Blog
My son was married last week to his beautiful girlfriend, on the 10-year anniversary of their meeting! It was a glorious event in Chicago, an intimate affair with around 45 friends and family. I am still in Afterglow Mode even as I write. We enjoyed a 6-day stay for the wedding. Apparently Chicago had been in a dry spell until we arrived. The night of our arrival I went foraging for healthy food to fill our little frig and it dumped buckets! I brought a hardcore raincoat along and I’m glad I did. It is The Windy City after all…
I’ve lived in northern Ca for 17 years and somehow not made it to Quilting in the Garden at Alden Lane Nursery in Livermore, but this year I got to go! This is a unique annual 2-day event held in the beautiful Alden Lane Nursery where hundreds of quilts are pinned to lines hung from enormous and beautiful heritage oaks. The show featured artists at C&T Publishing with special honor to Jennifer Sampou. And this year Pokey Bolton curated and juried a 48-quilt exhibit honoring the life and contributions of Yvonne Porcella. “Live Your BRIGHTEST Light” honored Yvonne’s life of…
I was prepping this week, prepping for everything: my Open House, sending off “Stipa Gigantea” to Art=Quilt=Art, my son’s wedding and teaching. After intense, all-day work for 4 days straight, the Open House went well. This was primarily for Hubby’s golfing friends and we planned for 50. I have NO experience with that kind of entertaining so this was a huge challenge for me. I did not even have the basics-so off to Cost Plus World Market for 48 plates and all kinds of serving spoons, cheese knives, serving dishes, etc. And buying food I would never eat myself-I actually went through 10…
There’s not much quilting or dyeing going on around here! It’s been a whirlwind for the last week or so-all of it good. I enjoyed a weeklong teaching trip to San Diego and now this very inexperienced entertainer is planning an Open House for FIFTY on the 16th. That gives me exactly 2 1/2 days to cook, prep and clean! My trip to San Diego was fantastic. I visited both the El Camino Quilters and the Friendship Quilters of San Diego, with a full day off in between, pinch me! I taught two very different workshops so I took even more…
I recently was notified that “Stipa Gigantea” was accepted into “Quilts=Art=Quilts” at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Albany, New York. This is a Biggie, one that I am thrilled to be a part of. You may remember my fairly recent decision to move into art venues as opposed to quilt venues. I am hoping to learn more from being in art venues and I am well aware that in general, it is difficult to get into art venues and my rejection rate will probably be much higher. So imagine my delight to be accepted into this prestigious exhibit! Beginner’s luck?…
It was my goal to have 27 colors of silk organza dyed to use as a starting point for um, something. My color choices were somewhat random I’ll admit. I am so excited about these beautiful samples of organza! In each case I used Dharma Trading’s Acid Dyes and their Citric Acid. I have no idea what I’m doing or why, I’m just following what I’ve been told by Dharma and friends. I’m just having fun! I will get into the science of it if I decide to pursue this path again. Roxane Lessa wrote me that it’s a lot…
Every year I envision summer as this bucolic period when I catch up and get to relax a bit. Not this summer! The crazy move/remodel has overtaken my life and there are still many details to attend to. I wonder how long it will be before I have a week where I don’t pick up something at Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn or Bed, Bath and Beyond. I know that if I don’t specifically schedule time, I will not have time to just be. With all the stress from the move and remodel, I’ve had to resolve some sleep issues. One…
I’m down to the details of finishing my studio and I am looking forward to more creative time and less shopping, installing, returning and measuring time. One important addition was my “tracking” board, a 3′ x 4′ magnetic dry erase board. I wanted a 4′ x 6′ board but they were enormously expensive. I learned that all dry erase boards are not equal and the reason you have “ghosting” on your dry erase is because of its quality-who knew? This one is magnetic and just high enough quality to not ghost. I am visual after all, so this literally keeps the…
YES! My tribute quilt for Pokey Bolton’s ” Live Your Brightest Life: A Tribute to Yvonne Porcella“ exhibit is finished. It took me much longer than expected but I should have known that my re-entry into normal life after the move and remodel might take time. I am thrilled that I was able to submit. I was not a direct friend or colleague of Yvonne’s, yet she directly influenced me. It has been my belief that you know someone has been influential if they impact people far beyond their own circle of friends. In a note which is to be sent…
I am so happy with my new studio! It’s so much more comfortable to work on my computer, and with everything well organized, finding things is a snap. When I get weary of computer work I amble to the next room and work on Yvonne’s quilt for awhile. I go back and forth between the two rooms, keeping my productivity much higher than it was before. Did I mention how much I love my new space? And there are some new additions this week that I adore: My new “short girl” chair is uber comfy and my feet are now flat on the…