And Sew It Began...Pieceful Stitches

I have recently had the pleasure of spending a wonderful weekend at a new quilting retreat place in La Porte, Texas.

And Sew It Began is a remodeled 1913 Sears kit home -- upstairs is three bedrooms each with their own full bath.   

 

The bedrooms are beautifully decorated with different themes and there are sewing and quilt-y antiques throughout the home.

The Red & White themed room has three twin beds:

The 30's Reproduction themed room sleeps four individuals:

  

The Bluebonnet Patio is the only single room:

 This sweet bluebonnet quilt is one of my absolute favorites!  I think I love everything about it!!!

There is a full kitchen in the house too.  We took turns cooking each meal.  The workspace is well-lit, with a kitchen area, ironing and cutting station and a bathroom.  Best of all there is a lovely quilt shop next door in case you needed another background fabric or were ready to begin new project ....

More photos to come ....

United Church of Hyde Park's quilt show

On a recent visit to Chicago, I was able to attend the 26th Annual Quilt Show held in the United Church of Hyde Park, located at 1448 E. 53rd St.  It was my first time to attend a quilt show held in a church and I was enthralled by the setting as well as by the beautiful quilts on display.

This annual Quilt Show was open Friday, April 15 (noon-6pm) and Saturday, April 16 (10am-4pm) with a $6 entry fee.   The idea for holding the quilt show "originally came from a church newsletter in Rhode Island about how they had draped quilts over the pews" said Lampkins, a co-chair of the Quilt Show. Thus the tradition began to raise money for the benefit of the pipe organ and capital fund for the church.

The beauty of the church's interior is a lovely setting for displaying the quilts which varied from traditional pieced and appliqued quilts to modern quilts, art quilts and even one or two that were almost completed.

 A printed program gave the particulars of the quilts which were draped in numeric order (perhaps the order in which they were submitted?).

Viewers were free to wander up and down the aisles to look at the quilts draped over the pews.

On display at the front was this quilt, made to celebrate someone's 50th anniversary.  The photos covered many ages and stages of their marriage with charms added as embellishments.

Pipe music filled the church - adding more wonderment to the setting of this show. 

Photos can't quite capture what a spectacular setting for a quilt show this was.

I hope to see future quilt shows held here, perhaps during a parent visit (my sons will begin their college studies at the University of Chicago and Lake Forest College this coming fall....)

All dressed up

My sons are Seniors in high school .... so many memories being made this year, including the tradition of Prom!

Eli is ready and waiting ....

 

and then his date arrived -- I love her smile (& that she's the driver)

I believe they had a grand time.

Meanwhile, Isaac had spent the day at San Jacinto College, performing in Holy Day at the UIL One-Act Play Region level of competition -- two of the six plays performed this day advance to UIL State Competition.  The theatre team knew it could be a long wait for the awards to be announced, so they changed from thespians into prom-goers at the college as they waited to learn if their play would be advancing....

Here is Isaac with his date, a member of the Creative Team of Holy Day.

 

In case the medal he is wearing doesn't give it way, the grand news of the day:  Carnegie's production of "Holy Day" by Andrew Bovell took the top honors and is advancing to State!

The official cast photo for Carnegie's Holy Day.  

This attire is a bit dustier and dirtier than their prom outfits.

 Thrilled to be advancing to State, but more immediate is going to the Carnegie Prom to celebrate!

One last photo of many of the seniors -- aren't they gorgeous?

This production of this play has caused quite an uproar and dialogue.

Click this and read....

And these amazing thespians plan to perform this play at the International Fringe Festival in Edinburgh Scotland this August.  But they need help raising funds for this trip.  

Please support them.  

Click here to learn more and to make your donation.

(any amount large or small is hugely appreciated!).

Temporary ... now gone

I can remember driving down Montrose a few years ago and discovering this curious structure being built.  I loved it and loved watching it grow and continued to wonder how long it would remain ... after all, it looked so temporary!

I wanted to walk under it and photograph it from many angles.  Imagine my surprise when I happened past it two days ago and discovered that it was being dismantled!  How can that be?  I never took my photos.  I never walked under and around it.  I miss it now as they were taking it apart.

Here are the only photos I have of the "Funnel Tunnel" created by artist Patrick Renner.

This end points to Inversion Coffee House (I should try their coffee one day).

 The skeletal remains are bare and remain.

This is the ghost of a former sculpture, or the bare bones.

Funnel Tunnel once thrived on the median, starting at the intersection of Willard and Montrose and snaking down Montrose.

I did find one article online telling more about the creation of this intriguing sculpture.  Click here to read it and enjoy these two photos from that same article.

Somehow I missed the opportunity to paint one of these wonderful yardstick-like pieces.  Now there is a sign at the corner where this sculpture used to stand stating that these very pieces can be purchased! hmmmm..... I decided to do a little more digging ....


Here is a conceptual drawing back when the idea was germinating ...

Click here for more on the story telling the beginning of this idea.

Click on these links for a few more photos and stories behind this Funnel Tunnel sculpture that is no more.  Click here for installation news, also here, and here and even here, oh, and here too.  There are probably many more websites featuring photos of this unique sculpture (try researching Funnel Tunnel by Patrick Renner, Houston, TX).  Please share them with me!  Before I end, below are a few favorite photos to represent the very photos that I never took the time to take myself.  Lesson learned: Be aware of procrastination!  It will likely bite you in the end ....

I love this photo by Barry Tse (above) 

and

the two below, both by Pablo Gimenez Zapiola.  

This one is fantastic, which is a still from a video from Houstonia Magazine, which I pulled from a website - click here to see.

One question remains - why was it dismantled?

I have not found that answer .... yet .... do you know why?

A room with a view

I love to travel.

I love to stay in hotels too.

Best of all, I love to stay in a hotel room with a fabulous view!

like this one ...

isn't this lovely?

same window, looking to the far left.

and again, looking straight forward.

I'm so very pleased that I thought to take these photos as soon as we checked in, as the light is luscious.  It is heading toward sunset, but not late enough for the bats to fly out from under the Congress Street Bridge.  Years ago the State Capitol and the UT Tower would be easy to see -- long before high rises were allowed to be taller than these two landmarks of Austin, Texas.  Of course, I am looking out from the fifth floor of a building that didn't exist back then!

The other great treat of taking these photos upon arrival, is that a cold front blew in after sunset.  The window were covered with condensation in the morning and remained so for the rest of our stay.

But isn't this a lovely view?  Ladybird Lake with the Congress Bridge to the right and downtown Austin as it looks today, December 26, 2014.

I confess -- I do love a room with a view!

PS  Hint:  Always ask for a room with a view when you are checking in, or better still, ask when you place your reservation.

Eye of the Quilter: Inspiration

One of the newest exhibits for the International Quilt Festival has opened at the Quilt Market.

The Eye of the Quilter: Inspiration

Please enjoy this tiny, tempting peek into the exhibit ....

Look carefully as my photo is just around the corner....

Here is the original ...

An Ideal Day

Flowers, mountains and a lake
perfect for skipping stones
and daydreaming on a cool and sunny day.

I snapped this in the Colorado Rocky Mountains National Park during a family vacation in July 2007 using my brand-new Nikon DSLR, which I love even as I continue to learn to use its many built-in treats ....


My Beyond the Borders friends Sara Sissenwein Norris and Nancy Dickey also have photos in this exhibit. Congratulations to both of you!
Thank-you Willie for selecting our photos from the many entries you received!

Willcox & Gibbs

Have you ever seen a more delightful sewing machine? While cruising the internet, I found this on the Workshop on the Web site.

This adorable little machine is a Willcox and Gibbs sewing machine. It does not have a bobbin or bobbin thread. Instead it stitches by locking each stitch into the loop of thread from the previous stitch -- effectively creating a chain stitch.

This reminds me of the very first toy sewing machine I ever had -- I did not know anything about bobbins and was totally confused that my new machine would not sew. Imagine trying to sew without your bobbin in place -- that was what I was trying to do all those years ago. Now here is a cute machine that sews with only a single thread, no bobbin required. Thank you for renewing a faded childhood memory.

Step aside Singer Featherweights, I lust no more to own one of you. Now I yearn to have a Willcox & Gibbs to call my own!

Where in the world can I find my own Willcox and Gibbs sewing machine?