Monday, April 28, 2014

Mesmerized By Chihuly

 I've never been one who
has wanted to run away to the circus.
But, if ever I was tempted to drop everything
and join a group of artisans
it would be 
Chihuly
 We were invited by our friends
The Hollands
for a delightful evening
at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix
to view the 
Chihuly Exhibit
 Mesmerized is the only word to explain my experience.
Winding paths of Desert Flora
that included 
bursts of color
in the most unexpected places.
Dale Chihuly 
known for his large scale glass sculptures
is credited with revolutionizing the
Studio Glass movement.
Original
Brilliant
I find his life to be as interesting as his creations.
 Chihuly's Exhibits 
can be quite massive in size.
A very prolific artist with
permanent collections through out the world.
 We arrived at the Botanical Gardens right before the sun went down
and were able to walk the desert paths
while still bathed in natural light.
 Citron and Yellow Fiori
Taking pictures of Chihuly's work is somewhat like
trying to capture the Grand Canyon.
The  camera just cannot embrace
the scale and scope of this experience.
 Absence of color
gives an eerie image of ghosts in the forest.
Some Chihuly creations
are taller than the tallest Saguaros
 While others are as simple
as Red Reeds
 You can even see interwoven sparks of color
surrounding the Garden Restaurants.
are impressive in and of themselves.
I learned that there are over 2,000 species of cacti
all of which are native to the America's.
 As the sun dropped closer to the horizon
the glass began to light
bringing crisper perception
to the hillsides and trails.
 Chihuly Reeds in the forefront.
Camelback Mountain in the distance.
 Glass gives images of fireballs
 Or underwater sea creatures
Chihuly In The Garden
runs through May 18th.
If you live in the area 
or will be nearby in the next few weeks
I highly recommend
placing this on your must do list.
You will never be the same.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Peg's Quilty Fun

 Peg should be named
Miss Prolific
this month.
3 Finished quilts in the last few weeks alone.
 Row Along
from the book
by Lori Holt of Bee In My Bonnet
 Bee Happy :)
 Another project from
Quilty Fun

Quilty Fun can be ordered from 
Amazon.com
 Peg's 3rd finish wasn't from Lori's book,
 but a UFO from several years ago that 
she was determined to complete.
Very nice job Peg!

Friday, April 25, 2014

Those Mesa Ladies/ April

 Once a month I meet with
Those Mesa Ladies
at their church building.
Most in the group are neighbors
and I'm privileged enough to join along.
We bring our machines and spend the day
sewing and visiting.
 Everyone works like busy little bees 
and I always learn something new.
When I walked in, Holly was ironing blocks
at this low level.
She says she keeps her ironing board at home 
at the same height, so it's easy to reach while she is at her machine.
 Gina was working on
Scrappy Trips Around the World
made with bright, happy Kaffe fabrics.

 Steph is making a large pinwheel quilt
for a grandson's birthday.
"Tate Is Eight"
Steph's companion fabrics
 Amanda had stacks of 
Vintage Happy 
charm squares 
by my friend Lori Holt (Bee In My Bonnet)
 I love Lori's latest fabric line!
The ladies in this group are big Lori Holt Fans :)
 Vicki was also working away on
a Lori Holt creation.
Row Along
from the book
Quilty Fun
And as always we were treated to the most 
fabulous lunch.
Karen's made a salad with
marinated grilled chicken with blackberries
from the Our Best Bites cookbook
accompanied by a
Berry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
*recipe found 
HERE
***
tomorrow I will show you Peg's
impressive
Show and Tell

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Cog + Wheel Quilt Finish

Several years ago I bought the pattern 
and fabrics
for Cog + Wheel Quilt
Then it sat in a box
even though it
called to me ever so much.
"Come and play with me!" it purred while hidden away.
 Finally, the best time arrived
to pull out the
wonderful Amy Butler fat quarters
and other matchy friends.
 12 inch blocks
The inner circles were a small challenge
while the outer circles sewed up easily.
Once I got started I couldn't stop.
 Cog + Wheel has the option of being made
in 4 different sizes.
I opted for Twin Size
created with 12 blocks
Pattern by Denyse Schmidt
can be purchased on her web site
 Denise wrote of this pattern:
"Inspired from a quilt pattern from 1902, 
Cog + Wheel hurls us back to the
industrial age with a playful bold graphic
that rolls right on every size."
 This will be a gift for a son who is engaged to be married this summer.
He and his fiance's decorating tastes are 
Mid Century Modern
Hopefully, this quilt will be a match.
Now to get a back made 
and then off to Pat (Pat's Just Quilting)
where she will work her
longarm quilting magic
and make
Cog + Wheel 
even better.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild/ April

 Saturday we met with the
Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild
 for our April meeting.
 Rebecca Whaling
provided a wonderful 
Square In A Square tutorial.
We have been asked as a guild
to make 8 inch finished blocks
with fussy cut centers
for charity quilts.
*I've already purchased
a fat quarter to get me started :)
 Rebecca brought her 
work in progress as inspiration.
I love how she is using 
low volume and text fabric 
for her backgrounds.
 More inspiration
 Nice job Rebecca!
Thank you for your help
in organizing our group
for a great cause.
 At the end of our meeting
we enjoyed 
Show and Tell
Hope Takes Flight
(made by Ana)
is a free pattern offered by
Robert Kaufman Fabrics
can be found
 From the book 
Modern Neutrals by Amy Ellis
 3-D Pinwheels
 Denise's wonderful Umbrella quilt
pattern by Laundry Basket Quilts
by Jenny Pidigo (Sew Kind of Wonderful)
was up on the wall at ETC. where our group met.
I had to take a picture because I love this quilt!
and must, must must make it someday.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Carrot Patch Cookies

I hope you had a nice Easter with your family.
Ours was delightful.
With a son- in-law who is half Cuban
our daughter cooked a fabulous meal
of 
Lechon (pork cooked in spices)
 black beans and rice
and tostones (fried plantains)
very yum!
***
I made a cute little treat for the grandkids 
to go with our dessert 
 
Carrot Patch Cookies
 Recipe on Spoonful
 You start with orange 
Mike & Ike candy
and green licorice 
for the carrots
 The base is put together 
using sugar wafer cookies 
and frosting as the "glue"
 I teased the grandkids
announcing
"Grandma is making you eat dirt!"
aka 
crushed chocolate wafer cookies
mixed with chocolate frosting.
 green paper for the garden bed
 All lined up in pretty rows
Carrot Patch Cookies
would also be a fun treat for 
birthday parties
or any Spring special occasion.