Merry Christmas All!

I'm back...computer issues, and holidays had me tangled up the past couple of months.  Today I'm starting my New Year's resolution to get back to posting at least two times a week.

Since my last post I finished my spider web top.  This was inspired by a vintage quilt in my collection (the black and gray edging), a quilt if Rod K.'s collection (using a different fabric in each "star") and borders on several quilts on the Antique and Vintage facebook site.

 Originally I thought I make a random pieced border...then I thought a piano key border...after seeing the A&V quilts I went for this slated strips.  (Which also took several tries...all pink? all random fabrics? then pink with just a bit of yellow and gray...)

What was I thinking?  Took ten times as long as my original idea!

So here it is...actually started and finished in the same calendar year!

Scary Halloween!

Needless to say I had to stay alert to keep Watson and Dobby away from the candy.  Difficult when one can go high (Dobby) and one goes low (Watson!)

Early in the day I went on a another Photo walk with the Augusta Photo Festival.  This time we visited a closed Textile Mill here in town.  This mill made Denim used by many of the big name jeans manufacturers.  The mill was in use until 2006 and had been active for just over 100 years.  (for those of you not in the U.S. - 100 years is old here!)

The machinery has all been removed however the power-station still operates and generates electricity from the river.

It was interesting to shoot in such low light. 

As a quiltmaker I was looking for evidence of the textile mill everywhere...The blue is from the dye room.  There was a long shallow pit in the center of floor and the walls were painted various shades of blue and indigo.

So I'm trying to think how I could incorporate this into a quilt.  I don't want to make a blue jeans quilt (been there done that and my hand still hurts!)  Maybe one with lots of indigos, greys and some oranges.  Those are the colors I remember most from the day...

Photo Festival

Every two years there is a week long photo festival here in Augusta.  This is the first time I've participated...learning lots!

The first two days I went to classroom workshops.  Day one a basic digital photo workshop.  Like many folks I use about 10% of what my camera can do.  My goal is to get that up to at least 50%...or to be able to rely on knowledge instead of luck for good photos!  The workshop was great...but it felt like my head was going to explode!

Day two was a into to an editing and catalogue software called "Lightroom."  To be honest until I get to really sit down and play with it I can't judge it.  Maybe it was because my brain still hurt from day one...

Yesterday I participated in a Photo Shoot at a local horse farm.  I had decided to focus on using Aperture priority setting and doing animal portraits.  I thought it would be best if I learned one thing at a time.  Not a bad idea but then the first thing the coordinator announced was they would have this beautiful white Arabian horse run across the field for us to photograph! 

She rambled off some camera settings (none of which included what I had studied!) and off the folks marched.  Duh...it isn't that I don't know the setting it is I don't know where on the foolish camera to get to where I can change them!

On my old 35 mm there were a half dozen knobs.  I knew where there were and what they did.  There are more options on my digital camera then there was on my first desktop computer!  (and a lot more memory but that is dating me!)

Today I am exhausted.  Did lots of walking at the farm!  (and I took Bill V.'s advise to try shooting from a low angle which caused me to do lots of crawling around the ground...the goats thought it was amusing!)  So I am taking the day to play with photo editing software. 

How does this relate to quilting you may ask?  Well, I would like to be able to document my quilts with better photos and to take better photos at events like quilt shows. 

And of course to be able to post better "cat on my quilt" photos on my blog!

New Mexico Roadtrip

Just came back from a great trip out to New Mexico!  It has been awhile since I've been out there to visit my sister and her family.  Amazing how fast the kids have grown (they are driving cars and at university!  how did that happen?!)  Anyway, autumn is my favorite time to visit New Mexico...partly due to weather and partly because of chili harvest!

The colors out in the southwest just seem so much more intense.  Even when the skies were overcast. 

Loads of both color and pattern inspiration all around!  Like these windows in the old railyard building in Albuquerque where they hold an art and farmers market on Sundays.

Or these tiled stars leading to a restaurant in Santa Fe.

and these tiles...hexies below the watchful dog and colorful tiles on the walls!

Visited a wonderful quilt shop in Corralles called "Quilt Ole."  Great selection of fabrics, notions, patterns, and staffed by some really nice folks.  (and if you go there make sure you stop at Hannah's for lunch and get their cranberry bread pudding for dessert!  amazing!)

Getting Ready for Halloween

Since it is October and the weather is now cool in the mornings I went ahead and put out some of the Halloween decorations...

I have two more Halloween quilts in various stages of UFO...I hope to get at least one of them finished this month!

For some reason my DH doesn't love the holiday nearly as much as I do so I slip a few decorations in every few days...

Though I have accepted the ban on dressing the pets...

Cool Weather quilting

As the weather is finally cooling down here in Georgia my guild had a "nature" workshop with Marilyn Walls.  A chance to do some fabric gardening!

My workshop project...sunflower!

Generally I'm not a big fan of fusing but I've always liked her large flower pieces.  Besides learning new techniques help me in doing my appraisals of nontraditional quilts.  Marilyn is a good instructor. I'd highly recommend her if you get a chance to take one of her workshops.   Likely I will finish my Sunflowers! 

Marilyn Walls class sample

Marilyn taking about choosing background fabrics...

 

On other fronts...I broke my beloved camera!  Ok, it was 8 years old and had a hard life but still...it was hard to decide to not repair and get a new camera body.  Still learning new one but so far so good!  I stayed with a  Nikon and it has kept the learning curve to a minimum.

Also, have started my fall cooking!  Out has come the pumpkin and apples...color me happy!  I made a pan of pumpkin cheesecake bars for the workshop...sigh.  Somehow they just taste better in the Fall...

New home for donation quilt!

My quilt guild finally pulled the winning ticket for our "Garden Party" Anniversary Quilt.  The winner was a local man whose wife was screaming with happiness in the background when she heard the news that hey had won the quilt.  So happy it went to folks who will love it.

And even better it looks like we may have set a guild record for money raised for Camp Rainbow.  It is a medically supervised summer camp run by the local hospital for children with cancer.  So good news all around.  Thanks to all who supported this fundraising!

And our next quilt is almost ready for "prime time!"  The binding is being sewn on and should easily be ready for its debut in mid-October!  (No rest for the quilter, aye!?)

And while all this is going on little Watson continues to grow.  Though he did not pass his good citizen test (failed to behave when approached by another dog) he did get a certificate of completion from obedience school.  I think that may be as far as he'll get!

AQS Charlotte show

American Quilters Society shows are always fun to attend.  This time there was a bit of "pressure" as I was doing hanging appraisals for the first time at an AQS show.  It wasn't doing the appraisal that made me nervous it was just the process...didn't know how many I had to do in what amount of time.  The curse of the Type A was raising it's head again!

It all worked out fine.  I got to the show early enough to scope out the quilt I was going to work on that night.  The security folks were really accommodating and let us stay a few minutes over the 1 hour limit so I was able to finish and not have to come back early the next morning.

The quilts on display were very nice...unfortunately they don't want us posting photos (however I will slip in one made by a fellow guildmember, Patty!)  Also on display were many of the Egyptian tentmakers appliques.  There were also two tentmakers demonstrating their art.  Really beautiful work.  I have a couple that were given to me by a friend who lived in Egypt and one I bought at an auction (listed as a Scandinavian textile!)

Paula with our friend Patty's scrappy wedding ring quilt!

Even though I was busy at the show I did some retail therapy...most of it at Primitive Gatherings.  Really like Lisa's new fabric line with Moda...great cheddars and greens!  (and some pre-cuts...they are like candy!)

Across the street from the convention center was the nicest little park!  It had a literary theme...

this a bronze book page draped on the wall...

and they had these fun "road" signs in the flower beds...think it would be fun to make one for our yard with all the places we've lived since we've been married!

Photo files...throwback to August...

One of the thing I like about the digital world is how easy it is to access old photos...like going back and seeing what you were working on in august of other years...like 2009

Like this quilt back in August of 2010!  won a third place ribbon at our 2011 show!

 remember the Bonnie Hunter "Floribunda" Jacobs Ladder summer?!

three years ago (a set of doll quilts to donate...finished 6 using orphan blocks and scraps)

two years ago (finished and using on the bed right now!)

 one year ago...

Which reminds me I still have to put that final border on this top...and where did I put it anyway?