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The Frayed Edges Artists’ Reception, Camden Public Library

Sunday, August 12th, 2007

On a glorious Saturday afternoon in Maine, we had our artists’ reception at the Camden Public Library. The room was colorful, even more so because of the gorgeous flowers Kate brought, some from her garden (sigh…someday I will have a garden that has SUN).

Thos flowers Kate also had the brilliant idea to put out some “Quilt Show” signs to alert passersby, and it worked! Unfortunately, I didn’t get pics of those, but I can tell you Kate made up the “flags” at home, then she and Kathy cut out the fused letters and ironed them on while camping at Mount Battie here in Camden, using the electricity in the bathroom. Now that’s dedication!Kathy, Hannah, front end of room

Just above, you can see Hannah, her oldest daughter, Kathy, a friend of Kathy’s and the “kitchen” end of the room (the kitchenette is behind the folding doors), with our refreshments table in the center with Kate’s beautiful batik cloth. Our grid piece is on the right.

Here is my dear friend Betty Johnson who came with her daughter Karen Martin. Both are mainstays in the Coastal Quilters, and I’m so glad they are both there. Betty is an amazing art quilter with an unerring eye, and Karen does the most perfect piecing I think I’ve ever seen…lots of detailed paper piecing too! Gorgeous! Betty is looking at our 5×5 / Five Artists, Five Views piece where each of us interpreted the same photo (each column), and where each row shows a single artist’s variation on the five photos. Betty looking at quilts

Betty also surprised me with this little “Inchie and three quarters”… I had bid on her small art quilt at our Coastal Quilters fundraiser but got outbid, but she remembered and made me a “congrats” on the show and my Quilting Arts article with her bunny fabric (I have a thing for bunnies). I may make this into a pin or necklace!

Betty’s Inchie and three quarters

Here’s a closer look at the items in the display case and above it (from left to right on the wall, Kathy’s birches, Sarah’s Autumn on the Village Green, and Kate’s interpretation of http://www.esteritaaustin.com/s pattern of a stone-flanked doorway):

Display case area

Here is another view, this time of the corner opposite the kitchenette, with my Koi on the far wall (the wall you see as you look through the doors into the Picker Room) and Deborah’s “Anthony Avenue” anchoring the wall on the right.

Hannah, Kathy and friend far end of room

I am still trying to catch up on lost sleep from all those hospital nights, but life is good. The show was fun, there are many wonderful comments in our guest show book (another one of Kate’s grand ideas!), Joshua is eating more, and getting more like his usual (sometimes teen-attitude) self, which means he is healing, his skin grafts look better (ok, less bad!) every day, and nighttime temps are ever-so-slightly beginning to drop. The first green acorns are already dotting the driveway, and school starts in 24 days. Not that I’m counting… GRIN! Now, to get to work on the book….

Morning Still Life

Thursday, August 9th, 2007

On Monday, before we knew Joshua would be coming home, I had a quiet moment. Eli was off to camp and I was all alone in the house (a RARE occurrence). There was a ripe mango in the fridge. Not for long…. when I set my things down to eat and read e-mails, I thought this looked so lovely:Morning Still Life

So that is my morning beauty break…. Joshua is improving daily, though he has a long way to go. Having friends over all day nearly wore him out yesterday, but he was so happy having first Taylor, then Kristina. And my Coastal Quilter friend Leigh Smith made us the most incredible dinner (which lasted for two!) of homemade lasagna, Italian bread, ice cream, and even some red wine (with two straws, which Paul had joked we would need since we were too tired to pour a glass), and a heavenly smelling candle! I should have taken pictures, but instead we inhaled the dinner. Gotta get her recipe!

Joshua is HOME HOME HOME!!!!

Monday, August 6th, 2007

As of 6:30 pm, about 3 weeks and 2 hours after he left the house, Joshua came HOME! We are all elated to say the least….here’s the sequence:

pulling into the garage

door openthru garageup stepsinsideAt computerpetting the dogsLife is good. Joshua is HOME! Blessings be, with thanks to all the angels, human and otherwise, that helped bring him home. 

Joshua update 8/6–quilt blocks!

Monday, August 6th, 2007

Sometime today, Monday, we will find out how the skin grafts did…. if well, then Joshua should be able to come home this week (and sooner is better!). In the meantime, it is a waiting game…keeping his foot elevated (so as not to float the skin grafts off…literally! eeek!). But blocks have been arriving by the half dozen…another six or so arrived in Saturday’s mail, which Paul brought with him to the hospital on Sunday. So, I added the new ones to the ones already up there, and laid them all out on the bench where Paul and I take turns sleeping.

The first photo is of the 15 blocks we had in the morning (when the light in the room was better). You can see a bit of the lap quilt from our sofa peeking out at the ends…that room desperately needed color and we needed a blankie!

15 blocks

This second photo shows more blocks but the photo isn’t as good…. 18 blocks

Published! In Quilting Arts Magazine!

Sunday, August 5th, 2007

Yes, I’m dancing on the tables! The first of two articles on bindings, titled On the Edge, is in the new August / September issue of Quilting Arts Magazine, and the second one will be out in the October/November issue. Here’s the cover:QA Aug. cover

My article is on p. 32…and I’ll share more after the magazine hits newsstands on August 7th. I’ve already shared one technique that ended on the editorial floor (I KNEW I sent more than they could fit in the available real estate –grin!), and later on another for using facings. In the meantime, I invite you to join me in a major happy dance!