Tuesday, July 31, 2012

I'm Back......I Think :)

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.  

~Attributed to Carl Bard


It's hard to believe that it has been over 6 weeks since my last post.  It feels more like yesterday.  During that time we visited DD#1 and her family in Albuquerque.  DD#2 and SIL were able to join us so we had a mini family reunion.  We had a lot of fun celebrating birthdays and just being together.  Boy can the little guys (ages 3 and 6) wear you out if you aren't used to being around so much energy any more.  The heat of the summer just keeps hanging around with more 100+ degrees days for awhile.  I did get some sewing in as well as some cross stitch.  I was without my sewing machine for two weeks - in for it's yearly spa treatment while we were away.  How have you all been?  Have you been busy sewing?
Just on a side note.....so far I'm planning to post twice a week.  Not sure of the days and there might even be weeks where I only post once.  I don't want to reach burn-out like I did in June.  I want this to remain fun.  Hopefully you stay around, but if not, I fully understand if you have better things to do :)

======================

LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY


Llama

Llamas are really growing in popularity.  They have always intrigued me.  Rather odd looking creatures with a long neck and what I think is a head to small for its body.  Here are a few facts on the llama....
- Llamas are members of the camel family
Camels first appeared on the Central Plains of North America about 40 million years ago. About 3 million years ago, llamas' ancestors migrated to South America.
Llamas were first domesticated and used as pack animals 4,000 to 5,000 years ago by Indians in the Peruvian highlands.
Llamas are hardy and well suited to harsh environments.  
- Llamas are smart and easy to train.
Llamas weigh 280 to 450 pounds and can carry about a quarter of their body weight, so a 400-pound male llama can carry about 100 pounds on a trek of 10 to 12 miles with no problem 
- Llamas are vegetarians and have efficient digestive systems. 
Llamas live to be about 20 years old.
Llamas don't bite. They spit when they're agitated, but that's mostly at each other.

========================

A WONDERFUL DAY

Saturday we attended the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach.  What a delightful day!  And to finish it off, we were able to have dinner with DD#2 and her hubby.  I thought for my first time back in awhile, you would enjoy a some photos of the gorgeous quilts we viewed instead of spending time looking at the boring stuff I worked on.  I took so many pictures that I'm only going to share half of the quilts now and then I'll share the second half next week.

Totally Insane by Loretta Duffy of La Quinta, CA
This beautiful red and white quilt was machine pieced and machine quilted.  It is a recreation of a 1870 Salinda Rupp sampler quilt made up of 98 blocks.  Some of the pieces were amazingly small.  She stated that block #18 has 229 tiny pieces.

Buttercups and Butterflies by Gail T Brunnell of Laguna Niguel, CA
This quilt is pieced, appliqued and machine quilted.  Gail created this during an adult education class from a pattern called Aunt Millie's Garden from Piece of Cake.

Mrs. Lindberg's Neighborhood by Martha R. Lindberg of Mesquite, TX
This quilt is all hand appliqued.  Martha was inspired by a quilt she saw at the Dallas Quilt Show and many house quilts seen in Japanese magazines.  I thought this was fun for all of you that love creating those wonky houses.

Somehow I missed getting the information on this one.  I do remember being surprised that it wasn't Russian but rather made by someone from Japan.  It didn't photograph real well because of the high use of gold metallic thread.  Notice the two heads on the outside of the right border and the little balls on the bottom border.  This was such a fun quilt and so full of detail.

Cypress Sentinels by Mary Ann Hildebrand of Comfort, TX
This is the first quilt I remember seeing where on of the techniques was listed as 'scrunched fabric'.  It is also paper pieced, fused applique, and overlayed.  The scrunched fabric gave it such depth.

Windblown by Maria Elkins of Beavercreek, OH
This was one of my favorites.  The quilting was absolutely amazing!!!  This quilt was hand drawn, hand painted, embellished, and machine quilted.  


Square in Square I by Diane Loomis of Sudbury, MA
This quilt was machine pieced and free motion machine quilted.  Diane was inspired to make this quilt by the antique Concentric Squares Quilt in the collection of the Shelburne Museum and published in Art of the Needle.

Journeys In Fabric by Sue L Gallion, quilted by Madelyn Vale of Steamboat Springs, CO
This riot of color was hand and machine pieced and applique, machine quilted.  Sue was inspired to make this quilt by her love of fabric collected from travels.

Feeding Time by Joyce O'Connell of Courtice, Ontario, Canada
This quilt was machine appliqued, hand-dyed, inked, tread painted, and free-motion quilted.  It was inspired from the movie, The March of the Penguins.

Aren't each on of those quilts amazing!  We spent so much time looking at all the quilts that we had very little time to visit the vendor booths.  And wouldn't you know it, the one thing I wanted to purchase, they didn't have in stock.  I also found out they don't have it available online either :( 

======================

FINAL THOUGHT

This is for anybody that has had a puppy or enjoys our furry little friends.....




62 comments:

✾Jamie Lee Cooley✾ said...

Yay! Those quilts are amazing! I especially like the first couple you showed. I'm not much into the art quilts but they are still amazing.

krisgray said...

Welcome back!! Thank you for sharing the photos of the lovely quilts.

Lucky Duck Dreams said...

Im glad to see you back! Thanks for your always informative post.

PolkaDotClassic said...

Welcome back! Linda :)
Glad you enjoy your vacation and thank you for showing the beautiful quilts
Happy sewing day
Marta

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing those wonderful quilts with us, Oh my the work that goes into these. Welcome back to blog land.

Maria said...

Nice to see you back.. Was thinking about you as I was stitching the Rug Mug..
Pleased you had a fabulous time with your family..
Love all the quilts especially the Wonky ones...

Vroomans' Quilts said...

As soon as I saw the Llama photo in my reader = Linda's back! And welcome back. What gorgeous quilts, love shared quilt shows - and the puppy clip was so cute!

My Sister Made Me Do It.... said...

Welcome "Home" Linda! How ever often you can blog, I will take. Please don't overload yourself again. Wow those quilts really do make our little endeavors look like elementary school but I just would never have that kind of patience. The little cartoon video of the puppy is adorable. Glad you were able to have some good family time while you were away.

Maria McCabe said...

Welcome Back! Thank you for those quilt pictures, what talent! My son loved the puppy movie - I promised another viewing after I typed a note to you. No matter how many posts you have, I will enjoy each one. You are one of my very favorite bloggers. Thank you for sharing with us.
Maria

Char said...

Welcome back Linda. Thanks for sharing pictures of those wonderful quilts. The puppy short gave me a good chuckle, thanks.

corina said...

Love the quilt photos! I don't know how you keep up with posting twice a week. Don't burn yourself out. I will keep reading your blog, even if it is only a post a month! The puppy cartoon is really cute.

Anonymous said...

welcome back Linda,and boy some lovely quilts there.xx

sunny said...

Oh. My. Gosh. What amazing quilts! I could only dream of making anything so amazing. It's great to have you back! Don't worry so much about your posting schedule. Post when the mood strikes and you have something to share. i don't think you'll lose any/many readers. posting is supposed to be fun, not a chore. Now go sew and have fun!!

Krista Schneider said...

super cute video. wish i could have gone to that quilt show! looks like lots of inspiring and creative quilts were their. also, as far as burnout, seems like summertime is draining me of my blogging mojo, too. I'm handstitching, and organizing my sewing room, but not so much blogging, lol.

Melissa said...

Welcome back! You have been missed. Thank you for sharing those stunning quilts!

Impera Magna said...

Welcome back, Linda! Glad you had a great time on vacation!

Love those quilts... the red & white Nearly Insane is gorgeous! Love the "Mrs. Lindberg's Neighborhood" quilt... very, very tempting!

Linda said...

Welcome back! I've missed you!!!
The quilts are stunning! I could look at them all day because they are so inspiring!
The little puppy video is hilarious! Whoever created it certainly had a dog of his/her own!

Needled Mom said...

So glad to have you back, Linda.

Your trip to NM sounds like it was wonderful. I know what you mean about the endless supply of energy those little guys have. I'll bet bed felt good each night!!!

The quilts are really amazing. I'm so glad you shared them with us. Wish I could have seen the show. What was it you were looking for?

Surely wish you could send some heat our way. We've had so much fog in the mornings here this summer.

Welcome back!

Linda in Calif. said...

Welcome back. Life is meant to be enjoyed - not be a slave to a blog. So just post when you want! I've been thinking it's been cooler this summer - although we haven't had the August weather yet.

Pokey said...

Good to "see" you again, Linda! Really, have fun with your shares here, you are loved in any share you have.
I saw the red "insane" quilt at Road, and really was impressed. It is great, so many red fabrics represented in those beautiful little squares. I have a couple of pictures of it as wallpaper on my phone:-} liked that pup video too ~
hugs, pokey

Apple Avenue Quilts said...

So glad to have you back!!! Thanks for sharing your quilt photos. I've been meaning to make a "Totally Insane" quilt for a while now. That red and white is fabulous. I may have to start mine. "Windblown" is beyond beautiful. The puppy film is just too cute. My puppy was very upset that the computer was barking!

Sallie said...

Welcome back! I missed you while you were gone.

sew.darn.quilt said...

Glad your back, thanks for the chuckle from the video clip :D

Terri said...

So happy you are back! Your blog is so entertaining - on all kinds of levels. Loved the llama info. The head is too small! Mama llama has always been a family joke. I can't remember why. I think it's because of the rhymey words.
Loved the quilt show, too. Can't pick a favorite... and you say there are more? Hurray!
Then the dog cartoon... all very entertaining. Thanks for brightening my morning.
Hugs

quiltercaroline said...

Glad to hear from you again Linda and that all is well with you. Thank you for sharing the quilts and I love the little video. Take care. C x

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

Welcome back Linda G! You have been missed. I love the red and white quilt the best. There are some really talented ladies out there. Thanks for the puppy laugh!

(Hope you don't get this twice. Google is giving me fits)

Raewyn said...

Welcome back!! Love all the pics!

Alina said...

Welcome back! Well, at least it's only over 6 weeks. I feel like I've been gone forever. I hardly post anything on my blog anymore since I am busy with family.

Susan said...

Welcome Back! So good to see you again. I love reading your postings. So many fun tidbits and this time, the photos of the quilts were awesome! I wanted to go to LB for the quilt show, but I had to work, only 3 miles away from it! :( Thanks for the puppy clip. Was so funny! Hugs!

Christine M said...

Welcome back Linda. How nice for you catching up with family and spending time with those two little boys. Thanks for the lovely quilt show. Isn't that Totally Insance quilt just amazing!

Lynette said...

Welcome back. :) Nice to see a Linda post - and you just post at whatever frequency is right for you. We'll enjoy you as we get you! :D

Christine said...

Welcome back! Those quilts are lovely. :)

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I'm still here. I've been so busy this summer, that I haven't had time to sew this past month. I finally got caught up on my blog reading. Hoping I'll get a chance to sew the last half of August. Don't stress about the blog. It's supposed to be fun, not work.

Deb said...

Nice to see you again Linda. Sometimes you just need to take a break from blogging. I took 6 months off from it just to have a rest. Just got back into it now. Don't stress about the pressure of blogging....do it when you want, not because people expect you to. :)

Chrissie said...

Thanks for sharing the quilts, they are all beautiful, glad you had a good time with family, nothing better. Loved the pup clip too

Sarah Craig said...

I'm so glad you're back! And I laughed until I cried when I watched that little video - thanks for sharing!! PS The quilts are amazing!!

Snoodles said...

SO glad you are back! Love the photos of incredible quilts....and the puppy is super! LOL
Hope you have a wonderful week! (Pssst! Join the pet show and show off your pups! Heehee!)

Staci said...

Welcome Back!
Glad you had such a nice trip, although it sounds like you might need a vacation after your vacation!

Shannon said...

SO glad your back. Yes please keep it fun for yourself! It need to stay something you WANT to do. Life is stress enough without adding work. I am glad you got to spend some time with family. It is so important.

Nancy Sue said...

Love the puppy toon :) My 4 yr old son, asked how you made a cartoon of Dunlop. He has watched it several times, thinking the ending is going to change :) Good to "see" you again!

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

Beautiful quilts Linda and welcome! back! I have missed you and your little facts of the day and seeing what you are working on!

Barbara said...

Missed you! So glad you're back!

Lynda said...

I really enjoy quilt shows. They are always inspiring. I love the neighborhood quilt with the fun houses border.

Melody said...

Its wonderful to have you back - I've missed your happy informative posts.

Vesuviusmama said...

Oh, well I guess I didn't miss as much as I thought if you didn't post for 6 weeks. Lovely quilts - I particularly like windblown. The ones I know I can never in life create something even remotely like them are the ones that appeal to me the most.

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