Quilter's Acronyms

Every once in a while I see something funny.

Here are the Quilter's Acronyms:
UFO: unfinished object
WIP: work in progress
PHD: project half done
PIG: project in grocery bag
WOMBAT: waste of money, batting and time
NESTY: not even started yet
PFC: professional fabric collector
my personal favorite...
STABLE: stash accumulation beyond life expectancy

Les Puces flea market in Paris

I finally found my wonderful purchase at the Marché aux Puces Flea Market

Knowing that the definition of "Flea Market" is a literal translation of the French marché aux puces, an outdoor bazaar in Paris, France, named after those pesky little parasites of the order Siphonaptera (or "wingless bloodsucker") that infested the upholstery of old furniture brought out for sale."

I bought something from both ends of the spectrum.Don't know what I'll do with them, for now I admire!

Found on the ground for 1 Euro

At one of the 'fancy' shops for a lot more than 1 Euro!

Coming Soon to Tacoma Washington:

A Gathering of Art Quilters

Quilt Art Symposium promises to shine a light on the future of Quilt Art with three leading speakers, a luncheon, an artist-led tour of the CQA exhibit, and an opening party.

Saturday, April 16, 2016
Washington State History Museum
Tacoma WA

Tickets are $75
Tickets for CQA members are $65

VISIT QUILTARTSYM.COM

Art Quilt Experts Each speaker answers the question: What have you learned and what do you think is next in Quilt Art? 9:30am Dr. Sandra Sider 10:30am Cathy Izzo Noon Luncheon 1pm Kris Sazaki

Opening Day A major exhibit of CQA artists’ work opens on the day of Quilt Art Symposium. 2pm CQA artists discuss their work 4pm Opening Partee

Celebrate 30 with CQA

Sewing & Stitchery Expo, Puyallup WA

It must be almost spring, it's time for Expo! Every February The Sewing & Stitchery Expo opens!  This year it is February 25 - 28, 2016. It is the Largest Sewing Expo in the Nation! I love it because there is something for everyone and sew much more! Attend quality educational SEMINARS taught by national teachers, be inspired at the STYLE SHOWS showcasing the latest fashions, and SHOP from more than 400 booths to find everything for sewing: fabrics, notions, specialty yarns, threads, patterns, books, machine embroidery designs, home décor items and the list goes on!

Yvonne Porcella, We Will Miss You!

Yvonne Porcella passed on Saturday, but lives on in her art and in our hearts. She is truly a legend and her Legend Show with TQS is open to the world, so you (and all of your friends) can get to know one of the giants upon whose shoulders we stand today.

(Free from February 10, 2016 through February 29, 2016)

Going Home

I don't know about you, when the time comes to go home, I just want to be there! This trip while short was fun, and maybe just a bit too warm. (91 when we returned the car).

It was a beautiful flight right up the coast. Leaving the beach to the welcoming sight of Mt Rainier.

Time to Say Good Bye to the Beach

There is something quite addictive about the beach. Maybe because I was raised near it, maybe it's the endless water. Who knows. But a drive along the coast in Malibu is sooo beautiful.

Malibu consists of a 21-mile strip of prime Pacific coastline. The community is famous for its warm, sandy beaches, and for being the home of many Hollywood movie stars and others associated with the entertainment industry.

Happy Valentines Day

 
Friendship is a wondrous thing;
There's so much happiness it can bring.
I’m really glad that you’re my friend,
And I hope our friendship will never end.

Happy Valentines Day friend!

Casa Vega

A trip to a mission, now I want Mexican food!  So we went to Casa Vega for dinner! I had Taquitos Rancheros,  Crispy Corn Tortillas, Shredded Beef with Guacamole and Sour Cream.

Casa Vega serves authentic, delicious food and drinks in a warm, festive atmosphere. Casa Vega is a family-owned Mexican restaurant that has been a San Fernando Valley fixture for 55 years. Opened in 1956, by Rafael “Ray” Vega who was inspired to open the restaurant after the success of his parents’ 1930s downtown Los Angeles hot spot located on Olvera Street, Café Caliente.

San Fernando Rey de España

The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of 21 religious outposts; established by Catholic priests of the Franciscan order between 1769 and 1833, to expand Christianity among the Native Americans. The missions were part of a major effort by the Spanish Empire to extend colonization into the most northern and western parts of Spain's North American claims. The missionaries introduced European fruits, vegetables, cattle, horses, ranching and technology into the region that became the New Spain province of Alta California.

The elaborate altar, reredos and pulpit are carved from walnut and date to 1687. They were originally installed in the chapel of St. Philip Neri at Ezcaray, Spain, and reassembled in part at San Fernando by California missions curator Sir Richard Joseph Menn of the Diocese of Monterey.

Chinatown, LA

Chinatown is a neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles, that became a commercial center for Chinese and other Asian businesses in Central Los Angeles in 1938. The area includes restaurants, shops and art galleries but also has a residential neighborhood with a low-income, aging population of about 10,000 residents.

The original Chinatown developed in the late 19th century, but it was demolished to make room for Union Station, the city's major ground-transportation center.


 

Loved The Getty, the Getty Villa Became a Must

The Getty Villa near Malibu, is an educational center and museum dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. The collection has 44,000 Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities dating from 6,500 BC to 400 AD. I'll admit that art from this period is not my favorite, I'm interested in the Villa its self.







The Getty Villa is modeled after a first-century Roman country house, the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, Italy.



















The Villa is designed to simulate an archaeological dig. It has crafted a sophisticated ensemble of buildings, plazas, and landscaping that provides a real home for a relic of another time and place.

My Favorite - The Beds

Two of the largest and perhaps most arresting objects in the Getty Museum’s Decorative Arts collection are 18th-century beds, and each serves as example of the time period in which they were made.
This bed is called a lit à la Turque (Turkish bed). This title does not refer to any specific Turkish design source but reflects the 18th-century preoccupation with anything exotic and unusual from foreign countries. This unusually large bed was made for a bedroom in a grand private residence. It would have been placed sideways against a wall, with a draped baldachin (ornamental canopy) now missing. The wheels underneath the bed allowed servants to pull out the body of the bed easily, leaving the tall back attached to the wall while they made the bed. It was probably set into an alcove or niche in a bedroom wall.

The lit à la Polonaise (Polish bed) would have also belonged in a deep niche in the bedroom of the main apartment of a palace or mansion. In the 1700s, visitors were frequently received in the bedroom, while the host or hostess was still in bed or at his or her dressing table.

Louis XIV at the Getty

Louis XIV (5 September 1638 – 1 September 1715), known as the Sun King, was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France from 1643 until his death. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any monarch of a major country in European history.

He was obsessed with every detail of government and art, pushing administrators and artists to produce the finest examples of their graft to glorify and enrich the kingdom.

Regency paneled room 1670 -1720

Silk wall Paper

The Getty's Art

Jeanne (Spring), Edouard Manet

The Getty features pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts; and 19th- and 20th-century American, Asian, and European photographs. A fest for the eyes.

Still life with Fruit and Flowers, Claude Monet

La Promenade, Pierre-Auguste Renoir

California Sunshine Here I Come

It is definitely time for some winter sunshine!

The great architecture, is accented by the plantings.

Our first stop was The Getty Museum. The Getty Center, in Los Angeles, the $1.3 billion Center opened to the public on December 16, 1997 and is well known for its architecture, gardens, and views overlooking Los Angeles.

Trees that may fool the eye.

 A unique destination, the Getty Center incorporates the modern design of architect Richard Meier, with beautiful gardens, open spaces, and spectacular views of Los Angeles.

The stunning view where you can see all the way to the ocean.

Making a Doll Quilt

A few appliqued hearts given to me by a friend.

I love to make small projects. I found out a special person needs a new doll quilt.

And some 9 patches

Happy Chinese New Year

2016 is the year of the Monkey.  It is the Fire Hóu (火 猴) year of the Fire Monkey. Fire is the third of the ten celestial stems and 猴 Hóu (Monkey) is the ninth of the twelve terrestrial branches. Unlike western calendars, the Chinese calendar has names that are repeated every 60 years. 

Characteristics of Monkey People

• People born in the year of the monkey are lively, flexible, witty and versatile with strong practical ability.
• They love to be active and they enjoy sports.
• Often highly intelligent, they are talented problem solvers, and are self-assured, sociable and innovative.
• They love being the centre of attention and have a magnetic personality.
• Monkey people have an insatiable desire for knowledge and show amazing creativity in their work.
• They like challenges and love to succeed, although they can be discouraged if things don't go their way.
• Monkeys are mischievous; they are masters of the practical joke (though they can sometimes take things too far)
• They tend to be healthy (probably due to their active lifestyle) but should remember to take a break from their busy schedule now and again.
• Negative traits are that they can be jealous, suspicious, cunning, arrogant and impatient, and tend to look down on others.

I'll be at International Quilt Festival/Chicago

Looking for something to  celebrate the end of winter? Come to the International Quilt Festival/Chicago

April 7-9, 2016
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
Rosemont, Illinois

I'll be there with a with list of classes!
Thursday April 7

For the Love of Color  #107
What you always wanted to know about color but were afraid to ask. Understand color concepts that quilters use – balance, pattern, texture, dominance and the many moods of color. We will play with a large variety of fabric samples, laying them out to experience for ourselves the magic we can create with glorious color. 


 



Fantastic Fabric Foiling #110  
Bring your projects to life with instant (and permanent) glitz and shine.
We will apply foil using a variety of adhesives and make use of a variety of ideas that make it easy. Traditional and non-traditional quilters will learn how to incorporate foil into real show-stoppers!

Friday April 8

Paint Glorious Paint #200
Come play where the possibilities are endless and rules are few. Fabric paints enrich your projects before you begin sewing—or after. We will use stencils, rubber stamps and finger painting techniques to make ourselves look like a room full of Picassos. This is magic is waiting to happen! 

 


Saturday April 9
Joining the Blocks: Quilt-As-You-Go Style #302
Learn to join pre-quilted blocks using several innovative techniques. Go
home ready to make larger machine quilted quilts without all the work of trying to get it into your machine. The Quilt-As-You-Go method allows for more detailed quilting using a standard sewing machine since you're only quilting a small section at a time.

Stitching Through the Layers: The Art and Elegance of Straight Line Quilting # 310
This workshop focuses on straight line quilting designs! You’ve made a beautiful quilt top – now what? I will show you, step-by-easy-step, how to decide on the right quilting design - what works, what doesn’t and why. Perfect for hand and machine quilters, both traditional and art quilts. 

Did I Tell You about a Great Find? Perfect for Retreats

Ideaworks Light allows you to put Bright lights where ever you may need to add, a little or a lot, lighting. Super Bright Portable LED Lamp With USB- Amazing, portable lamp that offers 3 levels of brightness with 24 LED bulbs. Stays bright for up to 100,000 hours.

Order it at Amazon for under $15! Worth every penny.