Playing Catch-up -- Again (Long, with Photos)

Why should I be so surprised -- and somewhat overwhelmed -- by the fact that in this world of cyber-space and instant information, going away for a few days can feel like going away for a month used to feel in the Good Old Days?!

I've been back from Calgary and points south since Sunday evening, and only now does my desk look tidy; only now are my accounts sorted; only now have I caught up on my browsing and reading and responding.

And with this post, I'll be 2/3 caught up with my reporting.

The Itinerary:

1. May 24: drive to Calgary to the dentist for my annual check-up, and from there to see my son in a short-run, totally sold-out comedy, Jitters, written by David French and produced this time 'round by Hatrix, a small theatre company now in Lethbridge, but originally from Medicine Hat.  This is the last sojourn to 'The 'Bridge' for a while, I guess, as Mart is moving north to Edmonton in July to go back to school for a digital media diploma.  Acting is not how he makes his living, but he certainly enjoys it, and I hope he finds a new  home in the rich theatre industry in our provincial capital.  In Jitters he played a young actor about to experience his first big break, and his slap-stick had the audience laughing till tears rolled down our collective cheeks.
2. May 25: return to Calgary to:
1. Drop off Memories of Mirror at an LQS, where the appraiser would pick it up later in the day.
2. Meet cyber-friend and artist colleague, arlee barr at the "FABRICated" exhibit at the DaDe Gallery in Inglewood.  What fun we had!  We hit it off as if we'd known each other all our lives; it's such a blessing to make a connection like that, and we've promised to share a meal next go 'round so we can talk for hours, without the distraction of wonderful artwork, fashionable clothing, or shiny beads and baubles in the Inglewood boutiques. (Yes, we both bought beads.  And I bought a dress.)
3. Meet a long-time friend for coffee in her new home; and
4. Stop for the night with another long-time friend, who would accompany me to Heritage Park the next day.
3. May 26: attend the Heritage Park Quilt Festival, seeing the sights and picking up my appraised quilt.

The Tents on the Green

Of course there are merchants!

Quilts festoon the front of the Wainwright Hotel

The special red-and-white exhibit was my favourite of the Festival.  Here are just a couple of shots:

Oh Canada! - Jeanne Lamb, Calgary

Border detail - Canadian Friendship
Sandy Albrecht, Calgary

 All in all it was a lovely day out, made complete by a stop at Out of Hand on the way home, and a pizza dinner at a local Greek-run family restaurant, with my friend, D, with whom I was staying.  (I picked up the latest Art Quilting Studio magazine, some silk ribbon for my crazy quilt blocks, a fresh bottle of Lumiere textile paint in metallic copper -- my fave! -- and a pack of six Inktense pencils to play with this summer.)

Those of you who follow this blog and are part of the Visioning Project over at SAQA University, you might want to check out Art Quilting Studio (a Stampington publication) -- the Summer 2012 issue.  One of the articles is by our colleague, Deborah Stanley, about her painted and stitched portrait quilts.  For those familiar with Gail Harker and her wonderful art and stitching programs, there's another article by one of her former students, Marianne Burr, who paints on whole-cloth silk, and then quilts it. When I was taking my Contemporary Hand Stitch class with Gail in 2007 at her studio then in Oak Harbor, we had an evening field trip to La Conner to the Quilt Museum where Ms. Burr was having an exhibit.  Gail had arranged for Ms. Burr to be there to talk to us, and we were all in thrall at her work.

Sunday marked the Day of Pentecost -- so I went up to my old stomping grounds, St. James' Anglican in NW Calgary -- for the 10 a.m. service.  I saw many familiar faces and managed to catch up with a few old acquaintances over coffee.  It was a very blessed time of praise, prayer and worship, and I'm glad I went.

Lunch with two old friends, textile, stitching and beading friends, both of them, and then on home via a Red Deer, dropping off an art piece for a SAQA colleague, and sipping tea in the late afternoon sunshine with SAQA Western Canada (Alberta) Co-Rep, Patti Morris.  What a ball of fire she is!  Now that our two-year travelling show, "Meet the Best of the West" is about to be launched (at the Central Alberta Quilt Show, Westerner Park, Red Deer, June 8 and 9), she's already plotting the subject matter and timing for another, to start in 2013.  At the same time, she's working on a major commission for a science library at the University of Calgary, and opening doors for SAQA Western Canada members as she goes.  We'll all have wonderful opportunities to display our work in the next few years, if Patti has anything to do with it!

As for my Work In Progress, now that Memories has been put to bed on the wall, I am back at my crazy quilt blocks, trying to catch up with both the CQ Journal Project and TAST (Take a Stitch on (a) Tuesday).  I'm about 5 weeks behind I think, but I've been working on my Week 17 block today; it's now finished, but here's what it looked like this morning:

Working on Wheat Ear...

I've managed to finish the paperwork Linda, my tutor, needed to finish up my Assessment Piece for Module 6 (yes, I'm using Memories -- it was her idea!), so await her final approval and then it's on to Module 7.

Part of the Paperwork

And there are at least 3 pieces on the back burner in various stages of planning and construction, so I have plenty to keep me out of trouble for a while.

Season 12 Version

On the knitting front, I have one or two rows of the Dr. Who Scarf to finish.  Then I have to sew in the remaining ends and put on the fringe...and it will be finished!  Deadline: Friday, June 15, for delivery Saturday, June 16.

I finished a cute pair of socks while I was away -- "Simplicity" from The Eclectic Sole by Janel Laidman -- but they were too short for me.  No problem!  My friend D, with whom I was staying, is recovering from a badly broken left ankle and can't wear socks with long legs.  These were perfect for her and so they stayed behind in Calgary.  In true sock-nut fashion, I had another sock on the needles in my suitcase, so I'm merrily knitting up Sock #2 of the Cable Rib Socks by Erica Alexander from Interweave's book, Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs.  I finished the first one in the winter and got distracted by other projects...you know how it is.  Knit up in some Lang Jawoll Cotton Superwash (a long-time resident of my stash), these will be just right for wearing on cooler summer days.

And so it goes... Thanks for hanging in with me to the end of this long post!