RECENT HAPPENINGS

 

Boy oh boy, it seems like I have been busier than ever in spite of the pandemic. I have been working with the Creative Spark team at C&T Publishing quite a bit in the effort of getting my first online workshop launched. If all goes well, it will launch next week or the week after. The workshop, Quick Little Landscape Quilts, is based on a book of the same title that was published by C&T  and is still for sale both as a hard copy and an e-book. You can sign up for the workshop or my humorous lecture/trunk show online at: WWW. creativespark.ctpub.com

 

The other REALLY big news is the publication of my new book, Beautiful Landscape Quilts. Written during the pandemic, this book really is the favorite I have written. I was able to have a voice in the way the book was designed, imputing my ideas along with the book designer. My step-son, Mike Simmons and his wife, Charlene came from Colorado to help with my how-to photographs. Mike, a talented videographer,& photographer took the photos and Charlene kept us organized. Being able to arrange the how-to photos artistically was a dream come true. I have a lot of new quilts and techniques in the book and it is for all  levels of quilters. I also have some famous guest landscape quilt artists in the book showcasing their quilts.

 

Here are a couple quilts from the book:

 

Precious Moments with Blondie

 

 

Another upcoming announcement

I have done an interview for Create Whimsy as a featured artist. It will appear on Facebook

soon.

 

I am currently working on a new quilt that will hopefully be a new workshop online focusing on Beautiful Landscape Quilts. I also hope to use the quilt as cover art on a ROM-com novel  with a quilting slant for an e-book on Kindle.That's it for today! Happy quilting,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fondly, Joyce 

 

 

I am thrilled to announce that my online lecture is available through Creative Spark now!!!! https://creativespark.ctpub.com

 

The PR states, Explore the world of stunning and picturesque landscape quilts with Joyce R Becker. Joyce invites you to a fun-filled humorous lecture where she shows you a collection of her quilts and how she decorates her home with them. Along the way, she shares tips and tricks about some of the techniques she uses when creating these beautiful quilts.

With access to her lecture for a year, it only costs $6.99!!!

A fan of Joyce's work, Susan Brubaker Knapp  says,

"Joyce Becker is an accomplished teacher, lecturer, writer and author who generously shares her techniques for making spectacular landscape quilts. As a guest on Quilting Arts TV, Joyce clearly broke down her process into simple steps. Her techniques make it possible for anyone to create a beautiful nature scene, and her delight and enthusiasm for teaching are evident. " 

 

I am continuing to film a workshop titled, Quick Little Landscape Quilts for Creative Spark so watch for that soon. 

My new book is in the final stages of editing and should be available by the end of February, 2022, titled Beautiful Landscape Quilts.

Continue to find joy in your quilting creations, laugh, and love!

Fondly, Joyce

 

 

Hey, I have been so busy filming my new online workshop, Quick Little Landscape Quilts, that I haven't had the time to post. The photo above shows the set-up for a lecture filmed for me by my step-son, Mike Simmons. The lecture name Is: Beautiful Landscape Quilts. The lecture and workshop will be presented thru Creative Spark, a platform through my book publisher C&T Publishing.

Mt new book, Beautiful Landscape Quilts is still on track for publication in early 2022. Sorry this is so short and sweet but I will be back soon!

 

Joyce

Fondly,Joyce

 Audition for on-line workshops/lectures - Creative Spark

I am thrilled to announce that my audition for a workshop through C&T Publishers platform, Creative Spark has been accepted. So, what does that actually mean? Simply put, I will be recording an on-line workshop focusing on my Quick Little Landscape Quilts. The video will actually follow my book, Quick Little Landscape Quilts and features my quilt, Beacon of Hope.

For those of you who don't know the ins and outs of filming a video complete with sound, it isn't an easy endeavor. Perhaps it is easy for experienced videographers but for someone like me who is a novice, boy oh boy, the learning curve is something else. 

I purchased a large ring light so I would have have good lighting and a lavalier microphone and I used my Samsung 10-pro cell phone  for the filming. The only issue with that is that every time I want to see what I filmed, I have to remove the cell phone from the Ring Light and then set the whole thing up again, checking the positioning, lighting, etc.  

That's not to mention learning how to use editing software. OMG, I had to do so many takes over and over......ug! I am thrilled, however, to learn that Creative Spark is hiring someone to help we authors who want to teach online videos with their editing.  

Anyway, I won't have the opportunity to start filming until the end of the month. My sweetheart of a husband turns 90 next Saturday and we are having a family celebration (no invite unless your are vaccinated). We also have family flying in for the party and a couple of surprises! Some of our children and grandchildren are coming over tomorrow to help power wash the patio, clean the patio furniture, and extend the awning out again for the season. The grandkids and I will plant some flowers and then  I will ply everyone  with pizza and cookies! 

I am hoping to bribe my son, Shawn into filming my first workshop with cold, hard, cash. He has a wonderful camera with a viewer so that we can check the content every few minutes and I won't have to struggle doing it all on my own. I have my class outline done and and the supplies done, so it should be so much simpler.

Creative Spark wants me to do a second series of workshops featuring my new book, Beautiful Landscapes, a few months prior to when the book comes on the market. It really helps generate sales. The series will take several sessions - probably four or five in that there is so much material to cover. When students sign up for a workshop, they get a free e-book and the e-book is available earlier than the actual release date of my book which is February 2022. 

Time to go bake some cookies for tomorrow!

Happy quilting,

Joyce

 A Quilter's Journey

Today, I am submitting my women's fiction/romance novel with a quilting slant to a great publisher for consideration. I am hoping that this time around, I get a yes. They publish other novels with a quilting slant in a mystery novel genre so I am hoping they will consider my novel.....wish me luck! 

Here's the quilt I made that I picture on the cover! Mt. Rainier Reflecting in Tipsoo Lake.

xxoo

Joyce
 

 

Latest Happenings Joyce R Becker

 Latest Happenings......

It's been an incredibly busy few weeks. I have been working with a really nice Medicaid social worker to help with my twin sister's eventual placement in the near future. We are hoping she will be able to go to an assisted living facility. Hopefully by the first week or two in May, we will know more. This weekend we are moving her belongings into storage so no more rent has to be paid on her apartment.

Things are moving along with my new book, Beautiful Landscape Quilts. I will probably be reviewing it for corrections by the end of April or beginning of May. 

I just finished an audition video for Creative Spark through C&T Publications. Let me tell you, it's not perfect but learning how to tape on your own and do it correctly has a huge learning cure. You have to think about so many things, staying upbeat, memorizing what you are going to say, checking your cell phone camera to make sure it is filming, making sure you are filming in the right resolution, and making sure your mic is on and the lighting is correct. I could go on and on but that's just the beginning. The editing is very time consuming and I admit, I could of done a bit better on it but at some point you just need to let go and pray it is good enough to go on and teach a real workshop. It's also necessary to create an outline of your class and a supply list before you can proceed. 

In that regard, tonight is a celebration. I am not cooking and I will just go out and pick something up for dinner! We can't go out as someone is stopping by to do a bid on mowing our yard and so forth and Donald has been busy brushing the dog so there is too much dog hair on him and his clothes! Besides, I am in sweats and don't want to change! 

All of my quilts that will be in my next book are still at the publisher's. I am missing some of them......my quilts give me joy and that's why I make them. I am not a person who regularly enters contests anymore.......my joy just comes from the actual creation process.....that's when I am in my happy place.

Happy quilting,

xxoo

Joyce

Mt. Rainier

Today, Mt. Rainier, in all it's glory was "out" .......Driving along and glancing at the mountain shimmering in the sunlight seemed to brighten my day and just make me feel better! 

It's been a tough few weeks with my twin sister hospitalized and now stable enough to be in medical rehabilitation.  She fell due to high calcium levels combined with some other issues. She probably won't go back to independent living so working to find other options. 🙏

I got my studio all set-up for filming a proposal video for my publisher's platform - Creative Spark and then I went to put on my lavaliere microphone and alas, it was not where it was supposed to me.....nor was it anywhere I looked. So, I just ordered a new one through Amazon....Besides, my gel nails keep popping off, so I will need to go get me nails done first! Nothing worse than ugly nails....besides, I just learned if you are doing it because you are filming, it is a right-off! Yea. 

With the COVID rules changing, we have decided to go out to our favorite Mexican restaurant tonight. Both of us have had both of our shots. Speaking of which, the second one hit me like a high-speed train.....Muscle and body aches, chills, fatigue, and just feeling like crapola for a couple of days - then, the symptoms just vanished. I've read it hits women harder than me, go figure!

With my studio set-up with lights and everything, it is difficult to start any new sewing projects. I have been working very hard on a script for the class I want to teach online - gathering all of the materials and so forth is an ongoing process. My workshop will be focusing on a Quick Little Landscape Quilt, Beacon of Hope, from my book of the same title. I will be demonstrating and talking about every step along the way, adjusting the camera and the lights for each segment.....lots of work but hopefully, individuals and guilds will be able to sign up for the workshop. Learning to edit is probably the hardest task of all and learning all of the new technology to make this happen is sometimes way over my head.....my stepson, Mike Simmons, who lives in Colorado, is an experienced videographer, and he is so sweet answering questions for me! Maybe by the time that I am ready to film I can convince him to come film it for me!

He filmed me doing a lecture and trunk show when he was here last summer and is editing it now so we can get it up on C&T Publishing's platform, Creative Spark.

Happy quilting to all of you. I know it is lonely out there not being able to gather with our quilting pals but hopefully we will be able to see one another soon.

Fondly,

Joyce R Becker

Landscape Quilt Artist, Author C&T Publications

JBecker3@hotmail.com or joycerbecker6@gmail.com

WWW.Joycerbecker.com

 
 

 I have a great announcement! Here it is: 

I have a new landscape quilt book coming out in February 0f 2022. It will be published by C&T Publishing and in addition to my quilts, new techniques, and lots of tips and tricks, it will feature

some of my very favorite and famous landscape quilt artists - I will include profiles on each of them as well as showing their incredible art. I'm also working on a script for an upcoming workshop on Zoom through my publisher, C&T Publishing called Creative Spark. My first workshop will be featuring a lesson on Quick Little Landscape Quilts   - specifically on designing, again with lots of tips and tricks. I'll keep you posted!

Fondly,

Joyce

 

            Here is my new "brand" designed by Mike Simmons

 

 

Merry Christmas to all of my friends, family, peers, etc.

2020 has been quite a year, hasn't it? I've been working on a ten-month project so I have been quite busy during this COVID pandemic.

At least it has kept my mind busy and focused versus concentrating on

the horrible state of affairs around us.......I am so excited to learn today that Washington State will be getting the first round of vaccines

tomorrow and the amazing health workers, firemen, emergency personnel will be first on the list to receive it. Those living in care facilities will be next, thank goodness. Since I am 75 years young with a few health concerns, I am hoping my husband and I will fall into the next category. My husband is 89 so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will getting a vaccine within the next few months.

 

Yes, I have been creating quilts and writing and will share with you the news of my "project" in early February. It has been fun but hard work with more work to come in the next year.

 

So, what has been keeping you busy? I bet a lot of you have been busy making quilted treasures as Christmas gifts? Alas, I haven't been this year but maybe by next Christmas I will have time!

 

Here is our annual Christmas photo card for this year - I try to find a "winter"  quilt to feature each year. This quilt is called Winter Wonderland.

 

I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year and happy quilting!

Fondly,

Joyce R Becker

 

 Well, somehow summer is over and fall is upon us. I love looking at the gorgeous colors surrounding us outside. All of a sudden, the temperatures are falling and there is definitely frost on the pumpkins at night. The photo above, is of our dog, Blondie and I created her using a photo, which I had blown up at a local copy store, then I traced her onto Pattern Ease - a product that stays in the quilt. I used lots of different types of mediums to create Blondie, including unraveled yarns, fabrics, fake fur, and actual Blondie fur (from when she was groomed). Her face is the actual photograph also enhanced with other mediums. I can't show you the whole quilt yet, but I thought it would be fun for you to see how much fun I had creating her. 

This post is short and sweet, but I just wanted to say hi and wish you good health and I hope you are having fun creating works of art at home.

Fondly,

Joyce

Filming a lecture and trunk show

Videotaping 

So here we are filming a lecture and trunk show that I am hoping to be able to present online soon for guilds, groups, seminars, associations, etc. My talented step-son, Mike Simmons, who is a professional videographer generously did the filming for me and his wife, Charlene, acted as his assistant. I could not of done this without them and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. If you are looking for an professional team, then you need to contact Mike and Charlene. Their rates are very reasonable and they will travel if necessary. Contact information:

EMail:msimmons@simmonsvideoproductions.com or 970-589-9825 They produce, direct, film and edit!

Recording and taping a lecture and workshop is definitely hard work and requires a lot of organization and per-planning. We filmed in my studio and in the main living area of our home. I included a segment on how to decorate your home with your landscape quilts in the hopes that more quilters will decorate with their art!

Stay safe, wear your masks, and wash your hands.....and Happy Quilting!

Fondly,

Joyce

Joyce R Becker, Landscape Quilt Artist and Author

    WWW.Joycerbecker.com 

I know it has been a very long time since I posted on my blog and I apologize. During this pandemic and current situation in the United States  it has been difficult to stay grounded and not steeped in negativity, hasn't it??

In spite of the current state of affairs, I have done my best to stay incredibly busy, working on new quilts and writing. I can't share everything yet but there will be more news in the future regarding what I have been working on. I have been very disciplined and most days, I work around seven to eight hours a day. 

The scene above was taken around a year ago. I have been friends with a group of women quilters for good grief, around twenty-five to thirty years - we are an off-shoot from the Evergreen Piecemaker's Quilt Guild in Kent, WA.  We have been very fortunate to go and visit one of our member's summer cabin once a year on Heron Island, Washington. It is a beautiful small island and in order to get to the island, we have to take a small ferry that holds about six vehicles. Once we are there, our host fixes us a magnificent lunch and her husband treats us with fresh barbecued salmon. 

It is such a joy to sit and listen to the quiet, to hear the wind rustling through the towering Douglas fir trees and the Cypress trees. Occasionally, there is the call of a osprey or an eagle. We treasure our trip each year, treasure our friendships, and laugh till we cry. This year, unfortunately, there will be no trip.....which makes all of us sad. It's like Joni Mitchell said in her incredible song, "You don't know what you got till it's gone...."

Meanwhile,, we continue to try and laugh, find joy, and love one another in our solitude. 

I can share with you that in the future, I will be presenting a lecture and workshops through a platform with my publisher, C&T Publishing. My step-son and his wife will be here tomorrow and he just happens to be a videographer.....we will have fun trying to film a lecture and trunk show. I bought one of those big ring lights, a microphone, and a new snazzy cell phone (and a great new laptop for editing) so that we can do the filming in our home. So, it's new adventures for this seventy-five year old landscape quilter.....I will try and post some photos from our session so you can see how it went.

Until next time,

Happy Quilting

Love, laugh, and find joy

Joyce

 

 

 

 

It's Been Way too long......

As usual, I am way behind on blogging and everything else on the planet so I won't apologize but just say "It's good to be back today sharing with you."

As always, the holidays get the best of me and it seems we are running around like crazy people trying to get everything done. We keep trying to simplify as we have a very large family but I guess since we are Golden Oldies now, it just takes much longer than it used to.

Since we talked last, we made a trip to Carlsbad Beach to stay in a Timeshare across from the beach. It was a very bittersweet trip as we said our final goodbyes to our sweet granddaughter, Wendy, who was thirty-two at the time. Wendy, unfortunately, was diagnosed with stage 4 cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcoholism. We spent time with her, her daughter, parents, and our other granddaughter 
while we were there for two weeks. Wendy lived until early January and our hearts are still breaking.

Most of you know how very difficult it is to be creative when your heart hurts and it took me quite a bit of time to find the inspiration to begin working on a quilt again. It is a fairly large quilt for me, 47" wide and 52" long and is titled  Precious Moments With Blondie. I have a photo for you but it is only the back of the quilt while it dries from being blocked with the label ready to be attached. As soon as it is done, I will photograph it and post it here on my blog. Meanwhile, I will show you the back and how I block my quilts these days. I guess you may wonder why I block my quilts and why it might be a good idea for you if you are making landscape or art quilts. Have you ever gone to a quilt show and saw quilts that don't hang straight and have wobbly edges? Blocking prevents these mishaps from happening. When you block your quilts, you are basically bonding the three layers together with water and your iron so they lay flat and nice.

My good friend Sonia Grasvik taught me how to block quilts and although I used to block them on the floor on a rug, these days my tired old body is just cranky and creaky and I can't get down on the floor that long without having pain. Pictured, you will see an insulation board from the hardware store on my quilting table. I actually had it cut in two at the store but I taped it together as this quilt is so big, I needed both parts. Here are the steps for blocking:

1. Purchase a vinyl flannel backed tablecloth large enough for your quilt to fit on. FYI, Dollar Store tablecloths melt, spend a couple more bucks and get a quality tablecloth
2. Place the tablecloth on top of the insulation board or on your carpet with the flannel side up.
3. Place your quilt back side up on top of the tablecloth. 
4. Do not stretch your quilt but pin the quilt into the insulation board using t-pins so your quilt won't shift.
5. Get a large bowl and fill it with water.
6. Head your iron to high, no steam
7. Get a flat tea-towel or use a piece of muslin
8. Dip the tea-towel into the water and get it saturated or wet throughout but not dripping. 
9. Lay it down on top of the quilt, starting on one side. Make sure the tea-towel covers the edges or binding of the quilt. 
10. Press until the tea-towel is dry
11. Continue wetting the tea towel and moving it and pressing until you have gone over the whole quilt
12. If you have a ceiling fan, turn it on, it helps speed up the drying
13. Depending on the season and how warm your home is, your quilt can be dry the next day or take several days

Do not remove the quilt until it is entirely dry 

 

Novel update 
I am still trying to get my novel, A Quilter's Journey published. It is currently under review with a publisher and additionally, I am trying to get an agent. It seems finding an agent should be easy but with a novel with a quilting slant, it is considered a "niche" market. During 2019 I took an advanced fiction writing class because I wanted to focus on "showing" vs. "telling" in my novel. So, I rewrote again for probably the 6th or 7th time, I've lost track......Anyway, I am not giving up. If I must, I will try and publish it as an E-book on Amazon but I would rather go the other route. Wish me luck! 

Happy quilting, xxoo Joyce  

Happenings and new quilts

A Winter's Night by Joyce R Becker 33" x 29"  

June, 2019

I know it's been awhile since I posted and I apologize....sometimes life gets in the way of art but hopefully I am geared up to begin creating more art in the future. The new quilt above took me forever to complete but I worked on when there was a minute or an hour to spare and finally got it done. I used a lovely Japanese print for the trees and an ombre Stonehenge fabric for the sky and water. The tree fabric took a lot of intense cutting and manipulation to make it appear as it does now but I knew I would love it once it was done. I also did some intense machine quilting with a Wonderfil Tutti thread which took a long long time. 

Believe it or not, I am still working on my series of three books with a series title of the Orcas Island Quilt Artist. It seems every time I send it to someone new to consider I have to rewrite the whole darn thing to comply with their particular writing guidelines. That's not a bad thing, however, as each time I rewrite, the book gets better. I also took another writing class for fiction that really helped me hone in on "showing vs. telling." Wish me luck, I am still not giving up. I have two more possibilities and if those don't work, perhaps it is on to self-publishing on Amazon.  

This next quilt is another addition using my Quick Little Landscape Quilts book format. I made it for my step-son and his wife, Mike and Charlene Simmons, and it has their new dog, Annie featured. I printed the dog from a photo on computer  ready fabric. It was so fun to make and they love it!

I have made another quilt too to match my bedroom tropical theme but the photo isn't too good - here's a sneak peak anyway. I painted all the background fabrics myself and just wanted a peaceful tropical scene.....I haven't named it yet...

I am trying to update my web site too but have to go back and review the notes from my web master to know how to upload photos, captions, and new text......

In the meantime, happy quilting ....Joyce
.

Upcoming Lecture

FYI, if you live near Portland, Oregon, I will be lecturing for the Northwest Quilters at the Immanuel Lutheran Church on Monday, March 12th at 9:00 a.m. The address is:
7810 SE 15th St., Portland, Oregon. I hope you can join us as I will discuss my quilting journey and Tips and Tricks for Quilters.

                                Mt. Rainier Reflecting in Tipsoo Lake

Novel: I am still working on my quilting genre novel,  A Quilter's Journey. I've had two responses recently, one from a very caring editor who gave me wonderful critical advice. I also heard from an agent who loves my idea and is encouraging me to possibly submit on Kindle as cozy mystery quilting novels are not doing well with main-stream publishing right now.....I have two versions - one is a cozy romantic mystery with a quilting slant, the other includes suspense, romance with suggestive language, and of course quilting. I am revising both as we speak trying to determine what direction to go. I am sure the answer will just come to me soon! 

I am working on a "secret" project, which I can't reveal right now as it is a special gift for a special person. After it's complete, I'll post it. Two more quilts in my head include another whimsical collage of my Cocker Spaniel, Blondie, and an ocean scene with pure white sand and aqua waters - simple, but with gorgeous visual impact.  

Follow your dreams and let your creativity flow.........
xxoo
Joyce 

Quilting Arts Television on PBS

 SEE JOYCE ON QUILTING ARTS TELEVISION

                Joyce with Quilting Arts Television host, Susan Bruebaker Knapp

Majestic Mountains by Joyce R Becker

As some of you may know, I am going to appear on Quilting Arts Television on PBS, series 2100 this year. Some PBS stations are already broadcasting the 2100 series. I will appear on the following episodes:

Episode 3 - Imaginative Design

Episode 7 - Inspired to Quilt

Episode 12-Embellish with Stitch and Stuff

Each PBS station is different. Some stations are still showing the 2000 series of Quilting Arts Television. My advice is to look up your local PBS station on the internet and find out if they televise Quilting Arts Television. If  they do, see if the listing says 2100 series. The first episode in the 2100 series is called: Shapes. Hopefully, you are able to watch the episodes I am on. Another option is to use your DVR and record the whole series. There are some very talented artists in the 2100 series, you won't be disappointed!

If you would like instructions for the projects on each episode, here is what you do:

Go to Quiltingartstv.com and click on the 2100 series. 

Click on episode 2103, Creating a successful Landscape Quilter and click on the photo of my quilt, Majestic Mountains. It will download the instructions for you.

For episode 2107, Quick Matted and Framed Landscape Quilts, click on the photo of the beach scene. It will download the instructions for you.

For episode 2112, Embellishing Landscape Quilts, click on my quilt Winter Wonderland and it will download the instructions for you. 

I will also have a "Spotlight" magazine article in the upcoming summer issue of Quilting Arts Magazine. 

Happy Quilting - until the next time,

Joyce

I am finally able to post again after my whirlwind trip to Cleveland, Ohio to tape three episodes for Quilting Arts Television (PBS) with Susan Bruebaker Knapp.

I was kind of a nervous Nellie when we started taping but Susan made me feel soooooo comfortable. It was like I was just chatting with one of my best friends. The three episodes focus on: Tips and Tricks for Creating a  Landscape Quilt, How to create a Quick Little Matted and Framed Landscape Quilts, and Embellishing Your Landscape Quilts.

The series is the 2100 and will be shown during the 2018 episodes. I am featured on Episode2103, 2107, and 2112. 

I am including some photos from the taping for you. 

I met some very talented guests that will also be featured next season so don't miss any of the episodes. 

I am hoping to find an editor or publisher for my quilting novel soon. I went to a writing conference before I went to Cleveland and have one editor interested and a lead on another. Most of the quilting entities that publish quilting novels want novels without a lot of swearing, intense drama, or sex in them. My novel has all of those things!!!! Wish me luck.

SQUARING YOUR QUILT AFTER BLOCKING

I hope most quilters realize that landscape quilts need to block and square their wall quilts so they lay flat and square! Here are the trimmings from a quilt I just created for Quilting Arts Television airing in 2018. My quilt was fairly square after I blocked it so it wasn't too difficult to square. I use square rulers when I square my quilt and always measure to make sure my quilt is the same width and length. I measure several places across the quilt to make sure the measurement is the same throughout! As you can see above, when I put the binding on another quilt (Melaine's Quilt), I use binding clips to keep my binding in place while I stitch it down by hand!
Happy Quilting
xxoo
Joyce

Creating is messy

 

So, just to show you that it is impossible for me to create in a clean studio, here's a photo of my studio
during a creative frenzy! When I am done, I clean
everything up but why bother in the middle of a design as it interrupts the flow!

Chaos!

 I am looking forward to hosting my "Thursday
Quilting Group" this week. I know, our name is
uninspired but we have never changed it!