Friday, December 29, 2017

All Work and No Play

Makes Melody a dull girl! Last night I went to see George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. It was every bit as good as the hype. It was the magic that makes the holidays. 

Tchaikovsky’s cherished score played live by the PNB Orchestra, gorgeous scenery and costumes by celebrated author and illustrator Ian Falconer (Olivia the Pig), brilliant dancing by PNB’s incredible dancers, a snowfall every performance, and Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall all dressed up for the holidays. I enjoyed every minute!

The music and dancing were wonderful. The whole experience was a feast for the eyes! One of the most delightful parts was the children. This year there were 1000 kids in PNB classes 260 tried out 209 were chosen, including three Claras. There are two casts of children, they preform about 20 performances each.

Pacific Northwest Ballet, one of the largest and most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States, was founded in 1972. In July 2005, Peter Boal became artistic director, succeeding Kent Stowell and Francia Russell, artistic directors since 1977. The Company of nearly fifty dancers presents more than 100 performances each year of full-length and mixed repertory ballets at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle and on tour. The Company has toured to Europe, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and throughout the United States, with celebrated appearances at Jacob’s Pillow and in New York City and Washington DC.

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Seattle's White Christmas

I am not ignoring you, it's year end and the paper work is head high! But joy of joy, Seattle had the first white Christmas in years!

It was so beautiful!

Monday, December 25, 2017

Merry Christmas




There is nothing more magical than decorated trees, lights, presents, family and friends to brighten up your life. Merry Christmas! Give and receive love this holiday season and you will surely have a joyous Xmas. Best wishes to your family this season and always. May Christmas spread cheer in your lives!







Friday, December 22, 2017

Round Robin Quilts



Six Blonde Ladies, 50" x 50", was completed using 100% cotton materials, machine piecing, machine and hand appliqué & hand quilted.  It has not been exhibited.

This is a "Round Robin" quilt. The friendship block exchange of the '90s. It's the unwritten journal of our friendship, so fragile in this era of change. Each quilter adds a new border, to record her space in time.  The completed quilt is always a breathtaking surprise and this one is no exception. The whimsical title reflects the fun experience we shared.

 The name? There were six of us, no blondes, but we had lots of fun!



Center block: Melody Crust
Triangle border: Jill Christenson-Loll
Appliqué border: Nancy Brister
Northwest Flavor: border: Kathy Park
Anything Goes border: Ros Rowley-Penk
Curved border: Nan Naubert
Quilted by: Melody Crust

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Quilt Show



Wildfire

My inspirations frequently come from the shapes and patterns found in nature. I express my love of flowers and color through the medium of quilting. The floral shapes, the soft gentle curves, represent peace and tranquillity.

As often happens, a design problem turns into something wonderful. My original idea, fans decorated with flowers, was not working so I folded it up and put it away. It used shapes, that when separated from the rest of the piece, reminded me of fire.

Fire creates a hypnotic state, the way the fire glows, changing color, dancing across the logs as it burns.

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

It's All in the Thread

If you are using high quality quilting fabric, be sure to piece your projects with a high quality thread.

When piecing with 100% cotton fabric, it is important to use a 100% cotton thread. Choose a neutral color (many quilters use white, cream or gray for all of their quilting projects) or choose a thread to match the fabrics you’ll be sewing. (I use matching colored thread).
Good quality cotton threads produce less lint than lower quality cotton threads and are visibly “smoother” than the lower grades of cotton thread. High quality threads, which produce less lint, are also good for your sewing machine.
Excellent thread choices for piecing are Superior Threads MasterPiece, Wonderfil Tutti or Aurifil Mako 50 weight cotton thread. These threads are smooth and fine, while at the same time, strong and durable.

Friday, December 15, 2017

Remembering Judy Murrah

From Karey Bresenhan
Founder and Director Emeritus,
International Quilt Festival and International Quilt Market

"With heavy hearts, we have to share with you the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Judy Murrah.

Judy, as our Vice President for Education and Administration for many years, was an extremely important member of our Executive Committee. But more than that, she was our long-time dear, dear friend, who shared many wonderful times with us, from the early days of our company up until our recent fall shows.

She was an incredible teacher, author, designer, and quilter who shared her knowledge and love of quilting, and of our company and its mission, as well as that of the Texas Quilt Museum, with people both near and far. Her skill with a needle was matched by her skill in planning our International Quilt Festival and International Quilt Market classes and running our Education Department, all backed by her knowledge, experience, and people skills.

Judy will be greatly missed by many."

Judy Murrah passed away on Monday, December 11, 2017, following a courageous battle with cancer.  A service of remembrance will be held in the Sanctuary of First United Methodist Church Missouri City on Saturday, December 16, 2017 at 2:00 PM.  A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Quilt Show



URBAN OASIS
Dimensions: 36”w X 48”h
This theme suggests the separation and protection of natural beauty necessary in the sometimes harsh urban environment of today's inner cities. The dramatic directional lines of the fence were chosen to add a rhythmic strength to the composition. Light airy floral gradations heighten the effective contrast.

This quilt is hand appliqued and machine pieced using many commercial fabrics. The machine quilting adds the final textural effects.

 





22½" X 22½"


New Year's Eve              
Embroidery has been one of my favorite methods of expression. This piece combines several enjoyable techniques; machine quilting, machine piecing, hand embroidering and embellishment.The quilt feels all dressed-up and needs someplace to go, hence the name "New Year's Eve".
Cotton, silk & real polyester materials, hand embroidered & beaded, machine pieced, appliqued & quilted.