Displaying quilts 05-15-10

I cannot hang very many quilts in my house at one time - about four medium to large works and about the same number of small pieces. SAQA contacted me to ask if I would share the ways I display the 12" X 12" quilts from the auction. At my house I hang two or three vertically. But at Corky's houses in Long Beach and Havasu I can hang six in a row horizontally.

Hanging Left to right: Chris Hansen, Linda Colsh, Kristen LeFlamme, Natalya Aikens, Linda Colsh, Joan Sowada. This is an upstairs wall that faces onto the opening of the two story living room, but it is hard to get back very far because of the short wall (or is it a banister) that protects the drop into the first floor. The office is also open so I was standing by one of the desks to take the picture.

It is hard to describe, so here is an image taken from the other end of that wall and I am standing with my back to the windows that look out on Marine Stadium. You can see Corky's "boat" bed at the end of the wall just before the six steps down to the bedroom level.

There are many windows in this house, so, except for this wall, there are no walls to hang large quilts. However, there is no way to stand back to look at larger quilts hung here. I do hang some medium, horizontal quilts here - everyone loves to look at Ruth McDowell's "Fort Morrison Jerseys".

I spent the afternoon and evening with Corky today, so I am all stocked up with his unconditional loving. We went to California Pizza Kitchen for drive-up/take-out and also filled up with gas at the local Arco station. He loves these little trips where he stares at everyone and everything. He has always been a happy traveler.

A new addiction. 05-14-10

I am having computer problems again! I've had this Fujitsu for almost a year and it may be time to get a different computer - already. Now that I have managed to get online all I have to offer as a blog post is a site that is new to me and absolutely riveting. If I could just stay on long enough I would be glued to this 24/7! Check it out:

http://www.ustream.tv/hummingbirdnestcam

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Dinner with the teacher 05-13-10

Del Thomas and Sally Collins at Cedar Creek Inn, San Juan Capistrano, CA.

Yesterday after the workshop everyone was invited to join Sally for dinner, but only four of us could make it. It is not something I get a chance to do very often because I don't take many workshops. It was a lovely meal in lovely company - we sat on the patio and the weather was just perfect. Sally is speaking this evening at Beach Cities QGuild, but I couldn't go. And she will be giving at least one workshop for that guild, so she will have her fill of Orange County quilters.

(I am wearing one of my hand-screened Rayna Gillman scarves.)

Linda Morand (California) identified the ground cover in the images I posted on Monday as Dymondia margretae or "Silver Carpet". In case any of you wondered!

Workshop with Sally Collins 05-12-10

I don't take a lot of workshops these days - usually just my annual two weeks at Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, CA. But Sally Collins is in Orange County this week lecturing and teaching at both Surfside Quilters Guild and Beach Cities Quilters Guild and Sally is on my list of programs and workshops not to miss, no matter how many times I may have heard her. She is an amazing quiltmaker who does everything with great precision and is able to share her techniques in a way that I 'get it'. She is also a gracious and elegant lady. The workshop today was strictly no-sew and all paying attention and taking notes - it was terrific. Although I have all of her books there is something about hearing her explanations and seeing her little 'demos' on a felt board or white board and actual cutting of templates that makes it all register in my brain a little better. I highly recommend Sally's programs, her workshops, her books and her friendship!

Sally in her workshop talking about and demonstrating quarter square triangles.

"Circle of Stars" Approximately 10" square. The distortion in this image and the others below are due to the camera angles and the ineptitude of the photographer.

The following three quilts are the best pictures I took while her quilts were being held up on stage at the meeting yesterday. Unfortunately, I have no names or sizes on these. They are all among the largest she makes - maybe 36" to 46" - I will try to find further information about them to add here later.

She uses border prints to great advantage. She told us she only buys Jenny Beyer's designs because they are accurate in their repetition.

Although I saw this quilt in-the-fabric yesterday and today, I still have a hard time accepting that the tiny, on-point half-square triangles are only half an inch. And some even smaller.

And the tiniest diamonds you have ever seen make up the eight-pointed stars in this quilt.

http://www.sallycollins.org/

Ideal ground cover? 05-10-10

Around this street tree in front of Sherman Gardens I found the ideal ground cover! Only I don't know what it is. I've spent some hours looking through pictures of ground covers - to no avail. Do any of you super gardeners know the name?

The trees are small and not very dense, so the ground cover must get a lot of sun.

The underside of the leaves is grey/white and there are small composite yellow flowers.

We also saw it growing in this front yard patio area where it is walked on.

And also under this small tree on the other side of the walkway in the same garden. This side, obviously, doesn't receive a lot of traffic. Corona del Mar is right on the coast, so year round it is at least ten degrees cooler than where I live - also much more humid. Any ideas?

05-13-10 Linda Morand (California) identified this plant as Dymondia margretae or "Silver Carpet". Thanks, Linda, I will see if I can grow it in my walkway which has both shade and hot sun.

Framed roses from TCQC 05-09-10

"A Bowl of Roses" Wilda Northrup 2005 (unframed 21" square)

I am a great admirer of Wilda's work and added this piece to the Collection without considering the display and storage problems posed by a framed work. It is not quilted, but simply hand appliqued, matted and framed. I have retouched the picture above to try to remove the light reflections on the glass and you can see the places I have reworked where they bleed into the mat. Using non-reflective glass diminishes the clarity of whatever it covers, so I don't think that is a solution. Because it is framed I will never show this piece in one of the programs I do.

Wilda cuts the shapes from print fabric, turns the edge as she appliques and doesn't worry about multiple layers - she doesn't cut out behind each appliqued piece. I am still astonished that she also doesn't worry that little bits of the background of the printed fabrics show around the edges. I never see them until I get very close to the work and then I think of all the broiderie pers that I have done where I slaved over turning under any indication of the original background. A waste of time and effort I now think. This image is also slightly retouched, but I haven't tried to eliminate all the reflections (on the top center edge and the left center edge).

A watercolor artist and a quiltmaker, Wilda lives on the Monterey Peninsula and has occasional exhibits of her quilts and her watercolors at Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove. Her "Sunflowers" quilt is also part of TCQC and was on my blog in 2008. http://delquilts.blogspot.com/search/label/Wilda%20Northrop