Facing a Quilt

Salt Water Taffy 

Approximately 19" Square

Back of quilt showing 2" facing.

Instead of a traditional binding, I used a facing on my latest work. Although my Mother was a 4-H leader and I've been sewing since I was 10, I did a Google search to view several methods. I'm not sure I'd use the one I chose next time. Here's why:

1. It was difficult to miter the facing AFTER it was stitched to the quilt. The quilt's bulkiness made marking a 45 degree angle awkward and inprecise.

2. I didn't like the look resulting from not being able to take the understitching (which keeps the facing from rolling to the front of the quilt) all the way to the corners.

I really like the look of the piece without the distraction of a binding and know I'll use this kind of finish again.  But first, I'm going to do a bit of experimenting.  Next time I'll either miter the facing before stitching it to the quilt OR use four separate strips of fabric for the facings. Either way, I'll hand-stitch the facing and not fuse it down.

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Yum!

NoDa restaurant in Charlotte

When first told about a restaurant named Cabo Fish Taco, I couldn't imagine such a combo.  Fish and tacos?  Oh my, was I wrong.  We had lunch there Monday when Matthew was in town for an appointment.   Grilled shrimp and pineapple in two soft flour tortillas with a zesty slaw and other delights.  LOVED IT! My DH and I returned Thursday for my birthday, then went to Amelie's for dessert. http://www.cabofishtaco.com/

Cabo fish taco is in the arts district known as NoDa (North Davidson) between 35th and 36th Streets.  Amelie's is closer to town, near 27th and North Davidson on the east side.  The pastries are to die for.  I indulged with a dark chocolate croissant; my DH chose raspberry pie.  Both were outstanding, as was the coffee. 

This was our first visit to Amelie's but definitely not our last.  The charming French Bakery is open 24/7, has free wi fi and also serves soups and sandwiches and bakes fabulous breads.  I'm not sure how we managed to miss it until now.  http://www.ameliesfrenchbakery.com/

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

Age 2

Today is my birthday.   And I'm still here!  I am so thankful. 

Love and heartfelt thanks to all my wonderful friends and family. You've brought such joy and enrichment to my life.

A Beautiful Day

Using a mirror, Matthew and Bill examine five bluebird eggs.

First two pictures are of Matthew and me, and Matthew relaxing on the deck.

We got to spend the whole day with our son Matthew who was in Charlotte for an appointment.  It was wonderful to have time to visit, eat out (twice!) and just relax together.  We can never spend enough time with our children. Today was very special to us.

Happy Birthday!

Boy, am I in trouble!  My baby sister fussed at me for not getting anything on my blog for her birthday.  I did post birthday greetings to her facebook page.  I also sent a card and a gift. 

So here, just a tad late, is a picture of Patty with her granddaughter Grace (who looks just like Patty and her daughter Kari did at that age).  The cupcake dress Grace is wearing was created just for her by Patty, creative person extraordinaire!  Looks like it was a hit!

Happy, happy belated birthday, Patty. 

Help......Somebody?

OK, so I know blogger has added a PAGE feature.  I know because it says so when I try to edit my blog.  I've also seen pages across the top of Melody Johnson's fabulous site. http://www.fibermania.blogspot.com/

I fooled around for quite some time today trying to figure out how to get a PAGE to appear under the header but before the blog posts.  The word Home is already there, although I do not remember taking that action myself.  When clicked, the word Home just leads to the home page of my blog.  Very frustrating.

I want to add pages for classes/workshops, art for sale, etc.  If anyone knows the magic of making this happen, please let me know.

Gracias muchly.

See You There

Just a reminder:  Tonight I'll be giving my lecture "Journey of a Quiltmaker" to the Charlotte Quilters' Guild.  Hope to see some of you there. 

Avondale Presbyterian Church, 2821 Park Road (at Lilac), Charlotte.  7 p.m.

Outsider Art

This afternoon I happened upon two outsider art pieces signed by "Phosphorea".  Obviously a free spirit, this artist used spray and spatter paint on the back of a paint store.  I especially like the teal and red combo.

I'm drawn to (pun intended) graffiti, especially that of the late Jean-Michel Basquiat (December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) who signed his art SAMO.  If you google his name you'll find a plethora of info.  You can see the artist at work in this youtube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXjR-y0WH-I

Cool Kicks

Love 'em!

Whenever the kids are in town, we have two favorite activities.  First - eating really good food, usually Vietnamese (Lang Van) or Thai.  Second - visiting our favorite thrift store. These stores are my favorite sources for unusual quilt fabrics.

I came very close to buying this cool shoe fabric silk skirt, as well as one made from tie-dyed velvet. Wonder if they're both still there?  

Well Looky Here, Gilbert

Bluebird Nest!

We've seen lots of bluebirds - well, 3 - flying around our back yard lately.  My DH noticed they seem particularly fond of suet.  The birds have been checking out both boxes, one which had two broods last year, and the new one shown above.

I checked them both yesterday and found this nest - already about 4" deep.  The old box remains unoccupied for now. 

May Apples

      May Apple

I love exploring our garden this time of year.  Every day seems to bring new surprises - like the May apple blossom shown above.

A Small Part of My Collections

I'll be  giving my lecture, Journey of a Quiltmaker, April 7 for the Charlotte Quilters' Guild.  This has given me the perfect opportunity to convert my presentations from 35 mm slides to power point.  I decided to use photos of some of my vintage sewing items to perk up my chapter title pages.  These were shot by my DH in today's perfect outdoor light.

The photos are clickable but high resolution.  I'll resize them tomorrow.

Photo credit:  Bill Guerrant