Category Archives: Vermont

Finally Finished Fireworks on the Fourth

     It was a picture perfect day here in Vermont. Enjoyed the great outdoors and stayed away from crowds with the exception of fireworks in the mountains. Walk, bike, read, relax, barbecue and stitch. What more could you ask for?

Kind of hazy but a great breeze and sun.

Fireworks are really hard to capture. Just when your lens focuses, they are gone.

Fireworks 2011, 17×24 

This isn’t a piece I like but just a piece that needed to be finished. So, I could finally finish something! And move on. The fabric reminded me of fireworks and I had fun adding some big stitch to it. ( I am really tired of these neons so you will be as relieved as I am that I am moving on.)

    And if you put the fun back into it, it sure goes quickly. Which leads me to the question, why would I be finishing things I really didn’t want to do?

    Be creative, my friends and make something you enjoy doing.

The True Beginning of Summer

     I arrived in our second home in Vermont on late Wednesday night. Early Thursday morning, I got up early and drove to Essex Junction for the Vermont Quilt Festival. I had signed up for two small workshops the first two days and arrived to find I didn’t have the right supplies-the  festival catalog had misprinted a few of the classes. The class I thought was Thursday was actually Friday. So I scrambled and went on a quick shopping and borrowing spree from my classmates….and rallied. I settled in to a day long workshop with Sonya Barrington on small works of silk. More on that and the other class in the next post. I promise.

     Overall, the Vermont Quilt festival was very busy and very well attended. I think it was the busiest I have ever seen it and the rainy day probably helped. I thought in all my years of attending, the show itself was very good. Primarily, it has had an abundance of traditional quilts but this year, there really was a nice variety. Also, there was a  special exhibit of Vermont art quilters- one of whom I had met at the Barn this last time with two of her pieces finished-Marilyn Gillis. The other artists that I can remember: Karen Kamensky, Judith Reilly, Pamela Druhen and Noah  (he was only fourteen and I was so proud of this kid and I am not his mom!). Very, very nice to see them all.

  
     I was really excited to have won with this piece -1st place in Wall quilts and Best Contemporary Quilt. I never expected it and really my goal was to be brave  enough to enter shows. Now, I must get back to making quilts, right?

    I am being kicked out of the local coffee shop right now-sorry, I wanted to upload more photos for you. A coffee shop that closes at 5…mmm…back in Vermont. That’s ok. More later on the Quilt Festival.

    Be creative, my friends. The beginning of summer- I love it. What are you working on?

Vermont Blue Skies

     I think I have under estimated the power and beauty of a blue sky.

      It was really breathtaking and a great day for a walk.

     Today I noticed shadows.

     And more shadows.

    

     The snow is almost to the bottom of the windows. Not the most I have ever seen here but definitely deep.

      The beauty of the color blue -which means sunshine. Oh how I have missed the sun.

A great day and I was able to squeeze in about 6 hours of creating. In addition to vacation things we always do. You can’t get any better than that.  Now to get rid of some of the snow on that roof.

Be creative, my friends!

An InBetweener

 

      Guess that is what I am here in Vermont. We have been coming here for about 8 years now. We have had a home here for 7 years. So, each time I come here-I am more and more sick of tourists. They have built a huge new resort on Stowe Mountain and it makes me sick each time I drive up there. A huge gapping gouge into the mountain. Very, very expensive rooms and they are marketing heavily to rich people. Who have spoiled kids and are incredibly rude to the shopkeepers and restaurants in the village. I am beginning to not like the week here between Christmas and New Year’s. Too busy and too many rude people.

    But,  I don’t feel like a tourist here anymore. ( And my kids are definitely not spoiled).  I have my favorite quiet spots that not many know about. But I also am not a  Vermonter.  Despite the fact that I am here for about 10 weeks a year, I am sure none of my neighbors consider me a Vermonter.  And they are exceedingly loyal to the natives.  I can milk a cow, muck a stall and fend off the mice and bats.  I don’t ski but do lots of other outdoor Vermont things. I appreciate the beauty of Vermont and why they are so protective of their people. You have to be stoic to make it through mud season and the lull of winter. Or the roar of winter.  But none consider me a Vermonter.

     So, I continue to come and go. And I appreciate coming and going and having no specific schedule. Storing up the peace and rest -going back tomorrow.

     I did some sewing, some knitting, photos and thinking. And lots of reading.

     I’ll be back sometime this week. After I unpack and put away Christmas.

I am ok being an inbetweener  but don’t think I could live here full-time-despite how beautiful it is here.

Be creative, my friends!

    

Unfinished Business

I was so smug in thinking I had plenty of time and a machine was on it’s way.  Well it arrived a day late. I thawed it out-it had frost on it which I am sure was not good for it.  I waited patiently for it to dry out. I sat down and realized I didn’t send along the right walking foot for the machine . I couldn’t quilt without the right foot for the machine. Kind of like forgetting the paintbrush but remembering the paint. . It wasn’t going to happen.  Unfinished quilts will remain unfinished for 2010. I fussed for a bit. Ok fussed for a few hours and into the next morning.

And then I looked outside.

Beautiful sunshine. We rarely see the sun in Michigan in the winter. I strapped on my snowshoes and just walked. Breathing in the cold air and feeling the sun on my face.

And realized fussing is really rather foolish.  Maybe I  needed a break from this obsessional sewing. 



I am sure I will sew yet this week. But right now I am going to enjoy my vacation and the mountains.

Be creative-or maybe just enjoy the time between the holidays to see where you have been and where you want to go. 

Changing Places

     I have traveled to our second home in Vermont. We left on Sunday and thankfully were just ahead of this epic storm. We flew into Burlington, VT  and it was the only airport open on the East Coast. I thought it was just amazing to actually be leaving until the luggage cart hit the wing of the airplane we were on!  After a short delay, we arrived minus only one piece of luggage at our destination.

It takes me a day or two to adjust and get organized here but I am in vacation mode.

It was nice being snowbound yesterday-not as much snow as others but amazing winds with bitter wind chills.

Windy and snowy. It’s a nice day to sit by the fire and stitch. I am waiting for my sewing machine to arrive. I had to have it shipped here. Which is a good thing because the one I have here just wouldn’t budge today but one or two stitches. It is my first machine-I should have a ceremony for it. Dead as can be. I am not giving up on my goal to have two more pieces done by New Years’.

I have a new computer and I can’t figure out how to get to my photo library despite having some great edited photos for you. So, I better go. I found a coffee shop in Morrisville with wi-fi and a great latte so hopefully you will have a better post next time.

Anyone doing the Sketchbook Challenge?

Be creative, my friends and stay warm!

Transition


     I guess if you wonder where I am. Physically I am now home in Michigan. But , emotionally, I think I am just in transition. In between that lazy and relaxed vacation mode but dumped back into schedules and a list of things to do. Not really wanting summer to end and yet needing some kind of structure. Definitely, in between.

     I sure crammed quite a bit into the last week of summer. I managed to take the kids to a quick trip to the Shelburne Museum just outside of Burlington. There were three exhibits I had wanted to see:

-Ansel Adams and Edward Burtinsky-a great photography exhibit
-Alzheimer’s:Forgetting Piece By Piece-another exhibit of quilts organized by Ami Simms, a tear jerker
-A Vermont ceramic artists exhibit

Each were very unique and I could have spent lots of time there. These exhibits made it a worthwhile trip. If you are in the area, take some time to stop and enjoy.

How would you like to use an iron like this?

     I also spent some time working on using acrylic paints in a thin wash on some cottons I had dyed. Then I moved on to dye and print paste. Didn’t really know what I was doing but had fun.

   Also, attended our last dairy show at the Addison County Field Days. Out of the four shows we attended, I always like this one best. Just lots to see and a great selection of fun foods…

I love the ceilings of the barns. 

G

The craft barn at Addison County Field Days

The winning cow and Hope struggled a bit but pulled out a second place.

The last two days are a blur of packing and last minute things to do. But I clicked my little ruby red felted slippers(yeah squeezed that in too!)

and was back home in Michigan in 15 hours.

Whew-no wonder I am tired! It was a great week.

Camera has been brought to the shop so we will see the diagnosis tomorrow. Hope to start producing again this week. It was nice to unpack my studio today.

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer, my friends!

Just Having Fun

    The last five days have been beautiful-in the 70’s and for the most part sunny. We did a few projects around the house and then decided to go to Burlington on Friday. It was really windy on Lake Champlain. Also visited art galleries, took in a baseball game and just people watched on the mall in the city. Great times.

     I am just about to pack the rest of my sewing supplies up but wanted to give you a peek at what I have been doing. I owe you a few that were promised last week.

I had just small strips of this fabric and chose to do long strip pieces-really pretty Australian fabric pack that I bought at the Vermont Quilt Festival.

Then I decided to make one of my previous tops bigger. Don’t know if I like it or it needs to be even larger.

And then this one which is in the process of being pieced. I am FINALLY processing the idea of a moitf from my last Crow class. Ok that took long enough.

I am 20 minutes away from my house right now-so I apologize for this picture-can’t re-take it here at the coffee shop. I really like the feel of this and imagine it to be about 5×6 when it is done. So that’s what I have been working on. Very scattered and unrelated. Just felt like working along with the summer instead of being scheduled and pre-planned.

I can only imagine maybe one more post from here. We have another dairy show which takes up two days and then the big packing up and driving home. Oh and maybe we can squeeze in a trip to Shelburne Farms where there is a quilt exhibit….I am never bored. Have you noticed?

Hope you are having fun this summer.

Happy Summer,my friends!

Summer Colors

I never do know what color is my favorite but I do like the yellow, greens and blues. Maybe because it reminds me of summer.

When you are in the Green Mountains, it is hard to know where the sky and the mountains divide…they all seem to blend together on a sunny day. Working on my third little top to show you this week. Finished number 2 last night, but too wet out to bring my silk piece outside.

I love how fabric dyeing makes you feel very productive. 25 more meters this weekend. The stack on the right is a pile of over dyes and I love how rich the color is.

I started out needing to make red. I guess I got distracted. Also working on doing some surface design with freezer paper. It’s a multistep process that I need to take my time with.

Speaking of time, I only have about 8 more days left here in Vermont. I am already thinking of how to get all this stuff home. And still have room for the two big dogs and two kids!

Should have done some reds. Maybe later. Fabric dyeing here is done with for this year as I have used all 150 meters up!

Happy summer,my friends!