Long time has gone by for me posting - life always gets in the way. My friend reminded me that it was very outdated - so it is.  I think Facebook has taken over the news we used to post on a blog.  We are getting ready to leave again for our Oregon trip and getting the yard together for the gardener.  Spring is really showing in my yard and around our lake in the park we live in.  I had lilacs trying to bloom in December - par for Southern California - daffodils came up in January with lots of buds, but when the weather turned cold, they never opened. Lilac is also sparse on blooms, I am sure due to the drastic weather changes we are having.  Here are some photos of my roses and iris in the yard - ducks are up front at the lake.  Enjoy

Latest Quilt

This is a full version of my "Garden Star" quilt that can be viewed on this site  http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/projects/galleries/TWENTY/gallery/

Mine is #37.  This was a contest with the theme of "20".  I made a 20 point star with the points featuring  some of my photograph segments of flowers.  It is 20x20 and has a beaded fringe, which is a garden in itself, made with various flower beads.  Anyone who is a Quilt Alliance member will be able to vote on a viewer contest for their favorite quilt coming up in July.   My quilt be in an auction on the internet, Ebay, I think on Dec.2-9. All proceeds go to the support of Quilt Alliance. 

Had a lot fun making it and pleased with the result. 

Being Free and Passionate

New piece I am working on for competition

Just read an article from a friend about our "Passions" and the week before she also wrote about "Being Free to be Myself".  Both have reminded me of how important our time is to do what is best for ourselves without being selfish.  Most of my friends are younger than me and I think that while I am not hung up on age, I do see my time becoming more precious, moving faster and more limiting. Recently I had to take a look at how I should use my time to pursue my creative life.  This means I had to bow out of some groups, classes and teaching schedules to concentrate on what I want for me with my art.

I have always loved my quilting, over my years and in my retirement, and I think that really is my 'Passion". Creating art quilts, continued learning of new techniques and entering competitions keeps my mind alert and creating with it every day, even if just for an hour or two.  I love the process of creating my quilts, the fabric shopping, soaring through my stash, figuring the plan of pattern, and the constant changes my mind makes to reach a final piece. All keeps my young!  I am, today, sitting here with a broken foot in a heavy cast I am not allowed to walk on, waiting for my husband to wheel me to my sewing friends group. I  keep rolling around the house picking up the equipment I need to do a day of sewing. It has continued every day, since this has happened, that I go through some quilting process that keeps me moving and active.

As I see people around me, sitting in their homes daily, I feel compassion for them that they do not know the joy of creating and how it keeps your mind active and young.

Enjoy everyday you can, follow your passion and be glad you are alive.

Road to California

Spent and exhausting day at  Road to California Quilt show.Was raining all day, but had good time seeing and being with fun friends.  Saw some nice quilts and couple of the winners were really unique. My friend and I had a quilt in a special exhibit of and "Iris Garden".  They were positioned together and the entire exhibit was big and beautiful - we had a good spot in a hall where everyone walks.  I have a quilt in the Route 66 exhibit which was at the entrance of the show floor - really impressive.  I did Oatman, AZ with a quilt depicting Prospectors on their way to the mining fields with burros that are today still there and roam the town with visitors.  My Estuary in Oregon quilt was also on exhibit with the Faifield Create American Calendar Contest.  It will be with them for a year of displaying.

Got some great fabric from Tapestery Quilt Studio - my favorite dyeing place and see her only once a year at Road.  Now time to get going on some new creative quilts.

More birds

I have been having so much fun photographing spring birds.  A friend told me to hang a sock of nyger food on my tree and it would attract a variety of finches.  We found one at Walmart and the birds have been having a frenzy over it.  It took a couple of days for them to discover it and then it was covered with birds. Within 2 days they had devoured it all!   I set my camera on a tripod in the kitchen window (so I am shooting through glass) and snapped over 200 photos to get some good shots of the birds.  They flutter so fast that I just took different times of the day, for lighting, zoomed in on the sock, and took continuous shots and got several really nice one.  This is my favorite one.  Have some more seed and sock and will put it up later in the season for more photographing - a good way to learn your camera and play with settings.  Enjoy spring!

Today I am going to my monthly sketching/painting class and we are doing birds.  Will take several of these photos to sketch from.

Happy first day of Winter

In Sunny California you wouldn't know it was winter - except for a little cold wind.  I do miss the snow of a Winter Wonderland that I grew up with in Chicago - but at my age, I think California is better.

We have a lot of migrating birds that come through here, going south for the winter.  These are couple that love eating the seeds off the tree in my front yard.  Was able to get some photos of them through my kitchen window (through glass).  I took repetitive photos and was able to catch them with their heads up. 

Back from Houston

My quilt at Fairfield booth with, Judy Novella from Fairfield

View from 2nd floor of Houston Convention Center

View from our room - Doubletree Hilton

Had a fantastic trip to Houston thanks to Fairfield Processing.  Was a much larger show than I expected, but again, not sure what I expected - Road size maybe.  It was so exciting to be there and see so many new things - my friend Christa was a joy to have along and celebrate with me.  Our hotel was the best, if you asked, they supplied!  Fairfield's booth was outstanding and so clever with everything made of batting and they gave out the wonderful calendar to many, many people.  I came home with so much more inspiration, where will I have the time!  Posting below are some of my photos and hoping to go again one day

Fairfield booth with batting flowers, booth was loaded with flowers of batting

Meeting new friends - Abby, Bev, Christa, Pat

Night view of fountain at the Houston Aquarium

.

Off to Houston

Estuary - Oregon Coast

I'm headed off to Houston Wednesday for Quilt Festival.  My Estuary-Oregon Coast won the Grand Prize in the American Spirit Calendar Contest 2013 and they extended this great honor to come to Houston.  Looking forward to meeting everyone in their booth and having lots of things to see.  My first trip.  My friend Christa and i will have lots of fun for 4 days!  Going to a TQS dinner too and will meet lots of great quilters and will be taking lots of photos to share.

Also have my small Labor Quilt in Meander Publications booth which won a 3rd place in their reader challenge. 

Seaside & Astoria

Been playing with my camera and seeing some of the things it can do.  Not only can I get close-ups, but I can get really far away and also snap fast consecutive action photos.  Here are a few samples of what I took on a bike ride to the beach and Sunday Market in Astoria.  Just for fun!

He's Up!

Surfing the Wave

Loosing his balance

Oopps - he's down

Interesting Gate on Beach Cottage

Sea Bird perched in Astoria/Columbia River

Fresh vegetable stand

More Fresh Veggies

Flowers at Sunday Market

More Flowers at Sunday Market

Interesting glass blocks in Astoria Sidewalk
I think the under ground Astoria is beneath these sidewalks.

Some Fun Sewing

Sunglass visors

Visor on glasses

Pom Pom on brim made from T-Shirt fabric, painted with my textile paint.

Floppy Hat

Freehand drew a design,painted with textile paint.

Another floppy hat, ragged edge brim.

Not working on any particular quilt right now -my main quilt project for the trip is coming back to me to finish.  I found some interesting patterns in a local Oregon Quilt shop on making hats.  With some of the fabric I brought along and embellishments, I made these hats.  Was a fun project and not sure what I will do with them.  I also found a really unique item - a visor that goes on your sunglasses.  They use a new product called "Soft and Stable" and I made several of them - 2 I have given away already. Again just made from fabric I had with me and decorated with ragged fabric, buttons and beads I brought in the trailer.   Hope you enjoy them, I think they are really bright and cheery - and very fun to play with.

Green Dying Fabric

While traveling in Oregon, I found a lot of berries ripening and thought about all the natural dying process that are being used with natures bounty.  Right now where I am staying on the Oregon Coast the  Huckleberries and Slala Berries are ready to be picked.  I picked some of the Huckleberries to eat on my pudding, they produced  beautiful red purple juice, and very tasty. The Slala Berries are very tart - it is a berry that is found everywhere in the Northwest and was discovered by Lewis and Clark and there are drawing of them in their diaries. The Native Indians used them for cooking, but I decided not to eat any of them.

Berries cooking in the pot on stove.

The 3 fabrics I got from berry dying.

First, I looked up on the Internet how to fix my fabric. I had brought with me, some PFD white fabric I was going to use.  The information said I could boil the fabric in salt, and that was what I had readily available. I think soda ash would have been better, but not available around here. Got me a big pot from the thrift store in town - this is a very small town - and began my task of fixing the fabric.  The next day I started with the Slala Berries, boiling and simmering them in a mesh bag I had available from my fruit. Strained it and boiled a piece of fabric and let it sit in the dye bath overnight.  In the morning, I began to rinse it and we had to leave to go canoeing. I let the fabric sit in the cold water.  Well, that seemed to bleach out most of the color, but I did get some nice variations in the fabric.  The next 2 days, I did 2 more pieces of fabric. With the Huckleberries I smashed the fabric down so it was completely covered in the dye bath and I got a nice solid piece of red purple.  The 3rd day I went back to the Slala Berries and did not soak it in the cold water, just rinsed it.  I got a color very similar to the Huckleberry fabric in color, but lots of variations in the fabric because I left peaks above the dye line.  All in all, a fun experience, but not something I will do again unless I find a different color foliage/berry.  I do have 3 nice pieces of hand-dyed green fabric.

Another Win

"Charlie - Ironworker"

Just got notified that my little quilt in the Labor Contest with Machine Quilting Unlimited placed 3rd.     My little quilt (these were an 8"x 10" requirement) was a tribute to my husband "Charlie - Ironworker".   I had a photo of him taken while working on a high rise building in Los Angeles and I printed it on fabric for this quilt.  I am very happy and excited  with this honor.  It will be printed in their September issue and it will be in their booth at Houston - where I can see it too, along with my Estuary. 

Playing with painting

After a watercolor class doing macros, I wanted to try this on fabric. I took close up photos of some dahlias and took out a center section.   Traced it onto cloth and painted with Seta Opaque paints. When quilting, I took my stitching out over the edge of the border and I think have a nice effect. 

Currently in Seaside, Oregon I am doing some more painting - if the sun comes out today and will post more later. 

Happy 4th!

Enjoying Sunriver - beautiful holiday. Rains have gone away and weather is nice a warm in the afternoon. Family coming shortly and we will be doing canoeing and biking for the next few days. 

Eagle and her baby

Deschutes River, Sunriver, Oregon

And... the horse wanted to pose for me!

Wild Blue Iris

Mt. Bachelor, Oregon from our camp