KoKo and Froggie 07-01-16

KoKo is still at Camp Del - until Tuesday, I think.  I took him with me to San Diego yesterday and he was such a good dog.  I picked up a sewing table that a quilter was giving away, visited Visions Art  Museum for a few minutes to introduce KoKo to the staff, and met my friend Andrea for lunch.  We went to a restaurant where dogs are welcome on the patio.  Andrea brought her dog Sadie who met KoKo a few weeks ago.  They got along just fine.  The only rough patch was just as we were leaving the patio and someone came in with a spaniel, KoKo just went nuts, he doesn't like any strange dogs.  All I can do is pick him up and get him out of sight. 

 

Froggie is not only a toy and playmate .....

...he also serves as a pillow when my feet are not available.

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Wordless Wednesday 06-29-16

 

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California Fibers exhibit in Oceanside 06-28-16

Saturday evening I went to the opening of the California Fibers exhibit at Oceanside Museum of Art.  There are some beautiful pieces on the walls, but there was also a mob of people, so I only have these five examples. 

 

The paper clips are what hold the ends of the cord to the overhead "base".

 

I expected they would tinkle like wind chimes, but the figures are soft - no tinkling.

 

Some of the walls were painted black which gives this piece a sort of glow.

Kathy's work is so different - unique.

 

I messed up the signs on these next two so have typed in the text.

Ashley V. Blalock "Keeping Up Appearances" 2016

Cotton Yarn   [Crocheted]

This is hung in a corner and goes from floor to ceiling.

 Linda Anderson  "Waiting" 2015

100% cotton, hand painted, Jacquard textile paints, bamboo batt, Machine stitched.

 

 

These are three artists' husbands waiting during an opening.  I met the fellow on the left, nice guy with a good sense of humor.

 

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Monday Browsing 06-27-16

I haven't had time for much browsing, but here are a few things of interest

This appears to be a fairly new textile festival in Canada which includes quilts:
http://www.worldofthreadsfestival.com/index.html

Britain was under wartime restrictions for years before the US joined the war in 1941.  After that the same restrictions were found in America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4RpJcVs1VI

NOT online, but Oceanside Museum of Art has just opened an exhibit from the group "California Fibers: Eclectic Threads"  and it is quite nice.  It is not a quilt exhibit, but shows many different kinds of fiber art.   Through Oct 9, 2016.

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Conversation on the Porch is the first quilt I purchased from Ruth, way back in 1994.  I think it is my favorite of all the Ruth quilts.  Of course, that is sort of like choosing one's favorite child, but this holds such a place in my heart.  Mostly because it is such a wonderful, expressive image, but  also because my late husband was one of three sons whose family went to the SCarolina beach in the summer, renting a "cottage" that had five rocking chairs on the screen porch overlooking the ocean.  The image of those three adult men with their parents all sitting and rocking is indelible in my mind.  They are all gone now, so all I have is memories and a few pictures.  And this amazing quilt.

"Conversation on the Porch"  Ruth B. McDowell  1993  54"W x 37.5L

Cotton fabrics, cotton batt, cotton thread.  Machine pieced and quilted.

 

All of the chairs are the same, but have been moved to overlap and show different positions.  The seats and chair backs are all the same fabric which Ruth has quilted with one of the fancy stitches on her sewing machine.  Notice the curved piecing on the porch which gives a sensation of motion and the extended values of the chair backs which does the same.  As she does sometimes, Ruth has inserted some traditional blocks referring back to the origins of her methods.  This quilt hangs frequently in my house and I miss it a lot when it goes traveling, as it has to Vermont this past week.

 

I hope you enjoyed a week of Ruth's quilts.  Congratulations to those of you who were able to go to Vermont for Quilt Festival and were lucky enough to hear Ruth's presentation. 

Thank you to those of you who have written and made comments on my blog, it has been fun "talking" to you about my favorite teacher and quilt maker.   

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http://delquilts.blogspot.com/2008/02/ruth-mcdowell-quilts-02-05-08.html