Going Nowhere

Day 49 of staying home. It has surely become a cliche to call these strange times, but strange they are. Having spent so much of the past years traveling the country and the world, it is especially strange for me to be spending so much time going nowhere except the grocery store.

At least I have gotten somewhere in my quilting. During this confinement I have been motivated to complete a few of my works in progress. First there is this corduroy quilt that I finished for a friend of my mother's. I have no information on the origin of the top, but I think it turned out really well. Tying rather than quilting was definitely the right choice to preserve the corduroy texture, and I think the teal binding adds just the right touch on the edges.

My biggest and most satisfying accomplishment has been finishing my "Sea Days" quilt top. I don't remember exactly when I started it, but it must have been more than two years ago.

I named the quilt "Sea Days" because it reminds me of glorious days spent on cruises around the world, blue water sparkling in the sunlight, like in this photo off the Antarctic peninsula.

Traveling the world by boat, or any way at all, seems like a lifetime ago. Finishing this quilt during an enforced stay at home makes me long for the days of unrestrained and joyous travel.

The quilt also allows me to enjoy those days vicariously. I am reminded of so many different shades of blue that ones sees from the deck of a boat, like this teal that I saw around ice floating along the shores of Svalbard,

 and this aqua from a bit of an iceberg, also in Svalbard.

Warm Caribbean waters were no less dramatic.

Underwater on a sunny day off Mexico's Guadalupe Island, a completely different hue made a stunning backdrop for viewing great white sharks up close.

Now that I've made a mini tour of the globe, I'm going to go back to my sewing machine here at home and see about finishing up my next project.

Wishing everyone good health and a rapid return to some semblance of normal life

Wandering Around London

I found myself in London again last fall, with nothing in particular planned. Cool, clear days made it perfect for exploring so Steve and I strolled through London's always glorious parks, ventured into tiny alleyways and new neighborhoods, and stopped into galleries, shops and museums.

Here, a bench in Hyde Park beckoned us to rest for a few moments.

In St. James Park, early fall colors reflected in the pond looked like a painting.

Somewhere near our hotel we found this shady alleyway made cheerful with bright paint.

 The very elegant Royal Arcade was equally cheerful with bright paint and numerous skylights.

Late one afternoon we crossed Chelsea Bridge en route to Battersea Gardens on the south side of the Thames. I found the amount of construction astonishing, considering the uncertainty around Brexit.

We walked the length of the park, enjoying brilliant sunlit views of the opposite shore,

and crossed back on the very pretty Albert Bridge.

I wandered on my own for a couple of days while Steve was working, stopping in at the V & A to see their new photography center. Here is an 1855 image of Thailand's Thapinyu Pagoda by Linneaus Tripe that has been "digitally reimagined" by Thomas Ruff.

I also stopped in at the National Gallery and was wowed once again by George Stubb's 1762 painting of the horse Whistlejacket.

And, of course, I couldn't resist visiting Liberty of London once again. I think it is the most visually appealing store I have ever been in. It is really more like a gallery than a shop. Their carefully curated collection is always beautifully displayed. Hard to resist these Fornasetti plates!

The Regent Street store, built during the 1920s in the Tudor revival style is dramatic, yet welcoming, with central atria surrounded by smaller, more intimate rooms. I was happy to see that Victoria Findlay Wolfe's quilts were still on display.

Here is a view of one atrium bedecked with the quilts.

Unlike other department stores which have given up selling fabric, Liberty continues to sell fabric, their very own Liberty fabric, which is distinctive and lovely, though not inexpensive.

I picked up two new packs of fat quarters.

I now have a very nice collection.  The larger of these came from a previous visit to Liberty's Regent Street store and the other from Purl Soho in New York.

Now I need to screw up my courage to cut into these beauties and make something out of them!

Fall Fun in Central Texas

Now that I've been home in Austin for a bit I've had a chance to attend a couple of big local events with my mother, who is new to Texas. It's been a fun way to spend time together, and a great a way to show her some of what Texas has to offer. Last Friday we attended the Austin Area Quilt Guild show and today we went to the Round Top Antiques Fair.

The Austin Area Quilt Guild puts on their show every other year, displaying quilts made by their own guild members. There was something for everyone: pieced quilts and appliqué quilts, large quilts and small quilts, those made by professionals and those made by novices. Overall they fell more to the traditional end of the spectrum than to the modern end. (We'll get to see a lot of the latter in 2020 when QuiltCon returns to Austin!) And quite a few of them were made from either kits or from purchased patterns. Here are a few that caught my eye. This star quilt, called "While the Mice are Away, the Cats Will Play," was paper-pieced by Susan LaCroix from a kit by Tula Pink. I like it for its unrestrained use of color, and of course the cats in it are cute, though they are too small to see in this photo.

"Jack's Woodland" by Kitty Miller, though made in a very traditional design, has a simple, modern sensibility. I also like the unusual palette of greens and browns.

Finally, "Winding Ways" by Laura Espenschield stood out for its beautiful muted fabrics, which she purchased in Tokyo.

I love how the pattern seems to have so much motion in it. And look at how precise the piecing it! With curves, no less! A beautiful design, beautifully executed.

In addition to the quilts on display, the quilt show has a large vendor area where I chatted with a couple local quilters/fabric dyers including Malka Dubrawsky of A Stitch in Dye and purchased some of their amazing hand dyed fabrics to add to my collection. 

After seeing so many completed quilts at the show, I was eager to make some progress on my own quilts and headed straight to my sewing room when I got home. I've completed the third row of Sea Days and have only four left to complete the entire top. The "love" fabric in the bottom right is one I bought from Malka at the last quilt show.

I've also sewn up a stack of big blocks using little nine patch blocks I hand pieced during my travels this year.  

I said that the quilt show was a big event. Well, the Round Top Antiques Fair is enormous. Actually, it's more than just Round Top these days, and it is more than just antiques. There are miles of tents, barns, sheds and meadows along Route 237 from Warrenton to Round Top to Carmine brimming with antiques, vintage wares, things pretending to be antiques, and brand new merchandise. 

I wasn't shopping for anything in particular, but couldn't resist this tiny chest, in which I plan to store spools of thread and lots of the little things that never seem to have a proper home in my sewing room. 

I also picked up the little chair that my grandmother's doll is sitting on. My grandmother was born in 1900, so my best guess is that the doll dates from about 1905.

Rolling green hills and majestic live oaks along Route 237 make for a beautiful setting. It's worth stopping to enjoy the scenery, especially in those few spots untouched by the shopping frenzy, including St. Martins, which claims to be the worlds smallest Catholic church.

Tips for Travelers to Round Top:

Some venues charge admission, others don't. The ones that do tend to have high quality antiques, so they are definitely worth visiting.

Go to the largely un-airconditioned Marburger Farms first, when it is cooler. Then go to The Big Red Barn (site of The Original Round Top Antiques Fair) and enjoy their cool air no matter how hot it is outside.

Talk to people. Everyone, buyers and sellers alike, is happy to be there and loves to share what they know.

The fried pies at Farmhouse Cafe and Bakery are really good! But certainly big enough to share 

among two or three people.

Wear comfortable shoes and bring a hat. 

Read this article in Texas Monthly for more info on the scene along Route 237.

If you miss the event this weekend, you'll have another chance again in the spring. Also, more and more shops are open year round so you can enjoy the scenery and at least some of the shopping without the crowds.

Thanksgiving in the Texas Hill Country

It's not a long trip from Austin to our little weekend house on the north shore of Lake Travis - less than an hour's drive - but it seems a world away:  big skies, long views, and oak woods interspersed with open fields which are filled with wildflowers in the spring and summer.

Springtime flowers

Lake Travis sunset

We spend most of our time there outdoors, walking, running, biking, swimming, bird-watching, and clearing the land of all the spiny and prickly plants that took hold in the years when the native grasses were depleted by over-grazing.  Our work boots get a lot of wear!

We also frequently cook and sleep outdoors, the latter either on the sleeping porch or in a screened cabin, and this Thanksgiving was no exception.  As usual, we put the turkey - plus a  brisket and some sausages for good measure - on the smoker.  That yielded a deliciously smoky flavored turkey and left the oven available for all the yummy side dishes.

In spite of the generally mild central Texas climate, it can get quite chilly sleeping outside, and a good pile of warm bedding is called for.  Right now we rely on a rather rag-tag collection of blankets and old sleeping bags so I am working, slowly, on making quilts for each of the beds.  Here is one I just finished hand-quilting for Cabin II.  The wool batting I used to make it extra cozy shrunk quite a bit in the wash so the overall texture is very crinkly, but I think will age nicely.

Steve's mother, Winifred, hand-stitched the flowered whole-cloth quilt at the bottom of the bed.  I am guessing it is from some time during the 1960s.

This little butterfly kept Steve and me company while we were clearing some brush the other day and is a perfect color match for the new quilt.  Maybe someone can help me to identify it.  A clouded sulphur, perhaps?

Vintage Jackson Hole

I have completed my vintage quilt top from the pieces I acquired years ago at a Jackson Hole garage sale.  

Quilt top ready for basting

The original pieces date from at least the 1930s and, based on the fabric designs and level of wear, I am guessing they were made largely from clothing scraps.  Within each larger block are smaller four patch designs, perhaps leftover from another project.  All of the designs and scraps were eventually foundation pieced onto flannel or other scrap backing.  Definitely a case of making do with what was available!  The older pieces were stitched by hand while some of the later pieces were stitched by machine.  I have completed it using both vintage fabrics and new reproduction fabrics, sewing both by hand and machine.  Old and new all jumbled together.  All of these quirks and the history hidden within give it tremendous character and charm.  

Jackson Hole is a lot like this quilt top:  a blend of old and new and richer in character because of it. From very early days it was recognized for its great scenic beauty and value as a destination for recreation, hence the proliferation of dude ranches. There are fewer operating dude ranches today but Jackson Hole remains a wonderful place to explore on horseback. We took a half-day ride from Moose Creek Ranch, just over the pass road to Idaho, so not actually in Jackson Hole, but a great choice nonetheless:  beautiful scenery and not a single other person.

Horses continue to be used for more than recreation. We saw this pack train carrying supplies up Cascade Canyon for trail maintenance.

Pack train in Cascade Canyon

For local flavor of the musical kind head to Dornan’s in Moose for the Hootenanny, or “The Hoot,” a weekly event in which locals and even some brave visitors share their music and songs with all who care to listen. There is some great talent in the valley so it is quite popular. Come early to secure your seat and order a meal.  It is held Monday evenings at 6:00, outdoors during the summer and indoors during the colder months.

At "The Hoot"

Downtown Jackson also is a mix of old and new.  It seems that many of the art galleries are in new buildings in the modern style, but you can still enjoy a meal in an old log cabin, such as Sweetwater’s or Café Genevieve.

Or a drink at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.