How Did It Get To Be Labor Day ?

For some of you the photo is old news, but I have been so busy these last few weeks that I have not had time to take any new photos of recent projects ! For those of you who are not familiar with it - this is the Centennial Quilt that I designed and assembled for out County'sCentennial Celebration year. It hangs in the Courthouse where I work now - it was hard to find a suitable place to hang it beacause of it's size - a generous king ! The photo below shows it being hung - the brick wall looks great with the quilt. I painted the center pictures - taken from 1906 photographs. Guild and community members made the 100 blocks (for 100 years). The outer border has the names of participants and the donors who helpoed finance the supplies and wonderful long arm quilting done by Ker Stone. You can click on the photo to get a better view.

I have hardly had any time to be on the computer, but hopefully by the end of this weekend life will settle back down to a semblence of normality and I will get to blogging about new projects and fiber fantasies.

Have a happy weekend ! It's almost here !

A View

I have been running like a hamster on a treadmill the past couple of days. Relatives are visiting this week. Unexpected. For most folks this would mean simply readying the guest room. For us it was a slightly larger project - given the fact that we did not, at that point, have a usable guest room !

All of the components were there - but it was a huge amount of work. ...and I really wanted to be felting and sewing rather than toting and cleaning. I decided that I would view this work as a blessing in disguise --- and indeed it was. Where there was chaos, there is now a bright, cheerful room. We still have a long way to go in the house - and have been planning a "re-do" for some time. At least for now, however, one more room is a peaceful haven - leaving two more to be sifted through and rendered light.

The photo above is a peaceful view of an area at the southern end of our island. The photo below is how I thought of my cleaning sojourn the last couple of days. I get to go fondle wool for a few hours today - helping out in a friend's store ! That WON'T seem like work !

Part 4: Baltimore Encore

This is the last of the Baltimore blocks you will see for awhile. This is the one I am , albeit slowly, working on - still a long way to go. Each of these blocks (16" or 40.64 cm) takes me a couple of months - in between other projects of course! I make these blocks slowly - if I rush I know I will end up resenting them - and I want the finished quilt to reflect my enjoyment of the fabrics and the process - not that I was in a hurry to get them done and over with. I used to get Hancock's of Paducah's monthly Bali sampler of 5" (12.7 cm) squares and they were an inspiration...... now I "shop in my closet" in a rather feeble attempt to use what I have on hand rather than add more to my ever expanding piles !

Hopefully, writing about these blocks will inspire me to move forward and get more done - but for awhile you are safe from more of them !

Fair Report: Critters

One of my favorite parts of our County Fair are all of the wonderful creatures. I always look forward to the Goats, Sheep, Llamas,Bunnies and Chickens- and this year did not disappoint. There are also lots of swine and cattle - but they just don't "float my boat" much. Baby pigs are really adorable - but their scent, shall I delicately say, leaves a bit to be desired. Yes, I can be a bit of a "princess" ! I have always looked forward to going around the barns with my friend , Lauren. I was so glad that she came back to the island to carry on that tradition with me. It just would not have been the same without her being there. She is always patient with me as I linger, for just one more pet.

I seem to have a goat fetish - I just love goats ! I think I would enjoy owning one (or would it be the goat who would own me ??!!) - they really are amazing creatures. Stubborn, (I think) intelligent, and Oh ! so funny. The little Pygmy Goats in the top photos on top were only weeks old. If they had not been closely attended I might have been sorely tempted to goat nap ! My favorite goat, George, was not at the Fair this year and I was worried about him. I saw his vet though and was told that he is just fine - healthy as ever - but his owner has "retired" him.

Llamas have the most amazingly expressive faces - and are very resilient creatures I think ! Not to mention I would just love to have some of their fleece ! The white fellow below had recently been shaved - and he was absolutely determined to make his "cell" mates share their food with him ! He had beautiful BLUE eyes.

I felt so badly for the bunnies - they seem to get rattles by all of the noise and people like me trying to touch them ! Thise two bunnies just huddled together and tried to block it all out !

Part 3: Baltimore Encore

Looks like I don't have a good photo of this one. Maybe I'll have to repost when I can get that done. This is another in the series of Baltimore Blocks. The hummingbirds have metallic threads on their heads and gorget . A variety of embroidery threads make up the wreath and all of the berries are applied individually.

Fair Report: Fiber and Knitting

My two favorite sweaters in the Fair were made by Susan Rosenberg. She must love this sort of green as much as I do !
I am really bummed that this photo is blurry. This is one of the most amazing woven pieces that I have ever seen. What is NOT evident in the photo - or in person for that matter- is that there are round pieces of mylar (painted in lush metallic colors) woven INTO the scarf. The bottom is adorned with bits of abalone shells - this is one amazing woven piece ! You just have to love this rainbow of a sweater ! It's such a happy garment !

This coat won many ribbons and you can see why - this weaver is perfection - and the "fluff" is such a wonderful, whimsical addition !

New Felts

I spent most of Tuesday quilting the baby quilt. It was tough going because I used what was on hand - and what was on hand was a poly batting (ugh). Combined with the fleece backing it was TOO darn puffy - and very difficult to free motion quilt on a home machine - the quilt is an overly large size as well. It was a good piece to try some free motion designs on though and I am sure it will fit the bill for what I hope will be a well used baby quilt.

On a more fun note -I got these new felted pieces needled and they are ready for felting and sewing. The top two photos are of newly needled pieces - ready to be felted and then blocked before sewing. The bottom two pieces have been wet felted and are in the sewing phase as I write. I LOVE doing free motion quilting on these pieces. It just makes me happy to work on them. I have also started doing braided handles - which I both like and have enjoyed making.

Fair Report : Textiles

Here are a few things from the Textile/Quilt division of the Fair. Above is my friend, Janet's, amazing Hanten jacket. It is absolutely stunning. She did Sashiko all along the facing and pockets and there is an amazing Sashiko panel on the back - which, unfortunately, I did not get to photograph.

Below is a piece that I thought was awesome. It is done entirely in French Knots. I did not write down the name of this incredible artist - but I sure did love the piece !
This "Cranes For Peace" quilt was utterly amazing. Once again, I am not sure of the maker's name. The origami like cranes were NOT paper pieced - each one was hand stitched. Precision!
I understand that this is only the third or fourth quilt that this artist has made.... once can only imagine what the future holds for her !
This little piece just makes me happy to look at ! I LOVE it ! Another name that I did not get !

Part 2: Baltimore Encore

As a break from more Fair Reports I thought I would post on another of my Baltimore blocks. All hand applique done in batiks with some of the flowers hand painted or enhanced with embroidery threads. I love this kind of work and really hope I will manage to get this quilt finished one day !

County Fair Report: Decorative and Tole Painting

Did I enjoy being at the Fair all week? Yes ! More than I expected. Did I learn a lot and meet some wonderful people? Yes !! Am I tired from being "on" so much? Most definitely ! I got to talk to many people that I have not seen for a long time;caught up on news and met some truly wonderful,very talented, young people who gave me renewed faith in the next generation.

Some casual observations from the hours I spent watching and over-hearing conversations :

• People are attracted to their preferred medium and often will breeze by exhibits that are outside of their preference. V
  
• People ask about buying pieces done in their preferred medium. Most often they want to buy a piece from someone they know,admire,or are in a group or guild with. Jewelers buy jewelry. Painters buy paintings , woodworkers buy ........ you get the drift.
  
• Display, lighting and arrangement mean EVERYTHING and can make or break the way people will respond to and enjoy a piece. Having a small item sandwiched between large or very busy pieces - or works done in a different medium- is distracting and does not afford a smaller piece the space it deserves. I wish there could always be enough space, good lighting and better display walls.....what a difference that would make!
  
• Sending your friends in to look at your work increases the number of People's Choice votes you will get dramatically. People's Choice Awards are not for the humble !
• People watching is an amazing amount fun ! What an education it can be!

The top three photos in this post are part of a cabinet designed and painted by a lovely woman I met named Alyce. The moment she brought it through the door I was entranced. This is called "decorative painting" - as opposed to "tole" painting. My photos don't do this piece justice - the lights in the building are obnoxious - and did I mention the constant loud 'thrum' they made ? We are petitioning for some natural light next year ! Alyce and her painting group are wonderful,warm,funny,genuine gals who seem to have lots of fun together. They are SO talented and I was happy to have been able to meet them and learn about their wonderful craft.

Alyce won a Blue Ribbon and Best In Class for this marvelous cabinet! She was also very generous in donating time to come and relieve me - she and her fellow painters really helped out !

Below is a fantastic Advent Calendar. Each little piece is hand painted. Wouldn't this make the holiday season worth waiting for ?! It won a Blue Ribbon and came within a breath of People Choice last night.
Here is an amazing traditional Tole Patterned platter - another Blue Ribbon of course ! The wonderful gal who painted it is Jo Ann ,the "ring leader", and teacher emeritus for the group. Amazing !Below is a Norwegian Porridge container - I am told that this is also a traditional Tole style. The beautiful lettering translates to something on the order of " If you don't like the porridge, you aren't hungry enough!" This is another piece that was painted by the Jo Ann. Need I mention that it got a Blue Ribbon ?!

Next Photo below the Porridge container is another wonderful piece that Jo Ann painted. This shows only ONE panel of an amazing box. I guess this would be termed "decorative" ! It feels almost like you cpuld touch that handsome beast !

Here is a joyful toy chest for a lucky grandson ! This piece is truly remarkable. What a family heirloom Carol has made. This piece got a Blue Ribbon and was neck and neck with Alyce's cabinet for Best of Class - The top (which I did not get a photo of !) is a checkerboard and the side panels have more wondeful Disney features. I'll be posting more wonderful "craft" catagories soon.

Fair Duty Update

It has been quite a week. After my 14 hour day at the fair on Tuesday I realized that I HAD to ask for some vacation time - or perish .. I am NOT a person who performs well on little sleep and few breaks ! Yesterday and today I worked at 'work" until noon and then went to the fair until 7:30pm or so. It IS more fun that I had anticipated, but I am, absolutely, exhausted already - and there are still two days left !

I have gotten to meet some wonderful people, have learned a lot about Decorative Painting and incredible woodwork , and have had time to chat with friends I seldom get to see. My favorite Goat is not at he fair this year. His name is George and I miss him. There are wonderful baby pygmy goats and I have pet many luxurious chickens. I bought some incredible Cotswold wool top wool from "Our Lady of The Rocks" monastery ...which I will get to have at home on Sunday !

Many great stories to tell and photos to share soon - but I am "plum tarred" - as my adopted grandma would have said. I am looking forward to catching up - getting the baby quilt quilted and sent off, my felted bags made and sent to some wonderful people (you know who you are Sue B.!)- and just being home and on "regular routine" again. What an old fuddy duddy I am becoming !

More soon - with pictures of baby pygmy goats and some wonderful art -- and maybe a tractor or two !

What To Do WIthout a Netflix Movie On Hand

I ran out of Netflix movies this weekend ! I like to watch movies while I cook (as well as at many other times of course!). I had ordered several movies that I ended up not liking very well - so making Shrimp Dijon was looking a whole lot less appealing without the entertainment of a movie in the background. Since I have a Mac I can't use Netflix online movie option - so in near desperation ( well - that's really an exaggeration!) I searched for alternatives. I found a great place that shows old, fun movies for free. The screen that is afforded is tiny - but it works okay for those rare movie-less moments when music won't do and when the thought of listening to yet another ball game in the other room does not sit so well with your psyche.

I chose a little campy gem called "The Wasp Woman" from 1960 - so funny ! At least now I know there is an option .....a larger screen would be nice - but it's okay !

Yesterday (Tuesday) was the "Fair Duty" day. 14 hours. I am NOT good with extra long days and could not sleep to boot ! Took some photos of the incredible work that I was able to see yesterday and hope to stop long enough to upload some photos (if they turned out with all of the awful interior lighting!).

Baby Quilt

Our friends just had a baby. Grayson Andrew Miniken arrived a couple of weeks early - not that I would have been done on time anyway ! On Saturday I decided that I needed to get something made....so that the Miniken clan would have a quilt before Grayson toddled off to high school! The quilt is sandwiched and ready to quilt - as of late Sunday. I am generally not much of a fan of anything that is touted as "...fast, fun and fabulous.." - not that I don't believe that things that that are, in fact, fast and fun to make can't also be fabulous - it's just that I usually like to take a bit of time to think about what I am making.

I enjoy making quilts using the techniques in Sandi Cummings book "Thinking Outside The Block". Her techniques really ARE fairly fast - LOTS of fun - and generally the results are really ---well dare I say fabulous ?! This is the third baby quilt I have made using her simple cut and re-cut techniques. This may not be an art work - but it will be great for comfort and play - just perfect for a baby quilt !

Baltimore Encore

These blocks were started as my homage to Mary Simon - noted designer of Baltimore Blocks.
I started this project with a great group of folks through Quilt Adventures - which is no longer in business. These are designed to be 16 inch blocks - I used all batiks, along with inking and various novelty embroidery threads. I actually have hopes of finishing this project - though I may not use all 20 designs. I'll post more finished blocks. Once again, the colors are deeper and richer "in the real". I have such a kick making these pieces - though they do take a long time !