Happy Holidays, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year

                             

I love everything about the holidays. When I was a child we started preparing for Christmas shortly after Thanksgiving. We put the decorations up 2 weeks before Christmas and took the tree down before 12am New Years eve. Mom and dad are
gone now and  I have started a tradition of  celebrating Kwanzaa the African American holiday celebrated from December
26  through January 1.  Kwanzaa is a Swahilli term that signifies " first fruits of the harvest".


For the past several years I have joined  a kwanzaa swap by sending fabric postcards and exchanging kwanzaa blocks.
Here is the fabric postcard I made for the exchange.  A ear of corn is stenciled on felt. The  corn (muhndi) is placed on the mkeka (woven straw mat)  to symbolize  celebration of children,  community, and family.
                                                                
Kwanzaa Fabric Post Card

                                    

Over the holidays I will be quilting the Kwanzaa top I made for my neighbor and upstarting several other holiday projects.  It is never to early to start Christmas projects . I got a head start on Christmas dinner but brother and I had dinner at a friends house.  I miss dad so very much as this is our first Christmas without him. He loved Christmas and always helped out with the cooking.  I hope you are enjoying your holiday with family and friends and may it be filled with joy and happiness.

Peace, love, and art,

Angela

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Blog Hop Party Winners

The  Blog Hop Party did just what it said it was going to do and more. Michelle over at Quilting Gallery  did a phenomental job of pulling this party all together. She was the one who kicked off the party that led to the involvement of quilters from all over the world. Thanks again Michelle.

Everything came together beautifully. This was my first blog hop and in addition to 135 comments  posted and 40 new followers I loved seeing people jumping at the chance to get together and have fun. Over 250 bloggers joined in the fun  to make the party a success.

Of the bloggers participating I was pleasantly surprised to win four prizes from quilters. (will post my gifts when I receive them). Although I did not visit all the blogs I was able to visit about half of them.
I love to see people happy, embracing and getting a little something especially when it's worthwhile to the quilt community.

My giveaway journal winners (Crooked Gulley Art Quilts and Strandkorbortraum have been contacted for their address so that I can send the journals to them. Had wished I could get them off in time for the Christmas holiday. I'm waiting for a reply.  To join in the fun next year you will need to join Quilting Gallerys website and I promise you will enjoy this  as much as I did.

Peace, love, and art,
Angela

The Blog Hop Party has finally arrived. I will be offering  2 lucky winners a beautiful pocket sized journal that has a lovely quilted cover.

To be entered in the drawing leave a comment to this post by Dec. 17. Don't forget to include your email address in the post. I will announce the winners on this blog.

If you sign up to follow me and leave a comment that you are a follower your name will be entered in the drawing twice. Thank you for reading, commenting, and joining in the fun. This link will take you to the Blog Hop page where you will find a list of participants.
     http://quiltinggallery.com/quilters-fun/quilters-blog-hop-party/

    Update: The winners of the quilted journals are Crooked Gulley Art Quilts and Strandkorbtraum.  Sent email to  winners for address , looks like these beauties will not arrive in time for Christmas but will mail them as soon as I hear from Mary at Crooked Guelly Art Quilts and Strandkorbtraum                                               
                                              

Peace, love, and art,
Angela
                                            

                                                      


                            
                           

                                                    
                        
                                                   

                                                    
                         


                           
                        

                         
                    
                          

The Jelly Roll 1,600 Quilt and blog update

 

I got this from my friend Lisa on facebook. She finished a jelly roll quilt at her quilt guild meeting. You can find out more about the technique and complete instructions at http://blog.heirloomcreations.net/

Here is my version with a few changes. I cut my strips 3" inches wide instead of the 2.5" and added a border.  I can see why this would be so much fun to do as a  quilt guild project.

I did not purchase a Jelly Roll but cut my strips 3 inches wide from yardage.

At the machine joining the strips like seewing binding together.

A whole lotta strips joined end to end.

My completed Jelly Roll quilt.  Its's white on white and a Christmas gift.

You may have noticed that I have not posted in several months. When I started this blog I said I would post monthly. I love blogging but think I will post less frequently and include more content within a blog post.

This baby boomer is proud to say I received my Medicare card in the mail.  I am shouting praises for coming this far by faith. Happy holidays to you and yours.

Peace, love, and art,
Angela

My Garden Patch

It feels like an eternity before I will get fruit on my Better Boy tomato plant. It takes about
70 days from time of planting to harvest. Hopefully in a few more weeks I will enjoy my homegrown tomatoes.

Peace, love, and art,

Angela

Homemade Vin d' Orange

I made a batch of Vin d' Orange a french wine for the holiday. This is a step back in time of my
wine and brewski making days. The recipe is very simple and all it takes is a little prep work and
time since it has to age for several weeks. But it is worth the wait. I will be sipping Vin d' orange
and eating Memphis barbecue over the holiday. If  you want to try making it click on  Resources and look for it under How To's. Yummy.

                                          The prep work

                                          The product

Peace, love, and art,
Angela

Local Dollmaker Naajee

Naajee is one tuff lady who makes unique art dolls and I mean unique.  Her work appeared in the magazine article below. Take a look I think you will enjoy reading about her creations.

http://bluetoad.com/publication/?i=68066

Went shopping for supplies to make my first basic cloth doll. Purchased 100% cotton fabric for the dolls body and turning tubes. I could not find stuffing forks but have plenty of table forks and wonder if they will work??? Just kidding if I enjoy this first dollmaking experience then I will look for places that sell dollmaking supplies. I want one of her dolls and have added that to my wish list. Here are
two of Naajee's sassy ladies, named after her mother and aunt.

May and Star, Girls Night Out













Peace, Love, and Art
Angela

Davies Manor Quilt And Fiber Arts Show

First time visitor and you bet I will be there next year. The show was held in November 2010 a bit late
posting . Davies Manor is the oldest log and chink house in Shelby County. It was filled with antique and vintage quilts and tops from pre-civil war  through 1960.
On the plantation grounds is Hillwood, a barn where all the action was with quilts, demos, sewing and vendors. At Hillwood and in the Manor house visitors could vote on their favorite quilts. This trip inspired me to join a quilt guild. Don't know which one yet. I have several quilt buddies who have invited me to join in with them.  I learned what a  pie safe was see photo below. Found out they were used during this era (civil war) to store leftover food, mostly sweets. If you look closely there are teeny tiny holes in the doors to allow to circulate.

                                          Davies Manor Plantation
             

             Ina, the docent standing at the pie safe in the kitchen of the manor house
                                        
          

                      Moses cabin filled with Underground Railroad quilts
                                  

        Spinning Loom in the Gotten Cabin with spinners and weavers doing their thing
                                       

Peace, Love, and Art
Angela
                   

Wings of Grace- White Dove Release

In loving memory of our dad, a brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. Charles L. Flowers.

Sunrise August 3, 1923-Sunset April 10, 2011

                                             Preparing for  release

Release of the Trinity and poem "The Final Flight"

                                        

Release of the Spirit

                                                     Me and Ms Aleda

Peace, Love, and Art
Angela

Thursday Nite or Die Quilt Bee

Going through my quilt pictures I came across these photos of our quilt bee. I joined in 1999 but the group started long before then. It had a very interesting history brought together by two churches, one black one white. We met for about 4 years every Thrusday night for retreats, quilting, show and tell and fellowship. We didn't die no way!  Health crises, moving, family, stress and day to day life brought our group
to a halt.
  
                                         
                 

                                Carolyn, Marion, Lynn, Me, Myrt
                                Margaret, Marilyn, Debbie

                                  Angie, Marion, Margaret, Chess

                                   Marilyn,  Kim, Kathy, guest

                                  Marilyn's leg's how pretty

                                 Marilyn demonstrating techniques

                                Kathy and future quilter

Peace, Love, and Art
Angela

UFO Quilts

A goal for 2011 is to finished some of the quilts I have started and did not finish.  A recent count I found 10  UFO's  here are a few. Not as bad as I thought it was!

                                                        Soul's Journey

                                                           Sundiata

                                                          African Mystery

                                                             97 Florals

                                                        Chinese Lanterns

Peace, Love, and Art

Angela

Altered Book Round Robin

     




Images from my first altered book 2003 with players form Images of Color Stamp
Artist (IOSCA) and second altered book 2007 which I hosted with the same group

by Shimoda

 

                                                      by Pennie Thomas

                                               by Sandy Mayfield

                                         for Barbara Bass by Angela

Peace, Love, and Art
Angela

                                                     

                          

Fiber Postcard Exchange

These are the beautiful fiber postcards sent to me during Black History Month from

members of the African American yahoo quilt group.

Jocelyn Hurbert (Pearl Bailey)

Julius Bremer (Obama)

Karen Lemmons(Seneca Village)

Laura Casmore (Juneteenth)

Jeanette Bayliss (Nancy Green)

Marlene O'Bryant Seabrook ( The Great Escape)

Nadine Mills (Elizabeth Keckly)

Rosa Walls (Motown)

Rosie Chapman (Thomas E. Gilmore)

Rosa Walls (Augusta Braxton Baker)

Maguerity McCray (Rosa Parks

Angela Moore (NAACP)

Lenora Brown (Rosa Parks)

Peace, Love, and Art
Angela