Saturday, July 24, 2010

Quilt Festival page #4 07-24-10

There are always a number of heron and egret quilts at any big show. The heron quilt I showed on "Page #1" is the best I have seen for some time. And here are some excellent egrets.
I'm sure people wonder at my weird gyrations when I'm trying to take pictures without casting my shadow in the spot lights. But no matter how hard I try they are sometimes unavoidable.

The maker surely intended this to appear to be a framed picture with a gold accent strip.

Very realistic feet on this guy.

Somehow, I see little animal faces in these rocks. Too many "Hidden Image" puzzles?
Posted by Picasa

Quilt Festival Long Beach Page #3 07-23-10

Things have gone from bad to worse!! Now my blog pages are huge and I can't change them back. Maybe I need to just give up on blogging until I have the new Dell laptop.
Anyway, I did go to Karey Bresenhan's reception this evening at the Hyatt, adjacent to the Convention Center. Cheese and crackers, lovely fresh fruit, crispy veggies and some dips. I saw a number of people I haven't seem for sometime, so it was nice. Not very long though - an hour and a half goes fast!
Here are a few more details that go with the previous post.

Posted by Picasa

Friday, July 23, 2010

Quilt Festival Long Beach Page #2 07-22-10

This is the quilt made by the ladies from Hanford and I think it is wonderful. They started out experimenting with paint on bubble wrap for mono printing and ended up incorporating the actual bubble wrap. Inspired!

It is a triptych - approximate width is 12" + 17" + 24" and they are all about 18"long.

Here are some details.


I can't figure out how to add any pictures to my blog posts. Any suggestions? The old way that says "Browse" and I can look in my Picasa files for the correct picture doesn't work anymore.
Posted by Picasa

Quilt Festival Long Beach Page #1 07-22-10

Uh Oh! I clicked to use the new "draft blogger" and now can't go back and can't add any pictures to this post. Oh, PLEASE, let me go back to the OLD way which I know best! So, only four pictures tonight from QFestival/LBeach. I'll work on posting more tomorrow.
Another long day for me with a morning of doctoring, a drive to LBeach where I had to take a little rest with Corky before heading off for the Convention Center. Because of my current bodily problems I have a handicap parking sticker and the underground parking lot closest to the Convention Center main entrance (with an elevator that goes to level 4 where I wanted to be so I didn't have to attempt any stairs) is entirely devoted to vehicles with handicap tags. So, if you don't have a tag, bring a non-quilting handicapped person and park them in the lobby with a good (fat) book!
Tonight was preview night so the show floor was open from 5pm until 9. I arrived about 6pm and left at 8pm when I ran out of steam. I have a ticket for tomorrow so I can look at some more quilts and hopefully visit with friends I run into and some people I don't even know yet! But I imagine I will have only a few hours of stamina. I'd like to go back for Karey Breshenan's SAQA event, but the proper address to RSVP is lost in the ether, courtesy of Fujitsu. Can anyone supply me with the RSVP address? I could try sending a message to Karey or Vicky, but I imagine they have better things to take care of!!
There were few people looking at the quilts. Of course, the space is so vast that it would take a lot of lookers to FILL it, but people were few and far between. Since this show is in my own 'backyard' I started running into friends before I even got in the door! It is always great to see familiar faces - even if I can never remember anyone's name. Some nice ladies I met when I did a program in Hanford, CA., were looking for the "West Coast" exhibit which I found later directly in front of the entrance - I hope they found it and saw their excellent three person/three panel quilt. I took pictures and will post later. I wonder if it is for sale? I like it a lot.
Here is the one quilt that blogger would let me post tonight and it is a great one.

As you see, it won first place last October in the Art-Pictorial category. But it doesn't say it is a two-sided quilt. Equally gorgeous from either side. It measures approx. 38"W x 70"L.

This is the front.


And here is the back showing the quilting in proper colors.

And a closeup of those elusive Koi under the lily pads.

Posted by Picasa

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Victorian Ladies 07-21-10

A VERY long day today. Starting with the periodontist, stops at office of my G.P. and the Auto Club. Then I deserved a special treat and went to "Paris in a Cup" for lunch. These ladies came in about when I had finished my baked potato soup, tea sandwiches and cookies, but I was still sipping my tea.
I explained to them that a few weeks ago the Book Group had been seated at 'their' table and told them how elegant they all were. The lady in the center with her eyes closed was wearing the perfect hat for the shape of her face, her lovely dark hair and a dress that looked more Edwardian to me. Most elegant. The soup of the day was chilled
Strawberry -Peach. I avoided the strawberries and had the Baked Potato offering.

The lady on the left was most helpful in telling me about the group they belong to: "The Victorian Tea Society" which is associated with the Centennial Heritage Museum on Santa Ana, CA.. Although these ladies were having an independent tea date, the group hosts special afternoon tea several times a year. The lady on the right, who looks as though she must be related to the Queen (so elegant) provided a business card from the Society so I can check it out further. http://www.centennialmuseum.org/vts/index.htm

They thought it would be appropriate, since I was be-hatted, to have a group picture including a lady in a very modern colored hat. This was taken by Shanna our waitress, who also served the Book Group last month.

It was a nice break in my day as I had an afternoon appointment with my dentist, had my haircut (two weeks late for my once a month vow), stopped for gas, shopped at Trader Joe's and came home for a nap. Too long a day for this old girl. And now I am up prowling in the middle of the night again. I may try for a visit to the Quilt Festival in Long Beach tomorrow (well, later today, Thursday, would be more accurate).
Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

A Lovely Board Meeting 07-20-10

I haven't served as a board member for any group for many years. At one point in my life I was on a number of boards, all at the same time, and I usually hated it. I frequently enjoyed the job I was doing, but attending the "bored meetings" was torture. So, finally, I decided I wouldn't do it. But when Surfside Quilters Guild was formed I told Nancy Ota that I would do any job she needed me to do, but I preferred being Newsletter Editor. So, here I am going into the second year at that position. But the Board Meetings are not "bored", mainly because Nancy Ota kept things moving and our new president, Sharon Whelan, is trying to keep up with Nancy's style.
One thing that makes the meetings enjoyable is that they are held in the lovely home of Nancy B., our secretary. She lives on the north end of San Clemente, which cuts my drive by a few miles, and is a gracious hostess - always prepared. Today's meeting was a pleasure.

Nancy has decorated her house with 'beachy' themes and cool colors. Monica, philanthropy co-chair is reflected in a white framed mirror in the living room.

Nancy B., Kathie B., Barbara C, and Mary G. visit after the meeting was adjourned.

Joann B, Ardie C and Jan H. settling business before leaving.

This lovely lady is "January", a Guide Dog puppy-in-training who lives with Nancy B. and her husband. I was amused by how much she was taken with Mary G's. sandled feet - shouldn't have been anything unusual since Nancy B. is usually in sandals. "January" was recently spade and I wanted to sit down and have a sympathetic snuggle with her, but that is not acceptable for puppies-in-training. I admire people who raise these puppies, I could never do it, regardless of the worthy cause. I fall in love too deeply and would be unable to give up the puppy when the time came. Maybe that is, in part, because I have never been a Mommy.
Of course, it is the lovely ladies who serve on the Board that make the meetings agreeable. I'm so happy to be in such a great group. They make the one-hour drive worthwhile.
Posted by Picasa

Monday, July 19, 2010

Reality Photos 07-19-10

Members of Surfside Quilters Guild are having their individual pictures taken at the meetings to be included in a membership directory. I am not surprised at how many ladies resist having their picture taken, I do the same thing. Somehow, we never look as we think we should. Even though others look at our picture and instantly recognize us.
I think we take pictures of everyday things and are disappointed because they don't fit the image we had at the time we looked through the viewfinder. One of the joys of digital is being able to 'correct' the picture on the computer. Several hundred years into the future will viewers wonder that all our sunsets are perfect, the grass is greener, the sky more blue, and everything is aligned and squared up? Although I don't think a photo is as good as a drawing to help focus on what we are really seeing, I think that looking critically at pictures on my computer monitor is a good way to better see what I was looking at. The picture above is of a beautiful Long Beach sunset! Corky and I went to California Pizza Kitchen for takeout and waited an interminable time (and two phone calls) for curbside delivery. Meanwhile, the sun was going down behind us and reflecting in the restaurant window in front of us. Although I was seeing the sunset, I was also noticing all the reflections. Now, if I can only learn how to turn off the camera flash I will get a better shot next time.
Half of a Bar-B-Q chicken salad and a pear/Gorgonzola pizza. Yummy.
Posted by Picasa

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Quilt from Visions Challenge 07-18-10

People get confused about Visions, not realizing that there are three parts that compliment each other and offer several windows into contemporary quilts/art quilts. There is the biennial International Quilt Visions exhibit, juried from hundreds of submission from around the world. Quilt Visions - 2010 will open in October at the Oceanside (California) Museum of Art for a four month run. There is the Visions Art Quilt Gallery in San Diego which has changing exhibits about every three months. And there is the volunteer organization Visions which offers the members opportunities to exhibit their quilts at the gallery and encourages this by sponsoring challenges for the members. Even if you live a great distance from San Diego, you can help support the work of promoting art quilts by being a Visions member and you can participate in the challenges. http://www.quiltvisions.org/
"Fantasy Flowers I" Julia Zgliniec - Poway, CA 12" square

I was fortunate to visit the Gallery soon after the "Fantasy Flowers" challenge quilts were hung in the foyer, so I had almost first pick of these inventive works. When I chose this one I didn't know who the maker was, so I was delighted and surprised to learn it was made by Julia, a friend of some years and the appraiser I use for the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection and for my own quilts.

Combining the colorfully dotted Australian fabric with the 'bubble' quilting in black thread gives this work both depth and motion.
Julia has backed the quilt with the same fabric and added a computer printed label giving all of her information.
Posted by Picasa