tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

A quilter walks into a quilt shop and see fabric. The quilter does not just see fabric, a quilter sees INSPIRATION! In the post “Creative Inspiration: Family” I introduced a series of posts exploring my resources for creative inspiration. This post discusses another important source of my creative inspiration: FABRIC.

Have you ever browsed in a quilt shop and been strongly drawn to a particular bolt of fabric or to an entire collection? You do not have a project in mind for this fabric but you know you just absolutely positively have to have the fabric (or a sample of each fabric from the entire collection) as it inspires you to make something with it (eventually)! However, every quilter knows this is the primary source for an out of control fabric stash, eh?

Fabric/Textiles are a major source of creative inspiration for me. When I find interesting and unique fabrics they inspire me to create something that honors their beauty. Last year I was fortunate enough to be given a small collection of African textiles from someone’s estate. I was overwhelmed with the richness and colors in these textiles. This inspired me to create a piece, called African Windows, to showcase these fabrics. I used a basic “attic windows” pattern concept where shadows are created by piecing a darker solid fabric (in this case black fabric) strategically to create the illusion of a window.

Below are photos of my quilt African Windows (2014) which was long arm quilted by Betty Anne Guadalupe of Guadalupe Designs.

African Windows (2014). Pieced by Tierney Davis Hogan, quilted by Betty Anne Guadalupe.

Fabric Scraps Obsession, Studio, What's on the Design Wall

What’s on the Design Wall: “Log Jamming”

March 21, 2015October 22, 2018 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

A couple of weeks ago I was scheduled to take a quilting class called “Log Jam“. Log Jam is an innovative way to rapidly create scrappy log cabin quilt blocks. If you are a new quilter or not a quilter, a “log cabin” block is a quilting block made by starting with a small center square and building consistent standardly sized strips of fabric around the center square. The log jam concept throws the requirement of consistency sized strips out the window. “Log jamming” makes the log cabin style quilt block construction process laid back, casual, scrappy and fun! When making a log jam quilt you can use a specific palette of scraps, solid colors, or random scraps to make the piece very scrappy.

Unfortunately only three people registered for the class (myself and two of my friends) and it this did not meet the threshold to hold the class. The quilt shop was so wonderful and let us use their classroom anyway and hold our own class (two of my friends had taken the class before). So we spent 6 hours having a blast “log jamming“. The “log jam” method involves the kind of quilt block making you can do while chatting and giggling with friends – it is fun and less structured. We ended up being very silly and singing songs while we were working on our log jams. I even modified Bob Marley’s song “Jamming” to “Log Jamming”!

Now the 27 blocks I made log jamming are sitting on my design wall. I am trying to decide what I want to do with these blocks: maybe a table runner for my series of my Modern Quilt Table Runners on my Etsy shop or maybe one quilt with the blocks set into a solid background or floated. Every quilter should find space for a design wall – it helps to lay your pieces out to see where you want to take them!

If you live in the Central Oregon area, the Stitchin’ Post has a wonderful Log Jam class that my friends and I highly recommend you take!

Creative Inspiration

Creative Inspiration: Nature

March 20, 2015November 15, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

In the post “Creative Inspiration: Family” I introduced a series of posts exploring my resources for creative inspiration. This post discusses another important source of creative inspiration for me: Nature.

There is so much beauty around us. Whether you live in beautiful Central Oregon like I do or whether you live in a busy urban environment. You just have to stop for a moment and look around. A solitary tree on a city block can be a wonderful source of nature based inspiration for your creativity as well as a panoramic vista in a national park.

Jean Wells in her inspirational books Intuitive Color & Design: Adventures in Art Quilting (C&T Publishing, 2009) and Journey to Inspired Art Quilting: More Intuitive Color & Design (C&T Publishing, 2012), explores in depth how nature and the environment around you can be a significant resource for creative inspiration. I will talk more about Jean Wells and her influence on my creative inspiration in a future blog post on “Creative Inspiration: Mentors”. Check out Jean Well’s publications for inspirational ideas on your fiber art or just walk around and really see the beauty and inspiration around you!

To demonstrate Nature’s Inspiration, below are photos from a wonderful trip with a friend to Red Rock Canyon State Park a couple years ago. I used the colors in the photos from this trip to inspire a batik art quilt I made.

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

~Lao Tzu

Creative Inspiration

Creative Inspiration: Family

March 10, 2015August 25, 2018 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

A friend commented to me: “I thought your blog was just about quilting…”

If you have been following my blog you have figured out it is more than a discussion of quilting techniques and ideas. I enjoy writing about the creative process which includes the audiobooks I listen to while creating, food I enjoy when taking a break from creating (so I can be adequately nourished to continue creating), organizing the space in which I create and some general life topics that some how tie into creating. Of course I do throw in a couple quilting specific posts here and there!

This post begins a series on a topic I want to explore: Creative Inspiration. I will share some of my major sources of creative inspiration and if you are a creative person I would love hear about your sources of inspiration in the Comments.

My number one source of Inspiration is my immediate family which include my sister, brother, and parents (both deceased) as well as my husband. This post relates to inspiration from my biologic family and I will discuss inspiration from my wonderful husband in another post.

SISTER

My younger sister is an amazing woman and mother. She is a very creative person. She has been a major source of inspiration as it was her reaction to the second quilt I ever made (which I sent to her as a surprise) that inspired me to embrace quilting as a hobby. I have made her and her family numerous quilts over the years and they keep them until they are complete worn and threadbare and treat each one like a precious possession. How could one not be inspired to keep quilting? She was also the one who encouraged me to “get off my butt” and pursue my dream of starting tierneycreates. She worked with me on specific tasks, goals and timelines. She helped move tierneycreates from a daydream to a reality. She continues to cheerlead and be a pivotal source of inspiration.

BROTHER

My younger brother is an amazing man and father. While he was in undergraduate study he knew he wanted to be in business for himself and by the time he was in graduate school he had successfully started his entrepreneurial career. As a young man he told me “I just do not want to work for someone else, I do not want to spend my life as an employee”. He has such vision and drive that he has propelled himself toward the life that he wanted, despite and roadblocks or struggles. His entrepreneurial creativity example also inspired me to start tierneycreates. I do not see me leaving my “day job” in health care anytime soon but it is exciting to experience some of what he experiences as an entrepreneur.

MOTHER

My mother was a very creative woman and used to teach drama. She loved color and enjoyed interior decorating. I remember as a child we had many themed rooms in our house all uniquely decorated. She passed when I was in my 20s from breast cancer. I think I inherited her flair for color and design.

FATHER

My father (who passed in 2008) is my greatest source of inspiration. He was an educator, social worker, civil rights activist and community leader. Growing up in the 1970s where not a lot of African American history was taught in schools, my father thought it was important that I learn specifically about great African American innovators, inventors, activists and leaders. From a young age this inspired me to take risks despite adversity. My father grew up in the segregated South during the 1930s -1940s and he was involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the late 1950s and 1960s (he even met Martin Luther King, Jr. and other great Civil Rights leaders). Despite his experiences with great adversity and segregation he taught us to always treat everyone equally and never to think anyone is less than you because they are different from you. People are just people. He inspired my openness to new experiences, new people and new ideas, which I think is important in the creative process and defined the core of who I am as a person.

My father shared many inspiring stories with us from growing up in the South during a difficult time for minorities, here is one of them:

In the late 1940s I got on a bus and sat near a man who called me a (racial slur) and loudly said “I don’t like you, (racial slur)”. I calmly responded “but if you got to know me, you would like me.” This relaxed the tension and opened friendly dialogue. At the end of the bus ride we shook hands and pleasantly parted ways. – Raoul Davis, Sr.

Strawberry Fields - Central Park’s Memorial to John Lennon, taken 2008 during my trip to NYC. — Strawberry Fields – Central Park’s Memorial to John Lennon, taken 2008 during a family trip to NYC.

What are your sources of inspiration?

Quality of Life, Quilt Retreats

Retreating is not necessarily “retreating”

March 7, 2015May 24, 2017 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I am honored to be invited to teach a hand piecing/quilting/spiritual art class at the Women’s Relaxation Reiki Retreat in Finland, August 19-22, 2016 and I am working on developing Northern Lights (aka the aurora borealis) themed project options for the class since the Northern Lights will be in view during the retreat.

This will be a working retreat for me where I get to attend some classes and teach a couple of classes. I started thinking about the whole idea of going on a retreat/retreating and Quilting Retreats I have attended in the past (and those planned with my quilting friends in the near future) and this post shares my thoughts.

If you look up the word retreat in a dictionary you made find definitions like these below:

movement by soldiers away from an enemy because the enemy is winning or has won a battle
movement away from a place or situation especially because it is dangerous, unpleasant, etc.
the act of changing your opinion or position on something because it is unpopular

(Source – http://www.merriam-webster.com)

None of these definitions have anything to do with the type of retreats I enjoy! To retreat is commonly thought of as backing away and/or pulling into yourself. There are retreats such as spiritual based and meditation retreats where the purpose is to back away from your daily life and worries and to pull into yourself to gain perspective or spiritual enlightenment. I admire people who attend these type of purely inward focused retreats. However the type of retreats enjoy involve connecting with people.

I am so fortunate to have a wonderful group of quilting friends from various parts of the country. I met these women through quilting retreats and because we deeply connected, we continue to retreat together year after year. We even plan our own special group retreat where only our private group attends. Yes, I will admit it – sometimes I bring a couple projects to these retreats and do not get much quilt piecing done. However what are you going to most remember about a quilt retreat: 1) that you completed 5 projects; or 2) that you hung out with some amazing women and had many laughs?

It is magical to connect with a stranger at a retreat on other common ground beyond being a quilter. I am originally from New York and I have bonded with another quilter because she is also “a Yankee”.

If you are a quilter/crafter, I bet you could not imagine attending a quilting/crafting retreat in which you just “back away/pull into yourself”. I have met a couple people at quilting retreats who just wanted to focus on their projects and were not very social – however I am not sure they had as great a time as those that did not get as much done but had a blast connecting with other retreat attendees.

Besides connecting with fun people, the other wonderful parts of quilt retreating are a scenic peaceful location (I do love a retreat where you can go for a solitary walk in a pastoral location and take break from the group setting), impromptu outings to local quilt shops (with old or new quilt friends), and yummy food to enjoy (that I did not have to cook!)

“Happiness [is] only real when shared” – Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

Studio

A Novel Panel Idea

March 6, 2015March 31, 2015 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Our library has a community wide book club book once a year called A Novel Idea. In the fall, our library unveils the selected novel and everyone in the community is encouraged to read the book. In spring the book’s author is invite to town to speak for the ultimate book club meeting. As part of the Novel Idea celebration in the spring the library has an art show to feature art inspired by the community read novel.

I read the book, A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki as soon as it was announced as the selected book and loved it. I was determined to enter the art show and create a piece of fiber art inspired by this wonderful novel.

But where to start…

I have a collection of pre-printed fabric panels that I have collected over the years. Some panels in the collection, that I bought long ago, I look at and go “what was I thinking?” Others I look at and think: “what am I going to do with that?” Some quilters look down on using panels and think they are cheating because you are not piecing the entire piece.

Remembered in my collection of panels I had a lovely kimono panel printed with images of the sea and sky – that seemed like the right place to start as part of the novel took place in Japan. I mirrored the palette of the panel to create a flowing extension of the panel’s scene.

Here are photos” from my design wall to completed piece just hung in the downtown branch of our library for the upcoming show

On the design wall

Just hung for the library show

On the back of the finished piece I put a label about my inspiration:

Jiko’s Secret Robe (2015)

Quilt inspired by Ruth Ozeki’s novel A Tale for the Time Being: Nao’s great grandmother, Jiko, is a humble and wise 100+ year-old Buddhist nun who wears simple robes and lives a simple life. This quilt represents Jiko’s secret robe – a robe not visible to the eye but visible to the soul – representing the complexity and depths of Jiko’s spirit, experience, wisdom and compassion for all beings and the earth.

“For the time being, the entire earth and the boundless sky.”– Ruth Ozeki

Studio, What's on the Design Wall

What’s on the Design Wall: Rediscovering My “Charms”

March 1, 2015July 13, 2016 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

If you would like to see what is on my design wall in regards to new pieces for The Wardrobe Meets the Wall Collection, check out the post In Progress on The Wardrobe Meets the Wall blog. To stay up to date on Sassy the highly opinionated miniature schnauzer’s check out her page Schnauzer Snips.

CHARM PACKS

If you are quilter you know exactly what I am talking about – those addicting little charm packs. If you are not a quilter – charm packs are collections of precut 5 x 5 in. squares in coordinating fabrics. They are a great way to sample a new fabric collection – they usually come in packs of 40 squares and have at least one of each fabric in a collection. They can also come in solid fabric collections.

I fortunately or unfortunately have acquired quite a stash of charm packs over the years.

You go into a quilt shop and see a new fabric collection and daydream of a yard of each of the new 20 fabrics. Then you remember you need to eat and keep a roof over your head so you don’t give into the temptation of such a glorious shopping spree. Walking away from the collection you were coveting, you spy over in the corner the charm packs sets for the new fabric collection! You now think – “Yes! I can have a taste of the new collection (and still be able to pay my mortgage)!”

You bring them home, with no particular plans in mind for them and put them with the rest of your impulse buy charm packs…

A year ago I decided to stop hoarding charm packs and to actually use them. There are many wonderful books with charm pack specific patterns – patterns designed to start with 5 in. squares and go from there. I made a couple quilts from these pattern books, but quickly burned out of this structured traditional quilt making. So I put the rest of the charm packs back in their display (gather dust) area and forgot them.

I was reorganizing my fabric a week ago and came across my stash of charm packs again and thought: Why do I have to use a pattern? Why can’t I just do something initiative and “modern quilting” style? So I took two charm packs of collections of various solid color batik fabrics and randomly sliced each 5 x 5 in. square into three sections. Then I reassembled this huge pile of charm pack sections into random columns. I experimented and sliced up one of the columns to make thinner columns and alternated the columns.

I am still experimenting and plan to create table runners out of these columns. Below are photos of “playtime” on my my design wall.

Experimenting with charm packs

Charm pack table runner in progress

I think they are on their way to becoming quite CHARMING. I am glad I rediscovered my CHARMS!

My Minimalism Journey, Quality of Life

Living with Less?!?!?!

February 25, 2015October 31, 2017 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

A favorite pastime is to browse the library shelves for crafting and home design/decorating books. During a browse the other day I found a book Living with Less: how to downsize to 100 personal possession by Mary Lambert (2013).

I am really into the “Tiny House” movement and I am known to blow a weekend afternoon looking at “Tiny House Porn” on YouTube. I love the idea of scaling back and scaling down your life and “living with less” in exchange for quality of life. Ms. Lambert’s book provides an excellent process on scaling back your life to 100 personal possessions. In exchange for this downsizing you can gain an “ordered life” and “liberate your mind, body, an spirit”. After reading 1/2 of the book and skimming the other half – I was sold on this wonderful concept.

Until a casual conversation with my husband…

My husband Terry has been very tolerant of my obsession with tiny houses and scaling back our lives. We already live in a 1300 square foot house (having scaled back 9 years ago from a 2800 sq. ft house) and we have a fairly simple and thrifty lifestyle. Still I fantasize about being able to “quit my day job” in health care and dedicate myself full-time to tierneycreates.

Terry, the Realist, quietly nods his head while I give him an enthusiast summary of the book Living with Less and idea of each of us pairing down to 100 possessions. Terry gets up from his chair and begins to start counting out loud the quilts hanging on the wall, hanging on the quit rack, on beds and chairs, and then in a cabinet. He states: “do these all count as one item or 25?” Then he begins to count the craft books I have on the shelf, and I tell him to stop (as I do have an issue with craft books).

He sighs and states: “So will you just be keeping a pair of underwear, a pair of socks, a pair of shoes, and 1 outfit in your scaling down? And, do all those fat quarters of fabric count as one piece of fabric?”

So, as much as I admire Ms. Lambert’s concept of scaling down I do not think it can happen anytime soon.

My pile of scraps for making scrap quilts: Do they each count as 1 item or can I group all the scraps together as one item?

oh crap so many scraps

Books, Music, Podcasts

Life is Nonfiction: Part V

February 22, 2015July 17, 2016 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

We arrive at the conclusion of a series of posts which began with Life is Nonfiction, a listing of my favorite nonfiction audiobooks and subsequent discussion of key insights I gained from listening to these books.

In my prior post in this series, Life is Nonfiction: Part IV, I opened with a brief discussion of the fictional audiobooks I have listened to recently as part of my 2015 “a year of fiction”. I realized forgot to mention that I had recently finished the Ann Patchett’s book The Magician’s Assistant, a highly enjoyable listen about being in love with someone you cannot have, closure, and finding your own way. Currently I am listening to Ann Patchett’s The Story of a Happy Marriage, an excellent collection of her essays. After reading or listening to Bel Canto, State of Wonder, The Magician’s Assistant and now The Story of a Happy Marriage, I have decided to start with her earliest novel, The Patron Saint of Liars and read/listen to her entire catalogue of novels. I have become interested in exploring an author’s entire body of work. It is intriguing to find reoccurring themes in an author’s writing. So far several of Ann Patchett’s novels touch upon some version of unrequited love.

Now onto the key insights I gained from the remaining favorite nonfiction audiobooks:

Robinson, Ken (2013). Finding your element: how to discover your talents and passions and transform your life. New York, NY: Viking.

KEY INSIGHT: Be brave and identify where your passions lie. The pursue them!

Singer, Michael (2013). The untethered soul: the journey beyond yourself. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

KEY INSIGHT: I think this book is a mandatory read for humans. I first read it and then I listened to the audiobook. The audiobook is humorous in a way, after reading this very profound book, as the narrator sounds like a slightly irritated New Yorker telling you to “get over yourself”. The key insight of the book is basically “get over yourself”! Don’t listen to your ego talking and bossing you around, find your real voice, the voice at your core. This book helps you dispel with the negative self-talk and “chatter” and get to the magic and the beauty of being a conscious living being. I must recommend that for your first exposure to this book – read the book and then if you want to revisit it listen to the “slightly irritated New Yorker” narration!

Taleb, Nassim (2012). Antifragile: things that gain from disorder. New York, NY: Random House.

KEY INSIGHT: Awareness of the fragility in systems, what makes them fragile, and how to protect yourself professionally and personally.

Tolle, Eckhart (2005). A new earth: awakening to your life’s purpose. New York, NY: Dutton/Penguin Group.

KEY INSIGHT: Like the book The untethered soul, this book focuses on the awareness of the ego and then letting go of the ego. Listening to this book helped me gain quite a sense of peace and release from things that I was obsessing and worrying about as ultimately many of them do not matter in the whole scheme of the universe.

Tolle, Eckhart (1999), The power of now: a guide to spiritual enlightenment. Novato, CA: New World Library.

KEY INSIGHT: Live in the moment. The past is not changeable and the future is not ultimately known. This book helped me let go of many worries and to appreciate what I am experiencing in the moment. This book is about being fully present in the Present.

Weber, Lauren (2009). In cheap we trust: the story of a misunderstood American virtue. New York, NY: Little, Brown.

KEY INSIGHT: This book was an enjoyable discussion on the history of frugality and that “being cheap” is not a bad thing!

White, Jennifer (2004). Work less, make more. Ashland, OR: Blackstone Audiobooks.

KEY INSIGHT: This book encouraged intense scrutiny of what was really important to me in life. I realized that my health care career was not at the top of the list. At the top of the list is family (including furry family members) and my tierneycreates creations!

Whew – not sure what I was thinking when I decided to take on discussion/key insights of so many nonfiction audiobooks. I hope you will find a book or two that inspire you after all these insights. I did notice repetition in “self-help” nonfiction audiobooks but repetition of important ideas/concepts can be a good thing. Happy Listening!

Studio

Rethinking a Closet

February 19, 2015March 31, 2015 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I am addicted to “Studio Porn” – photos of artists’ and crafters’ studios. At least once a week I settle in with a cup of tea, in a cozy chair, and leaf through publications such as Studios and Where Women Create or various books on craft/art studio organization. These publications are filled inspirations on how to organize, design, and decorate your studio.

My studio is small, but I feel lucky to have a place in my home that I can dedicate to my crafting. It was designed as a bedroom and I removed the traditional bifold closet doors to open the space to organize and store supplies. I thought: “who needs closet doors when you can have more open space?”

Then I saw the studio of Jean Wells in the Better Homes and Gardens book Studio Spaces: Projects, Inspiration & Ideas for Your Creative Place (2011) and I saw what a closet can be in a studio! Ms. Wells turned one side of a closet door into an inspiration board and the other into a design wall. Her closet doors became my dream closet doors! Thanks to a generous gift from my mother-in-law, my dream studio closet doors have become a reality!

Cindi and Rob of CR Construction did an excellent job designing my new closet doors based on the photos from the book. They put sheet metal on the left door and wrapped Warm & Natural cotton batting on the right door. They designed a unique floating track system that allowed the doors to float over each other without touching when opened. This allows pieces on the design wall side not to be disturbed (who wants to redo their design wall every time they open their closet?). Cindi and Rob added strong bright lighting inside the closet – previously I had no light and would aim a lamp in the studio towards the closet to illuminate it in the evening.

My home studio is very simple and a mishmash of furniture and shelves thrown together, but my closet feels really special and inspires my creativity!

Check out the Textiles Adventures page for other updates.

Books, Music, Podcasts

Life is Nonfiction: Part IV

February 15, 2015July 17, 2016 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

After spending last couple years primarily listening to Nonfiction audiobooks, 2015 continues to be an enjoyable year of Fiction audiobooks as I focus my audiobook selections to fictional stories. So far all have been excellent. After listening to Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being, I delved into Margaret Atwood’s impressive collection of short stories – Stone Mattress: Nine Tales. The book was narrated by the author herself as well as several other wonderful narrators. Several of the short stories are connected in a masterful way and others stand alone. Many deal with themes about aging and empowerment in the face of loss of youth, while others are just marvelous little fantasy stories. After finishing Stone Mattress, I listened to Rene Denfeld’s mind blowing novel The Enchanted: A Novel that provided a lyrical story about life on death row from the perspective of an incarcerated sociopath with profound mental illness. It does not sound like something appealing to listen to but the narration by Jim Frangione is amazing as is the extremely masterful story.

Now you are thinking: “Wait a minute Tierney, the title of this post is Life is Nonfiction: Part IV!” You are right and the actual purpose of this post is to continue sharing the key insights from the list of my favorite nonfiction audiobooks which I began in the post Life is Nonfiction.

So here we go:

Guillebeau, Chris (2010). The art of nonconformity: Set your own rules, live the life you want, and change the world. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

KEY INSIGHT: To live life on your own terms; and that it is okay to give yourself permission do that! I have always felt like I never quite “fit in” and have always considered myself an outsider. This book reinforced it is okay to be an “outsider” and to walk your own unique path. The more I listen to books like this more I am at peace with being an outsider and walking my own path.

Heath, Chip (2013). Decisive: how to make better choices in life and work. New York, NY: Crown Business.

KEY INSIGHT: This audiobook provided great insights on making better choices personally and professionally. I loved the “WRAP” method of decision making discussed in the book: 1) Widen your choices; 2) Reality test your assumptions; 3) Attain distance before deciding; and 4) Prepare to be wrong.

Heath Chip & Health, Dan (2010). Switch: how to change things when when is hard. New York, NY: Books on Tape.

KEY INSIGHT: Looki at change in an optimistic way and honestly examine obstacles to change.

Huffington, Arianna (2014). Thrive: the third metric to redefining success and creating a life of well-being, wisdom, and wonder. New York, NY: Random House.

KEY INSIGHT: This is one of the best nonfiction audiobooks ever in my opinion. The female narrator has a Greek accent to give you the feel that A. Huffington (of The Huffington Post) herself is reading the book to you. This book inspires one to rethink, or think about for the first time what success really means to you personally and professionally. This audiobook inspires you to examine what is actually important in your life. This audiobook importantly encourages you to take care of yourself in a loving manner and to protect yourself from burnout. This audiobook inspired me to get more sleep, which has been a wonderful thing (and has made our miniature schnauzer Sassy very happy as she loves to go to bed as early as possible if you read her blog on Schnauzer Snips).

Kelly, Matthew (2011). Off balance: getting beyond the work-life balance mouth to personal and professional satisfaction. Ashland, OR: Blackstone Audio.

KEY INSIGHT: That work-life balance is a myth! This audiobook inspired me to look beyond that myth and honestly examine where I want to focus my energies in life.

Kingsolver, Barbara (2007). Animal, vegetable, miracle: a year of food life. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

KEY INSIGHT: In this wonderful book narrated by the author, Barbara Kingsolver takes the reader along with her family’s one year experiment of growing and raising their own food. She shares all the hurdles and challenges to eat “clean” and local in humorous, educational and poignant ways. After reading Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore’s Dilemma years ago I was already conscious about “where does the food I eat actually come from and how it is processed?” This book helped remind me to make wise choices on what food I bring in my house/place on my table/put in my mouth.

Kornfield, Jack & Siegel, Daniel (2011). Mindfulness and the brain. Louisville, KY: Sounds True.

KEY INSIGHT: Why slowing down and being mindful is so important to your mental health. After listening to this audiobook I began to believe in the power of meditation.

McKeown, Greg (2014). Essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less. New York: Crown Business.

KEY INSIGHT: I already knew you do not need a lot of stuff or achievements to be happy but this audiobook beautifully reinforced this concept. This audiobook made me think about living my life more simply and carefully deciding where I want to put my time and energy.

I hope you experience some of these excellent nonfiction audiobooks for yourself.

tierneycreates

2015 Goals

February 12, 2015March 31, 2015 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Over the past month I have been thinking about my 2015 goals related to tierneycreates. I have two main goals: 1) post more on my blog; and 2) get the tierneycreates Etsy shop up to 100+ items. I just have to work around my full-time health care job I have in order to meet these goals!

Recently, and probably too late for the Valentine’s Day holiday, I have been working on sets of little love note pillows to sell on my Etsy shop. They would be perfect for Valentine’s Day but they also work well as a little wedding gift, a little way to say I love you gift, and a nice little treat to show yourself some “self-love” and have around your house. Before I even got the them posted onto the Etsy shop I sold a couple to friends to give as Valentine’s gifts – they are so cute in person it is difficult to capture their cuteness in a photo (and that could be because my photography skills are lacking…).

I have also been working on a new piece for the collaborative collection, The Wardrobe Meets The Wall, tentatively called “Vessel”. If you’d like to see it in progress check out the photo on the In Progress post on The Wardrobe Meets The Wall blog.

Sassy has been trying to keep her her section of the tierneycreates blog updated so be sure to check out her posts at Schnauzer Snips!

Little Love Note Pillows

tierneycreates

Oh Wow!

January 10, 2015March 31, 2015 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I had to title this post “Oh Wow!” as I am feeling oh wow right now. In my post Look Look I am in a Book! I share my excitement that several of my collaboration silk quilt pieces were selected to be in Sandra Sider’s 1000 Quilt Inspirations: Colorful and Creative Designs for Traditional, Modern, and Art Quilt.

Well…I just got a huge surprise:

I friend of mine told me today – “Tierney I pre-ordered the book you are going to be in on Amazon”. So I went to Amazon (amazon.com) and located the book 1000 Quilt Inspirations: Colorful and Creative Designs for Traditional, Modern, and Art Quilts. I noticed that the book now has a “Look Inside” preview on Amazon. When I clicked on the “Look Inside” to see the book preview, I discovered, on page 12 of the book at the beginning of on Chapter 1 Traditional Designs 0001-0206, four (4) photos from my batik quilt Filmstrip. These images are #0001, 0002, 0003 and 0004 – I start out the 1000 of the 1000 quilt inspirations!

I did not even realize they had selected those photos, I thought only details from the two silk art quilts I did with Betty Anne Guadalupe (part of our The Wardrobe Meets the Wall Collection) were going to be in the book. I checked the back index (which the shows in the “Look Inside” preview) and I appear to have a total of 8 images from my quilts in the book.

The book does not come out till March 2015 so I have to be patient to see the rest but I am pretty excited to be in an Amazon “Look Inside” preview. I am so honored to have been selected to be in this book!

Books, Music, Podcasts

Life is Nonfiction: Part III

January 1, 2015January 23, 2017 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I did not realize so much time had passed since my last post briefly discussing my favorite Nonfiction audiobooks that I enjoyed listening to while working on quilts and various textile projects.

Interestingly, I have decided for 2015 to try and make it a year of Fiction and to listen to primarily Fiction audiobooks while I working on quilting projects. I did begin in December by listening to Ruth Ozeki’s wonderful audiobook A Tale for the Time Being (2013), narrated by the author. I love when an author reads/narrates their own book – they are able to give the inflections and emphases that they want on the reading of their book. I have listened to several Barbara Kingsolver audiobooks and she does an excellent job of narrating her own books, giving a real sense of authenticity to the story. I also enjoyed listening to Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Love Pray and Committed) narrate her own books.

Of course my plan to primarily only listen to Fiction audiobooks did not lasted long, and I just finished listening to a very interesting nonfiction audiobook – The Disaster Diaries: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Apocalypse by Sam Sheridan.

Returning to the nonfiction audiobooks I originally listed in the post Life is Nonfiction: I realize you as the blog readers, can search the web yourself and read the synopsis/overview and reader reviews on each book; so I am going to just focus on the key insight(s) I gained from each audiobook as I continue the discussion started in Life is Nonfiction: Part II.

Gordon, John (2007). The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

KEY INSIGHTS: This book presents taking a different perspective/view of your life via a parable of getting on a bus and taking charge of the ride. Though this book is strongly focused on how to successfully lead and motivate a team by being a role model of radiant positive energy, for me it reinforced how destructive negative thoughts and energy can be on moving forward in my life. Although I know it in my heart it is wonderful to have a reminder to just say no to “victim” behavior and that I am in charge of how I react and act in life!

Gladwell, Malcom (2009). What the dog saw and other adventure stories. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

KEY INSIGHTS: Malcolm Gladwell is another author who also provides the narration for his audiobooks. He narrated this intriguing book which is a collection of stories published in the New Yorker. The key insight I gained listening to this book is the importance of being open to different perspectives and experiences of others. Gladwell is a master storyteller and his stories make you think about how you would personally handle a specific experience and gain respect for what others have experienced and persevered.

Gladwell, Malcom (2013). David and Goliath: underdog, misfits, and the art of battling giants. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

KEY INSIGHT: Another great nonfiction audiobook narrated by the author; the key insight I gained from listening to this book (which is also the theme of the book) – is it is not always a bad thing to be the “underdog”. Gladwell discusses many examples of where the outsider, underdog, misfit succeeds and why this success make sense. I like books which reinforce selecting the path less traveled and I admire the bravery of those who walk on those paths!

Duhigg, Charles (2012). The power of habit: why we do what we do in life and in business. New York: Random House.

KEY INSIGHTS: 1) The science behind habits and how habit operates in the brain; and 2) how to remake your habits – eliminate those you want stop, implement new positive habits, or modify existing habits. This well written and well researched book is about taking control of those habits you feel control you.

Fiore, Neil (2007). The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play. New York, NY: Tarcher/Penguin.

KEY INSIGHTS: Well, my key insight was that I have an issue with procrastination – but isn’t first admitting you have a problem the first step to dealing with it? This book provides an excellent plan to overcome procrastination and I did implement many ideas from the book. Unfortunately they did not include my plan on keeping up my blog on a more frequent basis! Seriously, I think this book helps you work through an honest and non judgmental examination of why you really procrastinate. I found the self honesty empowering and each day is a new opportunity to as Nike says “Just Do It”!

Wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Books, Music, Podcasts

Life is Nonfiction: Part II

November 4, 2014July 17, 2016 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

In my post Life is Nonfiction I shared a list of 25 favorite nonfiction audiobooks. In the upcoming weeks I want to share an overview of each audiobook and some key insights I gained from listening while working on crafting projects, walking my dogs, or riding in the car. So let’s start with the first five (5):

Brown, Brené (2012). Daring greatly: how the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. New York, NY: Gotham Books.

Overview: This book explores the concepts of “shame” and how shame holds us back from our full potential: the thinking that we are not good enough. The author shares how to be aware of the perils of shame; how learning to let go of shame and accepting and “owning” our vulnerability can allow us to embrace our fears so we can “dare greatly”. Daring greatly allows us to the take risks that will lead us to achieve our dreams and become more deeply connected with others. Check out Brené Brown’s TED Talks on “Listening to shame” and “The power of vulnerability” and then read or listen to this inspiring book on becoming fearless by embracing your vulnerability and letting go of shame.

Key Insights: This book served as a reminder that I am good enough; that I do not have to be perfect; and that allowing myself to be vulnerable and open is the starting point for innovation and change

Burroughs, Augusten (2012). This is how: proven aid in overcoming shyness, molestation, fatness, spinsterhood, grief, disease, lushery, decrepitude & more – for young and old alike. New York: NY: St. Martin’s Press.

This book is the ultimate anti self help book – it breaks the rules of the standard pump-you-up-so-you-can-feel-good-about-yourself fare of many self-help books. Instead Burroughs provides brutally honest and down to earth straight talk about difficult issues such as suicide, loss and grief. He shows how the standard canned advice does not really work to deal with major life challenges and he irrelevantly but compassionately speaks openly about this own struggles, and how major life hurdles are really faced. He is like an empathetic version of David Sedaris – in many ways the same biting truth telling wit (I had to stop whatever I was doing at times while listening to laugh for several minutes) but with intense compassion on the struggles we all face. His insights on suicide (and how killing yourself is a really stupid idea) and addiction are very powerful.

Key Insights: Many times being brutally honest with oneself is the way to move beyond something in your life that is holding you back; and if you have experienced a significant loss it is okay that the grief will always be part of you – you can still have a fulfilling and happy life and you don’t have to “get over” the loss to get on with your life.

Cain, Susan (2012). Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking. New York: Crown Publishing.

This audiobook is a must listen/read for introverts and extroverts and those like myself who are hybrids. Introverts will gain new appreciation of themselves and extroverts will gain new insights and respect for those who are quieter in nature. This book shares examples of introverts who have quietly yet powerfully changed history and provides incredible insights into how introverts interact with their environment. It discusses how intro vs. extraversion can be identified from a very early age (infant) and offers excellent insights for parents with introverted children and people who have introverts in their life.

Key Insights: I come across as an extrovert but in my heart and in my “secret self” I am an introvert. I could identify with many of the characteristics of introverts discussed in the book. This book also helped me evaluate how being a quieter observer in some situations can be more powerful than being an active participant in a drama unfolding before me.

Fey, Tina (2011). Bossypants. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

This awesome audiobook, narrated by the author, chronicles her adventures from awkward youth to humble comedic genius writer and actor. Her ability to laugh at herself while sharing life lessons is so wonderful. This was another audiobook in which I would have to stop quilting or dog walking for a moment to have a serious belly laugh. Despite many obstacles in her life, mistakes, stumbles and falls, Ms. Fey continued to push towards her goals. There are lots of wonderful stories, much self-depriciating humor and many important lessons threaded throughout this book.

Key Insights: Even if others think you can’t do something or they try to hold you back – go for what you want anyway (and have a sense of humor about the whole experience)!

Gilbert, Elizabeth (2010). Committed: a skeptic makes peace with marriage. New York, NY: Viking.

This audiobook is narrated by the author and I loved her authentic down to earth narration style. When listening to audiobooks, I always think it is an added bonus if the author is also the narrator (they wrote the book and they seem to really connect with the reading of the book). This serious and humorous book explores the history, traditions and complexity of marriage as the author struggles to come to peace with potentially having to marry the man Felipe she met and fell in love with during her book Eat, Love, Pray.

Key Insights: I gained an appreciation of how marriage is viewed in other non Western cultures and how complex marriage is – definitely not something for the faint hearted. I also gained a deeper appreciation for my long time marriage to my husband and the friendship at the core which is the glue that bonds us together through any challenge.

Books, Music, Podcasts

Life is Nonfiction

October 26, 2014July 17, 2016 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Please see Sassy’s blog in Schnauzer Snips for an update on her (and her new brother Mike’s) adventures.

I like to multitask – even though I once saw a magnet that read (and I bought it for my fridge) : “Multi-tasking: Screwing a lot of things up at once”.

I could never just work on a quilt, in the quiet, I have to be also watching a movie, listening to music or an audiobook. When I was primarily working on traditional quilts from a pattern, I would watch what I call “Quilting Movies” – movies or documentaries that do not require my full undivided attention, just an occasional glance at the screen an listening to the dialogue. I have discovered that when I work on non patterned quilts – art quilts – glancing at a screen breaks my creative thought. Instead, a couple years ago I developed the habit of listening to audiobooks while I quilt.

My next discovery was that I enjoyed to listening primarily to nonfiction audiobooks and over the past 2 years I have listened to one nonfiction audiobook right after the other – while quilting, while walking my fellow blogger Sassy (and her new brother), in the car (audiobooks are exquisite for long drives), and while gardening, cooking, or cleaning. The nonfiction audiobooks I am drawn to are those that expand my view of the world, bring new insight and understanding, and contribute to helping me be a better version of myself. There are moments listening to these types of books that I had to stop sewing a moment, pause in my power walk or sit for a quiet moment in my garden when a big “Ah Ha Moment” came upon me.

Over the next couple of weeks (or more) I will share a little about audiobooks that I have found meaningful over the past 2 years. I will provide a brief summary of the book and share what were the key insights I gained from the books listed below.

Life is nonfiction.

Favorite Nonfiction Audiobooks (alphabetical by author)

Brown, Brené (2012). Daring greatly: how the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. New York, NY: Gotham Books.
Burroughs, Augusten (2012). This is how: proven aid in overcoming shyness, molestation, fatness, spinsterhood, grief, disease, lushery, decrepitude & more – for young and old alike. New York: NY: St. Martin’s Press.
Cain, Susan (2012). Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking. New York: Crown Publishing.
Fey, Tina (2011). Bossypants. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
Gilbert, Elizabeth (2010). Committed: a skeptic makes peace with marriage. New York, NY: Viking.
Gordon, John (2007). The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Gladwell, Malcom (2009). What the dog saw and other adventure stories. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
Gladwell, Malcom (2013). David and Goliath: underdog, misfits, and the art of battling giants. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
Duhigg, Charles (2012). The power of habit: why we do what we do in life and in business. New York: Random House.
Fiore, Neil (2007). The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play. New York, NY: Tarcher/Penguin.
Guillebeau, Chris (2010). The art of nonconformity: Set your own rules, live the life you want, and change the world. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
Heath, Chip (2013). Decisive: how to make better choices in life and work. New York, NY: Crown Business.
Heath Chip & Health, Dan (2010). Switch: how to change things when when is hard. New York, NY: Books on Tape.
Huffington, Arianna (2014). Thrive: the third metric to redefining success and creating a life of well-being, wisdom, and wonder. New York, NY: Random House.
Kelly, Matthew (2011). Off balance: getting beyond the work-life balance mouth to personal and professional satisfaction. Ashland, OR: Blackstone Audio.
Kingsolver, Barbara (2007). Animal, vegetable, miracle: a year of food life. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.
Kornfield, Jack & Siegel, Daniel (2011). Mindfulness and the brain. Louisville, KY: Sounds True.
McKeown, Greg (2014). Essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less. New York: Crown Business.
Robinson, Ken (2013). Finding your element: how to discover your talents and passions and transform your life. New York, NY: Viking.
Singer, Michael (2013). The untethered soul: the journey beyond yourself. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
Taleb, Nassim (2012). Antifragile: things that gain from disorder. New York, NY: Random House.
Tolle, Eckhart (2005). A new earth: awakening to your life’s purpose. New York, NY: Dutton/Penguin Group.
Tolle, Eckhart (1999), The power of now: a guide to spiritual enlightenment. Novato, CA: New World Library.
Weber, Lauren (2009). In cheap we trust: the story of a misunderstood American virtue. New York, NY: Little, Brown.
White, Jennifer (2004). Work less, make more. Ashland, OR: Blackstone Audiobooks.

A Crafter Needs to Eat

A Girl’s Gotta Eat!

October 10, 2014November 15, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Recently my friend Ali, a writer for the At Home section of our local paper, asked if I would agree to be interviewed and photographed for an article she was working on about Favorite Recipes (those recipes you nearly have memorized and make over and over again). After she interviewed me for the article and we discussed one of my favorite recipes (Real Simple’s Bean and Chicken Sausage Stew), I got to thinking about all my favorite recipes. I love cooking nearly as much as I enjoy crafting. It is pretty nice after a Saturday afternoon of crafting in the fall to settle down to a nice stew and some crusty bread…and some delicious cookies for desert.

I have a HUGE binder of all my “clipped” recipes from the past 25 years (hey maybe I started collecting recipes when I was 4 years old, you never know…). My friend Kelvin who is a chef once said “hey can you put that binder in your Will to go to me if something happens to you?” This binder contains numerous torn/clipped recipes from magazines, from friends on notecards and scraps of paper, from old cookbooks that were so worn out I could only try to rescue my favorite recipe, all placed in plastic sheet protectors.

Below are many of my most favorite recipes that I make all the time. Thank you so much to the wonderful publications and blogs that have published these recipes online. Please click on the hyperlinked recipe name below to open the web page with the recipe.

Bean and Chicken Sausage Stew

I love Real Simple magazine. They offer wonderful tips on cooking, decorating, dressing, cleaning, stress free living, friendship, life, family, etc. My favorite part of the magazine are their excellent easy to prepare recipes. I make this stew all spring, fall and winter long and it is a great way to get the husband to eat kale. I like to use black beans instead of the cannellini beans listed in the recipe. Using spicy chicken cajun Andouille sausage is fun in the recipe or sometimes I just tone it down with a smoked turkey kielbasa.

Winter Vegetable Soup

I am a long time fan of Martha Stewart and this recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Living. I clipped the original recipe from one of my magazines and it is one of my favorite winter soups. The acorn squash trick a couple friends taught me was to bake the acorn squash in the oven before you use it in the soup. I usually split the acorn squash in half, scoop out the middle/seeds and bake for 30-40 min. at 350 degrees. Once it cools it is easier to slice then trying to saw through a raw acorn squash (which can lead to you saying bad words out loud!)

Cajun Rock Shrimp

A friend got this recipe years ago directly from the chef who created it in Seattle and she was kind enough to share. I never imagined I would be able to find a copy of it online (but I did – yay!) to share with you. The secret to this yumminess is to make the sauce a couple hours to the night before ahead of time and let it “think about itself”. It is very spicy and you may want to adjust some of the peppers in it. Serve it with plenty of fresh crusty bread to mop up the wonderful sauce!

Beer Stew with Beer and Paprika

I am also a huge fan of Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman and her The Pioneer Woman Cooks publications and I have at least 3 of her cookbooks – wonderfully illustrated, great stories and delicious recipes. She is very generous to share many of her recipes online. This recipe is from one of her cookbooks I own but also available online. I love to make this recipe with our beloved local Deschutes Brewery beer Jubelale. I have made it with other beers but Jubelale adds a wonderful distinct yummy flavor to the stew. I also add in some frozen peas to make it more like an Irish Stew.

Sugared Molasses Crinkles

Okay I think these are the best cookies ever and so do many friends who have tasted them! This recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks Where Women Cook: Celebrate by Jo Packham (who also created the amazing publications Where Women Create, Where Women Cook, and Where Women Create Business). I was lucky to find a blogger (astillmagnolia) who had this wonderful recipe online for me to share.

I hope you try out one or two of these recipes and enjoy them as much as we do!

Kale, bean and sausage stew nearly gone bye-bye!

tierneycreates

Introducing Our New Edition

October 4, 2014March 31, 2015 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Please see Sassy’s blog in Schnauzer Snips for an update on our newest edition to the family!

Shows and Exhibits

Color Story IV: Color Change to be exhibited at the Pacific International Quilt Festival, October 16-19, 2014

September 17, 2014September 27, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

This post originally appeared on the Improvisational Textiles website on September 17, 2014.

Color Study IV: Color Change (2012), part of the Color Stories Series, was accepted into the Pacific International Quilt Festival.

Color Story IV: Color Change (2012) by Tierney Davis Hogan. Quilted by Guadalupe Designs. Photographed by Jeremy Koons.

The Pacific International Quilt Festival (PIQF) will be held October 16 – 19, 2014 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

According to the show’s website the show contains a “collection of over 800 quilts and works of wearable and textile art” and is the largest quilt show on the West Coast.

tierneycreates

True Tale of Shipping Terror (and Packaging Obsessions)

September 8, 2014March 31, 2015 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Sounds like the title for a new horror film, right? Or perhaps a made-for-TV-movie featured on a certain science fiction TV channel known for really bad plot lines, less than stellar acting, and suspicious special effects? Unfortunately this tale is true. Fortunately is has a happy ending. Hopefully. I do not know if the monster I thought I killed will pop out of the ground in the last shot of the film…

I was accepted to my first juried show and needed to ship my art quilt across the country to the gallery in Poughkeepsie NY. Very nervous about how to ship an art quilt across the country, I consulted with seasoned quilt artists who had participated in many shows. They provided wonderful advice on how to set up an account with a shipping company, how to package and protect my art quilt, and what steps to take to make everything go smoothly.

I set up an account on line with a national shipping company (name removed to protect the innocent…me) and then went in person to the local office of the shipping company a week prior to needing to have it shipped to investigate all shipping procedures and select an appropriate shipping container, which turned out to be a tube.

Then I proceeded to obsessively package up my art quilt (I figured as long as I did that right all would go well):

I created a special fabric label for the quilt with my address and phone number (should it mysteriously fall out of the package during shipping)
I lovingly wrapped it in acid free tissue paper (like one would use to protect a wedding gown)
I inserted into a plastic bag and then double bagged it to combat unexpected olive oil spills (you never know – in the container next to your delicate piece of art is a giant box from Olive Oil R’ Us that accidentally breaks and leaks everywhere in the delivery truck!)
I then most obsessively labeled each end of the tube – one side for “paperwork” and the other “art” (my paperwork to accompany the piece was also meticulously organized).

So with my package obsessively prepared (it may have taken me more time to prepare it for shipping then I spent originally creating the piece), I returned to the national shipping company local office to mail it. The clerk told me to just sign into my account online there and complete my paperwork and bring it up to the desk.

So I got that all done and dropped it off with the clerk who I saw scan it in. The clerk asked if I wanted evidence that it had been scanned in, but the info would all be on my national shipping company account with the tracking number, so I declined getting receipt – I would just check it online later. I realized I never saw what the shipping cost when I set it up online. I asked what the cost of the shipping was and the clerk said to check online with my account with my online receipt for the shipping and the tracking number.

Naturally I forget to do that until after 9:00 pm (when of course my local national shipping office is closed). When I check my account online – THERE WAS NO RECORD OF MY SHIPPING, NO TRACKING NUMBER, NOTHING!!! My shipped art had vanished into the nether regions. Likely to the same place lost socks go – my art quilt doomed to spend eternity with piles of non-matching socks…

I did some quick thinking (which is important in moment of sheer terror) and I check online the credit card I had set up with national shipping account to see a record of the charge – and there were no charges to the credit card account. My panic worsens, as I truly have no way to prove I even shipped the package: no receipt, no tracking number, no credit card charge, etc.

I cannot call the local national shipping office as they are closed, so I call the national 1-800 number and speak to someone who’s is very difficult to understand (after several minutes of automated prompts) but very helpful – he tries to reverse track the package using the shipping address. After several tense minutes on hold, he comes back on the line and informs me that the package is not in the system (gasp) but after a pause he states they have not updated the system and it may not be listed until the morning.

At this point I would rather be chased by some mutant monster from a bad horror movie than facing the realization that my art is lost and there goes my opportunity to be in my first juried show. Finally I realize there is nothing I can do until I talk to the local national shipping office in the am and I reluctantly go to bed.

In morning I talk to the local national shipping office as soon as it opens at 7:30 am. They cannot locate the package info but take my phone number. An hour of sweating later, the clerk calls me and gives me the tracking number – YAY!!! I of course go immediately online to national shipping company package tracking page to check it and voila it is there – now sitting in Troutdale Oregon on its way across the country. However still no record on my national shipping account of this package and no charge to my credit card….

LESSON LEARNED: Never ship anything of value without getting a receipt/tracking number for your shipment. Just like the guileless women in horror films, I was dressed up all fancy and running with my high heels on and never thought to stop and take them off – so I tripped and the monster nearly got me!

EPILOGUE 9/10/14 – No scary monster grabbed my leg in the closing scenes of the shipping horror movie – my package was delivered today to the gallery!

Shows and Exhibits

Color Story III: Random not so Random selected for its first juried show

August 27, 2014September 27, 2021 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

This post was originally published on the Improvisational Textiles website on August 27, 2014 and is now moved over to tierneycreates.com

One of my recycled silk art quilts from my Color Stories Collection – Color Story III: Random not so Random, was selected to be shown at NEW DIRECTIONS ’14, Barrett Art Center’s 29th Annual National Juried Contemporary Art Exhibition. The distinguished juror for New Directions ’14 was Lynne Warren, Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Chicago, IL.

Color Story III: Random not so Random was selected as one of 82 works by 74 artists from a total of 653 eligible entries from 202 artists nationwide.

New Directions is a premier national exhibition of contemporary art in all visual art media, showcasing the current work of established and emerging artists from across the United States working in a varied array of medium and genres.

The New Directions ’14 exhibit will be on display from Saturday, September 27, 2014 through Saturday, November 8, 2014 in the historic Barrett Art Gallery 1850’s townhouse, located at 55 Noxon Street, Poughkeepsie, New York.

tierneycreates

Properly Hung!

August 25, 2014October 15, 2023 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

I received delightful news the other day from my dear friend in Austria – the quilt I made his son has now been “properly hung”.

The quilt, whimsical house blocks done in a Scandinavian palette (my friend is originally from Denmark), is not just “properly hung” on the wall of his house – it is FUNCTIONALLY HUNG!

There is an electrical panel in the hallway of their house and they creatively hung the quilt with a special frame that both disguises the electrical box and gives easy access! Brilliant, eh?

(It is always so pleasing as a quilter to know that a quilt you make someone is not sitting in a closet somewhere gathering dust.)

tierneycreates

Look Look I am in a Book!

June 23, 2014May 3, 2020 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Check out Sassy’s latest post in her blog Schnauzer Snips!

I received some wonderful news the other day – two of my quilts (sections from “Flying Triangles” and “Color Change”) are going to be in a new art/quilting book: 1000 Quilting Inspirations by Sandra Sider. It will be published by Quarry Books and is due for publication mid Dec 2014 or early January 2015. The book is already listed on the Quarry Books website and you can view it from this link 1000 Quilt Inspirations.

As a member of the Central Oregon branch of SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) I was fortunate enough to be notified that this publication was looking for submissions. I went “submission crazy” and submitted 12 pieces. I am so excited that several of my art quilts Flying Triangles and Color Change are going to be in a national publication. The pieces were personally selected by the book author/editor who holds quite the impressive resume.

I received an e-mail from the publisher notifying me and requesting better photos of the quilts! When I completed my original submissions, they did not want full size quilt photos, they just wanted either small quilts up to 14″x14″ or small sections of quilts for the book. So instead of being able to use the lovely professional photos I have of these quilts, the World’s-Worse-Photographer (me) took photos of sections. Of course they needed me to redo my photos. This time I retook them without my eyes closed! Ha!

I cannot wait until I can have a copy of the book and see my name, quilt and Betty Anne’s name as long arm quilter listed! (Oh and yes I need to start working on some new silk quilts, I have been “milking” the four I made for way too long now!)

Color Change

Flying Triangles

Fabric Scraps Obsession, Studio

Scrappy Experimentations

March 15, 2014October 22, 2018 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Check out Schnauzer Snips for Sassy the Schnauzer’s latest musings

This post is follow to my previous post A Scrappy Existence:

In 2012, thanks to my friend Betty Anne, I expanded my love of fabric scraps from cotton quilting fabric scraps to silk and linen garment scraps. If you check out the Gallery you will see examples of quilts made solely from silk and linen scraps from garment construction.

Recently I have expanded to experimenting with creating pieces from denim and wool scraps.

I have collected denim scraps for a couple years from old jeans in anticipation of a future ‘upcycling’ project. In early 2013 Betty Anne shared her stash of men’s wool suiting scraps and Pendleton wool scraps and samples given to her by a friend. My first experiment with these scraps was making wool pincushions as gifts for fellow attendees at a quilt retreat last year. I was nervous to expanded working with wool scraps beyond making pin cushions.

It took until early 2014 to get the courage to create a piece/art quilt/wall hanging using the wool scraps. I combined them with denim scraps to create a piece I named ‘He Dresses Up, He Dresses Down’. The center of the quilt is constructed from wool suiting scraps (He Dresses Up) which have a luxurious texture. The center is framed on each side with a combination of Pendleton wool scraps and denim scraps (He Dresses Down…slang for comfortable, casual dress).

'He Dresses Up, He Dresses Down', designed & pieced by Tierney Hogan, 2014 — ‘He Dresses Up, He Dresses Down’, designed & pieced by Tierney Hogan, 2014

Piecing wool scraps can be a bit challenging. The seams between wool scraps are bulky when wool pieces are sewn together. Instead of pressing seams to one side as you would normally do with cotton fabric quilt construction, you have to press the seams open AND anchor them down to reduce the bulk. I used a red thread zig zag stitch (for contrast) on the front of wool pieced sections to anchor the seams and reduce the bulk.

The quilt is currently awaiting long-arm quilting and I will post the completed piece to the Gallery.

Now – what category of fabric scraps to experiment with next? Probably upholstery scraps – my friend Cindy gave me a box of upholstery samples. I have seen cool bags made from upholstery fabric – I am thinking either a functional item (like a purse/bag) or a wall hanging. Upholstery fabric scraps would not not make for a cozy quilt!

So imagine me in a white lab coat, with crazy-mad-scientist-hair, beakers of fabric scraps in hand, ready to the next wild experiment!

Fabric Scraps Obsession, tierneycreates

A Scrappy Existence

March 3, 2014October 22, 2018 tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Okay. I love fabric scraps. I am not sure how or when it started but it has been going on for years. And it has developed into an obsession.

I go to a quilting class or a quilt retreat and I see piles of fabric scraps, many which are going to be thrown away. I have been guilty of staying a little late after a quilting class to “clean up” and grab the fabric scraps left behind – on the class ironing board, on the table, under the table…okay once I reached into the trash during a quilting class (when no one was looking) to rescue a large beautiful discarded scrap!

A local quilt shop sells bags of high quality scraps and I have bought several over the years. There is something exciting about a new bag of scraps – the discovery – opening up the bag and seeing what goodies are inside! When visiting friends in Seattle during an annual quilting trip, we stop by a quilt shop that allows customers to fill up a sandwich bag (yes the small one) with scraps for $3. I see it as the “challenge of the century” each time. I have mastered rolling up scraps tightly and cramming them into the tiny bag. My friends are usually amazed when I empty the bag later and see how many fabric scraps I fit in!

My quilting friends support my fabric scrap obsession. A dear friend and original quilting mentor, Judy, sent me over the holidays a lovely package of scraps from a recent quilt she finished.

Yummy fall color scraps from my friend Judy

I do make quilts with the scraps, though my husband says it will take roughly 25 quilts to use up my scraps.

Today I pondered: “why do I love fabric scraps so much?” The high quality quilting fabric scraps that I am attracted are from quilts others make. I guess that using other quilters’ scraps in a quilt (or just having them in my quilt room!) connects me to other quilters and the quilts they make. Quilts are pretty special thing and I love thinking that my fabric scraps are part of handmade items making someone, somewhere smile.

Textiles & Smiles!