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Archive for the ‘Home’ Category

I’m back, and I’ll be teaching at IQF Houston!

Sunday, August 31st, 2014

Hi all…a quick note to let you know Eli and I are home from England, over 2000 photos later!  I promise I’ll share some but not ALL of the photos.  In the meantime, I wanted to share with you that I’m once again teaching in Houston at the International Quilt Festival.  To find out about online enrollment, which is now open, click here or in the link in the sidebar to the left. Here’s what I’ll be teaching:

Monday, October 27, All Day Class #128:  Let’s Machine Quilt–an intro to machine quilting, all day class, machines provided

Let's Machine Quilt class sample

Let’s Machine Quilt class sample–Right click to view larger

Coral Free-motion Quilting Sample, Click to view larger

Coral Free-motion Quilting Sample, Click to view larger

Tuesday, October 28, Lecture #254:  How Did She Do That?  A lecture and digital presentation supplemented with in-the-cloth quilts sharing how I go from idea to image to quilt.  At 11:00, ending just in time to attend the Noon Luncheon.

SASmithAmaryllis1400Full

Wednesday, October 29, All Day Class #339:  Birch Pond Seasons, an introduction to fusible applique and art quilting.  This is a fusing and design/composition class with no sewing.  You can see the pattern (which is included in the kit fee along with MistyFuse) here.  You can see a class in progress on this blogpost, and at the bottom of this post which includes a lovely winter version. This is the third year in a row that IQF has booked this class for Wednesday–yeah!

Thursday, October 30, Morning Event #460:  Machine Quilting Forum (alas, already full), with four other machine quilters where we each give a presentation to the full group.  Then you have about 20 minutes for a quick demo or lecture with each of us–think of it as speed-dating for quilters.

Thursday and/or Friday:  one hour SMALL demo/kit/hand-on class in the Fiber-on-a-Whim booth!   Exact one-hour class (at one end of the booth) to be determined, but likely printing with thermofax screens.  Class fee will include fabric, paint, paint brush to use and use of my thermofax screen(s) to make some printed fabric to take home.  More details to come!

Dog Walkies

Wednesday, August 13th, 2014

Those who know me on FaceBook know that I post regularly photos from my dog walkies.  But since some of you aren’t ON Facebook, thought I’d share them here.  As you read this, Eli and I are in ENGLAND!  We’ll have wifi and will likely post to Facebook, but not sure I’ll be able to update the blog until we are home (hubby will be there tending the critters…he didn’t want to go to England…can you imagine?).  Anyway, we’ll be able to use Facetime to keep in touch!   So here is some local beauty:

Even weeds can be beautiful.  I tweaked this photo in Photoshop to create a thermofax screen, so hope to do some surface design this fall!

Even weeds can be beautiful. I tweaked this photo in Photoshop to create a thermofax screen, so hope to do some surface design this fall!

And another of the grasses:

What a great design this will be.  Wonder if I can make a "plaid" by printing the screen at right angles , or create a diamond...hmmmm

What a great design this will be. Wonder if I can make a “plaid” by printing the screen at right angles , or create a diamond…hmmmm

One day Eli had a summer pre-season cross-country team run in Rockport near the Children’s Chapel.  I walked in the garden and got these photos:

Glorious poppy seed head and flower

Glorious poppy seed head and flower

I'd never seen seed pods like on this tree, aren't these cool?

I’d never seen seed pods like on this tree, aren’t these cool?

And a close up

And a close up

Back at home, the milkweed pods are growing.  There is SO a milkweed quilt in my future.

Back at home, the milkweed pods are growing. There is SO a milkweed quilt in my future.

Evelyn Chagnon, this is for you:  baptisia with seed pods.  I'm hoping to bring some seeds to you at Quilt Festival as well as mail you a chunk of the plant in Fall.

Evelyn Chagnon, this is for you: baptisia with seed pods. I’m hoping to bring some seeds to you at Quilt Festival as well as mail you a chunk of the plant in Fall.

And I discovered it isn't just wild blackberries, we have delectably TINY wild raspberries.  YUM.  Yes, I ate this one.

And I discovered it isn’t just wild blackberries, we have delectably TINY wild raspberries. YUM. Yes, I ate this one.

And a summer's evening dog walkies to close things out.  The light is from the entry/kitchen door to our house.

And a summer’s evening dog walkies to close things out. The light is from the entry/kitchen door to our house.

End of the School Year BUSY-ness

Friday, June 27th, 2014
The end of the year insanity began with States in Cross Country.  Here's Eli receiving the baton in the 4 x 800 m. relay

The end of the year insanity began with States in Cross Country. Here’s Eli receiving the baton in the 4 x 800 m. relay

Good thing my blog allows me to write posts then schedule them out into the future!   It has been insanely busy.  Here’s a smattering of the early June busy-ness!

The kid in mid-stride, airborne!   The team was happy to not finish last at States, as the fast runners were doing other races and not the relays.

The kid in mid-stride, airborne! The team was happy to not finish last at States, as the fast runners were doing other races and not the relays.

And Eli passing TWO other teams/kids in the final lap!

And Eli passing TWO other teams/kids in the final lap!

Then the Track and Field team end-of-season picnic and awards at a waterfront park in Rockport, Maine.

Eli with teammates Melissa K. and her sister Emily K.

Eli with teammates Melissa K. and her sister Emily K.

Then there's the garden.  I need to see if I can get the weed whacker working (ugh, I am NOT mechanical), but here I hacked out the dead rugosa rose stuff.  Fortunately, there are a lot of "runners" that are growing well.

Then there’s the garden. I need to see if I can get the weed whacker working (ugh, I am NOT mechanical), but here I hacked out the dead rugosa rose stuff. Fortunately, there are a lot of “runners” that are growing well.

And here's my hilarious helper, tethered to the pine tree so he can wander but not wander off!

And here’s my hilarious helper, tethered to the pine tree so he can wander but not wander off!

And my beloveds, Sven (the gnome)  and Phineas (the phlamingo):

Whimsy in your life is a good thing.  Thanks so much to Joshua and Ashley for the best mother's day gift EVER!  I keep moving the pair about.  TOTALLY LOVE THIS!

Whimsy in your life is a good thing. Thanks so much to Joshua and Ashley for the best mother’s day gift EVER! I keep moving the pair about. TOTALLY LOVE THIS!

Then on the final day of school, after Eli’s last exam, we attended a memorial service for one of his Cross Country teammates, Forest P., who died a week ago from a brain tumor at the age of 18.  His parents got him a tutor, though, and he was able to graduate along with his class (though of course he was way too ill to attend the ceremony, he died just a few days after).   His father wanted the teammates to come do his practice run route near their home where the reception after was held.  When Forest and a friend would come in (usually within 10 feet of each other), everyone would shout “Run, Forest, run!”  so we did.  Sigh.  So impossibly sad:

Members of the team including the coach head out to run for Forest

Members of the team including the coach head out to run for Forest–kids are to the right of the lady in the rose suit

And Friday night was the delayed Wrestling potluck and awards.  Eli received a new award, the Chris Remsen award named after a legendary Camden high school athlete.  Given the description, I'd call it an all-around best award: best athlete, scholar and teammate.

And Friday night was the delayed Wrestling potluck and awards. Eli received a new award, the Chris Remsen award named after a legendary Camden high school athlete. Given the description, I’d call it an all-around best award: best athlete, scholar and teammate. [We postponed the dinner/awards because asst. coach True’s house burned down two nights before the original date.  Luckily though they lost their dog, they and infant son are fine.]

And the team:

the 2013-14 Camden Hills Regional High School Wrestling team, champions yet again

the 2013-14 Camden Hills Regional High School Wrestling team, champions yet again

Let the summer begin…it looks to be as busy for Eli and me as this past week!

At long last, a place for Eli’s medals!

Friday, June 6th, 2014

Taking a brief break from the NYC fun, I thought I’d share some shelves I made for Eli to hang his MANY sports medals.  Eli clearly did not inherit his athletic prowess from me, but he s ure works hard to use all that he has to its best, and it shows.   He had so many medals from Tae Kwon Do, Soccer, Cross Country, Wrestling, and Track and Field, that his lamp started to fall over (He had them draped around the shade.) So we came up with a plan to make shelves similar to what I put in our kitchen here and in the boys’ bedrooms in Camden:  brackets from the big-box store plus pine planks.  To hang the medals, though, I added cup hooks and dowels cut to length:

The shelves installed

The shelves installed; they look rather like a shadow, but there are dowels underneath hanging from cup hoods.  Hubby opened up the “C” shape so the dowels can be more easily removed for adding more medals. 

Supervised by the master of the house:

Pigwidgeon supervising installation

Pigwidgeon supervising installation.  He approves.  He’d approve more if he could have some more kibble.

With medals hung, sorted by sport and year.  The wrestling pins need their own display--that's the next project.  And we think Eli is going to put his deceased running and wrestling shoes up on the shelf!

With medals hung, sorted by sport and year. The wrestling pins need their own display–that’s the next project. And we think Eli is going to put his deceased running and wrestling shoes up on the shelf!

As J.K.Rowling so aptly wrote, “Mischief managed!”

 

 

Coming Home

Saturday, May 31st, 2014

Some things never change, and some change slowly, beautifully, unfolding one petal at a time.

Dog walkies must happen.  If we simply let him out to run about, this little knucklehead would be galivanting around the countryside and get lost.  So we take turns tethering ourself to the beloved  pug waiting for him to do his business.  Ahem.

Dog walkies must happen. If we simply let him out to run about, this little knucklehead would be gallivanting around the countryside and get lost. So we take turns tethering ourselves to the beloved pug waiting for him to do his business. Ahem. And Smiling at all the smiles he evokes when people see him, including us!

Spring is ssssslllllloooooowwwwwwllllllyyyyyy  arriving in Maine, yes, this late, but it is coming!

The buds on my favorite cherry tree are still tight, but I love them dripping on a sodden day.

The buds on my favorite cherry tree are still tight, but I love them dripping on a sodden day.

And that gnarled, twisted old apple tree that I love so much.  So thankful that despite losing half a dozen trees and the tops of another 30 around our yard, this tree survived last winter's monster ice storm intact.

And that gnarled, twisted old apple tree that I love so much. So thankful that despite losing half a dozen trees and the tops of another 30 around our yard, this tree survived last winter’s monster ice storm intact.

One apple tree is a bit further into bloom...wouldn't this be a spectacular quilt?

One apple tree is a bit further into bloom…wouldn’t this be a spectacular quilt?