Dolly

Just before Christmas I needed to (I absolutely HAD to) create a doll. I copied the basic concept from another but she is all her very own lovely lady, complete with stacked seed-bead heels, a pearl tiara, and a dress Michael Graves would be proud of. Her arms and legs are hinged, and her hair is a riot of vibrant red and pink.

She's in total control, but definitely has a wild streak. I just fell in love with her and carried her around for a couple of days before mailing her off to Debby. I almost couldn't do it, but Rob pointed out that I wasn't sending her off never to be seen again -- she was going to be with Debby, afterall.

Debby loves her too.

I'll get to see them both in May when I visit.

Winter wonderland

Today, the day before Thanksgiving, it is snowing outside my window. It looks so peaceful, though I know it is ruining travel plans for everyone in the mid-west.

I am anxious to work on a quilting project -- I feel something bubbling up... I just can't put my finger on it yet.

My beautiful girl

...sigh...

Talk about inspiration. She just takes my breath away sometimes.

Dreaming of Fall

Close to a year ago I signed up to take classes at "QU" which is Quilt University -- an intensive 3-day offering by our own Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild (www.gaaqg.org). At our March meeting I marvelled at the slides I saw of instructor Pam Holland's work. Pam uses a technique she developed called "Drapplique" which combines drawing and applique to build very realistic images from photographs. You can see some of her work on her website http://www.sheddesigns.com.au/.

I signed up for her class right away and was fortunate enough to get in.

In the sultry days of July I was considering photographs on which to base my class project and settled on leaves in various stages of decay... something that made me remember that fall is coming, with cool days, blankets, and football!

(I found this photo at www.bigfoto.com -- an excellent site for royalty-free images.)

The 2-day class was held this past weekend (August 5 & 6, 2005). I had so much fun. Pam is a great sport with a wonderful sense of humor. She was very encouraging and an excellent instructor. And I especially enjoyed the combination of several different techniques I already love to create something.

Voila -- my finished project.

I'm very happy with it!