Latest Quilt

I'm working busily preparing for my one-woman show that begins next week. I finally complete this piece after agonizing over it for a few months. The addition of the transparent gray/black ribbon finally did it for me.

And here are a couple of unusual snow photos I took today of melting snow. These "snow rolls" were on the windshield of one car in the lot - and I just had to capture them or no one would believe the pie dough roll effect!

Snow + Cold + Wind + Shadows

Observations from the last three days in central NJ:

More Bird at the Feeder Today

Nuthatch
Rose-breasted Woodpecker
Blue Jay
Titmouse
Titmouse - note the table looks like a huge frosted cupcake! Our back door is frozen shut so I threw the seeds and bread out the kitchen window onto the ground and table and everywhere else the wind took it...
Black-capped Chickadee
Goldfinch in winter colors
House Finch
Nuthatch
Stiff wind on female Cardinal
Ice on male Cardinal - note: there is ice on nearly all of the larger birds and even some of the smaller ones. One cardinal had a chunk of ice/snow stuck to her large beak and she was having quite a bit of trouble eating. I guess she didn't know how to knock off the offending ice chunk.
Junco

The only one missing is the Downy Woodpecker and she's been around, just hard to capture in a photograph today. Sometimes she's very cooperative, then again, she's not. Her partner is usually a pretty good model.

I'm really glad not to be a bird today...

Winter Birds in Ice Storm

English Sparrows
Male Cardinal
Male White Throated Sparrow
Female Cardinal
Female Cardinal
All the above photos were taken this morning - Valentine's Day. I'm in central NJ where we have about 3" of ice pellets on the ground and the forecast for the rest of the day is for more of the same - but heavy rain/sleet/snow...

Below was taken Monday in Philadelphia.

Some New Little Pieces

SEA GLASS (c)Pat Dolan

The small 4x6" fiber art pieces that were framed in the 8 x 10" shadowbox frames have all sold - and a request was put in for three more pieces. Here are the latest three. The two blue/green ones are hand-painted silk (a gift from a friend) that is free-motion quilted and embellished with Swarovski crystals, sea shells and beads.
SUMMER SHORE (c)Pat Dolan
The piece above is hand-painted cotton topped with various specialty fibers, then covered with layers of Angelina fibers, stitching, and finally embellished with beads, Swarovski crystals, and sea shells.
WINTER SHORE (c)Pat Dolan

The library has printed up the postcards announcing my show and lecture - here are some of them on the dining room table getting address labels and stamps...
They all went out in the afternoon mail today - with several bundles going to local fabric and quilt shops to be handed out to interested customers.

Here is the brochure cover for the show.

Feeding Frenzy in NJ

Claire Fenton has as her topic yesterday "feeding frenzy" complete with photos of Cedar Waxwings devouring berries on a bush.

So here is the NJ version... with grackles (not quite as nice as Cedar Waxwings, but gorgeous coloring, nonetheless) at my feeder!





I think there's a quilt in here somewhere...

Wintry Observations