New Mailbox and New Barn Quilt Signs

I am so proud of my new barn quilt signs! Daughter Linda made a new 3'x3' one for my little shop building (pictured on left, along with the new light on the corner).
She also removed and repainted the old 2'x2' sign, and when Mark visited, he attached it to the front of the garage over the door.

Attaching the 2'x2' repainted sign

 AND she made a two-sided  12" square one to hang below my new mailbox. Squirrels had nibbled all around the top of the previous box, letting the rain in on the back of the box. While son Mark visited  he replaced the mailbox and hung the small two-sided sign below the mailbox. I don't have a front driveway, so my mailbox is around the corner where the driveway goes to the back of my house. My lettering was too large to get the address on one line--hence splitting to both sides.

When Mark visits, he repairs/replaces everything on my list plus items he notices. Home Depot really appreciates his visits! So does my Discover card. He replaced the front porch light, shop front light, added another light to side of shop, repaired bathroom sink stopper, removed metal rim that held glass sliding doors on bathtub, hung the barn quilt signs, among other jobs.
On this visit he brought wife Melody and Willow, a precious little fluff ball. They intended to board Willow, but I didn't want that for her and agreed that the cats could tolerate an invasion of their space for a few days.

Willow

Willow and Elizabeth; Tarbaby and Rahrah remained in hiding

Ready to drive back to Texas

Cooking was not a problem; we enjoyed eating at Crescent City, Patio 44, and Tabella's. 

Southern Fiber Artists Meeting

It was my privilege to present a program on Critiquing My Art at our August 25 Southern Fiber Artists meeting in Ridgeland. This group of art quilters meets quarterly to learn, share, and show our art. I recently took an online course with Lyric Kinard to study the elements and principles of design as they relate to art quilting. I shared with the group some of the points I had learned, showing some examples of good design and some that were not successful, discussing the strong points and weaknesses. You know those magic "building blocks" Shape, Color, Value, Line, and Texture. We can learn from every piece of art we make if we understand how these building blocks function. Having a group to study and critique with can be valuable because sometimes we are so close to our own work we can not view it objectively.
At each SFA meeting we have a challenge to create an 8"x 11" piece using a specified color and object. The color/object challenge for this meeting was Forest Green/Spirit; next meeting's challenge is Red/Water. The designs and techniques the quilters come up with are amazing and inspiring.
The SFA group has been invited to create a special exhibit at the Pine Belt Quilters show October 5-6, and Marcus Weekley volunteered to curate this exhibit. This exhibit will take the place of the Hoffman Exhibit that has been a part of PBQ's last several shows.
I have two pieces accepted into the South Mississippi Art Association show in the new Lucile Parker Gallery at William Carey University. This is the first show in the new building after the hurricane destroyed the former building. The show runs September 4-27.

Red-Green Interleave

Green Fish

The Pine Belt Quilters show is nearly here. We receive the quilts and Diane Leclair begins judging on Monday, October 1. It will be a whirlwind FOUR days of activity, followed by TWO exciting days the show is open to the public.

Finishing MOP, Shrinking Computer Screen Emergency

Stitching the centers of the Mississippi Orange Peel, wondering if I have any of the backing left for a sleeve.

Back at the computer--I often have to move cats out of the way so I can see the screen, but last night while trying to move Rahrah, this happened!

Computer screen with Facebook in a tall, narrow column

Brand new situation for me. Luckily, Linda had a suggestion that worked. Gee whiz--there is more about the computer I don't know than I do!

Last week I did a "Kindness in Action" TV interview about our Pine Belt Quilters guild activities called relating to Forrest General Hospital. We donate 400+ children's quilts every year to FGH and other area hospitals and children's shelters. TV interviews are kind of scary but I'm so proud of our guild that I swallowed my nerves and pride and did it. It's always interesting to see how much of the valid information gets tossed and what will be included in a two-minute spot! But it's fun to brag on our guild. Click on this link in case you want to watch. A group from Purvis is also featured about their making scarves for breast cancer patients.

We have had two days of heavy, stormy rains, and the cats took full advantage for some major sleeping on one of my oldest, softest, favorite quilts, made in 1987. (That's 31 years ago!) This is when I learned to draft my own blocks, choose color palette, and hand quilt. Note the lint/pet hair removal tool on the headboard.

My New Barn Quilt Sign

Daughter Linda gave me the promise of a new barn quilt sign for Christmas last December. We decided on the size (3 ft x 3 ft) and the design (a variation of Star of the Orient by Judy Martin) and the colors (see the picture). We removed the old 2 ft x 2 ft one and she is refreshing the paint and will hang it over the garage door.

My granddaughter Brittney Kuykendall visited this week and she helped finish the painting and her husband Erik did the climbing and hanging. It looks beautiful! The repainted smaller one is ready to hang by the next relative who visits from Texas!

Brittney spraying sealer. 

 Martha and Linda in front of the shop building

The view from the driveway

The view near the street

While the painting was going on, Tanner and Kylee Jo baked a pound cake and sewed pillows. Erik painted tattoos on Knox's tummy and back. They had a good time on their way to the beach.

Tanner and Kylee Jo baking a pound cake

Knox said, "It tickles, Daddy!"

August--Finished MOP, Silent Auction Pieces

I finished hand-stitching the black binding around the edges of the MOP and only need to quilt a bit in the centers of the blocks, add a sleeve and a label and it will be totally done. The piecing of the arcs was the most fun because of getting to make all the fabric choices.
(Enlarge any picture for a better view.)

I have finished a piece I am donating to the Silent Auction at our upcoming quilt show. It is free-motion quilting on a piece of hand-dyed fabric.

Daughter Linda is submitting a batik table runner (18" x 54") which can be used with the squares showing or the green batik back; prairie points show either way.

I'm very excited about the barn quilt sign she is making to replace the smaller faded one on my shop building. She will repaint the smaller one and get it moved to above the garage door.
This new one is 3' x 3', an adaptation of Judy Martin's Star of the Orient block.