I’m going to start tonight’s post with a couple of seemingly random observations. I’ve been meaning to share them for a week, but I keep forgetting….
Did you know?
1). Montana and Oregon have NO sales tax.
2). Every gas station in Oregon is a full-service station. It is against the law here to pump your own gas. Very, vey odd.
3). Today, the odometer showed that I have put 3000 miles on the car. ๐
So, since two days have passed since my last post, I have competed one quilt top and just barely started another….I love the method, but it is time consuming.
Yesterday, I spent the day in class with instructor Rob Appell. He is the antithesis of everything you may think about a man who sews….he’s a surfer, plays guitar, skateboards, rocks Shaun White-esque hair, is married and has two kids, and, oh yeah, is a fabric artist and quilt designer. He was amazing. His passion is the environment, particularly the sea. He also is a conservationist who has donated over $13000 from his sales to wildlife groups.
Here’s a few of his pieces:
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Yesterday, we worked on endangered species wall hangings.
I apologize in advance that my picture-taking seems to be slipping. I get engrossed in a project and forget to snap pictures. For this project, we followed a pattern and added pieces to a piece of plain gold fabric.
Here kitty, kitty…
Last night, I had dinner with a couple of new friends. Teri and Carolyn, if you’re reading this, thanks for inviting me! Then it was off to hear about Melinda Bula’s journey to becoming a fabric artist. Before they let her speak, they introduced the instructors and let them share a piece of their work. I’ve included a couple of really interesting ones. You start to get a sense of how diverse the art quilt world can really be.
Today, I spent the day with a young quilt artist, Elizabeth Hartman. She’s probably a couple of years younger than I am. I am also doing a project with her tomorrow. It’s kind of fun to round the week out with “modern” quilts as opposed to what is considered traditional patchwork. We worked on a pattern called “The Honey Quilt.” It’s triangles sewn into half-hexagons, then made into strips. Sew the strips together, and you start to get this:
Pretty fun and funky! And yes, I picked those colors…and yes, I realize they “look like me.” I can’t help it…I love those colors!!
Tonight I came back to the poolhouse after class to float around and read. This week has been mentally tiring. I decided tonight was just for relaxing. It’s been a wise choice. Here’s my little piece of heaven:
Now I’m sitting outside listening to birds and watching the shadows creep across the patio. They have some stunning sunsets. I love the peacefulness of the evening, and also the colors the sky as the day transitions to night. This was a couple nights ago, right here by the poolhouse:
Peaceful under western skies,
B.