Out with the New, and In with the Old

I recently came across a sack full of pieced together quilt blocks in an antique shop. The woman at the shop told me that the pieces were found under another quilt top, when they took that quilt apart. Apparently, someone had used the old battered quilt as the batting for a newer quilt.

Anyway, I LOVE these blocks. I'm a sucker for old tattered, soft fabrics, and these charmers were all hand pieced.

So I decided to stabilize each block by hand stitching each one to muslin, turning under the edges as I go. I'm using embroidery floss to stitch them, and I'm letting the wonky edges dictate their final shapes.

















I haven't decided what I'll do with them yet.

I have seven of the antique blocks, all with a six inch square in the middle, and all with fairly similar colors and fabrics.

I do love the embroidered animals that African women do on their textiles (like this one). Maybe if I can find some muted colors, I'll do something similar in the centers of my blocks. Then I'll piece them all together to make a whole quilt top.

My Favorite Family

Here's Kelly in my studio putting together a fab-u-luss quilt. I think I've made an addict out of her.

What fun to do this stuff with my willing grown daughter.

She left to go back to New York city yesterday. I miss her already.






Saturday, we had lunch in Portland with the gang. Here's my cute boy and cutest girl.

















Lori and Josh are teaching Mia to read...

well, maybe not quite yet!

Herbal Heaven

Last Thursday, we went to an incredible organic garden outside of Alsea, Oregon, called the Thyme Garden.It's an 80 acre spread that accommodates their medicinal herb garden, their cooking herb garden, a butterfly garden, lots and lots of flower gardens, a habitat area for salmon and water birds...it's just beautiful.


But the creme de la creme was the lunch.

The salad was adorned with edible flowers. and bordered on too beautiful to eat.








Same with the main course. We had wild salmon baked in a pastry crust with a cream cheese and herb stuff spread over the salmon. Then there was quinoa and a wonderful squash bake.















And as if that wasn't enough, we then had a baked meringue that was filled with a creamy sweet custard and blueberry compote.

Yum.

Family Ties

Last week, I went to my son's house in Portland to pick up my daughter Kelly. She'd arrived the day before from New York city, and had stayed her first night of her visit with Josh in Portland.

I got to pal around with granddaughter Mia for the day and we all took tons of photos.

Kelly gave Mia a photography lesson.

More Sisters

Outside of Sisters, near where we stayed last weekend, a stone mason had created this wonderful entrance to his ranch.

I love rocks. I wish I could make something like this. It looks so beautiful, but also rugged and strong.
















I'm still atwitter from all the inspiration and ideas I got from the weekend in Sisters.

Quilts were hanging all over town, on all the buildings. What a beautiful sight!














It was especially fun to see Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran who were signing copies of their latest book.

Isn't Freddy's hat wild?

And check out her long red fingernails and red glasses.

Gwen may not look as eccentric, but she's the true comedienne. Very dead pan and so funny.

Sisters and Scarf Sisters

This weekend, my friends Bonnie and LeeAnn and I spent a few days in Sisters, Oregon, to attend their annual quilt show, and to take a few classes.

Lucky Bonnie and LeeAnn got to do a workshop with some quilters from Gees Bend, Alabama. On Saturday, the Gee's Benders had several of their quilts hung, and they were at a table singing and signing their books for people.

Aren't these quilts stunners?
We stayed at the Long Hollow Ranch Bed and Breakfast, about 13 miles outside of Sisters. It's a sprawling beautiful cattle and horse ranch where Shirley, the owner, cooks up wonderful (and filling) breakfasts.





Here's the main house, where there are guest rooms and a vintage looking breakfast room.













We stayed in the "guest cottage" and made friends with one of the resident cats (named "Fluffy"). LeeAnn, me, and Bonnie (left to right) were calling ourselves the Scarf Sisters because we all were wearing the new scarves we scored at a shop in Sisters.

Aren't we fetching?


On my first day, I took a class in hand appliqué. I learned so much, and hope to use what I learned in some of my folk art pieces.

My second class was in machine quilting. We had several hours education in choice of threads, needles, tension settings on our machines, and batting. It was truly interesting.

Then we designed a whole cloth quilt design that I'm finishing at home now.