Spring Comes to Healdsburg

 

The sun is shining and our little plum tree is starting to bloom.  Spring is here!

My personal olympic challenge: applique!

I can't believe it was four years ago that I joined Stephanie McPhee aka Yarn Harlot and entered the Knitting Olympics.  I never would have tried to knit a lace shawl if not for the enthusiasm she sparked, and trust me, I will never knit another lace shawl again.

So I only have myself to blame for my latest project.  Well, I'll assign a touch of blame to Kellie and her gorgeous blog "Don't Look Now" for enticing me toward hand applique as no other collection of quilts and patterns have ever managed to do.   I'd been marveling over the beauty of Kellie's "Joseph's Coat" quilt-along, but I'd resisted....until it occurred to me that it'd be quite nice to have a hand-sewing project to work on as I followed the Olympics.

And what better color to use than PINK?!  I pulled pinks out of my stash, and added a few more quarter-yard cuts to the collection...

and away I go.  I've finished ONE block so far.  It makes me very happy. 




There's no way this will be done by the end of the Olympics, but that's okay.  Working with these fabrics and colors is so cheering that I'm content to take this slowly. 

And if you're tempted, Kellie has the full directions on her blog so you can jump right in!

My MVP

My MVP pick from Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl:  Chamomile, the boxer mix.  Just look at those blue eyes!

I'll watch frolicking puppies over football any day.  And the bunny cheerleaders were hilarious, if somewhat comatose.   If you missed it, you can watch highlights here.

Face It!

Yesterday, I finally found a bit of time to begin the steps of finishing the fuchsia quilt.  (Yeah, sorry, you're probably getting tired of seeing this...) First, squaring up -- there is something about the quilt blocks on two sides that creates an optical illusion of being out-of-square, and that stumped me for a while.  I kept measuring and marking.  I pulled out the Ricky Tims DVD on finishing techniques ("Grand Finale")  to remind myself about what HE does to square up quilts -- his finishing techniques are impeccable and I highly recommend the DVD.  More measuring, more marking, and finally I trimmed.  Sheesh. The quilt is actually square in this shot, although I think the photographic angle (necessitated by my shoving myself up against the closet door behind the sewing table to get an almost-straight-on shot of my teeny design wall behind the door) makes it look wonky. Oh, and after I took the shot, I trimmed a few inches off of the top edge, so the leaves feel more like they're at the top and not hanging there in the middle. Nothing like making precisely pieced blocks to hack them all off...

Then, I turned to my friend Brenda, who just happens to be an expert on finishing techniques!  I have a copy of her DVD on finishing techniques, so I popped that in to the computer to see her tips for making the best facing.  Excellent!  Brenda provides a free tutorial on her facing technique here, in case you need help as I did.

And that consumed my fabric-play time yesterday.  Sigh.  I am looking forward to sitting down with a movie and hand-sewing the facing, now.

Art, No Art, or All Art

 

I read something recently that I keep thinking about.  I read in the Balinese language, there is no word for "art" or "artist."  The reason, apparently, is that people in Bali view the creation of beautiful things as a natural part of life, and something that everyone does.  It is such a  part of every day activities that it's not necessary to have a special word for it. 

Isn't that lovely?  Makes me think that some of the "who is an artist" or "is quilting art or craft" discussions seem rather silly.

What Have You Accomplished Today?

 

A few weeks ago, I entertained myself during some long driving trips by catching up on a few of Annie Smith's "Quilting Stash" podcasts. Listening to Annie is like listening to a dear friend (well, she IS a friend in real life now, but even before I knew her I felt that way) and it's fun to hear what quilty sorts of things she's been up to.

I listened to a not-very-recent podcast in which Annie interviewed a really interesting quilter named Gyleen Fitzgerald. I'd not encountered Gyleen before, but I was fascinated hearing about how her work as a defense department engineer informs the quilts she makes. But among the many interesting things Gyleen said in that interview, one particular point resonated with me. She mentioned that she always journals and writes poetry, and that her journals always include a list of what she has accomplished on any given day, no matter how small. She even added that she numbers her accomplishments (if I understood her correctly, starting at one when the new year starts and then numbering in sequence to the end of the calendar year) so she has an increasing sense of her accomplishments.

This resonated with something I saw on a PBS show recently, about the concept of positive psychology to focus in on doing work to learn to be happy and optimistic. Noticing the things that make you feel good, or that made you happy, is a big part of that.

So Gyleen's thought about noting accomplishments really struck me. I know I am not alone when I say that I have so many days where I was busy all day long and the day flew by but by the end, I can't really say what it was I was doing. (And I know I'm not alone because you all comment and tell me so when I post about days like that!) I also know that events in our family have put me in a funny phase right now, when my days are unpredictable and often feel like they are affected minute to minute by things I just can't control.

So, I've started a small journal and use it to list my accomplishments each day. I don't take "accomplishment" as a big thing -- I'm focusing on the small stuff because heck, those ARE the accomplishments I have.  Sometimes I can note pretty visible accompliments, large stuff like "cleaned the closet" (which, if you saw my closets, you'd know was a HUGE accomplishment.) Sometimes it's a minor moment, like "I didn't get upset when the dog tracked mud up the stairs." I'm taking my accomplishments were I can find them. Lately, on my new healthy eating plan, I consider what I DON'T put in my mouth to be some of my most significant accomplishments, too.  Hardly earth-shattering stuff, but it gives me a sense of peace and satisfaction at the end of the day to notice the things I did that I felt good about. 

And, just so you know, writing a blog entry counts as an accomplishment too, so score one for me already.

Monday Mis-steps

So, I spent last evening writing a long post listing the best books I've read over the last year, including plot summaries and links... And inexplicably, my computer shut down just as I reached the end. No worry, I thought -- Blogger does that auto save thing now! But when I rebooted, there was no saved message. It's disappeared. Rats rats rats. (That was not exactly what I said at the time.)

This morning, having awakened extra early for no apparent reason, I headed out to the health club to try out a Vinyasa Yoga class. And I remembered what it is I conclude every time I take a yoga class (every 5 years or so): I DON'T LIKE YOGA! I find it boring, frankly. I'd rather be jumping around and sweating and hurting than lying still in some pose and hurting.

After both of those experiences, I think I deserve a morning of quilt fun, don't you?

Ira Glass on Doing and Getting Better

I LOVE Ira Glass.(If you are not from the US, he is a public radio broadcaster who hosts a wonderful weekly radio show called "This American Life."  It's a bit of everything, short radio stories on a particular theme each week.  You can find a free podcast of TAL on Itunes and you can livestream episodes at the TAL site.  Go search for the "Fiasco!" episode and prepare to laugh until you cry.)

Anyway.  Ira Glass gave some talks about broadcasting, but among them is his discussion of how to keep doing what you do to push forward through the "I'm not as good as I want to be" phase.  It's very inspirational and speaks to any creative pursuit.



I do love Ira Glass.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie

Today is Caroline's 14th birthday.  And just yesterday, I came across a box of photos from when she was around 2 years old.  Here she is, on the left in the checked jacket, with her good friend Abby (who is from the same city and orphanage in China as Caroline).  Aren't they adorable?

It's amazing to realize they are teenagers now.  Here they are now (well, last summer when we visited these lovely friends in Maine), enjoying strawberry sundaes.

Celebrations for today include cake-baking (with decorations by Caroline, the more garish the better), present opening, and a chinese food dinner out with her dear friend Lani and family.  Oh, and cake EATING.  I almost left out a key part.

And happy birthday to Annie Smith (of Quilting Stash podcast fame) and my friend Pam M.  Lots of wonderful people were born today!

Letter to the Blog Police

Like my friend Terry, I had a pretty strong reaction to a recent blog post by quilt artist Dena Crain in which she sets out what she believes quilters should and should not do in their blogs.  I disagree with Dena on many of her specific points, but as the subject stayed on my mind, I was more and more bothered by the overall message that anyone, quilters included, are blogging "improperly."  So, I replied to Dena in a comment to her blog, and here's my comment:

Dena,

I find your take on quilters' blogs interesting, but I disagree strongly with the overall message in your post that there are "right" and "wrong" ways for quilters to blog.  One of the many wonderful things about blogging is that a blog can be whatever the blogger wants to it to be.  You have many excellent suggestions for a quilter who wants to use her blog solely as a marketing tool, but I find it unfortunate that you have not directed your comments to that limited segment of bloggers, and indeed that you are so critical of bloggers whose aims may be very different from yours. 

Many quilters do not blog for the sole purpose of marketing and selling work.  I'm the founder and manager of the Artful Quilters Blog Ring which links over 400 blogs written by quilters who focus on art and contemporary quilting.  Some bloggers use their blogs primarily as marketing tools, but most blog more broadly, about their art, their lives, their opinions.  The blogs express who they are as people, not just as quilters.   It's clearly a matter of personal taste -- and it seems that yours and mine are quite different in this regard -- but what I love most about reading quilters' blogs is that they introduce me to people who share my passion.  They inspire me when they share their processes, their frustrations, their mistakes.  I marvel at the variety of lifestyles we quilters  lead.  I'm reminded of a blog entry from an Australian quilt artist who wrote an entry bemoaning how kangaroos traveled past her house each day, disrupting her garden.  That, to me, illustrated what I love about the broad-ranging topics of many quilters' blogs -- that woman and I share the same art form, but in other ways her life is as different from mine as I can imagine.  Many, many friendships are formed through the blogging experience, and largely because we share so much of our whole lives in our blogs -- and yes, that includes who is coming for lunch, what we're cooking, how we felt while we cleaned the house, what our political views are, etc.  If that's what's important to someone, the blog is hers for her to express that.

To me, there are significant differences between a blog and a website.  I see the  website is the promotional tool for specific focus on the art and the artist's thoughts about it, her teaching, her art-related travel schedule, her biography, the techniques she wishes to share, and of course the vehicle for selling.  I (and, I think, most blog readers) view blogs as something quite different and decidedly more personal.   As I read your post, it seems to me that you want quilters' blogs to be what I consider a website disguised as a blog.  And, if that is how you want to use the medium, that's great.  Go to it!  And your giving advice to those bloggers who want to use a blog in the same way may prove enormously helpful to them.  But please, don't tell us that if we're not doing it your way, we are making mistakes and blogging improperly.

I don't want to read blogs that are as one dimensional as the sort you describe.  For the blogger whose only goal is to market herself, maybe following your rules will get her exactly the results she wants, and that's a good thing.  But to suggest that other quilters who blog are doing something "wrong" or "dumb" or "making mistakes" attaches a negative perspective on a communication device whose strength is that it allows individuality and creativity.  For many of us artists and quilters, having a space to share the whole of our creative lives is a delight and has brought us opportunities and connections more valuable than selling a quilt.  In my view, it's not for anyone else to tell us that we're doing it wrong.  Why should those of us who enjoy sharing our lives, and not just the quilting parts, be relegated to the one-sentence/140 character world of Twitter and Facebook?

Like art itself, blogging provides a realm for unlimited creativity and personal expression.  How you choose to use your blog, and how you choose the blogs you follow, is up to you.  If you don't like blogs that discuss personal lives, then don't read them. It's that simple.  It's not anyone's place, it seems to me, to impose "rules" on how quilters should be blogging.  The quilt world has its share of "quilt police"; we don't need "Blog Police," too.

A little paint, a little stitching...

I've made some good progress on the fuchsias.  You might remember I was bugged by a dramatic line in the lower right corner, between the quilt block part and the solid background.  Yesterday, I got out my acrylic paints and painted in some shapes.  I'm much happier with it now, even though I did manage to get a green blob of paint on the shoulder of my shirt when I put the paintbrush in my mouth briefly (so as NOT to get the paint on the quilt, of course), then turned my head and, as a result, jammed the paint end of the brush into my shoulder.  Sigh.  I am not a tidy artist.

Last evening, my Juki and I applied quilting, leaving the lattice strips unquilted.  I'm liking the result and will decide whether the quilting is done after I've had a chance to look at it more carefully.

I can't even say how delighted I am to have moved this piece to this stage.  I have had it on my mind for so long-- years, in fact -- wondering where to go from the bare fuschia blossoms I'd gotten done to that point.  So it feels like all that mulling and waiting was worthwhile, because I never would have gone in this direction if I'd pushed myself to finish it back then. 

Hearts for Mom

Who is this coy little lady, you ask?  It's my mom, at about age 5.  She has no memory of this dress, of this moment, or why in the world she was dressed this way.  But it's charming, yes?

I've spent the past week with my mom and dad, a visit precipitated by a sudden trip to the hospital for my mom.  She'd been feeling odd all day, headachey and clammy and sort of weak, with mild indigestion.  Good thing my dad called the paramedics, because it turned out she was on her way to a heart attack (which she had in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.)  Luckily for all of us, the paramedics dealt with things immediately and her heart sustained no damage.  She's had her arteries rotor-rootered, they're unclogged and happy, and she's doing great.  Phew.  Make that a very, very big PHEW.

As we approach Valentine's day (hearts everywhere, haven't you noticed?) it seems a good time to remember that women don't necessarily have the same heart attack warning symptoms as men do.  Many women feel no chest pain at all, even during a heart attack.  According to the National Institute of Health,

Women's major symptoms prior to their heart attack include:

Unusual fatigue - 70%

Sleep disturbance - 48%

Shortness of breath - 42%

Indigestion - 39%

Anxiety - 35% Major symptoms during the heart attack include:

Shortness of breath - 58%

Weakness - 55%

Unusual fatigue - 43%

Cold sweat - 39%

Dizziness - 39%

So, be careful out there!  And don't hesitate to call 911 if you feel these things.  It could save your life.

If you have your parents around, remember to give them a hug!  And if you're a parent yourself, take good care of your heart.  YOU are the gift you give your kids.

After a long, long incubation period...

Some years ago (3, maybe?  4?), I took a 3-day class from Jane Sassaman, and the fuchsias above are what resulted.  I liked it a lot as far as it went, but I didn't know where to go with it from there.  At the time, I think, I planned to crop it way down, so that those upper leaves would be cut off and maybe even part of the fuchsia on the right.  So, I stalled.  I liked it enough that I didn't want to finish it just to finish it, and it seemed like a good idea to let the ideas percolate.

Over those years, I'd take it out of the closet and hang it on my design wall and contemplate it, with the goal of finally getting it done.  At one of those times, I remembered that I'd chosen fuchsias to begin with because they remind me of my grandmother.  She had hanging baskets of them on her patio, and as a kid I was fascinated by their little balloon-like buds and how they look like tiny graceful dancers.  And somewhere along the way, I thought about incorporating some sense of lattice to the background, because I remember looking up at the fuchsias against the lattice patio cover.

Well, after all that time, something hit me a few weeks ago and I've been working away on this.  Finally!  How satisfying to get this piece back out and to make progress on it!  I was looking at quilt blocks, and found an old traditional block called "Grandmother's Choice."  How appropriate, eh?  I tried to piece them in a way that creates a lattice pattern, and I've attached the fuchsias and leaves to that frame.



















I'm still not satisfied with the lower right corner -- where the dark teal background creates a sharp vertical line against the blocks... I've tried drawing in a bit of the block to fill in, but it doesn't overcome the heavy line.  I may end up fusing/appliqueing some parts of blocks to have them sort of fade into the background.  We'll see.
But I'm liking where this is going so far. (BTW, it's hanging kind of wonkily on my wall but it is actually straight.  Or it will be.)

All Too Applicable

Forgetfulness

The name of the author is the first to go

followed obediently by the title, the plot,

the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel

which suddenly becomes one you have never read,

never even heard of,

as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor

decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,

to a little fishing village where there are no phones.

Long ago you kissed the names of the nine Muses goodbye

and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag,

and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,

something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,

the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay.

Whatever it is you are struggling to remember,

it is not poised on the tip of your tongue,

not even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.

It has floated away down a dark mythological river

whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall,

well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those

who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle.

No wonder you rise in the middle of the night

to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.

No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted

out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.

Billy Collins

Finding Myself

About 16 years ago, I looked like this.  Yep, I had an actual waistline and wore size 8 clothes.  Nowadays, my waistline and my clothing size are, shall we say, a bit bigger.  And while I'm not ever likely to be getting into size 8's again (is it just me, or is a size 8 now WAY smaller than a size 8 used to be?), I do think I might be able to whittle down a few sizes and get myself healthier in the process.

So, that's what I've been up to... not exactly a New Year's Resolution -- more like a "I don't want this year to be like LAST YEAR" resolution!  It hit me, sometime between Christmas and New Year's, that I've spent far too much time avoiding the basic issue of taking care of myself, and I need to make a change.  I suppose it's one of those curses of motherhood -- I've had a year of focusing pretty intensely on Caroline's well-being, while totally ignoring my own.  So, I'm dedicating this entire month to create some good habits.  I've booked some sessions with a personal trainer at the gym, and am now feeling muscles I didn't remember I had.  I now know how to use a bunch of new weight machines, I've tangled with the pilates reformer, and I'm loving how well I can read my Kindle while walking on the treadmill.  I'm on a food regime for the month that allows me to eat what I need to eat without counting or cooking for a while.  It all arrives in a box and I whip my meal out of the freezer per a specified menu.  It doesn't get much easier than that.  (Roger's wonderful contribution to my effort is that he has agreed to be in charge of his and Caroline's dinners for the month so I can pretty much just deal with my own food.... and that's a HUGE and helpful gift.)

We've introduced a Wii Fit into the family room, which has generated much amusement and some decent muscle work.  Have YOU ever tried popping bubbles with your hips and rear?!  Or balancing on an ice floe like a penguin while you slide back and forth to catch fish?

I know I won't be able to afford all of this fancy food and personal training forever.  But as a jump-start to get the scale moving and help me feel better, it's been terrific so far.  

I've even been energized to get to work on a quilting project that has been languishing in my closet because I'd stalled when I didn't know where to go next with it.  The solution hit me and I've been working on it when time permits -- satisfying and fun.

All in all, things are off to a great start.  And you know, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to going to the gym later this afternoon.

A family holiday

Christmas was really all about family this year.  It is every year, of course, but this year had some differences to it.

Most importantly, we met our new niece Boitumelo, pictured above in my arms displaying a new sweater on Christmas eve.  (Also pictured is my other wonderful sister in law Linda.)   Boitumelo (or "Itu" as she is rapidly becoming known) is from Lesotho and was adopted by my sister-in-law Doreen just before Thanksgiving.  Doreen and Boitumelo's story is a lovely one.  Doreen and  her son Dash traveled to Lesotho about 18 months ago to visit a family she'd lived with while she did volunteer work when she was in college.  They visited an orphanage while they were there, and at some point a woman passed Doreen this small, solemn girl who'd just arrived at the orphanage the day before with a severe and inexplicable wound on her face.  Boitumelo tucked her head into Doreen's neck and clutched at her clothing as if she never wanted to let go.  And that, says Doreen, was that.  She had an immediate sense of recognition of her as her daughter, and set about there and then to adopt her. The path was a complicated one with lots of stops and starts, but we are all so delighted that the story had a happy ending ...

Or should I say, beginning....  Boitumelo has now had her first family-filled, American Christmas and she's learned all about Santa (too scary to get close to), opening presents (great fun), giving presents (tolerable) and eating raspberries (a totally favorite thing.)  She is one strong, confident girl, as evidenced by her total acceptance of constant fawning by an entourage of 8 cousins who followed her and dangled toys in front of her to get her attention all evening long.  We were all charmed by Boitumelo and her presence made for a very joyful holiday. 

Although I was sad not to see my parents and siblings on Christmas day as we've done in past years, this year Roger and Caroline and I decided we needed a focused family Christmas.  It was quite wonderful to get up on Christmas morning, open presents and linger over breakfast without the feeling that I'd best be getting something cooked or mixed or thawed or otherwise prepared!  We set the rule that we would not turn on computers at all for the day -- Caroline and I adhered strictly to the rule, although Roger forgot and wandered off to google various things he needed to know.  And it was so lovely that we decided to take a few more computerless days.  Our friend Beth joined us for Christmas dinner (grilled shrimp, baked sweet potatoes, a raspberry jellow without which it is just not a holiday, artichokes, and the must-have family butter cookies for dessert.)  Easy and perfect, especially since it was all accompanied by champagne.

We chatted, we worked on a jigsaw puzzle, we played the Beatles Rock Band (ah, sore guitar fingers -- a new Christmas injury) and generally had a grand time.  Since the 25th, we've continued the trend with more jigsaw puzzling, game playing, napping, movie-watching, and lots and lots of reading.

So,  we are enjoying this peaceful interlude.  Tomorrow, I may start sewing something -- or maybe not.  We are seeing out 2009 in a quiet way, and it feels just right.

Life is better with a sister

A while back, I had an evening to myself and decided to watch a few of the Quilting Arts TV shows that I have on DVD.  In one episode (#202-4, to be exact) Pokey Bolton demonstrated a fast and adorable project that just looked like it'd be so much fun.   She strip pieced a background, fused a photo-transfer image of a pet (manipulated in Photoshop to make it look colorful and sort of funky) and quilted it all up into one charming little quilt.  I was so taken by the project that I got to work the next day -- I was in the mood to do something fun and fabric-y and for no reason other than I was in the mood to play.  I pulled up a photo of my sister Laura's sweet german short-haired pointer Katie (taken on a morning walk), assembled some of the pink scraps leftover from the 12x12 "pink" challenge, and I was on my way.  I really had fun machine stitching Katie's fur.  You can find the project instructions on the Quilting Arts website, here. 

Today, Laura came over so we could bake our family's "must-have" Christmas cookies together.  What a great time we had -- we made tons of cookies, for us and for our parents, we had holiday music playing in the background, and we chattered away.  The rolling and cutting and pressing and sprinkling went so much faster doing it together ... and now we are well-stocked with cookies and fudge for holiday desserts. 

At the end of our baking (and tasting) session, I couldn't wait and gave Laura this Christmas present a few days early.  She pretty much squealed with delight and made me very happy.  It's great when something you've made is truly appreciated, isn't it?

What a fun day, and how lucky I am to have my sister close by to bake cookies with!

Art, papercraft, and books...

Sing Along, Part 2

Things are looking a bit more Christmas-y around here! Some decorations are out (I've been in a glittery silver mood lately), the tree is up and lit (ornaments yet to come) so I'm actually starting to feel festive. I've got my car stereo tuned to a holiday music station, so it's no wonder I'm humming Christmas songs to myself all day. Which has led to this:

Quilted Gifts (sing to the tune of "Jingle Bells")

Dashing to the store
For one more spool of thread.
I have all shades of blue,
but I need that perfect red.

The quilt is almost done,
The bobbin's running low.
I'll stitch another hour or two
And then it's good to go. Oh...

Quilted gifts, quilted gifts,
I started back in May
Sewing for the holidays,
To be done by Christmas day. Hey!

Quilted gifts, quilted gifts,
Next year won't be hard.
I'll cross off every project and
Instead give a gift card!

(And for those of you who have asked, you are free to sing my silly songs with your friends, mini-groups or guilds as you choose...And yes, your guilds may print them in newsletters as long as you give me credit! I'm amused that you like my goofy Quilty Holiday songs!)

Feeling Pinkish -- in a good way!

In case you haven't noticed, it's the twelfth day of the twelfth month, and to celebrate this momentous day, the twelve of us 12x12 collaborators have chosen today to reveal the first set of our new "Colorplay" challenges!

This theme was mine to choose, and knowing how many people avoid the color pink, I chose that for my challenge theme. All we were told was "Pink!" and with the usual cleverness, everyone went off in amazing and fun directions. Go over to the 12x12 blog and see everyone's responses!

I'm trying to break away from my usual literal/representational style, so I'm challenging myself to try to be more abstract in my responses. For this piece, I wanted to illustrate the gentle, soft, pleasing sense I get from the color pink. I've called it "Whimsy in Pink."

I can't wait to see what up is next...

Christmas Sing-Along

Sing along with me (to the tune of "Deck the Halls") -- c'mon, let me hear you!

Deck the halls with yards of fabric, Fa la la la la, la la la la!
I’ll avoid the Christmas traffic. Fa la la la la, la la la la!
Sewing gifts for one and all, Fa la la la la, la la la la!
I won’t have to hit the mall. Fa la la la la, la la la la!

My Bernina’s really humming, Fa la la la la, la la la la!
And the items just keep coming. Fa la la la la, la la la la!
My to-do list’s getting longer, Fa la la la la, la la la la!
I’ll just make the coffee stronger. Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Piecing quilts is so relaxing. Fa la la la la, la la la la!
Cutting bits is hardly taxing. Fa la la la la, la la la la!
Drifts of batting look like white snow, Fa la la la la, la la la la!
Only six more quilts to go. Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Christmas eve and I’m still sewing. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Cookies and eggnog keep me going. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Midnight comes and I’m still sitting, Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Next year I will take up knitting. Fa la la la la, la la la la.

It’s all worthwhile on Christmas morning. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
If only I could stop this yawning. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Brother loves the quilt that’s red. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
(Please don’t use it as a dog bed.) Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Soon the year will start anew, Fa la la la la, la la la la.
I’ll start another quilt or two. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Thread and fabric I’ll be buying. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
I’m addicted, there’s no lying. Fa la la la la, la la la la.

(Once you start putting your own words to holiday songs, you can't stop. Or is it just me?!)

Getting into a playful spirit

I don't know about you, but I'm having a hard time getting into a holiday mood. It's only just getting chilly here in Northern California, so the weather feels barely fallish, let alone wintery. And we are all absorbed in helping the student of the house wrap up her first semester of this new school-from-home situation and prepare for final exams. (Physics is traumatizing all of us around here, although we do joke about how we can now measure the speed of flight if Caroline hurls the physics text across the room.) For some reason, just keeping my head above the clutter of housework and daily business feels like plenty.

Yesterday, our neighbors across the street were out in force, blaring Christmas music through the neighborhood as they put out their vast assortment of holiday decorations. It should have added a fun and festive feeling, right? But I was annoyed at the blasting music outside when I'd hoped for a quiet morning, and I was feeling generally un-Christmasy, almost downright Scrooge-like.

I am determined to ease myself into a relaxed holiday mood. The tree will come up this week, I think, and once that is done I know I'll feel more Christmasy. But for now, to cheer ourselves, we did something that always helps: we went to the animal shelter to cuddle the cats. There is nothing that'll make you smile faster than seeing the butt-wiggly, pouncey cuteness of an energetic kitten.



They really know how to live in the moment, kittens do.



They can find fun in the simplest things.



And they can play while lying down or sitting still.



I feel much better now.

Staging Life

Whenever I run across it, I pick up an issue of Artful Blogging, a relatively new (and, as far as I can tell, irregular) Somerset Studios publication. It’s a fun magazine, with excerpts of beautiful blogs and good blogging inspiration – something for which I have dire need (as you might have noticed from the sparse entries lately).

So, I dive into the magazine and the first article is all about photo staging. The point of the article, I guess, is to help folks create photos to convey the imagery they want to feature on their blogs. Wait, I thought, people “create” those vignettes? You mean those aren’t photographic glimpses of what their real lives look like?

This reminds me of the sheepish shock I felt years ago while taking a black and white photography course (in the “before digital” days of darkrooms and film winding and all.) We were all novices, trying to get artistic composition and good black and white tones and the right exposure, all at the same time. One woman in the class printed out a lovely picture of a sweet household scene – a weathered cane chair, a small pair of rainboots leaning drunkenly to one side, a casual bouquet of daffodils wrapped in paper and resting on the chair. Silly, naive me – I looked at the shot and thought “Wow, she took that great picture AND she has that great scene in her house.” In my mind, I imagined the wonderful, cozy, picture-book life she must have with daffodils just lying about with such casual whimsy. I could just smell the cookies baking and sense the gingham curtains that surely must have decorated the charming life that went along with that picture.

And then, of course, the woman started talking about how she arranged the shot and posed everything Just So to get the right lighting and shadows, and how she moved the chair from another room, and found the rainboots at a local thrift store for use as a photo prop. Boy, were my illusions shattered. It never occurred to me that you (I mean, I) could do that! Isn’t that, um, cheating?

Here it is years later, and I’ve taken a lot of photographs. But I’ve never mastered the art of staging a photo to get a picture that looks real and spontaneous ... truthfully, it still feels vaguely like cheating so I never really try. And as I’ve pondered this idea over the years, I realize that it undoes what it is I like about photography – the frozen moment of reality, the wonderful discovery of some real moment in time, the discovery of beauty or happiness in some small detail. It’s using the camera to find something artful that appeals to me – as opposed to creating something artful and using the camera to document the creation.

This means, of course, that when I see those great shots of people sitting on victorian sofas in the middle of wheat fields, yes, I do like thinking that somewhere, there’s a couch in the middle of a field because it just IS there. I don’t want to think about it being hauled out there, just to be a prop. I want life to have sofas in fields, I guess. It gives me hope about the magical, unanticipated gifts just waiting out there for us.

The picture above, by the way, is a scene from real life -- not exactly a sofa in a field, but close enough for me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone --

Our holiday feels a bit upside-down this year. Roger has traveled to Southern California to visit his mom, and I am home with a flu bug and missing a lovely holiday dinner with my folks and siblings. Caroline has stayed with me to keep me company and has been a good nursemaid while I've napped and watched the Macy's parade.

But even though we've not spent the day with friends and family, I know that I am surrounded, every day, every minute, by the love and warmth of wonderful family and good friends near and far.

So where ever you have spent the day, know that I am thankful for your friendship and support.

And, just so you know, I'm looking forward to a big piece of pumpkin pie when I feel better!

For your entertainment?

I have been thinking about Adam Lambert's now-notorious performance at the American Music Awards the other night. I happened to tune in at the end of the show, just in time to see his performance. (If you didn't catch it, you can watch it on Youtube, here.)

I'll confess, I was surprised -- not shocked, not morally outraged, but disappointed and somewhat appalled that THAT was how someone as talented as Lambert opted to present himself to the music industry as a whole and the music fans who watch the music awards. He was making a statement, no question about it -- and that's what struck me. The statement he chose to make seemed trite and tasteless, in an "in your face" sort of way. I expected something far better from him.

There's no question that Lambert was making a statement, trying to define himself as an artist to the widest possible audience. And that's no surprise, either -- having come to mainstream recognition in the family-oriented American Idol context, maybe Lambert felt that he'd been forced to tone down his personal musical style and aim for a softer, gentler middle ground to appeal to the Idol audience. Maybe it's the same compulsion that would make an actress choose to play a drug-addicted prostitute role after gaining recognition for playing a goodie-two-shoes nanny. The shock value of the contrast is a conscious choice, designed to counteract the nicey-nice image. I get it.

Still, his performance disappointed me on so many different levels. The performance was more about shock value than it was about musicality, to my mind, and that in and of itself was disappointing. I thought Lambert's singing and tone was off, so that his usually soaring high notes seemed screechy and out of control. I've read that he didn't perform some of the more graphic or potentially offensive moves during rehearsal, so the show producers were unpleasantly surprised themselves. That seems professionally stupid, frankly, for someone who has been touted as having so much musical performing experience. Is Lambert trying to get the reputation as a risky, unreliable performer? Maybe , in fact, he is. Now he's saying that he had no clue that his performance might be offensive to some. You've got to be kidding.

As for Lambert's response that female performers such as Madonna and Britney Spears and Janet Jackson have aggressively used sexually suggestive moves in their acts without controversy, it seems to me that Lambert is missing a few rather significant points. First, Madonna and Spears and Jackson DID get a lot of controversy for the moves they've made. They didn't pass without comment. It's hard to imagine that Lambert wasn't aiming for exactly the controversy he's now gotten. Second, women have traditionally been viewed as victims or recipients of sexual aggression. The portrayal of women as sexually domineering or flagrant about their sexuality is a very different statement than one that shows men as sexually aggressive. Part of what has made Madonna and Spears and even Janet Jackson so noteworthy is not just the shock value alone -- its that the sexual aspect of their performances has said something bold and new about women and sexuality. There's an aspect of empowerment, a declaration of sexual independence in a way, in what they've done.

So when Lambert says that the controversy he's getting now is due to his being a gay man, I don't buy it. The basest stereotype of homosexuality, probably, is of "weird" men acting out in a sexually promiscuous and "perverted" way. And Lambert's performance, dog collar and leash, crotch thrusts, mimicked oral sex, tongue gyrations, and all, just played into that crude stereotype. Was that his intent? An "if this is what you think gay men are, I'll shove it right back at you" sort of message? If Lambert's point is that it doesn't matter whether he's gay -- which, I suspect, truly doesn't matter to most people -- then why did his performance throw his sexuality out there in such a tacky way?

I don't have a problem with Lambert choosing his musical identity and going with it, full out. It's clear he has a strong sense of himself, which is admirable. As a music fan, and as someone who appreciates his amazing talent, I'm disappointed that the direction he's choosing is one I don't happen to like (I'm not a Gene Simmons and Britney Spears fan, either). But I'd respect him more if the was up front about what he was doing. If he's going to choose to make a strong sexual statement with his music, fine -- but admit it and don't act surprised at the result. Maybe, after appearing to be an experienced professional, what Lambert is showing most clearly is professional immaturity.

I guess a lot of people will be watching to see what he does next, which was probably part of his intention too. I'm not sure I'll be one of them, though.

Book Review: Quilting Art

I recently received this new book by Spike Gillespie, called "Quilting Art," and I have been saving it as my reward for when I finished a massive work project. The day after I finished my project, I made myself a cup of tea, settled myself down on the couch, and dove in to this beautiful book.

This book immediately struck me as something different from what we quilters usually see. For one thing, the author is not a quilter -- she's a writer, first and foremost, who stumbled onto quilting as an art form while in the process of writing another book, and then decided to take a close look at artists who use fabric as their medium. So, the book is an examination of twenty contemporary quilt artists and their work.

Gillespie asked each artist how they felt about being known as "quilters" versus "artists," and the explorations on that all-too-tricky line of discussion are interesting and varied. I really enjoyed reading about these twenty women. The artists covered in this book are: Deidre Adams, Pam RuBert, Lisa Call, Mary Beth Bellah, Sarah Williams, Angela Moll, Joan Dreyer, Loretta Bennett, Jane Burch Cochran, Dominie Nash, Malka Dubrawsky, Susan Else, Boo Davis, Karen Kamenetzky, Ai Kijima, Mary Louise Butters, Margot Lovinger, Joanie San Chirico, Robbie Joy Eklow, and Jeanne Williamson.

Some of the artists were ones I was very familiar with -- others I'd not known, and was delighted for the introduction. In each profile, Gillespie explores how each artist got involved with quilting, what processes she uses, her views about quilting in the art world, and more. I found each profile interesting and inspirational.

Works from each artist are featured, in beautiful photographs. I thought there were enough representative photos from each artists to give you a good sense of what her work is like, with great detail shots and even studio shots. (Seeing the workspace is so revealing, isn't it?)

I'm very happy to add this book to my library, and I know I'll be look back at it often. I've already gone to explore other works by some of the artists in here because I was so fascinated by what I'd seen. This would make a great addition to your holiday gift list if someone asks you what you want, or if you have a an art quilter to shop for!

Happiness in Fabric

I must apologize for this rather dreadful photo -- but please look past the weird angle and awkward shadow to look at this absolutely wonderful quilt! When Helen came to visit, she surprised me with this lovely gift. I was overwhelmed and touched and delighted beyond words.

Helen knows that I adore Kaffe Fassett fabrics, that I like bright colors and pink, and that I'm a big fan of Freddy Moran. So, thoughfully, Helen combined my favorite things into this charming quilt. It's such a happy quilt, and it makes me all the happier because I remember Helen and Dennis's fun (but all too short) visit.

It is now hanging in the upstairs hallway where I can see it frequently during the day. It makes me smile every time I see it!

Gemma was, as usual, underfoot while I was hanging this so I thought I'd get her in the shot for Dennis. (And just so you know, because of the doorways and stairs across from the wall, there's no straight shot of the wall to get the quilt head-on which partly explains the bad photo.)

Exciting News!

The Twelve by Twelve artists are excited twelve times over to announce that:

(drum roll, please.... )

Sterling Publications/Lark Books will be publishing a book on our Twelve by Twelve Collaborative Art Quilt project!

We are thrilled beyond words to have this wonderful opportunity, and so happy that our art endeavors and friendships are turning us into authors, too. We know that Lark was impressed by the loyal folks who follow our blogs and website, so thanks to all of you friends-of-Twelves for your encouraging words through our explorations!
We'll keep you posted as we know publication dates.

We are lifting a virtual glass of champagne to each other and to all of you for your support!

Moving Slowly

We have been moving slowly around here today. At about 2am this morning, I emailed off the very last, absolutely final, everything-is-ready-to-go-to-the-printer version of the appellate brief I've been working on in recent weeks. That moment when it is out of my hands and DONE is delicious, even if it does come in the wee hours of the morning. My plan was to sleep in late (one of the nice perks of the distance ed program Caroline is in) and do a whole lot of "not much" today.

Unfortunately, the phone rang at 7:30am with some last minute questions about the brief, stuff someone wanted to add, etc. But by 8:30 I was sitting in the family room with a full mug of coffee and the day stretching ahead of me. I got to linger with my novel ("The Godchildren" by Nicholas Coleridge, for those who need to know that sort of thing) and it felt very nice.

Unfortunately for Caroline, it was a migraine day for her... she took her meds and conked, which is usually what works. So that meant I had a VERY quiet hunk of time in the middle of the day. I pulled out my notebooks and have planned by next 12x12 "pink" quilt ... I washed and folded laundry... I cleaned my desk and even cleaned out two dresser drawers in the bedroom... bought tickets for C and I to see the King Tut exhibit at the DeYoung Museum this weekend with her Lit & History teacher and some of her classmates...

Not the most productive of days, but very pleasant.

Who knows what I'll do tomorrow?

* I took the picture above in Maine this past summer, when construction work was going on all around our friends' house. The guy just standing there with the SLOW sign just amused me. I think it's his energetic pose.

What's 4 x 12? Wonderful Fun!

I have had the BEST two days! There is nothing like sharing quilting with wonderful friends and I am still smiling and feeling inspired and happy.

The excitement started on Thursday, when I drove over to Berkeley and found our lovely Helen and her husband Dennis, who are on the first leg of an around-the-world adventure. How lucky for me they started in San Francisco! Helen -- organized planner that she is -- had found a music shop/book shop/cafe for us to meet in, and we had lunch and stumbled over the first funny awkwardness of meeting for the first time while feeling that we know each other so well from our blogs and 12x12 challenge exploits together! We had a lovely lunch (roasted eggplant, red peppers, and melty cheese on focaccia, if you must know) and then Helen and I left Dennis to putter among the books and CDs and we headed off for a quilt shop tour.

Our first stop was Stone Mountain and Daughter, right in the heart of Berkeley. I'd not been there for ages and was happy to see that they had more quilting fabric than the last time I'd been in. We immediately found fabric that called out to us. Helen disclosed her plan to purchase fabric while in the US for a souvenir quilt, so she hunted for her focus fabric and we kept giggling over how often one of us would pull out a bolt and the other would say "I just pulled that very one out!" or how often Helen would choose a fabric and I'd say, "I bought a piece of that recently!" Helen managed to find several small (ahem) pieces for the beginning of her California Collection, I'm glad to report.

From there we went to New Pieces, and had no problem whatsoever finding more for her collection (and yes, I do believe I found three half-yards I couldn't resist...) Then, I treated Helen to a real, live experience in California Rush Hour Freeway Traffic as we crossed over the hill to Lafayette to visit The Cotton Patch* (*as seen on Ricky Tims' and Alex Anderson's The Quilt Show, to Helen's delight). Isn't it funny, when you have out of town friends visiting and encounter traffic? I felt personally responsible and kept apologizing (I did sort of forget about the likely timing of our excursion, in all of my excitement to plan a personal shop hop) and Helen kept laughing and said it felt just like home.

From there (after purchasing just a TINY big more fabric), we returned to Berkeley, retrieved Dennis who'd been sitting and chatting with a local fellow talking American politics, and headed off to dinner at a restaurant at the Berkeley marina, which gave us beautiful views across the bay to the San Francisco skyline.

Dinner was relaxing and delicious, and then we headed back to my house where we all went straight to our beds to dream of fabrics and quilts. (I'm sure Dennis was dreaming of them too, as we kept talking about them and he just couldn't escape...)

With Helen's advance permission, for Friday I'd planned a quilty lunch with a wonderful bunch of friends. Helen and Dennis accompanied me into town while I picked up the last lunch supplies (enjoying an American supermarket, good ol' Safeway.... Helen said, "You have more quilting magazines in your grocery store than we have in our quilt shops!"). Unbeknownst to Helen, a big surprise was in store -- she knew that friends would be coming, but she did NOT know that two intrepid traveling 12x12 compatriots had arranged to come and surprise her at the lunch! The first guest to arrive was Karen, all the way from Southern California. I was so happy to see Karen, and I was rather pleased to see how teary-eyed and happy Helen was to meet her.

Next thing you know, the room was full of laughing, smiling women ... and then the doorbell rang and Surprise Guest #2 arrived, Gerrie, having driven from Portland with her husband for a wine country weekend! I saw Helen gasp and get teary-eyed all over again when she spotted Gerrie at the door. So I felt like a devious but successful hostess.

We had a wonderful afternoon. My buddies have followed the 12x12 exploits and many read Helen's blog regularly, so there was a lot to talk about and Helen mixed in beautifully. We talked, and laughed, and ate, and talked, and laughed, then had a grand "show and tell" mid afternoon. That was total fun and pure inspiration. A highlight of the afternoon was that the four of us "Twelves" showed our collection of challenge quilts together, and it was SO wonderful to see them in person and to have a batch of them together. And cupcakes from the local bakery were the perfect reward after show and tell!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Pat M, Janet, Pam, Sandy, Rita, Eleanor, Pat D, Maureen, Delaine, Ancella, Gerrie, and Karen for coming and bringing show and tell and giving such a warm and friendly welcome to Helen. I could gush and gush about how lucky I feel to count you all among my friends.

After all of that excitement and inspiration, when everyone had gone and the house was quiet, Helen remarked that we still had time to get to my local fabric shop, Fabrications ... so off we went! We popped into two bookshops (for Dennis, ostensibly, but we enjoyed it too) and in Fabrications Helen was enticed by several locally dyed pieces of fabric art.

We got home in time to enjoy guacamole, chips, comforting beverages, and a steak dinner which Roger, wonderful husband, prepared.

A totally perfect day.

Today, Helen, Dennis and I met up with Gerrie and her husband Steve for a quick breakfast before Helen and Dennis headed off to their next adventure (with fabric shops along the way, I'm sure.)

So now it is back to real life in our house, and I am missing Helen and Dennis -- as is our lab Gemma who became instantly smitten with Dennis and has done a bit of pacing around the house looking for him this afternoon.

Okay... dinner and early bed for me -- all that fun was tiring!

Family Pampering

Miss C and I are at Grandma and Grampa's house. Her grandma and grandpa, my parents' house, that is. We inched our way through San Francisco over the Golden Gate bridge in traffic the likes of which I'd not seen in ages in order to come -- I reminded myself that people pay oodles of money and travel miles and miles to drive over the bridge, so if I got to creep over it a foot at a time, I was LUCKY.

The purpose of the trip was to bring Caroline to see the pediatric neurologist who specializes in migraines at Stanford Children's Hospital. There is nothing -- nothing, I tell you -- which snaps your life into perspective faster than sitting in the waiting room in a pediatric neurology waiting room. I am still counting my blessings.

So, all is good and we are now hanging out here through the weekend so that Caroline can go to a Halloween party on Saturday night at the home of one her school classmates. She'll get to meet some classmates in person, so that should be fun. She has an elaborate wizard/princess costume going, and Grandpa helped her make a faux metal dagger and she is delighted. Nothing like greeting new friends with a weapon on hand, just in case.

And we are enjoying the portability of our work -- I have my laptop so I can continue (sigh) my legal work and Caroline has done her classes on Grandpa's computer and is hard at work on her algebra. Have laptops, will travel.

Have a spooky Halloween!

Can you hear the machine humming?

Just a sneak peek at what I've been doing...

More Coffee, Please!

I feel as if I am slogging through mud. I wake in the morning and have the urge to just stay in bed all day. I am tempted to wander around the house in my cozy bathrobe and Ugg boots, with occasional collapses onto the couch to rest after the exertion of going downstairs.

In contrast to my external lack of energy, my brain can't stop the whirls of color and pattern flying by. I lay in bed at night and think about quilts I saw, what to do with that one piece of fabric I've had in my closet for the last year, how to finish the border on an almost-done top that is folded on the UFO pile.

And the reality is that once I'm upright each morning, I have to force myself to the computer, open up my work files, and turn down the volume on the right side of my brain so I can summon some lawyerly thinking to deal with the pile of work on my desk. I'm analyzing the legal definition of criminal negligence and trying to ignore the thoughts about how to quilt my pink quilt top as they fly past my inner eye.

So here I sit, yellow pads of paper scattered to the sides of my keyboard. I'm getting down to work. Just ignore the doodles of quilting designs all over them, okay?

Quilt Show Delirium

I am down in the SF Bay area, attending the Pacific International Quilt Festival. I am cruising the show with my friend Pat D., and we have had an exhilarating day viewing quilts that we will never make and fondling all of the fabric we long to bring home and shove into our all-too-crowded stashes.

By 4:00, we are giddy with Quilt Overload. Still, we persevere. We admire amazing technique and gorgeous designs, and always look to see the quilt's descriptive card so we know just who to admire and envy as we ogle her (usually her) quilt.

We are standing in front of a lovely, colorful quilt. I glance over at the placard and notice that the quilter's last name is "Dippinlips." I am pondering the fate of either surviving on an elementary school playground with that last name OR loving some fellow enough to take on that last name, and say to Pat, "Her last name is Dippinlips!"

Pat looks more closely at the card. "And her first name is 'Snickle!'" We look at each other as we say, in unison, "Snickle Dippinlips?"

We fall about laughing. Trying to catch her breath, Pat looks more closely at the card. "Wait," she says, "that's the name of the QUILT. Her name is Claire Fairless."

I'm sure Claire Fairless is a lovely person -- undoubtedly quite talented, too -- but somehow we liked her better when we thought she was Snickle Dippinlips. We stagger off down the aisle, giggling helplessly, and entertain ourselves for the next hour by saying things like "Meet my good friend Snickle!" and "How lovely you look, Mrs. Dippinlips!"

Quilt shows: not for the faint-hearted.

October Excitement

It's October in California! And that means (drum roll, please...) it's time for Pacific International Quilt Festival!

I'm off for the weekend to visit my parents (who live 20 minutes away from the quilt show site, lucky me), get inspired by amazing quilts, and see what new fabrics and gadgets I can't live without.

Back soon!

Perhaps a librarian could help

Today was re-entry after a blissful few days off on quilting retreat. After several days of uninterrupted creative time, lovely friends, lots of laughter, all punctuated by regular delicious meals which I did not have to cook, there's always a bit of a thud returning to the reality of home. (Not that home isn't lovely, but landing back amid piles of laundry and catalogs and Work To Be Done and miscellaneous Things to Be Put Away is always a bit of a shock. You know, "Who ARE these people and how to they manage to make such a mess?!")

So, naturally, I took myself out to run errands. I dropped by the fabric store (not having had enough fabric time despite 12 hours per day of it over the last several days), and picked up some groceries, and visited the library to pick up some of the books they'd found for me.

One of my favorite things about my local library system, by the way, is that I can look things up online in the library's county-wide catalog, "request" them with the click of a button, and they magically appear on the "hold" shelf sometime later. It's like Amazon.com but without the
less fun result when the credit card bill comes.

I'm in and out of the library frequently, and I have come to the conclusion that people who become librarians do so because they like books more than they like people. (Excuse me if you are among the rare breed known as Friendly Librarians -- I don't see them often in my bibliographic forest.) Gradually, my extreme charm and sparkling wit are winning these reserved folk over -- some days I get a timid smile and on a really good day I'll get a compliment about my just-for-library-books basket.

Today, as the librarian was sliding my books past the magic magnetic thingie, she looked up with a broad smile. "Oh, I never read books, but I read THAT one and it was really good."

You got that? "I never read books." I replied that I was very glad to hear the book was worth reading, and we resumed our exchange in silence while I pondered how it was she came to choose her career.

This reminded me of an incident some years back with my favorite front-desk librarian, a slim blond woman with perpetually wispy hair and bright pink lipstick smeared crookedly across her lips.

She sighed as she started in processing the stack of novels I'd placed on the counter. "You read so many books! I wish I could find a good novel to read."

What does one say to that, standing in the middle of a library? "Well, what sort of things do you like?" I asked.

"I don't know how to find books about the things I like," she replied with a shrug, and then went on to tell me that she preferred to read the astrology columns in newspapers. I suggested that she search the online catalog for books about astrology, and threw out the name of an author who writes mysteries featuring astrological topics. She looked astonished at my cleverness. "I never thought of that!"

Of course, this was the same woman who announced once as she took my library card, "we have the same name!"

"Oh, you're Diane too?" I replied (brilliant, yes?)

"No, my name is Cynthia." Said brightly, as if perfectly logical.

For the life of me I couldn't figure out how to reply. "We're both goddesses!" she exclaimed.

Note to self: don't try to engage the librarians in conversation. It will only cause more furrowed brow lines of confusion, of which I have plenty already.

Off to the Ranch

This evening marks the start of another of the biannual quilting retreats I attend out at Bishop's Ranch. I especially love the October retreat, when the crispness of fall is in the air and the vineyards are tinged with yellow as the leaves start to turn. It's a wonderful time to gather with friends and get busy with sewing.

So, today I'm packing up and sorting out what to take. It's not easy figuring out what I'll work on! I've found, from past retreats, that I don't do well working on anything that requires too much thought -- I'd rather be chatting, and the retreat setting just doesn't lend itself to heavy concentration. I've also done machine-quilting there in the past, although keeping one's head down and humming away at quilting speed isn't conducive to community chatting, either. So, for me the best tasks tend to be piecing, or working on something I've thought out before I arrive.

In the pile are 1) a bunch of wedges for a One-Block-Wonder quilt I cut out quite a while ago; 2) squares stacked and ready to be sewn into rows for a simple cozy throw quilt, using the snow ball pattern; 3) more blocks to piece from scraps for a springy quilt, probably for donation purposes; and 4) papers and fabrics for a Karen Stone paper-piecing project in shades of yellow and purple that I started at the last retreat.

That ought to keep me busy.

Of course, the camera will go into the bag for future pictures...

Let the Studio Tours Begin!

Quilting Arts is hosting a studio tour this weekend -- what fun to be able to sit at home and still see the creative spaces of a whole bunch of talented quilters and artists! Pull up a chair and start studio hopping!

Me, I have a funny little office/studio combo which means I have desk and work area in one corner and a sewing area in another ... with a closet stuffed full of fabric. Hardly tour-worthy. But I look at some of these studios and dream of having more space someday, still feeling grateful that I have a spot to leave my sewing machine up all the time which I'm convinced is the secret to getting anything done.

Happy touring!

Make a Good Impression

I finished a quilt! This feels like quite a triumph, given my scattered brain and ongoing upheaval of daily life lately. After I made a fingerprint piece for a recent 12x12 challenge (the theme was "Identity") I was inspired to go bigger with the same idea. I've called it "Make a Good Impression" and it's 33 x 39 inches.

As luck would have it, an assignment in my ongoing Practical Design workshop required me to design a quilt with a monochromatic color scheme and an asymmetrical design. So the fingerprint fit the bill nicely. I used reverse applique to create the fingerprint lines. I do enjoy the cutting away part and seeing the design reveal itself.

Here's the original 12x12 piece which spurred me into this larger one, btw:




On to the next UFO!

"Twelve" by Twelve by Twelve

Over on the Twelve by Twelve blog, we've just revealed our challenge pieces for the twelfth challenge -- on the theme "twelve." As always, the results are clever and fun and wonderfully surprising. Great variety, but much similarity, too.

Go see!