courage.

Art should astonish, transmute, transfix. One must work
at the tissue between truth and paranoia.
::: Brett Whiteley :::

I have been walking the line of my own personal artist paranoia... its so easy for me to get lost in my art at times that at some point I feel as if I must pull away so I can breath once more and regroup.

but sometimes when I do this I can become afraid and start to doubt my own creative nature and start to grind and pick at all the things that compel me to create in the first place...


To open up ones soul and let others look in is beautifully haunting. But Its so hard to see what others see in us... its easy to see the amazement in others but difficult to see in our self's. we come into this world willing to except everything at face value then as we grow we learn about likes and dislikes... truth and paranoia if you will.

I have been questioning my life and how I live it, in this year there has been both birth and death in my family... I am on the verge of having my youngest son starting high school just as my oldest daughter embarks on her senior year... I know that soon I will have to let her go, so she can grow into the wonderful woman that she is meant to be. But still I have a tinge of sadness to see my kids grow up into young adults. I miss there skinned knees and there messy little hands.


I see that my life is opening into a new stage and just as I have some fear, I know for sure that there are amazing things ahead for me. I have been so blessed to be able to share my passion to create... and so fortunate to have people enjoy seeing what I do.


we create, we grow, we love, we change, we mess up! but we live and find new hopes and dreams.


courage to change is a gift that we can only give to our self.

one last shameless plug ( for this week)

It's all right letting yourself go, as long as you can get yourself back.
~Mick Jagger

(charms that I made on quilting arts tv. rubber stamps from red lead)

A few days ago I received a copy of my segment for quilting art tv (I am in show # 204 Embellishment, follow this link to find out when the show will air where you live)

(I like this photo of me on the set... in some strange way I look like I just may be in control!)

now I will add that its hard not to be critical of ones self ... First I had on way to much make up (note to self: if ever on TV put on your own make up!) and I was so nervous that I acted like a zombie but in the end it all worked out fine!

Being out of control is one of the worst feelings in the world, sometimes even worse than pain. It is its own kind of pain. ~Danzae Pack

art quilting studio

Men must live and create. Live to the point of tears.--Albert Camus

It is my great joy to have my art work used in the advertisement for Art Quilting Studio
(its debut will be 2009.)
The piece that is featured is a personal one and holds so much heart felt meaning behind it.
So its extra special that it was chosen.

If you ever toyed with the idea of submitting your art work for publication then follow this link
to find out the guide lines and a list of new publications coming at in 2009.

And to demystify  submitting your art work a little more, Kristen Robinson has just posted her Secret to Getting Published.

The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become. ~Charles DuBois

a day in my stuido. (and a winner)

Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can't get there by bus, only by hard work, risking, and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be wonderful: yourself.--Alan Alda

Amazing words so well said! I am still trying to understand my self and these words just may of helped me out a bit!
If you pay special attention to this slide show, you can get a sneak peek at a project that I am currently working on for my mixed media fabric book that I have been feverishly working on, as I will be filming the step outs for this book in Ohio at the end of august!

The winner and the next person that must pay it forward was picked by the random number generator
is lucky number 18! congratulation's Cory!
please email me you address at: ruthrae@gmail.com

A Huge thank you to all of you that voted in my little side bar poll, I will be announcing some really special news connected to the poll very soon!

Creative people who can't help but explore other mental territories are at greater risk, just as someone who climbs a mountain is more at risk than someone who just walks along a village lane.--R. D. Laing

Happy Creating!

"pay it forward," give away

Artists today think of everything they do as a work of
art.
It is important to forget about what you are doing..
then a work of art may happen.
::: Andrew Wyeth :::

I tell my self its all about play, but I some how got a little lost along the way... its time for me to forget about the work and fall in love with the process!

Now onto some fun!

I won these wonderful earrings form Nancy in a "pay it forward give away"... now girls if your in the Southern Californian vicinity and love vintage jewelery findings, chain, ribbons and trim then you must rush on down to Gilding the Lilly Vintage
(and if your from out of town then you can buy from her online shop!)


So now its time for me to "Pay It Forward" the rules are simple if you enter to win these
made with my own two hands: Apple Green Quartz Microfaceted Drop Briolette earrings all snug in there little stitched and sewn fiber gift folder, then you must host a giveaway with something made by your own hands. Anyone who wants play just has to leave a comment, and commit to be the next one to "pay it forward" with their own giveaway.


I will be going away for a few days so I will be closing this give away on Monday at midnight and will pick a winner on Tuesday!
(and if you would be so kind, please vote on the side bar poll.)
Good luck !

Drenched in Color

“The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.”
~ Marcus Aurelius

(a day spent dyeing cloth)

"Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another purposively, to cause vibrations in the soul."

Wassily Kandinsky [Russian-born French Expressionist Painter, 1866-1944]

(Art card for Kristen)

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for.”

Georgia O'Keeffe

Long Beach Quilt Show: July 25-27

This week's Show Me theme is "sewing machines"

Fun fact about me...

I would like to think that the reason why I received a very bad grade in home economics at the tender age of 14 was because I was insanely creative and my teacher was just jealous of my immense talent...

but the hard cold truth was that I was really bad!
and I could not wrap my brain around cutting a strait line let alone sew one!....
I failed miserably at sewing ....

lets just say that my pinwheel pillow (I am so sorry there is no photo to share but it was so bad even my mom did not hold on to it!) it was the van Gogh of pillows (beautiful yet insane!) my center corners did not match up! but because I stand behind everything I make and being that I am a true dreamer (aka stubborn!), I came up with adding a round piece in the center and went as far to stuff it a little: a very large button if you will... I handed this in as my final project (and yes you can bet money that I waited to the night before to create this gem! not a lot about me has changed in 2o years!) needless to say when I handed my pillow in, she shook her head and said... "Ruth you need to go to your desk and rip out all the seams and start over!"


fast forward 20 plus years and you will see the I prefer ripping my fabric to cutting and I use so many stitches in my work that you can not tell where I start or begin...

it tickles me every time I get a email from someone asking me advice on sewing machines because I am still that little girl that received a D in her sewing class.
(D stands for delightful after all!)

But that said I do have advice and I am here to tell you that newer is not always better and spending $5000 plus on a new top of the sewing machine with a computer has only gotten my self something that is smarter then me. ( I chose this model because of the foot free hand guided free motion stitching that I have yet to fully explore) But brains aside this is one great machine it can truly do what ever it is that I need it to do right down to hands free auto sewing a button hole!

Now when I started out sewing mixed media I used a old Montgomery Wards machine from the 70's (it was yellow) it worked ... but a few years ago my world opened up as I was working on a big project it was 100 degrees out and as my studio did not at the time have air condition and the machine was housed in a large cabinet and it could not be unbolted or moved easily so to my rescue was my Neighbor who offered me her sewing machine, a Bernenna 1020, after a few seconds I was in love! this was the machine of my dreams! it was strong and so easy to use! I had tears in my eyes when I had to give it back to her! But I have now moved on,

can you guess who comes packed in this delight sturdy time loved case?

after over 80 years of use the leather is worn but the handle is still very strong because of the metal hinge.


the top shelf holds the Bakelite foot peddle along with bobbins, tools and accessories.

and look what is inside! my Singer Featherweight 221 Sewing Machine,
(you can find out more about them here)

I call her Little Sheba! she weighs only 11 pounds!

and as you can see she looks amazing from ever angel!


She purrs like a kitten and takes what ever I send her way!

Her backside is attractive even at her tender age (her birth year is 1936)

but it is her scrolling face plate that captivates me the most! she is one elegant lady I think you will agree!
(more details and slide show here)

Now the real reason why I got little Sheba was for when I travel to teach or for Demo's,
and if you will be attending the
Long Beach Quilt
show
July 25 -27

Long Beach, California

you Can meet Sheba and I at:

Make It University!™ with Cloth Paper Scissors®

I will have some of the jewelry from A Charming Exchange along with a copy of the book for you to preview and hopefully books to sell.
I will be making some fiber jewelry and creating some mixed media painted pages and altered fabrics that I will be sewing on.

for “Open Stuido's; along with fellow artist:

Artists in Open Studios include:

Alisa Burke

Lisa Engelbrecht

Allyson Faulkner

Jamie Fingal

Jane La Fazio

Ruth Rae

Beryl Taylor

I can hardly wait to meet all of these amazing women, I admire all of there art so much!

But for now you will find me in my studio playing with my girls
Sheba and Sabine!