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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…
NOTE: There are TWO posts today, this one and another on where I review new threads. Make sure to read the other post too! Monday was sooo much fun-I presented a portion of my trunk show at Meissner‘s in Sacramento, right after Hanspeter Ueltschi of BERNINA talked to the audience about upcoming developments. Hanspeter Ueltschi (“HP”) is the 4th generation Owner of BERNINA so it was quite an honor to share the same stage. I seem to always forget to take photos OF the audience or class and oops, did that again. The audience was enthusiastic and eager to hear what…
I enjoyed a fabulous class in “Mosi Jogakbo” with Youngmin Lee at A Verb for Keeping Warm in Oakland last Sunday. Bojagi, Korean wrapping cloths, are used in everyday Korean culture to carry everything from special objects to ordinary items. Jogakbo, or patchwork bojagi, is what Youngmin taught. We worked with Ramie, a natural fiber that looks very similar to linen. Youngmin was a patient teacher, as it took awhile for some of us to master the basics. Youngmin brought lots of beautiful bojagi, including this gorgeous, diaphanous piece. It is oh so beautiful in person. Youngmin’s class sample using hand…
I’ll get my PIQF photos up next week. I have a particularly busy week with a lecture and workshop plus I am taking two classes! I am so excited-I’ll be taking the Sew Together Bag class from Angelina McKenna at Meissner’s-I have wanted one of these bags forever and Angelina is too fun! And, be still my heart, I was able to get into the Mosi Jogakbo Patchwork class with Youngmin Lee at A Verb for Keeping Warm in Oakland. I am beyond excited. After all, what AM I going to do with all those sheers? I am excited to…
If it’s Fall, it’s the “kickoff” of quilt show season, and the Goldbug Quilters‘ Show is the first of the season in my area. I always look forward to their show and one reason is… Cello Chocolate is a vendor! Why don’t ALL quilt shows have chocolate vendors, huh? They make “handcrafted chocolate from single origin cocoa beans”. They set up a tasting bar with samples of all their chocolates and you really could taste the difference with “notes of honey” or vanilla or berry. How cool is that? There were some quilts there too… I don’t usually admit to having a…