June Too Busy to Write About

June was so full and enjoyable that I must have just enjoyed and did not take the time to write about it. My new flowerbeds are doing well, but it has taken my watering sometimes twice a day. We have gotten up to high 90s many days with very little rain. 

FestivalSouth makes June my favorite of the year and I take advantage of all the music and art I can. I have very fond memories of being the 2023 FestivalSouth artist with my quilt "Prelude." This year's artist is the amazing Adam Trest from Laurel, and his month-long art exhibit has been in the Downey Gallery at University Baptist Church, as well as featured on programs and publicity. The musical "Jersey Boys" kicked off the festival; followed by such events as morning coffee concerts; a ballet featuring Alexi Orohovsky, a winner in the 2023 USA International Ballet Competition; a Mahler "Song of the Earth" concert, Meistersingers "All About Love" concert; Piano quintet (always a favorite of mine); and a symphonic rock concert, "Journey On," featuring the music of Journey. A special thrill was for the Meistersingers getting to be part of the chorus singing backup to Journey music! 

Adam Trest

Meistersingers Concert

With my backup buddies at the Journey concert

Storm Wade 

Elizabeth gave me quite a scare when she needed major surgery to remove the thread she swallowed from her intestines. Here she is with her shaved tummy as she is healing quite nicely.

There was not time for much art quilting going on, but I spoke and showed some of my quilts at the Summer Gathering of Mississippi Quilt Association at the Eagle Ridge Conference Center in Raymond, Miss. Southern Fiber Artists have an exhibit "Mississippi Quilt Challenge" that will be at the William Waller Craft Center July-August-September (closed Sundays/Mondays). These pieces depict scenes from all over the state. My contribution is the USM Administration Building. In addition to the postcard or wall quilt size pieces, there is a collaborative quilt by Charlotte Timmons as well as MISSISSIPPI spelled out in eleven pieces. We want to use our fiber art to picture our beautiful state. Don't miss this exhibit.

USM Administration Building, 18x30

Invitation

Hanging the Collaborative Quilt (Charlotte Timmons, Elaine Walizer)

May Flowers

"April showers bring May flowers" is what's humming around in my head. Temps are getting high enough that some hose watering help is needed almost daily. After the fence project was done, my landscape plans finally began to take shape. Kenny Muse Landscaping and his crew created a new bed across the front and planted and established a rock garden. The new plants are happy and thriving.

Getting a fresh start

Rain water will go through a buried pipe

Rain runoff will hit near the largest rocks

I asked for a small new bed in the backyard as well as azalea bushes against the fence. There is still mostly shade here, so he planted hostas and ferns, with plenty of areas for me to add some bedding plants. I'm watching for the zinnia seeds to come up and will get some other plants in soon.

New backyard bed with fence in background

Tallest hosta bloom I've ever seen

Hosta and hydrangea blooming

View out my kitchen window

April--A Very Musical Month

Yes, April is filled with springtime weather and new things blooming, but for me it is also filled with music. Many of the talented USM music students have recitals that I love to attend. The viola studio was invited to compete in a prestigious competition in Los Angeles in June, and I donated a quilt to help them raise funds to make this trip. 

Renata Andrade

In addition to the recitals, there was a performance of the Easter portions of Handel's Messiah by the USM orchestra and Choral Union with community members. There will be a special symphony performance this week, Mahler's Symphony No. 1--The Titan, saying goodbye to conductor Dr. Michael Miles on his retirement. Hattiesburg is rich with music!

My yard has been an interesting place lately--the fence covering a neighbor's property needed replacing, and this finally took place last week. Mike Padgett of Padgett Construction Services did a great job of removing a chain link fence and replacing with a 7-ft fence all along the back of my yard. Next there will be some planting done.

Past time to replace

Fence removed

In progress

Finished

Back yard

Fence built around large pine on the property line

It was good to get the three art quilt presentations done in March, and I did enjoy them. Then Pine Belt Quilters had our Showcase on April 20 at the Hattiesburg Cultural Center. We had the drawing for our Opportunity Quilt "Flowers for My Wedding" and displayed about 75 pieces of our works. Each event meant pulling different pieces to show. It was also a good time to change some of the artwork in my house. 

Flowers for My Wedding, won by Jackie Watkins

Miss BoBo

Square-in-a-Square II

Mike Ratliff was the lucky winner of the quilt

"Quilts Then and Now" at OLLI

Linda and I presented a seminar at OLLI entitled "Quilts Then and Now: The Fabric of Life" yesterday. We covered some history and an overview of the place of quilts and quilting in American life, as well as telling our individual stories. I told of my 40-year quilting journey and the beginnings, using graph paper and templates and moving from traditional to art quilter. Linda shared her very different story and how technology and online resources have made her an accomplished quilter in seven short years. She also touched on how quilts have been (and are) featured in books and films and everyday culture. We showed samples of a variety of pieces and both emphasized that it is a great time to be a quilter.

After the joy and excitement surrounding these recent presentations, it is definitely time for some more ordinary days--like adding the binding to a quilt.

This Is My Story, This Is My Song

View from back of room

View from back of room

View from front of room

View from front of room

Linda in front of Rise and Shine, Inner City

Linda showing her technique 

Linda reading about quilts in "Grapes of Wrath"

Beyond the Blanket, Talk at Lauren Rogers Museum of Art

I enjoyed giving an artTALK this week at the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, Miss. My title was "Beyond the Blanket," and dealt with how multiple quilting techniques can be used to create art. This museum is a hidden gem of our state and presents outstanding exhibits, such as the present one from the American Folk Art Museum in New York. 

Programs "My Quilting Journey" and "Beyond the Blanket"

I enjoyed giving a program on "My Quilting Journey" at Pine Belt Quilters meeting last week. My journey began in 1984 and has brought joy and many friendships over these 40 years. Sewing was a part of my life as a child, starting with embroidery, clothes for my children and myself, counted cross-stitch, and then quilting. It was fun talking about the early days of the quilt guild and our shows, the first one at Trinity Episcopal Church Parish Hall in 1985, then ten at Jackie Dole Sherrill Community Center (1987-2006), and six at Lake Terrace Convention Center (2008-2018). 

Cross-stitch Treasure Chest, by 
Linda Ginn and Martha Ginn

This Is My Story, This Is My Song

Rise and Shine, Inner City

Mandy's Dog and Flying Geese Over Lake Michigan

Guild members Jean Martin (left), Karrie Pennington (back), 
Sandra Byrd (right) 

Next week I will do an artTALK called "Beyond the Blanket" at Lauren Rogers Museum of Art on Thursday, March 21, at the brown-bag lunch at noon. The museum's current exhibit is of traditional quilts from the American Folk Art Museum in New York. Dr. Sandra Sider gave a lecture last month about bicentennial quilts from 1876-1976. My talk will deal with how traditional quilting techniques are used to create art, taking the quilt "off the bed and onto the wall." 

What else is going on? It's March in Mississippi and the azaleas are putting on their annual show. Even when a bush is covered in blooms and a rainstorm beats the blooms down, there are hundreds of buds waiting to open for continued enjoyment. My wisteria bush is beautiful, and I keep it from reaching the holly tree nearby.

Buds ready to open

Wisteria blooms

Lacey, my outdoor cat, follows me when I walk. She understands Elizabeth and Rahrah won't let her come inside, but she checks on the kitchen activity through the windows.

Lacey walking with me

Lacey on kitchen sink window

Elizabeth watching Lacey from her cat tree

Rahrah loves to get on Linda's shoulder