The Pressure's Off

I've had to put "Waiting for the Train" away for a bit; I ran out of ribbon!  An order has been placed for two 50-metre spools, which won't arrive for at least a week and by then I'll be finishing up the Show and packing  in earnest for Santa Fe.  Ah, well.  A project for May.  :-)

When I left off last evening, "Waiting" looked like this:

I admit I'm not entirely happy with it.  The light tan 'rushes' are too heavy; there's not enough variety of weight and texture.  I'm considering taking some of this out and interspersing it with crewel wool from my stash.  And more grass has to be put near the water's edge -- and not by thread-painting, which is too fine.  So.  Just as well I can leave it; I have plenty to go in the show.

Instead I've spent this April Snow Day embroidering evergreens on the Atlantic Seaboard Sampler, and assembling another batch of 6.5" blocks for P's "Hunter's Star".  I now takes up my entire design wall -- and there's quite a number of blocks to make yet:

While sewing I was entertained by these unfamiliar black-and-white birds at the feeder in the tree right outside my sewing room window:

Though it may look like the sun is shining in that photo, it isn't!  It was (and is) still snowing, and the sky is white, meaning bright white "snow blind" conditions.  The feeder kept swaying in the wind, but the wee birdie (and two or three of his friends) were persistent and I do believe managed to dig through the snow to get some of the food!  Alas the poor robins are totally confused as they don't eat seed.  They've been making do with berries and sitting forlornly on tree branches wondering where the bugs are...

I tried to get more shots of them but they were moving too fast.  Here's the only other one that turned out:

See him in the centre there?  The building in the background is my garage...fronted by heavily-laden junipers.  My neighbour has been shovelling despite the fact it's still coming down steadily, simply because this stuff is pretty heavy and wet.  He has a flat roof (mine is peaked) so he's been up there shovelling it off.

April in Canada, eh?  Pity!

Odds and Ends...and the Red Deer Quilt Show

The ends, literally, belong to my knitted sleeveless turtleneck top.  I spent the early part of today listening to Bach and sewing them in left, right and centre.  It was the perfect activity, as the latest snow-freezing rain session (last evening and overnight) made the roads too nasty for travelling into town to church.  Sigh.   As someone on Facebook pointed out today, "It's a lovely Winter we're having this Spring."  Maybe we've all stumbled into Narnia.  Perish the thought!

And the odds?

Friday, I finished dyeing the last of the 50 metres (!) of silk ribbon that arrived on Tuesday from Dharma. Who knew one could use it up so quickly?  Never mind.  I have enough to get me started (and perhaps finished, if I am discerning) with "Waiting for the Train" (the grasses and cat-tails):

"Waiting for the Ribbon Train"

Also on Friday I finished beading 'Wonder'.  That said, the piece is not yet...um...finished.  There's a wee bit of seed stitch to be added.  Here are a few shots:

Beading Detail 1

Beading Detail 2

Beading Detail 3

Beading Detail 4

Seed Stitch Started

I'll be working on seed stitch this evening as I watch a re-run of....something.  :-)

Yesterday was almost entirely taken up by the Central Alberta Quilters' Guild Show at Westerner Park in Red Deer.  A bit smaller than last year (my favourite vendor, the fellow from Copperfield's Books, apparently took ill on his way to the venue and had to cancel!  We are all praying it's nothing serious!!), I found less to 'ooh' and 'ahh' over, and (believe it or not) I came away without purchasing anything!  There was one merchant whose wares I will definitely be exploring more closely for a future project, though: the wool-dyed cottons etc of "A Threaded Needle", which specializes in Japanese-style handwork and sashiko.  The books, samples and supplies she carries make my mouth water!

Here were the pieces in the show that tickled my fancy:

First, prize-winner Mary Vanson:

"Been There, Done That #4" by Mary Vanson

Another by Ms. Vanson -- "Been There, Done That, #?"

In her Artist's Statement for "Been There, Done That", Ms. Vanson, who is from Red Deer, wrote, "This si #4 in a five-part series of "Been There, Done That".  Hand appliqued, quilted pictures of some of our 'Excellent Adventures' across Canada and in Costa Rica".  Great fun!

Next, 

"Hearts" - Wendy Greber

Believe it or not, Ms. Greber did this as a practice sample!!

Another prize-winner, this one from Chris Sisson -- exquisite applique, machine quilted by Cheryl Whitten:

Rminiscence - Chris Sisson & Cheryl Witten

The blanket stitch on the above quilt is all hand-done.

Outside the prize-winners, my pick for 'Viewer's Choice' is this one:  'Star of Mexico', made by Debbie Becker Mathie of Innisfail, Alberta and quilted by Karen's Quilts.  Believe it or not, Ms. Mathie made it in "five long days" and adapted it from wall-hanging to medium-sized bed quilt!

Star of Mexico - Debbie Becker Mathie & Karen's Quilts

"Star of Mexico" Detail

It should come as no surprise to you that I'm attracted to pieces with trees, and there was one lovely one this year - an original design based on photos taken near the artist's home:

Winter Silence - Cathie MacDonald

And yes, there were some hexies!  This piece was actually part of a display honouring the memory of a member of the Central Alberta Quilt Guild who'd died in 2012, Mary Ann Raivio:

In addition to the flower garden-style quilt, there were several other examples of Ms. Raivio's work, including this charming red-work piece:

I find it a comforting thought that wherever there are groups, associations or gatherings of textile artists, there will be people who will find a way to preserve, treasure and honour the work of those who have gone before, expressly for the enjoyment and enlightenment of those who come after.

Spring Snow

We're under a heavy snow fall warning again today in Central Alberta (and South).  This is what it looked like outside my front door at 7:15 this morning:

This one (left) is taken with the flash on.

This one (right) is taken with it off.