Fail

That media diet I mentioned last week? Yeah, not so much. I didn't last an entire day off Facebook. I did stay off the Times and New York Mag websites for a couple of days, at least. And I managed to cut the near constant stream of NPR to something more like a trickle. Perhaps it's enough to practice mindfulness with media consumption? I did feel better after limiting my intake instead of allowing myself to obsessively "check in" all day. Ah, well. It's a process, I guess.

Anyway, here is a screen capture of a kind of awesome quilt I noticed while watching that PBS documentary on the Roosevelts a while back. I'm guessing those are names embroidered on it? Should research that - maybe school mates or something? Hmm.

hello holidays

Man! Back again? Weren't you just here?

media diet

I think I need to go on a media diet. Maybe for a week and see how I feel. I'm finding myself obsessively clicking on the NYTimes for updates about the Eric Garner protests (I joined the march last night for about an hour. Walking down the middle of Canal Street during rush hour is a weird experience alone, leaving aside the context momentarily) and I am allowing way too much bad news to enter my head space. I just read about the mass exodus at The New Republic, the flawed journalism of the UVA rape story at Rolling Stone, and am feeling despair at the state of all things American. No Times, no Gothamist, no Facebook for a week. A sort of cleanse. Yep.

random quilt sighting

 

Photo of Jasper Johns, but check out that sweet quilt.

Art Quilt Gallery NYC

When I was at City Quilter a couple weeks ago, I popped into the Art Quilt Gallery next door. They currently have a show up of Erin Wilson's quilts. I took a few photos with my iphone until the battery died.

Her work is detailed and extremely precise. The top photo, the grid of 6 squares, each square is like 5 inches by 5 inches. She has some seriously teeny weeny piece work. Her palette is lovely, too. Her fabric is hand-dyed. I've always wanted to be able to work with hand-dyed fabrics—it's always seemed like the only way to really be able to explore complex color relationships. But my home efforts with dye have always been kinda disappointing. And I've never really felt like they could be laundered regularly without issues. Here is a closer version of the above piece (which is 24"x33"):

I can't imagine working with the fabric slivers she uses. Working this way would be a short trip to crazytown for me—my policy is to dispose of any fabric scrap smaller than 2" square. But I think it's lovely that she can make work this way. The show is up until December 13, for anyone in the NY area. Here is one more photo I got before my phone crapped out:

working on

A blurb book to give to my sister for Christmas. She actually asked for one, specifically, after seeing the two that I had made for Linda after our trips to Europe. Or I wouldn't be foisting one on her. I had started a new book for myself, to mark 5 years in New York, and will gift her with a copy.

wee quilt for a wee bairn

Theoretically, anyway, since I don't currently have any babes in my life. No matter! I've kept busy over the holiday sewing up all the small leftover triangles from the geese on Lily's quilt. I think I will add some fabric panels to the sides, while keeping the block of triangles off center. 

The marbling background texture is much less apparent in person.

I ran across this fabric at Cityquilter last time I was there that I'd never seen before—it is a version of the constellation mural on the ceiling of Grand Central. It evidently also comes in a greenish blue that is closer to the actual ceiling, but I bought a FQ of this cream version with gold ink printing. I really quite like it. It reminds me that I had thought once about doing a more directly inspired quilt from elements of Grand Central's architecture, but what do you know! That never happened. Ahem.

My ironing board cover looks disgusting in this photo, I realize. I replace the covers with some regularity, and only ever iron clean fabric so how do they get so gross? Is it the NYC tap water I use to spritz it? Yechh.