping with the Korean tradition of using scraps, I took apart an old linen blouse I no longer wore and pieced it with strips of orange and black floral fabric.

Pojagi Patchwork

Love

Spirit of the Butterfly ~

Beautiful music and animation: Welcome Spring: I look forward to the kiss of a butterfly:

On the Pojagi fast track:

Fast Track? Now, I haven't used or heard that phrase in several years. In the sense that it was used in my work-day surroundings, it was considered derogatory.

It was back in the good-ole-boy days when only the men who could ~~bullshit~~ laugh and talk their way to the top, got to the top of the corporate ladder. But, then come to think of it, even the ones who couldn't do good BS still got to move on up. You see, all men were put on the fast track to success. Then came the minority bill of rights (included women)! so the men decided that if and when they could find a woman with just a little bit of smarts, they would make their best attempt to get her on the fast track. But that track was always a bit slower than the track one track over. Equal opportunity was unheard of, so the man always got the job when it was a man or a woman choice. Oh, and the things women had to tolerate on the way even to the lowest rung of success. The first question in an interview for a job promotion went something like this:

HR: "In what position do you see yourself in the next five years?"
Woman: "I would like to become a mother. I would also like to further my education to become a better employee for you."
HR: "Thank you for your time....we'll get back to you."
HR: to self....remove her from promotable list. She'll be pregnant for the next several years, sick and out of the office taking care of children. Bad attitude with an attendance problem. Priorities are not in order. More education....she won't have time time if she's taking care of all those kids.

I won't even ruin my day by thinking about the women who got fired and the men who got promoted when caught in the act! Or the vast inequity in raises and salaries between the sexes at the same job level.
But now (thankfully) those times have changed. Haven't they?

I'm no longer in that corporate cesspool, so I've put myself on the fast track today.....the pojagi fast track. You see, I promised a group that I would do a program/demonstration in August.....and since I had just read an article about Korean pojagi, I told the group leader that I would demo.....you guessed it: pojagi! Now, I must learn the pojagi stitching technique. I started out using the sewing machine first. Here's just a little sampling.

Let's see, is this the front side?

and is this the back side? hmmmmmm!!

Coming soon, I'll do a little hand stitching....Korean Pojagi....I'm loving it.

This corner

is a space my heart recognizes: in my studio

Hello Saturday ~

A cooking school....as if I needed lessons!

I'm good at down home southern style cooking.....the way grandma use to cook. But when it comes to Vietnamese....well, I needed a little help. And Chef Laurie Nguyen, owner of dockside Bistro in Olympia, Washington, was just the perfect choice to give me a lesson. The first course was Seared Scallops with Curried Sauce, Asian Slaw and Bamboo Rice.....now that's a mouth full (no pun intended).

Ingredients we have to hunt down here

in Louisiana!

Laurie said I could call her and she would mail the lemongrass! She taught me how to make fish sauce....I have a bay tree in the herb garden and heavy cream in the refrigerator!

Chef Laurie Nguyen....such a delight. So full of energy and cooking knowledge. She went through some of the hard times in Vietnam and learned a lot of her culinary skills at a very young age while cooking for her family.

Oh Bunny Whiskers!

I've been wracking my imaginary brain to come up with an idea for Easter cards and finally just said 'oh, bunny whiskers' and about that time the light bulb flashed in my imaginary brain!

Here goes:

Inside the card

Inside card No. 2

Inside card No. 3

The front cover

and another front cover choice......all different....all whimsical.....all original with plenty of space for an Easter note and signature. Of course, the envelope is included. Sure they're for sale....just email me!

A Note Card........

Inquiring minds ~

so........it was a slow morning! what's a girl to do but doodle and make note cards? Of course, they are for sale....just email me.

A mind that is stretched ~

I got a new scarf (among other things) for my birthday and wanted to share it....but no one was home to take my picture. And, since I was still in my old flannel pajamas and sweat shirt, that was a good thing! So, here is a self-portrait while standing in front of a mirror. No, you don't want to see the rest of me - trust me! Don't you just love my new scarf?

PS: The apostrophe in it's is intentional so don't go correcting my punctuation....Poor Mr. Holmes!

If you get a chance...when you get a chance

to take a fabric hand dyeing class from Wendy L. Starn AKA Splendiferous Fiber on Etsy, do so:
Wendy is also a member of Contemporary Fiber Artists of Louisiana....see her art quilts, along with those of other Louisiana quilt artists, on display here.