Red Oak Finished

I finished the 12 x12 inch piece that is a donation for the SAQA auction. Our oaks are divided into two major classifications -- re oaks and white oaks. The tool that children are taught to distinguish them is old -- the "red man" shoots pointed arrows, so the red oaks have pointed lobes to the leaves. The "white man" shoots bullets, so white oaks have rounded lobes to the leaves. Please forgive if this old tool is now non-PC. Not meant to offend.

Found this branch loaded with acorns on a small oak tree in a nearby neighborhood. Almost all of my work is inspired by plant life less than 5 miles from home.

What's that tree with the purple blossons?

Friends often ask me really interesting questions about birds, from my former life as a hard-core birder, and now about trees given my current series on tree seeds. My friend Susan asked the question about the tree in bloom with the beautiful purple blossoms. She also brought me a twig of seed pods from last year. Yummy new inspiration for a quilt. The tree goes by a variety of common names, including Empress Tree and Princess Tree.

This tree is an alien and imported for its lovely blossoms that are unlike any other tree in the US. It escaped from gardens and is now found scattered around the southeast in waste places. It is a relative of our Catalpa tree, but has a very different seed pod. I like the little rotund shape of the pod that splits into two sections. When the pod drops off it leaves a star shaped calyx that is quite intriguing. 

I often change the color of the dark brown seed pods for greater interest. What colors might be interesting for the pods? 

Nancy

Creative Quilting with Beads - Now in Paperback

Lark Books has published the popular Creative Quilting with Beads as an affordable paperback book.

There is a nice review of quilting basics for the non-quilter and then 20 + projects of varying complexity. A number of them would make lovely gifts.

The book concludes with a gallery of photos of related work by other artists. In total, this book is loaded with eye candy that makes my fingers itch to play with beads again.

One project that I liked particularly well was done by Larkin Jean Van Horn, pg 68-71, is called Jewels of Our Past. Full directions are given for making the pieced background and directions for creating the backing of the beaded applique and attaching them to the background are given. It would have been nice to give a bit more information about the beading design but the photos provide plenty of inspiration. The applique idea could be used to create button covers or a lovely broach.


One of the pieces from the gallery section that I particularly liked was by Lisa Binkley, pg 114, called Seedlings. I loved the subject matter and the use of face beads as sections of the cone!





This is a book that warrants being in a personal library for both the eye candy appeal as well as the inspirational projects.

If you would like a chance at winning this book, leave a comment here -- and your contact information - on my blog and I will draw a name on February 20 and send a copy of the book to a lucky someone.

Nancy

A Google Finding

Googling my name today I found the following linkage. Somewhat old photograph used of Pelton's Rose-Gentian, but really appreciated being covered. Here is the link.


Do you Google your name periodically? What do you find?

Nancy

What I Love About the South

Today I went walking with camera around my yard to see the wonders. Snowdrops are already blooming with many more to come.

The native azaleas are still showing some colorful leaves and the fat buds of blooms for next year.



In the side garden there are more snowdrops peaking up through the leaves. Love these cheerful flowers that bloom throughout the winter for me in mild years.

Here they are peaking out under Italian Arum, the mossy rock is snuggled up tight to a Lenten Rose, that will also bloom about Christmas and keep on blooming until spring arrives.

Next to the driveway are Burford Holly berries. Robins, mockingbirds and others are beginning to feast on them already.

This i a little Japanese ground cover that sports red berries. They are great in floral arrangements.

One of my favorite tree/shrubs is this pink camellia. It blooms in early October and keeps going until killed by a hard frost.



These are Nandina berries that the birds love. They have already lost berries to marauding flocks.

The Burkwood Viburnum has a few lovely leaves left. Some will remain all winter until the new leaves push them off.




The privet bush has wonderful dark blue berries that the birds love. They make great additions to the winter arrangements.


Coming along the right side of the house is what we call Kroll Stroll. You can see two of our favorite camellias -- Misty Moon -- blooming here in front of the house.

My favorite camellia is Misty Moon. It is blooming early this year. Usually the other two camellias are bloomed out before M Moon begins. And often it is hit by the cold weather and we get little blossom for all its wonderful buds. This year it is spectacular.

It starts a fairly dark pink and then opens to a more delicate hue.



Here are a few pictures of Misty Moon flowers and buds. Love the open face of this camellia.








From the back deck a couple of blooming trees brighten the winter.









At the back deck another favorite tree blooms periodically through out late fall and winter in any warm spell. It is a Japanese plum tree called: Prunus Autumnalis. The buds are dark pink and open to almost white.







These are our earliest camellias to bloom. This is a view looking down from our upper deck.

Today, as my DH and I left for church in light weight tops, he pointed out the blooming snowdrops beside the driveway. What a joy! I grew up in the South, then spent 25 years in Iowa and Ohio before returning to Charlotte. At this time of year, I would have had ice on my driveway for more than a month, maybe two, in Iowa. I learned to love the snow, but I always missed being able to go outside and see flowers in bloom.

So I took a walk around my yard today and I found lots to enjoy. Hope these photos will brighten your day as well.

Nancy

12 by 12 Book Give Away

I wrote a review of this book on the Fiber Art Options blog awhile back. You can see it here .

This is a delightful book that I am giving away on my blog. Just leave a comment by December 3. Be sure to get back to this blog on December 4 to find out who won. If I don't hear from the winner by December 7, the book will go to the next person on the list. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving for those who celebrate in November.

Nancy

Inspiration Sketches

My work is done directly from live specimens, augmented by photography and sketches. Since the timing for live seeds and berries may not be the same as when I want to create a piece, I like to document specimens throughout the year with sketches and photos. Here are a couple of cuties that I really like.

The little red berries are sketches of Partridge Berries. This is a very diminutive ground cover found in the Piedmont area of the Carolinas. What I find fascinating about this little plant is that the little white flowers are always twin flowers coming out of the same spot on the stem. And the berry that results from the 2 flowers is one berry with two "belly buttons". Anyone know of any other flower that does this?


The three cones are actually clusters of seeds that are tightly bound together looking like a weirdly marked berry until it begins ripening and splits begin around the individual seeds. Initially they look a bit like little pine cones, but pine cones have seeds inside the petals of the cones. Here the "petals' are actually the seeds. These seed clusters can occur in a string of these strange little balls that shatter. They are from the Bald Cyrus trees that are planted around Charlotte and turning brown at this time. This is a deciduous tree that looks evergreen in the summer, but browns and drops its needles in the fall.

Are you sketching? Please share a link to what you are doing.

Nancy

Seed Play at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

Google alerted me to this nice piece of coverage of my exhibition at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. You can see it here.
If you are in the Richmond VA area, please check it out. You can see more of the work in the show on my website.

Nancy

Fiber Aert Options at Barnful of Quilts Saturday October 8

Fiber Art Options artists are participating in this annual show of quilts in Waxhaw NC. In addition, there are a number of vendors with fiber related arts, a great bake sale and all for a very good cause: Samaritan's Purse. Show open from 10 - 5 all day Saturday.

For directions check out Fox Family Farms. Entry fee is small and all goes to the supported charity.

Nancy