Sunday, October 20, 2019

Fall, Finally and Artful Log Cabin

Waking up to 50 degree temps is a joy! This has been a busy week, finding time for working on my Artful Log Cabin after Katie Pasquini Masopust taught the class. She loved our Pine Belt Quilters raffle quilt, Home Tweet Home, and wanted to buy tickets as soon as they were printed. Katie is famous for Log Cabin quilts and makes lots with her sisters every year, so it was quite a thrill for her to give our quilt her stamp of approval! It was pieced by Mary Ann Scruggs and Frances Good, appliqued by Linda Flanders, and quilted by Susie Jackson.
Katie admires "Home Tweet Home" with Mary Ann Scruggs and Anne Kelley
October Thursdays are for Brown Bag Concerts in downtown Hattiesburg sponsored by the Hattiesburg Arts Council. This week's guest was the USM Jazztet led by Dr. Larry Panella, director of jazz studies at USM. Lunch was furnished by the Thirsty Hippo. It was a fun hour for a large crowd in the park with perfect fall weather.
Nicholas Brown, Ziggy, and Dr. Larry Panella (Vincent and Brandon behind them)
I finished a ghost quilting piece for our Shared Fiber Art exchange in Southern Fiber Artists. Here is the raw material and the finished piece. I also worked on an Improve piece I call Improv Zebras (because of the two strips of zebra fabric contained).



My artful log cabin will be inspired by a picture I took of one of my newly hatched black swallowtail butterflies on my portulaca. It isn't a direct representation--just a way of selecting colors for the Log Cabin blocks.
My inspiration photo

Beginning the process

It is a messy process


Tarbaby demands attention by sitting on what I am trying to work on
   Our Pine Belt Quilters are hosting the Fall Gathering of Mississippi Quilt Association this weekend. The theme of our decorating is Log Cabins and we will display some quilts made by our members. My Friendship Log Cabin quilt uses traditional Log Cabin blocks as the background behind a collection of tree blocks I received in a friendship block swap in 2005. Well, actually I won a set of basket blocks. Later another quilter won these various-sized tree blocks and I talked her into exchanging them for my basket blocks because I wanted the challenge of setting them. I had the large block left from a class in Houston several years earlier.
Friendship Log Cabin, 80" x 91"
 My Japanese Lanterns quilt is called a Courthouse Steps, which is another Log Cabin variation.
Japanese Lanterns, 90" x 105"
My granddaughter Christy Ginn stopped at a Texas welcome station on her way back home with her adopted dog Stella.



Saturday, October 12, 2019

Puzzle is Finished; Christy Adopts a Puppy

My granddaughter Christy Ginn came to visit and in the first 15 minutes she sat down and finished the puzzle. She has a double major in wildlife/fisheries and entomology from Texas A&M and has loved wild things all her life. While here she continued her search for just the right dog and adopted Stella from Southern Pines Animal Shelter. Stella will go back to Texas with Christy, much to the delight of my three cats. It was neat having my own personal techie who could answer all my questions about my TV and my computer.
Stella and Christy sharing a nap

Christy had no trouble finishing the puzzle after I had given up

Here is the finished product
Christy made friends with Tarbaby and insisted that he accept a little loving.
"Help!  Somebody come and rescue me!"

He wasn't very happy, but Christy can charm anyone
My quilt guild invited Katie Pasquini Masopust to present a lecture and stay to teach a two-day class on Artful Log Cabins. She shows how to use log cabin blocks in a creative way using an inspiration photo for color placement. I call Katie a "rock star quilter" and enjoyed renewing my friendship with her after taking a class with her in the early 1990s in Houston. (Pictures of my quilt coming later.)
An example of Katie's work
by Katie

I took her to see The Fabric of Mississippi Living exhibit at William Carey University
I am so proud of my daughter, Linda. She quilted this top she had made several months ago. It will be hung in her home or office.
Linda Ginn and her quilt

The back

Linda and Christy

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Fall is Just a Word

Fall is just a word--not necessarily a weather. Maybe soon, though. After a month without any rain, we had a heavy rain with wind and some broken limbs last night. Lots of pine straw to sweep, rake, or blow.
I have enjoyed rehearsing with The Meistersingers this season. Our first concert is Spirituals in Blue: Music Down In My Soul. It is such a joy to sing beautiful arrangements of some of these familiar tunes.

Quilting has involved working on some Ghost Quilting and Improv pieces as well as having fun with fabric postcards. These can start out as color studies or just the joy of sewing strips of fabric. Elizabeth seemed to love posing on this blue and pink one while I was trying to hand sew the facing on the back.


Elizabeth says, "Does this color look good on me?"

A little postcard fun
The puzzle--okay, I give up. I have never been this close to finishing one and have to admit defeat. It will stay on the table another week until my granddaughter Christy comes to visit. She may see what I am missing.
Elizabeth knows I have given up
Several months ago lightning struck a large pine tree just at the edge of my neighbor's yard. He had it cut down and it seemed even larger once it was in pieces on the ground. I was amazed at the thickness (and the beauty) of the bark.
This tree had been growing quite a few years

The bark was 3" thick with interesting patterns of growth
I'm still fascinated with this little plant in my flowerbed--Fittonia Argyroneura. It is green with white veins, though some of it has pink veins instead of white. It continues to send up green stems with tiny white flowers. Click to enlarge.
Picture a month ago

Picture today showing tiny white flowers