April also known as Break Up—the AK version of spring—was as mucky as it could get, and I was home to enjoy every bit of it. That is until weather dumped loads of snow on us. Yep. We were buried for the last days of April. (I was to busy quilting to stop and take a photo, but trust me—it was a MESS.)
As my schedule gets busier, I know that every moment at home counts. I can’t be diddling around on Raverly all day long. No. No. No. But if I get a task done early, I allow myself to spend the extra time doing something that feels like a treat. Which is how I discovered this RBG Sweater. Go Ruth.
I built one new quilt which I will be keeping under wraps for a bit, but I will tell you that it is based on these bits.
The bits are left over from Wormhole which is no longer called that. What do you think? I love the idea, but hate the name Wormhole. I changed it To Infinity and Beyond, but I still may change it again. I am open to suggestions.
I helped with the 9th annual Spring Break Up Party Fundraiser for the Wrangell Mountains Center. Having the event at La Potato made it super special.
I booked all of my airfare for 2019! That was a multi-day task, but it means that my Australian teaching trip is all locked down. Here are the dates and venues for any Australians out there.
Thelma’s Cottage
Orange, New South Wales, Australia
Workshops—Saturday and Sunday, September 14-September 15
Patchworkers & Quilters Guild of Victoria
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Workshops— Thursday & Friday, September 19 – September 20
Waverley Patchworkers
Mt. Waverly, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Workshop— Saturday and Sunday, September 21 – 22
Lecture—Monday, September 23
Material Obsessions
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Workshops (tentative)— Friday – Sunday, September 27 – 29
You can see my complete teaching schedule here.
I loaded and quilted Wormhole/To Infinity and Beyond. It took me about 1 1/2 hours to quilt each color. There are 14 colors in the palette which equals 21 hours. That means I quilt about 57 square inches an hour. So slow.
But the good news is I listened to two great books in the process of quilting and facing that quilt. The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai is about the gay community called Boys Town in Chicago, Illinois in the early 1980s. It is a beautiful and sad coming of age story.
Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk by John Doe and Steve DeSavia was awesome. Did you know that the GoGos started out as punk rockers?
I got a new phone—the latest and fanciest. My iphone six would no longer hold a charge. I will say that the new portrait setting on the camera is super nice.
The last weekend of April, I packed my suitcase and headed to San Jose for the SAQA annual conference. It was fabulous as always with lots of great speakers and activities. It was close to 90 degrees and sunny the entire time. Which was great for walking and talking and enjoying the many fabulous murals that decorate the town.
One of the highlights for me was spending several hours at Judith Content’s home studio. The color and the textures of her space were truly a feast for the eyes.
Quilter Extraordinaire Gwen Marston passed away. Her book Liberated Quiltmaking was the arrow that pointed the way for me to be the quilter I am today. QuiltFolk wrote a very nice post about Marston on their Facebook page. It is truly a sad moment, but she will live on in all the quilters she has taught, shaped, and inspired.
If you are looking for some crazy weird tv, check out The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
My good friend Barb Mortell and her partners opened up a new sewing lounge in Nanaimo, BC, Canada It is going to be awesome! The space is called Sew it Begins.
I will be home until Tuesday, May 28 when I begin the Great June Quilting Adventure. Sons #2 and #3 will be along for part of the journey. I hope we all have a beautiful and productive May. I am going to be in the studio as much as I can. What’s your plan?
1) How about Whorl Wind or Whorl of Wonder. (I’m not the best namer of art – but thought I’d give it a shot)
2) Please keep us updated with Australian photos when you’re there!
3) Gwen Marston was a huge influence on me too and I was so happy to discover her Liberated Quiltmaking book when it came out. I was already experimenting with what we called “wonky” – and finding her book was validating. I love everything about Red Square on page 158.
4) Thanks for the Nanaimo shout out! I’m still running my ArtLeap workshops (artleap.ca) but now I have a bricks and mortar location at the Sew It Begins sewing lounge. I’m using one day a week to get my Bin Of Unfinished Items emptied as I finish them at the store.
5) Carry on, oh woman of amazing time management!
Thank you Barb. I love the bird! It is so good. You could spend a lot of time making birds I think.
I like Wormhole/To Infinity and Beyond. What I thought of when I saw it was “In my Mind’s Eye” or “My Mind’s Eye View.” Your work is amazing.
Mind’s Eye is a great title! Thank you!
Wormhole looks exactly what the start of my migraines look like!!
Oh no. That is quite a visual. I hope they don’t happen every often.
I love the new quilt and I love to think of names for other people’s quilts….not that they ever use my suggestions! How about “Threshold” or “On the Verge”? Or going with Jacquelyn’s idea you could call it “Aura”.
Linda- thank you for the feedback. I am still thinking Wormhole does feel right, but it is also kind of an ugly name. I welcome your suggestions!
maybe rabbithole works better. it is a little like Alice’s adventure.
Yes. That is a good one. I still have not decided. It is funny how the naming thing works. I often change a name until I get the one that just sticks. It can be a confusing process.
I also change the names as I go. Almost always I have a name when I begin, but some times the quilt takes a turn of its own…almost always. I love your quilts and they have inspired me to play with strips and plaids.
We think a like! I am glad to hear my work inspires you. Thank you!