Over the weekend we went on the local Pond Tour and visited all ten of the water gardens on display. We started early and by the time we finished Saturday afternoon it was in the upper 90′s, the heat index was well over 100 with the humidity. Really, only one of the gardens offered much in the way of inspiration, but that one was worth the trip! The water garden/koi pond was well established and beautiful but the whole surrounding area was amazing with huge hostas and gorgeous flowers. There was a coneflower – Echinacea Hot Papaya that was “to die for”! I went to town on Monday and bought one for MY garden.

The one on the tour was huge, loaded with big pompom flowers with a depth of color that was actually quite red. I can only hope that this one will mature into something similar. I also got an Echinacea White Swan and a Butterfly Weed to add to my space.

I didn’t get to sew a stitch yesterday as I spent the morning doing other tasks including preparing to ship a quilt,  the afternoon in town meeting a friend for lunch and a movie, and running errands. We saw “The Princess and the Frog” which had some good music and fun moments, but was way too long and rather ho-hum.

My piece in “Meet the Artist: SAQA 20th Anniversary Trunk Show� has been chosen to be one of the 55 pieces archived in the permanent collection of the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.  It will be available to researchers and students as a record of the art quilt in 2009.

Sandra Sider, who selected the works for the IQSC collection says  “One of the best parts of the 2009 SAQA conference was the three hours I spent in my hotel room, with the 20th Anniversary Trunk Show spread out over beds, tables, chairs, and floor.  What an explosion of creative energy! My curatorial task was to select approximately fifty pieces that would be donated in 2010 as a SAQA collection to the International Quilt Study Center. This collection documents the various techniques, processes, materials, and artistic styles in quilt art during the early 21st century, and the SAQA Board envisions these quilts as research tools, far into the future.  Your quilt was selected because it represents a particularly distinctive or original approach. Congratulations! Sandra Sider SAQA Vice President.�

During the past year, many people have viewed the Trunk Shows in venues across the United States and in several other countries.  They have been shown at SAQA Regional meetings, to Quilt Guilds, in Gallery shows, at IQF receptions, and I’m sure to neighbors and friends wherever the trunks have visited. Everywhere they’ve traveled, they have received an overwhelmingly positive reaction.

These were small pieces, I think they were 12 x 12″. Mine is called “Vinca” and shows the technique of curved seam picture piecing and machine quilting. It is indeed an honor to be in a collection at IQSC!

I only got to work a couple of hours yesterday, but I got the eye enlarged and the sections of the upper half sewn together. Also a few of the units in the lower half.

Today I need to go to town so may not accomplish a whole lot! It’s time to get “Burlingame Fire” off to AQS for the Lancaster show.

Here it is the first of March already and this little snowdrop, that I think emerged in January is still looking good.

It is only the second year for the snowdrops that I planted and they have not yet multiplied as I had hoped but at least they are hanging in there.

The ice is melting on the fish pond. Here is a glimpse of a big Koi, two of the goldfish and a Golden Orfe.

Grocery shopping the other day, I couldn’t resist this cheery Cyclamen! They like it cold so don’t last too long in the house but for now it brightens my studio. I love the shape of the flowers and the leaves are beautiful too. My hostess in England had them in her garden but I don’t think they would do well in mine!

I replaced the large belly piece with something lighter and I think it is better.

I don’t like the light rock underneath though, as it it too close to the color of the goat. It’s a struggle to get the rocks right, to give good contrast and still read as stone.

Watermelon Wine made it safely home from NC with an Award of Merit for Best Rendering Of A Face! Next it goes to PA National.

The poor Clematis Rugoochii that was stripped has produced more leaves and some new flower buds. I am helping as best I can to keep it watered and dusted with sevin. The weather was so hot and dry for awhile but now it’s cooler and even raining, today. For August it is remarkably green still! The Surprise Lilies jumped up and are blooming all over the place, they are especially pretty coming up through the Mt Fugi phlox which hides their long naked stems. I went out to get a picture but everything is so wet and bedraggled right now it is not so pretty after all!

Work on the new project is slow. Auditioning fabrics takes the most time and I have piles of it on the cutting table. At last count I had used 13 different grass fabrics so far. But each day a little more gets done. Yesterday, between watching the Olympics, I did a lot of sewing together of pieces and sections so it is coming together nicely.

We are sweltering here in Kansas; for the last few days temperatures have reached 98-100 with heat indexes around 105! Yesterday afternoon with a possibility of rain the temps dropped the breeze came up, and it was quite lovely outside. I watered a few plants that were looking stressed, plants that have been only recently planted, and a good thing, too! The rain never came. I sat on the deck and noticed that the first blue blooms of the Chaste Tree are out. I love blue flowers. The blue Balloon Flowers are in full bloom now and my Clematis Rogoochii (sp?) which was blooming it’s little head off the day before was stripped to it’s skeleton by some insidious creature. I hope it can recover!

Mostly I stayed inside and quilted, and the poppy quilt is nearly done!

Wednesday I taught a hand quilting class. It seemed strange, felt like it ought to be Saturday! But the class went well and was fun. I think it actually jump started me and I got started on a new design. This beautiful poppy was in the park in Vancouver – don’t you love the way light plays with flower petals?

This will probably be a new pattern. I have just started to cut the fabric; still have not sewn anything though.

Other accomplishments last week were finishing up the books to date for sales tax and getting a quilt sent off to the Asheville NC show. Because it was very late coming home from being in Florida for the I-4 Corridor Exhibit, I was forced to pay $85.00 to ship “Watermelon Wine” Next Day Air in order to get it there on time. But since it had been accepted, I felt obligated to have it get there if at all possible. I think keeping one’s word is very important and I only wish everyone felt that way as I had specifically checked before entering it to be sure it could be home on time. I had assurance that my quilt would go out as soon as the show closed, instead it didn’t go out til the 8th, arriving home on Friday afternoon. Not only was this an unnecessary monetary drain, it was very stressful. Not very professional at all!

This fun site just came to my attention for all you animal lovers out there. Just click here
and answer an easy quiz question to provide free kibble to shelter animals!

2-7

It’s been a time for catching up this week. Time to send “Lady Godiva” off to her gig at The Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival and to prepare more entries. My acceptance letter arrived for “Just Dandy” to go to IQA’s Celebrate Spring in IL. Only a month ago it was in the process of being made!

Yesterday we got 9″of lovely fluffy snow so it was a perfect day to stay inside and update my website. Being new at it, it was not without it’s frustrations, but now you can see “Just Dandy” in the Gallery.

The nasturtium piece is coming along nicely and I finally got photos of the finished “Burlingame Fire” so you can see what a difference the quilting makes!

“Burlingame Fire” is finished right down to the last hand stitch, and it’s time to look at the next deadline, which must be “In Full Bloom”, Feb 29. I’ve had a piece in this exhibit since it started, so I must try again! Nasturtiums have always intrigued me with their unique shapes and bright colors. A happy little flower that will do well even in poor dry soil. I have a photo that I took in 2001 in the files to work with, so I pulled it up and converted it to black and white for the design process. You know and I know that one should make a copy to play around with, but did I do that? No. Of course not. When I asked it to print, the computer quickly saved it. The color is gone forever and it was my only copy. Oh, well. I will color this piece guided by memory and my available stash. Could be a good thing!