Quilting Friends Christmas Party

Here is the completed courthouse steps quilt, just before I wrapped it for giving. The traditional style and colors are perfect for my friend Pam T.

It is actually a lap quilt, a little small for a bed.


Here is the lovely label Debra made for the quilt using machine embroidery. A very nice finishing touch.

Today was our annual quilt exchange Christmas party. As always, it was the best party of the Christmas season, and we had a wonderful time. Pam loved her quilt. I was thrilled to have made something she is so happy with.

And here I am with the amazing beautiful quilt that my friend Gayle made for me. I was so happy I cried. She worked completely out of her comfort zone to make a quilt just perfect for me.

On this day, we all felt loved and appreciated. Quilting Friends are the best! I will post more party pictures (with quilts) in the days to come.

Memories and new beginnings

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, but Christmas comes in a close second. Some of my friends are cutting back on the holiday decorations, but I still enjoy getting out all of the traditional things and making little displays around the house. A couple of years ago I got a pre-lit pencil tree, and it makes things much simpler. We still use the handmade and special ornaments, including some little stuffed ones my mom made for us when the kids were just babies. I also use the tree skirt she made something like 25 years ago. Holding these things in my hands, I think about how she made them with love, and I spend a little time remembering. She has been gone 15 years and I still miss her every day.
How I treasure the things she made with her own hands!

Thank you friends for your support during our "empty nest" transition. Sooner than expected, we are getting used to the quiet around the house. We have talked to Andy several times since he left. Here is part of his first update, sent last week: "... Living in a city is much different. We have probably walked at least 10 miles since we arrived. Once you get used to the steep inclines, it's not a bad way to get around. The next step is figuring out the BART and the MUNI. For me, that begins a bit later today.Hopefully next week we find us both employed, and living in a sublet. Who knows, maybe we'll even be able to afford actual food. For now, one can dream. I will type another update shortly.Much love to everyone in San Diego... "

That "actual food" remark left me laughing. Believe me, they won't starve, especially since they emptied the pantry before they left. Since this early message, both boys have begun working and Andy is loving his job. They have found an apartment to sublet for a few months while they look around for something more long term. Every time we talk, he is just bursting with excitement. How can I not be happy?

Fall and a Time of Transition

The mulberry trees are finally turning yellow and the sky is that intense blue you see in the fall.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, lots of good food and family time. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and we were happy that everything went well.

The Friday after Thanksgiving we had our annual "girls shopping day", and that was fun, if exhausting. I am not a shopper, but I like being with all the women in the family and I love the socializing, especially the lunches.

On Saturday we said goodbye to our son Andy as he set off for San Francisco. He has lived away from home before, but never this far away. The house seems too big and empty and we miss him already. It is not just that he is gone, it's also all the noise and activity of his friends coming and going. We always seemed to have a lot of young people around. It was sometimes difficult to have an adult child living at home, but now it seems too quiet. Still, it really is time for him to be out on his own.
It looks like he will be working for this non-profit political action group. There is not much money in this kind of work, but he wants to try and make a difference. "Be the change you want to see in the world". I am so proud of him and so worried for him at the same time. So I say a prayer and breathe. Just breathe.

To make this quilt related, on Thursday I will get my courthouse steps quilt back from my friend Barbara, just in time to bind it for our Christmas quilt exchange. Barbara does a beautiful job with her longarm, and I usually have her do my larger quilts. I do my own "art" pieces but give most everything else to Barbara. In exchange for some fabric I sent a while back, Debra is making a lovely quilt label for the back. I'm excited to finish this one, and can't wait for our Christmas party.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home,

a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow.

-Melodie Beattie

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. -Meister Eckhart

Two nice quilts and some Holiday preparation

I don't have anything new of my own that I can show you, so here are the quilts my friend Barbara shared at our last small group meeting. Her longarm was out for repairs for a week, so she actually had time to assemble some quilts of her own. I love both of these.

Most of my time lately has been spent getting the house ready for the big feast day on Thursday. It's my tradition to do my "spring cleaning" in the fall because the holidays are when I have the most company. Remember that kitchen cupboard painting project I started months ago? Nothing like an actual deadline to get a job done. Jerry has been working at a similar crazy pace to finish staining the exterior of the house. I'm happy to say we both are at the completion stages of our projects. Tomorrow we will do things like yard work and furniture rearrangement. We are expecting an intimate group of 35 for dinner, so that means setting up lots of tables. Everyone who comes brings food, so our job is to provide the venue and the meat. It is a feast, to be sure.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because its all about family and gratitude. We have had some sorrows this year, but we will take the time to really be aware of how much there is to be grateful for. Holiday blessings to you all, may you feel the joy that gratitude brings.

A Little Inspiration

Thanks to Sophie, Gerrie, and Laura for agreeing to participate with me in the PIF challenge. Sometime next spring, just about the time you have forgotten all about it, you will recieve a practical handmade gift from me.

Sophie reminded me the other day that it has been a long time since I featured an artist on my blog. I used to blog fairly regularly about artists whose work I appreciated, hoping to share a little joy and inspiration. I kind of got away from doing it because there are so many out there who do it better and offer a more sophisticated analysis. You know, something a little more in depth than "gee, look at this, isn't it cool?"
Ragged Cloth Cafe is one excellent example. Nevertheless, for your inspiration today I offer this. If you have 15 minutes to spare, watch this video on one of the amazing works of Ann Hamilton. You will not be disappointed.

PIF challenge

Some people did this last year, and I thought about joining in but never got around to it. This time, I signed up to receive a gift from Debby, and this is my "pay it forward" entry. I'm really excited to participate this time around, and I think it will be great fun.

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

I should warn you that I have a practical nature, so you will probably get something you can use. If I hear from you, I'll send a confirming email and ask for a mailing address. It's pretty likely that I won't get started on these gifts until after the holidays, but you can expect your surprise in the spring or summer.

My Journal Quilt

Perennial Measure, 17"x 22"
Jennifer Anderson, El Cajon, CA

Creative Quilting techniques used: fused, layered applique (p85), machine embroidery(p48), free motion embroidery and quilting, and oil pastels (p47)

Autumn crisp color, rustling leaves

Winter grey skies, branches etched.

Sweet green leaf buds, brave first flowers,

Heat of summer's fullnes,
Green Earth's perennial measure.

On a pieced background of commercial fabrics altered with oil pastels and fabric markers, I used fused applique, thread sketching and machine and free-motion embroidery. Simple quilting through all three layers outlines the tree shapes so that they are distinctly visible from the back.

Now that the show is in progress, I guess it is OK to show my journal quilt entry. This is old hat for lots of art quilters, but it was my first time to participate. I really enjoyed it, and I especially like working in this size. Big enough to have some impact and small enough to manipulate easily during construction.

When I made this quilt, it was long before the fires and I was thinking about incorporating all the seasons in the same quilt. I used the black and discharged looking fabric for contrast and to represent a winter night. Kind of eerie that it looks like fire and burned up trees as well, considering what has happened since.
I won't see it in person since I'm not going to Houston, but I'm delighted that so many others will.

Amazing Applique

Those of you who have seen my work know that it is nothing like this. Isn't this amazing? My friend Sheryl (right) does astonishing hand applique and produces several masterpieces a year, all while coping with a high stress job and busy travel schedule. She has agreed to do a class for our small quilt group. Hand applique is really not my thing, but I will take her class and see if I can figure out why she loves it so much.

I just want to say thanks again to everyone for their good wishes during the wildfires. Yes, my house is old and needs remodeling, but I am ever so grateful to have it! Losing everything at once is awful and insurance never covers all the cost. Those poor folks faced with rebuilding will be at it for years.

The air finally cleared enough for us to resume walking for exercise. Pre wildfire we were averaging 15-20 miles a week and it was getting to be routine. It's hard to get up extra early to walk before work, but it always feels good afterward. The lake is beautiful and we love going there, even if we start our walk in the dark with a flashlight. That should improve next week when the time changes again.

As for sewing projects, I am still fiddling with the quilt I am to give during our quilt exchange this year. I am trying hard to create something with an old fashioned look that will please the recipient. I spent time helping out at the Visions Art Quilt Gallery this past weekend. So many beautiful and inspiring works are filling my head, it's hard to put the art on hold, but I don't think I will have much time to work on my own projects until after Christmas.

Home Sweet Home

Thank you all so much for your prayers and good wishes. I am overwhelmed by your kindness. We are home and we are safe.

This is not how our sky and yard look just now, what with all the smoke, ash and debris, but it all looks wonderful to us. The fire came within about 5 miles this time (in the 2003 Cedar fire, the fire came within 2 miles of our house.) It has been an anxious time for everyone, but we are so, so lucky. If you have been watching the news, you will have seen pictures of the widespread devastation. It is not over, but for us the danger is past. We are conserving energy and water, so I will only use the computer for a short time today.

Thank you again, I am so grateful I have no words.

Fire

For the second night in a row I stare at the television news, watching in horror at the footage of homes being consumed by flame. We doze and watch, waiting for the word to leave. Many friends and some relatives are already evacuated, some multiple times as the first "safe" area becomes dangerous and they must evacuate to a second. It seems a little surreal.

We have our doors and windows closed against the choking smoke that is everywhere. Just to the east of us, evacuation is mandatory. Our van is packed with the fire safe, photos, a few special quilts, my best sewing machine and a few fabrics and thread. We have clothes, drinking water, and a place for the dogs to lie down in back. Dog food, leashes, medication. Cell phones and digital camera. My son has already been all around the house taking picture after picture, a detailed inventory we hope we don't need.

Earlier in the day the fierce Santa Ana Winds ripped and hurled palm fronds everywhere. There is an amazing amount of debris and ash in the driveway and front yard. No flames are visible from our house, but the television news is telling me that they aren't far away. After the huge Cedar fire in 2003, the city and county of San Diego installed a "reverse 911" to automatically notify people during emergencies such as this. We will leave when we get the call or see the flames, whichever comes first.
God willing, neither.

Everything in the county is burning. 300,000 evacuated so far.
My heart goes out to the people who have already lost their homes.
I know its only "stuff", but I can't help hoping we don't join them.
I am grateful that my family is here at home with me and we can all leave together when that becomes necessary.

Quilted Books and Winter Squash

I thought some of you might enjoy this link to an exhibit of quilted books.

Something I haven't tried yet, but I'm intrigued by the idea. That's it for my quilt related content today :)

If you need something to blog about, nothing like a good recipe or two.

Courtesy of Weight Watcher's web site, here's a good recipe for acorn squash. Use leftover rice or pick some up at the Chinese takeout.

Stuffed Squash

Makes 4 servings
POINTS® value 4 per squash half

These savory bundles make an elegant meal, whether for the family or your next dinner party. For the best taste, use freshly grated Parmesan.

Ingredients
2 medium acorn squash
Nonstick cooking spray
8 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
3 medium scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp dry vermouth or dry white wine

Instructions
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
Split the squash in half, stem to bottom, and scoop out the seeds. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place the squash on it cut side down. Bake until tender, about 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, scallions and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms give off their liquid, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, sage, thyme and pepper. Cook 1 minute.
Remove pan from heat and stir in the rice, cheese and vermouth or wine.
Once the squash are fork-tender, turn them cut side up and fill each with a quarter of the rice mixture. Bake until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
Modifications Core Plan® Tip: To make this Flex Plan-friendly dish into a Core dish, substitute chicken broth for the wine, and use a soy-based cheese.

Read all about squash here.

No WIP this week

We are having wonderful unseasonably "cool" weather. Evenings have been down in the 50s, cool enough to put extra quilts on the bed. Those living in other parts of the US to the north or east will find it funny, but to us a 75 or 80 degree high is a godsend in Sept. or Oct. This is the time of year that is normally unbearably hot, triple digits not unusual. Even though I faithfully drag out the fall decor, it doesn't usually feel like a change of season.

This morning, we struggled out of bed to get out to the lake and walk before work (so far the back is behaving, many thanks for your good wishes.) The stars were bright in a clear sky and it felt like the middle of the night. It made me think of our long ago camping vacations, tucking the children into the back seat with their pillows as we set off to get an early start. At the lake we saw the sun rise in a faintly pink sky, reflected in the glassy surface of the water. We heard the ducks and birds greet the day with all their twittering, clucking and quacking. I especially like the homey sounds the coots make when they are content.

Quilt wise, I have dozens of things to work on but two with"deadlines" attached. One is the courthouse steps I showed you earlier, and the other is a pink and green quilt for baby Emily. Evenings I have been mostly watching forgettable tv or reading, so there isn't much progress being made. Maybe next week I'll have more to show.

Baking

Photo courtesy of morguefile.com

The cooler weather we have been having has left me with lots of energy to start baking. A nice apple pie, for example, made with tart Granny Smith apples and plenty of cinnamon. Or maybe some nice pumpkin bread:

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

From the classic Fannie Farmer Cookbook. The recipe calls for a cup of pumpkin purée which you can either get from a can, or make yourself by steaming or roasting the pumpkin pieces, removing the skins, and blending in a food processor.

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup pumpkin purée

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda. Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts. Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a straw poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack. Makes one loaf.

Many more pumpkin bread (and other) recipes here.

I have been writing my statement and making the sleeve for my Houston bound journal quilt. When all is said and done, I am happy with how it turned out and glad to have a chance to participate in this last show. I also found that I like the 17" x 22" size. It's big enough to have some impact, yet small enough to manipulate easily.

Now that the journal quilt is finished, it's time to get going on Christmas gifts.

Friday Moment of Gratitude

(Photos courtesy of morguefile.com)

Ah Friday, last day of the work week. The cooling trend is continuing, and we expect lovely weather this weekend. This morning we walked at the lake, and I saw a pair of breathtaking herons take off from the marshes just as the sun rose. The eucalyptus trees, stripped of their bark, glowed whitely in the new light. Runners, walkers, dog exercisers all waved or nodded a friendly hello as they passed. It was peaceful and beautiful.

I have done nothing to deserve the pleasant, safe and secure life I now enjoy. Chatting away about my small concerns when so much of great and serious import is happening in the world. Such is the juxtaposition of solemn tragedy and the frivolous in my mind. My life is so full of beauty and blessing, the least I can do is to meet it with gratitude.

What Have I Been Doing?

I know I have been "missing" from blog land for a while. Part of that time was spent semi-motionless in bed due to a back injury. I was also semi-conscious due to the influence of muscle relaxers and pain killers.
Somehow it feels like a whole week of my life disappeared. Thankfully, I am mostly mended now and back to normal activity, including work. Tomorrow morning we even plan to resume exercise by walking at the lake. What did I learn? Do not move large heavy furniture by yourself even if you are in a reorganizing frenzy and are too impatient to wait for help.

Since I last posted, I did spend a little time in here. Some of what I worked on I can't show you, but I can show you what I am doing with these scrappy strips.

This very traditional and old-fashioned courthouse steps quilt is perfect for using up all those strips. It is "scrappy" in a planned way, designed to suit the taste of the person who will be receiving it.

There is something very soothing about sewing these simple blocks, and I love to do it while listening to a book on CD. If I have to concentrate on what I am doing, music is better.

It has been brutally hot here up until the last couple of days when we finally were able to turn off the AC. I feel a little guilty about using the extra energy, but when it hits triple digits all bets are off. I'm just glad we have the AC and are able to figure out what we can give up to pay the heart stopping electricity bill. I have been making a conscious effort not to buy any more new books, fabric or shoes for a while, at least until the heat wave is over.

"Quilting" Weekends

This year our "quilting weekend" at Pam B.'s was more of a "shopping, eating and lounging by the pool" weekend. It was HOT, so we spent a great deal of our time IN the pool. It would be less than accurate to call this a sewing or quilting gathering, but I think someone managed to finish a binding. Personally, I think I added about 25 more stitches to my "Summer Woods" piece.

We were a much smaller group this year, but that just made it easier to go places all together. We visited some discount fabric stores, a mall or two and a fun restaurant for dinner and drinks. All in all, it was a very fun and relaxing girl's weekend.



To keep this firmly in the quilting realm, here are a couple of quilts from the girls.

All of that was last weekend, THIS weekend I took Friday off and went to the San Diego Quilt Show with a couple of friends. It is a non juried show, so in many ways it is something like a guild show. This year I thought the entries were a bit better with more variety than last year, and they did a great job hanging the exhibit. The highlight was talking with guest artist Mary Lou Weidman and seeing her wonderful quilts up close and "in person". We had fun browsing the vendors, but I didn't get pictures.

Saturday was fun since I spent the day painting fabric and working on another small quilt. I can't share these little artistic efforts just yet, but I am happy with some of them. Sunday we went to the lake and walked six miles (one more than usual, so I joked about "going the extra mile"). In the afternoon and evening I relaxed and read "The Thirteenth Tale", start to finish.

Time to get back to work now.

Quilting Retreat Coming Up

This is a cover for a pool side chair at my friend Pam's house. It really IS as relaxing as a day spa to visit for the weekend. Last year I posted about our wonderful quilting weekend at Pam's house, and this weekend we are set to do it again. She is really going the extra mile for us to hostess this retreat since she has been pretty busy preparing for her daughter's wedding next month.

Just to give you a nice visual, here is a lovely sampler quilt done by our hostess and shared with us last year. I don't have anything of my own to show since I have been working more or less exclusively on 17" x 22" pieces for the Journal Quilt 2007 submission. Right now I'm feeling like everything I touch is overworked. Too much free motion embroidery, too much special fiber, just too much all the way around. The deadline is fast approaching, so I have to figure out if I should just stop and be done with it or start all over again.

Summertime

Here is some of our "garden bounty" (well, the fruit is from the citrus trees, but you get the idea. ) My garden is nothing like Fran's lovley oasis, but we are certainly enjoying the tomatoes. The other night I made a spaghetti sauce from fresh tomatoes that was to die for. Nothing tastes like fresh.

Here is a little preview of the newly white cupboards in my farmhouse kitchen. I used the old hardware, spray painted black. The space is transformed already.

These shelves will remain open, OR I may have custom glass front doors made to go here. Either way you will be able to see the dishes on these shelves, so I have painted the backgrounds a nice barn red.

Here is the bargain fabric I found, a nice red and white decorator width cotton ticking to make curtains. One set for the windows and one for a space under the counter.

Finally, here is another future decoration for the refurbished kitchen. A whimsical vintage style sign. It is not really such an idle boast, for we are coffee snobs of the first order.

I have no idea how long it will be until I can show you a completed "after" picture because this project is taking forever. I am happy with the results so far, though.

I never told you about my trip to the Quilt Visions museum. It was a fabulous exhibit, quilts from the "Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection". Well-known artists like Ruth McDowell, Frieda Anderson, Carol Taylor, and many others.

I was delighted to see the quilts "in person" and I'm even happier that there is a wonderful art quilt exhibit space locally. I'm afraid, however, that I disappointed the nice lady who called me to get volunteers to work the museum desk. With a full time job, I'm just not willing to give up weekend afternoons, even for a good cause. Some things will just have to wait until retirement.

Current Projects

Here is where most of my time and energy has gone in the last week. Notice how dark my kitchen looks, even with the skylight. After receiving an astonishing estimate of $23,000 for cabinet refacing (yes, I said refacing not replacing), I set off for Home Depot and came home with lots of creamy white paint. This is a JOB. Clean, sand, primer, paint, repeat. The white paint also highlights the many imperfections in the wood, so I have been puttying holes, resanding, etc. The style will still be rustic when I am finished, but at least it should be brighter! Come back in a few weeks (months?) for "after" pictures.

I have hardly been in my studio at all, but this ocean theme quilt for my son is what is on the design wall. I also need to get going on the baby quilt for Emily. I have also been experimenting with paint and stitch for my 2007 journal quilt, but can't share any images online. Back to work for me today, so I'd better get going.

Baby Emily is Here!

Baby Emily is Here! I am NOT the grandma, but I AM the great aunt. I had a chance to spend several minutes holding her yesterday. Her parents are tired but happy and the grandparents (seen above) are over the moon. I hosted the baby shower, but I didn't finish the quilt yet. Guess I'd better get busy!

Where has the time gone?

Where has the time gone? I have been working just two days a week this month and have hugely enjoyed my time off. To give you something nice to look at, here is my friend Barbara's quilt on the design wall at our last sewing day. I just love the liveliness and color of this one. She collected polka dot and retro looking fabrics for ages before making this quilt.

In my own sewing room, besides more fabric painting, I have two projects going but no pictures to show you yet. Under the quilting needle are my bright "bullseye flowers" and on the design wall is the start of a quilt in beautiful ocean blues for my son. I have also been reading stacks of books while curled up in my comfortable window bed. This activity has been known to morph into the luxury of an afternoon nap.

Lest you think I have only been lazy, another thing I have been doing a lot of this month is exercising. Jerry and I have been walking 15 miles a week together and added to that are my swimming aerobics classes. We are both looking a little better than when we posed for our "chubby Hawaiian" picture in the sidebar, but we have a long way to go. I can't tell you how happy I am to get Jerry walking with me. He works long hours and doesn't take care of himself, so this is great progress.

Yesterday I went shopping with my SILs Diane and Barb and had a great lunch out at Panera. I had the Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad.

Yum!

We also had a great visit with my sweet niece Amy, who is due to have her first child next week. Do you think we are all just a little excited? She has her nursery all prepared and her bag packed for the hospital. The proud papa is anxiously awaiting his role as coach.

Today I will be visiting the new Quilt Visions museum. I'm so excited to be able to spend the day just taking in all that fabulous inspiration. Stay tuned for future blog reports.

On Saturday we will celebrate my FIL's 92nd birthday with a big family party. It's not at my house, but I will help out with food and decorating.
Next week I have another shopping and lunch trip planned, more catching up with friends. I have not even touched my "home improvement" projects yet. Where has the time gone?

It's July, so I'm on Vacation

This was the view from my front door on Saturday morning. Jerry and I got up early to walk by the lake. Good thing, too, because it was bright and hot by the time we finished at 9 am. Same thing today, only it was hot and sunny by 8:30am. I think tomorrow we will start even earlier.
Summer heat here is nothing to kid around with. You don't EVEN want to exercise in it, unless of course you are in a pool.

Here is how I spent another part of my day. That is silk charmuese on the frame, and yes I know those pins are a terrible abuse of fabric, but I am cutting that part off later.

I am having the most wonderful time being away from work. Believe it or not I love my job, but being away is better. Time for morning exercise, time for painting, fabric or otherwise, time for reading, time for napping. For dinner I am preparing a lovely healthy stir fry and then I am meeting some friends for coffee at Starbuck's. We will sit outside enjoying the cool of the summer evening, laughing and chatting and catching up on each other's lives. Ah, this is the life.

WIP Wednesday

I think we can all agree that I'm not a great photographer, but here is how my pieced "Summer Woods" (working title) turned out. I wanted you to feel the lovely blue of lake and sky, the bright flashes of sunlight through the tree branches, the coolness of the green foliage and the surprise of summer flowers. The kind of woods I'm talking about aren't in abundance here in So Cal, so this is a composite of memory and emotion.

I've always felt at home in the woods and have experienced a special kind of peacefulness there. (ok, ok so these days I'm more of a lodge kind of gal, but I still love to walk in the woods even if I don't sleep under the stars anymore.)

There will be more subtle handwork and machine quilting to add texture. I'm happy with my progress.

WIP WEDNESDAY

This is the finished quilt I will be donating for a recovering female soldier. I actually finished it last summer, but not in time for the original occasion I had in mind. It has been in the closet for a while but not in use. After a wash to freshen it, I think it will be perfect. Debra is sending one of her pretty labels for the back. The quilt with stars has been set aside for a time, so I'm glad I thought of this one.

Here is the WIP part of my post. My pieced abstract landscape is coming along slowly. I am still fiddling with the arrangment of the blocks, and also working out what form the lower center of the quilt will take. I'm leaning towards more flowers. I'm also wondering if maybe I should make the quilt smaller, using just the upper portion with the tree blocks. Right now it doesn't flow the way I want it to. I guess that's why it's "work in progress".

It's Been a Bright, Bright Sunshiney Day

The weather has been nearly perfect this week. Lots of sun, at least inland, and warm but not too hot yet. Temperatures are supposed to improve for the coastal dwellers this weekend, and there will be a little more sun too. Sunshine on the coast is kind of iffy in May and June in California.

The weekend is almost officially here, and I hope to get back to work on my current piece. On my lunch hour I ran up to the fabric store (yes, it is dangerously close) and picked up some more "sky blues" just to be sure of enough variety . I picked up a nice King Tut multi-colored blue thread as well.

It seems that even with the best of intentions I am too busy or too tired to get back into my work room at the end of a long day. A little time is better than none, though, and this morning I found myself wide awake at 3am. I decided to go to my room and work for a bit, and so I did, getting back to bed and to sleep for another couple of hours at 5 am. Waking up at 7am, I had the fastest shower in history and made it out the door to work by 7:35am. Maybe this will be my new pattern, after all, it's not like I'm sleeping.