The Xcentric quilt is finished at long last!

So, remember back in May I said I was having trouble deciding how to quilt this because I had too many ideas? 
This, by the way is my project from a class with Anita Grossman Soloman, called Xcentric.  I have not, as Anita suggests, kept it simpler.  It's just not my way. 










I had it tacked to my design wall for weeks trying to decide how I wanted to do the wavy lines I had settled on.  Then Mary Lee was looking at Anita Shackelford's "Modern" templates patterns for longarm machines, for one of the pieces she needed to finish for the quilt show.  She found one she liked and sent me the link so I could see what she was talking about.  Once I got there, I found this:

I immediately knew this was the one!!!  I do not, as you know, have a longarm machine, not did I feel the need to spend the money for the template.  So I practiced it on paper several times before I tried it on a sample quilt sandwich.  It takes a lot of concentration to do it perfectly with free motion, so I just got to a point where I was satisfied.

I took it out in the late day sun thinking I could get the quilting to show up.   The waves do look great with the piecing, but don't show much on the front.






It's more visible on the back.

Here is a close up.  In the borders I did a ribbon thing for the inner border and a Grecian key design.  I figured that would echo the piecing.  I used a fine thread, so it is not overpowering.  I have to use fine threads since my machine refuses to tolerate the fatter ones I prefer.  Pouting and stomping my feet does not make it more cooperative.    (Personally I think this means the machine has to be male!)

The "Make it Simpler" thing is that I only had a small piece of the original striped fabric I brought to the class, but decided I wanted a larger quilt.  So I went looking for other fabrics in similar colors to use, finding only the aqua in the corners. So my solution was to buy fabrics that read as solids, make strip sets and cut the squares from them!  Not simpler at all, but I think it worked out pretty well.

I named this quilt "Gadgets in Motion" because it kind of looks like a printed circuit board to me.


Did you hear about the "People's Climate March" last week?  I don't think it got much media coverage, in all honesty.  The rich guys don't want it known how many people are now aware of the peril their greed has put us all in.  (sorry for the poor grammar!)  But the people are speaking up and making it known they want things to change NOW!
I found this article interesting- asking What- or rather WHO-  is Stopping us from making the necessary changes???

I am grateful for:
GREAT news from the insurance company!
Only 12 more days to the COF retreat!
A beautiful stretch of warm days but nice cool nights.
Old magazines.
80's music.

RAFA exhibit and shopping with my BFF

After the guild meeting on Saturday, Mary Lee and I headed up to Brockport for the afternoon.
 The first thing we did was stop at Perri's Pizza and get giant slices.  Neither of us finished.














Then we headed down the street to "A Different Path Gallery",  ( I just love a location where I can park my car once and just walk to all the places I need to go!), where the Rochester Area Fiber Artists were displaying their most recent exhibit, "Up Against the Wall".  It's a small gallery, but with a nice display space; and it has a very cool gift shop!
Here are a few of my favorie pieces:



I think this piece is called 11c, by Elizabeth Scott.  It's made with ice dyed fabric.  Looks like Irises** to me.

This felted piece is almost 3 D in person! 
It's called White-tailed Deer #7, by Demaris Verzulli












Forest Glen, by Sarah Terry.  It's a hand dyed piece of fabric, she did thread work on to make it a forest scene!

I love the way Ann Hawkins' "The Wall, Overgrown" uses both layered applique and reverse applique!!

There were two tesselation quilts.  I assume they were made in response to a challenge to interpret the work of another artist- in this case, M.C. Escher.

The top one is "Sometimes I don't know if I'm coming or going" by Sue Donovan

This is "First in Flight", by Diane Iati Miller.

Julia Deal's "Stained Glass" is so perfectly flat- and her quilting lines are so straight-  I both admire and despise her.  :-)














** Speaking of Irises, I admired a plant in the gallery and asked what it was.  Not only did she know, telling me it is an "Indoor Iris", she picked a few of the plantlets for me to bring home with me!  Never fear, if it ever blossoms, you'll be the first to hear about it!
(Later research has shown it is called a "walking iris".


Do you know the environmental position of the candidates you are thinking of supporting in the fall elections?  You should!

I am grateful for:
Mary had wet wipes.
Possibilities!!
Cool nights so I can sleep wrapped up in my quilty cocoon.
Macaroni and cheese
I finished my last entry for the quilt show.

A rose by any other name....

A couple of weeks ago I noticed there was a bud growing on my "starfish cactus".  I have had this plant for nearly 30 years.   It has blossomed only once before.  I remember the blossom being just beautiful, but smelling like a dumpster.  That didn't mean I wasn't going to enjoy watching it blossom again.   

So I kept track of the size of the bud, knowing it would get fat and huge before it finally opened up- kind of like being pregnant, right? 

And then finally I came home from work the other day and found the blossom!  The petals opened up and wrapped around the pot.  Fully extended it, would have been about 10 inches across.











I didn't notice a smell until I got real close to it.  The next day, however, it was so bad the screen porch was full of flies.  So I moved it outside. 

Here you can see how big the bloom was, just before it started to wither.  The white spot near the center?  I'm pretty sure some of the flies laid eggs on it.  Yeah, it really smells bad!








Do you return the plastics bags that accumulate in your house to the store?  Did you know you can recycle more than those awful bags you can't get a way from- no matter how hard you try!  I collect all of the plastic bag packaging around the house, even ziploc bags (after I reuse them several times).  I cut the zippers off the zipper bags first.  Here's a list of plastic you can recycle- and keep out of the landfill!  Just stuff them all into one of the grocery store bags and put them in the bin at the store!

I am grateful for:
How much better I feel after spending time with friends.
The big beautiful moonrise last night.
Al's help with that stupid garden edging
Winning the war on dull apparel!
Finding just the right fabric!

A Wedding at the Buffalo Zoo!

Poison dart frogs

A friend of Al's got married yesterday at the Buffalo Zoo.  They had planned to have the ceremony at the Giraffe habitat, but the thunderstorms chased everyone into the reception tent instead.

 (once again blogger's formatting and lack of user friendliness are giving me grief!  Am I the only one who fights with getting the text and pictures where I want them?????)

A highlight of the ceremony was when the Judge actually stopped and looked around when she asked anyone to "Speak now...."

  After the ceremony, the bride and groom disappeared for a bit and the guests were invited to wander the zoo.  I hadn't been to the zoo in years and years, so I was happy to have time for wandering.                                                           

My favorite part was the "Rainforest Falls" exhibit.  They have created a mini rain forest.  Not a fun place on a hot and humid day, but it wasn't much warmer or more humid inside!

    

 The Scarlet Ibis is the first thing you notice.  And there are quite a few of them.  The birds are free to fly about the whole habitat, and one landed on the path in front of me at one point!






 



 The pink birds are Roseate Spoonbills

I didn't see this bird on any of the signs.  It was  probably there,  but I missed it. I also missed if there was any indication of what kind of flower this is.  But it sure is pretty!

These are Red Pirahna

And a vampire bat came over to the window to say hello to me!

I also wandered in to the Gorilla habitat.  I think the information said this baby is about 3 months old.  I just missed his chest beating display, which drew a collective, "Awww!" from the crowd.







There is a bill working its way through the California legislature to ban those plastic microbeads, found in personal care products.  The plastics industry is lobbying against it. Not surprising, since they have found a way to make money off of something I am guessing used to be a waste product. (I couldn't find the source for them in my research). That is all anyone cares about in this world, as I may have said before.  So if we stop buying these products, the manufacturers will get the message!!!

I am grateful for:
Al deciding not to spend a great deal of money to attend a huge non-event.
Lunchtime!
Two more of my foster babies found homes last week.
THE RAFFLE QUILT IS FINISHED!!! (better picture soon)
The friendships that endure.

Who knew?

 Is it a snake plant?  Mother-in-law's tongue?  A sanseveria?
By whatever name you call this plant, anyone who has ever owned one knows you will need a lot of friends to give them to, as the multiply with merry abandon!
But did you know they also have interesting blossoms?  I didn't, until last week when I found this.
(as you can see a few more of my friends will soon be receiving gifts!)











They're sticky, like the blossoms on my gram's wax plant.  

I'm doing this on the blogger app, which leaves something to be desired.  So here's a link to the wax plant:

http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/wax-plant.html

Anyway, the blossoms are very delicate, but pretty.  

    In other news, the kittens found in the trash are growing up.  I was happy to discover that Glady, the little girl, actually CAN see?  The vet told her first foster mom that poor Glady would be permanently blind.  Her eyes are deformed, but she sees pretty well!!

                     I am hoping she and her brother, Hefty,will be adopted together.  (They were named for trash bags, since they were found in one)   I think if I get the local media involved, it won't be too hard to find a kind- hearted soul to take them.  Wish me luck.           

The city of Fort Collins, Colorado, passed an ordinance requiring a 5 cent deposit on plastic bags distributed by any retailer within the city limits. 

http://www.collegian.com/2014/08/plastic-bag-fee-now-applies-retailers-fort-collins/84530/

In this article, one person opposed to the deposit said that citizens have the ability to reduce waste without the city collecting a fee.  Yes, I agree, they do have the ability.  We all do.  But they did not have the incentive.  Now they do.  

I am grateful for:

The air conditioning is working again in my office.

Fun people to sit with at a boring meeting.

Pancakes for supper.

How  if the sky is here, and how beautiful it was yesterday.

The writers who have these great stories in their heads for me to enjoy!

Scrap quilts- love them or hate them?

This is the actual quilt I used when I was a kid.  Look in the upper left- some of the patches have worn away- the yellow is the original backing.  I say original because the backing disintegrated and my mom added a new one.  
This quilt was made by my mother's grandmother- my great-grandmother- Jenny Marvin, pictured here when she was in her 90's and still making quilts!


















Her quilts were all scrappy- some made from what looks like old dresses or men's pajamas!  She used any fabric.   This one has scraps from some dresses my mom made for me when I was little.   




In her living room, there was always a quilt on the frame!  (Sorry for how dark it is- these are very old pictures.  Almost as old as I am!)

This might or might not be the quilt from the frame, but it is surely the same quilt I have in my collection (Left)



 





















These are the quilts I grew up with. 
They are tied, not quilted.  I was once told that makes them comforters, not quilts.   I objected strongly to that! 

This one is my favorite pattern of the ones she used.  I would love to replicate it some day. 









Here you can see she wasn't fussy about mixing fabrics.  The blue on the left is a shiny satin or rayon.  It has held up well, though.  The red paisley is a linen type fabric. 

This is one of the rare examples of a quilt with a border of any kind- probably only because it is a sashed setting.


I love how the value of the fabrics wasn't really a concern to her- or maybe she was playing with the values??  I regret that I was too young to be interested when she was still making these.




















I use this one on the guest room bed.  It must have been fairly new when  we cleaned out her house, as it seemed not to have been used at all. 



So it was only natural that I would make scrap quilts when I started making them!  We were having a discussion in my online guild a few weeks ago about scrap quilts.  Some girls love them, others think they are too chaotic.  Needless to say, I was on the love them side of the discussion.

There was great environmental news this week, when it was announced that China's largest city, Beijing, will ban the burning of coal in power plants by the year 2020.  The use of coal has long been known to be one of the biggest contributors to air pollution. This ban should (MUST) be the first step in moving toward cleaner technology world wide!! 

I am grateful for:
The cooler weather.  (Sorry summer lovers)
Grilled cheese sandwiches.
The blind kittens are truly blind.
The ArtCGirlz.
Finding help when I really needed it.

What makes it a home?

The wildlife in the back yard has been abundant this year.  I was doing dishes when I saw this guy visiting again.  The leaves are my giant pokeweed, which has grown to cover the kitchen window.








On Monday I was once again in Herkimer, still trying to get my aunt settled in her room in the skilled nursing wing.  She seems to be getting her new routine established, and adjusting to her new situation.  But her room was still very sterile, owing to the fact she is unable to hang pictures and get things up on the small shelves available to her. So I spent an hour or so digging through the box of decorations and family photos we had brought over for her.  I got them all in frames and set out, along with a few of her tchotchkes.  It made a huge difference.  She brightened when she saw what I had done.  At last her tiny new space is her home.
It made me realize that no matter where we go, we long for the comfort of our own "stuff".

Some of the "stuff" in my kitchen.

My own home is packed full of "stuff". 
I was once told my house is fun to visit because there are so many things to look at.  It might be clutter to some, but it is the things that bring me joy, or hold memories; and I can't imagine not having it.

Some of my bunnies on the curio in the dining room.

  I often joke I am like that old lady in Titanic.  When I travel, I bring as much of my "stuff" along as I can- including one of my own quilts for the bed!

Think about it- what makes your house feel like home?







In the nursery, I am enjoying some new arrivals.  These are more of the babies saved by the foster mom who takes in small orphans and hopeless cases.

This guy is called "Galen".  I call him "fuzz".  He is a cuddler!  It makes me happy just to have him climb on my neck and rub an my head.  He is the only survivor of a litter eaten by a dog!

This is Mokey.  I thought he was an odd looking little duck when I first got him.  Look at those big eyes.   He looked like an alien!
He is a happy little kitten, though.

This guy is called "Husky".  He is one of three found in a trash bag at an apartment complex!  In the trash!  He is an explorer- charging past me every time I open the door and running down the hall. He doesn't know where he's going, but he's going quickly!






The oil and gas industry would have us be slaves to their poisonous products for as long as they can.  But more and more evidence is showing how harmful "Fracking" is.  Just a couple of weeks ago, there were earthquakes in Oklahoma linked to this practice.  We as intelligent people must insist that "cheap" energy be abandoned in favor of more earth friendly types.  An on-going project at Oregon Tech has allowed them to become the first university to generate most of their own power using sustainable technology.   The climate deniers and the oil lobbyists cannot win this battle!  Now is the time to demand change!

I am grateful for:
Teamwork
Busy days at the office.
Cool nights
A reunion with dear friends.  (note I didn't say "old" friends!)
A preview of Outlander, since I won't be able to watch until it comes out on dvd. (unless a friend with Starz won't mind company for the next 8 Saturday nights....)