blogus interruptus or Quilters Take Manhattan take 3

Yikes!!!

Right after I made a come back to the blogging world

I disappeared again!!!

I kept thinking about blogging

but life got in the way and

the days kept rolling by...

As Albert Einstein once said...

"Life is like riding a bicycle,

to keep your balance, you must keep moving."

so, I am moving on...

(from a recent Color Me Rad race)

trying not to choke in the process...

(just didn't want to eat the colored powder they were throwing our way!)

and somewhere I will find balance!!!

In the meantime,

back to...

Day 3 of Quilters Take Manhattan...

 which started with a talk by Alex Veronelli of Aurifil Threads

He entertained us with a running commentary and video 

on how they make their threads.

Very interesting!!!

and we each got a package of threads of the various weights!!!

He shared with us

which needles to use with the various weights of thread

as well as what kind of bobbin thread to use. 

Then we got to see a few samples of the various threads at work

including this piece that I had seen on Facebook

by Shruti Rohit Dandekar of 13 Woodhouse Road

and a close up...

Of course,

what is a blog post about NYC without a few photos of the colors of the city???

and some doors...

and some of the beautiful architecture of the city...

I finished the weekend with a workshop with Earamicha Brown

on embellishments...

The original workshop was supposed to be led by Frances Holliday Alford

but Frances was recovering from surgery 

and sent trays and trays of goodies to use in our projects..

These days,

I have warmed up from a weekend in the Hudson Valley

at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival

which featured

small, cozy cabins for 4..

some good food

majestic fall trees

and dare I say,

snowflakes???!!!

cute animals...

and some yarn, of course!!!

Now..

 I am back in the studio

creating a series (at least, I think it will be a series)

with some 

and

Stay tuned....

hope SPRINGs eternal

Tonight at 6:45 PM, spring begins officially...

REALLY?!!!

Okay...

the temperatures are beginning to climb. 

Ever. So.  

Slowly. 

The snow...

yes, that dirty, nasty stuff is supposedly snow...

and the ice is melting...

somewhere...

But

it is not exactly spring like!!!

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: 

when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens

Yeah, something like that. 

Inside, I am returning to normal time

though I would much prefer to be on Hawaii time...

and I have started yet another new project

just because I can't possibly have enough at one time!

Either that, or I am avoiding completing the myriad of other projects,

some with deadlines!

Even though I am no longer in Hawaii, 

I am trying to create some memories with what I have from my vacation,

like this lei

from our Luau...

It may shrivel up before I do. 

So I've taken up the sport of flower pounding!

I took apart the lei,

carefully placing the flowers on a piece of prepared fabric

(washed in a bit of Synthrapol, soaked in soda ash overnight and air dried).

On one of the pieces of fabric, I laid the flowers on their sides

like they would look strung together on a lei..

on the other piece, I opened the flower up placing the petals flat 

as it might look opened up..

(no photo so you will have to use your vast imagination)

Then, I carefully taped the petals etc down with masking tape

onto the fabric..

I flipped the fabric over onto a flat surface

and pounded away...

You may want to warn your family in advance about the noise!

Just sayin'. 

Though there doesn't seem to be much difference,

this is the piece with the flowers laid on their side..

and this piece had the flowers opened up...

so... now what?!

Cough, cough, groan.... I am sick!!!

Yup, I am sick!!!

Sick with...

And the manifestations of such an illness are bizarre indeed!

 I take many photos of ice ...

and snow....

(on the mountains)

 (on the back deck)

 (on the trees)

(at the mailbox)

I take photos of the birds at our feeder...

 (when they are impatient)

(when they are patient)

and 

(when they are just plain skittish)

I enter contests on blogs...

Some I win....

 I won this book on Teri's blog!

I won this lovely haul on The Printed Fabric Bee!

 most I don't :-(

I make messes....

and look for vacuums to clean up said messes...

and I do clean...

ad nauseum!!

 I buy art...

from Natalya

and 

this beautiful piece by Karen Rips 

that I purchased from the The 100

to benefit the American Cancer Society

I hide a lot 

in my sewing room and studio...

doing what you might do in a sewing room and studio...

thread painting...

quilting....

making patterns...

making more patterns...

art journaling...

and occasionally 

sewing my bathrobe into my stitching...

I am predisposed to wearing my bathrobe over my clothing in the winter...

and I whine about the weather!

a lot!!!!!

I am still looking for a cure!