I've moved!

Due to the difficulties with this blog format,  I'll be posting at a new location.  Come visit me here

goodbye, summer

Seems like the season just buzzed by...we now enjoy the last of warm summer days.  But nights have cooled quite a bit and are a reminder that fall is on its way.  I spent a lot of time at the beach house with family and friends the last few months.  Took in a garden tour and International Kite Festival on the Long Beach Peninsula. 

 Enjoyed playing with my camera; did a bit of quilting, and reading.  Tried to spend as much time as possible outdoors, appreciating all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer in summer.  I'm looking forward to new creative projects this fall, and hope to be sharing some of those soon. 

Shrine and Botanical Gardens

 Shrine flowers.

 A young hummingbird resting at The Grotto.

 Bank of windows in the Meditation Chapel.

It's a brilliant Fourth of July morning and as all Pacific Northwesterners know, the real beginning of summer.  The urge is to go out and take some photos but then the realization that the camera is broken, the victim of a fall (let's just say it involved a rambunctious puppy on a leash in the same hand as the camera; my bad).  Also, feeling a little blue about missing the fireworks tonight at the beach house.  I'm a little grounded right now, getting ready to move my mom into assisted care tomorrow.  But we'll still go out for a drive today to enjoy the sun and have a barbeque later.

So, just sharing a few pictures from a recent outing at The Grotto with a couple of friends in a newly-formed sketching group.  One of my PAC friends, Sandy Keating, is the force behind our group...we hope to get out in the Portland area once a month to draw and take photos.

Modern Cross

  I've loved this quilt design since spotting it on the cover of Susan Beal's book, "Modern Log Cabin Quilting".  So, it came to mind when planning to make a baby quilt for a friend who was expecting her first child; a young woman I've known since she was a baby herself.  It really is a simple log cabin pattern, so all of the fabrics begin as 2-1/2 inch (I think) strips.  It was a lot of fun picking prints from my stash and setting them off with white Kona cotton.  The top photo shows the back, which is mostly Kona "Robin's Egg", with a pieced inset and some added embroidery.  I'm happy to say all is finished and on it's way to the sweet new baby, Taryn Rose, who was born last week!

scenes from New Mexico, May 2012

 San Felipe de Neri Church, Old Town, Albuquerque

 One of many interesting windows and doors...

 Whimsical shrine outside a shop in Old Town, Albuquerque

 There were many colorful signs and murals along old Route 66, Albuquerque

 Blooming cactus near Corrales

 One of many quirky features of the Tinkertown Museum along the Turquoise Trail

 Inside La Parada Merchantile, Albuquerque

 Collection of masks at the International Folk Art Museum, Santa Fe

 Sanctuario de Chimayo

 Folk art gallery along Canyon Road, Santa Fe

 A little magic in the Plaza, Santa Fe

 At the Blumenschein Home and Museum, Taos

 Outside "The Love Apple" restaurant, Taos

Taos flutist, Robert Mirabal, performing in the Plaza at Santa Fe, and lastly, Taos Pueblo

travels and stuff

 I had the good fortune of spending 8 fabulous, art-filled days in New Mexico last month with three of my friends.  In the last several weeks, I've been working on a visual journal of sorts; it's mostly my photos along with various bits of paper and postcards picked up along the way.  Working on it has been a joy because it brings back memories of the trip.

 I think Taos was my favorite place but Albuquerque and Santa Fe were also wonderful!

I've had a problem getting things composed here at blogger lately so will put some of my photos up on the next post.

it's in there!

This quilt top was artfully arranged by members of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild, and chosen by Kathy Miller of Michael Miller Fabrics to be displayed in their booth at Quilt Market next month!  My block is in the third row, far right.

There were 48 awesome blocks submitted by guild members for this challenge and the ones not in this quilt will all be made into 2 other quilts that will be shown at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show and the Northwest Quilt Show.  Yay! 

 

edit:  well, I guess Quilt Market was this month and here's a photo of the finished quilt taken by Elizabeth Hartman as it appeared at the Michael Miller booth in Kansas City.