Quilt, Eat, Sit, Quilt

This quilt by Maria Elkins wowed me at the Long Beach Quilt Festival. I'd seen it in print somewhere, but in person you can see the exquisite quilting and applique details. I think there's a photo of me with my quilt in the Rituals exhibit in my regular camera, but I haven't looked at it yet. Soon. I'll post it if it's a good one.

We have kumquats in July. I don't think that's happened before. We also had a major crop in January. I think the mild weather we're having has the trees confused. What season is it? We also have a few pomegranates and grapefruit growing. And lots of plums! Photo of that later.

 

 

 

I had my family room chairs reupholstered recently, and less than 45 minutes after they were returned, my cat settled onto the back of one.

 

 

 

Now she's sitting on the other one. It's a bit ironic because she's the very reason I had to have them reupholstered. Darned claws.

Long Beach Quilt Festival

I went to the Long Beach Quilt Festival on Thursday and came home Saturday. It was great fun! My friend Peggy roomed with me Friday night. I saw so many friends, old and new.

This is the apple art piece (sculpture? installation? what to call it?) It's a little bizarre, because they are in every room. Lots of lighted fake apples. I think it would have been cooler to have a delicious fresh apple in the installation instead!

I have more photos to share. Still figuring out the most efficient way to get photos from my new phone (android) to my computer. I just sent some by gmail from my phone, but they don't seem to have arrived at my computer yet. Suggestions welcome - I'm a newby with this kind of technology.

long beach quilt festival

Hope to see you at the Long Beach Quilt Festival. If you go, look for my quilt, "Photo Booth Hijinks" in the Rituals exhibit, curated by Dinner at Eight Artists. I also have a photo in "The Eye of the Quilter" exhibit - look for the dog with the tortoise - or is it the chicken? - I sent photos of both, and I forget which one they chose. :-) Check it out.

Prayer flags for Marti

My sister-in-law Marti celebrated her bday last week, so I can finally post the prayer flags that I made for her. Here are all five together.  She asked for them, and I was grateful for the gift suggestion. I hope she likes them!

This one is called "Thrive." I used the same kelp stencil on my recently completed "Octopus's Garden" quilt.

"Remember." There's a photo of Marti with her mother and grandmother. Her mom (my mother-in-law) was always putting fresh roses in vases in her home in Orange, California.

"Play." Marti has a collection of rambunctious dogs.

"Heal." Marti is a sports masssage therapist, so this will hopefully make sense for her.

"Peace."

prairie home companion at the bowl

We went up to Hollywood yesterday to see Prairie Home Companion at the Hollywood Bowl. This is the view from our hotel window. You can see the Hollywood sign in the upper left corner if you squint. We could also see the Griffith Observatory and the Capitol Records Building, but the photos didn't turn out well. I was playing with the sepia filter on my new phone.

We were seated way to the left. That's Garrison Keillor in the white suit onstage. Pretty venue, huh? I have more pix of tiny little figures onstage, but you probably don't want to see them. You might be familiar with the Prairie Home Companion if you listen to NPR. It's an old-timey variety show with Keillor as the host, a great band, sound effects guy Fred Newman, the Steele Sisters and other regulars. Visiting were Sarah Watkins, singer and mandolin player, and actor Martin Sheen, who barely reached the shoulder of tall Keillor. Interesting. 

There was a huge crowd - do you want to see photos? My favorite part of the show was before it actually began, with Keillor and a few other cast members walking through the crowd, up to the top of the hill where the uppermost seats were, and then back down, all the time gently singing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and other simple tunes. I took photos but you can't see him in the throng. Oh, there was a wonderful opera singer, too. They did all the familiar stuff, like Guy Noir and The Lives of the Cowboys, the News from Lake Wobegon, etc. Well, you had to be there. The crowd loved it.

Rituals, the book!

I am excited that there is a book for "Rituals," a special exhibit that debuts at the Long Beach Quilt Festival later this month, curated by Dinner at Eight Artists. You can learn all about it by clicking the link below.

Permalink: 

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3380298

Granddaughter turns two!

Our granddaughter just turned two, and here are a few photos of her party.

Sadly we couldn't be there - it's tough living on opposite coasts! - but I was struck by how she looked taller, blonder, and older than when we saw her in late April.

Am holding my breath about Blogger allowing this 4th photo. But isn't she adorable? She is really savoring that chocolate cupcake. 

More Octopus's Garden photos




I have been having a heck of a time posting on this blog. Blogger problems are still not cleared up apparently.  I'm trying smaller photos to see if that helps.



little fishies

The kelp was stenciled on and then embroidered all around.... I don't dare add another photo, because this is when it's been freezing up.