Friday Feet 12-29-17

Friday feet for the New Year 2018

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Wordless Wednesday on a Thursday 12-28-17

I think I am really losing it - I can't seem to keep the days straight.  Since the trash collector came today my brain tells me it is Wednesday  But I guess the calendar is correct!

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Del's Quilts Ghost Gums 12-27-17

Here is another Del quilt.  This one was created in an Empty Spools Seminars Ruth McDowell class in 2005.  One of about half a dozen or so quilts from her classes that I have actually finished and quilted.  I have quite a few finished tops that I have never had the nerve to quilt.  The top picture (the full quilt) is on a background of ecru because it is so narrow I think it needs the background wall showing.   This one belongs to a collector in Pacific Grove, CA. 

 

"Ghost Gums"  Del Thomas 2005  10"W x 50"L

Cotton fabrics, thread, batting.  Pieced and quilted by home machine.

Ghost Gums are the tall light colored trunks of certain species of eucalyptus trees.  In the wild they tower up above the surrounding shorter trees and glow in the moonlight.

"Ghost Gums" DETAIL  Del Thomas 2005  10"W x 50"L

These oak and maple leaves would not be under a gum tree, just consider them dirt and leaves - it is the texture I was going for.

 

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KoKo's Christmas treat 12-25-17

KoKo had a special doggie treat today that was sent by Lisa Yoder in San Diego. 

Not sure with this first bite, but "Oh, yes... mmmmm!"

 

He will get the second half tomorrow.  Gotta watch his weight.

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Merry Christmas Morning 12-25-17

Wishing you all a lovely Christmas Day.   Del and KoKo

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Favorite Things 12-23-17

This is one of my favorite things I have found on the Internet.  Turn up the sound so you can hear the rain at the beginning.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c9-poC5HGw 

There is such a vast array of faces in all colors and ages; and they mostly look so happy.

And here is another favorite thing.

 

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Friday Feet - Re-visited 12-22-17

Zebra Feet - no zebras were sacrificed to make these fabulous shoes, worn specially for a grand occasion. At Solare, San Diego 08-24-13

 

 

Boy, the rest of us are a bunch of plain Janes. She who moves gets blurry feet!

Del's Quilts - Traditional 12-21-17

This is the quilt that is on my bed now.  I suppose it is a Christmas quilt because it is all red, white, and green.  I drew the block design myself, so I don't know if it has a name.  I just call it the Red and  Green quilt!   But it is similar to Bright Hopes. 

 

"Red & Green Quilt"  Del Thomas  Jan 1997  69"W x 101"L

 

It is composed of these two blocks, which are cut from scraps and yardage in my fabric library.  The hardest to find were the medium reds, some are more pink that I liked, but I was desperate. 

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Wordless Wednesday - 12-12 -09

 

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Views from drones 12-119-17

Drones are giving us unique views of our world. 

 

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/best-drone-photos/gallery/?utm_source=k1&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=test&kwp_0=444811&kwp_4=2213272&kwp_1=925040

 

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An early Christmas gift for KoKo 12-18-17

When we visited Santa at PetSmart we also stocked up on treats, dog food and bought a new bright red leash for the Holidays.  And we found an interesting new toy for KoKo.

 

 

Rooster is 16" long and has a squeaker in each foot, in his body and also in his neck.

FOUR squeakers.

KoKo loved it and tore around the house making it squeak.

Really a great toy with squeakers and those floppy legs.

By bedtime KoKo had killed all but one of the squeakers. But he brought Rooster to bed with him, sandwiched between me and his head.  Rooster looks a little bemused, eh? 

 

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Re-visiting some hat quilts 12-17-17

Here are two of the hat quilts in TCQC

Originally posted on Sunday, September 28, 2008   

For thirty years (give or take a year) I have worn hats. I grew up in a time when ladies hats were still popular and I always liked them. Sometime in the 70s I was diagnosed with Rosacea, a facial skin condition that is aggravated by sunlight. I started wearing hats when I was outside, but when I went somewhere I would take them off and then forget them. Ultimately, I had hats all over town. So, I decided that I would wear a hat ALL of the time, day or night, outdoors or in. That way I wouldn't be losing my hats all the time. As time went by, that turned out to be a good idea because ladies hats for sale are few and far between and I am always on the hunt to replace some of my worn out hats. I'd hate to be losing any. Because of my be-hatted status I have been gifted with several hat quilts and purchased these two.

"Lowanda Does Hollywood" Jean Ray Laury 2001 30.5W x 33.5L

There is a striking resemblance between Lowanda and myself, but Jean Ray did not use me as a model, even though we have known each other for years. In this quilt Jean has used many of the techniques she has taught over the years -- silk screen printing, Thermofax printing, hand drawing, hand painting, foiling, piecing and machine quilting.

A very special quilt for me, made by an artist I have always respected.

"Mad Hattery" 1999 41.5" square

Pamela Jenner, Barbara Cannon, Michele Lecrivain of Santa Clarita, CA

This is a whole cloth quilt with the design applied with permanent fabric pens and markers, crayons, and fabric paint. Machine pieced and quilted. I bought it at an auction to raise money for Breast Cancer Research. I was never able to locate any of the makers to ask further questions or to tell them I had purchased the quilt. I am always interested in connecting modern art quilts to the quilting traditions of the past - what a long journey it has been for whole cloth quilts over the last 200+ years.

KoKo visits Santa 12-16-17

It was a festive day at PetSmart in Brea.  They offered free pictures of one's pet with Santa and he is a really good "natural" Santa.  Apparently he is the dog trainer at the store, so he has a good rapport with the four legged shoppers.  

 

KoKo had a bath this morning with a thorough brushing afterward and we were off to see Santa.  Nobody in line, so we were the next up following two darling French Bulldogs who were very photogenic.  But not, of course, as darling as KoKo.

 

Merry Christmas to all of you from Del and KoKo!

 

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Friday Feet 12-15-17

 

First Blogged 7-15-11

 

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A Rental Car 12-14-17

Several weeks ago when I was returning from San Diego in stop and go traffic, the lady behind me forgot to stop.  She didn't hit me very hard, but we did the right thing and moseyed over to the right and got off at the next exit.  It looked to me like just paint scrapes, but she had lost her front license plate and the screws were embedded in my bumper.  So, we exchanged info and she called her mother while we were doing that.  The mother wanted to talk to me and told me they would pay to repair the damage without going through the insurance company.  So, okay.  But it took me a few days to get estimates.  I called her and told her they would have to replace the bumper, so the cost would be $1,083.00!  Seems like a lot, but the estimates were all about the same and I wanted to take it to some place convenient for me.  I did that yesterday and called Enterprise Rentals because I am uncomfortable being without a car.  The body shop thinks it will be ready on Friday and I am really hoping that will happen. 

 

The rental is a Hyundai which I have thought are good looking cars, but I wouldn't want to own one.  And now I KNOW I don't want to own one.  First of all, I am used to tall car (my Lexus 330RX) and with my bad hips I have a hard time getting in and out of a low car.  Open the door, turn around and lower my butt to the seat, then struggle to lift both my legs over the door sill and swivel to face forward.  Same getting out.  It is a struggle.  Secondly, I am used to a tall car (Lexus, etc.) and in this Hyundai I am so low that the lights coming at me and those in my mirrors are right in my face so I felt like I was about half blind.  Guess I will be home before the sun goes down about 4:30pm tomorrow night!  Thirdly, it is soooo noisy, more road noise than I am used to and a sort of tinny feeling to go along with it.  I read a list of the cars with the most fatal accidents and this car was on the list.  Whoa!  

 

On the good side it is a festive Christmas red which matches my habit of wearing red during December.  It has a display panel that shows the time, date, day of the week - handy for a forgetful old broad like me.  My first car was red, the only red one I have owned.  It was a 1956 Mercury convertible which I drove everywhere with the top down.  That was before I wore a hat all the time and I had to stop at a convenience store to buy a straw hat when I went out in the desert.  I tied in down with a scarf - I wasn't lovely, but my brains didn't fry. 

 

One should have these adventures once in a while, just to find out how others live, I guess!

 

I went down to sit with Bette today and met her very nice doctor.  Bette is in hospice, but she still has a grip like a wrestler.  Ouch!  I'll try to go down tomorrow again.  She told me today that she is going to get better.  From her lips to God's ear! 

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Wordless Wednesday 12-13-17

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Those sad times come more frequently. 12-12-17

I went to sit with my friend Bette Bradley for an hour today.  I probably shouldn't refer to her as "my" friend as she is actually everyone's friend.  Such a great lady, always with a good word and a smile.  She is 93 and has been in a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) for the past few weeks.  She fell in her bathroom and damaged her tailbone.  And I have been told that her body is just shutting down.  She is on a lot of pain medication, because she has a lot of pain.  But she knows who I am and grips my hand with strength, so much so that I winch! 

I have sat with people in declining health before and I have been in a coma myself, though many decades ago.  At that time they used oxygen tents, a plastic structure that enclosed the entire patient, coming down on all sides of the bed.  When I would rouse a little I would think I was inside of a huge ice cube and it was very cold.  But sometimes there would be a  hand reaching under the tent to hold my hand in her warm one.   I don't know if I would have died, but I know that her hand was a life line.  And I have always felt that without that hand I might have just drifted away.  Bette is not in the same situation, but I just know that having someone there when you wake up, even just a little bit, is a good and welcome thing.  So, I will go and sit with her as much as I can.  Her daughter is there to tend to all the business and arrangements and spends as much time as she can with her mother.  But she can't be there all the time and I hope to fill in the gaps as much as I can. 

I don't want her to go, but if it is her time, then I would like to make her as comfortable as I can.  It is the last gift I can give her. 

 

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Re-visiting a quilt by Terry Grant 12-09-17

This is a copy of the post for June 6, 2010.  I continue to admire Terry's work and her blog is a treasure http://andsewitgoes.blogspot.com  I will continue to read it and purchase her quilts when I can. 

 

Sunday, June 6, 2010

 

 

"Laurel" Terry Grant 2008 12"W x 12"L

Terry's techniques and style appeal to me and I find her pieces so very tempting. There are several of her 12X12 Group works that I would love to add to TCQC. I don't see this quilt as a Christmas quilt (I don't do Christmas any longer), but as a tree quilt - it fits into my continuing fascination with trees. Terry wrote about this quilt twice in her blog. You can read those posts at:

http://andsewitgoes.blogspot.com/2008/11/sunday-sunday.html http://andsewitgoes.blogspot.com/2008/10/critique.html

You can see that she has used colored pencils or some other technique to give the berries dimension. The color here is not true, but I retook the photos hoping to have a better representation. No luck.

 

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This post was when I started showing the backs of the quilts and sometimes details of the labels. 

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Friday Feet 12-08-17

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Del's quilts 12-07-17

"Shy Camel"  Del Thomas  2004  Approx 12"Wx8"L

Cotton fabric, cotton batting.  Fused, edge stitched, machine pieced and quilted.

 

I made quite a few little quilts in the early 2000s with different animals on them.  This has always been one of my favorites and I still have it.  But I can't locate it right now.  There is a little poem I wrote on the back, I'll quote it some other time. 

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Wordless Wednesday 12-06-17

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Re-visiting a Bodil Gardner quilt from 10 years ago 12-03-17

I always enjoy Bodil's quilts and have previously posted several that have been shown at PIQF (check the sidebar for her name). She has such a sense of whimsy and an great eye for color.  This quilt came from the SAQA 2007 online auction.

 

"Lady with a Mug"  Bodil Gardner - Denmark  12"x12"  2007

Mostly cotton fabric.  Machine appliqued and quilted

She did not title the quilt, so I added my choice.

 

 

The dress fabric appears to be a recycle.

 

                            Bodil often includes a mug in her quilts - seems to fit almost anywhere.

She covers every edge with satin stitch.

A very sparse label, but it at least has her e-mail address.

There are two short "sleeves" instead of one that goes the width. 

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No blogging! 12-03-17

 

Only for one night.  I will be in SDiego for a meeting tomorrow and another on Monday morning.  But I haven't replaced my laptop yet, so I won't have a way to blog.  KoKo will stay with Nancy Ota and he is all bathed and trimmed this week in case she wants to take him visiting! 

 

 

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Lunch at the Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens 12-01-17

Four friends met at Roger's Gardens in Newport Beach to gawk at all the lovely things on display and to have lunch at the Farmhouse restaurant.  What a great day it was.  Roger's Gardens has about everything anyone might need to decorate their home or garden.  The Christmas decorations are amazing - they feature the Radko glass tree ornaments, which have their own room.  There are dozens of decorated trees with fabulous themes.  I especially enjoyed the seaside tree with shells, mermaids, fish, etc.  But I don't do a tree anymore, so it was just looking not buying.  The nursery offerings are just amazing and very colorful no matter what time of year.  We had lunch at the Farmhouse - my choice was the salmon salad which was delicious.  I took pictures of the desserts because they were all so tempting.  It was a beautiful sunshiny day and the temperature was just right to dine outdoors. 

 

Del, Patti, Monica 

 

Lemon Cheesecake.

Apple Crisp with vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate Rice Pudding.

Loved this Santa on a ceramic tray.

Violas in many colors.

The sign said "Our favorite winter flower" - cyclamen.

Cyclamen

Cyclamen with a fringe.

These baskets are lovely - $39.99.

The frilly white flower in the basket above.  I was sorely tempted, but I have lost my green thumb and can hardly keep succulents alive. 

 

It was a lovely day.

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