June Is Bustin' Out All Over!

Does anyone out there know what the name of the vine/bush pictured above is?
Hydrangeas and Clematis are below.





As June comes to an end, here are some of the floral highlights of the month. But this posting has little to do with flowers and lots to do with moods. I'm remembering the old advertising song:

Some Days You Feel Like a Nut...
Some days you don't...

Ah, but that's Almond Joy - and I really never cared much for that candy bar. Lindt Lindor Truffles, on the other hand, are marvelous - as are Entenmann's Chocolate Covered Donuts. I've been eating a lot of those lately.

Some days I do indeed feel like a nut - and sometimes that's a good thing as in nutty/funny/silly/playful. Those are great days to explore, to create, and to go visiting friends. Then again, some days I feel nutty - as in off-the-wall crazy... and during those times I don't go exploring, visiting or near my art materials at all, at all. It's far safer to closet myself with a few good books and wait for the sun to come out. Mind you, the sun has not been around much in the past week or so here in NJ. While we have not had the deluging rains other areas of the state and region have experienced, we've certainly had more than enough. More storms rumble towards us as I write! Too bad I didn't take a picture while the sun was still shining earlier today!

Anyway, today I approached my sewing machine for the first time in several weeks - to shorten some recently purchased shorts and put darts in some sleeveless tops. Can you tell what kind of nut I am from that little tidbit?!

Ah well, we leave tomorrow to visit our daughter and son-in-law in State College, PA where we'll enjoy some more family time and some of the best fireworks ever - provided it doesn't rain! Meanwhile, our old hometown (Athens, PA) and the surrounding areas in Bradford County (& more) are experiencing way more of the Susquehanna River than is wanted. Since we used to live directly on the dike in Athens, we know exactly what sights and sounds the flood waters bring... May the rains stop and the sun shine for the entire Northeastern US.

Graduation Time

We're back from Vermont where our first grandchild graduated from high school this past weekend - how can we be old enough to have a GRANDchild who is now a high school graduate?!!!

Here she is - brilliant and beautiful. Congratulations, Michelle!

My Red Ribbons

NJ Quilt Convention: June 8-10, 2006
10am - 5pm
NJ Convention & Expo Center, Edison, NJ

2nd Place: Show Theme - "Peaceful Reflections"
"Grandmother's Cookies" (c)Pat Dolan 2005 29"w x 19"h Photo-transfer images of some of the women in our family along with a cookie recipe, old postcards, maps, etc.; hand-painted with watercolors; machine quilted; embellished with buttons from my grandmother's button collection. This quilt was also in Quilts=Art=Quilts, 2005.

2nd Place Winner: Innovative Quilt Category
Earth Cells (c)Pat Dolan 2005 11"w x 72"h Hand-painted on silk with gold gutta, machine quilted.

Our Art Show

Here are some photos from our Eclectic Quilters "Eye of the Needle/Eye of the Artist" special exhibit at the NJ Quilt Convention, which opens tomorrow.
Betsy Fram:

Marlene Reasoner:

Melitta VanderBrooke:

Colleen Bell: 3 jackets


Carole Allison:


Henrietta Curtis:

Mary Manahan:


Trina Weller:


Pat Dolan:

I had GREAT helpers today: Mary, Melitta, Trina, and Kevan Rupp Lunney (who did not have anything to contribute to our show at this time, but was a willing helper and a bringer of lunch!). And Carole was a big help, too, by making all our signs. Click on the photos above for a closer look!

I'm Almost Ready...

Tomorrow is the big day for hanging the Eclectic Quilters "Eye of the Needle/Eye of the Artist" artquilt exhibit, which is one of the special exhibits at the NJ Quilt Convention open Thursday - Saturday, 10am-5pm each day. My car is loaded with all the art which is properly wrapped in cloth and plastic. (It's been raining nearly every day for a week or more, with no let up in sight, as of yet!) There are two step stools, plastic drop cloths for the floor (all the better to arrange the display prior to hanging it), extra hanging rods (just in case we need them), our signs, wire for hanging things the right height from the pipes (it's a pipe & drape show), wire cutters, tape, scissors, name tags, and anything else I could think of that I might possibly need for this adventure. We're meeting at the NJ Convention & Expo Center at 11am - and I'm hoping we are done by 3pm so we can be a bit ahead of the rush hour traffic as we head home.

If anyone is coming to the show, be sure to say "hello" as I'll be there nearly full time to meet, greet, and answer questions about the art.

Busy Week Ahead

In case you were wondering about the progress of the FiberArt Cards that were to evolve from the hand-marbled, machine quilted samples I put up last month, here is a shot of the completed cards. Individual shots some other day.

Meanwhile, I'm in a tizzy of preparations for several different events, one of which is this week. I am curating my first-ever quiltart exhibit for a wonderful group to which I belong called Eclectic Quilters. We are a group of a dozen or so women meeting monthly at each others homes to share our art, conversation, and friendship. Each of us has her own particular style and each brings a plethora of experience and wisdom to our art and our discussions. Sometimes we go out to lunch afterwards, making it a totally amazing day! About 8 of us are contributing a total of 24 pieces of art to the special exhibit section of the NJ Quilt Convention this week. The convention is the project of the State Quilt Guild of NJ and will be held this week starting Thursday, June 7 through Saturday, June 10 from 10am - 5pm daily at the NJ Convention and Expo Center in Edison, NJ. Below are some of the quilts that will be on display in our exhibit, entitled: Eye of the Needle/Eye of the Artist.

Above: Head Music (c) Mary Manahan
Below: Snake Farm (c) Mary Manahan

Below: Memories of Florence (c) Carole Allison

Below: Heron (c)2004 Pat Dolan 19" x 42" Hand-made batik, machine quilted, hand-beaded, with purchased beading on the bottom edge.

And a detail

Some of the other work to be hung in this exhibit: 3 amazing heavy-wieght quilted jackets by Colleen Whitt Bell (who also dyes fabrics, threads, and more); 2 pieces by Henrietta Curtis (a graduate of England's Embroidery Guild and an expert in historical textiles with an amazing collection thereof), both of which are highly personal social commentaries; two powerful pieces by well-known Elizabeth W. Fram - her powerful piece One in Eight will be in the exhibit; two pieces by Marlene Reasoner; 3 by Melitta VanderBrooke; and 2 amazing scenic pieces by art-quilt teacher, Trina Weller. Also, Mary Manahan has a total of 4 pieces, Carole Alllison and I will each have 3 pieces in this exhibit. Nine of the 12 of us are exhibiting and I'm thrilled to be a part of this opportunity to exhibit our work.

So, if you are anywhere near Edison, NJ this coming Thursday through Saturday, be sure to look for me in the special exhibits section of the NJ Quilt Convention. If you email me first, I'll be sure to be "on location" when you arrive! Otherwise, I might be taking a break, having lunch, visiting the merchants mall, or whatever...