Cookseyville

Photo Booth Hijinks

2012-03-10T16:01:00.001-08:00

Here is my recently completed quilt, about the ritual of stepping into a photo booth and mugging for the camera.

Detailed shots.

Backyard marmalade!

2012-03-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

The kumquat jam turned out okay, but it seemed kind of skimpy of fruity pieces. Plus I still had lots of kumquats, and more fruit from my garden. Yes, it's been harvest time in my back yard. So I got this bright idea to make Back Yard Marmalade.

I picked 30 more kumquats, which I washed, sliced, got rid of seeds, and set aside. Then I took a lemon and a grapefruit from my back yard and peeled off all the rind with a vegetable peeler. I chopped the rind up and cooked it in a pot with a cup of water and a pinch of baking soda, for twenty minutes.

Meanwhile, I peeled off the white pith off the grapefruit and lemon, and quartered them, getting rid of all the seeds. I threw the quarters in a blender and whirred them around for a few seconds. Then I threw them in with the cooked rind and remaining water, plus the sliced kumquats. I also added about a cup of pomegranate seeds, which I had frozen from our November harvest. At this point I added 5 1/2 cups of sugar and one package of pectin, brought the mixture to a boil and cooked for ten minutes. The photo above shows what it looked like at this point.

Then it was time to ladle the mixture into sterile jars, seal, and load in my big pot full of boiling water. Ten more minutes of cooking.

It turned out very colorful with lots of fruity bits. And, unlike the kumquat jam, it gelled right away. Success! If you want to try this, follow the detailed canning instructions on the pectin package. I just gave you the gist of it.

I tried it on a piece of toast this morning, and it's quite good, I think. The only weird thing is the crunch from the pomegranate seeds. Despite the crunchiness of the seeds, they added a pretty color and yummy taste, so they're a good thing in my book.

Kumquat Madness

2012-03-09T17:25:00.000-08:00

I've been on a jam-making kick this week. Sunday I made Kumquat Jam.

First I picked 50 kumquats from our trees.

You need a bunch of things to make jam: jars, lids, rings, pectin, sugar, just for starters.

I had to wash and slice them all, removing all seeds.

I put them in a large pot with a cup of water and 6 1/2 cups of sugar, stirring it up. Then I added a package of pectin. I brought it to a robust boil and let it cook for 10 minutes.

Then I ladled the jam into jars and added lids and rings. I then placed them all in the largest pot I had, full of hot water and cooked for 10 more minutes. Afterwards I removed them, let them cool, making sure they were sealed. They say it could take two weeks to fully set (so far it's kind of syrupy).

If you want to try this, get the recipe from http://www.kumquatgrowers.com/ and read the directions on the pectin box.

Hidden Investments

2012-03-06T16:05:00.002-08:00

From time to time, I hear from people who have made quilts out of my patterns. I LOVE it when they send me photos, and so here is a photo of Darlene Gover's quilt from my Hidden Investment pattern. This was my very first pattern, from the early 90's, through Jukebox. The pattern is still available. The website for ordering is http://www.jukeboxquilts.com/

She put charms in the pockets, which was part of the pattern. It's fun to look inside each vest.
It's not the kind of quilt I make these days, but I still have a fondness for my old designs. Thanks, Darlene, for the photos of your cheerful quilt!

photo journal

2012-03-02T16:14:00.000-08:00

I didn't bring my camera last week while our son was in the hospital in Encinitas. I just didn't think I'd want to use it. You probably don't want to see a photo of his 1 1/2" scar on the side of his head! But as it turned out, some things were worth photographing, and so these were taken after we returned.

During a break, I went to the Visions Quilt Museum in San Diego. They had a few great exhibits there: Art Meets Science was wonderful. I also loved a wall of 12" x 12" saqa auction quilts from Del Thomas's collection. Also there was a nice group of mini quilts inspired by Beatles songs.

They had marvelous gallon-sized bags of kimono scraps in the Visions gift shop, for only ten bucks. I chose this one - yummy!

During another break, I took a wonderful walk along the beach in Carlsbad. I gathered some of these stones - not sure what I will do with them yet.

One small stone had a hole in it that went all the way through. It goes really well with this necklace I had, with a photo of my son surfing. (can't see it here)

My two kumquat trees are groaning with ripe fruit. I intend to make kumquat marmalade, I just need a block of time to pick, slice, cook, and can. Soon.

You will probably think I'm nuts, but I found the distorted image of the hexagon floor on the waste basket interesting.

a scary week

2012-02-25T15:31:00.000-08:00

We've just had a scary week. Our son was hospitalized last Monday night, after terrible headaches, plus disorientation and fainting. They diagnosed it as subdural hematoma. After cat scans and an mri, they figured out where there was a tiny leak in the spinal column sac. They applied a blood patch and then drilled a small hole in the right side of his skull to extract some blood that had seeped into his brain and caused pressure and pain. It's more complicated than that, but it would take forever to explain it all.

They think this was caused by an accident last August, when he was on a bike and hit by a car.

Anyway, after the blood patch and craniotomy he began to feel much better. They made him stay reclined, with his head lower than his feet, for more than a day. Now he's gradually sitting up more and able to eat. He was so hungry, he kept saying how he wanted to pig out at Golden Corral! Which is funny, because they don't even have this restaurant around here. He just saw a commercial for it somewhere.

He's still in the ICU, waiting for a bed to open up in the regular part of the hospital. While we were at the hospital, we met so many of his friends and co-workers.

Things seem to be okay now; they are just keeping their fingers crossed that the leak in the spinal column sac has been closed for good. We are so happy to have our son feeling better and more himself.

rituals quilt in progress

2012-02-17T16:39:00.000-08:00

This is my Rituals piece, in progress. Matilda looking on as ever.

In this photo I'm trimming and squaring up. The photos were taken from a photo booth strip, circa 1970. Yes, it's me and my then boyfriend, now husband.

This is the binding, ready to go. Actual-size photo strip images are part of it.

The photographs all came from Spoonflower, on cotton sateen. Love the quality! This morning I took photos of the finished quilt. This was a very fun quilt to make.

artful tour of Cardiff by the sea, and V Day

2012-02-17T12:06:00.000-08:00

We visited our son in Cardiff by the Sea recently.

It's a great area, and my son loves it there.

It even has its own surfer dude sculpture, that gets embellished all the time by creative types.

Here is a Valentine's outfit I made for Samantha. Not hard, just fun.

I got ambitious and made Belgian Brownie cupcakes for Valentine's Day for my guy. They were good but rich. I had to put most of them in the freezer for later.

Missing Carol

2012-02-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

A dear friend, Carol McDaniel, died last weekend. This is one of her quilts, that I bought at an auction a few years ago. She was a true artist and loved art. She was brave and adventurous with color combinations and was always up for challenges. We had some good times over the years - dyeing fabric, a few road trips, lots of sharing whatever we were working on. I will miss her.

eating ice cream video

2012-02-05T16:45:00.000-08:00

One more video, this time of my granddaughter eating chocolate ice cream at Main Place in Santa Ana.

Video with soccer ball

2012-02-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

This is a precious video of my grandchild playing with a soccer ball with her great aunt Marti. The owl hat is something I made as a Christmas gift, and it's been a hit.

hexagon ball class

2012-02-04T16:30:00.000-08:00

I will be teaching how to make a ball out of hexagons and pentagons on Saturday, February 11 from 1:30 to 4:30, at Flying Geese Fabrics in Tustin. Technically it's called the Flannel Baby Ball class, but I can teach whatever style interests people - crazy, contemporary, etc. If interested, call Flying Geese to sign up at 714-544-9349.

Art Quilts Defined, and At the Zoo

2012-02-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

"The art quilt is a creative visual work that is layered and stitched or
that references this form of stitched layered structure."

This is the new definition announced by SAQA. Nice, huh? I guess my quilts still qualify. I promise to post new work soon. I just need to figure out the border.

For those into grandchildren, here's another video of our grandchild, taken recently at the OC Zoo. They're only young once!

A Conversation

2012-02-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

Cute video of Samantha talking to Grandpa.

Samantha at 19 months

2012-01-26T18:02:00.000-08:00

Samantha visited us all the way from NY recently. She and her doll are wearing the hats I knitted for them.

She's also wearing an outfit I made for her months ago. I'm surprised it fits! Reminds me of my own grandma, who always gave me clothes that were way too big.

Some of the toys on hand. She is very fond of horses - she has a big Neigh-Neigh and a little Neigh-Neigh. And a rocking horse, at home.

We hosted a family gathering, and she's here playing with a new toy from Cousin Alex.

Alex is a second cousin once removed. I think.

What else?

She loves books.

Looking at a photo of Xavier, who is a week older than she is.

quilt in progress, etc.

2012-01-25T16:26:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a new quilt. I really am not supposed to talk about it, other than a bit of tease. Here is some detritus from cut-up Spoonflower fabric and black fabric scraps. No, the quilt is not all black and white, and not much white, either.

Here's the quilt rolled up, back side out. For a while I was going to use some gray fabrics on the front, but I changed my mind. So they went on the back.

We got a package from Japan not long ago! The stamps are so colorful. Our friend Yoshiko sent us some popular Japanese sweets. They didn't last long, especially with house guests!

Have I shown this sweet little top yet? It reverses to teal corduroy.

Next time I promise to show some photos of the visit from granddaughter etc. There are a lot, so perhaps I'm overwhelmed.

A visit from Samantha

2012-01-19T16:01:00.000-08:00

We had some company at our house for the past 9 days.

Our granddaughter Samantha, plus Mom & Dad.

She's 19 months old, and she loves ice cream!

These photos were taken by my sister-in-law, Marti, who also was here for a couple of days. Samantha is wearing the owl hat that I made her for Christmas.

You'd be amazed at how far she can walk! And how much she can talk.

I took lots of photos, too, but I haven't even looked at them yet. Soon.

Noble Seasons Winter at Road to California

2012-01-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

"No Two Alike" will be part of the Noble Seasons WINTER exhibit, which is debuting at Road to California in Ontario, California January 19-22. The full schedule of the Noble Seasons quilts is now on my "Coming Events" listing in the right-hand column.

I also listed my upcoming class at Flying Geese Quilters for the Flannel baby ball. You don't have to do a flannel baby ball in the class; I can tailor the class to fit your interests. Hexagon balls can be contemporary, crazy, artsy, etc.

Spoonflower and Sammy-cakes

2012-01-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

My Spoonflower custom fabric order has arrived and has me jazzed! Unfortunately I can't talk about it or show it yet. So Granddaughter photos will have to do for now, folks -

Samantha at Christmas in her cute bear cap and coat.

Here she is with an owl cap that I made for her recently.

Looking cool wearing shades.

We have a full house for a while, which is wonderful. I will have photos to share soon!

you know you need to get organized when....

2012-01-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

This is the extent of the photos I could find of the holiday socks I knitted. I made these for Dave's sister, who lives in Colorado. Noro yarn.

This photo illustrates why I need to get organized. I could only find one knitting marker, so I substituted a paper clip, safety pins, and even a pop top! (lol) They all worked okay, although I was worried that the poptop would snag on the yarn.

more holiday related photos

2011-12-31T15:44:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately most of the photos I took at the Christmas eve family gathering turned out blurry...

But these anthurium looked wonderful on Christmas, and they still do.

And Ginger looked festive in red.

I don't believe I've shared this cute tree pillow. I was the lucky recipient in the annual ornament exchange, and Darla Cox made it.

Due to an unexplained online ordering mishap, my granddaughter did not receive the baby doll that Santa had planned to give her. So Santa found another one on sale at Barnes & Noble. It's made out of soft plushy fabric, not plastic. Cute, huh? It has a belly button.

I made a little sundress to fit the doll, something unpink.

I also made a tiny hat to go with the dress.

I got the hat idea from this book. Is it not a clever title? I want to make a similar hat for my granddaughter, and I intend to make a lot of the other adorable hats that are in this book.

Meanwhile, I'm still looking for the photos I took of the socks, sweater, etc., that were given as Christmas gifts.

what I've been working on

2011-12-29T16:34:00.000-08:00

I am giddy! I just downloaded images to Spoonflower and placed my first order for fabric from them. My fingers are crossed. Wish me luck! The fabric will be for my next quilt, due in March.

Now I can finally show you what I've been working on lately.

This is the stocking I made for my granddaughter. I made one dresden plate and chopped it up to arrange onto the stocking shape. It got stuffed full of goodies.

I knitted up bunches of these hearts and added fabric scraps, felt and embroidered embellishments. I gave them all away except for a green one for myself.

More hearts, including two in progress. They weren't exactly addictive, but eventually I was making them by heart (ouch, inadvertent pun). All were made with leftover yarns from other projects, mostly Noro.

Here is the cool yule log that Peggy brought to our Cut-Loose Christmas party. I don't know why it took me so long to post this, just busy.

Now I'll have to search my camera for photos of other things I've been working on. I gave away four pairs of socks! And I made Samantha a sweater and pants. And I made two hats.

holiday discoveries

2011-12-17T15:47:00.000-08:00

Samantha was fascinated by this life-sized painted cow at Yankee Candle in Vermont.

It's funny because she lives on a farm and had real live cows in her "backyard." Love seeing her walking around like a big girl.

She wasn't about to sit in Santa's lap, but she was willing to sit next to him with Mom. He's a pretty nice Santa in overalls.

Meanwhile, back here in California, Ginger enjoys cuddling with Dave or whoever is available.

I am knitting, and I am planning my next quilt, I promise. I will post photos when it's safe to.

busy gal

2011-12-07T16:13:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I have posted, but I've been so busy. The tree is up, shopping has been started, and various projects are underway. My camera is getting full of photos that I can't really show yet. I don't want to spoil anyone's surprise.

'Tis the season....

Photos soon.

No Two Alike

2011-11-20T14:38:00.000-08:00

My Noble Elements/Winter quilt is finished! I'm callling it "No Two Alike."

It will debut at Road to California in January and move on to various Mancuso venues and other quilting extravaganzas, tba. I'm totally excited that all four seasons will appear together at two Mancuso shows.

I even got Matilda to pose nicely on it. Now on to Christmas projects!

Starring.... Samantha

2011-11-20T14:27:00.000-08:00

Samantha wearing the pumpkin hat.

Thanks for the photos, guys!

Sammy is fluent in farm animal talk!

Speaking of Rainbows, etc.

2011-11-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

Here's another view of the pumpkin hat that I knitted for Samantha.

I'm still hoping for a photo of Samantha wearing it. Hint, hint, pretty please?

I forget if I posted this yet. Three beautiful pomegranates, the first harvest from our tree. Two more split open, and there are two more left on the tree.

We recently did a driving trip up to the Bay area, one of our favorite places. I snapped this on the Golden Gate Bridge heading towards Marin County. It takes me back - we used to ride our bikes across this bridge when we lived in San Francisco in the early 70's.

Here's the rainbow bridge on the way to Sausalito. It was painted this way back in the 70's, too!

Speaking of rainbows, isn't this amazing? We saw this just as we were heading into Yountville, which is in wine country. Cars were stopped along the road to gape at the sight. I took this through our dirty windshield, hurriedly - I can't believe it turned out so well.

This was the incredible view of the vineyard right outside our hotel window in Yountville..

Now we're back home and I'm facing my snowflake quilt. I tried to get a nice photo of Matilda on it, to add to my "Cats on my Quilts" collection, but she was in no mood to pose for the camera.

One more shamelessly cute halloween post

2011-11-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

Samantha's first Halloween, at least the first one she could participate in. Yum.

Trick or treat with an Easter basket? Well, why not?

Halloween is not complete without a black cat.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T16:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, everybody! I found a very simple tiny witch hat in Craft daily last week and whipped it out. It's nothing fancy. No sewing, just glue gun. Then I added elastic loops to anchor the hat around Ginger's ears. So far she's only worn it for the photo, and that may be as far as it goes.

That said, I've been sewing more tops. They take about 15 minutes to sew, and I just grab fabrics out of my stash, so really it's no big deal. They're mainly to cover up her bald spot from a brown recluse spider bite from a few years ago. But they look nice on her - I think autumn colors are definitely HER. (all the colors I can't wear any more)

One more, with a yoke.

Noble Seasons: Winter in progress

2011-10-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

I've been working hard on my Noble Seasons Winter quilt, with both machine quilting and hand embroidery.

Another peek.

I'm excited because I just found out that all four seasons of quilts will be showing at the Mancuso quilt festival in New Jersey in March 2012! They will also be at the Mancuso World Quilt Festival in Pennsylvania later in the year. I'll report more details when they become available. The Winter quilts will debut at Road to California in January 2012.

While I'm at it, here is my holiday ball, finished. Or do you think it needs embellishment?

It's rather large, almost like a soccer ball, so I'm inclined to keep it as is. I'm hoping that the people in my ornament exchange group don't read this blog. If they do, sorry about that!

Margrit's hexagon ball

2011-10-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

I hadn't heard from my friend Margrit in ages, and it was so nice to hear from her the other day. She sent me this photo of the Dr. Seuss ball that she made for a grandchild. She lives in Utah, and she used the same English paper piecing method that I use. Cute, huh? You can really see which patches are pentagons and which are hexagons.

My Pumpkin Hat

2011-10-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

Here are directions for how to make this Pumpkin Hat. It's my first original knitting pattern, with ribbing to make it look extra “pumpkiny.” I made it for my granddaughter, Samantha. Forgive me if the directions are a little clunky - it's my first attempt.

Fits 1-2 years. I used one skein of orange worsted wool, small amount of green worsted wool, US8 16” circular needles, US8 double pointed needles, and stitch markers.

Cast on 88 stitches onto circular needles. Join in round and work stockinette stitch for an inch. Now work in rib as follows: *purl 2, knit 9*, repeat until end of row. Continue ribbing around and around, until the hat measures 5 ½”.

Round 1: purl 1, knit 2 together, knit 7, purl2, knit 2 together, knit 7, and so on, until the end of the row, ending with a purl 1.

Round 2: purl 1, *knit 3, knit 2 together, knit 3, purl two,* repeat all around, ending with a purl 1. Use stitch markers if desired to keep track of where you knitted 2 together.

Begin the switch to double pointed needles, and continue the two rounds, decreasing until you end up with 24 stitches.

Knit one, purl 1 rib for ½” inch. Decrease 4 stitches evenly throughout next round, continue k1p1 until stem is about ½” long. Cast off, weave in loose yarn ends.

More classes coming up

2011-10-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

I am teaching a class on how to make this flannel baby ball at Flying Geese Fabrics on Tuesday, October 18, from 2 to 5. If you don't want to make the ball but just want to learn basic English paper piecing, I can teach that, too. Better sign up quick, it's coming up fast.

I am scheduled to teach how to make this Holiday Cookie stocking, also at Flying Geese Fabrics, on October 26th, from 4to 6. The phone number for the shop is on the right under "Coming Events." Thanks!

Artful Tour of Chicago part 2

2011-10-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

We went to the Chicago Art Institute, home of many famous paintings, such as "American Gothic." I was amazed that people were taking photos. It was allowed, so eventually I took a photo of one of my favorite artists' paintings. It's by Marie Cassatt, unusual among the Impressionists because she was an American and a woman.

We noticed that we had to take a very convoluted passage to get to one area of the museum, and when we went outside afterwards we found out why. There are railroad tracks dividing the museum in two!

Later I went by myself to the Contemporary Museum of Art, which I enjoyed thoroughly. Last time there was a huge Dave Kunz exhibit. This time I found a Nick Cave piece, which I was instantly enamored with. There was a whole collection of his in LA last year that I missed, so it was great to see one piece in person.

Closeup. Check out all the crocheted potholders.

Back view.

Rear detail.

I loved this collaged piece, too. Sorry, I forgot to make a note of the artist's name.

After I left the museum, I began to see art everywhere. This is an artful opening in the pavement to allow a tree to grow.

This coathanger sculpture was in the front of the Museum of Contemporary Art. I'd missed it coming in.

I even saw art on the marble floor of the elevator at our hotel.

Artful Tour of Chicago 2011

2011-10-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

Finally, here is my artful tour of Chicago, part one. We were there after our visit to central New York. If you would like to see my first tour of Chicago, it's posted on August 30, 2008.

We had a spectabular view from our hotel room. That's Lake Michigan out there, and that's Sears Tower on the right. Except that now they call it John Hancock Tower.

The view from another window. The dark splotches on the lake are from clouds.

There was art I liked in the room.

It looked like pen and ink, which is one of my old passions, but it's really black fibers, layers of them over each other.

I thought they looked great.

I also liked this painting.

Okay, time to leave the hotel room. This building looked rasor-sharp on the top edge. Very dramatic!

Check out this storefront window! Rows and rows of old sewing machines.

You can't really tell from this photo, but this is a much bigger window higher up, with hundreds more sewing machines!

This dramatic display was a block from our hotel. It's t-shirts hanging like flags.

This sign explains the display. Each t-shirt represents one of the 77 Chicago youth killed by violence during the 2010-2011 school year.
I will finish the artful tour tomorrow.

new art, pumpkin hat, leftover trip photos

2011-10-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

We got this surprise gift in the mail the other day, some original art by our talented son, Warren. I love it!

I just finished this last night and need to get it in the mail for Samantha. It's a standard hat, and I had the idea to add ribs to make it look more "pumpkiny." I'm figured out the pumpkin stem by myself, too. If I have time, I'll post instructions for it. Cute, huh?

Here are a few more photos from our last trip that I missed before. I had to show you Samantha wearing her chicken dress.

I thought this was cute.

The rivers and streams were all flooded on the day that we drove to North Brookfield. This was taken in Ithaca, where we spent over an hour detouring around where this river flooded a bridge.

I should have taken better photos of the flooding. Here's a flooded cornfield near my daughter's farm. They didn't have any problems, although their stream was higher than usual.

Nice pic of mom and daughter.

Sammy pushing her little cart.

A good one with Grandpa C at the Colgate Inn.

flannel baby ball

2011-10-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine loved my flannel baby ball but will be out of town when I teach the class at Flying Geese Fabrics. I am amazed that she figured it out all by herself! Cute, huh? Wendy made the cute quilt, too.

If you are interested, I still have openings in this and other classes. Look on the right to my new "Coming Events" section to see my schedule.

I still have photos in my camera from the NY/Chicago trip. One of these days I will bring them out, I promise.

Harvest of Quilts recap

2011-10-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

The quilt show was over, I'm exhausted after three days of solid work. But the good news is that I won an Autumn Harvest award for "Best Art Quilt" for "Summertime Cat." (who knows, it may have been the only art quilt?) It looks good with a ribbon attached to it.

I entered this quilt, too. It didn't win any awards, but I am told that it had the distinction of being the smallest quilt in the whole show. :-)

I entered a pair of socks and my "When We Were Children" felt book in the Creative Arts exhibit. I was so surprised that the book won an Autumn Harvest ribbon, too! This was decided by popular vote, whereas the quilt award was decided by the judge. I am touched.

The Quilts on the Wall "Discovery" exhibit was a big success. Here are a few photos that give an impression of how it looked. It was so windy inside that the black curtains blew about, but it still looked great, I thought. Artists: Julie Schlueter, Laura Bisagna, Carolyn Villars.

Artists: Sherry Davis Kleinman, Linda Stone, Marilyn Fromherz

The exhibit was well attended, and I heard lots of positive remarks, which is great because this is mostly a traditional quilt show. Artists: Muna Elias, Sally Gould Wright, Sandra Lauterbach, Karen Valderrama, Carol Nilsen.

I'm sorry I didn't photograph all the quilts, but I got many of them. Artists: Sandra Hankins, Cynthia Catlin, Joann Sarachman, Karen Markley. I didn't have a quilt in the show, but I was responsible for hanging it here.

Here's a peek at a holiday project underway.

A Harvest of Quilts

2011-09-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

A Harvest of Quilts Quilt Show is this weekend. Tomorrow I'll be at Soka University all day, setting up quilts and more.

Here's the scoop: A Harvest of Quilts presented by The Flying Geese Quilters Guild.
Saturday, October 1, 10 to 4, and Sunday, October 2, 10 to 3:30
http://www.flyinggeese.net/
Soka University
1 University Drive,
Aliso Viejo, CA

Free parking, Vendor mall and door prizes, quilt auction Saturday 1pm, fun demonstrations on Sunday, Quilts on the Wall Exhibit, Antique Quilt exhibit, General admission $8.

I headed the committee to make the award ribbons for all the prize winners. I also am in charge of hanging the Quilts on the Wall exhibit. "Discovery" is making its SoCal debut. I'm also doing a demonstration of English Paper Piecing on Sunday at 12:30. A couple of my quilts are in the show, plus two items in the Creative Arts exhibit (a mixed media book and a pair of socks).

It promises to be a fabulous show. If you are in the area, I hope to see you there!

visit to central ny

2011-09-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

I promise, I am doing quilty things. I just can't show them right now.

My pomegranates are turning red, and some of them are enormous. They should be pickable within the next month. Exciting!

Lunch at Wegman's, a very cool supermarket near Utica. She eats just about anything.

Nice pic of Mom and Sammie.

Decent pix of me with Grandbaby.

Coloring with both hands. How precocious! She seems pretty ambidextrous so far.

One of many swing sessions. It used to be hung from an apple tree, but the branch broke. Now it's in a wooden frame.

Uncle and niece.

Last one.

Trip Notes

2011-09-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip to New York recently, via Chicago. Chicago, you say? Well, it turned out to be a pretty good plan. We got to drive through Indiana and Ohio, places where we'd never been before. We stayed in Shipshewanna, Indiana in Amish country. Saw plenty of buggies and people dressed about how you'd expect them to. I didn't take photos, as it seemed disrespectful. Then later on the way home we stayed in Cleveland, which I enjoyed more than I thought I would. At the end, we stayed two nights in Chicago before heading home. I will do an Artful Tour of Chicago (my second one!) later, but first things first, which is the visit to my daughter's farm in Central New York. Our son joined us on this visit, which was great.

The apple trees were bursting with fruit, even the ancient tree by the farm house.

A homegrown pumpkin and lots of onions.

I went on a hike with my daughter and son up the hill and into the woods. We saw these mushrooms on a log. Unfortunately, we didn't find any of the edible kind.

My son found this tiny frog.

View of the farm and environs from the top of the hill.

There are wild apple trees growing everywhere. Maybe you can make out the tiny apples on the trees.

The girls were lined up in the pasture as we passed by. They belong to a farmer who leases the pasture for part of the year, to fatten up his heifers on sweet organic grasses.

Warren being friendly.

Later, a neighbor dropped this by. It's a giant puff ball mushroom. We saw tiny ones on our hike.

This is how the puff ball looked sliced. My daughter sliced it up and sauteed it. It was delicious! The texture was surprisingly.... puffy!
More photos to come.

too busy

2011-09-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. We have just returned from a wonderful trip to NY, plus my guild's quilt show is coming up, and I head two committees for it. I've struggled with piles for the past couple of days (piles of laundry, mail, and email). Now the piles are getting more reasonable, but I still haven't processed the photos from the trip. Maybe it will happen manana.

In the meantime, here is a photo of Samantha and Mimi the farm cat, via Warren's iphone.

website updated

2011-09-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

I have been a procrastinator when it comes to updating my website. And then I found out that the website designer, Michelle Verbeeck, is no longer in the website business. She's making wonderful cuff jewelry and has no spare time.

Anyway, I am happy to say that Heather Rinne has made some sorely needed updates to my website. New quilts, new photo of me, and a slightly new approach to the front page. Take a look and let me know what you think.

http://www.cindycooksey.com/

new grandbaby photos

2011-09-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

Samantha with her Aunt Jema at the beach

She is a natural water baby!

Joe Cool. Check out all the new teeth.

I loved this pic.

Her hair is getting so long.

I have a few more I'll share next time.

quilt top and garden

2011-08-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

I finished the quilt top and made it more or less square, as seen here. Since then, I've begun quilting, some by machine and some larger stitches with pearl cotton thread.

Most of the fabric was dyed, painted, resisted, discharged, stenciled, sun painted, drybrush relief'd, or... I think that's everything. There's also both positive and negative applique.

Thought you might like to see how my pomegranates are doing. I think there 6 or 7 of them. It's my very first crop!

A big grapefruit crop is also coming along.

The strawberry guavas are just starting to get ripe. There will be several waves of strawberry guavas in the coming months; last year I froze them as they came ripe, then eventually made strawberry guava jelly. Any ideas about what else to do with them???? Here is some low-hanging fruit that even Ginger can reach.

The kumquats are green and won't be ripe until December/January.

Here's Ginger in her latest top.

New stuff

2011-08-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

First of all, I want to thank "Dollbugy" for buying my quilt in the recent auction! Your generous check will go towards finding a cure for Alzheimer's.

I've been busy with this and that, some things I can't share, other things I can.

Here's more fabric from the workshop at Teresa's. I painted over some ceiling tiles; after the fabric dried I dry-brushed all over so that the pattern would show better.

Detail. I intend to use this fabric in the border of my snowflake quilt.

I like this butterscotchy one. Teresa has some really cool grates, tiles, etc. Her blog is http://blog.teresashippy.com/

I recent re-covered the seat cushions on our landing. Man, it was harder than I remembered! I may have to re-do one of them, but they will do for now. Matilda approves.

I made the seat covers as a result of our new bookcase next to it. I love it! It came from Plummers, and it is real wood. Unlike the previous bookshelves which were faux rosewood.

I think this is the cutest sundress ever. Whipped it out yesterday, from fabric purchased at the Long Beach Quilt Festival. I hope Samantha enjoys it. She is already imitating the chickens at the farm. Yes, for any new readers, our granddaughter lives on a farm.

Fun with Fabric Paint at Teresa's

2011-08-11T17:04:00.000-07:00

I took a fabric painting workshop yesterday at Teresa Shippy's house. It was so much fun! Deborah and Linda were also there. Unfortunately my camera had dead battery cells (both!), but Teresa took some photos, which I am happy to share here.

The linen fabric is draped over a large metal tile and strewn with coarse salt.

This is what the underside looked like.

This is the top side after it dried. In reality it looks richer than this.

This piece of cotton was painted over a metal grate and salted.

Here's a detail. I don't know what I'll do with it, but I love it. I love most of the pieces I made.

Here we are at work. I took more photos after I got home and will share those next time.

I highly recommend Teresa's workshop. I will give you a link next time.

AAQI Auction continued

2011-08-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

My quilt, "Gaps," has gotten several bids so far by at least three different people. I'm excited and grateful. Last I looked it was up to $310, which all goes towards research towards a cure for Alzheimer's.

The auction continues through August 10th 10 pm EST.

The link was on the previous post if you would like to take a peek at all the quilts up for auction.

"Gaps"

2011-08-01T13:08:00.000-07:00

It's about time I provided a photo of my quilt, "Gaps," on my blog. The AAQI auction is underway as of today. Yay!

Here's the link to the auction:

http://www.benefitbidding.com/listings/categories/index.cfm?category=965774286

All the money received goes towards finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease.

hi from Long Beach

2011-07-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Long Beach Quilt Festival! I am having a wonderful time. I took a fun gelatin monoprint class yesterday with Pokey Bolton, and this afternoon I white-gloved at "The Space Between" special exhibit which by the way, is fabulous. I have many favorites. Now I have my feet up before the SAQA/Quilt Art reception and dinner with "The Space Between" artists. It's been fun spending time with friends.

Just wanted to put out this link to the See How We Sew blog, which posted about the Alzheimer's auction which starts on August 1. They include a photo of my quilt, "Gaps," in the post. Yay!

seehowwesew.wordpress.com

Looking Ahead

2011-07-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

Looking ahead to upcoming events. I can't wait to go to the Long Beach Quilt Festival, which begins later this week. I'm there Thursday-Saturday. I'm taking a gelatin monoprint class from Pokey Bolton on Thursday. I'm docenting at the "Space Between" exhibit on Friday - look for my quilt there, too. It's called "Between the Air Conditioner and the House," and it features my desert tortoise, Gramps. Quilt detail shown below. Then I'm going to the SAQA/Art Quilt List reception on Friday evening.

Hope to see you in Long Beach!

The AAQI auction is coming up in early August, with my "Gaps" quilt in it. I have all the info in a recent post.

I am also teaching two more classes at Flying Geese Fabrics. On Saturday, August 6th from 1:30 to 5, I'm teaching how to make my flannel baby ball. If flannel and baby toys aren't your thing, I can teach you how to make any style ball that floats your boat. Here's a photo of the one I made for my grandchild:

Then on August 18th I'm teaching my Holiday Cookie Stocking. You can make individual cookie ornaments with the same pattern, so I can teach them, too. This is on a Thursday, from 3 to 7.

If these classes interest you, you can call Flying Geese Fabrics in Tustin at 714-544-9349 and say, "Sign me up!"

The Art Quilt Experience catalogue

2011-07-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

The catalogue for The Art Quilt Experience arrived in the mail a couple of days ago. I'm excited! I can't see the exhibit in person, but it's a great catalogue.

That's my "Go With the Flow" on the left. Too bad they mislabeled it with someone else's name. My name is on the previous page with another quilt. Oh well. There are lots of names I recognize in this exhibit, so I am pleased to be part of it.

I just had to share a photo of this cedar mini-shed that I bought for my husband for our 41st anniversary. Can I call it a shed? It's more like a closet, and a tiny one at that. It arrived from Illinois in a flat box. We had a handyman put it together and stain/seal it. Now my husband can store garden tools, etc., here instead of the garage, which is at the far end of the house. We live in Irvine, where yards tend to be on the small side, so we couldn't have a regular-sized shed. I think it's kind of adorable.

Auction for Alzheimer's themed Quilts

2011-07-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

My quilt "Gaps" was part of the "Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece," a nationally touring exhibit about Alzheimer's sponsored by the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI). It traveled for 5 years and more than 300,000 people had an opportunity to see it. After the exhibit retired I donated the quilt to the AAQI and they are offering it at an online auction August 1-10 at:
http://www.benefitbidding.com/listings/categories/index.cfm?category=965774286

You can see my quilt here right now:

http://www.alzquilts.org/quiltauction.html

I am a huge supporter of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. They are an all-volunteer national charity whose mission is to raise awareness and fund research. They spend no money on fundraising and all their profits fund Alzheimer's research. They have raised more than $550,000 for research...one quilt at a time.

Please pass this information on to quilters and quilt-lovers everywhere.

new quilt photos and other current fabric projects

2011-07-16T18:03:00.000-07:00

Recently I sewed together the six wedges of my snowflake quillt. I'm excited about it. Notice that smaller snowflakes are going into the circle shapes, also done with different techniques. I still need to add fabric at the corners to turn it into a rectangle quilt, not a hexagon quilt.

Here it is with crocheted and tatted snowflakes added in the circles and center. I will sew them on later if I use them. I made these in the 70's!

Here's a detail of the sunpainted mini snowflake. I made it by first cutting out a paper snowflake and placing it on wet painted fabric (Setacolor), then letting it dry. Presto!

I made each wedge using a different process. I used freezer paper templates, both positive and negative, to enable each process, including applique, sun painting, discharge, glue resist, and stenciling. This is an unusual way for me to make a quilt, and I must say I'm enjoying it.

I had a huge urge to sew baby clothing this week, in between quilting and other stuff.

As a last minute impulse, I embroidered around one bird in the middle of the pocket. I think it's a nice little touch.

I don't know what possessed me to dab extra fabric dye onto this t-shirt for Sam. I wonder if they'll actually put it on her?

I also am putting together this little sundress. Notice there is piping. This is an experiment in attempting to enlarge the tiny sundress pattern from last summer. I hope it will fit Samantha, fingers are crossed.

Award ribbon fixin's for the upcoming Flying Geese Quilt show.

More of same.

Lastly, here is a fabric postcard made by Del Thomas. I bought it at the AAQI auction, and it arrived yesterday. It reminded me of my Grandma Noble, who loved to grow flowers, and her favorite color was yellow.

doggie coverup tute

2011-07-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd be sewing dog clothing, but our grand-dog Ginger has a bald patch on her back (from a brown recluse spider bite from a few years ago). So she wears coverups to hide the bald patch, as well as to prevent sunburn and skin cancer. Besides, she looks pretty darn cute in her little outfits. This pattern was adapted from coverups that my daughter made - I didn't have velcro, so I made straps to tie in a bow. This coverup is nice for summer - it's lightweight and minimal.

I took these photos a while ago, so I figure it's high time to do a dog coverup tutorial! Since dogs come in all shapes and sizes, think of the first try as an experiment. You might need to make adjustments to make it fit better next time. ;-)

The shape of the coverup should be something like this. To figure out the width and length, measure the dog from her collar to the tip of her tail. Then measure the dog's waistline. The coverup will go most of the way around the waist, minus 2-3 inches where tabs attach. Make a freezer paper template, and cut two, allowing about 1/4" all around for the seam allowance.

Cut two strips at least 18" long and 1 1/2" wide. You may want yours longer. Keep in mind that my dog is a miniature dachshund. Then cut a rectangle to make two tabs - this one is 4" x 11". Make it longer for a bigger dog.

For the two longer strips, fold under 1/4" at one end, then press them in half lengthwise. Then foldand press the raw edges towards the center lengthwise, to make long narrow strips about 3/8" wide.

Then take the 4"x11" rectangle and press under 1/4" at both short ends. Then press it in half lengthwise. Now fold and press the edges towards the center lengthwise. You should have a smaller rectangle about 10 1/2" long and 1" wide.

Edge stitch all the way around all three pieces, going through all layers on the machine.

Cut the third piece in half as shown, making two tabs.

Take the the two pieces of fabric that you cut out for the main part of the coverup, and place them right sides together. Slip the long ties between the two layers, with the raw edges at the top end of the coverup (shown here on the right), pin down. Pin the tabs at the wide parts of the coverup, raw edges out and finished edges inside. Pin the two coverup pieces together all around, making sure you don't catch the tie ends.

Stitch all around the coverup, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance and leaving an opening about 3" wide.

Turn right sides out through the opening, and it should look something like this. Press neatly and whip stitch the opening closed if you wish. Topstitch all the way around the coverup along the edge.

This is what it will look like on the other side. Did I mention that it's reversible? Try it on your dog, threading the ties around the collar and figuring how where to place a buttonhole on one of the tabs and a buttonhole on the other tab. You can certainly use velcro if you prefer.

Ginger is modeling her new coverup while snuggling in a leopard robe at the Solarmar in San Diego a while ago. I actually made it in mind for 4th of July. Ask me if you have any questions, and have fun!

review of the art quilt experience

2011-07-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

There's a good review of The Art Quilt Experience in a Syracuse, NY paper. I hope this link will work. I only mention it because I have a quilt in the exhibit.

http://blog.syracuse.com/cny/2011/07/exhibit_in_cazenovia_celebrates_new_world_of_artistic_quilts.html

winter quilt in progress

2011-07-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

I'm excited about this snowflake quilt I'm working on. It reminds me of the Hawaiian quilting that I used to do. Each section was done in a different technique, starting from left, clockwise: positive applique, stencil, discharge (with liquid bleach cleanser), sun painting, and negative applique.

This is the sixth section, done with glue resist. I had to wash it some more to get rid of all the glue. I'm having so much fun with this quilt! I'm going to add smaller snowflakes in the circle areas. Did I mention that this quilt is for Noble Seasons: Winter?

I thought I'd share this photo of Ginger with her new bff, Gramps. Just kidding, they really don't interact much, except that Ginger steals his food.

Here's Ginger in her 4th of July outfit. I have photos for a dog coverup tutorial - I'll try to put that up next time.

birthday pix

2011-07-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some highlights of our granddaughter Samantha's first birthday party back in mid-June. No, we couldn't be there, but we were there in May.

This is the pretty dress that her great-aunt Pam gave her when she was born.

A great way to keep cool this summer!

She has four teeth now!

How many people can do this?!

Even the goose came from across the street. As you can see, she's very friendly.

garden, dogs & cats

2011-06-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

I'm getting photo build-up. I will try to remedy that in this post. Here are some tiny grapefruit growing in our backyard.

We have plums, too.

Check out my baby pomegranates.

The clematis is especially lovely this year.

Meanwhile, Ginger is settling in.

She and the cats are in a "getting to know you" phase.

There are closer peaceful encounters, even with Olive, but I haven't caught them on camera yet.

Who can resist the dog with the wookie hair?

what I'm working on quilt-wise

2011-06-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

I have begun a quilt with a winter theme. Here is some of the fabric that I've been dyeing for it.

This is the quilt currently being exhibited in THe ArT QuILT ExPERIENCE in NY.

I'm also working hard on teaching plans for my three classes at Flying Geese Fabrics in Tustin. Here is more info:

July 6, Wednesday - "Bringing Home the Trees" from 3 to 7

August 6, Saturday - "Baby Hexagon Ball" from 1:30 to 5

August 18, Thursday - "Holiday Cookie Stocking" from 3 to 7

Flying Geese Fabric
307 El Camino Real, Tustin, CA
714/544-9349
http://www.flyinggeesefabric.com/

Teaching at Flying Geese Fabrics in Tustin

2011-06-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo, I am set to teach three classes (count 'em) at Flying Geese Fabrics in nearby Tustin! The first one is July 6, and I'm teaching "Bringing Home the Trees." (seen above) This quilt is a spinoff of my "Road Trip" quilt. In August I'm teaching a flannel hexagon ball with tags, like the one I made for Samantha. Then I'm teaching my Christmas cookie stocking. I'm excited! These aren't art, but they are all my original designs and I had a lot of fun making each and every one.

Elaine Quehl: The ArT QuILT ExPERIENCE

2011-06-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

Elaine Quehl: The ArT QuILT ExPERIENCE: "Yesterday was the opening of The ArT QuILT ExPERIENCE in Cazenovia, NY. Cazenovia is a lovely town east of Syracuse, and about a 4 hour dr..."

video of Samantha standing etc.

2011-06-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

I've been taking my time downloading videos from our trip in May. Here is one of them, finally. It's Samantha at about 11 months, standing, crawling, talking, etc. You might be able to see her first tooth.

THE ArT QuILT ExPERIENCE

2011-06-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

I am excited to have a quilt in THE ArT-QuILT ExPERIENCE at the gallery in Stone Quarry Hill Art Park in Cazenovia, NY. There is a reception 3 to 5 at the gallery on Sunday, June 12. The exhibit runs through the end of July. If you are in the area, check it out. I don't know if I'll make it out there - hope so! "Go With the Flow" is my quilt (a detail of it is on the header of this blog) in the exhibit.

When we were out there in May, we drove through the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park. This is the entrance to the gallery, which was closed at the time.

There's a huge grass area with various sculptures.

We also saw this Oriskany monument for the Revolutionary War, while we were driving around the countryside.

We've got Ginger-vitis.

2011-06-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

We brought home our daughter's dog, Ginger, from New York. She is a sweet dog and beloved pet, but not the best choice with an increasingly mobile, grabby baby. She's a long-hair miniature dachshund.

She was seen on this blog a couple years ago, as the German-speaking dachshund in Peggy's mixed media book.

She's 12 years old, but spunky and cute as a button. I was inspired by coverups made by my daughter to make this one. Ginger was a victim of a brown recluse spider bite, which left a bare spot on her back. The coverups hide the spot and protect her from sunburn.

It's reversible. Maybe I'll figure out a tutorial for this coverup. It's really easy.
She lived here for a few years in her younger days, and we are happy to take her in.

She's still playful. Here she's hiding her ball under a floormat.

Needless to say, the cats are not amused.

But Ginger has been friend to cats, dogs, and even a chicken, so we are optimistic she will someday become friends with Matilda and Olive.

Seen on Heirloom Meadows Farm

2011-05-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

The ancient apple trees on the property didn't do much last year, but this year they are resplendent in blossoms, thanks to a very wet spring.

One of their beautiful chickens. I love the black and white varieties. Many of them have names, but I don't remember who this is.

Now they have a rooster, this gorgeous guy. He's very protective of the hens, but not obnoxiously so.

The goose from across the street often comes over to visit.

There is a bunch of new chicks in the brooder.

Their booth at the farmer's market in Hamilton is thriving.

Ever heard of ramp? It's an oniony, garlicky plant that grows wild. We went up the hill to the woods, where patches of it grow this time of year. They had it for sale at market, and we had some with the dinners that our daughter cooked for us.

A piece of freshly-cut rhubarb, one of several which went into a rhubarb pie.

Here's Sammy sitting in front of the rhubarb patch.

Ready to put in the oven.

It really was tasty.

I had brought a small bag of kumquats from our back yard in Irvine, and Martine is making candied kumquats here.

She sliced and cooked the kumquats in a sugary syrup, and then rolled them in sugar. Yum. She was thinking of putting them in her scones.

Samantha, May 2011

2011-05-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

We were back in Upstate New York last week visiting our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. This post will focus on Samantha, aka Sammy-Cakes.

Here's the only pic with me. I need to remember not to have pix taken from below.

She looks pretty in lavender.

Swinging Sammy under the apple tree was on my bucket list. She loved it, and so did I. You can see their pond in the background, with pasture and woods behind that.

Sammy looks great in her new yellow dress on her dad's lap.

She has a 1st birthday on June 16; since we can't be there then we had a small celebration early. Ripping up gift wrap is still the best part.

One of the gifts that we gave her was this outfit made by Grandma Cindy.

I made this Noro sweater and hat. Looks like she'll have to grow into the sweater, maybe by early fall.
More pix to share in the coming days.

"The Space Between" news

2011-05-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

Jamie Fingal and Leslie Jennison were interviewed for the on-line newsletter "Friends at Festival" by Quilts, Inc. all about their upcoming exhibit, "The Space Between." I am happy to have a quilt included in the exhibit. You can see the interview here.

http://www.friendsatfestival.com/Newsletter/Spring_2011_THE_SPACE_BETWEEN.html

We just returned from another trip to Upstate NY to visit our daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. I'm itching to share photos, but I'm pretty busy with other things. I'm powering away working on award ribbons for the Flying Geese Quilt Show in October. I have help, but it's still a lot of work. I have a pile of dirty laundry from our trip. Also, I have a quilt idea that I'm dying to start. Plus we have a new addition to our household. I will introduce her as soon as I can.

Quilt back from travels, & Projects

2011-05-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

My Beneath the Surface quilt is back home after touring Quilt Festivals in Long Beach, Houston, and Cincinnati. It's called "It's Your Fault."

I added outer covers to the felt book that I'd started at the retreat. It's hard to read in this photo, but it says, "When We Were Children." I substituted a raw strip of fabric for the ribbon binding. The fabric of the book cover was hand-dyed by my friend, Anne Copeland. Thanks, Annie!

This is what the back looks like. The Circle of Life? It's all very loose and deconstructed.

I wanted to add photos of siblings, but I didn't have room in the main part of the book. So I've put them in the back in this little attachment. It's still a work in progress....

I whipped up this ruffled halter in the past few days. I used an oliver & s pattern from an old Stitch magazine (Spring 2010). It may not fit her for a while. We'll see!

This is what it looks like in back. It's raining in NY, so she won't be able to wear it anyway for a while.

new granddaughter images

2011-05-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist sharing this jubilant photo of my granddaughter. I am told she is eating a bit of ice cream, which she is mad for. Look at those big eyes!

Here she is in her new swing, another thing she loves. The fields behind her are yellow from dandelions, and you can see heifers in the background. This is Midstate NY.

Last but not least, here is the latest video. Samantha is being swung by her Grandma Lynn. It's short but cute.

A Dance to Spring

2011-05-10T16:49:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the whole quilt of "A Dance to Spring." It is on the front page of my website. Man, do I need to get that place updated.

May update

2011-05-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

The cats' old condo was looking worn, so we got rid of it and bought this spiffy new one. The cats wouldn't have anything to do with it until I sprayed it with catnip spray.

I still haven't seen Olive on it, but Matilda seems to like it.

I went to a retreat at Casa de Maria in Montecito last week. There were various fiber workshops, and one of them was a felt heirloom book. Mine isn't done yet, but here is a peek at it, in progress. My theme is, "When We Were Children." It has photos of some of my relatives when they were children, from my grandparents down to my grandchild.

We did Zentangles, too. Again, mine isn't finished yet. We painted, then drew on MPC (Multi-Purpose Cloth), available at Joanne in the home dec department. I'd like to eventually use it somehow - maybe as a pocket for a tote bag?

We did our own projects, too. I started this cute little sundress for Samantha.

We saw this fabulous primitive red and white quilt on the drive home. This was in Summerland? I think. What is it about red and white quilts that is so appealing?

Man, I can't believe it's already May 9. I gave a mini-workshop on Saturday afternoon, teaching English paper piecing to 5 willing Flying Geese quilters. It went well, I thought.

A Passing

2011-05-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today I reflect on the life of my father-in-law, Paul Cooksey, who passed away on Wednesday. He was a navy pilot and a successful attorney, who finally lost his battle with diabetes and Alzheimer's. We will miss his smile and distinctive laugh.

Otherwise, it's been a very busy time. I enjoyed speaking at the Orange Blossom Guild in Visalia on Thursday last week, then we hi-tailed it home so that I could get ready for a retreat in Santa Barbara. Now I'm home making final preparations for a mini-workshop tomorrow afternoon in Tustin through Flying Geese Quilters.

I promise lots of photos when I catch my breath.

happy may day!

2011-05-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

This is a detail from "A Dance to Spring," which was inspired by a photo of my mom as a little girl, dressed up for May Day. The full-sized quilt photo is not at my fingertips right now, so this will have to do.

This traveled around in 2009 as part of the Noble Seasons/Spring special exhibit.

back from Visalia and more

2011-04-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

My trunk show at the Orange Blossom Quilt Guild in Visalia last night went well! They were such a warm, friendly, encouraging bunch of women. At the beginning, they didn't know me, but when I showed them my quilts, many of them recognized them from various places. I'm very glad I made the long trip up there.

Here are the t-shirts I recently embellished, to go with the tiny skirt I recently sewed for Samantha.

Two Announcements

2011-04-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

Great news! I just found out my "Go With the Flow" quilt has been accepted into THE ArT QuILT ExPERIENCE exhibit. It will be shown at the gallery at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park in Cazenovia, NY, June 12 thrugh July 31. This will mean another excuse to go to NY to visit my granddaughter!

A detail of "Go With the Flow" can be seen in the header of this blog. :-)

The other great news is that I will be giving a trunk show tomorrow evening, April 28, at the Orange Blossom Quilt Guild meeting in Visalia, CA. They meet at the Parkside Chapel, 3200 E. Walnut Avenue from 6 to 8. I am ready and excited.

tiny skirt

2011-04-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

I recently made this tiny skirt for Samantha. It was so simple; I added rickrack and yoyo's for interest. I hope it fits! I embellished a little pale green t-shirt to go with it, with more yoyo's. As soon as I photograph that, I'll post it. The Clover yoyo maker is the way to go! Easy as pie.

Dinner at Eight Artists Interview, etc.

2011-04-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Spring is busting out all over in my back yard. This is the one time of the year that the Hawthorns look glorious.

And in the atrium, too. I can never remember what these orange beauties are called. Anyone?

Check out our resident lizard. Or is it lizards? We've been seeing them every day, and they seem to hang out in this woodpile. Unfortunately, we recently used up all the firewood, so the lizard or lizards have scattered.

Matilda has come home! This mounted photo was shown at quilt festivals in Houston, Long Beach, and Cincinnati, as part of the "Eye of the Quilter" photography exhibit. She's lying down on a bit of handprinted fabric. Always getting in on the photo.

And be sure to go to the Dinner at Eight Artists blog to check out all the artists' interviews. I am interviewed today. http://dinnerateightartists@

lots going on

2011-04-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty busy this month. Gave a presentation to a small local group last week. Later in April I'm giving a trunk show at the Orange Blossom Quilters Guild meeting in Visalia. And on May 7 from 1 to 3 I'm giving a mini workshop on English paper piecing at Flying Geese Quilt Shop in Tustin, through my guild, Flying Geese Quilters. The photo shows the techniques I will teach. There are a few openings left, so if you're interested, let me know.

Artists' Profiles for "The Space Between"

2011-04-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

The Dinner at Eight Artists blog has been posting profiles of the artists in the "The Space Between" special exhibit. Check it out at http://dinnerateightartists.blogspot.com/

My profile will appear on April 19.

I'm in!

2011-04-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

“The Space Between,” co-curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Tucker Jenison of Dinner at Eight Artists, is an exhibit of 40 pieces which will debut at the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach, July 28-31, 2011. The exhibit is sponsored by Moore’s Sewing Centers.

Congratulations to SoCaL SAQA members whose work has been juried into the show! They are: Betty Amador, Loris Bogue, Paula Chung, Joanell Connolly, Cindy Cooksey, Desiree Habicht, Pam Klebaum, Sherry Kleinman, Jane LaFazio, Jayne Larson, Gwen Mayer, Jeannie Moore, Karen Rips, Carolyn Ryan, Julie Schlueter, Gayle Simpson, and Terry Waldron.

Gramps is up

2011-03-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

The elderly gentleman who lives in our back yard is awake and active on this lovely Spring day.

Here he is, fresh from a bath. He's off to explore our back yard.

I spied him later in the side yard, on the way to the air conditioner. That's one of his favorite places to hang out, for some reason.

projects and parrots!

2011-03-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

I received a surprise order recently for one of my hand-dyed felt business card holders. Thanks, Teresa!

So that inspired me to dye some more felt and start some more business card holders. These are in progress - I will be adding special buttons, beads, and/or charms to each. I will have selling opportunities coming up, so...

I finished this sweater with Noro yarn a few weeks ago, but only found THE best button for it yesterday. The sweater seems huge. Not sure when it will fit my granddaughter - it's a toddler size 1.

I made a hat with the yarn left over. Not the most practical yarn.

Side view.

Recently we spied FOUR wild parrots on the tree in the front yard. We've seen them flying around Irvine for years, but ths was the first time I'd seen them in our trees.

Here's a closeup of two of them. No, they're not native to Southern California! The legend goes that they are descendants of escaped pet parrots. They squawk and make all sorts of noises, but nothing intelligible. No "Polly want a cracker."

the dada video

2011-03-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

When she says dada, does she know what it means? Her dad is behind the camera. You be the judge:

hoffman tour

2011-03-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went on a tour of Hoffman California Fabrics in Mission Viejo. It was a SAQA tour organized by Jamie Fingal. How fun to see everybody! Here I am in the lobby with Julie.

Another shot of me in the lobby. Wow, is my hair really that color?! It looks so different depending upon the light. You can see I'm clutching a red "diploma." More on that later.

My favorite part of the tour was the artist/designer's studio, and here are two of them. Julie took these photos, thank you, Julie. I have been on this tour a couple of other times, but it has been at least 10 years.

For going on the tour, everyone received a "diploma," which was really a sweet bundle of fabrics. I snapped up a red bundle which was full of these batiks. Yum, I will use these! Thank you, Hoffman!

There are more photos of the tour, plus lunch afterwards, at the SAQA SoCal blog.

Artful Sightings

2011-03-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

Hurray, my Summertime Cat has returned from her far-flung travels! She has been everywhere from Road to California to PIQF and points in between. I have put her back up on my wall immediately.

I love my calendar from Paper Source. The graphic designs are divine. I bought it in February so it was half off.

When the month is over, you can turn the pages into stuff. There are lines on the back of the page for cutting and folding. This is a nifty gift box, card, and tag from January. I haven't cut up February yet. Pretty nifty, huh?

I was going to take a photo last weekend of some graffiti in Laguna that I suspected was by Banksy, but sadly it was torn down by then. :-( It was a really cool Einstein dressed up like a tourist, with a camera hanging from his neck. So I took this photo from the Balboa Island Ferry instead.

quilt and socks finished

2011-03-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

I finished a quilt with my desert tortoise, Gramps (aka Grandpa T). Since I'm entering it in a special exhibit, I think I'll wait before I show the whole thing. But here's a sneak peek. I've been wanting to make a quilt with my tortoise for a long time, so I feel good about having finally finished it.

I'm also entering a quilt exhibit called The Art Quilt Experience that will show in Cazenovia, New York. Wouldn't it be fun to have quilts there?! If they get accepted, it will be another excuse to go to NY to visit Samantha et al. And that's where the Notleymere B&B is. I have numerous posts about it, check my links on the right if you're curious. It's the B&B with the life-sized cow.

One of my new year's resolutions was to learn how to knit socks. So I'm pretty happy with myself that I finished my first pair in early March. Here it is in progress.

This is what they look like on. I have small feet, so it was fun to make them just my size. These are old school, very basic, with cheap yarn, following the instructions in Knitting Rules! by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. I figured it was a good place to start. I've seen those books that teach you how to make them toe up, two at a time, on circular needles, and that sounds sooooo hard! Maybe someday. I'm just a sock newby.
I'm almost finished with another sweater for my granddaughter, but I left a necessary ball of yarn at my friend Carol's house. So I started another pair of socks. ;-)

Visions, Jelly & Mariachis

2011-02-27T16:42:00.000-08:00

I went to Oceanside with friends last week, to see the Quilt Visions exhibit at the Oceanside Museum of Art. My favorite one was Velda Newman's enormous flowery quilt. Afterwards we went to the harbor for lunch.

I made strawberry guava jelly a couple weeks ago. I have just one tree, with guavas that ripened in small groups over the past few months. They sat bagged up in the freezer until I was ready to process them. I tried to make it last year and it was a big failure - this time it was a success. The trick is not to squeeze the guavas when you are straining them, or else the jelly will be bitter.

Here I am on the left, at a wedding for the son of old family friends. Linda in the middle is the mother of the groom; Elaine on the right used to live next door to Linda in Orange. I remember the three of us baking cookies in Linda's kitchen decades ago. Fun wedding - loud mariachi band!

video time again

2011-02-18T16:33:00.000-08:00

This is the last video that I made while my granddaughter was visiting at our house (yes, her mom and dad were here, too). It's too fun to keep it to myself. It's as if she can't decide what to do next: clap? wave? try to crawl? practice making various noises? play with big red cuddly dog? The cuddler dog was a gift from her cousin Alex and his family.

hearts in the mail

2011-02-15T16:04:00.000-08:00

I received a sort of valentine in the mail on February 14th: two complimentary copies of Simply Mini Quilts by Lark books. That's my heart quilt on the cover.

Directions for this quilt and many others are included in this soft-cover book.

My "Flora del Coronado" is in the book, too, but I think they call it something else.

art quilt in progress

2011-02-13T14:48:00.000-08:00

I still make art quilts, really I do. Here's a photo as proof, a detail of a work in progress. It depicts my California desert tortoise, Gramps (aka Grandpa T), who likes to hang out in the space between the air conditioner and the house. It still has a ways to go....

I made these fingerless gloves for my daughter and gave them to her when she was here recently. They're the same pattern as a pair I made for myself, but with different yarn. The pattern comes from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I just love that book.

Here is my shitake patch during its second flush. I had already cut off two enormous mushrooms. This harvest totaled 12 large shitakes, and we're still enjoying them. Yum - they go with almost anything: swiss steak, steamed broccoli, any kind of soup, chicken, etc. In two weeks I'll start the third flush (growing period).

newest samantha video

2011-02-08T17:04:00.000-08:00

There's not a lot going on in this one, other than my grandbaby sitting there staring at the camera and looking adorable. Cute ending. This is another one that I made while she was here in California. So nice that the weather cooperated and that she could wear a sundress on this day.

samantha in California

2011-02-05T15:36:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to have my daughter and her husband and daughter stay at our house for 8 days. They just left on Thursday, back to the snow in Mid-State NY. Here are the best of the photos that I took:

Samantha was curious about our wall-to-wall carpet.

Here she is with the little flannel quilt that I made for her for Christmas.

She knows how to patty cake now.

Grandpa and Samantha with remotes.

It doesn't get much better than having a grandbaby dandling on my knee.

She gets lots of comments about her strawberry hat.

She got to meet her uncle.

This is one of my favorite shots. How fun to wear a sundress in January!

samantha and balloon

2011-01-31T17:36:00.000-08:00

I can make videos, too! I have made a couple of short ones with my little Sony regular camera. Here's one, and it's pretty darn cute. This Saturday, a woman employee at Bristol Farms was charmed by Samantha and gave her a purple helium balloon. She played with it in the car all the way home, laughing and having fun, and I was kicking myself because I didn't have my camera handy. But I made this video after we got home. Enjoy.

January Harvest

2011-01-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

We visited our son last weekend to celebrate his birthday. Here he is with his girlfriend. The weather was gorgeous.

Happy to show off my January harvest from my backyard. This is the last pink grapefruit.

I have kumquats coming ripe now, too. I have two tiny trees on my patio. They're sour on the inside and a little bit sweet on the outside. My favorite thing is to pop one in a cup of hot tea.

The strawberry guava tree has ripe fruit, too. I've been picking the ripe ones and freezing them for later, when I plan on making strawberry guava jelly. I tried making it last year, but I didn't have enough guavas. This time I will have plenty.

I'm excited because our daughter and her family are arriving here tonight, for an 8-night stay. Woohoo, this will be our granddaughter's first time in California. They'll get a little break from all the snow in NY. The weather here is in the high 70's.

"Simply Mini Quilts" Info

2011-01-24T13:13:00.000-08:00

"Simply Mini Quilts" pamphlet comes out in March of 2011 for $9.95; Cover art -Clockwise from top left: Cindy Cooksey, Ruth Singer, Rebeka Lambert, and Sarah Ann Smith.

About the Simply Mini Quilts: 12 Quilting Projects

Simply Mini Quilts features 12 original, charming, and playful projects, all no more than three feet in length or height. A group of leading designers-most with prominent online presence-has created wonderful, modern designs suitable for beginners and intermediates. Featured techniques include machine and hand quilting, piecing, embroidery, fusing, embellishing, and trapunto. Artists included in book are:

Ruth Singer

Dorie Schwarz

Cindy Cooksey

Rebeka Lambert

Louise Papas

Malka Dubrawsky

Susan Storey

Kathy Daniels

Mary Hubbard

Aimee Ray

Sarah Ann Smith

Joan K. Morris

info about the book on Lark's site http://www.larkbooks.com/catalog?isbn=9781454700227

quilt show ribbons

2011-01-15T16:27:00.000-08:00

I've been given the task of heading the award ribbon committee for my guild's next show. Flying Geese Quilters, their show is in early October. I am designing prototypes.

This is the first one I made, and I decided it was too small. It might be okay for the young quilter's awards, though. I learned how to make some silk ribbon flowers recently, and am thinking of including them on the awards. But I have to consider the price of the ribbon, how hard they are to make, who can help, etc.

Here are versions I received from previoius quilt shows. They're very nice, and I am happy to have them. But I'm aiming towards a darker, richer look. Less summery.

I made another prototype in a bigger size. The bigger one is 3" wide, and the smaller one is 2" wide. What a difference! I like the ribbon "streamers," but am worried about the cost. Here I mixed the ribbon streamers with sari silk yarn. The "rose" on the right is another flower version that I learned how to do. This isn't a very good photo of it. Any suggestions?

Noble Seasons - Fall 2011 schedule

2011-01-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

My "Fall Color" quilt will be in all these places this year:

Dates for Noble Seasons - FALL 2011

ROAD To California - January 20 - 23 2011
Ontario Convention Center
Ontario, California

Mancuso Show Management

Denver National Quilt Festival VI
April 28 - May 1, 2011
Denver, Colorado

Quilting, Stitches and Crafts Expo
June 23 - 25, 2011
Reno, NV

Ohio Sewing & Quilt Fest
September 8 - 10, 2011
Cincinnati, OH

Nebraska National Quilt Festival
October 20 - 22, 2011
Lincoln, NE

QSC Expos

Oklahoma City Winter Quilt Show
Oklahoma City, OK
January 2012

another new video

2011-01-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

Here's a video of Samantha laughing. Too much fun.

I'm a cover girl

2011-01-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

Check it out:
http://www.larkbooks.com/catalog?isbn=9781454700227

Well, I'm sort of a cover girl. One of my quilts made the cover of a pamphlet based on the book "Pretty Little Mini Quilts." My "Hearts on Fire" is the one on the upper left. Thank you, Lark Books!