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Friday, October 24, 2008

A walk in the woods...


Here is another piece I finished recently. I am only showing a portion of the whole because this may end up as a Christmas gift for a relative! I call it "Watch Your Step." It was inspired by walks in the woods near our shared vacation home in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. I actually started it about two years ago and got bogged down in some of the hand stitching. I recently came across it again and decided to change the original plan (thus eliminating some of that pesky hand embroidery) in order to get it finished more quickly. It still incorporates all the forest elements in the original plan, and despite the "cheater" ferns, I think it evokes the lush dampness and shade of the forest floor. It is currently displayed in our hall bath (will I be willing to give it up come Christmas...?)

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Cartwheel!

I finally finished another piece! This is "The Cartwheel," with a corresponding poem. I think I will send it to some children's magazines and see if I get any bites. Does it look like it belongs in a children's book or magazine? I hope so. Any suggestions for improvement? Here is a snippet of the poem (don't want to give too much away!)

"I threw my hands down in the grass
and kicked my legs up high.
I whirled around, upside down,
as clouds went whooshing by."


Monday, October 13, 2008

Autumn in the Hudson Valley


I am still finishing up two works in progress, but meanwhile, here are some other ways I spend my time. We are lucky enough to live in NY's Hudson Valley region and here are some photos of fun fall activities. Saturday was our annual apple-picking day. This year our nephews joined us in the orchard. Sunday, our family tried canoeing and kayaking in the Hudson - a first for us. (We kayak often, but never before in the Hudson). We were supposed to explore some marshlands, but because it is hunting season, headed out into the river. The weather and colors were just prime!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Other creations...


In addition to making art quilts, I occasionally foray into the field of stuffed animals and hand puppets, especially when it comes to my current job in the children's department of my local public library. Here are some samples of things I've created in the past two years. The taller light blue bird you may recognize from Mo Willems' "Pigeon" books. His "Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" won the Caldecott Medal a few years ago and I decided he (the pigeon) might make a nice addition to the Toddler programs I do at the library. The green furry guy is fondly known as "Dewey" and was quite the popular character around the library this summer. Every week he was hidden in a different spot in the library and when a child whispered his location to a Youth Services librarian, they received a special sticker with Dewey's picture on it. (If I could manufacture these quickly and sell them...!) The other hand puppets include a blackbird and a turkey, both used in my "Mother Goose" library programs for children ages 13 mos to 23 mos. The puppets really seem to add a lot to the little rhymes and fingerplays I use in the programs and the kids get really excited to be able to see and touch these furry little critters!