Florida with Fabric Flair

When moving from the Midwest to Florida, I didn't think that quilt shows would change much.

Of course I also didn't expect to see birds preying on cats, sink holes swallowing houses, or little anoles serving as my signs of hope. I truly live in a Dr. Seuss world and I'm not alone in that thinking. Here's a quilt "UR Makn Me Kraze, by Norma Schaut of Merritt Island that says it all!

I went blithely to my first Cabin Fever quilt show in January 2004 and began to fall in love or at least 'like' with Florida. After a summer here I realize that cabin fever is a real thing when temperatures and humidity combine to keep most of us tied to some form of air conditioning for months on end. Yet in that first January, a month after we had arrived, I saw a glimpse of what others find so delightful in this land of sand and sunshine.

I return each year to charge up on the tropical beauty and quirky sense of humor (note the photo of the beach flip flops quilt by Josephine Steege of Orlando) and the truly Florida quilts I find at the Cabin Fever Quilt Show held around the 20th of January every year at the fairgrounds on West Colonial Drive, about 40 minutes from my home.

This year disappointed because two of the biggest names in Florida quilting circles and members of the Cabin Fever guild chose not to display any quilts -- Nancy Prince and Mary Sorensen. They are sadly missed at least by me. But others have stepped up with beautiful work to fill the gap.

Merritt Island award winning artist Diane Smith's work always draws me in. She mans a booth "FiberSmith" each year where she sells her dyes and chemicals, Angelina Fibers, SHIVA paintstiks, Tsukineko inks, her own hand dyed fabrics. Diane also offers fabric dyeing retreats, workshops and lectures. and some of her beautiful work. It was her sunset silhouette that first made me find the love of Florida. (See photo above.) She surprised me at her diversity, creating some of the most amazing geometric abstracts, too.

The Three Crafty Ladies from Sanibel Island (a beautiful area) set up shop each year and bring in their quirky Florida patterns that include an unusual network of fabric sea shells and star fish that loosely connect into a table runner. I always think of crochet when I see the way the tips of one object are loosely stitched to the next.

Another very simple pattern that always makes me smile -- a big fat fish shaped place mat. (See him to the upper left in accompanying photo.) Strip pieced and complete with one round eye, it shouts Florida! And the fabrics and colors that are pure Florida.

The quilt show is well attended, hosts a fine merchant mall, outside dining (can't do that in Ohio in January), demonstrations nonstop throughout the day and smiles all around. They also host a silent auction for small quilts the members have made and this year they opened a boutique to sell quilts that the members have for sale including a sweet Nancy Prince thread painting.

I bought a wall hanging 4x4-foot for only $35 at the boutique. And I think I'm in love! Shimmery batik fabrics, metallic thread, a beautiful use of colors and cloth. Simple but striking and made by Joyce Scarbrough of Orlando. I had admired her work in several categories throughout the show and was excited to bring home a piece of her work.

They offer a variety of displays of fabric art created throughout the year for and by special interest groups they support. And Teddy Pruett, an American Quilt Society certified appraiser was on hand to offer her wisdom to place value on family heirlooms.

Not everything is kitch or even tropical or Florida inspired of course. Many of the members from the Space Coast and on into Central Florida have taken classes through their local guilds who bring in well known teachers and many beautiful quilts result from these encounters. Many produce some exciting traditional quilts and the art of hand applique and quilting is still alive and well in Florida. Yet, they manage to capture the essence of Florida's lifestyle. I've included several photos and hope you find them as delightful as I did.

Note the use of citrus colors, makes my mouth water, in this quilt, Silver Celebration, by Mary Beth Krapil of Orlando. She made it to commemorate Cabin Fever's 25th anniversary. What a clever use of log cabin blocks.

An abundance of metallic thread and shimmering batiks made there way into several quilts. Of course nature inspires many of the Florida or tropical quilts on display. Such as "Night Birds" by Norma Schaut of Merritt Island -- photo below.

These are but a sampling of "Florida inspired" or inspiring fabric art at the Cabin Fever Show, and I haven't even touched on the art quilts....

That's for another blog!

The Sunshine State Quilters Guild offers a list of quilts you could possibly win in the state of Florida this year. Visit their website and see what events are planned in the Sunshine State and what quilts are being raffled, including the Cabin Fever raffle quilt (which I hope to win!).

Green inspiration and fears

If you are in need of motivation to make the effort to go green, help the environment or just live a healthier lifestyle, I can recommend two sites, to begin with, that may help you shift your attitudes to nature lover and environmentalist. My dear writing friend Sandra Friend has written about the Florida she loves. She lives the life -- walks the walk AND talks the talk. And her friends -- oh my! Photographers and environmentalists and nature lovers and people devoting their lives to capturing the beauty and saving the land.

The photo above is of a baby loggerhead turtle. She took the photo at the Turtle Hospital. Need I say more or use the word endangered with this little cutey?

Please take a hike with Bart Smith. By the way, he is one of the few who has hiked all of the national scenic trails. I've known several hardy souls who spent a year preparing to walk HALF of the Appalachian Trail and had to be rescued before they'd finished. Bart's more than finished the Appalachian Trail, he's photographed it and went on to do eight more such treks in the past 16 years.

I just took a picture tour on his website along the Appalachian Trail and I so wish I were there, just soaking up the beauty. And for quilters -- I saw quilt patterns wherever I looked. Looking for a landscape to recreate in cloth? Look at what Bart has framed with his camera. The Florida trail has some particularly interesting concepts for fabric artists, at least it grabbed me.

In Florida, Sandra urgently works to save our public parks and blogs about her concerns. Talk about a lone voice in the wilderness! When it comes to budget trimming in our legislation, perhaps they are trimming more than we can afford. On this blog site, she has set up an interactive map of the affected sites.

Maybe you wonder why you should care about Florida's woes. But you've heard the adage of helping others so that when the time comes there will be someone left to help you. Plus we all know there is more to Florida than Disney's creations, and we also know that we are the United States and helping another state is much like helping ourselves. And if that isn't enough, perhaps this is a wake up call for you to check out what your own government is endangering with their budget cuts.

Nature and beauty as we know are not indulgences, they are necessary ingredients, food for our souls. And without a healthy soul -- we're black-hearted robots! Or at least we're empty and searching for something.

I didn't start this blog as an advocacy for action or a letter writing campaign to our legislators, but maybe that's what it must be. This is a year for action. I fear we -- me -- sat too long trusting others to make the right decisions. Now it is time to needle someone into doing the right things. Saving our natural treasures is definitely the right thing!!!

Revving up for 2008

Have you made your list of New Year's Resolutions? Maybe finishing up what you started last year is at the top? Don't let that resolution keep you from starting something new! What techniques do you want to try in 2008? What quilt are you yearning to make? This is the year for experimentation, give yourself permission to get your hands dirty and to muck up a few projects before you get it right.

What's on your 'to make' list? Looking for ideas? Maybe block of the month sounds interesting? I loved the one Debbie Mumm put together for last year and here's one that kicks off the new year with a January flower motif from Quilt Design Wizard's website.

Maybe this is the year to start making journal quilts. A smaller version in which you can try your hand at new techniques that you've wanted to try, but was afraid to fail and ruin a big project. So these page sized projects can be just what you need to give yourself permission to try something new. And they fit together into a notebook so you can keep samples of various techniques and projects and inspirations. Or trade them, or enter them in contests.

Karey Bresenhan has put together a book, Creative Quilting: The Journal Quilt Project, to help you get started and of course it is available on Amazon.

My 'to make' list begins with: clean the 'crap', I mean 'craft' room, followed by 'buy a new sewing machine.' Yes, I'm still getting by with my 'vintage' 1970 Kenmore basic no-frills that I actually bought NEW in 1970. I've resigned myself that Santa is not bringing me the $5,000 Bernina I drooled over last summer.

But, once I get the sewing machine, I have a plan. It's called: Books on Tape quilting. I love the Diana Gabaldon series of books "Outlander" and Drums of Autumn".... and my dear husband bought me the first audio book. So, in order to listen to it, I need a sewing project to work on. It is that old 'blue collar' work ethic that says I can't just sit and listen, I must be DOING something.

Thus, I need a project and fast! I could go ahead and make the Christmas decoration that I never started. Hmmm. That might work. Maybe actually start cutting the fabric I bought almost two years ago for a quilt for my son and his wife. Now my other son is married and I need to make another quilt for them. What about one for our bed? And the guest room.... Pillows might be a good place to begin. I still have shams to make to match a window treatment. I've wanted to make something fowl -- as in chicken -- for the kitchen. We live in Oviedo, a place known for its free-range chickens that dominate the downtown shopping scene.

And I do live in Florida -- maybe a beach scene wall hanging or strip-pieced fish-shaped placemats. And I have been wanting to make a crazy quilt before I totally lose my mind.... Or maybe I've lost my mind and I'll try some Jacobean patterned applique or a Baltimore Album quilt. So many choices. I need to start just one.

What will you be doing in 2008? I'd love to see what you're working on.