Email Following ** Important to my readers

January 10, 2014 | JP Dawes Artist

I was not happy this morning when a blog I signed up to follow by email came with more than a page full of advertising. I was hard pressed to find the blog post. Then that same blog owner had harvested my email to add to a Paperless Post address book and I got a duplication of some of the same advertising.

I DO NOT follow blogs to get slammed with advertising or invitations. I follow my own blog so that I can hopefully know what is being sent to my followers. So far I haven’t seen any of this kind of stuff going on.

If you follow me by email, please let me know if you are getting slammed with ads. If you are, and you would prefer not to get ads, please change to a different reading service and know that I didn’t know about them.

2014 Art plans

January 2, 2014 | JP Dawes Artist

OMG..I thought I was going to vegetate this year . Then when I wrote all this down it sounds like I’m way too busy to take on anything else!

I plan on joining SDA; sending my resume to the Arkansas Arts program ( I was a designated Illinois Artisan when I lived in Illinois); jurying for Art Odyssey which is an artist studio tour ; jurying for War Eagle Fair ( started as Arkansas artists but has expanded past that. You still have to jury for the main ground artisan tents); participate in an international invitational exhibt/sale in PA at a facility that has purchased from me in the past for their corporate collection; maybe jury for a local artist co-op gallery; possibly submit a plan to the Arkansas Craft School to do classes there in 2015, populate my Etsy store with inventory and continue to destash on Ebay. Oh yes, participating in a group challenge for Stretching Art and Tradition. And while doing that, continuing to build my body of work. AND enjoying being a Master Gardener.

It will be interesting to see how much of this I can accomplish. I’ve had some unusual spurts of energy and pain free days so I’m getting a lot done right now. I have had so many years of debilitating pain from Rheumatoid Arthritis and thanks to a new supplement I started taking I feel better. I’m hoping it will continue!

A Quilting Revelation

December 18, 2013December 20, 2013 | JP Dawes Artist

A revelation of sorts as I finished a quilt for my 90 yr. old dad for a Christmas gift. His feet get cold so I wanted to give him a little warmth and love…..I was mesmerized by the peace of pin basting my dad’s quilt…tv playing a happy movie and the time flew. Then I had forgotten the magic that happens when those three pieces of fiber get stitched together…it starts to look like a quilt and gets heavier as you go…then you can’t wait to get it done so you can see it in all its glory. Doing something for the joy of doing it, knowing how much it will be appreciated, is something I’ve missed.

I quilted this on my sit-down Sunshine 16 and it went really fast. I used simple free form filler stitches rather than following a pattern.The finished size is 72 x 72 inches so big enough for him to wrap up in. Some of the fabrics were purchased a few years ago at a little Navajo fabric shop when we were on a trip through the Southwest. The gecko and sun has embroidery accents. I will launder it and fluff it dry before dropping it in the mail today.

Once again I’m linking with Nina Marie’s Off The Wall Friday.

Quilting: Indulging in a bit of finish-it-itis! (fibercrush.wordpress.com)

Americana Christmas

December 14, 2013 | JP Dawes Artist

I wasn’t going to put up a tree this year. A busy year with a lot going on so the spirit of the season had passed me by. Then I saw this funky little tree that looks just like a feather tree. It called to me. A week later I went back and bought it. It sat naked by the fireplace for another week.

Today we put it into a galvanized pot and sat it atop a little red stool that belonged to a neighbor who has passed, decorated it with antique mercury glass ball strands, tiny baskets, little antique flags, strands of chenille that look like popcorn and finally some tin icicles. It has a little of both Ron and me in it. We both love antiques, I collect baskets that are mostly splint oak handmade baskets, and we are a retired Army family so the little flags are perfect. Maybe this little lonesome tree will be our new tradition. Not too big, not too small, but just right.

It finally looks a little like Christmas inside . Outside snow is still on the ground and the holly and nandina are loaded with red berries.

Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas (wayfair.com)

Snow Dyeing Fabric Results

December 9, 2013 | JP Dawes Artist

Lots of pictures but few words. I used a few larger pieces of cottons and then when I saw all the dye in the bottom of the bins, I threw in scraps and bits to see what would happen. Love, love, love it. Lots of neutral shades in the catch-all pieces, bright colors in the main intended fabrics and some interesting patterning on all of it. The photos washed out some of the color with the flash. We still have a lot of snow with more on the way. Oh, and I used Rit dye in dry and liquid form. Maybe next time I’ll use MX dyes if I have time to mix up soda ash to treat it first.