How Lucky I Am
A.A. Milne said “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” I have been privileged to be part of this amazing group of artists since late 2020. We are connected through our love of cloth and making and sharing our passion for art. We connect
Invisible Threads
Nietzsche said that “invisible threads are the strongest ties” and while Nietzsche is one of the most controversial philosophers of his time, his quote seems appropriate for this, my last post for Cloth in Common. As several members have written, we are wrapping up Round Three (Structure) with our Connections
Me and Nancy Down at the Teaching Barn
My piece for our Pattern prompt is for Nancy – my teacher, mentor and friend. I spend a month in the spring and a month in the fall each year at the Teaching Barn on her farm in the middle of rural Ohio. I’ve taken almost all of the 20
Lines and Patterns and Quilts, Oh My!
Last week, Cloth in Common artists revealed their work reflecting our “Line” prompt. If you haven’t already, check out the amazing group of finished quilts that are now posted here. I loved this prompt because it could be interpreted in so many different ways. Here are just a few idioms
What’s My Line?
What’s My Line was a game show popular in the UK and US in the 1950s and 1960s. The game involved celebrities trying to guess the contestants’ occupation, i.e. their “line of work” and was the origin of the expression “Is it bigger than a breadbox?” My line of work
Leave No Trace
The November prompt is Climate Change and my quilt is about Earth Day. The first Earth Day was in 1970 organized by Senator Gaylord Nelson, Congressman Pete McCloskey and activist Denis Hayes. Twenty million Americans participated in events that highlighted concern about the deteriorating environment. Earth Day led to the
Earth Day Every Day
The prompt for our November reveal quilts is Climate Change. Elfriede encourages us all to become aware of structural changes needed to get to a better world. This is one of the most difficult prompts! I’ve dithered and dithered. What I can say is that, for me, every day is
Grandma’s Garden Grew Up Strong
My grandmother had a garden in the yard and a way with things that grow. Vegetables – everything on the recommended Victory Garden list, plus grape vines, fruit trees and flowers. Tomatoes were her favorite. Mortgage Lifter, beefsteak, green and plum. She had a small orchard in her front and
Did your grandmother teach you how to sew?
So many of our artist statements begin with heartfelt stories of our grandmothers, mothers, aunts or neighbors who taught us to sew. And many of us offer lectures that begin with our family heritage connected with our sewing journey. Our grandmothers grew up during the depression and sewed with bits
Saltwater Taffy
Thank you, Deb for such a flexible prompt! Here’s Saltwater Taffy – a very flexible treat that reminds me of the cool ocean breeze, wide sandy beaches, and summer fun. I loved standing in front of the candy shop window watching the confectioner pull and stretch, fold, pull and stretch,
I speak spreadsheet
My ‘cells’ reveal is a look back at my 40-year career in applied statistics. From Lotus 1-2-3 at the US Census Bureau to Excel in my current role as director of an NIH funded longitudinal study, I do indeed speak spreadsheet. Cells are awesome! I Speak SpreadsheetSusan LaphamDimensions: 40″ x
Another Kind of Cell
Digital spreadsheets are used to store, organize and manipulate data and were originally based on paper spreadsheets used for accounting. Data are stored in tables which are a collection of CELLS organized into rows and columns. Software programs such as Excel or Google sheets can store hundreds of tables or