Saturday, May 31, 2014

Update on the CONstruction?


There is still more DEstruction on our sunroom than CONstruction, but I believe the construction is beginning this week!  I'm very excited to see how this will all turn out.
My hubby has been busy moving rocks so they don't get cement poured over them, because we can use them to put our yard back together when this is all done.

I think our beautiful strawberry plants are going to be a casualty of construction.... We never get to eat any of the strawberries anyway - I think the birds and bunnies get to them before we do, but they are quite pretty.

They were supposed to deliver a dumpster and a port a potty but apparently the dumpsters in town are all booked up!  So we have a dumpster trailer.  Still no port a potty.  That will be interesting....

A lot of noise the day they removed stucco - I'm sure it will only get worse.  Ready to pour cement!


My son took this picture of some new Art on the Corner downtown.  I love it!










We celebrated my hubby's birthday when my kids were visiting, even though it's not until this Wednesday.  My other son got him this shirt.  You need to read between the lines!
Last time my husband visited his mother, he took her to lunch and she made him use his senior citizen discount so she could get a double punch.  Mid fifties is not feeling very "senior" to me!

I just listened to a lecture by Janice Kapp Perry, a music composer/songwriter.  She was awesome! She encouraged us to write our "family song" and she sang the one she wrote for their family.  It was so fun!  I think we need a family song and I have some talented children who could definitely write one for us.  Hint, hint....

Friday, May 30, 2014

Sacred Threads

The Sacred Threads exhibit intends to touch its viewers on spiritual and personal levels. From the program:  "We share the experiences of quilters whose stories are a source of healing and strength.  The show does not emphasize any particular religion, but conveys the spirituality, healing and inspirational messages that transcend all people."


Let's Go! by Cindy Z Souder



Cultivator by Cherrie Hampton
Cherrie said "As I worked on this quilt my heart was inspired with a new compassion for the daily struggles of those around me."


This is another SAQA quilt:
Dance Warmups by Barbara Yates Beasley


A Tree of Life by Lin Schiffner

(Sacred Threads exhibit)




Boston in the Spring by Rosanne F. Williamson

The artist states that she has traveled to New England five times in the Spring to support her husband as he runs the Boston Marathon.



Memories by Jennifer Day

I really like this one...






And that is it for pictures from the Denver National Quilt show 2014.  It was a great show, as you can tell!

Exciting news on the home front.  Word is that a new quilt store will be opening in our town soon!  That is always something to celebrate :)






Thursday, May 29, 2014

Colorado Quilting Council on Parade

Every year at the Denver show the Colorado Quilting Council, or CQC had their own special exhibit.  You can find out more information about CQC at www.coloradoquiltcouncil.com.

Purple Salsa with a Twist of Lime
by Barb Gardner






Above and Beyond #1 by Ellen Palmer

I love this quilt.  The quilting is amazing!



It's Twice the Rhapsody with Friends by Katie Melich, quilted by Kristy Wold.


Summer Sunset by Sharon Engel


A Gardener's Delight by Barb Gardner




Flowers for My Birthday by Dona Olivier


These last two were part of another SAQA exhibit.
Leafing Out by Julie Stamper
Effervescence by Anne Theobald



Phyllis thinks I took pictures of every quilt at the show, but I only took pictures of the ones I really liked!  I just liked a LOT.  Tomorrow will be the last day of pictures of the 2014 show - Finally!  some of you might say.  I guess I better get to work so I have something else to share!

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Color Wheel of Emotions

Color Wheel of Emotions was an exhibit at the Denver show curated by Carol R. Eaton for the Studio Arts Quilts Associates or SAQA.  The program states: "Cultures universally associate colors with emotions using them to describe a mood or express a feeling.  Anthropologists and businesses alike hypothesize about the role colors play within a community and how to anticipate a reaction.  In contemporary society a person may be feeling blue or turn green with envy.  Red is often associated with strength while yellow is a happy color.  These works were designed to convey a sense of emotion or feeling expressed by the artists."
Healing I by Melisse Laing. She created this quilt while recovering from back surgery and it is quilted in circles to represent the cycle of great pain, to healing, to minor pain, to recovery.

 Birch Grove by Ann Loveless

She said her emotions are always lifted when she walks through a Northern Michigan birch tree grove in autumn.

 Sunrise, Sunset by Melody Randol

"Something magical occurs when water and sunlight converge."


Units 32: Jazzy Blues by Benedicte Caneill

"This piece uses color and pattern to create visual texture and rhythm.... warm colors sparkle within the blues."

 Squared Illusion 6 by Gloria Hansen

She says, "While making this piece I went through the hot excitement of the idea to the cold reality of working through the various difficulties in getting the concept to creation.  If those emotions were colors, mine ran the full gamut."

I REALLY like this quilt.  It was one of my favorites in the show.  Take a look at the detail photo of the quilting below.  Very artistic and it must have been very difficult to create.  Most of these quilts were for sale but this one was not!  I can see why.  I've since seen it in a magazine.




Fireworks Flowers Ninepatch by Charlotte Ziebarth

She says, "The heat and excitement of the ultra-bright colors of fireworks reminds me of the hot colors and forms of exotic tropical flowers."


Synchronicity by Louisa Smith

She says, "The precise placement of each color is vital to me so that those colors constantly interact with each other to create depth, and not only with the colors adjacent, but also with the colors underneath. After all, color is what draws the viewers in and gets them emotionally involved with the piece."

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Fun Family Weekend!

We had a very fun family weekend with all our children able to come home for a visit.  We love being all together and the weather, as you can see in this picture was beautiful.
You can also see who doesn't like to have his picture taken!  Unless .... he gets all decked out in his fencing gear, then he'll let you take his picture!
I gave the girls the lunch totes I made and I helped one daughter work on a baby quilt for her friend, oh and I re-did the elastic on those fencing pants - so I did get some sewing in!

Monday, May 26, 2014

The Hoffman Challenge

They had a big selection from the Hoffman Challenge at the quilt show in Denver.  I looked for my friend Sherida's purse because I know she won a prize and the purse is "on tour," but I think the challenge is divided into different groups which go to different quilt shows around the country.  I did not see hers in Denver.  I'm pretty sure she had another piece in the show too.  I was very impressed with the challenge quilts this year!  Sometimes they all look pretty similar to me because the makers all have to use the chosen


fabric in a recognizable way and the fabric is usually pretty bold and distinct.  There were some very different and interesting pieces this year though and the following pictures show a sampling.  Above is the clothing, and I always enjoy the dolls too, which were recognized this year for their 5th year in the competition.
According to the show's program, the challenge was started in 1988 and has grown to be a premiere traveling quilt, clothing and doll collection, which is sponsored by Mancuso Show Management.


In the Shade of the Wisteria by Helen Mataev


High Desert Sundown by Ann Petersen
Third Place Pieced



Quiet Charmer by Diane Whittier
Best Hand Workmanship Pieced


Teal Starburst by Janet Massey





Flora Pavo Cristatus by Bryan Pratt



Imperial Rose by Trudie Fay




Butterfly's Delight by Patricia Masterson



Many Moons Away by Gerri Denison


Out For a Walk by Linda Hammond



Striking by Polly Poulin



Follow Your Dream by Kathy Dunham



Shimmer by Rhea Parsons



I Dreamt of Mary Blair by Chris Teague



The Woman in the Hanhaba Obi by Karen Strom-Shikaloff



Kokeshi Dolls by Jo-Ann Evans




Celebration by Alice Means
Honorable Mention Mixed




Spiral Log Cabin Quilt by Linda Helfin






Happy Memorial Day and many thanks to the veterans who have fought for the freedoms that we so enjoy in this great country.  This is indeed a day to honor them.