A Day to Celebrate

It's been a good Independence day and I'm feeling very grateful for all my freedoms. Karl, Ashley, Frank & I did a bit of outside work this morning and then enjoyed swimming and lunch of hamburgers and watermelon. My favorite part was home grown tomatoes courtesy of the vacationing neighbors.

After lunch, Ashley & I worked on her dress while the guys watched tv and napped. Design changes and pattern weirdness mean we need another session so maybe I'll take my machine to Ft. Worth. Ashley usually comes up this way but I do need to run a few errands next week. I have a wonderful supplier of silk swatches who called that there's a bag set aside for me. I'd like to find something to wear to the baby showers but won't fret too much on that one as I usually run out of patience shopping for clothes; my taste and budget are not a good match. Funny that I do better sewing for others than for myself.

The silk swatches will be added to a collection I've been pulling together for a long simmering idea. I want a quilt hang over our bed with simple shapes and modern colors. I'll dye some of the fabrics. Lu did a beautiful one some years ago of layered circles with raw edges. Most recently I've been inspired by Malka Dubrawsky.

Ashley and I met her in Austin when she gave us directions from one fabric store to another. When she came into the second store we started talking and exchanged cards. Ashley knew her work from Etsy and I'd seen her pillow on the cover of the most recent Stitch. Later it clicked that she had the cover & an article in Dec./Jan. 09 Quilting Arts. She's a lovely lady and amazingly prolific artist.

I'm taking a break before I get back to the big project. Ashley and Frank went home to Ft. Worth with plans to ride their bikes on the Trinity Trail to see the big fireworks display this evening. Maybe K&I will drive into Denton and catch the show there. We saw some last night in Roanoke. We went down to Babe's, a local favorite for fried chicken and home cooking. I'm hoping we sweated off a few calories waiting outside about 30 minutes to get a table. Between dinner and fireworks we drove around looking at new mega mansion developments. Ashley caught the shots of the sunset and fireworks and I'm seeing see stitching inspiration in the colors and explosive patterns.

Independence Weekend

The Passion Vine is one of the few things holding up in the heat around here and even it's flowers seek shade. It always reminds me of something from outer space or for this weekend, the latest in pyrotechnics. Hope you find a good show to celebrate Independence Day.
My current #1 VERY IMPORTANT project just hit a milestone. I can't show it yet as it's a surprise for my first grandchild and will be presented at a shower on July 18th. I briefly cheered for my progress and then got hit with the reality of faulty planning.

I need supplies to be finished by the deadline. There's lots going on between now and then. Ashley will be here tonight and tomorrow so we can finish project #2 (silk dress for her to wear to a wedding on the 11th); there's another shower next weekend requiring some prep; and company will be staying here for the following weekend who will need meals, etc.

YIKES, to avoid major panic I have no choice but to go out, heat be damned. I did steel myself with a bit of armchair travel, enjoying Gloria Hansen's beautiful pictures of Yosemite and Tonya Littman's of Colorado and made note of an art show, featuring my friend Jane Ruestmann to see next week.

I'm off to the fabric store. I'll spend most of my weekend inside with the ac and hope I remember to be thankful to whoever came up with such an important invention for Texas. Whatever your weekend holds and whatever the weather, have a safe and happy Fourth of July.

Great Weekend of Inspiration

On Friday after spending 4 days in HOT Austin with Ashley and Celeste (reported beautifully on Ashley's blog on Monday 6/29), Lu Peters and Brenda Wyatt picked me up to venture southwest to Susie Monday's . It was an adventure just getting there; neither of my traveling companions had ever been to this region of Texas that I have long loved so I enjoyed that sharing. It has definitely changed (population growth) since I'd last been thru Bourne toward Pipe Creek.

The whole weekend was creative and inspiring to be sure. Susie's studio is "El Cielo", (el c-eh-lo) in Spanish means "the sky" or "the heavens." You can see why it's so named when you turn thru the gates. I share

Susie's love of Our Lady figures and smiled at these in the front hall, her fiber creations and a beautiful plate which I presume is from Mexico.

Our focus for the weekend was design and printing. We did lots of Notan (Japanese inspired black/white designs) and other forms of cut paper as well as sun printing and silk screening. Somehow I didn't photograph my own work but this is Brenda's tree, one of my favorites.

Beside creative instruction & inspiration, we had WONDERFUL food & the fellowship of pleasant company. Here's the class group: Lauri Smith Panova, Moi, Marlene Watts, Susie, Robin Early, Brenda Wyatt, and Lu Peters. Linda Cuellar took the picture and was a lovely hostess.

Morning and evening views ....a wonderful place to be and learn. I hope to return again and encourage others to take Susie's classes. Gracias S&L.