Thanksgiving and Lemon Meringue Pie

Lying in my cozy, warm bed listening to the cat purring near my feet and the cold rain falling outside is a great reminder of how truly blessed I am! Thanksgiving brings back memories of family gatherings at my brother's home in Austin, Texas. But here in Mississippi, I have church friends, quilting friends, art friends, neighbors and community friends who share with me a sense of belonging.

Most of my family still live in Texas, but we had a lovely Thanksgiving Dinner today, daughter Linda and I and two USM library friends. Rather than turkey and dressing, I ordered a Chicken Pot Pie from a local caterer. What a great idea! The others brought the rest of the feast.

My only cooking was lemon meringue pie, duplicating my grandmother's recipe. It's hard to find real lemon meringue pie, with the popularity of the icebox pies and condensed milk lemon pies. But since my new Meyer lemon tree (a gift from a friend) has produced some small but beautiful lemons, I was eager to try my hand. I used to be a purist about homemade crust but have gotten over that. The young tree was so heavy with fruit that one of the branches broke. I have rescued the remaining fruit from the freezing overnight temperatures.

Pictures at Exhibition--William Carey University

Here are some up-close shots of pieces in the exhibit. Click to enlarge for more detail.

Red Ruffles, 29" x 28"



Orange Sunflower, 29" x 28"

Twisted Tree, 22" x 19"

Galaxy, 37" x 24"

Color Bars #8-Red Roses, 17" x 23"

Color Bars #2, 36" x 22"

When Worlds Collide, 34" x 18"



Amaryllis, 25" x 27"



Color Bars #9, #6, #10, #11
12" x 12" to 9" x 12"

At the Opening Reception

Sarah Farris, Ollie Jean Lane, Rosalie Schoell, Ellen Hall, Ella Lucas

Some of my best quilt buddies came, even though they had seen everything through the stages of construction and completion. Isn't it wonderful that our friends will come out to cheer us on!

With Dr. Tommy King, WCU president

Dr. King is dedicated to the arts and was instrumental in saving this historic building and having it remodeled to house the Lucile Parker Gallery.

With Dr. Ed Ford, art faculty

Dr. Ford's work will be exhibited in the gallery in January.

With Dana Stratton

Dana Stratton is my favorite watercolor artist and a dear friend. I have studied drawing with her on several occasions, always realizing how inspiring these lessons are. Another reason she is so special is that she loves my cat and will come and visit and feed him when I am out of town.

Gena and Russell Lott with Blue Iris

Some of my favorite pictures are of people viewing and discussing quilts and artwork. I love to describe the process and compare notes with others. Gena and Russell are dear friends from my church; Gloria is a quilt artist in my small Innovative Fiber Artists (IFA) group. We meet and share ideas and encourage one another.

Gloria Green with Color Bars

 

Jackie and Wayne Watkins

Jackie is an accomplished quilter and artist from Jackson. She first showed this twisted tree technique to Polly Duggan, who shared it with our IFA group. In addition to trees, coral or other interesting organic shapes can be made this way. Quilters are a sharing, giving lot!

Ready for Opening Reception

Here are some photos of the exhibit at the Lucile Parker Gallery at William Carey University, ready for the opening reception. Imagine my surprise to see this sign at the traffic light at the intersection for the turn off the highway! It covered the time for the opening reception and the date. Since it would be changed after the opening, I pulled off into the service station across the street to get the picture.

 

We placed large floral works and a twisted tree piece on the right wall, and abstract pieces on the left and back walls. Four smaller pieces were hung on the passageway to the next room (on left side at the top of the ramp).

The ramp and diagonal railing presented some challenges in the hanging process (the eyes play tricks with getting pieces level), but the unusual shape of the wall allowed for interesting placement.

View entering gallery

Left wall

Right wall

Ghost Quilting, Stitch Combos #1 and #2, Color Bars (blue)

Exhibit at the New Lucile Parker Gallery

The reason I've been so absorbed and interested in hanging methods lately is because I have been preparing to hang my fiber art exhibit at the Lucile Parker Gallery at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, MS. The gallery was established in 1990, named for a loved and respected watercolor artist and teacher at the college. It was housed in the building with the Jones Auditorium in the front of the Music Department.

In September 2013 the gallery moved into its new home in a remodeled two-story historic brick building. It is a charming, intimate space with good lighting, ideal for art exhibits, located across the street from the campus main entrance.

Lucile Parker Gallery, 512 Tuscan Avenue

I was invited to exhibit my fiber art in the new gallery from November 12-December 11. The invitation pictures a detail shot from one of my flower pieces. The opening reception will be November 12 from 4:30-6:00 p.m. Regular hours for the gallery are 1:00-4:00 p.m. or by appointment.



My Favorite Hanging Method

     Quilts need a 4" sleeve on the back to hang on the pipe and drape hardware in quilt shows. When displayed in galleries or art shows, a wire is usually required. Attaching sleeves is my least favorite part of the entire process, so I certainly don't want to have to change or add a new sleeve to change where the piece is to be displayed. If one method can accommodate quilt shows, art shows/galleries, and hanging on my wall, so much the better.
     I prefer one hole in the center of the slat and use a divided sleeve that is open in the center. For years I have used a 1/4" thick wooden slat with a hole drilled in the center to go over a nail to hang an art quilt on the wall. If that piece was entered in an art show, I attached eye-hooks to the ends of the slats and attached the wire (twisting like on a picture frame).

     Recently I discovered 2 inch faux wood blinds. They are economical, sturdy, and can be cut shorter or or glued together to add strength and extra length. I bought one 23" x 64" blind and disassembled it, leaving me with lots of neat white, thin slats with two little slit openings. I can run wire through the slits. To secure the knot in the wire, I add some Liquid Nails or E6000.



front, facing the sleeve opening

back, facing back of quilt

     For shorter slats, I can cut these with heavy scissors instead of having to saw the wooden slats. If the 23" slat is not long enough, I overlap and join two slats with Liquid Nails or E6000. An electric drill will drill holes easily for the wire since the slits are covered.


front, two slats glued to get proper length

back, two slats glued, using drilled holes for wire

ready to hang in gallery with slat; remove slat for pipe & drape