Art and beauty are in the eye of the beholder it is said. What do you behold when you seek out beauty? When you want to express your passion for life, what kind of "art" do you do or enjoy? 

There are as many ways of expression as there are people with the delightful, sometimes challenging, diversity we have in thought, beliefs, cultures, experiences.

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Bringing beauty into peoples' lives now by selling my art, as I have with landscaping, I am happy to show you what I've been doing. I have long had a relationship with fabric. Being of the generation I am, it started with my mother making doll clothes, my clothes, teaching me how to sew. Then taking Home Economics classes which weren't about how to write checks, balance check books, knowing how and what to invest in. No, it was making our own clothes and recipes of food. This would help the economies of our homes!! This was in the era of finally getting to wear pants to school in the 9th grade! And I suppose being of the baby boomers generation which came from the adults who witnessed World War II, and frugally helped by raising hems on dresses, planting victory gardens and recycling so as not to use too much metal, etc  needed for the war.

 

Quilts have a long history in most cultures of using scraps from less worn parts of clothes to make warm blankets, from the wealthiest to the poorest. Today, the traditions carry on, both in the traditional patterns as well as variations of this, and the modern styles. Most artistic expressions have gone this way, We are a very creative species!! 

 

I still love fabric! The feel, the texture of the various patterns, or even a somewhat 3 dimensional texture. Putting the colors together, creating a palette, then a painting with the piecing together of the materials. I love to put together different mediums such as watercolors, photos, beads, string, yarn, weavings all into quilts.

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Since I live in a tiny house (check out that page too!), I have been making children's and adult lap quilts, as well as smaller wall hangings. I have made quilts for a number of my 11 windows and 2 doors to keep as much warmth in as I can, as well as to create practical beauty when I don't have much wall space.

 

Please check out the variety of Quilted Journey Arts on this website in the arts and quilts page, in the shop attached, in my Etsy Shop, on Instagram and Facebook, in theplaidportico.com blog, as well as my online store www.sewingwishes.com.

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I have long been a lover of Nature. My many years as an organic landscaper taught me ways to protect our environment, pollinators, pets, people, air, water and me! I plan to make many more quilts that depict our environment and how we can take care of it. Some of the children's quilts have themes I have written about and added links to organizations that might help people to be inspired to take care of our planet even more than they already do.

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Social and environmental justice is essential to me, and in the world, I believe. Sharing this planet with so much life can be challenging, and so beautiful. If we can all have respect and compassion for all the needs we share with all of life, and be sure that all of it can live by this sharing, perhaps there will be harmony.

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A collection of my journeys with creating art, building, gardening, and health are in my blog.Thank you for visiting here. May you find inspiration in your own journeys of your life.

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I started making a quilt for my niece when she was born in 1978 and finished it for her 31st birthday! I then made quilts for my children from their Dad's clothes, wishing I had done it after he had passed, when they were little as it would have been comforting for them. Better late then never! I finished a quilt that my son and I had started working on when he was younger, and put it in the East Bay Heritage Quilt Guild "Voices in Cloth" quilt show in 2010 and have been quilting ever since! I have made close to 60 quilted pieces of art, large and small. I have 9 children's quilts finished, in the second box for you to see, and have many more ready to put together. 

I am eclectic, offering a wide range of art for people, both beautiful and practical,  because I know people are a whole variety of wonderful!! My goal is something for everyone. Well, there is art I won't make, hopefully you will find what you want somewhere if you don't see it here. 

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Some artists create a style they work within. I love to bring forth a variety, play with what I have in fabric, adding when needed, ideas that come to me, what I think people would need or want, such as children's cozy quilts, adult lap quilts, wall hangings, or pot holders, aprons, table cloths, etc.

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I think t-shirt quilts are important to people, to remember their experiences or loved ones. I am making warm curtains for tiny homes. I've enjoyed using multimedia and plan to do more of that.

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