The Summer That Never Was

It's been a whirlwind for sure. Friday was the last big night for my gallery show. It was a wonderful way to wind down and end my summer. Here are the few pictures I managed to take during the evening.
'Quiet Power', my quilt with the Yoshiko Jinzenji fabric. I'm not sure you can see the quilting. It was very different that any other piece in the room.
A wall of illuminated quilts.
A place for smaller pieces.
A magical atmosphere courtesy of Tommy and his classical guitar.
Opportunities to connect with old and new friends and to talk about my work.
A few more sales to cap off the night.
A good time was had by all, especially me.
Thanks to everyone who has attended and supported me in this venture. I'm hoping that it won't be a once in a lifetime experience. I'm applying for a new show at a local art center. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I'm taking a little break...I need to do some catching up around here...cleaning...finishing commission work, thank you gifts, blog reading...I'm behind in so many things. See you soon!

Something Different

I finished another quilt this morning. Sorry, no reveal yet. My last First Friday at the gallery is this Friday and it's going in the show. I wanted the folks who come to see something that hasn't already been shown here. There are a few more new items for the show as well. If you're in my neighborhood and have some free time Friday, I'd love to see you there. Just email me for details.
I'm particularly excited about this quilt. It may be a new direction for me.

I bought a piece of Yoshiko Jinzenji's fabric a few months ago. It was so different, I had to live with it for awhile before it became a quilt in my head. I did some reading about her. She's quite an inspiration and I found we have a connection.
Part of the fabric I purchased has writing from the preface of her book, Quilt Artistry. It seems that she was inspired by Canadian Mennonite quilts. My family are Mennonites who came from Europe and settled in Canada.

I was also inspired by Malka's article in Quilting Arts magazine on using 'low volume' fabrics. Malka has a post about it on her blog Stitchindye if you'd like to know more.
I finished up a tutorial for some simple gifts. That'll be shared later in the month. Christmas is around the corner, you know. I need to get started to avoid that "unfinished project wrapped in a pretty box" thing that I did last year.

A Magical Night and Bright Tangerine

Friday's show was amazing. Way better than the July show for a couple of reasons: Jon's music made the atmosphere fun and festive, more people, people lingered and that translated into lots of sales. I was more relaxed too. I assigned photographic duties to my oldest son. Not that he's not a good kid, but a photographer...nope. In 4 hours he took 10 pictures. Here's the only not blurry one and it was taken of my hubby and Jon before the show began. Trust me, it was a fabulous evening. Any one interested in coming to be my photographer for the September show?
Sunday I played with Kaffe Fasset's idea of shirt stripe boxes. I've been collecting striped shirts forever. I used his templates, made my own and I'm still not quite satisfied. I learned that not all stripes are equal. Some work well in this design and some don't work at all. I did a sort of argyle type quilting. I do like that and the bias binding is nice too. I'm not sure I'll be making a larger version. I'm still thinking about it.
I love when the "back to school" items appear on store shelves. There are always such fun storage ideas and usually they come in bright, nifty colors. These were at wal mart for cheap! I have 6 of them on these shelves to put works in progress. I like to keep things sorted and separate so that projects don't get mixed up or lost since I'm always working on so many things at once, this system really helps me pick up where I left off.
I put a couple here to plop things I use often....like all my painter's tape and my rulers and tools. I love how they pick up the colors in the yardsticks on my thread cabinet.
I think I've set a color theme for the studio. I had some 'bright tangerine' paint that I picked up in the paint reject section a few years ago. I was going to get formica to cover my work table (the one I made from the platform bed), but formica is expensive and this seemed like a great solution. So, I painted the table like this. Just one coat done, but I think it's going to be so bright and fun.

Maybe a pale spring green on the walls and some fun fabric for a valance? Stay tuned.

Show Time Again

The August opening reception for my quilt show is on Friday. I'm especially excited about this one because my youngest son, Jon will be providing the music. Live music, how great is that? Invitations went out last week. I can feel the nerves building again. I have lots of prep to do, so that will keep me busy. Busy is good.

Orange crush is finished. I have to decide if this one is going to be added to the show. I'm on the fence.
I do like the quilting though. Much harder to do than I expected.

**Meagan is recruiting to start another virtual quilting bee. She's got a site set up too. This girl is on it. If you'd like to participate, just head on over here and leave her a comment. Make sure you give her a way to get in touch with you. (email!)

Welcome to the Show

The opening on Friday was a wonderful night for me and I'm happy to be able to share it with all of you.
Have a glass of wine, or maybe some sparkling water. Please sign the virtual guest book (leave a comment). I'd sure like to know you came by.
Enjoy!











This is a sampling of the work in the show. While I was busy greeting and chatting about the quilts my hubby was taking pictures. Bless his heart, he did his best with tricky lighting and folks moving around. Of the almost 200 pictures he took, these are the best ones.
People came and they enjoyed my work. They had lots of questions. One of the best parts of the night was answering their questions and talking quilts, talking art.


This is not a white glove exhibit. Becky, my local blog friend's daughter Grace had the right idea. Get close, touch them, and always check out what's on the back.
Another great part of the night, I sold 8 pieces, two of the larger pieces and 6 small pieces. I was thrilled, both for me, but for the clinic as well since 25% of the sales go directly to support the clinic.

Thanks to Becky and Sarah, both local blog friends who came to the show and brought their children. The kids made the night for me. They're so candid with their comments and their enthusiasm is contagious. I so appreciate the support.

I learned so much from the experience, and I have ideas for how to make the August and September nights even better. I'm hoping for a much bigger crowd for August since it won't be a holiday weekend. Next big night, August 7th from 5:30 to 7:30.

I think I might have made a contact from another gallery. Maybe this won't be a one time thing. I have so much sewing to do to replace those items that sold. Busy is good. I think Tallgrass Prairie Studio is now official.

Thanks for coming and sharing this night with me.

Sage Advice From Those Who Have Been There

I'm ready...the mini city cabins are finished...my artist statement has been edited for the last time.
To keep my mind and hands occupied I played with a new design. This one is inspired by a door I saw on our trip to Oregon last summer. It was this fabulous orange with 3 windows filled with kind of 70's feeling glass tiles. It's stayed with me ever since. This is pretty close...I love the fabrics, but the quilting isn't right. That's why I make small versions like this...to give things a try. I think the windows may need a bit more separation too.

My eldest son asked the other day how I was feeling about the show. I told him I was nervous about the holiday weekend and whether anyone would show up. He told me in a stern, but quiet voice, "Mom, every artist plays to an empty room some time in his career. It builds character." Jon, my youngest nodded his head and said, "We've been there, Mom. Now, it may be your turn."

So, I'm counting my blessings and realizing how fortunate I am to have this show at all. I'm going to be a happy girl no matter who comes. I have so many people to thank for this opportunity. Each and every one of you who has left a comment on this blog has had a part in making this happen. So, thank you. I can't wait to share the experience with you.

If you'd like to come, just drop me an email at jgeringirre at yahoo dot com and i'll send you details, directions etc. (Kate, get in touch...I'd love to see you there and get to meet you.)

Show Prep and a Little Indulgence

I made a little something for myself to celebrate the hanging of my show. It's another '3 sheets to the wind' mini quilt. I sent the first one to a quilty friend...this one is going to hang in my laundry room.
I'm still sewing for the show....a few little things to finish.
The hanging of the show was an amazing experience in itself...making decisions about what quilts to include, what goes next to what etc. etc. When it was all said and done the quilts look spectacular....as I've told many of you, high ceilings and great lighting make a huge difference. I was surprised by a lot of things...one..those quilts are big and take up a LOT of space.

I have a final check-in on Tuesday and then the show goes on on Friday. These 3 didn't make it into the show, at least not yet. Separately they didn't have enough visual impact. I have to admit, I don't think about visual impact in a gallery when I make a quilt. There were a few quilts that didn't make it into the show because their features just didn't translate hanging on a wall. I reconfigured these 3 to hang as one piece...I still don't know if they'll make it in, but I do hope so.
The big news of the weekend. We have a winner for the 'wonderland garden' quilt. I got to draw the name and the winner is Shari, from Australia. Shari donated the most and bought the most tickets. It was like it was meant to be. I was so excited to see her name on the ticket. I want to thank all of you who participated and helped out my mom's church. I don't know the total money raised by the quilt, but I was told it should be at least a thousand dollars. That money will help the church do a lot of good work.
Nice thing was...I got to take the quilt home for a couple of days. It was nice to see it again. Now to find a big box and send it on its way. Congratulations Shari!!

As I was walking off the stage, the president of the United Methodist Women whispered in my ear a request for next year's quilt. We shall see.