House Cleaning and Cat Hair

Most of you have heard about the book I published almost 2 years ago:  A Black and White Tale.  I am still proud of this book and all the effort it took to produce it. The book about Oreo has had a nice run, I find I only have a few cartons left in my closet.

The holidays will soon be upon us, so I have reduced the price from 17.95 to 14.95. Publication costs were higher than I had hoped so it has been priced higher than my $15 target.  Now that the quantities remaining are getting low, I'd like to clear out the closet and make room for new work.

This is a great book for anyone interested in my work. If you know someone that loves quilts or cats, this is a lovely gift for them.  Buy one for yourself. Order two, and I'll pay the postage.

My heart and soul went in to writing this book. Help me find good homes for the remaining copies!  You can read more on my website.

Put this on your calendar! March 16-18

Big news from TheQuiltShow.com! In honor of International Quilt Day March 17, 2012, The Quilt Show, on web TV hosted by Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, will "open" all of its shows from the first nine series--that is, from shows numbered 100 through show 913--for the entire weekend of March 16 –18. This means that—for three special days—everyone will have the chance to view these 117 shows, featuring some of the quilting world’s leading artists, at no charge.

After the filming of episode #111,  Alex Andersen, Ann Fahl, Ricky Tims

As you may already know, I appeared as the featured artist on TQS on show 111. If you didn't have the opportunity to see this show first time around, now you'll have the chance to see it—and so many other terrific shows. Filming this segment was one of the most exciting days of my career. Being on stage with Alex, Ricky and an audience was quite a rush. Most of my cat quilts were there! The filming was before A Black and White Tale became a book!

Waiting for Breakfast, a quilt by Ann Fahl

Please share this information with all of your quilting friends. It's a fantastic opportunity to enjoy three days of learning and fun without leaving your home…all for free. And...... Support your fellow quilters!

Ann Fahl, and the staff of thequiltshow.com

Oreo is Moving! La Conner to Anderson!

It is time to announce that Oreo's next exhibit will open soon:

January 29-March 25 2012

Opening reception Jan 29, 1:30-4:00
Open Tuesday through Sunday from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
-- and they have an interesting gift shop too. 

Anderson Arts Center

121 Sixty-Sixth Street
Kenosha, WI 53143

The public is invited.  Donations accepted.

Valentine for You, a quilt for Valentine's Day by Ann Fahl

 

There will be two exhibits showing:

A Black and White Tale, all of the quilts in the book will be on exhibit.  

Ann will be signing books at the opening

Quilts in Color: The artists are Rhonda Rodero, Melody Johnson, 

Marcia Stein, Barbara J. Schneider, Gloria Hansen

The Anderson Mansion.  Galleries on two floors in a beautiful setting.

I haven't seen the complete exhibit on both floors yet, it is still being set up!  But what I have seen is amazing!  You will love the variety of subjects, use of color, and expertise that all the artists bring to this beautiful art center.  If you live anywhere in the midwest, please  put this on your calendar.

There will be more about this diverse exhibit in the future.

Ann Fahl

Back to the Studio!

Now that everything is back in place, I've returned to work at the machine. I've started quilting on the collage piece. It's wonderful to work in a room full of light.

Basted collage, partially outline quilted with monofilament thread.

One thing I have rediscovered, is that I need to change my darning foot when I'm quilting around beads. I love the little Janome open foot that floats over the surface, but it is awful around beads.

My favorite open toed adjustable foot catches in all the bead!  Frustrating.

In my excitement about trying some of Lyric's beading techniques on her DVD, I forgot about the fact that I quilt after the beading, not before.  The little adjustable foot catches and doesn't move when there is a bead nearby. So... I have to change to my closed toe oval generic darning foot.

Attach this closed toe plastic darning foot, and it rides right on top of the beads.  Life with beads is much easier sewing with this foot.

So change the foot on your machine and the quilting will go much smoother.  And I'm having fun.

Just a reminder that Oreo still has some books left and we can fill orders received this week by Christmas.  A Black and White Tale is the book I illustrated with all of my Oreo quilts and the verse is written by Jacquie Scuitto, the Quilt Muse.  This is a delightful little book, perfect for a gift for any cat or quilt lover, for under $20! Please check it out. Help support a quilter/publisher and her feline.

It's hard to believe that it is only 2 weeks before Christmas.  Happy shopping.

Ann Fahl

Oreo Continues to Entertain at the La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum

Summer Sanctuary, is a quilt when first completed didn't include Oreo.  She was added later!

Please just one more blog about my show at the La Conner, it runs through Dec 31, 2011!  This is the longest running exhibit I've ever had. Several people have let me know how much they enjoyed my show and the other 2 ongoing exhibits at La Conner, WA.  Some of you have even sent photos for me to see, it's been great. Believe me, it kills me to not be able to go and see it for myself!

A Quilter's Menagerie, is the first quilt that my husband has ever suggested a title for.

Because the size of this quilt is large, it makes a big impact: whether it hangs in my living room or is displayed at a show. This is a fun one to look at because there are so many details when you step up close to it. The green hand dyed fabrics were died by Dagmar Plenk of Milwaukee. She does are marvelous job of blending the procion dyes to make interesting fabrics.  They seem to glow behind the tree!

This is a smorgasbord quilt that contains at least one of everything that I do: metallic thread, hand bead, machine embroidery and quilting, machine applique, and all the animals and images that I've used throughout my career.

Indiana Memories was included in A Black and White Tale as part of Oreo's adventures

 Although Oreo isn't in this beautiful swan quilt, it has become part of her story in Jacquie's and my book about her adventures.  The quilt makes me feel wonderful, but when I look at the quilting I did, I'm amazed at how much I've improved since making this quilt.

Under the Giant Coneflowers is always a crowd favorite

Here Oreo is walking under the leftover coneflowers from Wow That's Orange. Wow, is also in the exhibit. I'll leave you with a springy quilt on this rainy November Day.  Do you remember Tiny Tim?

Tiptoe, lots of hand beading on this one

But now I realize that this one isn't in the show.  We can still enjoy it anyhow.  I will be talking more about metallic threads in the near future.

Ann Fahl

It's One of Those Days

The pink super bells grow vigorously on my deck. The red geranium was a gift from Laura Wasilowski!

Today is a beautiful crisp sunny day. My husband played golf, so I had the house to myself, didn't even have to make lunch for anyone.  So what's the problem?

I can't figure out the passwords for all of my Amazon's accounts. There are many, one for being a book customer, one for author central, one for the author's page, amazon advantage, and last of all the publishers page vendor central.  I'm locked out of all but one, they won't even send me anymore temporary passwords because I answer the test questions wrong. I'm trying to get everything set up for my book A Black and White Tale. It happened last night, I tried again today with similar issues, so I'll deal with this "another day!"

This isn't the best way to begin the day, it brings a black cloud over everything else.So I've started a new book which interests me, had a cup of tea, and I thought it was time to write another blog.

September is a wonderful month in Wisconsin.  It is sunny and dry, very comfortable weather all month.  It also means shorter days and winter is coming. My garden looks beautiful. The black eyed susans have lasted a very long time.  I have put them in bouquets throughout the house.

A corner of my container garden on the deck.  The frosty white clematis is in its glory today. The magenta geranium was a hold over from last year. Don't the angled boards of the floor look wonderful?

One of the joys for me is to have flowers filling the house.  While I'm making dinner I'll make one or two little arrangements for every room. This is what makes gardening worth the effort. Here's a little tour of my house.

This is the kitchen sink bouquet.  It gets the left-overs or flowers with broken stems.

In the living room there is a little bit of goldenrod mixed in with black eyed susans and a few other things. You can read more about the quilt here.

Today the diningroom table gets this little old vase with a sprig of the first mums to bloom.

The vase is hand made by the potter at Winona Lake. This one sits by the stove in the kitchen.

Here is that wonderful purple vase that is immortalized in 2 of my quilts. In front of my

 Purple Iris quilt.

So you've had a little private tour of my floral arrangements and deck garden.  I have saved the best until last!  At lunchtime today, I went to change the water in my birdbath. I carefully slid open the screen door and Oreo shot out of the door so fast, she was a blur. Forgetting to slide the screen closed I rushed after her, down the stairs, where she had already cornered a little chipmunk.

She grabbed it in her mouth, ran up the stairs, through the open door and dropped it on the carpet in the middle of the dining room! It was stunned and had no idea what had happened.  I was yelling and knew I had to pick it up, but with what? I ran to the kitchen, there was an empty oatmeal carton on the counter. I dumped out the newspaper that was rolled up inside and ran back to the dining room.

The chipmunk was gone!! Oreo was chasing it around the table, around the xmas cactus, behind the clock, under the sofa and back again.  She caught it and dropped it back in that "favorite spot" on the rug in the dining room. I put the oatmeal box on top of it, slid a newspaper underneath it. I was shaking after all the excitement.  This time I carefully opened the screen door again, set everything down on the deck, taking a moment to calm myself, quickly lifted the oatmeal container, backed into the house and closed the screen.

Let me collect myself for a moment.  My heart is beating fast just thinking about this! The little guy limped away, and hasn't been seen since.  Oreo keeps looking for him, but he is not to be found.  Just think I could have had a chipmunk in the house wondering around all night.  AAARRRGGGHHH.

And you thought I was giving you a tour of my flower arrangements.  I was showing you most of the places that a chipmunk had visited today.

Have a better day.

Ann

An Interview with Jacquie Scuitto, The Quilt Muse

The following is an interview with my co-author of A Black and White Tale. Her writing really made my vision for the book and the quilts all come together into a delightful story!

Jacquie, tell us about yourself.

Jacquie at the sewing table!

I was born and raised in Maine, went to college in NY State and lived there for some years afterward, then moved to  Europe for 25 years -- Italy and Germany.  My two daughters were both born in Italy but grew up and still live in Germany.  I married my DH, Louis, right out of college and we were married for nearly 58 years before his death in 2010.  We returned to the USA in 1986 and lived in his home town in Sayville, NY, and moved to Vermont in 2003.  Though I had sewn clothing for years I’ve only been quilting since 1991.

How long have you been writing poetry?

My first poem was published in a local newspaper when I was 8.  Then I took time out for years!  I did write poems in college, some of which I still have and most of which I cringe at now!  Joining a couple of on-line quilt lists in 1996 provided impetus through the many discussion threads to express myself in verse.  Since the first ones posted elicited positive responses I was encouraged to write more.

How long does it take to write an 8 stanza poem?

I rarely write any that long and there is no set time required in any case.  Some verses practically write themselves, others refuse to coalesce to a coherent conclusion no matter how long I try.

What does it take to get an idea for another verse?

Usually a comment or question on one of the on-line lists I belong to. Other times it is just from a stray thought.  A few have been written for particular people or events but those don't get posted to the lists!

Did you enjoy verse when you were a child? Who was your favorite poet?

We often learned poems in school and I also had a delightful book, 100 Best Poems for Boys and Girls, where I first met verses by Ogden Nash, Emily Dickinson and many other poets.  I also read the Alice in Wonderland books.  One of my aunts gave me a notebook in which she had copied some of the poems by A.A. Milne as well.  Looking back I realize that I liked verse with strong rhythms and vivid word pictures.

Scrapyard Cats  by Jacquie Scuitto

What is it about quilting that makes you want to write about it?

Quilting opened up a whole new world to me especially after I joined on-line quilt lists and I found a lot to say in verse.  I could even make some fairly sharp comments without getting flamed!

How did you choose the quilts that were added to the story in A Black and White Tale?

Some seemed obvious like the tea table and teapot to go with the one of Oreo with the broken teapot.  The flowers and leaves went well with Oreo in the garden and the Winona Lake ones, even though Oreo was in none of them, seemed to add to the reactions she could have had.

What is it about cats or pets?

Jacquie's cat T2 supervising the quilt scraps

I always had cats as a child as well as for most of my married life.  My husband liked them as well.  In fact when we hadn't had one for several years he wanted to take home some kittens we met at a place where we were staying!  I realized that we NEEDED a cat -- and we haven't been without one or more since.  I currently have two, a tiger named T2, and my black and white Flecki (German for spotted).  They are both getting on but seem to be good for a number of years yet.  I find that they add a bit of life to the house.

How long did it take you to write the verse for A Black and White Tale?

I don't really remember.  The tricky bit was incorporating the new Oreo quilts that Ann kept making!

Flecki guarding the front porch

Are there any amusing stories or difficulties about writing for the book?  

Not really.  It was pretty straightforward once I had settled on the sequence of the quilts -- which did keep changing as more quilts were added!

Any stories about working with Ann Fahl?

I loved her comment that my adding the non-Oreo quilts to the story made her look at her body of work in a new light.

What’s your favorite part of the book?

The Oreo quilts!

Has the publishing of the book changed anything for you?

I feel more like a 'real' author, even though I had already published a book of verse in 1996. This one has an ISBN number!

What's next?

I am trying to gather up my courage and energies to try to publish some of my quilt verses, probably self-publishing in some way.

Jacquie taking a moment away from her quilting!

If you are interested in learning more about Jacquie Scuitto, and reading some of her poetry go to her blog at http://quiltmuse.blogspot.com

Thanks for reading!

Ann Fahl

For Cat Lovers Only?

This morning finished up my birthday festivities, they have lasted over 4 days. We always do something special at coffee when we have a birthday. There is a birthday treat and maybe small gifts and cards.  Even at my age it is nice to be recognized on my special day. There were funny cards and thoughtful gifts, but one in particular stands out.

All of you readers have read much about my newest adventure, publishing my book about my cat quilts.  Perhaps Oreo might be jealous of this particular gift. Should I have named my book something else?

Maybe I could call it A Milk and Dark Chocolate Tale! Here is the gift I got from my friend Carole.  The perfect gift for a cat and chocolate lover.

A two tone chocolate cat!

 

 

I think I'll taste test her ears first!

Ann

Introducing........................................

I picked up the books from my printer yesterday. This is a day I've waited for, for a long time. I could hardly wait to turn the pages, read the verse and look at all the quilts pictured inside.

Here is the first look at the books!

But first we had to unload the trunk! We have boxes of books stored in several rooms of the house. We need to keep them in a clean and dry place so these precious books don't get moldy.

At last I opened one of the books and took one to Sally Miller (book designer) to show it to her. We were very pleased. It was exactly as we expected, with no mistakes. The printing on glossy paper is wonderful and enhances the photography. You can see each bead stitched on the quilts, it's amazing. I can't believe this is my book.

Oreo inspecting the books, she isn't as excited as I am!

Finally, Oreo and I, have A Black and White Tale, ready for sale! The website is up and running. I will be glad to sign each book for you.

And here is the cover of this 48 page book!

This is a small book, yet packed with 34 one-of-a-kind quilts some with a cat, and some without. It is colorful and sure to please both quilt and cat lovers of all ages.  Jacquie Scuitto's verse which accompanies the quilts will delight you. At the conclusion of Oreo's tale, there is a section of the book that has the back stories and descriptions of each of the quilts. Sorry no patterns included.

Now that we are ready to go, we have decided that Oreo will be in charge of cat hair removal, and I will be in charge of packing and shipping. So we are ready to hear from you. Please help us out by telling people about the book. We will try to understand if you are a dog lover!

Ann and Oreo

How to Print a Book-- part 1

Friday was one of the most exciting days I've had in the last year or so.  Everything is coming together for the book. Since I am publishing this project myself, I am in charge of every detail. Bill Angel of Angel Lithographing is the printer, and has been extremely helpful to me and my designer, Sally Miller, prepare the manuscript for its final journey to the press!

 

I was able to see the first pages of A Black and White Tale born!

Stack of glossy paper

A huge stack of paper, on a pallet, is placed at the front end of the machine. It rises up so it can be fed continuously into the press.

Each sheet gets picked up and fed, waterfall style, into the press.

The large press

This press is huge, longer than a house, and taller than you are. The the paper you have just seen goes in on the far right side of the picture to the far left.  On top are the large boxes that house the printing plates, rollers and ink. This press has eight rollers; 4 for the top of the page and 4 for the underside when required. The process was much quieter than I expected.

Yellow Roller on top of the press.

 

 

On the left side of the yellow roll is a vertical white tube which is the ink cartridge.  It moves across the roller distributing ink as needed. There are four colors, magenta, yellow, cyan and black.

Now for the exciting part, the page is finished

This page is the last 1/3 of the book

Inside a plastic box the final sheets emerge. They have been heated before their arrival at this place, to speed the drying of the ink. It's amazing to see my quilts in all the beautiful photographs on the page. I can count some of the beads on the quilts!

Quality Control

Occasionally a page is pulled out and quality inspected. A small scanner (gray box on lower left) scans the strip of colors at the lower edge of the sheet. This is important to check that proper quantities of ink are being laid on the sheets.

Printed page on a pallet

Here is the stack of printed pages, about to go back to the front end, to be printed on the reverse side!

The folded signature #3

After both sides are printed, the page is folded up like this. It is pressed flat. I have fanned it out so you can see it better.  This becomes a little packet called a signature.  Three signatures #1-3 are placed together and are then glued together with the cover. Somewhere in this process the book is also trimmed up to remove all the printers marks to create the final package. All my pages are now on their way to the bindery.

We are almost done.

This is a very complex process, for which I have more respect and understanding than before.  All of us buy and use so many beautiful color quilting books and have no idea of how it was made.  So this is my story! And soon you will be able to read Jacquie Scuitto's wonderful poem which is on the book pages too.

Thanks for reading!

Ann