Friday Flowers 02-20-15

There are generally flowers all year round in Southern California, some years more than others.  There are a few dependable January blooms because people  continue to water their landscaping.   These photos are all from January 2006 in Long Beach, CA, but the same plants are blooming now. 

Bougainvillea

 

Bird of Paradise

Calliandra Haematocephala

Ramos House restaurant 02-19-15

 You can see the train tracks in the middle of this image.

Yesterday's  picture was taken at Ramos House in San Juan Capistrano, a lovely little outdoor place with unusual food.  It was almost too cool for me, but I managed a chair in the sun facing the railroad tracks.  Yes, it is right on the tracks at the SJCapistrano depot, so the trains come through regularly.  But they are not disruptive, actually rather interesting to me.   I didn't take pictures of my lunch, which was lox on toast, because it wouldn't have been much of a picture.  I also enjoyed a latte.  For some reason I am always interested in the other people sitting around me.  It is an eclectic bunch from young women in tattoos and long skirts, to business men in suits, to the "ladies who do lunch".  There always seems to be a group of women, of any age, celebrating a birthday with gifts and balloons.  The old house it occupies is in the original "town" of SJCapistrano and there are several museums, a lot of little shops and coffee places and adjacent is an interesting nursery and a petting zoo.  Nice place to spend an afternoon - you might even take the train down (or up) and back. 

Wordless Wednesday 02-18-15

 

#   #   #



One little block 02-17-15

Having not done much sewing for the past year I am inordinately proud of having completed a block for the outgoing Surfside Quilters Guild President's quilt.  The theme of the quilt, chosen by the outgoing President, is Hawaiian Christmas.  I have made many blocks for President's quilts in the past 30, or so, years and a number of them have been hats, starting with the first one in 1982.  All of the blocks have been small, this one is 5" finished.

 

 

My original intent was to fasten a very small silk poinsettia on the hat band, but I couldn't find one (although I know I have a garland of them somewhere), so I switched to tiny yoyos and think I like them better.

I'm not so sure of my applique skills these days, so I used Ruth McDowell''s piecing method, with which I am very familiar.   And I used the back side of the brim fabric for the inside of the brim.

 

Signature required, of course and this is how I always sign blocks.

Monday Browsing 02-16-15

Beautiful solo ballet sequence:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/10/sergei-polunin-hozier_n_6655920.html

Knitting for penguins:  

http://features.aol.com/video/sweet-109-year-old-knits-sweaters-penguins?icid=maing-grid14%7Cmain5-article%7Cpopular-videos-5min-main%7Csec1_lnk1%7C531617

 Bad passwords:  http://splashdata.com/press/worst-passwords-of-2014.htm

Diedra Adams quilts in Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection 02-15-15

Last fall Deidre Adams had seven quilts in a series hanging in the Alcove Gallery at Visions Art Museum in San Diego.  They were awesome all hanging together, but I couldn't afford all of them, so settled on "Tracings VI and VII".  Fortunately, all of the quilts were sold from the gallery and Deidre was very pleased.  And I am pleased that I was there first and was able to buy the two I like best.  I usually don't hang them so close together, but I was photographing outdoors and didn't want to show bits of trees and awnings in between them.

 

"Tracings VI" and "Tracings VII"  Deidre Adams, 2014  each is 22"Wx 59.5"L

Cotton fabric, paper, paint,  machine applique and reverse applique, machine pieced and quilted, faced binding. 

Bits of paper with printing in many different languages.

Some of the paper is cut away to show what is underneath.

Hand dyed or painted cotton fabric was used.

The quilting was done before the paint was applied

.

The backs on all the quilts are different.

She faced the quilts using this funny Christmas ornament fabric which, of course, doesn't show from the front. 

 

 Nice clear labels so that interested parties can get in touch, but no dates or sizes. 

 

#   #   # 

 

Valentine's Treats 02-14-15

This is a little corny!  But all day I have been thinking about Valentine's candy.  But when I looked through my photos these are all I could find. 

 

Chocolates from Charles Chocolate in San Francisco. 

 

Fabric on the back of Kay Laboda's quilt "Charlie, the Chocolate Lab."

Best of all a whole tray of tiny treats served at a gallery opening. 

 

Hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day - chocolate or no. 

#   #   #