Birthday Card

Card for my youngest daughter, made in Photshop Elements from my photographs.

Treaures

www.brecklingpress.com

These are the things I carry with me. (that reminds me of a very powerful book about the Vietnam War, called'The Things They Carried" By Tim O' Brian.)
The green block is a cutwork pattern by Tilde Binger and the bird is part of a bigger pattern by Shirley Bloomfield. They are intended to be a part of a larger collection of four and a half inch blocks ala Jane that I am composing in my mind. In the mean time I have done six and have all the resources I need to make a couple hundred-thousand? more with no repeats.
The little sewing kit is a composite of designs by Kumiko Sudo
from her book "Kokoro no Te, Handmade Treasures from the Heart", and a Wild Thymes Pattern Co. pattern for a wool felted sewing kit #406. The ladies at the Applique Society meeting had another one of Kumiko Sudo's books about folded origami fabric flowers. Her books are treasures. grab them while you still can! I plan on using all of these resources again. In fact they are almost as addicting as small blocks. Also hidden in my kit is a small Kimono from her collection. I want to make them all!
Today at five I am going for my bi annual mamogram and sonogram, chasing dowwn the cysts that like to park in my boobs. Ususally what follows is removal and biopsy of these little buggers. I had four removed last year. As long as they keep getting them out before they turn nasty, I keep up the chase.For those of you who are so inclined , wish me good luck!

The Appliqu�Society

The Appliqu�Society
Spent the morning with some new friends at the Nassau County Chapter of the Applique Society. This was my first actual meeting since last October when I joined the main group. There is alot of talent out there and I am such a newbie. I hope to learn all the tricks soak up some of the expertise. Ah well I aim high!
I met friend Linda there and she showed off her sweet baby quilts! Later during lunch I got to look at her Dear Jane blocks, which are exquisite! handpieced and perfect. She says they are wonky but they are really amazing and not wonky at all. Well I am inspired, to say the least. I guess I had better get to work on my Dear Jane. I am mezmerized by Jane Stickle's blocks. I am kinda sorta toying with the idea of starting over and adding applique blocks. Or making an all applique sample or maybe a thirties version-well there you see the problem: I just cannot decide. I will come back to this topic I am sure.
O yeah, Hanne tagged me and asked for six weird things:) Only six?
hmmm
I am a fanatic reader. I have been known to read a book a day.
I Love Origami
I like staying home more than going out
I hate shopping except for fabric and art supplies and books-well I guess I dont hate it that much
I don't drink or smoke at all
I am a morning person....
pretty boring huh? But I am never bored!!

Weekend stitches

I lost my needle case which was actually a Starbucks gift card holder from Christmas,
which found its way into my kit (dh later found it in the couch)
so to make a long story longer I went into my sewing room and was attacked by my ufo's,
which resulted in my climbing up on a stool to retrieve my box of wool scraps with which
to create a new needle case-which is really just a small folded piece of wool, a little bit
bigger than a match book. Then, In said box, I found a pattern that I had purchased last
fall to make a sewing kit with wool, and I had actually started it, but put it aside, in the
box , then put the box up on a shelf, out of sight out of mind. So in the long honored
tradition of sewers everywhere, i sat right down and ripped out all the previously done
work and re sized the patterned and began again. Three hours later, dh dragged me away
to take me out to eat since he refused to eat pizza for another meal. I am liking the new
needle case which has grown into a sewing kit and I hope to actually finish it in a day or
so.
Then I really must get to the wedding quilt I am making for my oldest child who is to be
wed in August.

Shower Invitations

I spent a good part of yesterday making these invitations for Jen's shower. I want to say Jen and Jason but he says he doesn't want to be there, so it will be Jen's day. All Girls:) I made about seven versions of the Glasgow Rose, in ink and watercolor pencil from pictures that I have of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's works. I have used the rose motif several times in my own decorating efforts. The window is one.
Any way, I have all of the first set of invitations addressed and made out and then I decided to make them myself. Now I am satisfied.

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments: love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds.

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), Sonnet cxvi

The munchkins

Yesterday we went to visit our nieces, Lydia and Erica, and took a drive to Greenport where the carousel was ridden and pizza was eaten and a good time was had by all. It was perfect spring day. Doesn't get any better!


We found some really neat puzzles for them that had paper doll like cut outs and they were a big hit! The dolls and clothes were wood shapes with magnetic backings so that you could stick the clothes and shoes and gloves and of course tiaras on the dolls. Then when you were done, you could but them back into their spaces like a puzzle. where were these things when I was a little girl?

flight

boys dream of flying
tracing a path in the sky
studying the trajectory of birds and stars and leaves aloft
thinking
if only
I could do that too

boys jumping off
of cliffs
of trees and barns
falling in a heap of broken bones and belief

to try again
with wax and feathers and balsa
cloth and string and wire
and wishes
pedaling furiously into the wind
still pointing their dreams at altitude

not to be nearer to God nor angels nor death
but exhilaration
silence
freedom from earthly weight and want
from need

always falling

and always thudding home to earth
the mother
the female
needs

we all have some of this in us
this inclination to be other
perhaps it is what makes us human
we look at our feet and want to fly


martha
bilski 4.06

Beads-click here

I bought this book Bead Creative Art Quilts by Nancy Eha from a link on Ami Simms newsletter. It is a wonderful book and I can't wait to get started. I have a couple of projects in mind. I am going to assemble my diamonds from the Linda Franz books and do some beading on them. I have been waiting for the right inspiration to get my diamonds together and this book has provided just the right dose. But first I will practise on another journal quilt page that I have prepared. Hmmm may be time for a trip to the bead store. Maybe I will see what I have first...chances are, there are some beads around here somewhere.....
This group of diamonds is set with pictures that I took from our beach on a September day a couple of years ago. It was one of those sunsets that you wish you had your camera for and I did! Right now it looks kind of un finished, but I think it will come together nicely and beads will be a great addition.We shall see.

Recital in Potsdam

For those who are musically inclined, here is the program for my son's recital. He was awesome! Of course I did not have my camera and so must wait for other people to give me photos, hint, hint.The recital was taped so I will be able to listen again in the future. And of course there will be much analysis and critique-the musical Monday morning quarterbacking.
Alex was beaming, surrounded by friends and family, and was soaking up all of the good will he so richly deserves.
I did a little drawing and a little stitching while Mike drove us the eight hours to Potsdam. I wish we could have spent more time in the area but the drive alone takes two days both ways. The town has some wonderful architecture and some buildings made with some kind of locally quarried reddish pink almost but not quite terra cotta looking stone.I did make one tiny skectch of a corner in town.
I tried to do some stitching in the car on the way home. It was bumpy and I kept losing my scissors and I did not have the much used toothpick tool, so it was slow going, and I didn't manage to finish any blocks but I did make some progress. Bumpy rides do not make for good sewing. Or reading.
I bought a couple of chairs at a place called Hoss's in Long Lake Ny, one Adirondak chair and one twig chair.For my dolls. I am collecting more chairs than dolls. We also bought an Audobon Society book to help us identify US East Coast birds. While we were driving home a hawk with a mouse in his mouth nearly flew right into our windshield as he was lifing off. We were going seventy miles per hour and he flew right over us. Missed us by a foot. Swoosh!

Woman of the Bible Blocks

These are my blocks partly sashed so far. The are from a quilt designed by Carol Honderich who I "met" on the Dear Jane list. I started the blocks last summer and resumed a couple of weeks ago. We are doing a block a week and reading chapters on each woman as we go. The book we are using is called 'Women of the Bible' by Ann Spangler and Jean E. Syswerda. The group has grown into four Yahoo lists and I am now in synch with group four and hope to stay caught up this time.So far we are still in the Old Testement. It is such a nice quilt!!!

creature comfort

Katy and Basil