June Journal Page

Here are the first 6 months of the year together on my design wall. For June, I wanted it to be all about the Midnight Sun. I had very little free time to work on it, so I did fast & easy, & just had fun! I didn't want to have a rectangle this time, I wanted a big round sun, & an image of the lupine that are growing right now at the bottom of our hill. I did raw edge pieces on the sun face, then layered a piece of off white tuelle with little dots of glitter on it over the top, then free motioned quilted & free motion zig-zag on the edge. The flowers I did with free motion thread painting on a wash-away stabilizer. Simple fast & fun!

Something Fishy

My DGD, Darian with Captain Bob & her very First fish ever! A world record Lingcod. Too bad we had to toss him back, as the season doesn't open on them until July 1st.
I saw a strange similarity in these 2 objects.

Halibut Fishing Seward, Alaska

Captain Bob directs Michelle & Jon, on the finer points of pulling up a halibut. It wasn't the best day fishing. We got 6 smallish halibut (one 65 pounder was pulled up by Michelle, only to have the captain get excited & gaff the metal swival, breaking the line & losing the fish). Both Michelle & Darian got seasick, but have survived the trip & are doing well now. Darian pulled in the first & largest fish, a Lingcod, which weighed about 70 lbs, & is good to eat, but had to be returned to the deep, because they aren't leagal until July 1st!
We all passed out on the ride back in to Seward, after a day on the water.
I love this shot of Michelle & Jon at the campground, where we spent the night.
Darian & Michelle, peeking at me through a metal sculpture, in Seward.

& yes Rian, after we ate the best brunch on town at Sourdough Mining Company, Sunday morning, we ran across the street & looked at the chocolate waterfall, & goodies at Wildberry, but we were so full from brunch, we weren't tempted by any of the candy. I tried getting a picture of the kids at the waterfall, but a little Asian man kept getting between us. It was a fun weekend, & my friend Panna is working for me tomorrow, so I get to play hookie another day!

Daily Dose of Fiber

I bought this face bead above in a little shop in Port Townsend, Washington a couple of years ago.

This was my last summer's handwork. I've seen so many nice crazy quilt projects on the blogs, particullarly Allie's , that I thought I'd share one of mine. I'm still working on my clock project. I took it on our hike yesterday,& I'll take it to Seward tomorrow where we're going to go hailbut fishing on Monday. My DD is here with her family, from Seattle, & we're doing the 'Alaskan vacation thing', with them. They got in late last night. Tonight we're going to listen to Jon sing at the Organic Oasis, here in Anchorage.
This morning when the kids had just gotten up, Jon looked out the window & saw a mama bear with 3 cubs. That was the morning wake up call for my granddaughter. Get up, quick! Come see the bears!

More Quilted Purses

During my last purse class, these are what I worked on to demonstrate the construction process. The above photo shows the side that is made using a Caryl Bryer Fallert fabric line, Glacier Park. Below, on the reverse side is one of the fabrics I painted with dye in my Ann Johnston workshop during the 2006 Alaska Fiber Festival.

This was a small size sample of the envelope style purse, which I decided I don't like the reverse on, so will leave it one sided, & if my grandaughter Darian likes it, I'll give it to her. She will be here tomorrow, along with my daughter Michelle, & her rockstar husband Jon. Jon has been to Anchorage to play with his band several times, but never got to play tourist, so this next week, we'll be showing him a little bit more of Alaska, while he fits in 2 shows, & one day in a recording studio in Girdwood, with one of Michelle's old friends.
On Saturday before the class, I had gone over to the Botanical Garden Sale, only to realize it's not for another week, so I stopped of at the local Alaska Bead Comapany, to se what fun things I might find there. I ended up with several Aurora Borialis crsytals (a personal favorite for their lovely sparkles), & these 2 glass lampwork beads by artist Elise J. Strauss. I think they need to go on some special purses.

The Last Reverse-A-Purse Class

Today I did my last Reverse-A-Purse class. It was a great group of ladies, I had a good time with them. This is Margarite, above, she & Ann, below in the blue t-shirt with khaki pants, are both OR nurses, where I work. Below here, is Natalie, one of my repeat students. She has now taken every class I have offered. I told her I'll have to think up something new just for her & a couple other gals who have now taken all my classes. They will force me to STRETCH!
Emelia brought her niece Anna, a very sweet couple of ladies. Anna has never sewn on a sewing machine, but came to observe, & will go home & learn on Aunt Emelia's machine. Emelia is a very precise & meticulous seamstress. I'm sure Anna will have a great time learning from her.
This in Ann, my other OR nurse. She was the overachiever today, & got finished in record time! Her purse turned out lovely. She layered a pretty sheer fabric over a print, for a little different look.
My friend Debbie here, is one of my Alaska Fiber Festival Board pals. She boldly goes where others fear to tread! She used a soft, stretchy fleece on one side, then embelished by hand (oooh, hand work! Something I only do when a machine isn't available!) It was looking great before she left. I can't wait to see the finished product. It will be rich & luscious I'm sure!
We had the added bonus of having a special trunk show, hung in our room today. It was Hot! Hot! Hot! A group of small quilts from Darwin, down under! Are any from you bloggers out there? They were spectaculat little pieces of ART! There was one poor soul in the store, when they first arrived, & we opened the suitcase, who said, "Oh! Are they placemats?" I cringed, & said, "Oh please don't call them that, they are ART!" I will post the shots I got on my Fiber Festival Web Page. I didn't take a great number, because my battery was running low, & my camera was about to die.

Back On Line

Well, we have been busy, & I haven't had internet access since Tuesday, so haven't been able to blog or read email, or anything! I really missed it. You can only do so many games of Free Cell before the mind becomes complete mush! The picture above, is the wedding card for my niece who got married last weekend. We had planned to go to the wedding, as Warren was going to walk her down the isle, but Auntie Ethel's illness put a stop on those plans. We will get to see them soon though, because they're coming to Alaska next month for thier honeymoon, & will be using our van, & staying here when ever they want to. We are going to take them halibut fishing for their wedding gift.
Here's a glimpse of my crazy clock, that I'm carrying with me this summer. I have gotten a little more done with visiting Aunt Ethel in the hospital, then yesterday I took it to her Dr. appointment with me, when I took her to see the plastic surgeon for her skin tear on her arm. He asked me if he could commision a couple of pieces for his office. I'm excited to do them for him. The rooms a plain beige, & the space is nice. I need to talk to his wife to see what she wants there, then will start planning.

Right now the Lupine are blooming all along the roadside. I stopped last night & snapped this picture. I love how wildflowers paint the roadsides here, & each month there's something different.

We had more bears in the yard yesterday morning. A sow with 3 cubs came through while I was drinking my morning cup of coffee. Unfortuanatly the camera was downstairs & they were moving pretty fast, so I just got to enjoy watching them. The cubs are so darned cute!

Life in the Wild Kingdom

Another visit from a different bear. I know this one is different because the ear tags are 2 colors, & there were no cubs. He came by himself, & must've either liked nasturtiums or there may have been a few stray seeds left from the last raid. He stood up & looked at the window, but the camera wouldn't cycle fast enough to get the shot.
Below is a moose in our neighbor's yard. He was there when we pulled in the driveway last night. He looked a bit like Bullwinkle, I wonder where Rocky is.
Today we took Aunt Ethel's bed & some of her belongings to the Assited living Home. Tomorrow she will be discharged from the hospital. After that we went & visited her, & told her where she would be going. She seemed to understand, & said it was ok. We stayed for her dinner, she ate well, then we left & picked up sandwiches at Subway.

We took the sandwiches, & went to Beluga Point, & parked & had a car picnic. I took several pictures there, of the wind swept trees, & an eagle floating on the wind, but unfortunately, I accidentally deleted the images after loading them into the computer. Guess we'll have to go there again.

A Note From Ricky Tims-- A Call for Art Quilt Entries

Dear International Quilting Friends ,

I wanted to let you know about a very exciting new juried/judged quilt show and competition that our gallery is directing and curating. It is called Expressions: The Art Quilt. We hope to have a truly international exhibit showcasing approximately 50-60 of the best art quilts from around the world. We're not just seeking the best in the US, but we know that there are amazing art quilters worldwide and this is the show developed to highlight the best of the best worldwide. If you have a work that has been completed since January 1, 2005 we heartily encourage you to submit your work for consideration. The Best of Show Prize is $2000USD and includes the opportunity to have ongoing gallery representation through Tims Art Quilt Studio and Gallery. Full details and entry forms are available at http://www.expressionsartquilt.com and the deadline for entries is July 21. The exhibit will not only show in our gallery here in Southern Colorado, but will embark on a two year, international tour. Quilts may be for sale if you choose, but is not required. We also ask that you forward this email to all of your excellent quilt artist friends so that they will know about this opportunity too. Thank you for helping to spread the word. We look forward to your entries. Please reply to this email and Wendy Wetzel, our gallery manager will assist you if you have further questions. Best Regards,Ricky Tims

A Moose & Calendar Girls

This was yesterday evening, this expectant mother took a nap in our yard.

Today I had the pleasure of hosting the Calendar Girls for the 1st time at my house. We had been under construction for the past 2 years, living in an apartment, & we finally can have some company at the house. The food was simple fare, as I worked until midnight last night, & just stopped at the store to pick up finger food.


Mostly Mona was the entertainment today, with fun stories of childhood memories. I showed them all the Barn quilt, these are the ladies that made the blocks & Mary Lee did the piecing (unfortunately the only shot of her here is the top of her head!, the room is small I couldn't get at the right angle). We missed Jackie today. She is in Texas right now. I'll post pictures of the Barn quilt when it's finished, which should be soon! Check out the midnight visitors on my Dark Side.

ATC & Work Rant

I haven't been home much lately. I've been at work, & visiting Aunt Ethel when I have a break, so haven't gotten much accomplished. This nice little package came in the mail from Helen Suzanne today. It is a stunning ATC, & so is the handmade paper card that she sent it in. It is wonderful. What a sweet lady!
Below are a couple of details of the Crazy Clock that I'm making for my studio wall. This little bit of hand work is the only thing I've been able to work on, in the 20 minutes that I sat at Aunt E's bedside yesterday morning before I had to go punch in, & she was asleep.

Here comes the RANT... I left work early today. I had arranged for another nurse to split my shift so I could go home & clean the carpet in Aunt Ethel's room, before I have my company come over on Thursday morning. I won't be able to do it on Wednesday, because I'm on call & will work all day, & likely late into the night. The nurse that replaced me, is a guy, who lets say, just doesn't work in the same gear as most of us girls do, & the Call girl today was mad at me for leaving . She said "Thanks a lot Deb!", quite loudly, even the poor patient I was taking care of, who had just gotten the diagnosis of lung cancer, & his daughter looked at me, with a "What's wrong with her?" expression on thier faces. It didn't matter to her, that the last time she was on call, I stayed late so she didn't have to work with a less experienced nurse when she had a critical patient, or that last Friday, I was scheduled to go home at 6pm, & I let her go instead because she was tired, & I stayed late. Nor did any of us ever say a word of complaint when she had to leave for family reasons. Sorry for the rant. I kept it at the bottom, so if you only want to look at quilty stuff, you wouldn't have to read this.

Printing with Versatex

These were all printed with Versatex paint, purchased from Dharma Trading Co.

#1. Halibut print (maybe I should call it Babybut, as it's a small one). The skipper of our fishing boat thought I was crazy to want to keep a 20 pound Halibut, but I needed a little one for printing. If it was bigger, it would be hard to handle, & the fabric might not be big enough.

#2. The leaf print, I did about 5 years ago, when my friend Kathy Jolman was visiting, & am still saving it for something special. Maybe it'll become part of my Tome. I decided to post this today, because Francoise reminded me of it.
#3 & 4 are two salmon, that have long since been eaten. You see, I print them, scrub them, then filet them, & we still eat them! Much better than hanging a dead fish on the wall!
LATE PS;We had to admit auntie Ethel to the hospital today. If you want to know more about it you can look here.

Pretties

Look at this cool stuff above, I got it at the bead store yesterday, it's metal ribbon. It's smooth & slinky feeling, it comes on a role, & it's tubular, so you can put rocks or beads, or whatever else you want inside it. It can be knotted or sewn. I can't wait to think of something fun to do with it.
I also bought the blue round & fish beads to complete this needle case above, to give to Sharyn Craig, who is here teaching for our guild this weekend. I worked today & am on call part of the weekend, so won't even get to meet her, but offered to donate it for the little thank you gift we always give the teachers.
These 2 ATCs arrive in yesterday's mail from Francoise from Belgium, & Liz from the UK. What fun to get such pretties in the mail! You know, my very first word was "Pretty". I was 7 months old, & I liked the Christmas tree, my mom said I would look at it & point & whisper, "pretty".