The Winners' Circle

Maine Quilts 2011 is over for another year. This is always an incredible show, with lots to see and do. The Pine Tree Quilters' Guild is a statewide guild with 73 chapters and over 2300 members. Many of these members participate and this year there were 775 quilts to see- both antique and contemporary, judged, challenges and special displays. As well as the quilts, there is always a verrrry tempting Merchants Mall (40 vendors from across the USA), not to mention lectures, demos, and wonderful classes with top notch teachers. I have taken classes for the last 4 if not 5 years, but took a break from classes this year and just enjoyed the show (and yes, I enjoyed the vendors too...**wink)
The Show is always well hung and as usual the winners did not disappoint. I'll share with you some of my favourite winners here and some other favourites on the next post. Postcards from Venice by Margaret Solomon Gunn of Gorham ME was the top winner. (Green rosette for Best of Judged (highest score), Purple rosette for Exceptional Merit and Blue rosette for first place in its category- Wall Quilts over 96" perimeter.) It is 74" square and her memories of Italy's ornate inlaid floors influenced her design. The machine quilting on this beauty was extremely well done and certainly contributed to its success, I'm sure. Congrats to Margaret on her win with such a beautiful piece of work. (Most of the quilts in the show were machine quilted, many by professional "long-armers". There were very few which were hand-quilted. Sad, but a sign of the times I guess.)










First place winner in the Large Bed Quilts category was To Everything There is a Season (84" sq.) by Pat Delaney of Abington MA. An inspirational fabric of hellebores gave Pat her color scheme and theme; three dimensional blossoms are scattered along the borders, signaling the arrival of spring. The detail shot below will help you appreciate Pat's machine applique, machine embroidery and hand couching, not to mention the intricate quilting, done on a domestic machine (by Pat, I assume, not sure).





























Through Spenser's Eyes by Judy Lariviere of Cotuit MA earned a ribbon as well in the Bed Quilts section. Made for her son who is heading off to college, he was involved in the fabric collecting and design process. I have long been a fan of the New York Beauty and this one is definitely a beauty!! I loved the bright batiks and her color transition was wonderful. I sure hope Spenser takes good care of this quilt at college! No beer spills, Spenser!! Are you listening Spenser? (Sorry- I just can't imagine this beautiful quilt on a dorm room bed... can you??)
































Another winner which really caught my eye was Just Go With the Flow by Noreen Borys of Kingwood TX. I know Noreen and I could be good friends- we both love the same colors. Who could resist these rich blues, greens and purples?? SO gorgeous! An original design, it hangs on her livingroom wall as a daily reminder to slow down, relax and be thankful for her many blessings. (Noreen, if you EVER tire of this one, it would look awesome on MY livingroom wall too...hint hint...***wink wink...)





















In case you have not seen enough color yet, how about Blossoming Bulbs (39" sq.) by Beatrice Gilbert of North Yarmouth ME. An original design, she combined traditional machine piecing with hand appliqued dimensional trapunto. Her use of vibrant silks made the piece simply glow! As you can see, this quilt won a Judge's Choice pink rosette.








Intertwined (42" sq.) won first place in the Wall Quilts category. Guess who? Margaret Solomon Gunn again! Yeah Margaret! You go girl! She was inspired by the centre square which was started in a Karen Kay Buckley class at Maine Quilts last year. She has used her favourite batik fabrics. (I understand totally Margaret- I LOVE batiks too...) Again this piece is beautifully quilted - and if you look closely at the detail shot below you can see the sparkling crystals she has added. What a gorgeous piece... I'd say Margaret has got it all figured out, wouldn't you?





















Another first place winner in this same category was Mom and Auntie Jean Play Gin by Rana O'Connor of Portland ME. This original piece was done from a photograph. Not only has she done an amazing job on the figures, but look at that Tiffany lamp...Wow!! It was pieced, appliqued and quilted by machine, and also featured machine embroidery, trapunto and other embellishing.
As I told you- a very impressive show indeed. I'll share more photos on my next post so y'all come back...
And don't forget about my Giveaway which closes this coming Friday evening. Not many have entered yet, so your chances of winning are good. Just scroll down to the previous post to read all about it...

Piece
Linda

"In the sweetness of friendship, let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures."
~ Gibran

400th Post Giveaway!

What are you working on these summer days? Many people do "Christmas in July" projects; my friend Gail has been making good progress on her Winter Wonderland project, "reporting in" each Sunday through July - you can check it out on her blog here. Although my intentions were good and I do have several small holiday season sewing/quilting projects awaiting, it just didn't happen. But I HAVE been working away this summer, slowly but surely, on some cross-stitched beaded Santa ornaments- does that count? Thought I'd show you my progress so far, and I'll take another photo at end of August- hopefully these will be finished and perhaps a few more designs done. I have a friend in Ontario who has pleaded for one of these Santas. She has practically promised me the world for a Santa, and since I will be seeing her in early September, I thought I had better get moving. Although she said she'd be happy with whichever one I wanted to do, I would prefer to give her the choice, so am trying to get one of each design done (plus some extras for Christmas giving). The count to date is 4 Santa Clauses, 2 Saint Nicks and 1 San Nicolo- in various stages of completion. Of course I still have the hats to do.... (You can see all five designs if you click on "Beaded Santas" on my sidebar.)
I can hardly believe that this is my 400th post!! Wow- where does the time go? I think that's a good enough reason to have a little giveaway, don't you ? Leave me a comment on this post and tell me where you live (I'm curious to see where my readers are) and I'll enter you in a draw for a Santa Claus (shown at left). He measures roughly 2.25" wide by 4.25" tall. Tell me if you are a follower or join as a new follower and you'll get a second entry. Scroll to the very bottom of the page to see my Followers and join them! I'll make the draw next Friday evening, August 12th. Don't forget to leave your email or a way to contact you, if you're not a Blogger.
My next post will take you to Maine Quilts in Augusta.

Peace,
Linda

Only 142 days till Christmas!!

August already?

Where did July go? It seems to have just evaporated. You are likely wondering if I have vanished into thin air as well. No, I haven't... but sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you just have to deal with it. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it... Along with the humidity which just seems to suck the energy out of me, and problems with Blogger loading photos.. well I haven't had much of a presence here lately, have I? Hopefully that's overwith now.
I feel so far behind. My NYC trip seems so long ago now, and I've since had several other little trips, the last one being the Maine State Quilt Show. So it's time for me to get caught up.... hang on!
What can I say? I love New York City. Plain and simple. There is soooo much to see and do. Every time I visit I go with a long list of things to cross off. This time, at the head of my list was some time in a Museum or two, so after our visit to the American Folk Art Museum, next on our list was the Met. Now if you have never been to the Met, let me tell you- it is huge. HUGE. It is bigger than H-U-G-E. There is no way you can see it all in one day. It is suggested you just pick a few areas of interest, and concentrate on them so that's what we did. Because we are both interested in music our first choice was the special exhibit "Guitar Heroes: Legendary Craftsmen from Italy to New York". Quoted from the Met website: "New York City and nearby New Jersey, Long Island, and Westchester County have been home to a vibrant Italian American population since the late nineteenth century. Within this community, a remarkable tradition of lutherie (stringed-instrument making) has flourished. Italian American craftsmen have produced an enormous variety of musical instruments, from traditional European-style violins, mandolins, and guitars to newer American instruments such as archtop guitars and mandolins and even electric guitars. Since the 1930s, makers from this tradition in the New York region have become especially well known for their extraordinary archtop guitars. This exhibition examines the work of three remarkable craftsmen from this heritage—John D'Angelico, James D'Aquisto, and John Monteleone—their place in the extended context of Italian and Italian American instrument making, and the inspiration of the sights and sounds of New York City." You can click here to see some of the beautiful instruments that we were so lucky to view - this mandolin inlaid with mother-of-pearl and tortoiseshell just blew me away.. what a labour of love. The craftsmanship of all these instruments was amazing. It's such a pity that we just don't see this kind of craftsmanship being carried on in the next generations today... We would have liked to have had the evening free as Steve Miller was playing there that evening, one of a series of special performances to accompany the Guitar heroes exhibit! Can you imagine seeing Steve Miller for $40.00??!!
Another special exhibit we really enjoyed was "Thinking Outside the Box: European Cabinets, Caskets and Cases from the Permanent Collection (1500-1900)". This was an impressive display of unusual boxes of various shapes, sizes, textures, colors and uses, ranging from the smallest snuffbox to strongboxes, tea caddies to coffers and necessaires to jewel cases. A most interesting collection and again impressive workmanship, unheard of today. You can click here to view many of the items from this exhibit.
We spent the remainder of our time at the Met wandering through a variety of exhibits, from antiquities to modern art. It would have been nice to see the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibit, but the lineup was just too long - our tired footies were already complaining. I think for subsequent visits to the Big Apple, I will always check ahead and see what special exhibits are on at the Met- it could certainly become a favourite destination. No question there...
Our last Museum stop was at the FIT - that's the Fashion Institue of Technology in the Fashion/Garment district. No photos were allowed , but the exhibit called Sporting Life explored the relationship between active sportswear and fashion over the last 150 years.
Of course we did other things in NYC besides visit Museums. We manged to squeeze in a little shopping (mostly windowshopping), we walked through the Diamond District on West 47th admiring all the gorgeous diamond jewellery in the shop windows, naturally we had some great meals, and of course each evening we saw a Broadway show. I thoroughly enjoyed Memphis and The Lion King, and our other night was an amazing new Cirque du Soleil show "Zarkana" at Radio City Music Hall. I had never seen a Cirque show, and it did not disappoint!! Of course RCMH is such a fabulous place to visit anyway - did you know it is the largest indoor theatre in the world? The marquee is a full city-block long and the theatre seats approximately 6,000. Because there are no columns, every seat is a good seat. The stage, framed by a huge proscenium arch measuring 60' high by 100' wide is considered by technical experts to be the best equipped stage in the world. The beautiful gold stage curtain is also the largest in the world, and the mighty Wurlitzer organ, built especially for the theatre, has pipes ranging from inches long to 32 feet, housed in 11 separate rooms!! It IS an incredible venue, well worth a visit or a tour if you ever get the chance (they DO have a great "backstage" tour, AND if you are ever there over the Christmas season, you MUST see the Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes. It's without a doubt the best show I've ever seen and runs from mid- November into January.) You can read more about Radio City Music Hall here if you're interested. Of course photos were not allowed during Zarkana but I did get a few shots before the show, looking down from the mezzanine when performers were out mingling with the crowd in the lobby. You can click here for a little taste (brief video clip) of the show.
So, that's it for my NYC trip. I'll leave you with several more photos below, some of my favourites- Atlas, holding the world high on Fifth Avenue (at Rockefeller Center), and two shots taken from "the steps" in Times Square where you can't help but feel the pulse of the city. The people, the lights, the Jumbotrons.. you just never know what you're going to see here. I did see the Naked Cowgirl this time - but alas no pic - she was not a terribly pretty sight.. poor dear, she no doubt was prettier topless fifty years ago...
I promise to be posting much more frequently from now on. Please come back again soon and I thank you for your patience in my absence.

Peace
Linda

"The world is a country which nobody ever yet knew by description; one must travel through it one's self to be acquainted with it." ~ Lord Chesterfield

Blogger problems...

So is anyone else having problems with Blogger in the last few days? When I try to add photos to my post, they will only add in a vertical format. Has this happened to anyone else? Can anyone tell me how to rectify it?? Not much point in adding vertical photos that are supposed to be horizontal - you'll all have a crick in your neck... Any suggestions???

More from the American Folk Art Museum....

I'd love to share a few more of the wonderful quilts we saw at the American Folk Art Museum with you today. Again, flash photography was prohibited so the colors are not quite true...
Naturally this old Crazy Quilt caught my eye. I do not recall the date of the quilt, or if it was even dated, but I'm quite sure it was before 1900. It was in very good shape overall, with very few patches showing age/wear. The stitching was elaborate and varied and there were many embroidered motifs. When I look at a quilt such as this one, I can't help but wonder about the maker - I'd love to know her story. Where did she get her fabrics - were they remnants from her own fancy gowns and family's clothing? Or did she gather/trade scraps from friends, dressmakers or send away for dress swatch samples? Wouldn't she be amazed at the wonderful fabrics and threads we have available to us today, not to mention the books, patterns and designs for embroidery? You have to wonder if ladies back then got together (in a "Bee"? a sewing circle?) to teach each other stitches, or did they just make up new ones as they went? Did they get together for an afternoon in the parlour to stitch on their "fancy work"? There certainly is lots of variety in the stitching on this quilt - look closely and see how many different stitches you can count..








Two others which caught my eye were this star quilt (there is an entirely separate show of Star quilts, called "Superstars" being held at the Lincoln Square branch of the AFAM, running until Sept 25, 2011) which also exhibited very fine hand quilting, and this contemporary quilt/wallhanging (below). I loved the use of color in this piece- it was very well done.









I was saddened to hear, a few weeks after our return, that the 53rd St. AFAM building is now closed, and for sale, due to financial difficulties. Upon checking the AFAM website, it looks like this is indeed true (and it appears that this particular exhibit is also finished, cut short.) I am glad we got there when we did- it was such a short walk from our hotel.
Tomorrow I'll tell you a little more about our trip to NYC, the city that never sleeps. Have I told you how much I love NYC??? If only one could buy a new pair of feet while there.. man, you could just go forever.... That's the only thing that slows me down...my feet just can't handle much more than three days of pounding that hot pavement....
(I've had a small problem with Blogger today- when I added these photos, it would only post them in the vertical format, even though they were originally horizontal... has anyone else had that problem? This is a first for me...???)


Piece,
Linda

"Color brings a little bit of joy into our lives." ~ Vera Neumann

Missing in Action???

No, I'm not MIA. I'm still here! I know you've likely been wondering where I've been. I just needed to take a little blog break... and now I'm back...
Man, isn't this heat a killer? Actually it's the humidity as much as anything.. today with the humidex, the temp. is supposed to feel like it's in the low 40's C. Whew! What are you doing to beat the heat? I've been staying indoors a fair bit, doing my "outdoor chores" in the morning or evening when it's a bit more bearable. I've been lazy, enjoying a reading jag - I just love summer reading, staying up late at night with my nose in a good book, on the couch with the windows wide open. Ollie loves lying in the open window and listening to the "night sounds".. although it's not quite as "interesting" now that the June bugs are gone... they drive him crazy!! Here are my latest finishes: 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs, German Boy by Wolfgang Samuel, Beach Music by Pat Conroy, Silent Witness by Richard North Patterson, We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates, Home is Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts and Turning Angel by Greg Iles. All were great reads, several being selections from Oprah's Book Club list and several New York Times bestsellers. I've been working my way through a stack of books given to me by my friend Sandi Mac... not sure which one I'm going to pick up next.
Although my studio stays relatively cool, I haven't been spending enough time there. I have done a new Miniature - no pics yet as it's still awaiting borders; currently it measures 4.25" x 5.5", the 35 blocks are each 3/4" sq. Hopefully the borders will be done this week and I'll share it with you. It IS colorful!!
I do have some quilt photos to share with you though - from the American Folk Art Museum in NYC. When I last posted (seems like forever) I was headed off on another trip to Manhattan. Put 54 women on a big pink bus for 6 days.... well, you can just imagine the fun that was had... Yes our Ladies Choir took another trip stateside, we even took along some friends this time, to fill the empty seats. My buddy Sue accompanied me this time, and we spent some quality "Museum time" in the Big Apple. Our first visit was to the American Folk Art Museum on 53rd St., right next door to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) . What drew us was the second "installment" of the "Quilts: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum" exhibit. Although it certainly didn't compare to the earlier show of 651 Red and White quilts from the collection of Joanna S. Rose, it was a wonderful overview of the Museum's quilt collection. This was the culmination of "The Year of The Quilt - a 12 month series of exhibitions, educational programs and special events to highlight the creative contributions of three centuries of talented women through spectacular textile masterworks". (quote from Museum publication) The quilts were indeed spectacular- we were very impressed with the workmanship, in particular the tiny even quilting stitches. The photos in this post will give you some idea of what I mean. Of course, flash photography was not allowed so the coloring in these is not perfect but you can still appreciate the quilts.

I particularly liked this whole cloth quilt titled "Cornucopia and Dots Whitework Quilt" circa 1800-1820 - the raised motifs on this bedcover were created by "cording and stuffing" - what we would call Trapunto today. It was beautifully done and still in perfect condition considering its' age. The stitches were minute- we figured about 14 stitches to the inch. Amazing when you think of the conditions the maker would have worked in- no Ott Lights back then!!! And I had to wonder what was used to mark the quilting design- there was not a trace of pencil or any type of markings anywhere... It was exquisite.











Each quilt was special in it's own way, but the other one which really caught my eye was this red and white pieced quilt from the mid 1800's - made by a Hubbard!! Even the lettering is pieced - what a patient woman she must have been. Come back tomorrow and I'll share with you photos of the amazing old Crazy Quilt, and several others from this exhibit. Until then - hope you're managing to stay cool...

Piece,
Linda




"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for
the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world." ~ Ada Louise Huxtable

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day! Today, July 1st 2011, is Canada's 144th birthday. I am so proud to be a Canadian. The more I travel and see of the world, the more grateful I am to live where I do. We are so very fortunate. Our flag is recognized as a symbol of a peace-loving country, and our troops are known as peace-keepers. I am presently in Manhattan, and tonight I'll be looking up at the Empire State Building which will be bathed in red and white lights.
Since the maple leaf is a symbol of Canada, I thought I'd share a few of my favourite maple leaf photos with you today... (Much as I love the red maples in the fall, I hope we're not seeing red leaves anytime soon!!!)









Peace and Love
Linda, a proud Canadian

O Canada! Our home and native land...

Corn Hill Beauty

Have you noticed there seem to be longer gaps between my posts? I seem to be "otherwise occupied" with the summer weather we are finally receiving. Trying to get everything done outside as I will be away for a few days. My vegetable garden is coming along nicely, all except for the carrots. I guess the ground was just too cool and wet when I planted and they seem to be taking forever to germinate. I bought another pack of seed today to stick in.. surely we'll get some carrots... eventually... it may be October!!
I visited Corn Hill Nursery last week - what a beautiful spot. (CHN is part way between Sussex and Petitcodiac.) The irises, roses and peonies were not quite at their peak as they were last year for our visit, but beautiful none the less. Here are a few photos for you to enjoy, I'll share more later on. I'll be absent from here for a few days.. see you later!

Peace,
Linda

"Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint and the soil and sky as canvas." ~ Elizabeth Murray

Linda Loves Lupins...

Yup- Lupin Love. That's what it is... June brings droves of lupins to the highways and fields of the Maritimes. Purples, blues, pinks, mauves and whites are the most common colors, but you might also find yellows, peaches, and red-burgundies. They can be solid or bi-color. You will find lupins in fields, ditches, along highways and backroads and in gardens. Are you familiar with the children's story "Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Cooney? Alice Rumphius believed with all her heart that everyone should do something to make the world more beautiful, and her way of accomplishing that goal was to sow lupin seeds all over the countryside. I think she must have passed through the Maritimes as they certainly are abundant in this area. Lucky us!!
If you'd like to add some lupins to your garden, here are a few tips from Lois Hole's Perennial Favorites. Lupin seed needs to be scarified (scratched or scraped) because it has a hard coat that inhibits germination; the seeds will not sprout until moisture can penetrate the seed coat. If you are going to start the seed indoors, gently scrape the seeds between a folded sheet of medium-grade sandpaper. Sow in February or March, expect germination in 4-5 days. Outdoors, sow as late as possible in fall, even early to mid-November. The action of the frost will break down the hard seed coat. Lupins prefer full sun to partial shade. Lupins dislike acidic soil, so have your soil tested; dolomitic lime is great for sweetening acidic soil. (They do well in poor or alkaline soil.) They also dislike water-logged soil so do not plant them where puddles form from rainfal or spring snowmelt.
Deadheading will extend flowering. Lupins self-seed readily, but the seedlings often revert to purple or white. They are a short-lived perennial, usually losing their vigour after 3-4 years. For a continuous show of flowers in your garden, addd a few new plants every second year. Do not divide- they have a long taproot and don't take well to being moved. They perform well as a cut flower for bouquets, usually lasting 7-10 days after cutting. Deer will not eat lupin so they are a good choice if you have a problem with deer munching on your plants...
I have been out several times in the last week looking for patches of lupins. Laura accompanied me one day as we travelled through New Maryland on the way to Rusagonish (on another "photo mission" - more about that later). Some of these photos are from there, others are from Corn Hill N.B. I hope you will enjoy my photographic efforts...
And to my friend Gail, my "Blogger Support" buddy, whose birthday is today - bouquets of lupins to you, my dear! Happy Birthday!



Peace,
Linda

"The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life."
~ Giraudoux