From Joanne Mattera’s blog comes this timely piece: getting in to invitational shows. This is particularly timely for me, as I just sent off a piece for a major show, as I am spreading my wings this year. I want to get to where I am invited, rather than having to go through the jurying process. The whole blog post is full of good ideas.

“Paving the Way for an Invitation: The best way to get invited to an invitational is to get your work out into the art world so that it can be seen by the people who do the inviting. If you are not showing regularly at a gallery, there are many places where your work might be seen.”

Here’s a hint of the piece I just finished……I love the veining that is created in marbling.

Since I retired, I have been on a quest to improve all things affecting my art skills, and that of course includes free motion quilting, since I work with fabric. So I am part of the Free Motion Quilting challenge this year, run by Sew Cal Gal. This month is feathers, with Diane Gaudynski as our teacher. Feathers seriously intimidate me, and as I started seeing some of the work that was posted, I was thinking, no way. But I hadn’t even started yet.

Today I finally had the time, as a major deadline had passed. Now I must say Diane’s instructions are some of the BEST I have ever read. By the time I was done reading the instructions, I pretty much had no worries about plunging in. She is so clear, and her process makes complete sense. I can see why earlier attempts never worked. So here’s my VERY FIRST feather.

I had more trouble actually doing the spine, as I had trouble seeing where I was going. And the tension….after the third time of taking it out, I decided to change thread – from a Lava to an art color, and that made a difference. I am still adjusting, but the back is liveable now. This is a blue Ricky Tims Art Colors Superior Thread, #90 needle, on kona white cotton, with a cotton batting. Stitching is tinier than I want, but I seemed to have pretty good control over the movement of the fabric.

Well, of course I had to do another….I have a top that is at least 15 years old, and I knew when I made it I wanted feathers, and I figured I would need to hand quilt them. Nope – I’m gonna practice a lot and then do the feathers by machine. And that’s how I’m spending this evening. Gotta go!

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