Datekeeper: Quilted Masterpieces

I got a nice surprise in the mail yesterday:  two complimentary copies of C&T Publishing’s new “book of days,” Datekeeper: Quilted Masterpieces. It is a perpetual weekly calendar for keeping track of birthdays, anniversaries and other special events, and it features 60 beautiful quilts, including two of mine!

It is beautifully printed with hard covers and a spiral binding inside to make it open completely flat for writing. It retails for $16.96, and you can purchase it on C&T’s website.

How I spent my summer vacation

Me, on top of St. Rule’s Tower, St. Andrews, Scotland

You haven't heard from me in a while because I’ve been in Great Britain for the past two weeks. When I travel abroad these days, it is usually to teach, but this time it was an actual family vacation. We hadn’t had one in years, and it was so nice to be together. 

Next week, I’m off to teach in New Zealand at the Taupo Symposium, and I’ll try to blog from there. 

In the meantime, I thought I’d share with you some of the photos I took in England and Scotland. Just a few (I took more than 2,600!). Photography has become so much a part of my artistic process. I'll be working from some of these photos in the future to make sketches and fiber art. I’d love to know your thoughts… which ones you like the most, and which ones you think have the most potential. I am partial to the sheep... I think there is a definitely a sheep art quilt in my future.

Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire, England

Performer at Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire, England

View from an upstairs window, Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire, England

Courtyard at Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire, England

Roof and window, Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire, England

Vines and wall, Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire, England

Ferns at Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire, England

Wonderful window at Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire, England

Mow Cop Castle, Cheshire, England

View from Mow Cop Castle, Cheshire, England

I took many shots of the iconic British sheep; I just love them! The year I lived in Scotland I was told that there were more sheep in Scotland than people. I can believe it.

Sheep shot #1

Sheep shot #2

Sheep shot #3

Sheep shot #4

Sheep shot #5

Sheep shot #6

Sheep shot #7

Sheep shot #8

I spent my junior year of college at University of St. Andrews in Scotland. I studied Old English language, English literature, and Scottish history. It was a fabulous year in a truly magical place. I hadn’t been back in almost 30 years, and it was wonderful to get reacquainted.
 

Road out of St. Andrews, Scotland

University of St. Andrews, Scotland

Royal & Ancient, St. Andrews, Scotland

Castle ruins, St. Andrews, Scotland

Cathedral ruins, St. Andrews, Scotland

View to the sea, St. Andrews, Scotland

Castle ruins, St. Andrews, Scotland

West Port, St. Andrews, Scotland

View from St. Rule’s Tower, St. Andrews, Scotland

Graveyard at St. Andrews Cathedral ruins, St. Andrews, Scotland

Sea view from the castle ruins, St. Andrews, Scotland

Cathedral ruins, St. Andrews, Scotland

Southern view from St. Rule's Tower, St. Andrews, Scotland

California! (Part 2)

I spent last Thursday with Jamie Fingal, fiber artist and curator (with Leslie Tucker Jenison) of the Dinner at Eight Artists exhibitions. She lives and has her studio in Orange, California, and invited me over for a chat on her bright red polka-dot sofa.

Did I mention she loves the color red?

After a wonderful lunch, Jamie took me to a business that restores Airstream trailers. She kinda has a thing for Airstreams... check out her work on the most recent issue of Quilting Arts magazine:

 

We had fun posing ourselves (and Jamie’s red car) so that we reflected in the shiny metal trailers. We loved our skinny reflections!
 

They really are gorgeous things:

I did not know that depending on the year, the trailers have different construction. Check out the many-paneled top on this model:

On Thursday night, I did a presentation for Beach Cities Quilters Guild in Mission Viejo, and then did two classes for them on Friday and Saturday. They were a great group! On Saturday night, the guild president, Jean Impey (who happens to be a marvelous contemporary and art quilter) took me out for a fabulous meal. 

And then (after noticing me marveling at the exotic trees and plants), she drove me to see two special trees that she loves. I’m not sure about the species of either one, as I have never seen them. Perhaps one of my blog readers knows and will leave a comment?

This one had thick, shaggy bark that was peeling off all over the place. The chunks of bark were very light, like cork. It had amazing puffy white blooms. 

The second tree was covered in pink flowers that were very fragrant:

 It had smooth gray bark that reminded me of how an elephant looks from far away: