Turkey Tracks: January 5, 2018
January 5, 2018
I’m not sure how it got to be January 5, 2018, already!
Where does the time get to so fast?
We survived yesterday’s “Bomb Cyclone” up here in Mid-Coast Maine. I’ve seen much worse in terms of blizzards. Maine coastal areas flooded, however. Just north of Camden, Lincolnville Beach flooded. I’ve never seen that kind of winter flooding before this storm, and many old timers here are saying they have not either. It is not an exaggeration to say that we are in unchartered territory in terms of big storms and rising waters.
I replenished bird food and Louisa food before the storm. The bags are so boldly colorful.
After this storm, we have a fair amount of snow on the ground. The winter sports folks are delighted. Here’s my back deck, so you can see what’s accumulated now.
The turkeys stay with me all winter now, but these males stick very close. They spent the storm under the big white pine and their backs were often were covered with snow. Did it help insulate their bodies?
I’ve had a lot of intense sewing time in recent weeks, which I love. The Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt “reveal” came just before New Year’s, along with all the finishing “clues.” “On Ringo Lake” is an intense, very scrappy quilt. I am enjoying seeing all the different color ways and different settings people have used in this quilt and look forward to seeing my own different colors playing together. You can see the finished quilt on Bonnie’s web site: quiltville.com.
I don’t know. I think in recent years Bonnie Hunter’s designs have gotten more and more busy. Or, modern quilts have changed my own tastes. But I often feel that all the busyness in sashings, especially, is detracting from the clever, innovative blocks she designs. I know that opinion is a very personal taste take on my part, but I think my own challenge with her work that I attempt will be to scale back some of the elements. The eye, I think, needs resting places. Too much is…too much…and robs the work of its specialness. The cleverness is getting…lost.
Here is a picture of some of the small quilts in my sewing room–made over the past 13 or so years:
I cut out a fleece top yesterday. I’m working up my courage to sew it mostly on the serger. Wish me luck!
Louisa Enright's Blog 
You go girl! I wish I had your energy….Love all your mini (small) quilts.
Louisa, I agree you 100% about Bonnie Hunter’s recent quilts
there far too busy it’s the case of you “can’t see the woods for the trees”
I like modern quilts but not the minimalist practically all white ones.
It’s finding the right balance and sometimes that can be challenging.
Hope the weather soon warms up as usual we are being battered with wind
and rain in Ireland.
Louisa, you have a good eye for colour and I like your colours for Ring Lake.
Happy sewing for 2018.
Sorry to be slow in replying, and thanks for reading my blog. Agree about modern quilts, too. I love the graphic nature of the ones with lots of negative space, but I don’t want to do that kind of quilting in negative space. Really admire that talent, but it’s not in my future. Like you, I am looking for a good balance, which usually throws me into the traditional/modern arena. We had a quick thaw here, but our temp are down the teens again. It is winter in Maine…