Making Kaleidosopes

I have never written about the time I spent with Paula Nadelstern last month when she visited the Museum Quilt Guild.  I was thrilled, after all these years of admiring her work- and missing other chances, to be able to take two classes with her!  She is very sweet and funny, and an excellent teacher! 

On the first day, we learned the magic of "Simple Symmetry"

You take a piece of fabric like this.




Cut squares like this

 And end up with blocks like this!

 Of course, eventually you end up with fabric like this.  :-)

 These are the blocks I made in class- you get three of each following the pattern Paula gave us.

And these are the second set I made.  I am still working on laying them out to use  as many as I can.

On day two we learned how to make the "Sixty-Thirty" block.  Easier than it looks, once you get the template making down!











I had brought along some of my collection of Jane Sassaman fabrics, so my block was a bit different from the rest, who were using Paula's .

I  cut out a second block the evening after class.  I hope to have enough fabric to make a bunch of them.










So, what to do wityh the little scraps you end up with?
Mary Lee showed the ArtCGirlz a ball she made using the template she found here.

I had the reduce the size of the pattern to make it the right size for my scraps.
( Sorry- the auto-rotate thing rotates pictures even when you rotate them and save them in a new file name and format!!!)

This is about 3 inches across. Maybe the right size for a very small boy to play with?  

 Here is something I hadn't thought of until recently: the effect of climate change on our pets.  My cat goes outside for short periods of time.  I know there are some who think it's terrible, but I count on her to help me with chipmunk control in the gardens around the house.  Until recently.  Twice within a week, she came in with ticks!  I was able to remove them, and have seen no sign of illness, fortunately.  But for now, she is not allowed outside, until there is a sustained cold to kill the ticks, at least.  It has been warm here for November.  I know one year isn't proof ( last year at this time, Buffalo got 5 feet of snow, remember?)  But I will be asking my vet about treating her for ticks before next summer!

I am grateful for:
The second round of my cold was much shorter than the first.
I found the boots I had been searching for.
Meditation
Some good sewing time this weekend
I get to go spend the afternoon with Jonathan!

Hi, remember me?

I have been absent for a while, as I'm sure you've noticed.  The explanation would sound more like excuses- I've been busy, and sick, and had sick kittens, and haven't been sewing very much, and I spent a few days outside trying to do a last bit of gardening before the snow comes to stay....  Stuff like that.

I still don't have much to write about, but want to try and get back into the habit of posting.  So here's a quickie.

Last September, Mary Lee and I went to the RAFA exhibit at a small gallery in Brockport.  In the corner of the gallery was a very cool plant, which I admired, and was given a cutting by the nice lady at the gallery.  I later learned the plant is called a "Walking Iris", and is grown in gardens in more temperate parts of the world.  But it does well as a houseplant as well.







So I brought my babies home and put them in water to grow roots.  Over the summer, they had a nice partly sunny spot on the screen porch.  Then a few weeks ago I noticed it had a blossom stalk coming up!

 It has been blossoming, one or two at a time, for a couple of weeks now. 

In the morning before it blossoms, the buds are like yellow Hershey kisses

And then- pop!- they open up

Isn't it lovely?

From what I've read, after the blossoms are all gone, it will grow small plantlets, like spider plant babies, on the blossoms stalk.  Soon I'll have babies to share too.

I read an interesting article a couple of weeks ago about "dying green."  I have always believed the body is an empty shell, and what becomes of it is not important.  So spending a lot of money and exposing people to toxic chemicals, wasting valuable land resources for burial... just doesn't make sense to me.  Everyone in my family has been cremated, so I accepted that as the way it's done.  However, I'm thinking I may opt for the greenest option.  I kind of like the thought that someday the chemical components of my body can nourish a tree somewhere, or maybe some exotic flowers.

I am grateful for:
Being able to sleep without coughing last night.
A nice meeting with the ArtCGirlz.
The ability to start again after a "fail"- if I am willing to try.
This adorable video of Jonathan in his jumper thing for the first time.
I finally figured out where all my data was going! ( I think)

 

Surprise- I did some sewing!

 So, I have started to call 2015, "The Year of Not Sewing", because I have so little to show for the year so far.  (You can't hang baby stuff like diapers in a quilt show, so they don't count.)

But I found a great pattern to use for my friend, Claudia's, birthday at Pieceful Designs.  Ever since Claudia's husband retired, they have spent a great deal of their time enjoying the Maryland coast in their Winnebago "Minnie". 
And I finished only 2 weeks after Claudia's birthday!  That's almost on time, right?



Here is a closer look so you might be able to see the quilting. 

 She collects seashells at the beach,so I did a search for seashell quilting and found this design.
(It's a pantograph from Ye Olde Forest Quilters)

Of course, I keep myself busy in other ways.  Just the other day I had the pleasure of spending the entire evening with these beauties. Jonathan is 4 months old now, which is hard to believe.

And there are still kittens in the nursery.  This guy is named Rainy.  He came from a stray mom- was born in a shed.  The people who found him started trying to socialize him before he came to the shelter.  I've been spending lots of time with him trying to teach him humans are good.  He is now available for adoption at the shelter. (they so rarely pose for me!)

When I took Rainy in, I came back with these two sweet babies.  They were found in a tire yard, so they have been named Cooper Tyre (the black and white male) and Micha Lynne (calico female). 

Isn't it terribly ironic that in South Carolina, where they have suffered "historic" flooding, they are having a shortage of drinking water.  I could probably find a hundred articles in no time about the importance of fresh clean water to our planet.  We all know this- or should!  But I don't think many people consider what would (will) happen if (when) water shortages become more sever due to climate change.  Living near the Great Lakes, we would probably be right in the middle of that.  I know I'm not prepared- what can I even DO to prepare?  Just one more thing the world needs to consider. sigh

I am grateful for:
Time with my grand babies
A BFF day
Lots of lucky kitties went home from the shelter last week.  (but there are always more if you're looking)
The times I can be calm and diplomatic- using my  best customer service skills.

Summer Quilt Shows

I have been trying to get a post done for each of the quilt shows I attended this year, and never succeeded.  So- as I have nothing much to show for the past few weeks- I am finally just going to share a few of my favorites from all of them.  The irony here is that I plan to attend the Tompkins County guild show this weekend, so will have more pictures to share soon!

June 5,  Genesee Valley Quilt Club show

Artist Alley3 by Jessie Drew-Cates

Redwoods, by Janet Root

 I loved this piece, because it really captures how very tall these trees are!

Mountains, by Randall Cook

Modern Meadow, by Susan Donovan

Nate's Epic Comic Quilt, by Nathan Werth

 I think this one was my favorite because it reminded me of the comics my own son used to draw! (I hope you can read the label above)




July 30- AQS Syracuse Show- which I hope is the first of many years of this caliber show being so close to home.  (Not to mention I hope the show grows a bit!)  I remembered to take pictures of the labels at this show!

Weighted in the Balance, by Marilyn Smith

Of course these colors would make this one of my favorites!

One Cake, Two Cake, Red Cake, Blue Cake, by Linda Neal and Jackie Brown

This quilt was hung very close to a piece called "On This Winter Day", by Nancy Price.   The many people who wanted to spend time looking at these magnificent quilts caused such a back up, there was a white glove lady posted there to direct traffic. 

Persian Panoply, by Jan Frazier

 Just look at the detail (below)!

Ojibwe Jingle, by T Carter

This allows you to see the extreme beading as well as the maker's information! 

Love Beareth All Things, by Cindy Garcia

This was my viewer's choice pick.  It is full of excellent workmanship, plus it just took my breath away- as do all the wonderful reunion videos they like to show on the news.














August 9 -  Caledonia Quilt Guild show.  It was a very nice show, with more quilts than the AQS show had.

It's a Snap, by Margy Hayes

 I've always wanted to do a blended nine patch quilt.  The colors on this one just made me say "ooh"

Nightmare at 2577 Aquares Street, Scrap Fabric, USA

I bet this lady took a scrap therapy class with me at some point.  I am in awe of her using so many of her tiniest pieces!

Joseph's Coat, by Joyce Blowers

I would do a jelly roll race if I had some fabric this fabulous to use!

"Mummy's Little Helper", by Arlauckus.  The mummy is only really visible on the back- and I don't think she mentioned it on her label.  Very Cool.

Bobbly Birds by Cathy Jo Rogers

My green thought is a rerun.  It is time for us all to have to deal with the leaves in our yards.  (Yes, even I have leaves to rake after 20 years of living in a former corn field!)  It is a waste to bag them up and send them to the landfill!  Chop them with the mower, use them to much your trees and shrubs, compost them, or just leave them!  (And don't get me started on leaf blowers!!!)
Here's some good advice for how to do all of it.

I am grateful for:
Cait helping with my shy kitten
Going to the zoo with Guy
October
I'm done making diapers finally
Wine O'Clock