New Source for Thread Holders

Mums straight from the grocery store.

I bought a bunch of spider mums recently. To keep the petals intact, the florist had enclosed each blossom in netting. I tried to remove the first net by pulling from the top, which didn't work. I had to carefully remove it from the bottom or else the whole flower pulled off. I'm going to save these little nets, as they'll be perfect to keep threads from raveling off their spools.

These nets are sold through quilting catalogs for just that purpose. But these were a free bonus with my bouquet. How cool is that?

Use caution when removing the netting.

Spider mum set free!

Gallery Opening in Asheville

New Gallery in Asheville
Susan's work is in the upper right.

I've long admired the work of my friend, Susan Webb Lee. She and I were members of a small fiber group in Charlotte and both belong to the Art Quilt Network which meets twice a year in Columbus OH. Susan and five other artists have just announced the opening of a new gallery.

In a joint venture with Biltmore Farms, the six Asheville artists have opened ECHO Gallery. Grand opening is this Friday, October 23, from 6-9 p.m. Light hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be served.

ECHO Gallery will feature the works of: Genie Maples and Barbara Fisher, painters; Lou Theriault, ceramist; Anna Koloseike, ceramic sculptur; Susan Webb Lee, textile artist, and Laurie McCarriar, photographic art. I'm anxious to visit, as the art looks innovative and beautiful.

For further information and directions, go to: echoasheville.com The photo above is also clickable.

Christmas in October

Cal Sargent Memorial Tree

Several years ago, my DH's family made a grand decision. We would have the big family holiday gathering in October! No dragging the kids from their toys Christmas morning; no traveling. Besides, we no longer had enough plates or chairs!

We rotate (my DH, his brother and sister) so each is responsible for the party every third year. Nearly everyone sails, so the natural spot was the Catawba Yacht Club, where my husband's family has been members since before he was born. It's practically where they grew up, where they learned about all things nautical and learned to fish. It is perfect - large enough to hold the clan (whose numbers approach 30) and no one has to clean their house! It's potluck and very casual. We usually have great BBQ or fried chicken as the entree.

If the weather is warm, those with boats take everyone sailing. Yesterday was chilly, so the boys fished while we big kids watched and stayed near the fireplace. It's wonderful to catch up and see how much the kids have grown. We're fortunate that most of the family lives in the Charlotte area except for four in the mountains and four in Atlanta.

Thought I'd share a few shots from our celebration:

Almost All of Us
Photo credit: Bill Guerrant

Michael

Joseph

Chase

Few things make a boy happier than fishing - except having a dog.

The Beast.

Below, my DH and his sister try to get the oven (The Beast) to heat. After they'd given up, I took a peek and said, "Look guys, it has to boot up like a computer." Was I right? Well, the asparagus casserole was deliciously hot!

Two great minds at work.

The One That Got Away!

The monster named IT!
Check the racks and cool walls.

We're down-sizing. Call it culling. Trying to be ruthless. That said, I got a little crazy Tuesday when I once again stumbled over a monster "thing" that had been sitting in our garage for more than 30 years. "It's a dehydrator," my DH had said as he rolled it up our driveway. "We can do fruit in it!" I was a tad excited, as that was in our hippie/Foxfire days. 1973 - when we drove a VW bus and wore each other's jeans. (Bill has lost a lot of weight since then. -)) Besides, we'd just been to Charleston where we'd eaten the divine delicacy Peach Leather. You get the picture.

We still have our Foxfire books and the VW bus was sold to the kid next door. But IT the monster had to go. I thought IT just looked heavy. As it turns out, IT weighed at least 100 pounds. Both of us struggled to get it onto a flimsy hand-truck before my DH took the extra precaution of tying it down. When placed on the curb, IT attracted a lot of attention. Our neighbor David thought it was a safe and asked, "Where did you get the damn thing?"

I'd asked my DH to photograph IT, but hadn't looked at the pix. Later that night, I wondered aloud if I could get the name plate off the door, 'cuz I like that kind of stuff, "No" said my DH. "It is riveted on." "Well what if I just take the door off?" "No!" I was plotting by that time. "Are the racks cool? I wonder if they could be used for surface design?" "No. They're just plain old racks. Besides, the idea is to get rid of stuff, not haul it back in." That statement should have been my biggest clue.

My plan was to go outside after my DH was in bed and check the "plain old racks" for myself. But it was chilly and misty and I was already in my nightie. By the next morning, IT was gone!

Go with your gut, folks. Don't stay inside in your nightie. But if you see IT sitting on someone else's curb, grab the racks! Then try to get the polka dot panels off!

These classics remain in our collection:

Barnful of Quilts Pix

Despite a 70% chance of rain, Barnful of Quilts Saturday was a huge success. The day turned sunny - crowds were huge. The driving force behind all this is Valerie Fox who turns her barn into a gallery for the day. This second Saturday in October celebration is a fundraiser for her church - Waxhaw Presbyterian.

Have you ever seen a barn this beautiful?

Approaching Barnful of Quilts.

I bought a small wall hanging created by Corrine Schroeder, who made all but three of the quilts displayed on the long fence.

Dozens of quilts lined the fence around the barn. These are just a few.

The entrance to my stall.
Notice the beautifully shiny walls.

Quilts and Patterns

Early visitors.

Hold on My Heart...Throw Me a Lifeline
is the title of this quilt.

I use aqua in a lot of my quilts - thus the shirt choice.
The jacket was removed early as the day turned warm.

The west wall held ten small quilts.

It was a really fun day. Wish you all could have been there.

All photos: Bill Guerrant

Barnful of Quilts Tomorrow

The huge, beautiful barn at Fox Family Farm

My stall (booth) is all set up for Barnful of Quilts tomorrow. The event, at Fox Family Farm, Sims Road, Waxhaw NC, is a wonderfully fun day. Quilts, quilts, quilts everywhere as well as pottery, hand-dyed yarns, African beads, and a bake sale! Hours are 10-5. The day is a fundraiser for Fox Family Farm owner Valerie Fox's church, Waxhaw Presbyterian. Admission is $5.00 unless you're over 80 or younger than 18. Then you get in free.

Waxhaw itself is a tiny gem - packed with antique shops, great restaurants (Rippington's is our favorite), a fabulous quilt shop - The Quilting Nook, and a bead shop - The Bead Merchants. All are on the main drag which runs parallel to the railroad tracks.

If you're in or near Charlotte, I hope you'll stop in. Mine is the first booth as you enter the show. I'll have several quilts on display as well as patterns, notecards, postcards and hand-dyed fabrics available for purchase.

http://foxfamilyfarm.com

Newly Dyed Fabrics

These are a few of the fabrics recently dyed. I saved some long pieces and am calling them Yardlies, as they are more or less a yard long. I have nearly 100 fat quarters in both mottled solids and multi-colors. There is more fabric to iron, but it won't get done before the show Sat.
These shots were taken in open shade with my mini Canon.

Happy Birthday

Bill - 1969
Americal Division, US Army, Chu Lai, Vietnam

Happy birthday to my husband today. We're going out for Thai food tonight. Yum!

Today's Task

I grew up sprinkling clothes with one of these. I found the old sprinkler top at a yard sale and attached it to a NEHI Orange bottle.

The first batch.

Batch two. Oh My!

Dyeing fabric is extremely labor intensive. Once the cloth been washed three times it must be ironed. I'd meant to get these out of the dryer while still damp, but didn't. Now the task of sprinkling must be added. It takes a long time to sprinkle this much fabric!

I still have one of the old sprinkler bottles like we used when I was growing up. I also have a wringer washing machine and a mangle (which I'd be using if there weren't so many things piled in front of it.) I wish one of us four girls had kept Mother's, as it was in mint condition. Oh, the things we let slip out of our lives.