Braided Rag Vessels Sian Keegan 56

Alpona Pillow Oorbee Roy 60

Doily Rug Jean Lee 66

Love Notes Nick & Lisa Wong Jackson 72

Decoupaged London Paula Smail 76

Locker Hook Rug Christine Schmidt 80

Heritage Flag Christiana Coop 86

City Rubbings Susan Connor 92

Family Banner Samantha Hahn 96

Folklore Chair Diana Fayt 100

Needlepoint Racquets Amy Holbrook 106

Cityscape Collage Lorena Siminovich 112

Button Garland Brooke Davies 116

Two-Family Crest Chika Eustace & Jean Lee 120

Modern Norens Joanna Mendicino 126

Jewelry Tree Carolina Saxl 132

Wallpaper Luminarias Christiana Coop & Aimee Lagos 136

Family Teepee Billie Lopez & Tootie Maldonado 140

APPENDIX 150

Resource Guide 158

Acknowledgments 160

Jean Lee 66 Jean Lee 66

Nick & Lisa Wong Jackson 72 Nick & Lisa Wong Jackson 72

Carolina Saxl 132 Carolina Saxl 132

Christine Schmidt 80 Christine Schmidt 80

Paula Smail 76 Paula Smail 76

Billie Lopez & Tootie Maldonado 140 Billie Lopez & Tootie Maldonado 140

Christiana Coop & Aimee Lagos 136 Christiana Coop & Aimee Lagos 136

Susan Connor 92 Susan Connor 92

Christiana Coop 86 Christiana Coop 86

Amy Holbrook 106 Amy Holbrook 106

Diana Fayt 100 Diana Fayt 100

Samantha Hahn 96 Samantha Hahn 96

Brooke Davies 116 Brooke Davies 116

Lorena Siminovich 112 Lorena Siminovich 112

Two-Family Crest Two-Family Crest Chika Eustace & Jean Lee 120

Joanna Mendicino 126 Joanna Mendicino 126

Oorbee Roy 60 Oorbee Roy 60

Sian Keegan 56 Sian Keegan 56

Decoupaged P lateslisa congdon

san francisco, california

Although Lisa Congdon, her younger sister Stephanie, and her mother Gerrie can confi dently call themselves artists now,

this was hardly the case four years ago. Back then, Lisa was a director in a non-

profi t educational organization, Stephanie, a stay-at-home mom, and Gerrie,

a retired food writer. Although Gerrie had exposed her children to art while

they were growing up, neither of her daughters pursued any formal training.

So when Lisa decided to take a Friday-night painting class in 2001, she was

surprised to discover she actually had talent. Likewise, the other Congdon

women began to explore the depths of their creativity, Stephanie with sewing

stuff ed animals and Gerrie with art quilting.

With their latent talents coming to the surface, Lisa, Stephanie, and

Gerrie began blogging to share the things they were making. It was especially

helpful because Lisa lived in San Francisco while Gerrie was in Northern

California and Stephanie in Portland, Oregon. The blogs became a way to

express mutual support, stir motivation, and show each other their latest

experiments, like Lisa trying her hand at collage and Stephanie getting behind

a camera. At the time, they weren’t thinking about using their blogs to reach

a larger public audience—but they did. Blogging quickly put all their work in

the public eye. Lisa found herself being off ered her fi rst art show in Seattle,

Stephanie received online orders, and Gerrie got commissions for quilts. As

more off ers followed suit, Lisa began to realize that she could make a living

from her art. By 2007, she was not only a full-time artist but also a co-owner

of the boutique Rare Device in San Francisco.

As a tribute to the two women with whom she has shared parallel creative

journeys, Lisa decoupaged plates dedicated to her sister and mother. To

capture the essence of each person, Lisa chose papers with colors expressive

of their personalities and included imagery and memorabilia connected to

each woman. For her mother, she made a chartreuse-based plate, which is her

mother’s favorite color and also indicative of her love for nature. The images

on the plate include illustrations of trees, a photo of Gerrie at fi ve years old in

upstate New York, an image of a European building (to represent travel), and

replicas of Depression-era ration stamps from Gerrie’s childhood. Because

Stephanie has a quiet and gentle demeanor, Lisa chose pink-toned papers but

included punches of orange, representative of Stephanie’s energy. Lisa created

a very modest plate without Stephanie’s picture because, as Lisa says, “She

would hate to have her picture in it.” Alongside her vintage plate collection,

Lisa has inserted these familial plates, which stand as a tribute to loved ones as

well as to creativity.

19

7

Family TeepeeBillie Lopez and Tootie Maldonado pronounce their love for the

outdoors with their family teepee made from a vintage quilt

top and bamboo sticks. If you don’t have a quilt top suitable for

this purpose around, try looking for one at local thrift stores or

consider sewing one yourself from your family’s clothing (see

Dad’s Patchwork Coverlet on page 29). Alternatively, you can

use an old or new sheet.

143

Finished overall size of project shown:

88 x 52"

MATERIALS

Old quilt top or fl at sheet (preferably queen or king size)

10 yards solid linen or lightweight canvas fabric

1 M yards patterned cotton fabric

Vintage napkin or handkerchief

Butcher paper (at least 27 x 81")

2 pieces fusible interfacing, each 2" square

Coordinating thread

3 pieces rope, 3’ long

2 pieces K"-wide elastic, each 6" long

Three 1" buttons

Straight twig 2" longer than your nap-kin or handkerchief

3' jute twine

Paint pens in assorted colors

Six 8'-long bamboo poles

TOOLS

Iron and ironing board

Pencil

Yardstick or clear acrylic grid ruler

Paper scissors

Straight pins

Fabric scissors

Fabric marker

Sewing machine

Hand-sewing needle

Large safety pin

Stepstool or ladder

Sewing the Teepee

1. Wash, dry, and iron all the fabric before cutting.

2. With your butcher paper oriented vertically, trim the

top edge with your scissors so that it is perpendicular to

the side edges. Draw a line parallel to and 1 ½" from the

top edge. Fold the paper along this line. The folded por-

tion of the paper will become the pattern for the casing,

or drawstring channel, at the top of the teepee.