Happy Mother's Day and stuff 05-07-11

 
I hope you all have a lovely Mother's Day.

Yesterday's foot belongs to Elizabeth Barton.   I have some other "famous feet", but the pictures were taken before I had a digital camera.  Someday I will resurrect those pictures and scan them into my computer. 

I don't take many magazine these days.  Not just because I'd like to reduce the amount of trash I add to the world, but because I can't seem to part with them.  I still have full years of QNM, American Quilter, Threads, etc., which I rarely even dust anymore.  But last year I started taking the Machine Quilting Unlimited magazine and have enjoyed it a lot.  The newest issue, for May 2011, is full of great article by quilters I respect and admire.  I especially enjoyed the article by Jenny Bowker about her "Starter Scrap Quilting".  But there are also articles by Joan Sowada, Eileen Doughty, Carol Taylor, and others.   Editor Kit Robinson is doing a good job - Thanks!

Oh, I forgot yesterday to say that it was my 1300 post on this Blog.  Amazing.

Friday Feet 05-06-11

This is a famous foot that I photographed in 2006 when I took a class with this great quilt maker.

Christine commented that she has designed a paper pieced block that is a match to this foot:
http://winnowings.blogspot.com/2009/10/put-sock-in-it.html

A Quilt From the Past 05-05-11

When I was looking for a certain picture in my vast photo files I came across these pictures of a quilt I made in 2006. I'm not quite sure where it is, somewhere on my storage shelves. Not my most successful effort and I am not exactly sure why. Partially it is the color values. And maybe my idea of making a floating fence wasn't the best design decision. The idea came from the snow fences I saw across Montana and Wyoming while on a road trip. They, of course, are not bright red, but usually beige or brown, they blend into the green/yellow/beige grasses of that wide open country and sometimes appear to be floating.   I hope to get back to quilt making this summer and maybe I will dig this one out and try some "revisions".

"Red Fence" Del Thomas 2006 40"W x 32"L

The background was pieced using Ruth McDowell's techniques. I sandwiched the layers, quilted the entire background and added the binding. I've used this method for quite a few years and was surprised to recently hear that it had just been "invented". There is nothing new under the sun, eh?  After all this was done I fused on the fence and stitched around the raw edges.

I used my "floppy flower/floppy sun" quilting for the sky and "perspective" lines for the ground.

 
Not a fancy label, but it says what it needs to.  I sometimes do labels on the computer, but I find that hand printing them is faster. 

Wordless Wednesday 05-04-11

Let's Do Lunch 05-03-11

Geraniums at Norma Jane's Restaurant  03-26-11

Lunch today with my friend Toni at Norma Jane's restaurant (where I had dinner last Tuesday).  Toni is one of those friends that I might not talk with for months, but when we get together again we just pick up where we left off.   Our original connection was through quilt making, but Toni now is spending more time on her violin and hasn't much time for quilting.  But it doesn't matter, she is still interested and I am always interested in hearing about her music and what is happening in her life. .
 
At seventy-two I am still trying to figure out friendships - in all their variations.  Why is it easier to make friends with one person rather than another?  I have known ladies for thirty years and don't feel any closer to them now than when I met them.  And with others there is an instant rapport that continues regardless of time or distance.  I always feel terrible and guilty when someone "drops" me and I don't know why.  It would be painful, but it would be over more quickly, if we could just tell someone the truth about ending a friendship.  Don't you think?  I once called a friend six months in advance to invite her to a program I was giving and her response stopped me cold.  Without hesitation she said, "I won't have time.".  What could I say?  Something like, "I'm sorry.  If you change your mind give me a call."  She has never called and I still miss her in my life.  I always admire people who are still friends with people they met in kindergarten.  Why can't I do that?   I always think it is my fault, but have no solution.  I can only think of about five people who I don't want to be friends with and I don't think they want to be friends with me. 

No Pictures Please 05-02-11

Corky used to love having his picture taken, he was such a ham.  But lately he has decided that enough is enough.

He looked so cute next to this bed of Mexican Evening Primrose (Oenothera berlandieri).

 

Ducking.

Twisting.

Catch my profile.

Right now with the hot weather the Mexican Evening Primroses are out in clouds of blooms - they are very dependable, but also terribly invasive.  This flower bed started with a pony pack of six tiny plants.

 

 

The flowers are a very delicate pink with slightly darker lines on the petals.

Quilt from TCQC by Sue Dennis of Australia 05-01-11

For the next month or so I will be showing quilts in the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection that were purchased from the SAQA online auctions.

"Concurry Flinder's Grass"  Sue Dennis - Queensland, Australia  2006  12"X12"

Cotton fabric, paint, machine applique and quilting.

Cloncurry is the name of a town and a shire in the north west of Queensland - the town has a population of less than 3000 and the main industry is cattle raising.
Flinders grass is a drought-resistant pasture grass (Iseilema membranacea) native to inland regions of Australia and used as fodder.

I am not familiar with Sue's techniques, but this appears to be printed on the background fabric with actual grass and leaves (eucalyptus) using paint of some kind.  The edges of the impressions are very crisp - I wonder how she achieves that.  She has used red thread to outline quilt some grasses and also added some free hand lines to emphasize the grass.
 

The three squares are made of the same red fabric as the binding and are very precisely stitched with machine satin stitch.

A very simple label that just gives the basics.

 

I'm not sure I would have purchased this quilt if I had seen this unique Australian fabric on the back.  I don't KNOW they are spiders, but they LOOK like spiders and have eight legs - br-r-r-r.  Spiders are about the only thing I am afraid of and I get a creepy little chill whenever I see the back of this piece.  Oh, well, I like the front enough to endure the creeps once in a while! 
Two people have commented that these insects are honey ants, not spiders, and they have a "history" in aboriginal folklore.  See comments. 
A comment from Sue tells me that the technique she used here is direct printing with the foliage. See comments

http://suedennisartquilts.blogspot.com/

http://www.suedennis.com/