Working on the Lily

Progress continues on the Colombian Lily, which is what I'm calling it until I come up with a better name. Yesterday I got the pattern traced onto a lightweight stabilizer- it's kind of obscuring the paper pattern here. You can also see the two color copies I have- one of Marly's actual photo, the other after I played with it in PSE. They are more for value guidance than anything else at this point.



And, I raided my stash for green fabric- not a hard task, since green is one of my faviorite colors. I don't know if this is what I'll end up with, but here's what I have so far.



I swear the hardest part of fall for me is getting my body and mind used to the idea that dark does not mean it is bedtime. So even though part of me was saying it was time to quit, I went down to the studio to dye the orange-red background. i printed it with thickened dye and a large sponge, hoping to get texture somewhat similar to stucco. We'll see tomorrow if I was successful!



It's now batching, wrapped in plastic and under the heat lamps.

Assuming the dyeing all goes well, maybe I can get the freezer paper patterns traced tomorrow. We'll see- it's also time to get rid of the gray roots.

Working from a Pattern. . .

is not something I've done a lot of. When I look back, most of my quilts have been design-as-you-go. So this quilt will be a bit of a new experience for me.

I did a line drawing of the photo, then had it enlarged at Kinko's. The $7 it cost was well worth it, my working pattern is now 36' wide, and a little longer than that. Here it is on my design wall. On the right, you can see my partially colored original drawing. That was the best way I could come up with to make sense of the leaves.



I have already cruised through my stash, and should have enough variety of greens for the leaves. No surprise, since green is one of my favorite colors. The background will be specially dyed, since I don't have anything large enough that would work. I've gone through my book of color samples, and think I know the recipe I'll use to start. And, I think I will dye paint this- I want a different kind of texture than I get with low water immersion.

I'm not going to fuse this- I'll use construction something like Vikki Pignatelli or Katie PM use. Good thing I'm not working under any deadlines!

Home to the Cold

Shannon and I got home very late Tuesday night, welcomed by cold, wind, and the threat of snow. Joy- but at least the roads were clear for the hour drive home.

I've survived two days a work, house cleaning, and unpacking. Today I'm making a dinner Sean made while I was there, beef short ribs. I love recipes that take care of themselves like this one that cooks all day in the oven at a low temperature. Nice for helping to warm up the house, too!

And, I'm starting work on a quilt, since I have no projects underway. Marly had a couple of photos from her last trip to Colombia that I really liked. So I'm starting on this one today--



There is so much going on here that I love- the play of the green against the scarlet wall, the lines of the skinny stems, the diagonal line formed by the leaves and flower. This isn't Marly's original photo, it's what it looks like after I played with it in Elements. I think it will be fun to do, and it's ideally suited to using hand dyes!

St. Pete, Part 2

The Sunken Gardens was a wonderland, a cool oasis in the midst of St. Pete. My comment about how nice it would be in the summer was met with an immediate reply- NO PLACE is cool in Florida in July!

There is a wedding lawn- and expanse surrounded by trees and colorful foliage.



In addition to the flamingoes, we also saw a variety of tropical birds.



I loved these plants against the rough concrete wall, the play of light and shadow.



And, there was fruit in addition to flowers.



Even the view upwards was inspiring!



We took several breaks on our walk to feed and soothe the baby. She finally settled down and slept in her stroller. Here's a picture that shows the problems I had with color. Sean is wearing a black shirt, but you'd never know it here!



This large flower was on a wall, with what looked like ivy.



After we'd walked every path in the gardens, we drove here--



We each got to sample three fruit wines. I tried raspberry, a blend they call Category 5 after the hurricane rating system, and and orange-coffee mix. They were all delicious! Shannon said the cranberry was really good, and would be wonderful with Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, I live in one of the five states that does not allow wine to be shipped there. Drat!

Finally, we went to Clearwater and had a late lunch/early dinner at a beachfront seafood restaurant. I learned how delicious grouper can be- I had it Cajun style. Afterwards, Shannon and I walked along the beach while she collected some shells. It's hard for a Rocky Mountain resident to believe that it is almost November!!





A perfect ending to a wonderful day.

St. Petersburg and the Sunken Gardens

Yesterday we visited a couple of attractions in St. Pete, close to Sean's home here in Tampa. First we hit the Sunken Gardens, a large green oasis in town. I loved it, and ended up taking over 50 pictures. The colors and textures were amazing, and for someone who has spent most of her life in the desert, the quantity and size of the plant life here is amazing.

These leaves called out to me right after we entered the garden. The green color was intense to the point of looking almost fake.



There was strong contrast between shady areas and sunlit areas, which was challenging to photograph. Don't know that I ever figured it out completely. Love this bamboo!



While there weren't a lot of flowers, I did find some intensely colored specimens. I don't think I've seen bottle brush since I left southern California.







There were also fascinating textures- check out this bark and roots!





And what would Florida be without pink flamingoes?



Taking pictures of people turned out to be a real challenge, I just wasn't sure how to handle the light. But here's Shannon--



More tomorrow, we don't have to leave for the airport until 2 pm or so.

More Michelle

My last week in Florida- sigh! The weather has been practically perfect,in the high seventies or eighties, low humidity. This is definitely the time of year to visit here!

Shannon has gotten to know her new niece, who obviously feels very comfortable with her auntie.



Even in the short time I've been here,I can see changes. She barely fits into newborn clothes anymore. She is alert for longer periods of time, and is doing better at sleeping at night and being awake during the day. Not perfect mind you, just better.

I love watching her with her daddy. He is really good with her, I've no doubt he will be a wonderful father.



They were gifted with a swing by a friend whose child has outgrown it. It really does seem to help her calm down at times, and will be a godsend when the parents are on their own.



This is one of the best pictures I've gotten of her yet, looking over her mother's shoulder. Look at those gorgeous eyes!



This weekend will be the only 'touristy' time we have here. Yesterday was Sean's birthday,today is Sean and Marly's anniversary, and tomorrow they are having a crowd of friends over to celebrate and see the baby. Sunday were are going to the Sunken Garden in St. Petersburg, and some winery where they make wine out of citrus and other fruits- everything but grapes, from what I am told. Hopefully I will get some good pictures.

Tuesday Shannon and I fly home to snow, and Wednesday I am back at work. Where did all the time go??

A Family of Foodies

Shannon arrives here tomorrow, and will stay a week- we both leave on Tuesday the 27th, although on different airlines via different routes.

This will be interesting, all of my children are excellent chefs (or foodies, as we call them)- and we will be making a feast to celebrate Sean's birthday this weekend. Me, I just plan to sit back and enjoy all the goodies.

Last night Sean made a dish I'd never had, and he'd not made before- beef short ribs. I have never been a fan of ribs, too much work and mess, too much fat and gristle, too little reward. However, what we ate last night showed me its is possible to make ribs cooked to my liking. Sean started the ribs late in the morning; after browning the meat and some vegetables, they were doused with broth and wine, and left in the oven all day to bake.

Sean also made a mushroom risotto, and I made a salad. Here he is, nursing the rice to creamy tenderness--



He reduced all the yummy juices some, then served the ribs in all their glory- falling off the bone tender, most of the fat baked away. It was delicious!



We had lots of the juices left over, so I made a beef barley soup this afternoon that was also excellent. Can't wait to see what the rest of the week brings, with my two foodies in the kitchen!