LONGARM LEARNING NOT JUST ON TUESDAY

Merry Mice from Helen Godden's Midnight Magic BOM.  Painted with Jacquard Lumiere paints on a muted black scroll fabric from Timeless Treasures and micro quilted with 50 wt aurafil.  I loooove the colors in this block .  The painted area is about 8.5 inches or 2.3 cm.

Speaking of centimetres, did you know that only 3 countries in the entire world are not on the metric system?  Of course, the US is not.  Also Burma and Liberia.  That's it.  Kind of embarrassing to be so backwards.  I notice on Amazon, lots of articles show measurement in metric.  My daughter in India writes about the heat saying it is 42 degrees...I mean...how bad could that be...well in Fahrenheit that is almost 108.  I am making an effort to learn the metric system ...one more way of being in touch with the rest of the world.

Usually Missouri is hot and steamy in August but the past week or so has been about 80 degrees with lower humidity.  It has been lovely weather.  It is humidity that takes such a toll and makes life so hard.  Humidity makes winter colder and summer hotter.

Next on my quilting agenda is my 12 calendar blocks.  I am always nervous I will just ruin my beautiful work with some lame quilting job but generally turns out okay.  The nervousness makes me procrastinate.

AND NOW....

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

 Cakes beyond your wildest dreams

Tortik Annushka is a Moscow-based, cake designer who also has a school for pastry chefs and on line classes for aspiring cake designers.  Google her or check one of her media sites for more of these unbelievable masterpieces.

And just in case you thought this was a big hoax and nothing so beautiful or realistic could be a cake, I give this:

Pretty amazing and pretty fun.

Post linking up with:

Patchwork and Quilt at www.quiltingpatch.blogspot.com 

Sew and Tell Monday with Bambi at http://bambisyr-evaj.blogspot.com/
Monday Making at http://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/
Design Wall Monday at https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/

LongArm Learning at http://cheekycognoscenti.blogspot.com/

Free Motion Mavericks at http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.com/

Keep creating, stay well, stay cheerful

NOVEMBER SUNSET

November scene from 2002 Piecemaker's Calendar quilt. Jennifer Sampou's ombre sky fabric was used for the background.  This was also one of my problem children-the trouble in part was choosing fabric for the trees.  I wanted them to be quaking aspens but fabric that evoked that image blended into the background so I had to search on.  

So many leaves in lots of colors.  Silk ribbon is delicate and one uses short lengths to embroider or else the ribbon shreds.  I would embroider in one color for a few leaves then travel to another spot and embroider more.

 Beautiful colors, yes?

And November is the month that (around here anyway) Canada Geese migrate. Tho here in our lake region, a lot of migration is east-west also as the geese find a more desirable part of the lake system to be in.

A short blog....not a lot to say except I am inspired by Kamala Harris!  She gives me hope.

AND NOW....

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

A CAPE SUGARBIRD

HER HOME AND FLY ZONE IS SOUTH AFRICA

Photo by Cameron Brock from the Audubon Photography Awards.  She captured the bird,yes, but the way she caught the beautiful pastel colors in a kind of abstract wash is just brilliant.

I am linking up with these wonderful quilt sites

Needle and Thread Thursday at http://www.myquiltinfatuation.com/

Finished or Not Friday at http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/

Off the Wall Friday at http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

Whoop Whoop Fridays at http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot

Free motion Mavericks at http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.com/

Patchwork & Quilts at https://quiltingpatch.blogspot.com/

Keep creating, stay well, stay cheerful

 TIME OUT FOR PAINTING AND QUILTING

This froggy is a design from Helen Godden's Bom Midnight Madness.  Block was painted in Jacquard Lumiere paints and quilted on my Tiara (16" sit down Sweet Sixteen) in black 50 wt aurafil mako.  The class began in February and I thought I could switch back and forth between projects as each of Helen's monthly blocks were published but my brain would not have any part of it - no switching allowed.  

So now that I have completed all 12 months of the appliqued, ribboned calendar blocks, I am going to paint and quilt for a while.  I have this project and a couple others I might paint and quilt while the scary crazy quilting of the calendar quilt is in the back of my mind.

Here is Helen's webpage if you want to look at her projects-they are all wonderful and coupled with instructional videos. https://helengodden.com/

The wily fox.....quilting with dark thread on your painted surface takes a lot of confidence or at least daring-do.   It is never perfect as you can see but it is effective design.  This type of quilting is very free wheeling-no rulers, and the only marks are directional as for the firefly glow.

Shrooms Block -probably all poisonous.  The blocks are micro quilted.  Each painted area is 8 1/2 inches in diameter.

Okay, those are the three painted and quilted so far.  I still have not shown all the calendar blocks but I wanted to put this post out today because Cheeky Cognoscenti has begun her new linky party today and I love her blog and sense of humor and wanted to contribute.

Linky party is every Tuesday at http://cheekycognoscenti.blogspot.com/

That is all for today except:

AND NOW

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN....

An idea if you have extra time on your hands during the plague and want to organize your books.

Don't you think this is witty and creative.  I love art made in unexpected ways.  These book shelves were created using 4000 books by artist Vincent Magni.  Google his name to see some of the other amazing works he has created.

Oh Scrap at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/
Patchwork and Quilt at www.quiltingpatch.blogspot.com 

Sew and Tell Monday with Bambi at http://bambisyr-evaj.blogspot.com/
Monday Making at http://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/
Design Wall Monday at https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/
Colour and Inspiration at https://www.cleverchameleon.com.au/blog/

LongArm Learning at http://cheekycognoscenti.blogspot.com/

Free Motion Mavericks at http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.com/

Keep creating, stay well, stay cheerful

LANGUID WEEPING WILLOW IN THE AUGUST HEAT

At least there is a stream in which to cool off or perhaps go fishing.  The little mice are playing in the marshy area among the cattails.  

My aim was to use washed out greens and even some gold-greens for the leaves to show that summer is moving towards an end, things are dying out, losing their bright summer looks.  The leaves are pointing downwards to contribute to the lazy, slow summer feel.

August was my most stubborn problem child.  No background was right and the foreground was too blue or too green, and the mice always hid in the fabric. After a lot of trial and error I arrived at this final version.

Lots of water side vegetation.  Do you like my pretty ceramic fish?  When I get to the crazy quilting part of this which is seeming like my life's work, there will be more of these small delights among the 

rest of stitching activity. 

I am thinking now about the quilting.  I will machine quilt it but not sure what size thread.  Maybe 100 wt wonderfil invisafil?  I have used that before and my Tiara, Queenie,  likes that thread.  I might use a few colors like pale blue, pale gold, pale pink or maybe just use a light cream as invisafil sinks into the fabric.

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All set up to begin fabric painting.  I am painting Helen Godden's Midnight Magic BOM.  You can see more on her webpage https://helengodden.com/store/midnight-magic-bom-2020/.  Her class prices are listed in Aussie dollars which translate into about 66 to 75 cents in US dollars depending on the currency values at that moment.  She has excellent painting and quilting videos for each block

 

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This photo reminds me of my father who was born in 1911.  He was in 1st and 2nd grade in San Francisco at the time of the 1918 -1920 pandemic.  He told me everyone in school wore masks for most of this period.  Here it is 100 years later and we are back at it.

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AND NOW

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

Incredible moths...first the dead leaf moth in brown and then the walking leaf moth in green.  Photographs by Robert Clark.

These camouflage experts are fascinating.  Here are some more:

And then there is this moth which is just plain amazing.

I am linking up with these wonderful quilt sites

Oh Scrap at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/
Patchwork and Quilt at www.quiltingpatch.blogspot.com 

BOMs Away at https://www.katiemaequilts.com/blog/
Sew and Tell Monday with Bambi at http://bambisyr-evaj.blogspot.com/
Monday Making at http://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/
Design Wall Monday at https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/
Colour and Inspiration at https://www.cleverchameleon.com.au/blog/

Keep creating, stay well, stay cheerful

 HOT JULY

BEES AT THE HONEY

July block finished-a completely charming scene.  The sky background is one of Jennifer Sampou's Sky fabric-check these out for some beautiful ombre skys.

Actually I have finished all 12 of these seasonal blocks and so the next step is the crazy quilting which is pretty scary as I have never done it before.  It involves lots of embroidery with ribbons and threads, tambour embroidery, needlepunch embroidery, embellishments with laces and trims, buttons and charms.  Basically a whole different mindset for me.  

However,learning new mindsets is excellent brain exercise for me since I just had my 73 birthday.  As I told you before, I am a bionic woman (lots of new added improved parts-3 joint replacements, new lens for eyes, new ears, and new eyes) so I can do it.  Tho there is some fabric painting for me to do first while I let this new stuff jell in my brain.

My husband is a very witty man.  He says I am not a Marbourg (our last name) but a Cyborg.

Here is an interesting factoid:

Early release of 2020 census information reveals that of people 30 years of age and younger, almost half are "minorities" whatever that is as most everyone's genetics are mixed up and we are all the same anyway.

Of people over 65, 27% of people are "minorities".  This shows the great change in populations in America over the last 40-50 years.

AND NOW:

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

When i first glanced I thought it was an ancient tablet engraving with the attenuated figure and the graceful lines. No doubt I was influenced by studies at uni of ancient archaeology and art history.  Adding to that concept is the sandy color of the background and the raised tablet shape, smooth and worked.

The photo is really the shadow of an salt farmer (you can see him at the bottom of the photo) working in a salt marsh in France.

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I am linking up with these wonderful quilt sites

Oh Scrap at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/
Patchwork and Quilt at www.quiltingpatch.blogspot.com 

BOMs Away at https://www.katiemaequilts.com/blog/
Sew and Tell Monday with Bambi at http://bambisyr-evaj.blogspot.com/
Monday Making at http://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/
Design Wall Monday at https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/
Colour and Inspiration at https://www.cleverchameleon.com.au/blog/

Keep creating, stay well, stay cheerful

TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING

This block is the month of October.  You remember this was one of my problem children.  The difficulty was in finding a good sky for October to match the mood and the colors.  This is one of my favorites.  I love the pumpkins, the owl, the beautiful colors of the leaves.  I will show you lots of photos of the leaves so you can see the colors.

I am not to patient with the photography.  You have to weigh the time spent perfecting the photos with the desire to create.

I stuffed the pumpkins so they had some dimension.

Lots of photos as I said.  Making these leaves is very time consuming. I used to spent at least 5 hours a day on my applique and associated techniques but as I age, my energy level is down so it takes longer to accomplish what would have only taken me a couple days.  Frustrating is what that feels like.

Though as I think of age, I think of how life in America used to be when I was young. Trump is really the last bastion between some older people who want the times of their youth, and the reality of who America is today.  I feel badly for people who feel the times have betrayed them yet it is the young people who will have to live in this world and the future world, not we older people.  

Here are a few of the immense challenges with which tomorrow's people will have to deal:

Climate change

Water loss in marginal areas leading to forced immigration

Automation and loss of employment

Roles of men as automation takes away blue collar work

Changing shapes of families

Overpopulation, crowding, density

Lack of resources-who gets to eat, who gets healthy climate

Inequality by color, by sex, by education

Inequity of wealth

These challenges will no go away by looking backwards and wishing it were no so.  

I don't intend this as a political statement.  A statement of fact is what is intended.  Friends have told me I think to much.  Maybe so, as I sit and stitch silk leaves trying to create something hopeful in these hard 2020 times.

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AND NOW...

YOUR MOMENT OF ZEN

I love fun fashion so here are some dresses by French designer Sylvie Facon

Oh to be young again and wear one of these beautiful dresses!

Sylvie's imagination and artistry beggars the rest of us.

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I am linking up with these wonderful quilt sites

Oh Scrap at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/
Patchwork and Quilt at www.quiltingpatch.blogspot.com 

BOMs Away at https://www.katiemaequilts.com/blog/
Sew and Tell Monday with Bambi at http://bambisyr-evaj.blogspot.com/
Monday Making at http://lovelaughquilt.blogspot.com/
Design Wall Monday at https://smallquiltsanddollquilts.blogspot.com/
Colour and Inspiration at https://www.cleverchameleon.com.au/blog/

Keep creating, stay well, stay cheerful