Fried Chicken with Asparagus

Its been a week of hand dying and painting on fabric. i am getting ready for my classes I will teach in Houston.

The pictures are of some of the fun things I have been playing with and the big mess i have also made. Last night for dinner it was fried chicken with asparagus and chartreuse green fabric on the side. I think Joe is getting use to dying while dinning.

Yesterday I received an Emil from a girl in Ireland asking me about why so many artist are working in fabric now.

The funny thing is that woman have always worked in fabric. If you look in the Bible, the Proverbs woman was a creative woman (Prob 31:10-31) wearing purple cloth (my kind of babe) and made cloths and fine coverings to keep her family warm. She was a quilter.

I explained that the principle of color and design are the same in whatever field of art you work in.

As I lecture and teach around the country I tell my students that no matter what kind of quilting you are doing it is all art and should be approached in the same way to create a beautiful quilt. Some people don’t like to hear that in the quilting world, but it’s true. You can’t tell me that a beautiful Baltimore Album quilt is not art.

I am painting a painting when I create my quilts. I even say, I will be up in the studio painting”. I am using my scissors instead of a paint brush and my fabrics and thread are my paints.

I shared with her that I have been working with fabric and sewing my art, since I was a little girl. I studied art in collage and worked at a fabric store at the same time. I would take trash (which was never trash to me) and make my art pieces at school with the things I found in the trash can at the fabric store. I was doing conceptual art at the time. Most of my piece had a sewing theme. I was also making my first traditional quilt at that same time, all by hand.

I have also been playing around this week with paint sticks. They are so much fun and so messy. part of my job.

But as I am dyeing i find other things are catching my creative eye. The string balls I get out of the dyers are full of color. what can i do with them? And the paper towels i use to wipe up my counter. Ahhhh! so full of color.

The art of quilting can take so many forms.

To me the best part of working and creating with fabric as my medium of choice, is that it drapes when it is hangs. It can blow in the wind, can be warped around a child and can wipe away a tear. It can keep you warm and protect you from the sun. It can be shown in a famous museum and hang on the wall in a well appointed dinning room admired by a prestigious crowd. You can't do that with Metal!

Start The Bidding Now !

This quilt is called Small Aloha. It was inspired by the sweet years I was able to lived in Hawaii. I am a beach girls and no matter how old I get that will never change. Someday I will go back there to live but for now I have to be content with my memory's and making quilts of the things I love like flowers, beaches and bouquets. I made this quilt for the SAQA auction that started this week. Each artist made a 12"x 12"sq. quilt to be auction off to raise money for the Studio Art Quilts Association. This is the first time I have entered a piece. There are some amazing work up for auction. I never have had the time before. Still don't. But I made time. Its very exciting to be on the same web page with some of my favorite quilt artist. They will start the bidding for my quilt on Sept 24, @ $750. Then each day after that, the price go down from there. You can see an up close picture of my quilt with all its thread work if you go to the web link above and click page 3b. that is where you will find me. I seam to always on the last page or last in line. I guess I am learning how to be patient. So if you would like a Small Aloha from me. Here is your chance. Happy Bidding.

Color Color Color

I have been dyeing fabric like a mad women for the last 3 days. I have always known that it could over take my world someday. When one of your only gifts is picking colors, there isn't a lot of jobs out there for the artist except maybe arranging the scarves at Nordstrom. I've been they're and done that.
So to mix, plan and try to control color is so thrilling and making me very happy, even though my feet hurt from standing on hard tile for 3 days and my back and hands are sore from wringing out and ironing 90 yards of fabric. It is so worth it to get just the color and to be surprised by the color accidents that happen. It's always a surprise. Remember, you have to suffer for your art, but being up to my elbows in color is hardly suffering.
I am working on making hand dyed fabric packs for the classes I will be teaching at the IQA this October in Houston. I thought it would be fun to give my students something special for their flower class. Each hand dye fabric packs are a little bit different and they will have a choice of fabric packs. I can't wait to see what they do.
On Tuesday when I was up to my neck in color, beautiful color, I got a phone call. I saw it was from Houston and my heart jumped. When I heard it was the International Quilt Festival I started breathing fast. Then I heard the words that my Baltimore Album Bouquet quilt won something at the upcoming Houston show and would I be attending the awards presentation? That is when my feet floated off the ground. I can't believe it. It is really hard to win in Houston. Just being accepted in the show is a big deal. This show represents the best of the best in the world.
Of course I will be at the awards presentation, but what will I wear?
I have included the quilt and the original silk flower bouquet that I made for this idea. All quilts start with a picture. I had been trying to make this quilt for 2 years but it just wouldn't come out. Then one day when my girl friends Dawn and Peggy and I where on a flower outing, I had the idea. I saw these perfect red roses with large pink peonies. When I added the turquoise pot, and it had to be the perfect turquoise fabric (Hoffman California) with the red and pink it was magic! Then I just needed the sweet time. How precious time has become and how hard recently it has been to find.
When creating this quilt I wanted to see if I could replicate a lacy table cloth all in fabric and thread. As I was staring at the quilt one day doing a little hand work on my real Baltimore quilt I realized that the block in my hand went perfectly with the quilt on the design wall. Light bulb! So I pinned my applique block on the my quilt and knew they belonged together. It hangs 3rd dimensionally on the quilt with raw edges and all. It's like it is waiting for the lady of the house to come back and finish it. I made a spool of pink thread with a needle and a pair of scissors laying on the table along side. I thought I was so tricky, I even giggled out loud.
The only problem with this brilliant idea is that now my Baltimore album quilt is missing its block.
You can't see it in the picture, but the stack of books the cat named Scrambles is sitting on are all named after real quilt books that I own. Including my own Cutting Garden Quilts and, of course, the queen of Baltimore, Elly Sienkiewicz.
The funniest thing is that there are no hand dyed fabrics in this quilt.

I Will Never Forget This Day.

When you see your son for the first time as a United States Marine it is the most overwhelming feeling in the world. Standing before us were 350 dedicated young men that wanted to be Marines. They were not drafted or forced but there is something inside them that drove them to serve our country. Some wanted to get out of the house, maybe away from a bad situation and start a new life, but most where there to serve and protect. You don't become a Marine to work an office job!
At our graduation there were young Marines representing 15 different countries. Wow! That amazed me. They had immigrated to the U.S., become Americans and now where going to fight for her. There was one young man from Nairobi and when asked what he did their in Nairobi he replied "just tried to survive." Then I really understood what America is all about. It's our freedom that others want. Some have risked it all to come to America. The dream to be free and pursue a life of prosperity, to raise their family in safety and practice their religion freely. Most who come here want to be American and their sons and daughters were raised to also love this country and be willing to fight for it. Too bad you don't see that on the news.
Then the Sargent said that 99% of the new Marines had graduated high school and 2 were college graduates, one of those being my son. That made me cry and give thanks. I am so proud (and short about $70 grand) but it was worth it.

Then there are what I will call the spoiled Americans. I saw a lot of them at graduation. Not in the Marines but in their family members, the rude and disrespectful who where born here. Some where even second generation Americans and how quickly they forgot what their grandparents had sacrificed. That made me cry also.

I saw 3 young Hispanic men acting tough and stepping on the parade ground which is sacred. The Marines keep that ground sacred in respect for all the men and women that have lost their lives serving our country and walked on that ground. They are our grandfathers, fathers, sons and neighbors. So you don't step on it, especially if you are a civilian. But these punks were playing a game of Look, I can do anything I want including disrespecting the parade grounds and breaking rules on a very important day. It made me mad. So in typical Melinda fashion, which drives my husband crazy but he wasn't there, I said to them, "Hey, I thought the parade ground was sacred!" to which this lowlife replied "Hey, I did my time," showing me his tattoo that appeared to be done in crayon. So I said. "Then why don't you show it?" At each corner of the parade ground a Marine was stationed and as we walked past the young man I said "Watch these guys - they are disrespecting the parade grounds" to which he said, politely "Ma'am, there are a lot of them here today." My heart sank and again I wanted to cry.
Not every one there had the same emotions I was feeling about their son, husband or brother. But I still saw the best of America standing before us on that sacred parade ground. We are the land of the free and the brave because Americans from many countries have given the lives for her throughout our 233 year history. It's just more precious to some than others.

Starting A New Project.........

I am starting a new quilt in honor of my son, the soon to be Marine. I have been going through pictures on the web studying what a Marine is, and stands for, to get design inspiration for the quilt. Getting some background will help. Plus, I wanted to use my new hand dyes. I had no idea how awesome the Marines are. I have been avoiding the subject because i was afraid I would lose it.
I first had to get over the shock of my only child wanting to give his life for our country (and all the assholes that are running it). Sorry, did I say that?
But I am so proud of theses Marines.
When I was 10 or 12 the Viet Nam war was going strong. I knew nothing of war or politics, only what I heard on TV. If it wasn't about Barbie, the Flintstones or the Beatles, I had no idea.
I thought all Marines were jar heads and I still don't know why. We lived close to the El Toro Marine base. It's closed now. My Uncle Donny was a Drill Sargent at Camp Pendelton after his time in Nam. I had no idea as a kid what my uncle did. I just knew he was a jar head and that wasn't as cool as the Flintstones. I was a deep and thoughtful kid.
I have a whole new respect for Uncle Don. I think of him a lot now that my son will soon be a jar head. Its funny how life turns. Let's just say God is Good!

Today, I have trouble watching the news because its either all fluff or all lies. Have you noticed that they never talk about what is really going on in the middle east in any detail? It's like it doesn't exist any more. Denial is a wonderful thing! America has a lot of it right now.
I want it all over more than anyone. August 21st would be great!
OK, if you have made it this far in my rambling, bless you.
Here is my baby. You put your son or daughter here in the pictures.
Take the time and read up on the History of the Unites States Marines and voice your opinion! That is what they are fighting for: freedom. It will make you so proud to be American.
And thank you, Uncle Donny for what you did for our country. OohRah!

To Dye or Not To Dye

I have try with all my power not to go there. I have always known it would be trouble. "Stay Away", I would say to myself. "You might get addicted. That's the last thing you need,"would go through my head.
Well, it happened 2 days ago while I was cooking dinner at the same time. ( I like to multi task) We where having pasta of course. It started with, I will just tack this fabric over the stretcher bars and see what happens.
I let my guard down only for a minute and the next thing I know, I was up to my elbow in the most beautiful color you have ever seen. Paint and dye were flying. I was in true artist heaven. Yes i said it. I am now painting fabric. OK, fine. I truly can't stop. Then I hear Joe say, "is dinner ready yet?" which brought me back to reality.
The feel of the paint brush in my hand, watching the color flow across the fabric was the best. Even the washing and ironing, was all a thrill. That's when you know you are in big trouble.
Now what do I do? I have been the queen of commercial fabrics. All my art quilts have been made with store bought fabric or I have bought from other hand dyers.
But I haven't been able to find just the right colors for my color palate. So the only way to get just the right colors is to do it myself. Which has been dangerous in the passed. That is how I started a wallpaper and fabric design business 15 years ago.
So now I can't wait until my next bolt of white fabric comes in. How fast you go through 12 yards of fabric while making pasta, is amazing.
Last night Joe asked me if i saw the patio chairs on the deck? That is where I was painting.
Can you believe that somebody got green paint on them. Oops!


Today I will be cleaning up my mess with bleach. But after that, I am going to the studio to make my coneflower and sunflowers with my NEW hand dyed and painted fabrics.
My motto has always been, "If you can't find it. make IT!"

Is thread really that important?

I received a wonderful email today. It really touched my heart. I thought I would share.
This girl just heard one of my lectures recently and was moved to write me. She periodically loses her eyesight for long periods of time so she can't quilt. She said she tries but sometimes she can't even get the fabric under the presser foot. This last bout was hard and when she got her sight back she just couldn't go in and quilt. Even her friends didn't know how hard she was struggling with this. Something I said in my lecture encouraged her and when she got home she started to quilt. I am so happy for her.
You know quilting is more that just being in love with fabric?
Being creative, making something with your hands even if your hands don't work that well any more. You can't give up.
Creativity is finding another way to work. Being dyslexic means that I have always had to figure out another way to do the same thing that everyone else was doing. There is always more than one way to do something. We run into problems when we compare ourself to others. We all have one challenge everyday. Some people just have a hard time admitting it.

Two of my favorite artists are Monet and Matisse. Both men lived until their late 80's and continued to be creative even though they where going blind and crippled. Monet just got bigger and bigger canvases and could only see the color blue, which isn't such a bad color to see. He had to read the names on the paint tubes and remember what the colors looked like when he was painting.

Matisse created from his bed or a wheel chair. They would push his bed facing the window so the light would be coming towards him. He could then hold up brightly colored paper and cut out wonderful shapes. These works in their later years are some of the most beautiful art works in the world. All done by men who could not see. They just couldn't stop being creative no matter what their bodies were doing or not doing.

So what are you battling right now? Just know you are not alone. Sometime we need to ask for help, support each other, and once in while get a kick in the pants.

Today I was getting very panicky and worried about thread. Yes, I said thread.
I am trying to finish my Houston quilt. The clock is ticking and I ran out of brown thread, not even blue thread but brown. I spent all day online, then driving to my quilt stores, with no luck so now I have to be creative with what I have.

So I am writing this to kick myself in the pants and learn to take my own advise. It's only fabric and thread. It's not my eyes!

The Sweetest Things in Life

The sweetest things in life are sometimes the simplest of times. Like coming home after a long 2 weeks away. It was like I couldn't drive fast enough to get back to my beautiful home, husband and of course "the dog". Every time I arrive back after a trip, I fall more in love with this funny yellow house. Yes, there where some hard times keeping this old house. But I think all the fighting and controversy we went through to keep it yellow has made our love greater. It is truly a magical place, where love, creative and safety abide. I have always known this house was a gift from God!
This is not a perfect house by any means. The neighborhood could be better. The house across the street is abandoned with weeds to my knees, no, make that my shoulders. We call it, @4200 sq feet, The Hotel .

The siding on this yellow girl is falling off and the roof leaks when it rains. In the winter we can't seem to keep the house warm enough although all summer it's good and toasty. The stairs creak and it all needs a good painting. But don't we all. But I am now home and it feels so good.I painted a saying on the walls of my kitchen when we first moved in 11 years ago. It's an old Shaker song that Matt came home singing (off key, of course) when he was in kindergarten.

'Tis a gift to be simple,
'tis a gift to be free,
'tis a gift to come down to where you ought to be,
and when you find yourself in the place just right,
you'll be in the Valley of Love and Delight!"

I will never paint over that verse, it is what my home is to me.
I hope your home is that to you, also.

The Quilt Show and Me

Well, it's finally here. The Quilt Show is now showing a slide presentation of my episode (#501) that will start airing on July 6th. Why I can't seam to keep my hands from waving in the air I don't know. I'm not Italian. Maybe my Native America ancestors were very animated. I do know some where preachers on that side, so maybe that's it, I'm leading the church choir. I have a funny felling that my life is about to change big time.

It all started about 13 years ago when Joe, Matt and I moved to Sacramento. I didn't want to move there. We where living by the beach in Aptos, which I loved. I love the sand, the water, even the fog.

The economy was like it is today (crappy) and we had to go for financial reasons to find a cheaper place to live and for Californians there aren't many choices. Back then a starter home at the beach was $350,000 for 900 square feet of fixer upper, which meant it was missing some windows and doors and maybe part of the roof (AWESOME, it has a skylight!) So Sacramento, here we come. I cried all the way. When we arrived it was a wonderful 108 degrees in May. I had no friends or family close by and had just given up my fabric and wallpaper design business. Plus it was just too hot. You couldn't go for a walk until 9:00 at night. I was a little depressed to say the least.

One hot and steamy day I was clicking the remote and stumbled on a new TV show called Simply Quilts. The host was cute and bubbly and she was making quilts. I liked to make quilts. She was even incorporating art into her quilts. Maybe I could make a quilt to keep myself busy until the weather changed. Off to WalMart I went to buy fabric. I didn't even know there were such things as quilt shops. I made 5 quilts in about 2 months. I was obsessed.
So it is very appropriate that I have found myself on The Quilt Show today.
Who new that years after I thought my life was over and I had given up the job I loved and had to change everything in my life that I would be doing my passion and sitting next to Alex and Ricky in La Veta, Colorado. Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy the show and check out my cute shoes. Sorry for all the arm waving.

Summer In My Backyard!

It has been really hot this week. That is when the summertime heat reaches 100+ and our backyard becomes a cooling place to be and enjoy the outside. I have been holed up in the house because of the heat and because of printing patterns for my upcoming 2 week gig in Southern California. I am doing 5 quilt guilds in 14 days. What was I thinking?
For a diversion and to pretend that I am not as wimpy about the heat as I am, Joe and I like to spend the afternoons around the shady pool throwing the ball for our dog, Cosmo. I dip my feet in the cold water and always ask, "When are we getting solar for the icy pool?" To which Joe consistently replies, " *@$#%!!#^#^*!!!!, it's 100 #@!$@! degrees." In a nice way, of course.
I have turned into quite the Princess and the Pea in my older years. And I WILL get solar.
Yesterday as we set around the pool, and I actually went in, we read my first copy of CANDY CANE LANE! I now have 2 books, to which Joe is quick to add, "2 books, exactly one more than you have READ." It will be out in the stores in August. You can already preorder it on Amazon right now. If you would like a signed copy you can order if from my web site melindabula.com at the end of August.

Summer time is the perfect time to start thing about Christmas. So what that it's 100 degrees. Even the cool backyard colors go with this Christmas book. Just remember to keep your feet in the pool while you stitch.

Tahoe Blue!

How many colors of blue can you see in one day?
If you ever get the chance to visit Lake Tahoe, do it. It is a color filled vacation that pushes the envelope in experiencing the colors of blue. I have lived in Hawaii and that is also a breathtaking color feast. But right in my own back yard is the most beautiful lake in the world. Now I know why all the Prius owners in northern California have Keep Tahoe Blue bumper stickers plastered on their cars.

I just taught at a 5 day retreat at "the lake" called Flowers On the Lake. Our classroom had a wonderful view of the lake. It was quite distracting. I found myself and most of the students exclaiming at different times "look outside. I need a picture of that," and out the door they went, camera in hand. I know there is a Tahoe quilt in there some where. My girls did some beautiful work. There was a wide range of skill levels in the class, like there always is. Which I like. It's thrilling to help the artistic see something in a new way. But the best is when a new, never quilted before babe has the guts to try something totally out of her box. So in walks B.A. (I will call her that for now.) She has Master's Degree in chemistry and owns a winery in the valley. Love her already! And now she is mine for 5 days. I can't wait to see what she does. They are all precious to me and I love the challenge of pushing out their creativity. We all have creativity, just some of us don't want to do the hard work to access it and it is painful most times. Haven't you ever heard of suffering for your art? That is my job and I love the challenge. So B.A. was struggling. At one point on day 3 there was a tear or 2. Then, the next morning, she took me aside and said "I Get It! Last night I started to see the colors." What a thrilling moment for both of us. We giggled and hugged. I love my job.
So here is B.A. combining some of her hand-dyed fabrics.
I am so proud of these girls. Thanks to all of them, it was a wonderful time.

Can't wait to start planning another Flowers On the Lake for next year.

Fathers of Mine!

I wonder, as Father's Day passes us by, why there were not any shows honoring Father's Day? Mother's Day is a big business and the advertisers and media milk the day, weeks and months in advance. But what has happened to the Fathers? As my brilliant husband is watching the stupid Simpsons show as I write this piece, I wonder how different life would be if we spent a little more time reflecting on the fathers in our lives that really are Fathers Day worthy. Some of these men worked overtime so their family could live in a safe neighborhood. Some worked 2 and 3 jobs so his little girl could have that pretty dress to wear at Easter and later it became a fancy prom dress. Some sacrificed their own desires to keep the family together. Some worked so hard in terrible jobs day after day so their wife could stay home with there child. When they walked through the door after a hard day at work, they would drop everything to spend a little time playing with their children. I know not every person has a wonderful man in there life that they can called father and my heart grieves for them. I was blessed, and I give thanks to the 2 men in my life that stayed when they could have left and persevered above and beyond. I proudly give you the title of Father of the Year! Dads of a Life Time. To you two, HAPPY FATHERS DAY !!!!
Now I have to try and move one of those men away from his riveting cartoon show.

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