fiber and film

My plans for the weekend have been deflated as Erin and the kids are not coming after all. I'd been writing a letter to Mila when I found out they were coming--now I will finish it and put it in the mail.


I put the bee balm in the frame (didn't even put a binding on it) and took it outside and propped it against a bale of pine straw to take the picture. Mac --still in his circus collar--is always nosy and decided to inspect it. His opinion: the white mat don't look so good. I agree, but since it came with the frame .... Easy enough to get another mat, though.
Deepa Mehta's Earth ("about the religious and civil wars that broke out in India and Pakistan in the 1947 battle to gain independence from the British") arrived from Netflix the other day, but I haven't been in the mood for something that serious. If you click on the link, you can watch the previews for these movies. Mehta's Water was excellent, and no doubt, this one will be, too.

Deepa Mehta is simply remarkable: writer, director, producer, actress. From the light-hearted Hollywood-Bollywood to the elemental trilogy that includes Earth and Water, Mehta has such range, such versatility, and such a deft touch with all aspects of the script, casting, visual aspects of the filming... Now, I'm ready to watch Earth; I know it will then be embedded in the visual center of my brain.

Progress...

I finished the bee balm tonight. I have a couple of frames and will try them to see if either will work. It is a not an exact frame size , but should work in an 8 x 10 mat opening. I used variegated thread for the quilting and just drew a design--a little at a time, as it rubs off pretty quickly.

Next, I will either work on the cone flowers or...


the crane...

Erin and the kids are coming tomorrow to spend the weekend! Perfect timing. Especially since my new friend Alyssa (who is also four-years-old) told me Tuesday night that we could all play together if Mila came to visit. I've already been invited to come over and fix chocolate chip cookies and spend the night and watch movies!

WIP (not Wed.)

Yesterday, I took a look at all of the WIP projects on my design wall (and folded and stuffed in various places).

I'd begun a productive period right before Laddie went into the hospital in May, but those pieces were first neglected, then forgotten. Yesterday, as I looked at all of those abandoned pieces, I decided to do something. A series on some of my garden flowers had resulted in a piece based on my pink bee balm (the garden began with only red, but when transplanted, ended up with red in the original spot, and pink and white in transplanted spot) and one of a purple coneflower. Originally, they were going to be joined by others and put into a larger piece; however, I needed something immediate, so I plucked the bee balm from the wall and made a quilt sandwich.

Last night, I put on my latest Netflix, a BBC production of Look to the Lady (based on Margery Allingham's novels) and proceeded to do some hand work while thoroughly enjoying the English country side and the 1920's mystery.

This, at the very least, gets me started on something. Then I will look at the coneflower, the iris (not part of the same series), the crane, the trees, etc.

Oh, and a while back I finally put the binding on the baby quilt. It has been washed twice, but I didn't try to straighten it up, so that will be next. For some reason, the colors on this are always wrong. Always different, always wrong. At least the two washings have left it in the soft and homely (as in comfort) shape I like.

Fast Food!

Last night I fixed a Seafood and Kiwi recipe that I haven't made in years. I didn't take pictures, of course, but here is the pic from the cookbook.

Fee was delighted as he loves seafood (I'm not really a seafood person, generally). It turned out great, although I had to substitute talapia for the sole.

The salad I made was not this one because I didn't have watercress either. I made a spinach salad with sliced boiled eggs and mushrooms. I did use their poppy seed dressing, however, which I'd never made before, and Fee loved it.

The vegetable is shredded zucchini and summer squash with garlic. Very, very good, quick, easy.

Dessert -- bought apple pie (no sugar) and ice cream (light). Still hundreds of calories, I'm sure, but I felt better about it.

The prep is a little messy, but it is another one of those quick and easy meals. Easy, quick--that is always my goal.

I had just enough Reisling left for one glass of wine, and Fee had his beer. After all was cleaned up, we sat down to watch The Closer.

I posted some stuff on qi gong and tai chi, videos and links, on my book blog--if anyone is interested.

Congratulations in order because...

Look who won Best Hand Workmanship in the Hoffman Challenge (Mixed Technique)! Congratulations, Deborah! All of the work paid off!

Sunday Morning

Fee and I went to see Laddie yesterday morning before going to brunch. He was busy reading his paper (a lifelong habit), but I got some pictures while there.


This is the sun room which has a nice view, although often used as a place for a quick nap.




Part of the dining area, taken from the bar and open kitchen area. Behind the white bookcase is another seating area with a comfortable couch and chairs.





Then to brunch at Giuseppe's, MMMM! Carpaccio for an appetizer, melt-in-your-mouth good. Of course, I don't think of taking pictures until we've already damaged the beautiful presentation! Lovely dressing with thin slices of fresh Parmigiana.




My Eggs Benedict were to die for...absolutely the best I've ever had. The Mimosa's were delicious, too.

My favorite waiter posed for a picture even if we weren't seated at one of his tables! Craig is really a friend from tai chi class, but once in a while I see him out of his element and looking quite handsome in another kind of uniform.



Entertainment? Oh, yes, and a wonderful way to enjoy a great meal with lovely chamber music in the background.

Coffee and Collars

Started my morning by spilling my coffee on the desk (and piles of paper). Not an auspicious beginning to the day, but on the bright side, it wasn't all over the keyboard. The experience made me realize that the clutter had become unmanageable--how strange that the growing pile was invisible. I'm determined to get the desk back into shape, decide what to do with the various papers, and move on to cleaning the sewing room which is in the same cluttered shape.

Friday, I made a cute little dog collar slip cover for Mac, based on Penny Sanford's adorable examples. I didn't print out her pattern, but used the general idea and adjusted it for Mac's collar. It was a fun project, but my first response on putting it on my poor model was that he now looks like a circus dog. There may be more for the daughters' dogs (Erin's Mojo and Amelia's Jezza, L.J., and Lady Carolina Belle), but first, I think Mac needs a collar more suited to his personality, a little less, if you know what I mean. Will skip the scallops on the next one; Mac is such a tailored dog. Of course, some bandannas are also a strong possibility...
However, first will be a visit to Laddie and then brunch with Fee. Cleaning can wait.

Have you visited...

Minerva's Circle ? I've been following this blog for about a year and have loved the camaraderie, the fun, and the food that seem such a large part of every meeting. They've produced bags, quilts, dolls, and what-have-you over the past year; they've learned, experimented and provided support for each other, and I've enjoyed keeping up with them through their blog.

Material Obsession? What gorgeous quilts and inspiration and delicious fabrics and...did I mention the gorgeous quilts?

I finally began applying the binding to the baby quilt begun oh, so long ago. All that is left is to sew down the binding in the few inches where I need to put the label. And, uh, make the label.

Then I thought...where is Circles & Squares? Haven't thought about that one in a while. Found it-- all nicely pin-basted, a little quilting done (very little...I wasn't liking it too much), and folded up where I abandoned it in May when Laddie went into the hospital. So...guess it is time to drag it out and make some progress or maybe unstitch some quilting and then try again.

Baton Rouge

The trip to Baton Rouge was a hurried one, but it was so good to see Mila and Max. They grow so quickly and a couple of months makes such a difference. Baton Rouge was baking hot at 104 degrees on Saturday; so much of the country is caught in this heat wave, and I know many of you are in the triple digits.

Eric was working on their new house. He's turned into quite the carpenter and his work is excellent. He's in the process of putting a walk-in closet in their bedroom, but has more projects in the works. Erin was tired and half-sick, and I hope by now she's feeling better.



Here is Max in the airplane that we found in Natchez, MS --that lovely little town. Fee and I saw it in May, and when Fee went again later, he bought it for Max's birthday. We are hoping that they will be drilling in that area so when Fee has to be there, I can stay in the hotel and just enjoy Natchez.






We kept Max and Mila with us at the hotel. Mila and I struggle to get Max into his pajamas. He's always good-natured, but not always cooperative and found our attempts to get him undressed and into his pj's an amusing game.


We enjoyed a nice swim Sunday morning before it got too hot. Max was initially only content to sit on the steps, but eventually was willing to venture out into deeper water.











This picture of Mila looks just like Erin did when she was little, but with darker hair and eyes.

Health Benefits of Tai Chi and Bamboo Socks :)

I've been looking for some of the studies I found yesterday concerning the health benefits of tai chi. Laddie has CHF so when I found an article on tai chi and CHF, I thought it might be beneficial. This morning, I found a comment by Fran and remembered her bout with CHF and started looking for the article. I've been unable to locate that particular article, but this one on qi gong and CHF is good. Here is another site with links to abstracts on health benefits from the Journal of the AMA. Studies have been published on the effects of tai chi on rheumatoid arthritis, shingles, diabetes, and more.

I'm going to look for a DVD of qi gong exercises that might be useful at the Cottage when they exercise. Many of the exercises in qi gong could be practiced while sitting. I also remember that PBS also ran a program about a woman who did a Yoga class with people sitting in chairs.
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The following is a cross post from my reading blog, but I'm so impressed with the spun bamboo fibers, I wanted to share it with you, so I just copied that post and pasted it here:

While in Houston, I bought two pairs of bamboo socks, and they really are the most comfortable socks I've ever experienced. These socks are great for anyone, but especially for athletic purposes and for diabetics. Made of spun bamboo fibers, they offer an eco-friendly alternative to cotton: “Bamboo is the new cotton...it has all the properties that you physically want out of cotton, plus some. Bamboo is more antibacterial than [other fabrics like] cotton or wool, which are very absorbent and hold moisture in. Because Bamboo wicks moisture away, it’s great for your circulation and skin.” LAtimes.com, September 25, 2005.

I'm thinking about ordering a few other articles, like this crew neck tee, when I order more socks. If the socks do such a great job keeping my feet dry and cool, the tees should also be a great addition to my wardrobe. They also make yarn for knitting, and although the colors are limited, I like them.

Here is another source that mixes bamboo fibers with cotton. For those of you in Canada, yet another source.

I'm leaving shortly to go to Baton Rouge to see the grandbabies!

Some Quilting, Some Tai Chi

I've certainly not been a good blogger this summer. The reasons vary, but the result is the same--long absences from this blog.

Before the Dallas tournament, I was working frantically on carrying bags for our weapons. I had fun with the quilting on these, although it was time consuming. On mine I used 3 different variegated threads (King Tut, which I love). I sandwiched some Timtex in the bottom to take the weight of the weapons.




















On Thomas' I tried a little thread work with metallic thread (which was not so much fun because of the fraying) and some ad libbed trapunto.

These are the in progress photos, because I didn't get a picture of Thomas' after I finished it.

Last weekend (I posted about this on my reading blog the other day), Thomas and I went to Houston and competed in the Houston International Martial Arts tournament. Thomas came away with one gold and two silver medals, and I received two gold and two silvers. We were both pleased to have improved our scores from Taiji Legacy in Dallas. Some of the competitors were amazing, especially in the children and young adult categories.

I failed to check the setting for my camera, so most of my pictures did not turn out, but Thomas took some after I'd made the corrections that were much better.


Most of my pictures from the Master's Demo (which was terrific) did not come out, but with PhotoShop, I was able to rescue some of the pictures from the Opening Ceremonies.


Here is one of the two dragons as it awaits its cue to go to the floor.
The lions that that took part in the Lion Dance, were especially charming, but most of my photos did not come out. I managed a couple of this young dancer, though.











I wasn't able to get any pictures of Thomas competing in his weapons categories as I was busy in other rings, but here he is in his empty hand routine. I need photography lessons, folks.