Saturday, October 31, 2026

SAQA Trunk Show-Flowers on the Wall

 

Well it's finally on the way.  I finished this piece about two months ago but it took until this week to do the paperwork and get it in the mail.  The deadline is Saturday!  Any of you have that wait to the last minute habit.  I love doing the piece but that paperwork!  And the thing is the paperwork only took a half an hour once I did it.  But it sure took hours and hours of   "I'll get to it tomorrow for sure".

Flowers on the wall: 11" X 7", Hand dyed vintage linen, various embroidery threads, vintage lace, charms, upholstery fabrics, hand dyed satin and twine.

While working on this piece I was trying to create the feeling of wild flowers and tall grasses as they climb up the side of an abandoned building. Turning the wall into something both sad and beautiful at the same time.

SAQA Trunk Shows are one way SAQA uses to allow people to see up close work from many of our SAQA artists.  The Trunk Show quilts will be traveling the world over the next three years.  I hope you will be able to find a place near you to visit them in person.  More information about SAQA and the Trunk Show can be found at SAQA.com

Have a wonderful day!
MaryEllen

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

Fall is here and I'm back working in my studio

 

I've been away for the better part of the summer which was wonderful but it does make a person go really off schedule.  Since being back I've been super busy with just getting back to normal, making up for missed appointments and cleaning and reorganizing my home and studio.

So today will be a short post to get my motivation and rhythm back in gear.

One of the things I was working on this summer was using my gelli prints.  I've done some experimenting with printing on fabric and it's been a bit of a trial and error thing. Most of the informatinon I see is working on paper.  I find the fabric  aspect to be really challenging but equally exciting. 

Getting the fabric to mantain a soft hand is hard and I think a lot of experimenting with different types of paint is going to be critical.  I must admit to date my paints tend to be of the cheap variety.  I have been waiting to invest in better paints till I understood the process a bit more. This sounds like a reasonable plan but at the same time poor materials can be frustrating. So the idea of saving money definitely needs to be evaluated often and at some point you may need to just dive in and get the better stuff.

Above is a selection of my current prints.

Most of what I've made so far has been used for journal pages but I have started to use a few prints to make note cards.  

Gelli prints on cotton muslin.

Paint and other fabrics added.


Embroidery, paint, netting and bits of silk ribbon are added. Mounted on cardstock and then blank note cards.
My remaining prints are now wrapped around a wooden spool waiting for another project.

I hope this quick post inspires you to start a small project to restart your creative journey.

Have a great day! 
MaryEllen

Sunday, September 6, 2026

SAQA Auction


This is my donation to the 2026 SAQA Benefit Auction, (Studio Art Quilt Associates).  The auction will take place online September 11 through October 4, 2026.  

Each donation is 12" X 12".  Funds go to outreach programs and to support SAQA exhibitions.  More information about the auction and SAQA can be found on their website, saqa.com.

The title of my piece is Her Legacy, and is a tribute to vintage woman's handwork.
I love working with vintage materials and embroidery. This piece incorporates a lace doily and an embroidered doily, tatting, and an embroidered handkerchief. I've also added my own embroidery work, silk ribbon and beadwork.

Below are some details from my piece.



I hope you will take a minute and check out The SAQA Auction and all the artwork from our SAQA artists.

Have a wonderful day!
MaryEllen