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This was one of the best shows I’ve seen; every piece was exquisite. I stole an afternoon a few weeks ago to see the 49th Annual Textile Exhibition at the Olive Hyde Gallery in Freemont, Ca and apparently I have been missing something in the past few years! Unfortunately the show closes this weekend but I’ll share some of what I saw. I am in crunch time with my book (seems like I’ve been saying that for months) so I am only going to post one photo from each artist. Trying to choose one image per artistiwas like choosing a…
I’m in the middle of my 3-guild 5-day tour of Southern California/Ventura County and it’s really been a lot of fun. This is a quick post cobbled together on my phone: I had a very lovely home stay for 2 nights. Unfortunately my GPS lead me astray and a Very Tired Jenny checked into a Motel 6 instead of a Holiday Inn express by mistake. Sigh. There was a lot of interest from the guilds in their meetings which has been wonderful. I was touched by this scene! Yesterday’s class was packed with 23 students! It was a challenge, but…
Yes, I’m still binding and writing. I think it’s Groundhog Day because I keep on doing the same thing! There is great progress on finishing my projects for the book, and that’s good because I am behind in all the details of normal life. I’ve got some unconventional ways of doing things that work for me–thought I’d share: I needed to remove both glue and markings from some of my work. I did not want to run them through the washer or even hand wash in the normal fashion. I wanted to make sure they did not wrinkle or crunch…
Please make sure you read my note at the end of this post! I have binding to do, lots and lots of binding, literally 13 projects! Most of my quilts are art quilts and I prefer to hand finish my bindings. I cut them, gasp, at 1 7/8″ and sew them with a very scant 1/4″ seam, giving me the skinny binding I prefer. If I made bed quilts, I would probably cut them the standard 2 1/2″ and they would be much wider. Given that I have miles of binding to do and very little time to do it,…
I got a chance to be a normal person for a few hours last week. Besides all the mundane “catch-up” errands, I got to pop into the Sister’s Collective Gallery in Sacramento where “Never, Ever Forget-African American History, The Middle Passage and Beyond” was showing. I only had a little time to view the show but it was well worth it. It was a juried show and artists were asked to create an African American living history quilt using their own style that tells their own story or a story of historical or contemporary persons or events. A wide range of…
I got to go play for a few days! The plan for this summer was supposed to be that July was my time off, time to regroup, relax and create. As it turned out I chained myself to my computer to write my book. I had exactly 4 days free after a deadline and before the next teaching gig. So off to South Lake Tahoe we went. We rented a condo in a large “luxury” development right on the lake. It was beautiful and well maintained. Unfortunately the condo we rented was, oh boy, stuck in the 80’s! The floor plan…
Hubby and I took a few days off and headed to Lake Tahoe. I hope to return rejuvinated and relaxed. Til next week….
Yes, I’m still writing-it seems like forever now. I am excited about what I am writing but this is a lot of work. Lucky me though, I got to take an afternoon off to go to the Bay Area and see my son and DIL! Isn’t that lovely? She planned for an afternoon of cruising in the lagoon on an electric boat. She planned, made and brought a lovely assort of hors d’oeuvres, deserts and wine. It was just the best time! My son being pretentious… We call him Clark-remember Clark Griswold from Vacation? That’s him. In the meantime, I…
As I thought about what to write about this week I realized that much of what I’ve been doing is making samples for my book and writing. I thought I’d share a short post on what it feels like to write a book. I’ll bet what I am experiencing is almost predictable-the ups and the looooong downs! One fun thing has been that I’ve had to purchase more fabric. I know, I know, such trauma! I get to play with my new stash for one of my projects. And another project. I’m using this as my starter to keep the…
I get excited about the California State Fair! I love state fairs and think I’ve been to Fairs in 6 states. It’s perhaps a cheesy, expensive and dying event, but how can you resist fried food, blazing heat and every type of person in one place? It is almost always unbearably hot since it’s held in July, but it was a balmy 92 for me this year. The Fine Arts and the Crafts buildings are the first places I visit-gotta see the art and quilts! Near the entrance there are two golden bears and there are always some cute kids…