Saturday Stories - Long lost friends 03-17-18

Diane wonders why old friends suddenly pop into her mind without seeming to connect to anything that is currently happening.  When she was walking today she was thinking of her mother who died in Feb 1972 and suddenly she remembered a friend from 1959-9 who has no connection at all with her mother.   Her name is adrift and may come back, or not.  She was part of a group of friends in the Arcadia, CA, area who met at a Methodist Church meeting.  Yes, Diane was a Methodist back then and met a lot of her friends through the church.  We will call the friend Margot.  Margot was from Sweden and lived here with her family who had immigrated several years before.  She was tall, blonde, multi-lingual, and a lot of fun.  They went to the beach together, strutting their stuff on the sand and soaking up rays until they were bright red with sunburn - neither had the skin for California suntans.  

Margot was with her at the Long Beach party when she met Hank, her first really serious romance. And Margot was the rider in the first trip on the freeway when Diane got her driver's license. 
http://delquilts.blogspot.com/2017/05/satuday-stories-driving-05-13-17.html

What happened to Margot?  There is no memory of an end to the friendship, they just weren't in contact any longer.  But...  Why should she suddenly pop into Diane's head when she was thinking about her mother?  This jolt into her past happens infrequently, but she always wonders why.  And it makes her sad because she has such pleasant memories of the person who "visits" across the years. 

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Friday Feet 03-16-18

Who wears light-up shoes to a Visions Art Museum opening?

Why, Betty Busby, of course.  

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Cold and clear and I can talk! 03-15-18

The wind has been blowing and it was only 62F today - which seems HOT to many of you, but it is quite cool for March in SCalifornia.  I bundle up to take KoKo for his walks in the morning about 7am and evening about 6:30pm, it doesn't seem to faze the little guy.   I am talking without much talking and I even unloaded all the classroom things from Asilomar today.  I have not put them away, but they are actually in the house now.  

I frequently try to take his picture when we are walking, but he just cannot stay still and the pictures always come out blurred.  

In the evening when we go to bed he plants himself right up against me and rolls over for a tummy rub.  I can read and rub, but not take pictures very well.  You'll notice he has his eye on me, he is saying "stop with the pictures, more belly rub".

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Wordless Wednesday 03-14-18

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Sue Benner's "Flowers" class at Empty Spools Page Three 03-13-18

Here are the rest of the students' work from Sue Benner's Flower class at Empty Spools.

Donna Moog with her 1st project and four blocks completed for Project Two. 

 

Julene Robbins 1st project 

Eight blocks for Julene's second project, based on the colors of succulents. 

Sandy Hess 1st project at top with polka dot fabric which adds a sparkle.  And nine blocks for her 2nd project at the bottom.  

Jane Asquino's 1st project at top left and ten blocks for project #2.  At the very bottom right is a left over block from the first project. 

Ann Dembski's 1st project at top right and eleven blocks for project #2. 

 Carole Pirruccello's work.  From the top: the odd block from project #1, project #1, and ten blocks for Project #2.

Jan Sheets with five blocks for her second project and at the bottom the 1st project plus the extra block.   (great scarf may be one of Sue's) 

Janine Levin 1st project at top and (I think) 12 blocks for her 2nd project.  This is the way one auditions the blocks to see if they should be cut or left whole or some of each.  You slip them in and out behind and in front of each one.  It is stressful!

I hope you have enjoyed seeing what was done in our class and are encouraged to take one of Sue's classes.  She teaches in many locations across the country.  In the summer she is at Madeline Island School of Arts in Wisconsin.  www.madelineschool.com

They also offer classes in the winter in Tucson, AZ., and in New Mexico.  And she will be back to Empty Spools next winter/spring.  www.emptyspoolsseminars.com

Check out her website www.suebenner.com

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Sue Benner's "Flowers" class at Empty Spools Page Two 03-12-18

My brain wasn't "online" when I was taking pictures in the classroom, so they are all mixed up and require lots of searching and moving images around.  Guess I'm getting old, it isn't as easy as it once was!  Hope these make sense to you. 

These are my cut blocks before "mix and match".  With more experience I believe one could determine which rings work best and which need to be wider or thinner.  Many of us found that we were cutting too many rings that were the same circumference and didn't play well with others. 

Here are the circles the way I mixed them up. 

These are the scissors that Sue recommends and that students found very useful. 

This is Mary Lou Weidman's table.  Several students used polka dots which worked very well, giving a sort of "happy" sense to the blocks.   Mary Lou also used some plaids and checks.  

 Michelle Joanou  took the class about seven years ago and brought her finished work to show and tell.   I think this is 16 blocks. 

Another piece by Michelle Joanou   Ten blocks?

Molly Evangelish'a blocks laid out on the table with the dark background showing. 

Molly Evangelish's blocks pinned side by side - they look so different. 

Suzie Costantino worked with one type of flower and we could name it.  

It is the passion flower. 

Joanne Hinkel's eleven blocks and her first project. 

Andrea Bair's twelve blocks spread on her table. 

Andrea Bair's 1st project plus the "reject" block which she has quartered and reassembled. 

More tomorrow if I can get them sorted.  

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Sue Benner's "Flowers" class at Empty Spools 03-11-18

I started a cold on Wednesday, Feb 28th, so it has been twelve days.  Usually it takes about three weeks for me to completely recover from bronchitis - sometimes longer.  But I have been very good this time, not using my voice, resting, drinking fluids, blah, blah, blah, so I may be well sooner than usual.  I'm still coughing, but the only body ache left is the chest, from coughing.  

Here are some pictures from students in Sue Benner's class.  It is a very good class taught by an outstanding teacher.  I hope you will try to take it, it is very worthwhile. 

At the bottom is Leslie's first project with four blocks and the spare at upper right. At the top are the nine blocks she made for her second project. 

After moving them around, overlapping and turning them, she decided to cut the blocks into fourths and then came up with this arrangement which has not yet been fused to the backing.  

This is the first project by Lisa Jenni, along with her spare block.  The idea of making five blocks and having one "reject" is very worthwhile.  Sue continues this in the large project by having everyone make at least ten blocks, of which nine will be used.  Some of us made more to give us more choices.  

Lisa's table while she is assembling blocks from her cut pieces. 

Lisa Jenni with the blocks she had completed for her 2nd project.  Sue said Lisa is the first person in her flower class to use a five sided figure.  We are all eager to see how it turns out.  

Lisa introduced herself and told me one of her quilts is in TCQC.  I had never met her and purchased her quilt "Nature''s Lace" at the Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters in Seattle in 2011.  I always get a thrill when I meet an artist whose quilt is in TCQC.  

"Nature's Lace"  Lisa Jenni  2011  36"W x 24"L

Susan West  has twelve blocks in her second project.  I believe she is going to leave them uncut and in this order.  Perhaps she is auditioning a border with the purple fabric on the right. 

Tina Neppl with her twelve blocks arrayed on her table. 

Patty Hinkel's ten blocks for her second project. 

Patty Hinkel's first project with four blocks; One whole, two cut in half and one cut in quarters. 

I'll have more class work throughout this next week.  Check back and enjoy.

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