I’m a bit gobsmacked to realize I have five, yes FIVE…5….5!!!!, quilts on display in Houston this year! If you are there, I hope you get to see them up close and personal…after all, we know what a world of difference it makes. If you’re not in Houston, here’s what I’ll have on display:
Rose Hip, by Sarah Ann Smith (c) 2019. 36″ square. One of my favorite quilts, in part because it is of my beloved Maine, but also because I’ve been able to meld my personal hand dyes, a hand dye by Lisa Walton, fabrics printed and over-painted by me, to create a cohesive image.Coach’s Clipboard: Win by Fall celebrates family, hard work, volunteerism. Juried in to the Better World Exhibition, the quilt celebrates all those coaches all over the world who give of their time and expertise to help our children grow. Athletics teaches kids that hard work DOES pay off, they reap rewards by learning self-reliance, a work ethic, a healthy lifestyle. Here, my husband was in a final year after eleven years as a volunteer wrestling coach, first at Camden-Rockport Middle School, then Camden Hills Regional High School. But the quilt honors ALL of Eli’s coaches (yes, that’s him winning the match in red) in soccer, Cross country, Wrestling, and track and field. Like Rose Hip, Lupines was juried in to the World of Beauty quilt competition. Sadly no ribbons for me this year (despite my hopes!), but I am ELATED that for the first time, BOTH of my entries were juried in to the show. Check off another bucket list item! I dyed the background to be blurred, like a photo’s shallow depth of field. And yes, once again I am celebrating my world in Maine. I got to check off yet another bucket list item, being juried into the Hands All Around exhibit, which features the finest quilts from around the world. The quilt is named Insalata because it is salad, of course, but also because of the restaurant by than name in San Anselmo, California, where I used to go with my mother when I went home to visit. They had enormous (like 8 feet by 16 feet) canvas paintings of ginormous fruits and vegetables. I loved the oversized scale, so these tomatoes are the size of beach balls. Last but not least, She persisted in her quest to reach the shore and sing the anthem of the sea (a.k.a. the Surf quilt) is in the Sapphire Celebration exhibit, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of International Quilt Festival. I’m honored to be a part of it!
All of these quilts except the one of my husband and son are available for sale…. I’ve got my fingers crossed in hopes that the magic red dot will appear on the signage for one of them in Houston!
Tomorrow I will start the trek to Houston: driving to Portland to say with older son and DIL (sleeping on the sofa) so I can catch an early flight out of Portland. For the first time EVER, I’ll be leaving from an airport where I can check two suitcases. Our little local airports have tiny planes (9 seaters) where you can only have one large bag per person. What a difference this makes in going: fewer boxes to ship. Now I just have to hope they arrive without any detours. I’ll be back in about 2 weeks with pictures and reports about all my classes, friends and the fun that is Quilt Festival.
Today is the LAST DAY you can see my episode on The Quilt Show for free…and you can also do what may be the most challenging of the puzzles, Pink Oyster Mushrooms. I’d really like to thank Alex Anderson, Ricky Tims, Shelly Heesacker, Lilo Bowman, Adele Merrell, Mary Kay Davis and all the gang at TQS for a phenomenal experience. I hope to do it again some day! If you’d like to see my interview with Alex scroll to the bottom of this post and click play! Here is the link for the last day of free viewing of my episode: http://thequiltshow.com/watch/show-list/video/latest/show-2508-sarah-ann-smith?artist_coupon=25081013
Here’s the link….you can select how may pieces, rotating or not, or automatic! Descended From the Stars as a puzzle is Here. Lilies of the Valley puzzle is here.And the puzzle for Bijagos Warrior is here.
Again, HUGE thanks to everyone at The Quilt Show for the opportunity to be on the show. One last little bit of fun…a Skype interview with Alex! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_4zjksQZ5w
For just ONE WEEK from October 13-20, viewers anywhere with the not-so-secret code will be able to see my episode, No. 2508, on The Quilt Show with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson, will be able to see the episode for free! Just use this code: { http://thequiltshow.com/watch/show-list/video/latest/show-2508-sarah-ann-smith?artist_coupon=25081013 } from the 13th to the 20th–I so hope you enjoy it! Free Viewing time starts at 12:00:01 a.m. Sunday October 13, 2019! I will confess–I was mightily relieved and happy when I saw it on the 6th when it went live for members of The Quilt Show. It looks great, I didn’t look or sound like a total dork, and I packed in a lot of information!
First it was live, now it is free for ONE WEEK ONLY! Click HERE to see it before it turns back into a pumpkin/Members Only viewing! Taping was such an amazing experience…this vast soundstage, seeing the huge booms with the cameras (you can see one coming in from the left), how they project the logo onto the wall and faux brick wall, how the massive counters just roll around the space, how a longarm can easily be rolled hither and yon. Behind photographer Adele Merrell (thank you AGAIN for these fabulous photos and memories), to her left and back, are the risers with seats for the audience. And on the right, one of the two large monitors, one on each side, so the audience can see what the camera sees (in case the camera is blocking their view).The audience, watching Alex and Ricky talking about how to get perfect miters on borders.The impressive array of monitors in the control room where the producers sit. The communicate with the cameramen and crew through headsets.Justin, Alex, me, Ricky and John, the four principals (the ARJJ in the Quilt Show ownership) in the TQS logo aprons I made for them with custom thermofax screens. I was delighted they were in use on the set within days of taping! At the very end of the last segment…can you tell I was happy and relieved it went well?
Here’s that special link again… it will ONLY work from midnight a.m. October 13 through October 20, 2019. It means anyone can watch the episode, not just TQS members. But I gotta say, I have been around a long time, know a lot, and yet I LEARN a lot from watching The Quilt Show. I’m proud and pleased to now be a part of–as they put it–The TQS Family. Thank you Ricky, Alex, Justin, John, Shelly, Lilo and all the gang!
Bucket list item: appear on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims: CHECK! Here’s the link to watch if you are a member. If you couldn’t tell, I’m giddy!
Just took this screen shot as I’m watching my first of two “doing” segments on The Quilt Show….I’m over the moon!
To watch the show, you usually need to be a member of The Quilt Show community, which is an online “TV” show and so much more. Next Sunday, for one week from October 13-20, 2019, or thereabouts, the episode will be FREE to anyone with the code. I’ll post here on my blog, Facebook and Instagram. I might even post my first tweet (Shudder!)…. so stay tuned.
For those who aren’t TQS members, you can see the preview now, at this link.
I am so grateful for this opportunity, so excited, and hope some of you can join me in my classes at International Quilt Festival 2019 in Houston (there are still a few spaces in my Friday class, Tame Fussy Fiddly Threads which includes painting and learning to handle those glitzy threads that really aren’t hard to use once you learn how from me, and my Saturday class on Hawaiian Style appliqué…did you know I love it?)
I’m over the moon to announce my new three-day workshop, Exploring Paint on Cloth, debuting August 5-7, 2020, at ProChemical and Dye in Fall River, Massachusetts. Signups start TODAY! We will explore ProSilk and Fabric paint (ink-like consistency), ProFAB Transparent Textile Paint and ProFAB Opaque Textile Paint. I’ll include a wide range of techniques from blendy to bold. You’ll learn which paints to use when, how to adapt paints to do what you want, and basically have a whole lotta fun, including some fun mixed media play. Click HERE to see more and sign up!
We’ll include both representational and abstract designs in our workshop. You’ll use thermofax screens, stencils, stamps, brushes, squeeze bottles and more.And you’ll get to combine a range of techniques in this piece or one from your own imagination. And we’ll try non-traditional surfaces including interfacing, and creating cloth that looks like it is hand-dyed, and feels like it is hand-dyed it is so supple, but is actually created with paint–in this small art quilt, the sky.
I’m so excited about the possibilities and hope you’ll join me! This week I am actually taking a workshop at ProChem, but if you have questions please do leave a comment and ask–I’ll try to answer as quickly as I can (usually in the evenings). And to make it easy for you, here’s the link to ProChem again, to sign up! I’d love to have you in my class!#sarahannsmithartist #artistauthorquilterteacher #sarahannsmithphotographer #maine #surfacedesign #prochemicalanddye #screenprinting
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