Other Voices 12-01-07

Here are two 'clips' from other blogs that you might find useful:
http://suebleiweiss.typepad.com/sueb/2007/12/no-reverse-appl.html
... tutorial on using Misty Fuse to create fused applique lettering.

For those of you having trouble posting a comment, this is from http://studio78notes.blogspot.com/
Rayna Gillman's blog post for 11-30-07:
Hey!! For all you non-blog spot or non-Google members who want to leave comments without being anonymous, try this: log in as anonymous but just sign your name at the end of your comment. That way, they can't getcha and they can't keep you out. And I, who HATES anon. comments, will be happy when I see who came to visit! Same for me! Del

"Raindrops on Roses.... " 11-30-07

Yes, Raindrops on Roses are indeed one of my favorite things. Especially today after going so long without rain - it finally came early this morning and rained gently all day. Beautiful! Of course, I had to go out and take some pictures to prove it, especially if we have to wait months and months for the next rain. I suppose 'no rain' is what the poor people in the burn areas are wishing for. It must take a lot of courage to leave your house because it is threatened by fire and then, only a month later, have to leave it again because it is threatened by mudslides. I couldn't do it, no matter how great the view is up on those hillsides.

I'll stay down here in the flat lands and enjoy the roses!

This last picture is of a raindrop on my jade plant. When I was editing the pictures I realized that there was a image in the raindrop, so I cropped about 7/8ths of the picture away and could see that there is a unside down reflection of the redwoods and deador trees in the park behind my house. I've seen pictures like this, but didn't realize my camera and Picasa2 could create one. Cool!

It was a good day to finish up the turkey soup and package it for the freezer and do a little sewing. I am soooo slow!

Background ready 11-29-07

Here is the background for a new quilt (approx. 24" x 42"), I hope to finish machine sewing the fused applique tomorrow. When that is done I will then apply more fused applique, sandwich the layers and do the actual quilting. It works best for me that way. It will be a sort of tongue in cheek quilt and maybe I am the only one who will 'get it', but I have to make it because I think it will be so very witty.

I bought this cone of Superior cotton thread at PIQF and it has been 'burning a hole in my thread drawer'! In reality it is a brighter green, but for some unknown reason when I send it from Picasa to Blogger the image becomes more muted. Anyone know why? At any rate, I think it is the perfect green for this quilt, although I will use several different threads at various stages.

The Book Group 11-28-07

The Book Group met tonight and all eight members were in attendance. That doesn't happen very often - someone is always traveling or having a family event or something. I have belonged to this group since 1977. Thirty years! Amazing. Three ladies are original members, so they have belonged for maybe thirty-two years - I'm not sure when the group first started meeting. There have been as many as twelve members and as few as seven. We have changed a lot over all those years. Babies have been born, grown up and wed. We have gotten fatter, thinner, smarter, older, divorced and retired. We have lost parents, husbands, siblings, children. We are not as scandalous as some book groups, nor as erudite as others. Each month the hostess chooses the book for the following month, so we have read everything from mysteries to 'literature' - even science fiction (not my favorite). The group has been a continuing thread in my life and I know that I could go to any of the members if I needed help or comfort or advice.

We are meeting early in December, so we will have more than a month to read our book for January - Sara Gruen's "Water for Elephants". I read it last month and found it to be one of those books I couldn't put down. It is a great tale and beautifully written - I recommend it to you all.

Quilt in Auction 11-26-07

The Alliance for the American Quilt is in the third week of auctioning the "Put a Roof Over Our Heads" quilts and this is the week that my quilt "Tree House" is on the block - along with twenty-four other pieces. The auction started at midnight and the prices are already going up, up, up! Last week the final bid for the quilt by Pamela Allen was $1525.00!!

If you are interested in bidding, or just looking, go to:
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=Alliance+for+American+Quilts&category0=

I talked about "Tree House" in this blog at: http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=3236658054810119404&postID=6871030275455490644

Long Beach sunset 11-25-07

I thought there would be a wonderful sunset in Long Beach Saturday evening, with the smoke rolling out over the ocean. But no luck. So here is a photo taken some time ago. The water in the foreground is the Marine Stadium, which was created in 1932 for the rowing events of the Xth Olympiad. It is still a site for rowing practice and competitions, and is open for watersking, but not 'personal watercraft' or sailing. Corky, the Poodle Prince has lovely water views from both of his houses, but he is indifferent. However, everyone else enjoys them.

Xmas palm 11-24-07

I don't know why I was surprised to see so many Xmas lights when I drove to LBeach this evening. I always admire these palm trees lit from below, but they are even more dramatic with their trunks wrapped with strings of white mini-lights. Too bad the spot lights wash out the twinkle.