New Quilting Arts Article

http://www.interweavestore.com/store/p/3947-Quilting-Arts-December-2009-January-2010-Pre-Order-.aspx

Well, it is here! My latest article in Quilting Arts Magazine, a contemporary scarf pattern which showcases my extensive antique Japanese fabric collection, has been published in the December/January issue! Be sure to pick up a copy if you haven't yet subscribed to this fantastic publication.

The silk and indigo squares in the scarves showcased in the magazine have been in my collection for years. I found many of them at a wonderful store in Berkeley, CA which is now closed, as well as at quilt shows. Friends who travel to Asia know "just the right gift" for me is always a packet of antique cotton or silk kimono fabrics. At my Open Studio event this past weekend, I actually put the scarves out with all intentions to sell them. However, on Sunday morning, I had second thoughts. I really do love the drape of the silk, and the dark blue cotton looks so good on my bureau, I didn't think I could part with either one.

Isn't the cover lovely? The cover quilt is by another Connecticut Artist, Barbara Mckie. Check out her beautiful work on her website.

Shoreline Arts Trail Nov. 21 & 22

Just a few more days and the Annual Shoreline Arts Trail Open Studio Event will be here! Come visit my studio, relocated for this occasion to the Guilford Art Center, 411 Church Street, Guilford, CT. I will be joined by master glass artist Alan Davidson and potter, Marcia Kindleman for what we expect will be a busy weekend. We'll have lots of cider, cookies and treats for the little ones, so come visit and let me know you saw it on the blog.

Shoreline Arts Trail: California Quail with Chicks

This week is being spent preparing for the Shoreline Arts Trail which will be held November 21 and 22. I "planned" to have about five new works that have never been shown before, as well as the usual array of birds and wildlife for those who collect my work. However, even the best laid plans can be changed as "life" gets in the way. My family has been visited twice by the Swine Flu, and the kids have had every minor ailment imaginable. We call the new addition at the pediatrician's office "the DeNegre wing", as it was financed by our copayments alone! Now that everyone is well and the sniffles are far behind us, I am in the mad-dash mode to complete as much as I can in the next 10 days.

Wish me luck!

Here's a picture of my latest bird, the California Quail, which is pictured with five chicks. The piece is 11x14 framed to 16x20, made entirely with commercial fabrics, and the price is $375.

Barred Owl

 
This has to be my next bird quilt... My husband was clearing the back lawn of leaves with a leaf blower and suddenly stopped. He called my name with such urgency, I came running. This beautiful Barred Owl posed for ten minutes of pictures... I am so lucky to have seen it so close. We have had one other sighting wich was on April 29 of this year. That time, there was a pair of owls hunting from tree to tree.

Java Jones and Little Man: Barking Cloth Quilt

 

This pet portrait was commissioned as a special birthday gift by a client for his wife. Now there's a man who thinks ahead! He provided me with tons of photos and a detailed description of the dogs' personalities. Java, a sweet Chocolate Lab and her companion Mason, a playful Great Dane, are shown at their favorite beach as they take a break from playing in the surf. I photographed shells and transferred them to fabric for the border, and tried to get the feeling of the dunes and beach grasses with the quilting and beading in the background. I hope the birthday girl enjoys her special gift.

Marvelous, Indeed

Karen from Fire and Rain shared this picture with me last week... The focal point of the large gallery wall in the shop is my Blue Heron, but the piece is made more beautiful with the addition of these lovely carved and painted birds. Stunning work! Each of these birds takes the artist over 180 hours to complete. They have been shipped back to Maryland for a show, but I hope they return soon to Killingworth. I've never seen such detail so beautifully executed.

One Fine Day...

All is right in the world... One fine day, the colors and textures of my world all match. One fine day, the beans are canned, the apples are picked, the garden is weeded, and the quilt is made...

This is the latest of my new designs for the budding quilt artists. I am experimenting with the colors and textures of the season to design an easy, artful quilt which any novice sewer could master... One which evokes a day like today, a perfect day.