A Goodbye to 2012 and a Welcome to 2013

As 2012 draws to a close (and I'm not sad to see it go), my wish for everyone is a safe, happy, prosperous and most of all - "healthy" New Year!!!!    May we all find much calm, peace and joy in the new year!!!

Snow, snow and more snow!

We have been lucky up until now - last year we had very little snow and it appeared this year was starting the same way.   Then the winter storm hit last night.  

 There is a concrete bench under there - normal sitting height, so this should give you an idea how much snow we had overnight.

 This is my wire mesh snowman - a typical snowman top hat in blue, but the snow makes it look like a "gnome" hat!

 They plowed us out at 3 AM this morning - you can see the huge pile at the end of the driveway and the tip of the mailbox just showing next to the tree.

This was Monday night before the storms and the snow, but I liked the house all decorated and lights on in this picture.

Post Christmas Breakfast

It has become a tradition that every year between Christmas and New Year's Day, I would take my daughters and grandchildren to breakfast. I thought perhaps tradition would be changed this year, but Heather was home for Christmas, and so......here we are at Cracker Barrel this morning.   We had to pick today as the weather does not sound good for the rest of the week.   As always, we had a great time, lots of chatting and laughing and a great waiter who accomodated us by taking several pictures!!!!

Christmas Concerts with Grandchildren

I have nothing new and "quilty" to post this nice snowy morning.   One of my favorite activities this time of year is going to my grandchildren's Christmas concerts.   Sadly, I only have pictures from one as I didn't have my camera with me for the others.   But, this is my youngest, playing trumpet and singing at his elementary school concert.   I'm so proud of ALL my grandchildren!!   They have inherited the musical gene and have been raised in a house where they learned to appreciate the value of musical education in a person's life!!!

 Playing in the Brass Quartet

 Ukelele Club

He knows he's getting "Nuttin' for Christmas"

So, as not to be biased........my other 2 - watching the concert!

ArtCGirlz Makes the News....in Batavia

We're in the news!!!!   OK, so it is only in Batavia, but still a pretty impressive article!   My art quilt group has a show going on right now thru the Genesee Arts Council and we are the featured article in today's paper.

You can read about us by clicking on the link below!!!

http://thedailynewsonline.com/entertainment/article_31ef2746-3552-5fd5-a6df-7ee29762cf78.html

Quilt Guild Christmas Party - Stockings, Poinsettias and Barn Quilts

Yesterday was my guild Christmas party.   I am president of my guild and we had a lot of business to do as we had to cancel our November meeting when there was no power in the VA building.  

The VA had appropriately decorated the room for us!

My friend Kathi ran a secret santa stocking exchange.  My good friend Melanie Watson drew my name and this is the stocking she made for me.  I LOVE IT!.    I love it mostly because it is obvious she put a lot of hard work into it to personalize it and make it mine! (Well, there is a lot of purple in it.)

We also welcomed Marija Vujcic who showed us how to make prety poinsettia favors for our gifts or ornaments for our tree.

My friend Martha did this quilt for show and tell.........isn't it cute....such a good play on Wizard of Oz!

Barn quilts are all the rage now - mostly they have always been large quilt blocks, made of wood and put on the side of a barn.   My friend Tracy and her family has a business and they started making smaller ones - these are 24 inches by 24 inches.   Here are two of the first ones they have done.  I love it!   I've got my block all picked out and I think there is room on the peak of my house for a small one like this!!!

Bottlecaps2....painted....ready for art!

And, so now they are painted!!!!   What do you think - some look like cookies, or candies!   Nope, that won't be it!   I still have to even find out if they will work as I'm planning!  

I used jacquard fabric paints which I probably wouldn't have done normally, but seeing as how I'm housebound right now (unless I can find a chauffeur), I had to use what would work!  I've gotten slowed down a little on this project - hoping to pick up steam and "get it done"!

Bottle Caps, Challenges & Art Quilts

What do bottlecaps have to do with art quilts you might ask????   Stay tuned to find out how they are transformed!   Hint:   It has to do with our quilt guild annual challenge - this year's theme is "literary".....anything to do with books.

The challenge quilts are due in January!   Usually 90% of the members who enter start after Christmas!!!!   I'm way ahead!!!!!!!

L'Autumno - now completed!

This is my latest quilt - now completed and ready to be handed over to show organizers for entry next year.  This was completed for a RAFA (Rochester Area Fibre Arts) challenge called "Nature Behind Bars"!

I had an original photo I took at Longwood Garens in West Chester, PA printed onto cotton fabric by Julie Brandon of http://red-dogenterprises.com/.  I then printed a portion of music reflecting Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" - specifically the movement called "Autumn" onto organza which was overlaid and quilted into the picture.  The photo represents "nature" - the music represents "bars"!   The idea is that the music fades down into the picture portion of the quilt.   You can see specific detail of the music below...

This is the original photo that I took last year at Longwood Gardens.

ArtCGirlz - 2nd Art Quilt Group show at the Arts Council in Batavia, NY

2 years ago, our newly formed art quilt group in Batavia, the ArtCGirlz, presented their first show to the public.   We were 5 members strong.  Now we have grown to 11 members and this morning we hung our second show which will be up during November and December!   Here are some overall pictures.

This hangs a bit wonky - but is truly represenational of a group project that 4 of us finished.   Each person took a small segmentof a photo of their choosing and enlarged it to 8 x 8 and mounted on upholstery fabric.  Mine is on the bottom and is taken from a photo of the ceiling light on the Carnival cruise ship in September 2010.

 The end wall - two of the girls did the same quilt - in their own colors.   I love them both.

 Kathi Everett did more book pages which hang in a row on the left.   Mary Ellen's Carnival horse is one of my favorites.  Mary Lee and I both did leaves.

 This one is mine - Alice in Wonderland Goes To the Tea Party.   This is from our Round Robin challenge - I handed off a piece of snow dyed fabric and 6 different members in our group took turns adding their own embellishment ideas.   I did not see it again until they were all done.   I added stencil painted flowers around the edge and the quilting  - also flowers.

 The bottom one - also mine - The Edge of the Gorge - Stony Brook.   Threadpainted leaves and lots of orange beads to represent lichen.

These 2 are mine.   The top one is a depiction from a photo of an Oakleaf Hydrangea taken at Genesee Country Village.   Love the leaf colors on that plant.  I used hand dyed and painted fabrics, along with paper and transparent leaves.  

The bottom one has been on my blog before - Bermuda - The View from the Ship!

Guys and Dolls........finally it is time for the show!

This week is all about the Rotary Club musical production my husband and I are in.....Guys and Dolls.   We used to do musical productions every year - sometimes twice a year.   But, life changed and so did our interests.   This will be the last ever musical production for this club so they brought back many of the favorites from years past and recreated Guys and Dolls based on those of us in the show 21 years ago.   21 years is a LONG time I'm discovering.   But now that the show is here - it will be fun........and off we go!!!!!

 The Oldest Established, Permanent Floating Crap Game in New York.   (The Rotary Club has used this photo of mine as their cover page for the advertising for the show)

 Mark Ross (aka my husband),  as Nicely Nicely Johnson, (and friends) sing Fugue for Tinhorns.   This is the same role he did 21 years ago.

Me, as General Cartwright, telling Sarah and Sky that we are closing this branch of the mission.

Longwood Gardens - Landscape Quilt.....Part II

I have done a couple of quilts based on Longwood Gardens - one my MOST "favoritest" places to visit.   This is the current one - still in progress.   The RAFA (Rochester Area Fibre Arts) group that belong to has a current challenge for an upcoming show.   The theme is "Nature Behind Bars".   Not wanting to be stereotypical and think "zoo", I went with a landscape behind bars of music.   The music is Vivaldi - Four Seasons - Autumn.   Here is an "in progress" quilt and the original photo (taken almost a year ago).   The photo has been printed onto fabric, (which accounts for it being slightly lighter) the music is on organza overlay......and the quilting is still in progress.

Quilt Show Opens!!!! 3 Ribbons!!

Another Open', Another Show!   Museum Quilt Guild of Batavia Quilt Show opens today!   I am limited on time as, since I am president of the guild,  I have to yet go pick out a quilt for the President's Award.   But, here are my 3 winners!!!

 "Under the Deep Blue Sea" - Best Mixed Technique on a Large Quilt

 "Yes the Water Really Is This Color"   Best Art Quilt

Autumn Tree - Best Miniature

My Grandson, Aaron's Pillow!!!   I'm SOOOOO very proud of him!!!

MORE TO COME LATER!

4 Days and Counting - Museum Quilt Guild Quilt Show

We are 4 days and counting until our guild quilt show!   It is ALWAYS an excellent show and this year will be no different!!  Over 240 quilts will be on display (12 of them are mine)!

You will also find the very best boutique (you can do your Christmas shopping early), silent auction (you can actually own a quilt done by a guild member), vendors (to supply all of your quilting wishes and desires), a raffle quilt (again own a quilt created by our members) and lunch on premises.   What more could you ask for. 

Take a drive and enjoy the fall foliage and join us in Alexander.   Hope to see you there!

Guys and Dolls...or...a Quilter Goes to Broadway!

Most of my friends who read this know that I was a musician first and foremost - before a quilter or a gardener!    And so, this is what I'm up to right now!!!!

Yup, I'm in a show........again!   My husband and I used to do this all the time!   For years we took part in almost all of the community theater plays done locally.   Then - life changed - the shows changed and we didn't do them.   In the past few years, attendance at the Rotary Club musical productions has suffered and so this will be the last show.   In order to "go out with a bang", they resurrected an old show we did 21 years ago and invited back as many as did it then, as could do it now.   I would say a good 80% of the cast is back.

What fun we are having!!!!   My husband will recreate "Nicely Nicely Johnson" and I am in the mission band - General Cartwright - head of the Salvation Army!!!!

Come and see us - you won't be disappointed!!!

Indian Summer Quilt Update

Updated pictures from the post below!

 I added some leaf buttons to further indicate swirling or falling leaves.  See closeup below!   I "think" I got these from my friend Priscilla.....I only had 5 of them - but I think that is OK!   I might have added one more if I had it..........but....this will do for now.

Indian Summer

I haven't been too prolific lately.........for whatever reasons.   This is a small quilt I made to use up some of the silks I had been collecting.   I am not sure it is totally done...but, the colors remind me of Indian summer and I did quilt some "falling leaves" throughout.   Simple, but appeals to my mantra - "It's All About the Color"!!