Sunday, April 16, 2017

A BABY FOR EASTER



NO, REALLY!  IT'S NOT WHAT YOU ARE THINKING.
I AM DEFINATELY NOT PREGNANT.  BUT I AM CREATING A BEAUTIFUL BABY.  I DON'T KNOW YET IF IT IS A BOY OR A GIRL.  I'LL LET YOU HELP ME DECIDE THAT.  YOU CAN VOTE IN YOUR COMMENTS.

                              ...  INTRIGUED?


THIS IS
THE BABY.



I'LL
CALL
HER
A
GIRL.















BUT SHE COULD AS EASILY BE A BOY.
SHE HAS COFFEE COLORED SKIN THAT HAS A DEWY LOOK.  SHE IS WEARING
A LONG IVORY SATIN BAPTISMAL
GOWN WITH LOADS OF LACE AND RIBBON.  AND YES, I AM ENTERTAINING
MYSELF AND LIVING A SECOND CHILDHOOD.  IT'S ALL GOOD.

FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR I DRESSED TWO BEAUTIFUL DOLLS FOR MY GREAT
GRAND DAUGHTERS.  SINCE THEY HAD A NEW BABY BROTHER I DRESSED A
WHITE BEAR CUB IN A WHITE SATIN JACKET.  I FORGOT TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE BABIES BEFORE I SENT THEM OFF TO WISCONSIN.  SO FOR THIS ONE I'M TAKING PICTURES.



HERE ARE SUPPLIES I USED:

IVORY SATIN
FINE WHITE COTTON FOR SLIP AND BLOOMERS
IVORY RIBBBON AND LACE
LAMB BUTTONS
ELASTIC CORDING
DOLL CLOTHES PATTERN FOR LARGE DOLL
AND THE CUTEST LITTLE LAMB BUTTONS...AFTER
ALL IT IS EASTER.



I MUST SAY, IT IS A LOT EASIER HAVING
A BABY THIS TIME AROUND.  WHEN I WAS MUCH YOUNGER I HAD THREE
BABIES... BOBBY, BARBARA, AND
CHRISTOPHER.  THIS TIME THERE IS
NO TELLING HOW MANY I CAN HAVE.

THIS ALL STARTED WHEN MY FRIEND BETTY, MOM
AND I FOUND SOME WONDERFUL BABY DOLLS AT THE GOODWILL.  YOU KNOW HOW I AM ABOUT
THE GOODWILL.
                                  IT'S ALL GOOD!

BETTY BOUGHT SOME FOR HER GRANDKIDS TOO.  SHE ALSO BOUGHT SOME BABY CLOTHES THAT WOULD FIT THEM.  I BOUGHT THE DOLLS FOR MY
LITTLE ONES AND THEN WENT TO THE FABRIC STORE AND BOUGHT SATIN, RIBBONS, AND LACE. 
MOM DIDN'T BUY ANY, AND PROBABLY THOUGHT
WE WERE NUTS, BUT WHEN I SHOWED THE
CONFECTIONS THEY BECAME TO HER BEFORE I SENT THEM OFF FOR CHRISTMAS, SHE WAS DELIGHTED.
(I KNEW SHE LOVED THEM).

SO NOW, TWO NITES BEFORE EASTER
I'VE MADE THE TRIP TO THE CONFECTION (I MEAN FABRIC) STORE
AGAIN, AND YOU KNOW I'VE BEEN BACK TO THE BABY STORE.

I DECIDED TO QUILT A
PIECE OF THE SATIN BY MAKING A QUILT
SANDWICH OF THE SATIN AND THE WHITE COTTON SLIP FABRIC AND QUILTING IT CLOSELY.
 

I QUILTED IT ON THE SQUARE, AND THEN TURNED IT ON THE DIAGONAL FOR
A DIAMOND EFFECT.
THIS FABRIC CAN THEN BE CUT OUT FOR THE FRONT AND BACK.  IT WOULD BE CUTE AS A DIAPER TOO.



BUT MY BABY IS
A BIG GIRL AND SHE WEARS SATIN
BLOOMERS.
REALLY SHE WEARS SATIN BLOOMERS AND
I WEAR THE SATIN
ONES... I KNOW...TOO MUCH INFORMATION.


WELL I THINK YOU KNOW WHERE I
AM GOING.  THIS LITTLE BABY, NAME UNKNOWN, SEX UNKNOWN (ITHINK IT'S A GIRL), WHO WAS JUST FINISHED THIS
EASTER DAY, IS GOING TO MY MOM, ANNA MARIE PETERSON, WHO IS THE
SWEETEST 100+ BABYDOLL THAT I KNOW.

                  HAPPY EASTER MOM
P.S. She doesn't know about this yet, I want to surprise her, so
                   DON'T TELL...REDFOX

Thursday, April 13, 2017

HOW UNCANNY



UN.CAN.NY (un-kan'e) adj   1. Inexplicable; strange. 2. So keen and perceptive as to seem supernatural.

UNCANNY ROW

NOW YOU ARE GOING TO ASK JUST WHY I
THOUGHT TO NAME THIS QUILT UNCANNY ROW.
IT DOESN'T LOOK SUPERNATURAL TO YOU DOES
IT?  WELL JUST LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER AND
YOU WILL NOTICE THAT OVER HALF OF
THE CHARACTERS ARE HALF HUMAN, HALF
ANIMAL.  NOW THERE IS NOTHING NATURAL
ABOUT THAT.  MY ROW HOUSES ARE
IN A COMMUNITY WHERE ANIMALS AND
HUMANS ABIDE TOGETHER.  HOW FUN IS
THAT?  IT REALLY STARTED OFF AS A TAKE
OFF ON CANNERY ROW THAT
WENT ASTRAY....GET THAT? A STRAY?  
(maybe I better cut out the jokes or this will
be a long nite.)



ACTUALLY THE NIGHT MIGHT BE TOO LONG, THIS ROOM SPORTS A SHORT QUOTE " I JUST BOUGHT A BRAND NEW HOUSE. 

IT
HAS NO PLUMBING.
IT'S UNCANNY."
...Morey Amsterdam.






THE ANIMALS ALL HAVE THEIR EARS PIERCED
MY ROW HOUSES ARE CREATED BY SCANNING PAGE SPREADS FROM MY ALTERED BOOK AND THEN PRINTING THEM OUT ON FABRIC SHEETS.  I THEN FOLD THE SHEETS IN THE SAME CONFIGURATION AS IN MY BOOKS, BIND THE PAGE SPREADS AND THEN SLIP-STITCH THEM ONTO MY QUILTED BACKGROUND.



IN THE MIDDLE SPREAD THE QUOTE SAYS, "THE ONLY THING THAT SEPARATES US FROM THE ANIMALS IS OUR ABILITY TO ASSESSORIZE."

(If you ask why all those funny spaces
are in the above, I DON'T KNOW!)


WE HAD THE UPSTAIRS ON THE TOP OF THE BLUE ROW HOUSE AND THIS IS THE GARAGE BELOW.

ALL THE CARDS ARE INTERACTIVE AND
HAVE QUOTES ON THE FRONTS, BACKS, UNDER,
AND OVER,
I' LL SAVE WHAT THE BACK OF THIS CAR
SAYS
FOR THE END OF MY STORY.

YOU'VE SEEN THE GREEN HOUSE, THE BLUE
HOUSE, AND NOW THE ORANGE HOUSE. 
BY THE WAY THE FABRIC SHEETS WERE
PAINTED BEFORE I PRINTED ON THEM. 
THIS IS THE ONLY COLORED BOOK QUILT
I HAVE DONE.


THE BACK GROUND FOR MY
QUILT IS A WHOLECLOTH BLACK FABRIC AND IS QUILTED IN SCRIPT.  I USED THE LYRICS FROM ...

"IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE."   
Remember Monk?   









THE QUOTE FROM THE BACK?...........




"EVERY WOMAN SHOULD HAVE FOUR PETS IN HER LIFE.

A MINK IN HER CLOSET,
A JAGUAR IN HER GARAGE,
A TIGER IN HER BED,
AND A JACKASS WHO PAYS FOR
EVERYTHING."      ...PARIS HILTON

THAT'S ME...KEEN AND PERCEPTIVE,
AMEN...REDFOX









     

Sunday, April 2, 2017

ONCE UPON A TIME



ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL CHILD NAMED SANDY.  SANDY WAS ONLY 7 YEARS OLD WHEN HER MOMMY WENT TO HEAVEN. THAT LITTLE GIRL WAS ME.  WHEN I WAS  IN MY SIXTIES I MET A WONDERFUL WOMAN NAMED ANNA MARIE PETERSON.  ANNA MARIE WAS A WONDERFUL WOMAN AND THE MOTHER OF MY NEW BEST FRIEND.  ALL OF THE GIRLS IN OUR ART GROUP CALLED HER MOM, SO DID I.  BUT I NEEDED MORE. I NEEDED A REAL MOTHER AND ASKED ANNA MARIE IF SHE WOULD ADOPT ME.  FROM THAT MOMENT ON I WAS PART OF A WONDERFUL NEW FAMILY.  I AGAIN HAD A MOTHER.  THIS DECEMBER MY WONDERFUL MOTHER TURNED 100 YEARS YOUNG.  THIS QUILT IS MY BIRTHDAY GIFT TO THIS WONDERFUL WOMAN.......  HER ONCE UPON A TIME.
ONCE UPON A TIME

ANNA MARIE WAS BORN AN ONLY CHILD.  SHE WAS BORN IN IOWA AND A BEAUTIFUL CHILD SHE WAS.


I LOVE THIS PICTURE OF MOM IN HER LITTLE MARY JANES.  I LOVED THEM SO MUCH THAT WHEN I MADE THE QUILT I CREATED MULTIPLES OF THE LITTLE SHOES.











THIS IS A PICTURE OF ME.  THIS PICTURES WAS TAKEN ON THE DAY OF MY MOTHERS FUNERAL.  THE LOOK ON THIS LITTLE FACE TOUCHES A SPOT DEEP WITHIN ME.  I NEEDED TO BE IN THE QUILT, LIKE I NEED TO BE IN MOM'S LIFE.




HERE ARE THE LITTLE MARY JANES AGAIN.  SO CUTE! I USED SCRAPBOOK PAPERS FOR THE BACKGROUNDS OF MY PICTURES AND SCANNED AND INKJET PRINTED THEM ON FABRIC SHEETS.  SOME OF THE BLACK LACE IS SCANNED AND SOME IS REAL ON THE FINISHED QUILT.



LIKE THE SHOES, ONE CUTE ANNA MARIE WAS NOT ENOUGH, SO I PLAYED WITH THE PICTURES AND THERE WERE THREE.



BUT LITTLE GIRLS GROW UP AND BECOME BIG GIRLS.

THIS PICTURE IS OF ANNA MARIE IN HER GRADUATION FORMAL. IN THIS PICTURE SHE HAD PLAYED THE ORGAN AT A WEDDING.
SHE STARTED PLAYING THE ORGAN IN CHURCH AND SHE WENT ON TO PLAY FOR 70 YEARS.

I THOUGHT SURELY I HAD HEARD THAT WRONG...WHO PLAYS THE ORGAN FOR 70 YEARS?
MOM DID!

PRINCE CHARMING CAME ALONG AND SO DID .... DON
          BETTY
          & RICH

MOM AND DAD WERE MARRIED FOR OVER 75 YEARS.  DAD PASSED AWAY A FEW YEARS BACK, BUT MOM LIVED ON AND JUST BECAME
MOM TO MORE AND MORE OF OUR FRIENDS.

I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH ROOM ON THE QUILT FOR ALL THE GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT GRANDCHILDREN, BUT I MET MOST OF THEM AT THE BIRTHDAY PARTY.

HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE FAMILY.

MOM LOVES EVERYONE SHE MEETS, BUT I LIKE TO THINK I HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN HER HEART AND I
KNOW SHE HAS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MINE...REDFOX