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It’s been a mishmash of life in the last week and not a whole lot of quilt or art making went on. But it’s been a wild ride from my perspective. Somehow at this late point in life, I have become An Entertainer. Cook? Oh yeah, but entertain? This is a most unlikely role for me to play. My parents literally never entertained and it has been something I have done maybe once a year at best since. When the couple that actually knows how to entertain was not able to host New Year’s Eve, DH and I decided to…
This year has been more than intense, filled with successes and failures but mostly very, very filled. In a nutshell: -I have tried new-to-me techniques: pojagi and acid dyeing organza. I have not yet completed projects with these techniques but oh do I have plans! -My work has been accepted into 2 prestigious shows: My Corner of the World, an international SAQA exhibit currently on display at the Stratford Perth Museum, Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Quilts=Art=Quilts, in Auburn, New York –My son was married in October in Chicago! -I survived a whole house remodel that began in January and concluded in…
It’s been another whirlwind week for me, with wild variations in my activities. I’m back home now for a month and it’s been so nice to settle back into my life-I have a good life! I visited the Santa Fe, NM area last week and met my friend of 40 years there. Lynn and I were hippie chicks in the 70’s…oh but that’s another long story! We had not seen each other in a few years so it was a treat for both of us. We rented a roomy AirBNB with original art by the owners and a well-stocked kitchen.…
I will be traveling again this week-no quilting for me! I should be back to “normal” posts after this last round of travel. But I had to share this beauty that I see around me-I love the tail end of fall, the last remnants of the season. I’m grateful to be here long enough to catch a last glimpse. Lookie: My Smoke Trees provide year-round entertainment. I have both the purple and lesser known lime green varieties in my yard. A bit earlier, this is how the lime green Smokes turned, both spectacular. Of course the Japanese Maples are gorgeous…
I just got in last night from Trip # 2 in 3 weeks-the BERNINA Ambassador’s Reunion in Aurora, Ill, outside of Chicago. Between Nov 28 and Dec 18 I will have been home 6 days, days filled with deadlines and Dr. appointments and catching up on the minutia of life. But it’s all good travel! The Reunion is held annually at the BERNINA Creative Center. The purpose of the Reunion is to educate and to create and foster relationships between the Ambassadors and BERNINA. And it was a blast! Our 2 1/2 days started at 7:20AM and were jam packed with…
I sooo needed some time off and was able to join my Toronto friend Jan for a few days in Southern California. And wouldn’t you know, Toronto was unseasonably warm while she was here! We jam packed out 3 1/2 days together! I had been to Palm Springs previously but that was with the DH on a golf trip and it was a different kind of trip. Palm Springs is located in the Sonoran desert about a 100 miles west of Los Angeles. It is known for its mid-century Modern architecture, weather, golf courses and hot springs. I knew it…
I almost forgot to prepare a post this week! I had considered posting about some quilty things I am doing but I realized that most of my readers were celebrating American Thanksgiving today-who would be reading? Instead I will share a bit of our Thanksgiving celebration with you. Most importantly, I will have BOTH of my son’s home again! Unfortunately my new Daughter-in-Law has to work so my oldest will be coming by himself and we will miss her. I hope future Thanksgivings will get bigger and bigger as our family grows. But youngest son is already here… so…
I finished my class with Lynne Pillus on “Color Doesn’t Matter” and I can’t wait to finish my piece! We learned to use value, not color to create a representational art quilt. I’m working from a beloved photo of a scene from a cherished family vacation in Bend, Oregon. We had rented a gorgeous, sprawling home on the Deschutes River and had The Best Time as a family. Our oldest son is an avid outdoor adventurer and he actually listened to his Mother about protecting his skin from all that sun. He is known for his generously sized cowboy hat. I…
The quarterly meeting of SAQA was held at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles where their current exhibit “The California Art Quilt Revolution: From the Summer of Love to the New Millennium” is hanging. Nancy Bavor, SAQA member and Curator of Collections and Exhibits gave a tour of the exhibit, the subject of which was her Master’s thesis. The art quilt was born in northern California during the 1970s and 1980s, pioneered by Jean Ray Laury, Yvonne Porcella, Joan Schulze and Therese May. The exhibit takes us from the movement’s inception to late 20th and 21st century. Jean Ray Laury was certainly…
Note: I have two posts today. Check out my other post on “Trends, Trunk Show and my new machine!”. I am always interested in new threads. If the line looks promising I will purchase a few spools and take a spin to see if I will invest in it. Two new thread lines suitable for our quilting world have recently hit the market and I had to try them! Quilters Select is a new brand specifically made for quilters, featuring the endorsement of Alex Anderson. I talked with her a little bit about the line a few weeks back at Quilting…