The stockings aren’t far from the hearth, which is decked out with things that have moved with us from pillar to post. Even is our spot on the globe has changed every so often, there is continuity in Christmas. The tic-toc Santa on the shelf to the left of the hearth I’ve had (at least) since I was 6, which means he’s been around the world. The copper and brass things on the heart are from Argentina (where I lived when I was 4-5) and Peru (where mom lived before she met dad).
Gosh it has been busy! Is it as insane at your house as at mine? At long last the tree is trimmed, almost all of the gifts are wrapped, in a minute I’ll start the rum cake and stuffing for tomorrow, and then I can breathe. In the meantime, this is what I’ve been doing the past few weeks, including a FABULOUS online class with watercolorist Val Webb. If you feel the urge to try something new, she’s starting another class on painting culinary herbs in early January and I highly recommend her…details below!
The tree is finally trimmed!
I do believe we have just about hit maximum capacity on our tree. I’ve collected ornaments since my late teens, with a set for my parents and a set for me. Now I have all of them. Even leaving off the duplicates, we’re a bit full! The good news is that I have duplicates, so both boys will eventually have a set of family memories to get them started.
Many years of gifts from my Frayed Edges friends are in this zone of the tree. I may have enough to eventually do an entire small tree the way we are going! I can also spot ornaments from D.C., Moscow, Bolivia, the Oregon Trail, Mount Washington, Maine, and a friend in grade school!
This year I used the owl ribbon from Renaissance Ribbons as my starting point. He’s hanging next to Kathy’s bird!
My foot is doing well! I got the stitches out last Friday, and on Wednesday I get to see if I can get my foot into a sneaker! That’s less than 3 weeks after surgery! This time has gone even better than the other foot, and that one went great!
Air-cast comes off in 48 hours! And I LOVE the lime green stretch velvet leggings I found on sale at Macy’s (needed to make a quick trip to the Maine Mall when I was down for my appointment…and got sidetracked walking through Macy’s)
Getting downstairs in an air-boot is do-able but awkward, so I’ve not been sewing or quilting, but doing things upstairs instead: watercolors! One of the ladies in my small online sketching group found Val Webb’s website. GOOD JOB! I love calligraphy, fonts and all sorts of lettering, and this one is just up my alley: the intersection of lettering and watercolors. I have learned SO MUCH! The price of the class, $50, is unbelievably reasonable for the 10 weekly sessions. You’ve got 4 months in which to do them: there are several pages of downloads, instruction on a closed web page, and two videos (usually about 30 minutes) in each lesson! Literally I learned something not 2 minutes into the first video. Being able to see how liquid to make your paint (I’ve been working too dry) and how to hold your brush… I can’t tell you how many great tips I’ve picked up. PLUS if you wish, Val will critique your work either in a private email or on the closed online group.
Here’s part of the third lesson, which focuses on things Celtic including Uncial letters. I made up the S, and am thrilled that I actually did it. Next: watercolor it.
Since I learn so much from critiques, I was the first to volunteer to have Val critique my pieces in the group setting. Many others have followed suit, and I am learning from each and every set of suggestions. Val’s manner of speaking (writing) is so gentle, encouraging and kind, yet she points out where you can work on things to make them even better. Students range from rank beginner to professional artist, but we are ALL learning. WONDERFUL!
Celtic knotwork from the lesson, with just the outer edge painted in a yellow-new Gamboge color. Will finish maybe tonight?
And talk about being HAPPY! I pulled out some of my celtic books for ideas, sketched out an S and some designs, listened to Val’s great video (that the outline on the letter is what creates the “cords” that feed into the design), modified slightly so that my knotwork wasn’t a free-standing design inside the wide parts of the S but instead connected to the outlining, and WOW am I happy! So happy that instead of painting this in my class sketchbook which has 90-wt mixed media paper, that I got out PROPER watercolor paper (I have 5×7 size). My drawing was a tad too big, so I reduced it on my printer/copier to fit, and now it awaits me having time to paint it well. The color swatches on the full page are me testing out colors to use. Val said it looks best if you use a light color for the outlining, so I’m trying the warm yellow with a blue for the main part of the interlace (photo above) and probably a deep reddish purple for the dark bits (the background). If I can manage the colors well on the knotwork, I’ll repeat them for the S.
S is for Smith. Or Sarah. Or whatever. I like it!
So you ask, is Sarah leaving quilting? Heavens, NO! I like taking classes in other media just to freshen myself up–good design is good design, whether architecture, landscape, tea kettles, calligraphy, painting, quilting. It all reinforces my learning which I can then apply to my quilting and I feel more excited about the process.
Val’s next class is Culinary Herbs. If you click on this link, scroll down to the 3rd of October for details!
I’ll pop back later with a Christmas Eve update. MERRY CHRISTMAS–no matter what your faith, let us celebrate friendship, community, learning, art, all together!
There area few things that are essential to the holidays, no matter what your faith. First and foremost is family, friends and love. Then there are a few things that I do or listen to that are required for it to really feel like the holiday season. Peter, Paul and Mary’s Holiday Concert is at the top of that list. I first saw it on PBS. I bought the VHS tape. Then I bought the DVD. Then I bought the music on iTunes. I love almost every song on the show, and this is one of my favorites, The Magi. I love poetry and the beauty of the lyrics… I hope you will enjoy this performance.
Listen with a sense of wonder…. “as an eagle flying higher…”
For the heart of man’s a palace And his dreams are as the sunlight They burn away the darkness, as they warm the freezing cold As an eagle flying higher, as a river through the canyon The diamond star shines down upon, a pathway to the soul
And the wisemen spoke of peace on earth, Of harmony and struggle Now you know a cycle’s gone and a new one is revealed. In the weaving of your fingers In the whisper of a love that’s born again In the weaving of your fingers In a promise that we made that never ends.
Song by Peter Yarrow and Joe Henry; copyright of both the song and the performance is to Peter, Paul and Mary.
All faiths are simply different pathways to the same holy place. Enjoy and peace be with you.
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on The Magi by Peter, Paul and Mary
Sheesh…. crazy busy here! I had surgery on my left foot on Friday, the same as what I had in August on my right foot, for arthritis removal. Things are going quite well and pain-free, but I have been insanely busy getting stuff done in anticipation of bobbing around on one foot for a week! Last Saturday was the start of Eli’s high school wrestling career, with a pre-season meet that included Class A, B and C schools (Camden Hills is Class B). Eli had three matches: his first was against a senior and the defending Class C State Champion (!!!!). Astonishingly, Eli managed to get a couple of escape points and NOT get pinned, which under the circumstances was amazing (since boys’ strength increases exponentially each year…kinda like dog years!). Then he won his next two matches convincingly.
Illuminated script lettering from Val Webb’s Watercolor Lettering class.
I’ve also been taking the most WONDERFUL online “Watercolor Lettering” class with Val Webb. The class is hosted privately, not via an online store or school. She creates a private group on Facebook where we can share, you download instructions from a password-protected blog (that is open for about 4 months which you have to work on the 10-week class), and there are video tutorials (some 30 minutes long!) there. I have learned SO MUCH! The example above is one I completed today, and it is probably the best thing I’ve ever done in watercolors. Val’s critiques are offered privately or, if you ask, on the group. Since I learn so much from reading the critiques, I have gladly offered mine up for sharing on the group, as have others. Val is generous yet points out in the nicest way what you can work on…helping you see where there are inconsistencies that might be done differently the next time. Just wonderful!
Me at home last night, showing a friend what the knee scooter looks like.
On Friday, after slamming all week to get stuff done in my studio, mow about 8 acres (literally) of meadow before winter and get the riding mower tucked away for winter, and do chores more easily done from two feet, I had my second surgery. Basically, the doc puts you under with something similar to the anasthesia they use for a colonoscopy (you have blissful amnesia after the fact), then takes a drill to remove the arthritic growth from one’s big toe. The only hard part for me, last time, was that I had to use a walker (crutches would ahve been as bad); because of the arthritis in my thumbs, putting weight on my hands to get to places (like the bathroom) was SO painful–far worse than the foot! So the ER recovery nurse suggested we rent a “knee scooter.” A what? She pulled it up on a laptop, showed me, we called the Medical supply place in Portland (on our way home) to reserve one, and I am SO HAPPY! I can get around the house easily!
Eli’s first match yesterday, in the official season-opener meet, was against the MDI (Mount Desert Island) kid who placed third in Eastern Regionals last year. As you can see, the boy (in green) is seriously ripped–that’s Eli in red grabbing his leg.
So easily, in fact, that since this surgery is on my left foot, I was told I could drive whenever I felt up to it. Well, yesterday was Eli’s first “official” high school wrestling meet and I had been SO bummed I wouldn’t be able to go due to the walker. Not any more! I felt up to it, and I MADE IT to the meet! It helps that the meet was in a town only 30 minutes drive, too. So I got myself and scooter into my car and went! And Eli had a fabulous start (of course he did, he rocks!). As a matter of fact, the team had a fabulous start. They lost 7 out of 13 Varsity team members to graduation last year, including 3 state champions. Yet, the team WON the 6-team Class B meet! Ellsworth obliterated four of the other teams, and Camden Hills obliterated Ellsworth. Can we all say “WAY COOL!”
Well…here’s just before the end of the third period, where Eli is getting the MDI boy on his back, again. Eli won, 10-3! That’s against the boy who was 3rd at Eastern Regionals last year. Papa Smith was VERY pleased!
And another move, where Eli is cranking on the boy in green, trying to get his shoulders to the mat and pin him, thereby ending the match immediately. He almost managed a couple of times, but this was definitely his toughest match of the day. The boy in green, by the way, is swiveling his hips to face down to prevent Eli from getting the pin, and the referee is down on the mat so he can peer underneath when it is close to see if it is a pin or not-quite.
Eli’s second match was against another seriously-strong young man from Ellsworth, here. Although this photo is blurry, I love how it shows the motion and intensity of the matches. That’s Eli on the left driving in to his opponent.
Honestly, I’m not sure why the wrestlers (boys and girls) love this so much. Personally, I would not love having someone’s knee in my back and my face held into the mat! Eli is (duh) in good control position here.
And a win “by fall” (which means Eli pinned his opponent, the kind of win that gets the team the most points). Eli also won his third match, which was against the JV member of the Belfast team. The varsity 152-pounder wasn’t there, but is apparently exceedingly good, was 3rd at States last year.
So, Eli’s official start to his high school wrestling (supplemented by two win-by-forfeits, where the opposing team didn’t have a kid to compete in his weight class) is a 5-0 record. WELL DONE! The rest of the team did extremely well… so proud of all of them including the coaches, kids, JV, and manager. This year the coaches are: PK, the high school science teacher, former coach and former Camden Hills wrestler and State Champion is coach, True Bragg is Asst Coach (had been Middle School coach, and he too went to Camden and was State Champion), Coach Goodspeed (been around since 1982 as head coach, part of the room and asst coach) and Paul as Asst Coach also. Thanks to the men, ranging in age from mid 20s to 70 ish, for helping. WOOT!
So that’s what I’ve been doing. Since I am allowed to put NO WEIGHT on my left foot all week, I hope to get caught up on some computer work: accounting for my teaching trips this year, learning InDesign (or at least starting), learning my new iPhone (I LOVE IT!), caught up on watercolor lessons, make some small Christmas gifties, write the Christmas newsletter, order the Christmas cards, do some fun reading, watch a couple DVDs I ordered like a year ago… hmmm…sounds like I need several weeks! I promise to try to be better about blogging! Meanwhile, enjoy the holiday season. Happy Hannukah to those who celebrate–personally, I believe in joining in all celebrations of light and goodness and joy!
Monday’s Fine Finishes class, all about edge finishes and bindings, included a large contingent from Brazil!
Fine Finishes is one of my favorite classes to teach. It included PERFECT mitered bindings, facings, piping and couched yarn edges, plus other techniques depending on the student’s speed. So far, every single student has been able to get a perfect miter and corner–in part because I show them WHY they get rounded or dog-ear corners instead. Then, I’ll have them do a couple INcorrectly on purpose so they can write notes right on the sample to remind them later what to do. WOOT! I really am going to write a book, I promise! Someone find me an extra month or two, OK? Anyway, my teaching week began late on Sunday when I arrived in Houston, went over to the awesome IQF Teacher’s room, and sorted and organized the things I had shipped ahead to be ready for each day. On Monday–the last day of Quilt Market (for the trade only), I had a nearly-full class which was awesome. On the left I had about seven ladies from Brazil, and one was kind enough to translate for the others whose English wasn’t as strong as hers: thank you Leticia! Great results all around!
Here, some students come up to look at my samples up close and take photos to remind themselves when they get home. I’ve found that the samples tend to get buried under papers and whatnot if students take them to their machines, so am now asking students to come up and examine as long as they wish but leave the samples up so others can do the same! Plus, they’re more interesting to look at than a blank convention center wall!
Janome-America has been SO GOOD to me for over 8 years now, including me in the artist and teacher program. Because I’m familiar with Janome machines, I always ask to teach in a Janome classroom. For Monday’s class we got the 3160, a smaller Janome that is a great travel-to-class/retreat machine as well as a good machine for at home. It’s not heavy like my beloved 6600/7700s but has almost as many features. The students did great on them! Thanks to Janome for sponsoring various machine classrooms at IQF!
Students working!
Happy! Learning to make a couched-yarn edge which is great for small pieces, fabric postcards and other small items. Would even work great on a light-use vest! Note the white fabric in the practice sandwiches: students can write notes to themselves right on the sample so the notes don’t get lost! The samples are sized to fit inside a plastic page protector and can then be put into a binder for future reference.
One student who worked quickly wanted to learn prairie points, so we whipped out Susan K. Cleveland’s Prairie Pointer tool (see it here). Prairie Points can be inserted into a facing, as here, or if you want the to point towards the quilt, insert into a traditional binding. Check out the rest of Susan’s stuff…. her books are GREAT!
Another view of the class, with my samples on the large 4×8 sheets of foam core at the front. I selected small quilts with a wide range of edge finishes to share so students can see how to apply what they are learning in class to their own quilts.
One goal for my week in Houston was to go to the original Ninfa’s, on Navigation street, more than once. I started with Mexican food at Guadalajara on Sunday evening (walking distance from the convention center), then went to Ninfa’s on Monday….for the first time!
OH MY….. my stomach gets happy just LOOKING at this photo. The plate in the bottom center is mine: El Henry: a taco, tamale and enchilada with frijoles and rice. The absolutely astonishing fact is that I did not put on weight that week! And I ate myself silly-happy!
Susan Brubaker Knapp and I met online and became friends…. we both have two kids about the same age, work as teachers and authors, and love machine quilting! When we realized we were going to be in Houston together, dinner was a must! Susan knows Kelly Jackson of I Have A Notion (here), so we gathered up a group and went to Ninfa’s. Believe it or not, we were NOT tipsy in this photo, just totally relaxed and happy and having fun! I was on the phone calling the hotel shuttle (Thank you to Embassy Suites…and now that I have secured my reservation for next year, I can tell you how SUPERLATIVE the service was at the hotel!).
Left to right: Kelly Jackson from I Have a Notion website (great name, great site!), Susan Brubaker Knapp and me, sitting on the patio (yes, there were heaters).
I roomed this year with the wonderful Mary Ellen Kranz, who is a part-time resident here in Maine and a dear friend of one of the local quilt guild (Coastal Quilters) members. I am SO glad she talked me into using her reservation at Embassy Suites instead of mine. The hotel was fabulous. The suite was fabulous. Mary Ellen was fabulous! On the way out of the hotel the last evening, I said I hoped to be able to snag a reservation there for next year. They took our email addresses and, glory be!, sent us a heads-up email saying when reservations would “go live” since hotels usually sell out within a couple hours of taking reservations. So I was ready and have my reservation. NICE…and typical of the great service they offered. Can you tell I was really pleased? WELL worth the small extra cost per person to stay there.
Looking at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston (about 1/3 mile long!), site of International Quilt Festival, and the lights of Houston, from our 19th floor suite at Embassy Suites.
Yesterday was (for those of you not in the US) our annual food-family-Americana feast. For me, Thanksgiving is the best holiday: it’s all about those we love, the bounty of the table and being together, about being an American, and it isn’t grossly commercialized like Christmas and like Halloween has become. Our small band gathered again this year, and it was wonderful–though we all did seem subdued. Paul had the Redskins playing arch-rivals the Dallas Cowboys (U.S. Football) on the TV, and our team–the Washington, DC, Redskins of course–was doing so well I had to snag Potomac, our troll wearing a Redskins jersey, to join us on the table. They won 38-31. Hail to the Redskins, hail victory! (That’s part of their fight song FYI.)
My Peeps, the best peeps on the planet!
And I even managed, FINALLY, to sneak in some time for art. I’m taking a Watercolor Lettering class with Val Webb online; we’ve only had one class/lesson so far, and I learned something not two minutes into the first video! I clearly have a lot to learn, but I’m learning and really enjoying it. I wasn’t going to take her next class about herbs and watercolor, but think I will just have to sign up….great stuff. So this is my first watercolored word:
From Val Webb’s first lesson, block letters, painting in the negative space.
I’ll be back with all the blogposts about Houston soon–I’ve resized the photos, just need to write and insert photos. Since I got back, I’ve ad Joshua’s birthday, then massive garden clean-up for the winter to do before I can sit down with the laptop, plus need to do all the Christmas shopping before my next foot surgery on December 7. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanks-Giving day, no matter where in the world you are. It is good to remember, be grateful, and say so–to yourself, to the others who make your life better (including the doggie down the street who wags his tail, the bird that sings, the kind lady in the checkout aisle at the grocery, all of them).
Talk to you soon with lots of pictures from Quilt Festival!
(1).png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
