A MELANGE OF BOOKS

MOST OF YOU KNOW THAT BEFORE I STARTED DOING ART QUILTS I MADE ALTERED BOOKS.  AN ALTERED BOOK IS A BOOK THAT YOU TRANSFORM, BY CUTTING, GLUEING, AND ADDING TO, CREATE A DIFFERENT AND QUITE AWSOME WORK OF ART. THIS IS AN ALTERED BOOK...

WHO LET THE DOGS IN

THIS BOOK HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF MY POLITICAL BOOKS IN WHICH I TRY TO BASH CANDIDATES FROM BOTH SIDES.  I WANT TO SHOW YOU THE MATCHING MIXED MEDIA QUILT THAT I MADE FROM THE SAME TITLE, THEN I WILL SHOW YOU A FEW PAGES FROM THE BOOK SO YOU WILL KNOW WHAT THE HECK I AM TALKING ABOUT.

WHO LET THE DOGS IN

THE QUILT IS MADE UP OF THE BOOK PAGES SCANNED AND PRINTED ON FABRIC.  LET ME SHOW YOU A FEW PAGES OF THE BOOKS AND YOU WILL SEE WHAT I MEAN...  

    THE BOLD QUOTE ON THE PAGE FRONT IS MADE BY HANDSTAMPING THE LETTERS ON ONE BY  ONE.  THE CARDS ARE MADE OF PAPER, THREE LAYERS OF CARDSTOCK.          

I ALWAYS LIKE TO START THE BOOK WITH THE TITLE PAGE.  THAT KIND OF SUMS UP THE BOOK.  I ALWAYS START BOTH THE BOOK AND THE QUILT OFF WITH MY SIGNATURE PULL TAB CAN LID.

              
         

THE TRUMP CARD WITH QUOTES BOTH FRONT AND BACK SLIDES INTO THE HALF PAGE POCKET AND MAKES THE BOOK INTERACTIVE.

"IN AMERICA, ANYONE CAN BECOME PRESIDENT.  THAT'S ONE OF THE RISKS YOU TAKE."

I LIKE TO USE COLORFUL GAME PIECES TO SPELL OUT WORDS THAT I DEEM RELEVANT.

"DEMOCRACY"

AS YOU SEE I BIND THE PAGES OF THE BOOK WITH FABRIC. HOW DO I DO THAT? MY SECRET. I ALSO LIKE TO USE INDEX TABS TO HANG BANGLES FROM.

FOLDING THE PAGES THIS WAY IS ALWAYS FUN.

NOTE THE BOTTLECAP BANGLE.

JUST WANT TO SHOW YOU THAT I DON'T JUST BASH TRUMP.   

"LOCK HER UP"

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY CANDIDATE BASHER... I WOULD TELL YOU THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT THEM TOO, BUT THERE ISN'T ANY.

ABSOLUTE FRIENDS

"YOUR FINGERPRINTS HAVE NOT WASHED OFF"

THIS QUOTE SOUNDS LIKE MAYBE THEY ARE MORE THAN FRIENDS.

  

YOU HAVE TO READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT.

VALERIE SEEMS TO THINK THAT AS FAR AS CLOTHES GO, "LESS IS MORE".

WHOEVER SAID "LESS IS

MORE", OBVIOUSLY NEVER HAD A LITTLE "MORE".

I LIKE HIDE AND SEEK TOO.

IT REALLY IS ABOUT FRIENDS...

ALL KINDS OF FRIENDS.

THE NAME OF THID NEXT BOOK IS "HOUSE"

WITH A TITLE LIKE THAT IT CAN BE ABOUT ALMOST ANYTHING.  THE TITLE OF THE BOOK BEFORE IT IS ALTERED IS WHAT I CHOOSE TO MAKE THE ALTERED VERSION ABOUT.  BUT WITH ALL THINGS ME, THERE IS USUALLY A BIT OF A TWIST.

  

"IF YOU'RE NOT LIVING ON THE EDGE YOU'RE TAKING UP WAY TOO MUCH SPACE."

AGAIN WITH THE CAN LID...

"I CAN DO WITHOUT THE ESSENTIALS, BUT I MUST HAVE MY LUXURIES."

EACH NEW ROOM IN THE HOUSE TELL A DIFFERENT TALE.

THE PAGES OF THE BOOK MAY SEEM VERY RANDOM, BUT THEY COME TOGETHER TO TELL A STORY.

WELL THIS IS JUST THREE BOOKS THAT I HAVE MADE.  I NO LONGER HAVE MY BOOKS IN THE GALLERIES AND THE REASON FOR THIS BLOG IS TO SHOW YOU WHAT I HAVE LEFT IN INVENTORY.  I WISH TO SELL THEM AT A BLOW-OUT PRICE.  TRY A FRACTION... TRY $25 TO $50.

I'LL PUT A LIST OF THE BOOKS I HAVE LEFT AND WILL BLOG ABOUT THREE OF THEM EACH DAY.

CARELESS IN RED

COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO (it's not about chickens)

ABSOLUTE FRIENDS FRIENDS

I'M NOT JULIA ROBERTS

SUSHI FOR BEGINNERS

ORIGINAL SIN

PORTRAIT IN SEPIA (it's deep Karen)

WICKED APPETITE

ZOO 1

ZOO 2

EVE

WHO LET THE DOGS IN

HOUSE

A PERFECT DIVORCE

WELL I'M TIRED NOW. I WILL HAVE THREE MORE BOOK REPORTS TOMMOROW.  E-MAIL ME IF YOU WANT MORE INFO.  okredfox@yahoo.com

"I NEVER MADE A BOOK I DIDN'T LIKE."...REDFOX

THE ART OF CRASH LANDING

THIS WEEK I FINISHED THE PERFECT THREE POINT LANDING.  I RETURNED HOME FROM A GREAT QUILT SHOW IN HOUSTON WITH MY BEST FRIEND BETTY, MY QUILT 'THE ART OF CRASH LANDING' RECIEVED A SECOND AT THAT QUILT SHOW, AND I JUST GOT NOTICE THAT MY WINNING QUILT SOLD...PERFECT! 

THE ART OF CRASH LANDING

THIS QUILT WAS INSPIRED WHEN I SPOTTED THE BOOK "THE ART OF CRASH LANDING" IN THE USED BOOK STORE.  IT REMINDED ME OF A QUOTE I TRIED TO LIVE BY, "WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LEMONS, MAKE LEMONADE".  THE ART OF CRASH LANDING IS A TITLE THAT IS A LOT MORE INTERESTING, AND I COULD USE THE FLYING QUOTES THAT I HAD COLLECTED.  SO I PUT ON MY THINKING CAP AND FLEW...

THIS CENTER SPREAD SHOWS HOW I USE TEXT FROM ONE OF MY ALTERED BOOKS AND PRINT IT OUT ON FABRIC.  I THEN USE ADDITIONAL PRINTED FABRIC TO MAKE ALL THE FOLDS AND POCKETS THAT OCCUR IN MY BOOKS.  THE SPREADS ARE THEN QUILTED AND BORDERS APPLIED BEFORE I APPLIQUE THEM ONTO A WHOLECLOTH BACK.  I HAVE GOTTEN REALLY REALLY GOOD AT BORDERS AND MITERED CORNERS.  I THEN CREATE CARDS USING PRINTED LAYERED CARDSTOCK.  SEWING ON PAPER IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS TO DO.  MY FAVORITE FAVORITE THING IS THINKING UP THE PICTURES AND QUOTES TO USE TO CARRY OUT THE NARRATIVE OF MY QUILT.

PLACEMENT OF THE SPREADS MUST BE JUST RIGHT TO ALLOW THE QUILT TO FOLD UP FOR SHIPPING.  THE SPREADS  ARE STIFF DUE TO MY LEAVING THE PAPER BACKING ON THE FABRIC SHEETS FOR STABILITY.  THE SPREADS DO NOT FOLD.   I USE A HOME CANON PRINTER TO SCAN AND PRINT MY FABRIC SHEETS.

THE QUOTES ON THE PAGES ARE DONE USING BOTH HANDSTAMPING AND CHIPBOARD LETTERS.  THE LETTERS ARE BOTH GLUED AND MACHINE SEWN ON.  THEY ARN'T GOING ANYWHERE.  I ALWAYS HAVE A NAKED MAN ON MY QUILTS, SOMETIMES MORE THAN ONE.  I SURE HOPE THE BUYER LOOKED THE QUILT OVER GOOD, OR HE MAY BE A BIT SURPRISED.

I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE A CLOSER LOOK...

DID YOU RECOGNIZE THE GUY BEHIND THE CLASSES?  IT'S MARK TWAIN...WHO KNEW?  HE REALLY LOOKS PRETTY GOOD FOR HIS AGE.

THE PULL OUT ON THE TIC TAC PAGE SHOWS A RATHER DOWDY LADY IN HER UNDERWEAR, AND I USE THE WORD LADY LOOSELY.  THE QUOTE READS,"I'M NOT ON  THE PILL, BUT I LABEL MY TIC TACS WITH THE DAYS OF THE WEEK.  MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I'M IN A RELATIONSHIP."

I LOVE USING ALL THE 3D FOUND OBJECTS ON MY QUILTS.  FRIENDS KNOW THEY CAN USUALLY FIND ME AT THE GOODWILL ON TUESDAYS (25% OFF FOR SENIORS), ROAMING THE PLACE TO FIND STUFF.  
AND THEY USUALLY KNOW BETTY IS WITH ME.  I FOUND THE CD THAT SAID END JUST BEFORE I FINISHED THE QUILT.  FUNNY HOW THAT HAPPENS. SO I THINK I'LL CLOSE NOW, TIME TO GO FIND STUFF FOR THE NEXT QUILT.

I JUST THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO SEE IT AGAIN...REDFOX

WHO LET THE DOGS IN?

WHO LET THE DOGS IN?  GOOD QUESTION.

"Who Let The Dogs In?", just happens to be the title of my award winning Houston quilt.  AWARD WINNING sounds good doesn't it?  IT WAS!

WHO LET THE DOGS IN?

When ever I say the name of my quilt I feel an overwhelming desire to bark. 

wuff wuff

As I have become very aware of the divided politics in our country, I thought I would make a totally politically uncorrect political quilt.  Not wanting my friends and viewers to know what my political leanings, (practically fall over) were, I decided to bash both parties.  I made fun of everyone, and it wasn't hard to do either.  Using mock-ups of

pages from an altered book by the same title, I printed the signatures on fabric.  Then, using different folds, pockets, bells and whistles, I bordered the pages and appliqued them onto a black backing.

 I used caricatures  of the candidates and other political figures to make FUNNY or not so FUNNY cards to make the quilt interactive with the viewer.  Whether the
cards were funny or not depended on the politics of said viewer.

 Each signature was folded in a different way.  There were half pages, triangles. and different sized pockets that viewers could pull out to read back and front, under and over.
Scrabble tiles were drilled (my hubby drills a mean hole), and then sewn in place.  I hand stamped the captions and used chipboard capital letters.  Being a girly girl, I painted the chipboard with finger nail polish.

I originally made this quilt to enter in the AQG, Arizona Quilt Guild state show.  My quilt won the blue ribbon. I was honored to also win the Arizona Quilters Hall Of Fame Award.

AQG   blue ribbon and me

Most people at the show loved the quilt, but there were a few that said "that's awful" and rushed on by.  Like real politics, people only saw what they wanted to.

The one thing that surprised me was that when people asked if they could guess my political    bent, most of them guessed wrong.                   

WHO'D OF THUNK?

Redfox              

"FRIEND, GOOD"...FRANKENSTEIN

There are all kinds of quotes about good friends, and one of my favorite quotes is "A GOOD FRIEND IS LIKE A GOOD BRA, CLOSE TO YOUR HEART AND SUPPORTIVE."  I don't know who wrote it, but it's mine now.

A few weeks ago Mom, Betty, and I were doing our weekly shopathron (is that even a word?) at Goodwill.  You know we dearly love Goodwill, almost as much as we love each other.  I happened to mention that there was a vase on the counter that I loved, but it was too much money.  Of coarse it went right in Betty's cart.  She said I had a birthday coming up...

Well we all have birthdays coming up.  Mine is coming up in May of 2019.

Just when we were ready to go home Betty spotted four bright orange pillows that would look wonderful on her sofa and she
literally ran over to them.  She looked them over and said they were too dirty and she didn't want to send them to the cleaners.

OK, she and Mom left. 

This story is beginning to get a little long, so to make a long story short, it went like this....

First thing I noticed was that they were a very good brand...NEWPORT.  After all they don't sell trash at the DUMP.

Second I noticed that they were filled with duck down and that the covers zipped off.

Third thing I noticed was the most important thing, THEY WERE
                               WASHABLE

I looked around to make sure that Betty was really gone and then...

       I BOUGHT ALL FOUR!

I TOOK THEM HOME AND THEY WASHED UP LIKE A DREAM.  HERE THEY ARE ON MY WHITE SOFA.  THEY LOOK SO GOOD ON MY WHITE SOFA.  AND THAT IS THE PROBLEM.  YOU SEE I BOUGHT THEM FOR BETTY.  SEE, I'M NOT AS BAD A BEST FRIEND AS YOU WERE BEGINNING TO THINK I WAS.

BUT THEY REALLY REALLY
 LOOK GOOD ON MY SOFA.  THEY REALLY DO.

TO MAKE THE LONG STORY SHORT, I'M TAKING THEM TO BETTY TOMORROW. REALLY!

I REALLY REALLY LOVE THAT VASE.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME.                                             ...REDFOX

      

WHERE MUSES DWELL

I JUST LOOKED AT MY BLOG AND REALIZED THAT I HADN'T WRITTEN SINCE EASTER 2017.  I GUESS IT IS TIME I GET WRITING.

I JUST FINISHED MY QUILT FOR THE CHANDLER ART QUILTS  CALL.  I'LL SHOW THE QUILT , "WHERE MUSES DWELL" AND THEN WE'LL TALK.

 

WHERE MUSES DWELL

THIS QUILT IS YET ANOTHER TAKE ON MY ALTERED BOOK QUILT.  BUT THE 18 LITTLE BINDED QUILTS ARE PRINTED BOOK SIGNATURES THAT ARE NOT INTERACTIVE, BUT ARE APPLIQUED ONTO A BACK QUILT IN A FIXED MANNER. ALSO SOMETHING ELSE IS DIFFERENT, BLACK AND WHITE

 AND RED ARE NOT MY ONLY COLORS... THERE IS BLUE.

. (

I ALWAYS THOUGHT BLUE WAS AN OLD PEOPLES COLOR.  MY MOTHER-IN-LAW LIKED BLUE.  BUT THIS SUMMER I AM HAVING A LOVE AFFAIR WITH BLUE.  I PAINTED ALL THE POTS IN THE FRONT OF MY HOUSE BLUE AND STARTED WEARING BLUE CLOTHES. (MOM SAID I LOOKED BEAUTIFUL IN BLUE.)  COULD IT BE?...

GOD HELP ME I'M OLD! 

THIS QUILT IS CREATED TO EXPRESS WHERE I FIND THE INSPIRATION FOR MY WORK.  MY INSPIRATION COMES FROM LIFE.

                       LIFE...THE BOOKS I READ, THE OBJECTS I LOVE,THE PICTURES AND THE QUOTES I COLLECT.  ALL
THE THINGS I HAVE IN MY HOME INSPIRE ME AND THE WAY I USE THESE THINGS GIVE THE VIEWER A LITTLE LOOK INTO MY SOUL AND SOME SAY MY CRAZY MIND.

                 I DON'T MIND BEING A LITTLE CRAZY...………………………………………

I WANT THE VIEWER TO LOOK AT MY PIECE  AND ONLY AFTER REALLY LOOKING WILL THEY SEE MY
HIDDEN MESSAGES...NOTE THE REDFOX COMING AND GOING.

I USED ZIPPERS TO TIE THESE TWO BLOCKS TOGETHER AND THEN USED ANOTHER ZIPPER IN THE THIRD BLOCK TO CARRY THE EYE OVER THE FACE OF THE QUILT.




          REAL LACE WAS USED IN THESE BLOCKS AND THEN A DOILY STENCIL AND BLACK PAINT WAS USED TO TIE ALL THE BLOCKS TOGETHER.

I JUST HAD TO GET A FEW OF THE NAUGHTY BITS IN.

THE QUOTE READS...MIND IS EVERYTHING.  MIND PULLS THE UNIVERSE OUT OF A TOP HAT, BOWS TO ITS OWN APPLAUSE AND WALKS OFF THE STAGE GRINNING.

THE BACK QUILT IS CLOSELY QUILTED , THEN PAINTED, HAND STAMPED AND STENCILED.

BE YOUR OWN EXCLAMATION POINT!

                       ...REDFOX

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