In an April long ago 04-18-20

Looking back in my picture files again.  Just typed in "April" and found a few quilt images. 

This is from April 2005 in a class at Empty Spools with Sylvia Einstein.  Sylvia did wonderful wedding ring pattern quilts and had us use the same templates with original settings.   I think I called mine "Green Trails".  It has yet to be quilted.

This picture is from April 2003 when this quilt hung in a big show in Pennsylvania.  It is a group quilt with blocks made by friends of Judy House who subsequently died of cancer.  It started out as just a few blocks from Empty Spools friends and spread to her friends all over the country.  Unfortunately we didn't put any dimensions on the request for blocks so there was no uniformity.  It took me forever to put it together and I had to make some small blocks as fillers.  I still get a kick out of the chicken in the lower right with a block of three eggs right below it.  Looks startled!  After her death the family donated the quilt to a children's hospital or clinic in the Washington DC area.  Might have been Walter Reed.  As difficult as it was to put together I think it is the most fun quilt I have ever worked on.  

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Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar 07-15-18

This is a re-posting from March 2010 .   It is so fun to look at this quilt and remember all my Asilomar classes and teachers and fellow students.   I've gone to classes for 27  years, sometimes just one session, but frequently two sessions.  Tried three sessions once, but it almost did me in! 

25th Anniv. of Empty Spools Seminars 03-22-10

Empty Spools Seminars is celebrating 25 years of great teachers, students and friendships. As part of the celebration the three women who run the seminars, Diana McClun, Suzanne Cox and Gayle Wells asked all those who have taught over the years to send spool blocks to create some anniversary quilts. Six quilts were created with the help of some of the teachers and many friends. At each of this year's five sessions all the attendees names are put in a box for a drawing for one of the quilts. The winner pulls a slip a paper with the name of the quilt she has won. At the end of the fifth session in June the names of all of the 2010 attendees will go in a box and a name pulled to win the sixth quilt.

On the last night of the first week I attended (Session III) I was the winner and the quilt I won is "Freddy's Polka Dots". So named because when the blocks were divided up Freddy Moran took this set home and assembled this quilt. I think it is spectacular and I feel very, very lucky. These pictures were taken at the end of Session IV when the quilts were taken down from where they hung over the edge of the balcony and placed on the empty chairs in Merrill Hall so all could see them close up. Not the best situation for photography. I had someone hold up the quilt for an all over shot and I took individual blocks while it was draped on the chairs. I cannot identify the makers of all the blocks. The one on the bottom row with the rainbow flying geese is NOT Caryl Bryer Fallert - she has not taught at Asilomar that I know of. But I cannot tell you whose contribution it is. (Addendum: I am wrong! Caryl taught a computer aided design class several yearss ago - but is still is not her block!! She will also be teaching in 2011. For a list of the teachers for 2011 go tohttp://www.emptyspoolsseminars.com/Teachers2011.html)

Here are the blocks I can attribute correctly.
Top left: Elizabeth Spanning Bottom right: Becky Goldsmith

Top: Gai Perry Bottom: Dale FlemingTop left: Freddy Moran Top right: Kathie Pasquini Masopust 
Bottom left: Peggy Martin Bottom right: Sylvia Einstein

This elaborate block was made by Louisa Smith.

Here is a better image of Sylvia Einstein's block with one by Dale Fleming on the right.

Freddy Moran's colorful block.

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Sylvia Einstein class - Asilomar 03-18-10

Such a beautiful day! Foggy in the morning and early evening, and a little too cool to sit out in short sleeves - but what a blue sky and after the sun went down just "a little curl of California gold laying on the warm shoulder of the night". [I wrote that line more than fifty years ago, but lately I have begun to wonder if I really did, or if I read it somewhere then and just remember incorrectly. Guess that the ageing process.]

This is the view from one of my windows

And here is an enlargement. The white cylinders are protection for tiny trees they are trying to grow to replace all those that have been felled by some kind of foreign pine beetle. The deer graze all over Pacific Grove, including the Asilomar grounds and every one's yards, and they eat the new little trees that are not shielded.

Sylvia Einstein and Ruth McDowell at lunch in the dining hall.

I didn't take a picture of my project pinned up on my design board. All the pieces are cut and arranged. I'll fold up my very elegant custom board (made by my friend Mable Huseby in Mt. Vernon, WA.) and sew the blocks together after I get home.

Jeannie Spangler's project. She used the same large poppy fabric that I used, but she also made some of the large arcs from different prints and used some fine black and white prints that appear grey in the background. All of my large arcs are cut from the same poppy print.

This is Justine Lott's second project. The green leaves are important to make the composition work.

Cora Stewart's second project. She has used the same print for all her large arcs and black for the thin arcs (the blocks are not all sewn together which makes it appear that the arcs vary in width, but they do not). She has used at least half a dozen yellow and yellow green fabrics in the background.

Not all the projects are bright and outrageous. This lovely piece is by Jane Best. She has all the blocks done and is appliqueing the two large geisha ladies on top of one ring. They look so natural there - how could this quilt be any other way? Beautiful.

Nancy Cardelo brought the soft batik background fabric from home. It carries the color and softens the large arcs.

Lorette Newman has used small black-on-white prints in the background. They create a soft, varied grey ground. But when one gets up close.....

... the different motifs became visible creating interesting textures.

Sylvia Einstein class - Asilomar - 03-17-10

This picture is of the back of Pirate's Den where my sleeping room is located. There is a white-crowned sparrow in the middle of the pine tree. With the telephoto up to 16X on my new Canon camera.....

I could take this picture of the little guy. Pretty amazing!

This is my project as it stands tonight. I am not happy with all the pieces and will do some more swapping around and replacing tomorrow. I am upholding my reputation as the slowest person in the class!

Some of the students are working on their 2nd Double Wedding Ring project (one on her third and the first two are sewn together) and some have switched to "Magic Square", another project that Sylvia teaches. This is Jan Grace's work. If you are interested I can explain it to you. I have done it in past years.

Out to dinner at the Red House for the fabulous Blue Cheese Souffle, but I swear it is smaller than it used to be! Just as good, however. Sylvia, Gail Abeloe, Jeanne Mills and I shareda brownie for dessert. It was about 3.5" square and topped with homemade ice cream and a few raspberries and strawberries. It was wicked!

I had another massage with Heidi today - she has magic hands. Followed by a little fifteen minute nap and back to class for a few hours. Then I had to go to the ATM for some cash and make a quick stop at Back Porch. Is it any wonder I don't accomplish as much as the other students? I am very tired tonight and will be in bed and asleep in about ten minutes. Last full day of class tomorrow and I will also showing the Ruth McDowell quilts I have with me as part of "Show, Share and Tell" at the evening program.

Sylvia Einstein class - Asilomar 03-16-10

Another gorgeous day at Asilomar. It was 81F inland at Gilroy, CA, today. Not so warm here, but the sun was shining and people sat in shirt sleeves out on the benches mid-day.

This is the audience at this evening's program in Merrill Hall. Sylvia Einstein is giving her 9 minute talk (several teachers speak each evening and are limited to 9 minutes - students are usually chomping to get back to work in their classrooms - they can work until 11pm). The "holders/folders" are holding up Mary Leakey's "There are no Zebras in Costa Rica", which Sylvia presented as a great example of class work. She also showed Gail Abeloe's work, but I couldn't get my camera out fast enough.

This is my project. I got a little further this evening - I removed all the black on white triangles and cut black on white melons. I will try making all the triangles white on black. Earlier I had rearranged the large arcs to make four complete rings, rather than have some reversed. The small arcs are all darkish red. By the end of the day I was thoroughly sick of this piece!

Shelly Gunby completed the sewing on the piece I showed yesterday and is starting this new one. Some people are good decision makers and sew very fast. Several students have complete their first piece.

Donna Moog has also completed this 'bubbly' quilt top and is starting another even more wild!

She has a marvelous collection of outlandish fabrics.

Jan Grace has also completed her elegant work.

Audrey Bailey's color selection is simply awesome. Wish I could do something like this, but I think I am just too "straight laced" to let go and work in such a diverse palette.

Sylvia Einstein class - Asilomar 03-15-10

No better place than Empty Spools Seminars to see quilter's license plates!

Here is a hand quilter who also promotes breast self-exam.

No need to name names about who is the slowest in the class! I had purchased the end of the bolt of this big poppy fabric and it was only 3/4ths yard. I hadn't intended to use it for my project, but when I spread out my fabric it became the focus fabric. I had to cut paper arcs to see if I could squeeze out 16 arcs - just barely. After I took this picture I went shopping for some celery greens, but after cutting out a few 'melons' I don't think they are going to work. I may just use all black and white for the background.

Shelly Gunby's project. The green is a batik and is much brighter in reality.

Cora Stewart's project. She calls these "Australian colors". I like it a lot.

Dottie Daybell's project. Dottie and I have taken many classes in common over the years. I always admire her use of 2nd hand fabrics which she purchases at Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc. Most of these are from yukata or summer kimonos - she told me that Oceanside is a good hunting place for these when troops return from Asia.

Carole Pirruccello's project. This wild collection of fabrics is more representative of what is being used in class.

Karmen Streng's project. I've been in a few of the same classes as Karmen. She always produces classic color and style.

Justin Lott's project. This is a knockout - how original to shade the value from light at the top to dark at the bottom.

Asilomar - 03-14-10

Yes, I am back at Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, CA, for another Empty Spools Seminar - this time with Sylvia Einstein who is teaching a very modern version of Double Wedding Ring.

Another Asilomar sunset - I am amazed at how much this image resembles the one I posted on 03-11-10. I am certain that the white streaks and the dark one that bisects one in this picture are contrails from airplanes. San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose airports could all be routing planes over this area.

"Hibiscus" Gail Sheirbon Thanks to Debbie Van Fossen for the picture of Gail with her project. Gail also wrote and said that she has been sewing the sections together, so it may be done soon.

My class this week has 17 students and is located in Hearthside (in the back of Merrill Hall). I have the same sleeping room in Pirates Den and my teacher Sylvia Einstein is just down the hall. Tomorrow the class will start cutting fabric using plastic templates for 10" blocks - we need sixteen blocks. Which doesn't seem like much, but when each piece of fabric is cut individually it will take some time to just do the cutting. When everything is cut, pinned up on the design boards and we are happy with the fabric combinations we can begin sewing. Wish me luck!

Class "sample" by Mary Leakey 02-21-10

This quilt is NOT part of the TCQC, it isn't for sale, but I covet it every time I am in Mary's dining room. She started this in a Sylvia Einstein class at Empty Spools several years ago and I do admire it greatly. So much so that I am going to take Sylvia's class in a few weeks. I'm sure I can't do anything this great, but I'll give it my best. .

"There Are No Zebras in Costa Rica" Mary Leakey 2001 45"W x 45"L

The block is a variation of double wedding ring created by Sylvia Einstein. http://www.sheinstein.addr.com/

This is Sassy, the Sussex Spaniel, thinking I am going to give her a tummy rub. She is the sweetest dog I have ever met - very mellow and friendly. Her bed is right here next to where I work at my computer when I am in San Juan Bautista, so we are good friends. The problem is I am allergic to her, so when I can't resist petting her I must go wash my hands and be careful not to touch my face. It is a pain in the ..............!