Long Beach Imagination Quilt Show

What a nice Convention center.

Well I did take pictures of the Long beach International quilt show and it was interesting but my dumb camera acted up and I only caught pics arriving and leaving. I am so bummed but you will just have to use your imagination this time. Sorry! My favorite exhibit was the  Baltimore quilts which allowed no photo taking .There was a lot of art quilts from all over the world and lots of interesting quilts that were beautiful but I was disappointed by the lack of traditional quilts.So as I downloaded my pictures there was a gasp Oh No a blank bunch of pictures! I am not sure what happened I kept putting the camera in my bag and so clearly that was not a good idea. I think the gremlin in my camera thought the same way about the lack of Traditional quilts and acted up. My girlfriend told me Long Beach is known for having lots of Art Quilts.

  



 Ladies start your engines.


Imagine your at a large convention center lots of ladies walking around your feet is hurting from all the walking your doing.It seemed like the aisles were packed at times and then less ladies. This was not as busy a quilt show as three years ago when I went. That time they had actually ran out of food. That time it had been so packed that you could barely get in a booth this time there was only a couple booths like that.   Primitive gathering quilt shop was a hit. That booth was packed the whole day.I loved looking at their wools and books.I went with Linda and Janet and we really didn't shop alot. I was disappointed I wanted to see some civil war material but there was none of that anywhere at the show. Heart to Hand had their usual nice wool patterns. That was good booth.








 Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine had a booth.


   The new Primitive  quilt and Projects Magazine had a booth with rug hooking kits and some wool. The first issue had been sold out at the Country Loft so I bought the issue at the Prmitive Quilts and Projects booth.

 The gals signed it for me. I think this magazine is really packed with great designers and really good projects.

I would highly recommend it.                                                                           



   

 A busy booth was a booth that focused on japanese fabric. There was alot of ladies looking through their fabrics.I bought a half yard of a cute lion material. I think I want to cut it in little squares for a little quilt for Baby Jack. I bought a cute pattern for a doll. I love all types of dolls but for some crazy reason I like ugly dolls.I think it's because I loved the book TheVelveteen rabbit as a child and  so somebody has to make dolls that look a little out of sorts. Lol

                                      Main floor of Convention center 
                                    All the quilters are down stairs at the show.

                            I know it's just a bus but I had taken
                                         a picture of it.

                        Bus ready to go and goodbye Long Beach

                                  Traffic jam on the way home from                                        Long beach.
                                   

.
                                                 View from the bus of the Pacific Ocean

           

                                                                                                                        end.

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Dyeing Wools,Cheri Payne Quilt and Wool Crazy!

                                                   Tuesday Rug Hooking Group

                                       As I race through my post with so much to talk about this
                week. This was a picture I took on the way home from collecting Dodder
               on Sunday.

Not much rug hooking was done. Country Loft had new classes, new wools and patterns so we were too busy looking at everything and visiting. Between sharing my Dodder and explaining how I got the pretty yellow color it was non stop visiting and jaws a movin.   Marjorie explaining about a book she is reading called The root of wild madder It tells the tale of dyes and history.I have to check that book out at the library it sounds interesting.
                                                                       That's a swatch of  
                                                          wool dyed Pomegranate 
                                                          on Marjories book.
                                                          I love that color.

Michele  had the cutest doll bed to share. Michele is also a excellent rug hooker . One of Michele's  rugs is in one of Renee Plains books.Michele  is making another rug for Renee Plains newest book.

           Here is  Pam as usual Pam is a excellent Quilter, rug hooker and basket maker.
             Her website has great pictures of her quilts. http://www.fiberartist.com/

Pam brought two quilts she had finished . Pam quilted our Cheri Payne quilt a donation for the Sew for the cure later this month at Country Loft.  I have two blocks in that Cheri quilt somewhere.
                                              Cheri Payne quilt                     

This is Janes bears she is making for the project for children in developing Countries.The Mother Bear project helps children with Aids and Hiv with a simple bear and a little show of Love.
                                       http://www.motherbearproject.org/
 Jane saw a wonderful article in knitting magazines and there she went helping others with her knitting. Jane also teaches kids to play piano and I love to hear about the recitals.What a kind woman.

   Lot's of information gets passed during rug hooking  on a variety of subjects . There is a wealth of infomation that we all know and so were able to benefit from others.   What’s funny we all sit at the same chair every time .Sometimes I think we should change seats and mix it up a little. It reminds me of pews at  a church. For some reason when you sit at the same pew in a small church you are a creature of habit and always surprised seeing someone in your so called seat.

 Yes I am still working on it.

Wool Crazy was fun I totally forgot my camera sorry. Jo Ann Mullally who is the creator of several books on using wool in projects did show and tell and had at least a dozen projects she has finished.Check out Jo Ann's blog.
                                                           http://woolcrazy-jam.blogspot.com/
Jo Ann is going to have one of her projects in the next issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine.
Jo Ann was the original wool Crazy artist

I have seen other pattern makers now going wool crazy and I have to laugh they look like Jo Ann's just lighter wool colors.   There was a cute article she did on her mom in this months issue of Primitive Quilt magazine. I love the way my wool crazy project is coming along.Even though I work on it just once a month I plug away. We also got some wool scraps from Jo Ann’s grab bag of wool and a new handout pattern oh plus brownie and bagels. So now you know why I am not hungry.
That’s about it two days of fun and Saturday the biggest quilt show in California.
It is going to be crazy.

                                                           Whew!

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Dodder reveal

The results are in . Here is a quick look at how it turned out. I am off to wool Crazy today  so I am dashing out the door. More tomorrow when I have more time to blog about Tuesdays rug hooking group and also todays wool crazy.

                                                                

    On the left is the white sample on top of the wool and the color on the bottom is the result.The top small square in the middle is a bright yellow over plain white wool.The wool on the right was from spring Witch's hair over a check .My conclusion it still works but  collecting in summer the Dodder needs more time to be obsorbed.The two small squares at the top center are over beige wool.

                                        Witch's Hair over a white wool 
                                      with little dots.

                          A gift of  Coreopsis petals for dyeing
                        from fellow hooker Marjorie.

                                        Coreopsis wool  
                                                                
                                                

                               
                                  

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A Dodder we will go in search of natural dyes




Witch's Hair or Dodder
Summer gathering in
Crest

 





Late Sunday Hubby Maulie and I went on our little hike in search of witch‘s hair.  
                                   What a nice surprise
                                 Look  at the wonderful cochineal!
I try to keep all my promises so I was determined to go hiking to get some dodder for my rug hooking friends. Our rug hookers group meets Tuesday so today I had to get it done.

On the way to the trail I spied some prickly pear cactus with some cochineal on it that’s a great insect for dyeing and produces a wonderful pink. I will have to go back and gather it with gloves.


Our little troop was on a hike to find more Witch’s hair. This time the witch’s hair or dodder had become hard to find. Note to self pick earlier in spring! At first we were just seeing dried up witch's hair that was brown.Further along the trail the witch’s hair had changed color more yellow instead of orange so we kept walking on the dirt trail looking for more orange witch’s hair. All we could find was a yellow color. I am really not sure how well it will dye. I love the soft yellow that dodder makes when the dodder is orange so this will be a new dye trial .

                                                           A hiking we will go




 Looking out from the trail which
goes up and down the mountain.



                                                
                          Witch's hair gathering for five rug hookers



                                                      






 picking away at the freshest orange color



 There hubby goes around the bend and kept going....






 O.K so as I stood and waited at the top of hill watching hubby disappear I started to get a little spooked The path we were on went up and then down and so even though I was above him I had rocks and mountain above me. The paths are isolated so I was hidden. First he was taking too long going around the bend searching for witch’s hair . It sure seems quiet when your by yourself. I waited about10 minutes as I yelled “Jack” There is no yell back.

 Maulie and I are looking at each other. I am thinking to myself maybe he needs to get a hearing test! I also thought what a dumb idea to let him go ahead of me Finally after the fourth time yelling he yells back. A few minutes later I see coming up the trail. a huge bag of Dodder. Jack has a look on his face like what’s the big deal. Men!

In my Cheri imagination I have Maulie eaten by a coyote and me I have been devoured by a mountain lion which has been watching from the rocks above me and has carried me off. Oh and then not to mention the rattlesnake that has gotten Hubby Jack while he is gathering the dodder. Some people are better off not using their imagination. That would be me.


Going home.



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News hound report from San Diego county

Southern California news hound report.





I have to quit watching the news but alas I can’t there is so much happening in San Diego from Comic Con to Sandcastle contests to a mystery in Coronado. It’s been hot this weekend so Hubby and I have been doing something that has to be done unpacking boxes from moving back to Crest. So while sorting through the boxes the T.V has been on and boy San Diego is a happening city.

The news has been flooded with comic con 2012 at the convention center. Can you believe over 125,00 people are coming to a comic book convention? This event has morphed into a pop phenomenon . People dress up like characters from comic books and movies . This event is so interesting because of all the costumes people wear and it’s a giant happy event of peaceful people who love comics and movies. For the first time Steven Spielberg  the famous director showed up. He is the man who made E.T and Indian Jones movies. Comic con started in San Diego and has grown to be a international event. Fans mingle with actors and directors at times and it is a total people watching event!
                        
                                                                 Sandcastles in Imperial Beach

Then there is  the U.S Sandcastle competition in Imperial beach. These are the champions of Sandcastle making. There is no way I am going to that event with huge crowds of beach goers.

                                                               A summer mystery


 Hotel del Coronado






 Drive over the bridge to the island of Coronado.
When I was a kid you had to take the ferry to get there.


The final sad event is the mystery of Coronado . The spreckles mansion has a mystery. Is it murder or something else? Coronado is a beautiful beach town that has the world famous Coronado hotel .
The Spreckels mansion is a famous
landmark in Coronado known for being  built by the of the owner of the Coronado hotel.


 Spreckels mansion

  Last week a little boy fell down the stairs and died days later. The little boy was under the care of his millionaire fathers girl friend of two years. A couple days later while the father is at the bedside of his son with his second wife the girlfriend is found nude hanging from a second story balcony. The millionaires brother cuts her down and she falls below to the courtyard.(That seems odd to me letting someone fall from second story) The only person in the house is a family member of the millionaire brother. The Coronado police are still waiting for forensics . Did I tell you her hands were tied behind her back ? The police need to still rule out suicide. The police are also checking to see the hospital camera and making sure the father of the little boy didn’t leave the hospital. The sister of the women who died said she talked to her sister at midnight and she said she was going to bed. This is a real mystery but which is it murder or suicide?

The last thing we have in San Diego county is a wildfire way at the end of San Diego County . It’s not near homes and burning to the desert. It’s burned about 3,000 acres. This ends my report of what's happening  in my neck of the woods.
My only personal news today is Hubby ,Maulie and I have to go on a  hike and get some more dodder for the gals at rug hooking on Tuesday . I haven't told him yet and since I don't want to have heat stroke I will wait til it cools down towards evening.Lol !


 Eagle Fire



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