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I haven't posted anything for quite a while. I haven't had time to do anything fun since I've been too busy trying to make my NJ house look like nobody lives here for real estate showings. I guess I didn't have a true understanding of how hard that would be - since someone does live here. So when I do get it to look unoccupied, I'm closing the door on it, going to Virginia, and leaving it to the house-hungry buyers.



I didn't want you think I was abandoning the blog, however, so I thought I'd post a non-art related entry just to keep in touch. Last week I took a break and we went to visit the Presby Iris Garden. The weather wasn't perfect but not bad enough to ruin the day and the irises were amazing.






















Irises have always been high on my favorites list and this trip helped me visualize a swath of irises across the lawn in Virginia. Click on any of the photos for a better view.













Then there is the main reason this house thing is taking me so long. I've always been a fairly voracious reader and lately I've been downright addicted. The reason for this?? My new Amazon Kindle. When the first one was released I turned up my nose and told myself that I needed paper in my hands. So I went to the library and bought books and added to my huge book collection. Packing up things in the house opened my eyes. I ended up donating boxes and boxes to the Salvation Army when I bit the bullet and talked myself out of keeping books I had read multiple times or books I was never going to read again. So I started to rethink my need for paper and then the Kindle 2 was released. God, I love this Kindle. I won't bore you with all the things I like about it. My best friend is calling me a "book traitor" but, suffice it to say, it has turned a voracious reader into an insatiable reader - at least until the novelty wears off. END OF POST

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The Block Swap In Which I Am Not Participating

OK, OK, I AM participating in a block swap. A few years ago I vowed never to do one again. The postcards were time consuming enough and then I have to figure out how to use them in a project that doesn't involve lining them up with sashing. However, my online group decided to do an appliqued fabric interpretation of the Obama logo and, since I could see using them in my Obama quilt project (see my 2009 goals), I signed up. I was also interested in the fact that the swap involved two interpretations of the logo.

Group one is doing a fairly conventional interpretation using blue and red batik fabrics on a cream tone-on-tone background.


This one is respectful of the original but the only creative option is your choice of batik fabric (and, of course, the neutral background).

The second group, however, is the one I'm anxious to see ....... the logo done in African fabrics without regard to colors.


As you can see, my block pays homage to my love of earth tones. But I'm anticipating a riot of colors from the other members of my group. I already have an idea of how to use them in my project. I'm not guaranteeing there'll be no sashing, but hopeful it will include something else. After this, I'm back on the wagon - NO MORE BLOCK SWAPS.

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I've finished another project. I know it's not on my list but I love it. It's a pattern I downloaded from the internet, started it while I was in Virginia and I worked on it whenever I sat down to watch TV. The scarf is knitted with short rows on both sides so the additional rows make the edges ruffle.

It is knit with one strand of alpaca and one strand of mohair.

I've also knit my first pair of gloves to match the scarf and they turned out to be much easier than I anticipated. With my usual perfect timing, I have finished them just in time for spring. Fortunately, winter will come again and I have something to look forward to. END OF POST

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A Month In Virginia And Guild Discoveries

Bedroom view

I've been at the Virginia house for 2 weeks now and last Monday we got 5" of snow!! For New Jersey that's no big deal but here on the Virginia coast it's a little less common. Of course, I didn't bring boots but I took pictures out the windows. What a thrill not having sidewalks to shovel.

Kitchen view

Well, I've found my kindred spirits here in Virginia. It's kind of a story . . . .
On my spinning list someone posted something about the Northern Neck of Virginia. Well, no one calls this part of Virginia the Northern Neck unless they live here. So I emailed her and she told me about two fiber guilds practically down the road from me. She invited me to visit her guild and emailed the president of the other one who also invited me to their meeting.

So, this past Sunday I visited the Tavern Spinners and Weavers Guild which meets at a historic tavern in Heathsville. I was warmly welcomed and there wasn't a single awkward "getting-to-know-you" moment. They were having a silent auction with donated fiber goodies instead of a regular meeting so the time was spent bidding, spinning, and talking.


I brought my electric spinner down since there was no way I was going to get a wheel in the car which was already loaded to the gills.

Monday, I visited the Five Rivers Guild which meets in Wicomico. Again, I was warmly welcomed and there were at least 4 or 5 women who were former NJ residents. After show and tell, one of the women who had been a dye consultant in Guatemala did a presentation of her Guatemalan textiles.


I'm now on email lists for the guilds and have met some very nice people. I'm feeling pretty good about the move.

Just wanted to show you a project I started while I've been here. I'm knittinf an interesting scarf (picture when it's finished) and decided to knit my first pair of gloves to go with it. I was a little nervous but it's turning out to be easier than I thought and as you can see I have two fingers. I'll show you the set when I'm done. It's back to NJ soon. The post office will only hold your mail for 30 days.

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Well, I now have one tick on my list of goals for 2009. I've finished the sweater knit from my hand spun llama. It's a longer version of the sweater pictured in the pattern (I need something that comes to my hips). I love the color inconsistencies.

There's crocheted trim around the sweater with picot at the neck and sleeves and metal irregularly shaped buttons. I haven't worn it yet but I'm looking forward to it.

One UFO down and seven to go. END OF POST

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Black History Month 2009

The 2009 card for Balck History Month is finished. It is about Phillis Wheatley (spelled the way it was originally spelled) who was the first black poet to be published. Her book of poetry was published in London in 1773 - almost 100 years before the Civil War. She was kidnapped from her family in West Africa at the age of 7 or 8 and was purchased by a Boston family, the Wheatleys. "Phillis" was the name of the slave ship on which she was transported. The Wheatleys broke with convention and educated her in English, Latin, and philosphy. By the age of 14 she was writing poetry in the style of the period. My mother decided to name me for her.

This card is a bit different . . . it has a leather pocket with an insert which can be removed. The insert has one of her poems one side. The other side contains part of a letter she wrote during the revolution pointing out the inconsistency in th viewpoint held by the colonists. While they were willing to fight for their own freedom, they had no problem denying blacks their freedom.

Because of the insert I think I'm going to have to mail these in an envelope. I have these great cellophane envelopes that work well for these cards. Anyway, now that these are finished, it's back to the 2009 goals and the block swap I signed up for.

Did I forget to mention the block swap? I promised myself that I'd do no more block swaps so I could devote more time to my original quilts. I must say I stuck to that promise for quite some time. However, the online group is swapping applique blocks of the Obama logo.

I find the logo to be an interesting part of the Obama phenomenon. It's the first time I can remember a presidential candidate who was so well marketed that his logo almost lends him brand recognition.

So I thought I'd sign up and see what I could do with these blocks. So back to the 2009 goals AND the block swap.

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