Announcing the 2010 ArtBra Calendar

The 2010 WTWW ArtBras and three of our wall hangings have been professionally photographed and the process has begun for creating the 2010 calendars. Vic has a Flickr site where you can view the latest creations and I would encourage you to log on and spend some time browsing through the photos.

Pictured here is my design called "The Days of Wine and Roses." The base of the bra is done with a free form crochet using hand-dyed strips of silk. I've hand-dyed the roses in my favorite peach color. I decided to do white grapes this year since my 2006 ArtBra, "Grape Expectations," featured the purple ones.

It's so exciting to see all the news releases and read the flyers announcing the ArtBra exhibits scheduled for October. Calendars will be on sale at each of the events and autographed by the artists attending.

Victoria Adams Brown of Ribbonsmyth is the founder of the WTWW foundation and the original creator of the ArtBras. I continue to be inspired by her dedication, creativity and talent in creating these wonderful calendars. They will begin to ship the last week in September. The cost is $14 plus postage and proceeds from the sales will be donated to the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Please consider purchasing these calendars for special gifts. So many of our friends and family have been affected by some form of cancer. Your purchase will provide funding for all the needs associated with finding a cure for this dreaded disease. We appreciate your support.

Please check back for the website for purchasing these calendars. I will post it as soon as I have this information.

Another Great Retreat

My local crazy quilt group just returned from our quarterly retreat in Wallis, Texas. Ten of us spent 4 days and 3 nights at Premiere Estates - a beautifully restored manor house "deep in the heart of Texas."

Our thanks to Sharon & Belinda for their wonderful hospitality. They have established the perfect setting for a retreat. One large room is fully equipped to meet the needs of quilters, scrap booking enthusiasts and any other craft-oriented group. Ten people can comfortably sit and stitch, share ideas and "play" for untold hours.

There are two homes available on adjoining properties and each one affords all the amenities needed. On the weekends they cater meals for their guests. We always go during the week and provide our own meals. I can guarantee you a wonderful time in Wallis at Premiere Estates!

Our group kindly agreed to test my scalloped needle case design. I have classes scheduled for September 4th. and 5th. at Quiltworks in Cypress, Texas. It provided a wonderful opportunity for me to see the problem areas and re-vamp my directions and pattern pieces.

Ruching the flower was definitely not their favorite part of the process but each produced a masterpiece. I absolutely loved seeing the various color combinations the girls chose as well as the differing techniques they used. It was a great experience.

Update on ArtBra Exhibit

Those of us affiliated with Victoria Adams Brown's original ARTBRA EXHIBIT are so excited with the upcoming events. I wanted to share the Byers' Choice website which will host a fundraiser in the month of October. Log onto their website for additional information. I was so pleased and honored to see my bra, "Grape Expectations," appear in their article.

There will be a 2010 ArtBra calendar as well. I'll post updates as they are available. We hope many will lend their support for breast cancer research by purchasing these calendars. If you are in Pennsylvania in October we hope you will make plans to attend the Byers' Choice Gala.

Busy times

Almost another month has past since my last blog - it's hard to believe how quickly time passes. I've been busy stitching various projects during the month. First I put together our beautiful blocks for the 2009 wall hanging for breast cancer research. You can see the individual blocks on my Flickr site.

Many exciting things have been happening during the month. Victoria Adams Brown's original ArtBras will be on display at Byers' Choice during the month of October for breast cancer awareness. Another calendar is in the works for 2010 and we are all so excited to see these ArtBras continue to inspire as well as earn money for breast cancer research.

You can read about Byers' Choice and the ArtBra Exhibit in one of my articles in CQMagOnline. Log on to the website and click on current issue - then browse through the table of contents. There are other great articles in this issue as well. Be sure to take a peak at Vic's article on curved piecing.

I taught my second class at Quiltworks last Saturday and have another two scheduled for September. The upcoming classes will be one of my newest designs. Pictured here is my "flower pot needlecase." The outside is a teal dupioni and the inside is a beautiful floral batik. Quiltworks has been busy making kits with some fabulous fabrics.

I hope to do better with my blogging in the future and promise to share additional photos.