V & A Envy

I have always wanted to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, but never more than right now.  Just opened, Quilts 1700 to 2010 is the V&A's first exhibit (ever!) of British quilts from 1700 to the present day.  The "present day" stuff doesn't excite me much, but the "1700" on  part makes me weak in the knees.  To make matters worse, the museum I work for (New England Quilt Museum) is sponsoring a trip to the exhibit in April!  Not that I could afford to go anyway, but I've actually been designated as  the person to stay home, mind the store and be responsible.  Sucks to be Cinderella.

Meanwhile, I'll have to content myself with reading the Curator's Blog and playing around on the Virtual Gallery web pages.  PS - somebody on that tour better bring home some fat quarter trip treats or there will be one peevish staff member lurking about in the galleries.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

.....you make lemonade, right?  And when a well-intentioned sewing project goes south with a bullet....make it in to a potholder.  This was going to be a little cosmetic case, but the binding was a disaster, and what looked easy as a concept turned out a little more complicated.

So, I  doubled up the length of it and threw a binding on all  4 sides.  It isn't a cost-effective potholder, but I hate to waste it and the whole project was just not salvageable. It is an elegant thing, but it won't look like this for long.  Until then,  I can pretend that all my potholders are quasi-designer and that I never make a mess in the kitchen.

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Ready for Easter

And it's a good thing, it is only a week away.....

I finished my little wool felt Easter egg tree, I tried to take a picture but the room is too dark and the flash is too bright. Maybe I'll try again in daylight. Whatever.  I did have one egg turn out particularly well & included it here. I finally got the hang of stuffing them just so -  with the result that they look more like 3-D eggs than the ones I did earlier.   I added a few Easter postcards from my antique postcard collection - they are so beautiful, so innocent! The colors are just extraordinary, but they don't photograph well. I had to fill in the "Easter Greetings" one, otherwise all you would see would be a large "E" and a large "G". You get the drift.  Happy Easter, everyone!

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Kitchen Switchin' Part II

Making progress on the new kitchen.  The last things to do are the floor (obviously,  from the picture) and the toe kicks under the new cupboards.  For those of you just tuning in, our dear friends Tom and Joe wanted to remodel their kitchen but felt bad about trashing their eight-ish-year-old kitchen.  We relieved them of that burden by volunteering to take the old kitchen off their hands . Joe drafted a new configuration, the granite was re-cut, and we got to tear out our 1975 kitchen for their 2001-ish version.  I was thrilled.

Today's installment features the recent addition of my Barbie Penthouse. This little table has been in my parent's house for as long as I can remember.  It has had many paint jobs over the years, the most recent one to match my kitchen. (I whined and got the table in a downsizing move.) I remembered that I used to clear off all the stuff and pretend it was my Barbie (in this case, Midge) penthouse, and she lived on all 3 levels. I love this table.  I'm using it now to camouflage a bad corner and hide my cords, outlets and wall-vac vent.  I'm not sure what will go on the table, but I am so happy to see it sitting there.  BONUS - when I finished painting the table, I had Joe put it back together. He asked me if my Dad made the table - it was a teeny bit irregular, and the brass rods and do-dads holding it together are actually lamp parts.  (My Dad had a hardware store forever, and tinkered in woodworking.)  I was floored - I have no idea if he made it, and I doubt if he would remember it now.  I am choosing to believe that he did - and that makes it even more special to me.  If I ever get my favorite chair reupholstered, I'm moving this  table to be next to the chair and make it my sewing/reading/happiness place.

That idea  just moved to the top of my Christmas wish list.....

Boston Gift Show Report

Well, it's over for another year.  Even though the Boston Gift Show opened today, I'm all done.  We've been going to this gift show for almost 20 years (Joe has a gift shop in Gloucester) so we know the vendors & the drill by heart.

In the past few years, it has moved from the old Bayside Expo to the new Boston  Convention Center. It has also become about 1/3 the size it used to be. We used to spend an entire exhausting day working the show - today we did it in three hours.  Honest.  It was a little surreal - vendors and sales reps we've known for years were not present.  Hoity toity vendors that would never deign to do a gift show for the great unwashed were actually present. A nationally known candle company had a tiny little booth there, and I got a taste of one of my favorite emotions - schadenfreude - as I walked past their booth.... without stopping.   I remember having to make actual appointments to see the TY rep (think Beanie Babies) and being forced to purchase a boatload of other unsaleable plush toys in order to get the 'privilege' of  buying the Beanie Babies.  They were nowhere in sight. Again with the schadenfreude. There are dark secrets in the  wholesale / retail universe. It makes you want to go somewhere and just live off the land.

I have learned an awful lot about retail over the past twenty years - I could not do it for a living.  I just do not like shopping (or selling things) that much.  I am saddened to see the lack of high quality merchandise that passes for giftware.  There were some booths with beautiful and artistically made goods, but most looked it came over on a container ship.  So much is imported (there were at least 30 booths selling imported pashmina (maybe) scarfs for $4 to $6 a pop) and just, well, schlocky.

This is a trend in giftware, soft goods and even appliances. It is why some brides no longer register for beautiful, quality china that will still be available 20 years from  now,  and instead pick out something CUTE at Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware.  (Good luck finding a matching piece in a year or so when you break a plate.)  It's about how disposable everything has become in our current culture. I bought a toaster oven about 5 months ago and it looks like it is 10 years old.  It's cheaper to replace it - and that "disposable" mentality is why our garbage dumps are so full of things that used to last for years and years.  It is sad, really.  Or maybe I'm just getting into old-fart mode.  I have to tell you, though,  we had custom drapes made for our bedroom 21 years ago and while they were pretty spendy at the time, they still look beautiful and show some (but not much) wear.  I have no intention of replacing them. I don't need to! I registered for a very simple, bisque china with a fine gold rim over 21 years ago, and I still use them and throw them in the dishwasher.  They are made so beautifully well.  If I needed a plate, Lenox still makes them. It works for me.

Let's go out on a high note - the website for the gift show has the header I put below.  I'm pleased to point out that the picture on the far left is actually in GLOUCESTER, and I live near those houses. HAH - Nothing in Boston was so lovely, eh? Well, Boston Gift Show, you're welcome!

Uh Oh - I'm Becoming My Mother

I caught myself doing something today that I promised myself I would never do "when I was grown up and had a home of my own."  I took a shower this afternoon, and when I headed back downstairs to the main floor, I went down the stairs backwards and mopped the wooden staircase with my damp towels.  That rates right up there with brushing your teeth with one hand, and using the other to clean out the sink and wipe down the counter to remove hairspray residue.  I was NEVER going to do that. My MOTHER did that, and  it drove me nuts. I have no idea why, I just thought it was so not cool.  That kind of multi-tasking was never going to be me. But now it is - and I'm feeling a little elderly-esque. What about you?  Does this happen to everyone?

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Scanning Blues

I'm working at my husband's store today and things are very quiet.  VERRRY quiet.  Depressing and discouraging - the end to this recession is nowhere in sight.

I brought along a little project - I'm scanning old pictures (Joe has a printer/scanner at the store) and I'm working my way through piles of old photos.  About halfway through the process I had to stop.  I'm a little overwhelmed with how much time has passed, how the years have really flown by, and how much I miss so many of the people in those photos.  I'm not even sure why I am doing this as we weren't blessed with children and my brothers and sisters probably have enough photos digitized to keep all the nieces and nephews happy for ages.

The up side is that it brings back lots of good memories, and a few laughs. (That is me with my finger in my nose.) I think I'll get back to scanning, I feel better for venting. Thanks for reading.

Spring Ahead - Fall Down (On My Face)

I hate Daylight Savings Time.  Spare me - just spare me the arguments. It is now 5:10 PM Eastern DAYLIGHT Time and I am still in my nightgown, fuzzy  robe, and flannel pants.  I missed the only TV show I regularly watch (CBS Sunday Morning) because I had a bad night and - oh yes - I lost an hour to that stupid clock.  Great.  I feel like a slug, I look worse, and I don't care. There is a Nor'easter storm RAGING outside, making it a perfect day to be in the sewing room and - nadda.  I can't summon the energy to do anything.   I went down the hallway 3 hours ago to make up the bed and take a shower and I realized I had left the electric blanket ON.  Total sign from God - I crawled back in to bed.  Nice.  Good nap, sure, but it will take me about 2 weeks to make this stupid adjustment.  I love my sleep more than just about anything.  I think we should just call this idea what it is  - a train wreck.

Olympic Eggs

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I wanted to do something during the Olympics - and since Valentines Day had passed (so I could not make more hearts) I decided to make Easter eggs.  When I moved here 25 years ago, I noticed people would hang plastic eggs outdoors on trees during Easter.   (I thought it was VERY strange.)  So -   I've adapted.  I started sewing these with no pattern or idea of what to do.  As I make progress, I throw out ones I've already finished (and did not like) and replace them with better eggs.  It's easy to do, and a great hand sewing project. (Did I mention how much I miss the Olympics?) As per usual, it led to ordering more wool felt in springy colors, and I can't wait for it to arrive. So I'll keep plugging away until I have a tree filled with lovely eggs. The bird is one I did long ago, I love doing the birds.  I thought this bird looked Easter-y, all spring colors and such. It makes me feel good to look at this little tree, it reminds me that spring is just around the corner.

Machine Quilting SOS

I need help.  I'm about to finish up the Lady of the Lake from hell quilt that I'm making for some friends.  There is absolutely NO WAY that I can hand quilt this thing, even if my machine piecing skills didn't go to hell in a handbasket on this one.  (Okay, I know my Bernina needs serviced,  but I can't send it in until I get this top finished.)  LSS, I need to find a machine quilter who will take a blood oath to never speak of the "quality" of my sewing.  I've never machine quilted, or had to find one.  Where do I start? What do I ask?  HELP!

Miniature Quilts - With an Amish Angle

A funny thing happened at the opening of Kinder Komforts yesterday - no one left after the opening reception. A packed house enjoyed a talk by author Bettina Havig, and lingered in the galleries and workroom until well up to closing time.  The miniature quilts of Dorothy Bosselman (and her talented quilter friends) captivated many of the visitors.  Here are a few behind-the-scenes pictures - click to enlarge.

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Also - this from the New England Quilt Museum press release:

During the Kinder Komforts exhibition, the museum will also feature the work of Dorothy Bosselman. The late artist set out to recreate 60 historic Amish quilts, most of which were originally made in the early 20th century, in miniature. Her replica quilts, some no larger than 6" square, were originally created for the exhibit Beacons from a Darkened World, Amish Life-Amish Quilts at the New England Quilt Museum in the spring of 1990, of which she was guest curator. They were hand-quilted by her friends and by NEQM volunteers, in precise, traditional designs. The Bosselman quilts were recently acquired by the museum and will be exhibited for the first time in many years.

Kinder Komforts - Amish Quilts

Okay, shameless plug #2:  Kinder Komforts is an exhibition of Amish crib quilts just opened at the New England Quilt Museum. It is breathtaking.  Walking through the galleries is a surreal, sublime experience.  The color, designs and workmanship are both educational and inspirational.  (I came home and climbed over 3 projects in progress just to get to my stash to see if I had any solid colors I could start playing with.)  As shown by the  above quilt, Spider Web,  many of the quilts in the exhibit are from the Sara Miller Collection of Midwestern Amish Crib Quilts .

One of the side galleries features a grouping of quilts, each done in dark, luminescent blues and blacks.  It is a small, intimate room and the  sensory experience is overwhelming. The museum's classroom has a very special exhibit of several ( 30? ) miniature Amish quilts that were recently gifted to the museum.

It is amazing to see how "modern" and contemporary some of these crib  quilts appear in their design, color and conception.  When you look at the information on some of the labels, you can't believe they are c.1915 pieces.  Amazing! Exuberant! You will be KOMFORTED to the inner recesses of your soul, I promise.

UFO Night - Thanks, Mom!

Since it is perilously close to 9PM (and we have established the NO SEWING AFTER 9PM RULE) I decided to dig around through my stash for something new to put up in the living room.  Our friends (yes, the kitchen dudes) gave us their "old" jumbotron TV, and I'm moving furniture around, etc. and re-nesting the room.  I came across one of my UFO's from (I am serious) about 10 years ago (is that a UFO record?) and I'm happy to see that if I finish quilting it, I have a perfect spot for it on the wall opposite the fireplace.  Good times, right?  But wait, there is more. I also found one of my Mom's UFO's (I think it was a practice piece for one she made for my sister-in-law.)  So I unrolled it and - lo and behold - I took it downstairs, and YES, it is perfect for the freshly painted kitchen!  I wanted to paint the walls blue but lost out to the assorted men in my life, so this is a fine bit of luck.  I love the tumbling blocks and I love it that my Mom pieced it and I'm going to quilt it.  I'm 2 for 2 with UFO's - what a good night!

What's Your Sign?

No, not the zodiac thing. This sign is a big one I am going to make and put in my sewing room.  NO SEWING AFTER 9PM.  SEAM RIPPERS ARE NOT GOOD FOR FABRIC.   I'm working on a simple wall hanging for my kitchen (I'm calling it "Kitchen Saito" as an homage to Yoko Saito...)  Yoko would tell me that after sewing the WRONG sides of blocks together not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES in about 10 minutes constitutes some serious stupid.   I roughed out some blocks, made a bunch of yoyo's and had the idea for the horizontal side of the hanging come to me and I was so excited I ran upstairs and started sewing away.  Uffda.  What a mess.  Japanese fabric is too expensive (and unravels so easily) that I can't afford to mess up like this.  So I just piled up everything on my ironing board and I'll sort it out tomorrow. In daylight. With coffee. The finished product will be much nicer, I promise.  I just can't work on it tonight.....it's 9:35PM.

Chainsaw Sunday

I have no idea when it happened, but I'm getting all bent out of shape over the loss of.......trees.  We had four beautiful flowering plum trees in our front yard; 3 of them were knocked down in the storm of 1991 (AKA "The Perfect Storm").  We uprighted all three, but only one survived the trauma.  (We live on an enormous granite ledge here on Cape Ann, so trees are kind of root-challenged. )  Anyway, fast forward to last weekend's storm where the surviving flowering plum tree bought the farm.  The picture on the left is a peach tree in our backyard that fell down during a storm in June.  It was the last of our 20-something-year-old peach trees - no home-grown cobblers, pies or crisps this summer. How sad is that?

We had Chainsaw Sunday here, as trees all over the neighborhood were being finished off and/or  cut from power lines (by the professionals) and it was heartbreaking.  Huge, towering pine trees, 40 and 50 years old - snapped like twigs. We've had blocked streets and power losses on and off for the past several days.  Some of the trees lost were the centerpiece of a front yard, some stood guard on corners, all have left gaping holes.

Property damage can be remedied by insurance and a good contractor.  Where do you to go get a fully grown tree?  You cannot.  They are like wondrous spirits, they have a living presence and are with us through every season, every year, every event of your life.  I never used to get upset about losing trees - now I feel like I am losing a bit of history,  constancy, and shelter.  Now that they are gone, we are cutting them and stacking them for firewood. See - they are still useful, sheltering things.  It's going to be a melancholy March, as the cleanup continues......