Yes. You are right. May is almost over, and I writing about April. The way I get to a new habit is to come back to it at every chance I get. I want to write a monthly update, and so I am writing a monthly update—late but here.
I am still working on a large, heavily pieced beast. It weighs a lot more than you would image.
I am in the quilting phase which always feels like a long dark tunnel. I stitch, and I stitch, and I stitch and still that long dark tunnel exists in front of me.
I wrapped up Project Every Day PHASE One. Here is what the check list looks like on that project—
Wear Clothing I Have Made for an Entire Year—CHECK
Post a Daily Image On Instagram—CHECK
Write a Weekly Blog Post with Links to the Patterns Used to Make the Clothing—I am on Week 39, which means I have 13 weeks I still need to post.—GETTING THERE
Create a Stop Motion Video of Me and the Alaska Weather Behind Me—NOT DONE
Create 12 Quits using the remains for the hand made clothing—NOT DONE
The daily photos of Project Every Day ended just as I got on a plane for a wild multi-state trip.
Berkeley was my first stop. I stayed here. My accommodations and host were awesome.
I spent the next day sightseeing. Two long time California quilters gave me a great tour. In addition to the sights, I learned a lot about the history of quilting in California.
A hi-light for me was visiting the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park.
The next day, I taught Making Prints out of Solids for the East Bay Modern Quilters . The classroom was in the Piedmont Center for the Arts.
We were surrounded by amazing quilts from their annual show called Stitch Modern.
Next up, I attended the opening of several new exhibitions at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles.
There was a Modern Quilt Guild Exhibition.
In the back gallery there was the exhibition called THREE LEFT COAST ARTISTS: LINDA GASS, LINDA MACDONALD, AND GYONGY LAKY. All of the artists were attendance and gave thoughtful talks about their work.
Then it was on to Kanas City for a brief moment.
My neighbor on the plane was a serious snacker. I always travel with two boxes of Triscuit, don’t you?
From there I went by car to Lincoln, Nebraska for the SAQA annual conference Creation to Curation held in partnership with the International Quilt Study and Museum .
We spent an entire day at the Quilt Study Center. It was amazing on so many levels. A hi-light for me was to see this amazing quilt by Jean Ray Laury.
Jean was doing modern back when it was modern.
There were several exhibitions on show including Quilt Japan.
Swan Song by Hiroko Nakayam is a Japanese quiltmaking at its best.
Look at this amazing quilt storage system.
The conference ended with a spectacular talk by Michael James.
On the last day of April, I headed back to Kansas City for the next leg of the trip.
When I travel, I actually have time to try and do more complicated knitting designs. This is the On Off Shawl by Larissa Brown. I am knitting it in Juniper Moon Farm Findley Dappled DK.
I also started another sweater! This one is called the New Concetta Cardigan by Elisabeth Smith. I am using the recommended yarn for this pattern which is Lamb’s Pride Worsted.
I finished the seventh book in the Maisie Dobbs series—The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear. These books are really good travel companions.
I had my doubts about the premise of A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. How could a book where the main never leaves a hotel be that interesting? But it was. I am putting his other book Rules of Civility in my queue.
And that is it for April. How is your spring going? What are you making, growing, or reading? I would like to know.
“Swan Song” – gasp. Looking at that makes me want to back away from my sewing machine… Fun to read of your many adventures!
I know! It is hard to grasp just what it took to make that. Thank you for stopping by!
What a busy month April was! So much travel. Keeping up with your projects and the family and the blog posts are more than I can imagine doing.
I love the Maisie Dobbs series, and have been listening to them as audio books, while I sew. I just finished book 4 of the Jeffrey Archer series – Clifton Chronicles and have moved on to Victory at Yorktown by Newt Gingrich & William Forstchen. 11 chapters into the book I can tell you that I am very surprised by the scope of the narrative and how well it is written. (Politics are not included in this writing, other than the politics of the early colonies struggling for the freedom we enjoy today). I am growing several projects and blogged about them today. 8 more seams to get my main layout of Talkin’ Turkey together, then it will be time to start working on the 4 borders in the pattern. I will set it aside after the 8 seams and start working on my MITTENS – pet mosaic project again, where some additional quilting is in order before it is ready to bind and hang in our show in July. Thanks for the images, ideas and updates!!
I love that bag you made with the upholstry bits. It is awesome. And Talking Turkey is a show stopper. What a great piece. You shoudl think about doing a blue and white scrappy quilt for the IQA show. I think it is 2018 when they will be exhibiting blue and white quilts for their 40th anniversary. I bet you would come up with something fabulous.
Thank you Maria. I like the texture of the fabrics and hope they will hold up to use on a bag. Funny about blue scrappy quilts… I have a blue & white one on the back burner, another Bonnie Hunter pattern!. I do like the 2 color quilts I am looking forward to working on the next one..
Book Club her in SC enjoyed”Gentleman in Moscow” too. Especially with Russia so much in the news these days giving another perspective from history. Creative plot, characters and setting and great imagination from Knowles whose other books we also enjoyed. Loved your shawl pattern. New herb garden here survived first mild winter so excited to plant it more as part of my butterfly garden with two tomato plants and one pepper for just the two of us now. Inspired by a short trip to Va. with mountainesque crafts and great patchwork totes made from heavy upholstery materials, dyed scarves, international shops and galleries full of hippyesque duds from Katmandu and other exotic places spurred by women’ groups given a chance at entrepreneurship. It was all exciting to learn about and see their colorful wares hanging– from leggings, overblouses and jewelry that one sees few of in our location. Summers we hibernate in the AC or pool here so I plan to dig into the stash to lighten my load of weary closet duds to come up with something loose and comfy.–you asked–I’m telling while I wish you a sunny, cool and crisp summer at Wrangle Mts.
Sounds like a great summer Aunt Carole! I will be in Tennessee in late July, so I am hoping for heat. I miss it.
Thanks for sharing your April highlights. I’ve enjoyed the Maisie Dobbs books, too, and have listened to some on audiobooks while I hand stitch. April brought me time in the studio…lots of improv work happening here.
Maisie Dobbs is great! I am not a big mystery reader, but the quilters of the Santa Clara Quilt Association turned me on to them and I have been reading them ever since. Glad to hear about the improv work!
I think I enjoy the Maisie Dobbs series because of the setting. It adds to my historical perspective.
I totally agree. I love how she introduces some element of the times into the plot. It is good!
You’ve had a busy month! Quilting does feel like a long dark tunnel, or a trek across a desert. Thanks for the book ideas – I am always looking for new books to read. And thanks for all the eye candy. Check out my blog to see some Yukon weather if you like. 🙂
Great blog Janet! Quilts and Northern wilderness are great subjects. Yes. Trek across a desert is an even better description.
Your description of the quilting is perfect. It makes me feel better to know that someone else feels that way. I can hardly wait to see the finished quilt!
I don’t know if you saw that another reader described quilting as walking through a desert–which is equally true. It is a long task. I do it because once it is done it is done! And can enjoyed. It is like exercise–we like the results!