A wet week 01-08-16

We finally had rain.  Some places more than others.  No flooding or landslides in my area.  Just on and off  again rain.  It is lovely.  More is promised for next week.  Heavy snow in the mountains, especially the Sierra from whence a lot of our water comes.  Of course, the weeds are coming back faster than the lawns. 

I have had KoKo, that cute little Yorkshire Terrier, all week.  He is great company, but can also be a pain in the...  His proclivity for chewing up any paper is annoying.  Especially when he quickly runs under the table where I can't reach him unless I get down on my knees and then I can't get up!  We have played so much and, apparently, so roughly that I had to do another surgery on poor Froggie.  He developed a hole in his back and KoKo was pulling out little bits of stuffing.  I guess he ate them as I don't see them on the floor anywhere.  Hope he doesn't get stuffed up!

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Thursday Threads 01-07-16

I no longer do Christmas, but I still love Christmas ornaments, quilts, and decorations.  I donated most of my Christmas quilts to a guild auction, but there were a few I couldn't part with.  This is one of my favorites.

 

 

"Teenaged Reindeer"  Del Thomas 1993

Cotton fabrics, machine pieced, hand applique, machine quilted.

The shape for the reindeer came from the design on wrapping paper.

 

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Wordless Wednesday 01-06-16

 

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The passing of a quilting star 01-05-16

I have no idea how many students Blanche Young taught over her quilting career - hundreds?  Thousands?  - I imagine many of the long time quilters who read this took a class with Blanche sometime over the years.  Here is an announcement of her death.

From Helen Young Frost:My mother, and famous quiltmaker, Blanche Young died on January 2nd (she passed away peacefully in her sleep that morning). The funeral will be on January 15, at Forest Lawn, Cypress, CA. Mother knew sooo many people in the quilting world, so this is an efficient way of spreading the news.

Here's a short bio for those who don't know who she is.

Blanche Young, who passed away on January 2, 2016 at the age of 96, was an internationally-known quiltmaker and author. She taught at guilds and conferences across the country and Europe and Japan. She was the author of ten books on quiltmaking, including the best-selling Tradition with a Twist. She continued to travel and teach until she was 91. She was a prolific and generous quiltmaker, having made and donated more than 100 raffle quilts among the hundreds of quilts that she made in her lifetime.

If anyone would like to send condolence cards, they can send them to me and I will share them with the rest of the family.
 
The Family of Blanche Young
c/o Helen Frost
10237 East Rio de Oro Drive
Tucson, AZ 85749

 

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Monday Browsing 01-04-16

http://stegart.blogspot.com/p/free-projects-tutorials.html    Tutorial for a scrappy quilt.

http://aletteraweek2012.blogspot.com/   Inspiration for creating alphabets.  

Need some inspiration, check out the videos on eQuilter.com. http://www.equilter.com/news/videos/category/0/equilter-videos

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Rerun of Noriko Indo quilt in TCQC 01-02-16

Night we revisit a quilt added to the Collection in 2004.

 

"Walk in the Woods" Noriko Endo 2003 47.75"W x 36"L 

Many tiny bits of mostly cotton fabric layered with netting and quilted.  Additional fabrics used for trees and FMQ done. Then further fabric added for trees and decorative stitched details using rayon threads. 

 

 

I  am still amazed at the unlikely fabrics she used and yet created a most realistic forest.  It is difficult to take a detail picture because the camera focuses on the net and the fabric behind it.  Read the post I originally put on my blog to learn the story of how I acquired this piece.

 

http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/2009/02/noriko-endo-quilt-from-tcqc-02-08-09.html

 

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New Year's Day - Sunset 01-01-16

 I went to an annual Open House today, the same one I have gone to for a few years.   I'm glad they still invite me, it is a delightful relaxed gathering for friends and family with fabulous food.

I returned KoKo to his home and the grandkids and cousins quickly took him over and he went along with everything they did with him.  He was a happy dog, but I bet he sleeps well tonight.  I know I will! 

The sun was just setting when it was time for me to go and these shots were from several places in San Clemente.  Hope you all had a great New Year's Day and a happy, healthy 2016.

 

I admire this simple pelican weathervane on top of a house hidden by the giant Bird of Paradise. 

 

Hard to show Catalina Island at this distance - it is the darker rough line betwixt ocean and sky.

Here it is slightly enlarged.

 

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