DeCampStudio: December 2015

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Doormats again

This is "Doormats #2" loaded on the longarm machine for quilting.

I pieced it quite a long time ago and decided I needed to get it finished.

I blocked it by pinning it to the floor.

My Doormats quilts were inspired by the shapes and forms on some doormats that were for sale several years ago in the gift shop at the Schweinfurth Art Museum in Auburn, NY.

If you click on the pictures, you can see that I did straight-line quilting all over the quilt. Except for the lightest-colored sections, I used a variegated thread.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Mincemeat

A holiday tradition no less...

We can the pears from our own trees at harvest time. This year was bountiful, and we beat the deer to most of the crop. With the extra pears, we canned pear mincemeat. The apples were picked from our Mitsu tree in late fall.

The result is these two wonderful mincemeat-apple pies. Yum-yum!

Monday, December 21, 2015

Rosemary & Daffodils

Our late-fall, early-winter clear and warm weather continues.

We dug up our two rosemary plants and will keep them inside for the winter. Some years they prosper, and other times we need to replace them in the spring. We'll see what these next couple of months bring.

Some daffodils are peaking up, hoping Spring is here in late December! It will be interesting to see if El Nino can keep the zero temperatures away all winter. Let's hope!

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Suki

Our resident princess suffered the indignity of being ill and had to spend a couple of days in the kitty hospital. Both her front legs were shaved: one for a blood draw and the other for IV fluids.

We are still waiting for a differential diagnosis between pancreatitis or hepatitis. We hope neither results and have tried to convince her that matching anklets are the height of fashion -- She is not so sure!

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Xmas Lights

For the past several years we have strung lights along the bushes and shrubs in front of our house. We have seldom, if ever, had a milder, snow-free stretch of weather to complete the task.

The lights are on an automatic timer that comes on at dusk and turns off some six hours later. A rainy night adds reflection from the blacktop driveway.

Suki loves any project outdoors and joins us for putting the lights outside. Of course, she is convinced that she is the center of attention.

Our 20+ year old Japanese Maple is a wonderful feature of the landscaping and a perfect perch for the Princess. The large fenced-in horse paddock serves as a background along with a large burning bush at the corner of the garage.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Peeps' Xmas

Pat hosted the December meeting of the Peeps at her house for our annual Xmas get-together.

Her house was beautifully decorated for the holidays, and she had her tree all trimmed.

There was Show & Tell, and Carol shared this lovely pillow that she made for a present.

And of course, there was A LOT of food because we all brought too much. We started with Pat's butternut squash and apple soup, moved on to salads and sides and breads, and then had to try a few of the deserts!

Friday, December 4, 2015

Reception at the Barrel Room

Mary, Bev, and I were on hand for the wine tasting and reception for the art showing featuring the quilts we have hanging at The Barrel Room in Victor, NY.

It was a fun evening and great to see several old friends.

Joan, Janet, and I went to school together, and it was a nice surprise that they came for the evening.

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Kitty Update

Our wonderful fall has allowed outdoor weather for us and the outdoor cats. The kitties like to keep track of what we are doing when we're working in the gardens.

The Blue Rug Juniper garden serves as their background.

Feral cat, Millie, and neighborhood cat, Mr. Boots, spread out in the sun and keep their view on us and the surrounding area.

They wait just off our deck on the south side of the house -- not missing meal time morning, noon, or night.

Millie sleeps half hidden near the deck under a bush in the sun. She grows more comfortable with us each day. Maybe soon she will join us indoors!

Suki, our resident queen, curls up in the studio, wrapping up in whatever she finds -- this time it's the cover for the longarm quilting machine.

Exhibitions

2017
...Quilts Unlimited, View Arts, Old Forge, NY
...Pacific Intl Quilt Festival XXVI, Santa Clara, CA
...Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza XXIV
...AQS Quilt Show, Fall, Paducah, KY
..AQS Quilt Show, Grand Rapids, MI
...New Legacies Art Quilts, Fort Collins, CO
...AQS Quilt Show, Spring, Paducah, KY
..AQS Quilt Show, Lancaster, PA
...Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival XXVIII, Hampton, VA
2016
...Quilts Unlimited, View Arts, Old Forge, NY
...Pacific Intl Quilt Festival XXV, Santa Clara, CA
...Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza XXIII
...AQS Quilt Show, Syracuse, NY
...Hands All Around, IQF, Houston, TX
...New Legacies Art Quilts, Fort Collins, CO
...AQS Quilt Show, Paducah, KY
...AQS Quilt Show, Lancaster, PA
...Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival XXVII, Hampton, VA
...Artist as Quiltmaker, FAVA, Oberlin, OH
...QuiltCon, Modern Quilt Guild, Pasadena, CA
2015
...Pacific Intl Quilt Festival XXIV, Santa Clara, CA
...LaConner Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival, LaConner, WA
...Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza XXII
...Whistler House Museum, "Out of the Blue," Lowell, MA
...AQS Quilt Show, Syracuse, NY
...New Legacies Art Quilts, Fort Collins, CO
...Form, not Function, Quilt Art at the Carnegie
...AQS Quilt Show, Paducah, KY
...AQS Quilt Show, Lancaster, PA
...Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival XXVI, Hampton, VA
2014 Pacific Intl Quilt Festival XXIII, Santa Clara, CA
...LaConner Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival, LaConner, WA
...Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza XXI
...Evolutions, Rocky Mt Quilt Museum, Golden, CO
...Fantastic Fibers, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah KY
...AQS Quilt Show, Paducah, KY
...Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival XXV, Hampton, VA
...AQS Quilt Show, Lancaster, PA
2013 Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Art Center
...Pacific Intl Quilt Festival XXII, Santa Clara, CA
...Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza XX
...IQA Houston "Quilts: A World of Beauty"
...Images, Festival of Arts, Penn State University
...Form, not Function, Quilt Art at the Carnegie
...AQS Quilt Show, Paducah, KY
...Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival XXIV, Hampton, VA
...AQS Quilt Show, Lancaster, PA
2012 Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Art Center
...Pacific Intl Quilt Festival XXI, Santa Clara, CA
...Art Quilts XVII Chandler AZ, Center for Arts
...AQS Quilt Show, Grand Rapids, MI
...IQA Houston "Quilts: A World of Beauty"
...AQS Quilt Show, Des Moines, IA
...AQS Quilt Show, Paducah, KY
...Fantastic Fibers, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah KY
...Art Quilt Elements, Wayne Arts Center, Wayne PA
...Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival XXIII, Hampton, VA
...Form, not Function, Quilt Art at the Carnegie
2011 Art Quilts XVI, Chandler AZ, Center for Arts
...Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Art Center
...Pacific Intl Quilt Festival XX, Santa Clara, CA
...Quilt Visions, "Interpretations", San Diego, CA
...IQA Houston "Quilts: A World of Beauty"
...AQS Quilt Show, Des Moines, IA
...SAQA's "Structures in Cloth" Colorado
...Images, Festival of Arts, Penn State University
...PAQA South "ARTQUILTSmovement" Durham NC
...Denver National Quilt Festival, Denver, CO
...AQS Quilt Show, Paducah, KY
...Fantastic Fibers, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY
...Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival XXII, Hampton, VA
...AQS Quilt Show, Lancaster, PA

DeCampStudio