The last few months seem to have passed in a blink of an eye… I am sitting at my desk, this Christmas Eve, feeling content. Dear older son , GF, & puppy flew in from WA. Dear younger son flew in from the Bay, and dear daughter flew back from her research trip to Peru just in time for Christmas. And of course dear hubby, Koko, & Hiro home as usual. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!
DH’s Academic Advisor for his PhD will be retiring from teaching soon. And his dear wife recently retired from her career as a Medical Doctor. So, it was time to make another quilt! They are originally from New Zealand, and I found this wonderful vintage tablecloth on Ebay. I used a kit I had, called the Carriage Quilt. It is amazing how well the colors of the quilt kit and vintage tablecloth came together. It turned out to be a double sided quilt. I love vintage, and I hope they do too.
After months of effort, I finally have something to show. Yes, I do other things creative besides quilting. I have been having fun making whatever catches my fancy with clay the last few months. Since I don’t have my own ceramics studio, it has been slow going. Nevertheless, I’m happy with my first batch of “beginner” pottery. I made several bowls, a scalloped platter, and Wilma Flintstone inspired beads. I glazed them all in white. I like the “rustic/primitive/elementary” look – I am planning on using them 🙂
Conversation with DH: Him “None of the bowls are the same size” (Engineering mind). Me: “That’s right, that’s what makes them so special” (Engineering mind; also right brain) 😛
I will be making more mismatched and funky tableware 😉
Another dear friend of mine had a Birthday. I made her a lap quilt with Kaffe Fasset fabric. I hope she liked it…
I have been a member of our local Quilt Guild, The Citrus Belt Quilters for the last two years. One of the things they do during their monthly meetings is Show And Share. It’s always fun and amazing to see all the wonderful and creative Quilts everyone makes. Thus far, I have sat on the sidelines as an onlooker. But, I decided that it was high time I finally contributed. This is really big for me since I have an aversion for getting in front of an audience and talking. And our Guild attendance well exceeds 100! It took me back to my elementary school days when we had Show and Tell sessions. I was a bit nervous at first, but it turned out just fine. Somewhere along these many years, I seem to have lost my discomfort in speaking before an audience. I think it’s age 🙂
The first quilt is based on a block called Quarter-Cut Daisy by Laura West Kong in the book Modern Blocks. Laura is also a member of our local Quilt Guild. I made a quilt like this for my exchange group, and I liked it so much, I made one for myself. I added a border on mine. The second one is from an old Jo-Ann’s Block of the month kit, Welcome To My Garden, that I picked up at our Guild shop. Since I am one of the organizers of the shop now, I thought it would be nice to make something from my purchase and encourage others to shop at our store. I didn’t have the setting kit, so I improvised and put it together my way. It was the first time I scalloped the edges. I like how it turned out.
Muriel’s daughter recently got married. I thought it would be fun to design fabric from Muriel’s artwork, and sew up a tablecloth as a wedding gift. Her favorite color is orange, so I picked Muriel’s Orange art, designed a repeating pattern, and uploaded to Spoonflower. I found orange fabric with an orange peel look to border the fabric. I even mitered the corners! It was a fun project, and I think it came out pretty nice 🙂
My sisters love my quilts, but maybe three Birthdays in a row is a bit much… I had some really cute vintage quilt tops, so I made them up into Birthday gifts for my sisters, again :). I will have to think of something else for next year.
Happy Mother’s Day to Everyone! DH and I celebrated Mother’s Day and his Birthday early with Morning Tea. We were a bit early, so we ducked into a thrift store next door to the Tea Shop. And look what I found – a Retro 60’s sewing machine, mounted in its own table! A Calanda 650, and she sews like a dream :).
The last time I visited my parents in Orange County, I had a chance to stop by Piecemakers Country Store. Oh, it was such a delight to browse, and look at all the amazing fabrics and supplies for all the things I love to do! Quilting, needlework, beading, etc. The list goes on and on. And I met Jean and Joanna who were so kind to invite me into the room where all the current and upcoming class items were displayed. My last project that I worked on from Piecemakers were some rag dolls, almost 30 years ago! I never managed to dress them, so they happily/patiently sit in their birthday suits on the shelf in my studio :).
My friend Terrie and I recently took a rose painting class with artist Christy Repasy. We headed down to Fallbrook, and spent a day in her studio having fun and learning how to paint roses in Christy’s style – Victorian/Shabby Chic (my rose is third from left).
Finally finished painting my Still Life. I am really starting to enjoy painting. I find myself looking at things with a different perspective. Always thinking how it would translate on to canvas. As always, my mind races, and is way ahead of my skill level. Oh well, as they say, practice, practice, practice…
I have found such peace and satisfaction in hiking… New boots that don’t pinch, goofing off, and enjoying my surroundings…
Lutka And Co.
Cutiepie Misfits
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