I delivered the bags last night to my Homeless Helpers granddaughter. Friends and I made 89 bags, for the kids to fill with toiletries and food for the homeless people in Detroit. Not quite the 200 Mary asked me for, but it was a valiant effort. And they got a contribution of 300 bags from school.Still to be counted are the bags from the other kids on the team.

Some friends have expressed surprise we were willing to give up good quilting fabrics for this cause. (Batiks!)
A long time ago a teacher taught me that the word sacrifice, from the Latin root words,  actually means to make holy. Is there a better way to use fabric that we have in excess of our needs? Doesn't it translate our avaricious accumulation of possessions into a means of comfort for those in need, and redeem our actions? I hope so. Seeing my daughter and granddaughter, who are well fed, and housed and employed, affected by interacting with homeless people, is very touching. Their compassion should be a means of causing others to become involved with acts of mercy.

15 more bags for Homeless Helpers. This makes 71 done. I just cut out 18 more bags and 18 more linings and handles. More to sew tomorrow.

Nineteen bags for Homeless Helpers. My count of items is 266. The bag count is 56, so far.
I made tablerunners and bracelets for several people for gifts. So my actual count is higher than the pictures, since the gifts are secret.

One of two small Guadalupe quilts. I sent the other to my sister.

One of 3 bracelets. The others went to friends already.

Two tablerunners, simple quilted fabrics, for people with calm houses.

A new Art Quilt, Be Yourself. She isn't quite finished, needs a face and more sparkles. This makes 242.

As of now, my count for the year is 235. I have a stack of uncounted bags for Homeless Helpers that I will add. And a couple more items too. This has been a relaxed year. I have not been blogging as much as I did the past few years. I slowed down in part because I felt frenzied, and in part because I was discouraged. I felt I was talking to myself all the time. Many friends have since told me they look at this blog often, but don't comment for one reason or another. I want to thank the silent watchers for letting me know they are there.
Over the past year, my focus has shifted from production to reflection. Hand stitching has grabbed hold of me again. It takes a lot more time to hand sew, but it is very satisfying. I think of my hand sewn pieces as thoughts, not products. I don't put much design into them. They come out of my hands as is. Mostly they are about moods, philosophy, and intentions.

And speaking of intentions, here are some of mine for the coming year:

Remember connecting with people is more important than finishing something.

Remember that selling my work is important enough to put time into doing it. Otherwise there is no money for making more.

Remember to keep active, so I have energy and health to do the above.

Remember spending time in front of TV is only valuable if the time is shared with a loved one.

Remember I want to be remembered as a loving wife, caring mother, devoted grandmother, good friend, dependable worker, and skilled artisan, and act to make that happen.

I wish the best for you in the new year. I hope you keep using it, so you don't start losing it. And if you lost it already, I'll lend you some of mine.

Fourteen more bags for my granddaughters' Homeless Helpers project. These were made by Gail, a good friend. She also gave me fabric for many more bags. Today will be a sewing day. I hope to make 15 more bags.

GO, Keep Going,  Another little girl art quilt. This one was inspired by Leann, who said it first, and wears 2 different color shoes.

More tote bags for the homeless project my granddaughter is managing. See it at their website, Homeless Helpers
These were made by Deb.

 First things first, these are 4 more bags for my granddaughters' campaign to feed the homeless. That makes 20 bags. And 234 items for the year.

 This little girl is saying "The first thing to do is Begin."  She is part of the new little girl series.  Still having fun with this. She is in the desert, because I was in California.

This one says "Sing your heart out, Baby." I like these colors, a bit deeper than the others. Her landscape looks lunar to me.

Holiday Sale at Two Twelve Arts, opens Dec. 10. This one is a whopper. Great stuff!

This is the first batch of tote bags for my granddaughters' PBJ Ministries project. Mary and her DI team want to feed 1000 homeless people this winter. They want to put toiletries and peanut butter, jelly and bread in these bags, and distribute them to homeless people in Detroit.
There are 5 team members, so each is responsible for providing 200 fabric bags. They hope the people will use the bags after the food is gone. I promised to make 50, and give fabric for 50 more. But I think, with the help of a couple friends, we can make all 200.
The 5 members of the Destination Imagination team, which is a group that fosters creative problem solving, will have to find a way to get all the toothbrushes, and paste, soap, and food, to fill the bags. The kids are 13 years old. They plan to help their church group feed people in December, and do it themselves in January.
I think this is a laudable effort, and want to support them as much as I can. This makes 228 items made this year.

A

A new art quilt, You Are Powerful. I am loving these little girls, more to come.
Number 212!

Collections
Masks
I like masks. They convey a mood, and a sense of place. They show what people fear, and aspire to be. I have made many mask quilts, which you can see on my website, katcampau.com. When children learn to draw, they start with faces. It is both recognizing mother, and themselves. This one is by an artist in Albuquerque. It's cast glass, with a metal setting.

 This one was carved by an artist in Germany. My mother brought it home about 1978. It is wood, with the bark on the top of the head.

This one is a cast of my daughter Karens' face. She was 13 at the time. My other daughter Jen made it.




 This one is from an import store in Ann Arbor. I call it Bird on Head.

 This one was made by A Saline artist, Paul Losey. He used wood that he culled from his landscaping work, My Gardener. I call it Mr. Eyebrows.

This was made by another Saline artist, Sharon Graf-Horning. It is fired clay. Sharon is a potter at Two Twelve Arts.

 Collections
Tiny Goddesses 
 Most of these were made by Roselyn Tyge, but a few were made by me. They are ceramic, and are sprinkled around the house. Their job is to lift spirits, and keep the mood light. Usually they do a good job.

These are the finished Suncatchers, from my class at Two Twelve Arts. I had a little extra room in the kiln, so I made funny faces. The faces are numbers 207-211.

Collections
Size 11 and 8 Seed Beads
I love going to Bead Stores. It is an easy way to get a color fix. These are just the size 11s and 8s, but they are so pretty I wanted to leave them out on the table after I took this picture. Sometimes I use these to make spiral rope necklaces.

Collections
This is a small group of my sewing room gods, the Guadalupe's. Right now these lovely ladies are residing in the office, until I discover space in my sewing room. My other sewing room gods are small enough to fit on a windowsill, but these are a bit bigger. I love the image of The Lady of Guadalupe, because she seems to radiate power. I think a woman who shines with lightning is a good role model. She has a couple friends here, including Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which is always good to have, and a doll made by a Navaho artist in Albuquerque. And I have two St. Michael, the Dragonslayer statues, just in case. The painted panels were done by my daughter Karen, and me. And there is a doll on a stick behind them all.
I was told by a friend last night, that my home is a feast of color.  That makes me very happy.

Collections
Chicken Flock
This is a pared down group of my chickens, etc. I put them out in November, because it is a foul (fowl) month. The skies are usually gray, and I struggle to move. There are more chickens in this flock, but they are molting in the cupboard this year.

 This is the first of a new series of pictures. I call it Collections. I have been collecting buttons for many years. Today I did some sorting, and took pictures. I will show you a very small part of my collection of buttons. I keep them out, on the tables and shelves, so all can appreciate their candy-like quality. I encourage people to run their fingers through the buttons, as we visit and chat. I like to have them handy, in case an embellishment opportunity arises.
If tires came in all colors, I would want to get them all. It's the colors I collect. In future pictures, I'll show you my colored pencils, markers, crayons, fabrics, bead boxes, and who knows what else. None of them has value, but for the visual delight I take from the colors.

So this is Bowls of Buttons.

 This is Blue Buttons.

 This is Jars of Buttons.
I hope you enjoy them.

 These are 8 by 10 canvases. I separated some decorative napkins, and used gel medium to adhere them. Then I added hot fix crystals, and painted the word Joy on them. a simple project, and easy to hang on a straight pin.
203, 204

 A new entry in the Secret Life series, Twinkles Vacations Outside the Bowl. Obviously, in the ocean, with the big fish.
205

Secret Life series again, this is Nelson has Nightmares that he's Been a Bad Boy. He has a vivid imagination. Number 206

 This is a glue resist painting, on fabric. I made it a couple years ago, but just stitched it. I think it will be a pillow.

A closer view. There are tiny seed stitches on the hand.

Two Twelve Arts Center: Saline Art Walk 2011...The Video!

 This is a lovely video of the Art Walk site in Saline. Orin Cassill is an artist in photography, and videography. Take a look!

Two Twelve Arts Center: Saline Art Walk 2011...The Video!: For those of you who were unable to attend Art Walk last weekend, check out this video that Orin Cassill created and posted on YouTube.

This is the latest in my Secret Life series, Speed Demon. It was inspired by the horn buttons given to me by a friend.
Number 202

 This was taken at the Stone Arch Arts and Events center, during Art Walk in Saline, last weekend. I was one of 14 artists taking part. Wasn't that a great location?

 I got this back from the International Quilt Festival 2010, it toured for a year. Otherworld Flowers.

 This also came home from the show, Blazing Sun.

And this one returned from Michigan Quilt Artists Invitational show, 2009. It toured for 2 years.

 A new series, again! These are a step beyond my postcards on canvas. This is recycling to a new level. More later.
I have been making my little fabric postcards on canvas for a while. But I just took a workshop with Lynn Krawczyk , who makes fabric collages, and other stuff. And I came up with these. I think it takes my work to a new level, and I'm likin' it.
I started with her techniques, and modified them to fit my style. This is lots of fun, and has me digging through bins to find unfinished quiltlets, to transmogrify. (A good Hallowe'en word.)
Number 201

This is another Secret Life quilt. Read the words.
Number 197

This is Margaret. She is a Hungarian Horseback Ballerina. Her dog is Miklos, and her horse is Lazlo. This is her secret life. On weekdays she's a school librarian.

This is Rex, King of Dogs. It's a brand new art quilt. I think it's my dog, Buddy's, alter ego. He imagines himself as a a golden boy, master of all who enter his domain. there are jewels on his crown, and around him. Number 195
Notice his royal slippers.