Tis the Season for Busy Little Bees

1. If you looked at the slide show of my little quilts, you will see the little quilt that is composed of four beaded hearts.  This piece is called  The Seasons of the Heart.  They captures how I see each season, the first being spring with the bright pinks and purples that I associate with that season, then we move along into the bright reds, hot pink and yellows that I think of as summer.  In the fall when the colors begin to change in preparation for the falling leaves most people find this season of great joy and warm colors, yes I agree with that, however, it is also the season that begins to squeeze the joy out me, as I know what happens next.  It gets cold, wet, the wind begins to howl  and all of my trees get stripped naked.   Winter, well, it just breaks my heart.  I wonder if life will ever be the same.  this obsession has served me fairly well because some of my favorite little quilts have been naked little trees.  Go figure.  My pastor visited me at home one time and I had to answer the phone,  When I returned to the living room he said, "do you know that are 9 pictures of dead trees in this room".  Yes, do you think I need counseling?
   

          That was a long time ago.  Now  this time of year signals all of the holiday shows we do (my husband and I)  at which we sell our fused glass jewelry and my little quilts.  We don't travel very far from home  and are not quite ready for large juried shows.  We have a tent but at this time of year it is no fun spending the weekend fighting weather issues.  You never think about breaking even if you don't spend an arm and leg for entrance and hotel rooms. 

          

           The days are full of  running between the  studio and the work room where the kiln cooking another load of glass.  A friend suggested that I should be gluing the binding on the little quilts, but my work is not, and never will be about cutting corners.  Beverly Sills is quoted as saying, "there is no short cut to any place worth going".  This morning my friend Susan Pickering Rothamel was featured on Home Shopping Network and she used pieces that I had quilted for her to embellish with her USARTQuest products and I could smile and know that even the part that no one could see was done to professional standards (Thank you Susan Cleveland) 

            The teaching schedule also kicks up a bit at this time of year as quilters want to learn something new that they can either use as gifts or decorate the house with.  For the beading class, I make a little 8 x 10 inch quilt with an oval shape in the center and a feather design quilted around the outside edge.  In the center of the oval, there will be an ornament shape drawn with pencil that they will fill with 8 different bead stitches.  It's fun, its cheerful and can be done completely in 4 hours.  (and it is completely bound when they get it)  Yes, I charge a kit fee and provide all the beads, too.