To provide a base for the house, I put some beach stones in a fishing net, making a kind of beanbag chair that could be plopped in a hole in the crook of the tree. I then attached the base to the fishing net with wire, thereby keeping it from toppling out of the tree.

Julie Child brought her lovely “Hidden House”, which includes lots of domestic details to admire up close.

Helen Koehler has been working all winter, knitting and felting her amazing creation, “Enchanted Tree – Fairy Condominiums”

Alfie Glover was there, too, installing his whimsical ladder piece, “Birds and Fairies Collaborate”. He has written a story to go with it about how fairies make ladders which help birds learn to fly.

I arrived just in time to see Glen Carliss returning from a scavenging trip in the woods nearby. His fairy house is situated on a low tree stump in a choice corner spot. Glen and his assistant, Susan Cannavo were busy landscaping around the beautifully constructed “Stonehedge”.

I’ve felt from the beginning that this was going to be a fun show! And now that it’s progressed from an idea into something real, I am seeing that it has grown into a happening, with a wonderful cooperate energy and spirit! I hope that many of you have a chance to see the exhibit, which will be on display from June 20 to July 21. The Artists Reception will be held on Sunday, June 23rd from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at Highfield Hall and Gardens in Falmouth Massachusetts. Being an outdoor show, the houses will be subject to weather conditions and curious humans, so don’t wait too long to see it!

I recently heard from the curator at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, who acquired some of my artwork for their collection in the 90′s. It’s been more than 15 years and I haven’t been very good about keeping records of where my work has gone, especially from the pre-computer days. I remembered that that my work was at the Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, so I was glad to clarify which pieces have been hanging there all these years.

There are 2 original illustrations from the 1st edition of Mary Had a Little Lamb. The book has been out of print for years and a few weeks ago, I found a carton of them in my attic! So, I’m selling them in my Etsy Shop (while supplies last). This is a rare opportunity, because it’s practically impossible to find a new, hard cover copy, let alone an autographed one!

The public can see these pieces on the first floor of the Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. In addition to the 2 original illustrations, they’ve mounted the printed pages from the book along a wall, so people can see and read the whole story.

Another piece, Falling Leaves, is hanging in the 2nd floor elevator lobby. It makes me feel good to know that families spending time in the hospital may have been comforted by my artwork, even if for a moment.

The Fairy Houses of Beebe Woods exhibit will open in 2 weeks, so in addition to my duties as curator, I’ve been finishing up my house. Last winter, I invited 23 artists to create their own interpretation of a fairy house. They’ve spent the last few months picking locations around Highfield, naming their houses and fingering out how they’re going to make their imaginings. I’ve seen a few partially constructed ones and they are extraordinary! All are invited to the Artist Reception for the outdoor exhibit at Highfield Hall in Falmouth, MA on Sunday, June 23rd, 1:00 – 3:00 pm. The exhibit will run from June 20 to July 21, 2013. Maps will be available to help discover the specially made habitats, which are situated on the property’s lush grounds and gardens.

My house, ”Lichen Lookout” is an open, double storied affair, which will be installed up in a beech tree. I started by cutting out two plywood platforms. To hide the wood and make it more homey looking, I covered the floors with old woven raffia place mats. I then screwed tree branches to the plywood, making a main floor and an upper lookout.

I used my felt covered wire technique to make a curly cue railing. As in nature, there are no straight lines in fairy houses! The plywood edges were covered with embroidered felt, which I attached with staples that are hidden inside. Don’t ask how that was done–it was fairy magic!

Trumpet vine pods came in handy for a roof. Needle and thread couldn’t hold them in place well enough, so I used the dreaded glue gun to attach the pods to a wire form. I put up with the glue strings and globs, knowing that it would be strong and waterproof.

I later covered the unsightly glue with lichen, hence the house name of “Lichen Lookout”. My collection of glass leaf beads were useful for embellishing the front gate and railings.

We carried the house outside and took its picture. Here, it’s lost in all of the vegetation, but I like the lilies of the valley out front. You can kind of see the milkweed pod swing. It will look very different when it is installed in the gray beech tree.

I hope that lots of people come see the show, which promises to be an engaging display of architectural whimsy!

pages 48/49 from “Pocketful of Posies”

I’m pleased to announce that the next venue to host the Pocketful of Posies Traveling Exhibit is the  Plymouth Antiquarian Society’s Hedge House Museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Twenty framed embroidered original illustrations from my book, Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes will be on display from now until August 31st, 2013. 

When I dropped off the artwork, I was struck by how intimate and charming the gallery space is within the historic 1809 house. The upstairs octagonal room has been recently restored with period wall-paper, which compliments the color palette and decorative nature of my work. Donna Curtin, the museum’s hard-working director was there to greet me. She suggested hanging the felt-covered wire book title banner under the mantel piece. Do you remember the banner from my decorated tree in last year’s Family Trees event at the Concord Museum? At the last minute I packed it in the car with the bubble wrapped frames, thinking there may be a way to hang it up. It’s always satisfying to find another use for something you make for a specific purpose.

“Pocketful of Posies” tree at the Concord Museum, 2012

They did a great job of hanging the artwork, which fits nicely in grouped clusters around the room. We didn’t bring a camera to the opening last Saturday so I don’t have any photos. Sometimes it’s nice to be free of a camera around your neck, but quite often one wishes there was a picture to show. I haven’t gotten in to using the camera on my phone, but that’s the next step.

My show opening was held in conjunction with the well attended celebration of the Rose Briggs Memorial Gardens in back of the Hedge House, so most people who came to see the exhibit were unfamiliar with my artwork. I heard many remarks about how this was not what they expected, but they seemed happily surprised by what they saw. Some thought it would be a display of old (or modern) fabric and others were curious about what fiber art is. Labels and technique descriptions don’t match what I do. It took some time for people to understand that the framed pieces on the wall are original illustrations from a children’s picture book (a gallery copy is available). I’m used to seeing the confused look on people’s faces as I try to explain that I illustrate with fabric and embroidery. In this case, I can point to the originals and the book and explain the connection, but when I’m out in the world and have no visual aids, it can be frustrating. Most times, I just say that I’m an artist and leave it at that. If I drop the children’s book illustrator bomb, I run the inevitable risk of being plied with advice on how to get a book published. Anyway, I’m glad to share my work with people who live in or come to visit the historic town of Plymouth!

June 25th, 7:00 pm I will speak about the development of my work at the Plymouth Antiquarian Society’s Hedge House Museum, Plymouth, MA.  Fee: $15; $12 members. Limited seating; reservations required. To download a printable reservation form click here; email pasm@verizon.net or call 508-746-0012 to reserve a place.

Terry and I finished the last details of the baby quilt on Saturday, May 25th at around 12:30 pm on Saturday. We later found out that little Teo was born at almost exactly the same time we declared the quilt ready to go. We haven’t met him yet, but we hope to deliver the quilt some time soon. See closeups of the quilt squares here.

We’ve had a wonderful time working on this quilt. Over the past 4 months, it’s flown across the country and back again, easily fitting on my lap as I chain-stitched on the plane and in airport waiting areas. Curious stewardesses wanted to know all about it. And, when our plane was low on cabin pressure and had to land at the nearest airport, I held onto it as we quickly descended. It was a safe landing and we were able to get home on another plane.

And baby Teo has also landed safely. Welcome to this world, Prince of Bees! 

The Woods Hole house boats spend the winter rafted up together in the shelter of Eel Pond. Last week, while eating supper, it occurred to me that they would soon be migrating to their summer moorings in the shallow parts of Great Harbor, so I said to Rob, “This might be the last chance to take pictures of the house boats before they’re towed out through the draw bridge passage.” We’ve been looking at them all winter, in their snug corner of the pond, under the shadow of the Woods Hole school, where I spent grades 1 to 4. The houses are a mishmash of owner built structures, which have been fancied up over the years. A friend of ours owns the one with the turquoise door, which serves as a wonderful get-away cottage on the water.

We quickly finished eating and rushed down to Eel Pond. The winds were calm and the evening light cast a flattering glow over the village. I’m glad that Rob took these pictures, because wouldn’t you know, the next day a group of house boat owners moved them out, officially beginning the summer season. See the house boats in full summer mode here.

Last week, students from the Prudence Island School came to visit. The school’s teacher, Eliza grew up in Woods Hole and we’ve known each other since childhood. She asked if she could bring the children over to my studio as part of their day-long field trip to Woods Hole.

The island school currently has a total of 8 students from the early grades to teenagers. I was struck by how well the 6 girls and 2 boys of such varying ages interacted. They were inquisitive and appreciative as they looked around my studio and they easily identified all of the birds in my Birds of Beebe Woods piece.

The students are even learning to embroider! Thank you for a delightful visit!

This summer, the grounds and gardens of Highfield will be magically transformed into a “fairy” neighborhood, with small-scale habitats hidden throughout the property. Highfield has given me the exciting opportunity to curate The Fairy Houses of Beebe Woods exhibit, which promises to be a popular event during the height of the season.

I got the idea from the Florence Griswold Museum in Lyme, CT, which has hosted several Fairy house events. See my posts about last fall’s exhibit here and here.

I’ve invited 2 dozen local artists to participate in the event and they’ve spent the last few months picking building spots, gathering natural construction materials and thinking about what to make and how to make it. Everyone will bring their own vision and sensibility to their structure, creating a wildly varied display full of architectural whimsy. The outdoor exhibit will be open June 20th – July 21, 2013.

This past winter, I made and photographed 2 models that could be used for advance publicity purposes. Since I didn’t use a glue suitable for outdoors, these won’t be in the exhibit, but I will have another house to show. I’m in the process of constructing a more weather resistant cottage that will be perched in a magnificent copper beech tree. I hope that many of you will have a chance to visit the exhibit this summer and for those of you who live far away, I’ll post pictures.

Working in miniature, there are many objects available for wheels; buttons, washers, snaps, key rings, etc. This series of images are mostly from my earlier work, starting with a detail from a piece I made in 1986. The wire bicycle is less than 2 inches long. Looking at these, I’m amazed that I had time to do all of the stitching because I had a baby and a preschooler to take care of. I remember working every evening after they went to bed.

The button wheels in this detail (below) from “Fall”, 1987, are about 1/2″ in diameter.

Skip ahead 10 years for this detail from the Sidewalks poem in my 1997 book, “You and Me: Poems of Friendship“. The car hub-caps are fancy coat buttons and the tires are made from black insulated wire. The stroller wheels are 1/2″ buttons.

Here’s a detail from “The Hollyhock Wall”, 1999. The car hub-caps are made from regular sized snaps.

The bicycle wheels in this detail from “You and Me” are made from the smallest key rings I could find, about 1/2″. The bicycle spokes are metallic thread and the helmets are painted acorn caps.

This is another detail from the same Fast Friends illustration in “You and Me”. That’s my husband Rob in the truck.

16 years later and I’m still making ice cream trucks. This 2″ embroidered one is from a baby quilt I’m in the process of making for a friend. Stay tuned for more quilt images!