During

I'm home, and after sorting through my photos and the ones that Carol so generously shared with me, I can post about the second day of class.  Everybody agreed that this has to be a two-day class and that chopping and reinventing is addictive.

The class and meeting were held at the Mason's hall and Carol gave me the title of "Worshipful Master of Free-Form Quilting."   You can already tell that this is going to be another laughter-filled day.

Barbara came in with a whole quilt's worth of similarly boring blocks.  By the time she left, yesterday, she had added color and energy to all of them.

  She even transformed the sashing. I hope she sends me pictures when she has put this quilt back together.

I think it was Catherine who started with a pile of these

 

and turned them into this.

  

Linda's blue and brown nine-patches were actually nice.

                  but then she turned them into a dynamite vertical.  We auditioned them a couple of different ways, and this was the winner. 

 

Earlier in the weekend, she was busy with another challenge.

Judith began with this, which actually looks better in the photo than in real life.

Now it is becoming something else.

Here is Carol, putting the finishing touches on a piece she made. She's getting ready to sit down and quilt it.

 

 One happy camper -- and one dynamite small quilt!

 

Elena is contemplating how she will put together the new units she has created from the pieces she brought. 

Michelle's brown blocks eventually became more colorful and the diagonals she added will make a livelier quilt.

 

 Marie, who drove down from New York State to take my class, was beside herself with joy
at having the time to create and then the luxury of stitching to her heart's content.  I can relate to that, can't you??

                                          

 Below, Ann is contemplating what she will do with all those leftovers.

  Here's Betty with her original block, shown on my previous post. 

Sunday night's meeting was a lot of fun.  After my lecture on "What IF?" the class did show and tell and everybody loved seeing the results.  

More, tomorrow.

before and after

Day 1 of class and I'll get right to the point.  Here are four blocks before they were cut into smithereens and after they were transformed.

                                                       Tip of the iceberg: more, tomorrow.

I am here

The small sign says R U LOST? Answer: Nope. I'm here with Carol Esch, who lives in Pittstown, NJ (I think there is one in NY, too - are they related??) I arrived in this bucolic area of the state and we took off for the fabric store in the charming town of Clinton. I did not buy any fabric, but Carol found some she just had to have.

They were digging up the streets in Clinton so I didn't take any pictures there, but as we walked across the bridge, this was the scene. YES,people, this is New Jersey.

After that, we headed to Frenchtown, NJ where we dined al fresco at the famous Frenchtown Inn. Here is Carol (the drink is mine) wearing what looks like two pairs of glasses. Hmmm...

And here is the requisite foodie picture. Jumbo crab cake: I wasn't sure whether they were referring to the crab or the cake, but I realized that it was probably both. It was delectable.

That's all for now. I promise to take pictures in class tomorrow and will hope to get some good before-during-after versions. 'Nite.

nothing to blog about

Time was, I 'd find any old thing to blog about -- even nothing. But this week, I got sidetracked with finding my possible relatives after I had my DNA done. So interesting! I have realized that going back 5+ generations, I am related to half the world. In any case, I have heard from a number of people on whose list of matches I came up and vice-versa...and I have been doing research, trying to find the common link on my mother's side of the family. Very complicated, very confusing, and fascinating.
If you've thought about it, go to FamilyTreeDNA and check it out.
I highly recommend it. I see a number of people who have been adopted and are looking for biological relatives (even distant ones, like 5th cousins) through DNA matches. I hope they find some connections.

The other thing I've been doing at night instead of blogging is finishing up some small Cinderella (UFO) blocks as class samples for what you can do in a day in one of my workshops. Of course, nobody's results will look like these, but they are just examples. I will bring them to class this weekend, which is why I have been so preoccupied.

This next one, I just finished putting together and haven't done anything with it yet.  The components were made while I was working on the book and have been sitting around forever.  Yesterday, I decided to do something with them.  Here is the remaining Ohio Star, followed by what I finally did with it.

 The pix are slightly fuzzy because I took them in a urry, but you get the idea.  Just a whimsical, off-kilter piece that will eventually end up as a finished one. 

And now, back to packing up supplies for my weekend class at Courthouse Quilters in Frenchtown, NJ.
This is one of my favorites to teach, so I can't wait!  Will try to find time to blog over the weekend.
xo

Happy ________Day

This Emma-ism seems to cover whatever the occasion is, as long as it is cause for celebration. Just fill in the blank! Today I had a happy day; I spoke to all of my children -- both biological and acquired, and I spent the day with two of them and three of my grandkids. "Twas lovely.

Here is one of them in the backyard of the restaurant, where we spent the 1/2 hour wait for a table. She had just identified a basil plant and was feeling rather proud of herself.

Yesterday, I visited my mother to say Happy Day and took with me pictures of her mother and her mother's mother so we could talk about them.  I also brought her two dark chocolate bars, which she sampled immediately.

It was a delicious day in every sense of the word.  Here, before I go to bed to recover from my Happy___Day, are two more "only in New York" pictures I took today.  This first one in the Q train, en route to Brooklyn.

 

And this one in the neighborhood, which - in case you can't read what is written above the filled trash bags behind the padlocked fence, says 

ACTIVE DRIVEWAY

NO PARKING  

 Am I missing something?

Friday - again???

How did that happen? Oh, I know: it was a very busy week. I was in the studio three times this week - a record for the last few months. Today began with the plumber, after which I went to the gym for the first time in I-won't-mention-how-long. It actually felt good to be on the treadmill again, although I must admit my blistered foot was somewhat the worse for wear by being enclosed in sneakers. Bah!

Picked up lunch at the supermarket and spent the rest of the day in the studio, dyeing fabric and sewing therapy strips - an activity I had started earlier in the week. Green. Have no idea where it is going, but right now it is on my large design wall.  I can't say I am crazy about my collection of greens, but I'm working on it. Hence, the fabric dyeing today.

The joy of this season is that I can stay till 7:pm (as I did tonight) and still drive home in the light.
I was greeted with a package on the doorstop from Hilary and family, in advance of Mother's Day.
Flowers are always a treat. Also a card from Jeremy and a phone message from Miss Emma, whom I will see on Sunday.

Tomorrow, I shall visit my mother and I am trying to decide between fleurs and chocolat. Maybe some of each.  The weekend promises to be busy - I hope yours will be good, too!

the post-open studio blues (not)

What a terrific day. Plenty of wonderful art and lots of people. Our studio had the best food, so people hung out - which was not a bad thing at all:-). I was too busy meeting/greeting to take photos, but it was great fun.

There were 15 of us showing our art, among whom were Michael Manning who is (sadly) moving to Chicago.
I think his work is wonderful and if his canvases were not too huge for my walls, I would consider taking out a second mortgage to buy one. Ah, well - I can dream.


The good news is that I sold my piece, "For Sale or Rent," which the buyers referred to as a "fabric painting." Hmm...I like that term. They are taking it to their home in Florida, where it will live happily ever after.

I was back in the studio yesterday, trying to get it back to its normal messiness so I could work. Made some progress. The tomato cage, which served as a scarf display, is still on loan (permanent loan?) from the designer who fashioned it.   He suggested I use it to hang my fabrics so I could see what I had (ha! what an idea!).  So I'm in the process of slicing up pieces and hanging them to see if this is really a viable idea.  Here's as far as I got before I had to leave the studio for a dinner meeting.

These are 4" wide strips (more or less) and we shall see if it works out when I really start to use it.  I have a long way to go - but cutting strips is almost as much fun as ironing.

 Enough of this idle chit-chat.  The morning is almost over and I am still at home; time to get moving.

getting ready

Yesterday, we spent the whole day setting up for open studios - and having a few laughs along the way. My roommate Francesca is a printmaker and does amazing etchings.

 Anyway, before I  go over to the studios, here are a few pix I took yesterday when we were finished setting up. I was really pleased with the results of mounting my small pieces on black stretched canvas. Worth the effort of sore shoulders from all that unaccustomed stitching from the day before!

Below, two quilts pinned to my design wall.

 

 

 

The scarves look great hanging on this special display element contributed by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.

Exhausted at the end of the day, we went outside to get some air and I plunked myself down happily in the chair at the dumpster.  I think we should have taken it upstairs.  If it is still there today, I will probably do so.(not that I have room for it).

More later, après le déluge.

sore fingers

It's been a while since I have done a lot of sewing by hand. But in the last two days I've been attaching my small pieces to canvas - with stitches. Hard on the digits if you're not used to it. Nonetheless, worth it because at least they are presented decently. Tomorrow, I hang my work, clean up the design wall (not in that order) , iron the scarves, and vacuum again. It will be another busy day, but I will have photos next time I post.