Tag: Kathleen Nixon

Turkey Tracks: Mid-March Project Update

Turkey Tracks:  March 21, 2015

Mid-March Project Update

Ironically, today is the first day of spring.

And it is warmer, but it’s also snowing outside.

Though it’s wet and dreary, my heart has been warmed by Kathleen Nixon’s visit for my birthday.

She was to have come yesterday, but the storm grounded flights, so she arrived bright and cheerful at noon today.  We had a sushi lunch at Mr. Wat’s, a coffee at Zoots, and will have what will be a wonderful dinner at the Hartstone Inn (thanks to Gina Caceci).  Tomorrow we’re going to a special showing of the uncut version of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA at The Strand in Rockland, Maine (where we’ll have some POPCORN).  Afterwards, we’ll have an early dinner at Mirandas in Rockland–a favorite place for both of us.  I have to let her go on Monday, but will take her down to Portland and will do some errands on the way home.

I have been working on the big quilt this past week.  It just needs one more border:

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Which is almost done:

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This is a VERY BIG quilt…

Here are some close-ups:

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AND this one, which shows how much of my focus fabric I’ve been able to use:

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It’s interesting and inspired by Kaffe Fasset’s low-contrast style of quilting.  AND by the American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine’s low contrast “quilt along” of last year.

This year their challenge is to work with four patches–and the above quilt actually uses a lot of four patches.  BUT, I am much more intrigued by the four-patches on point that Bonnie Hunter is making for her part in the magazine’s challenge.  So, these patches have become my current leader/ender project.

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I have no idea how Bonnie is going to set hers, and I’m hoping she will do a “reveal” on April 3rd, the end of the challenge.  If not, I’ll open my EQ7 quilting design program and get to work.

Here’s a close-up.

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I have 20 blocks done now, but truthfully, I could just disappear from the world and sew these fun blocks until I drop.

Remember that I have a whole box of two-inch squares that need using…

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Maybe I’ll do a marathon session and sew these into light/dark four patches…

Meanwhile, the chickens are out every day now and hang out at my quilting room windows where they try to talk to me:

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Barb Melchiskey challenged our group to complete one UFO for our May challenge meeting.  I have a handful of planned quilt projects all folded up together.  This one is at least nine years old:

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And it’s pretty fabric that I still like:

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It wants to be a quilt for a male person…

And I have one in mind…

So, I will start it when the big blue quilt is…quilted.

Happy spring everyone!

 

 

Turkey Tracks: A Visit to Hedgerow

Turkey Tracks:  September 7, 2014

A Visit to Hedgerow

 

Just before I left home for a six-day windjammer trip out of Rockland, Maine, friend Kathleen Nixon and I took a spin down to Port Clyde, Maine–the tip of the St. George peninsula, where the St. George river pours into Penobscot Bay.

On the way, in Martinsville, we stopped at Hedgerow, “where the cultivated meets the wild.”

And what a treat that was.

The first thing that caught my eye was the fact that ARTICHOKES were being grown in Maine.

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I know artichokes can be grown in Maine as friend Rose Thomas has grown them.

I’ve just never personally seen them growing–period–never mind seen them growing in Maine

Here’s another view of these dramatic plants:

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Next, I saw a smiling woman sitting at the picnic table in the left of this picture, braiding shallots.  Aren’t they beautiful?

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The smiling woman turned out to be Anne Cox, who owns Hedgerow with her partner Julie Wortman.

Next, Anne gave us the most enchanting tour of their various hoop houses, their new chicken coop (built to prevent fox from eating her chickens again), and their elaborate and exciting vegetable beds.

Here’s a melon happily growing on the warm stones of a hoop house.

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On our own, we toured the outbuildings where “rustic” furniture, clever/fun hand crafts, GORGEOUS hooked rugs (made by Anne), and produce and value-added food products are displayed.

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I am sorry, Julie, that your face was obscured here by a plant…  But one can get a feel for the outbuildings, which are so lovely.

Anyway, do take a look at the web site–and ESPECIALLY at Anne’s hooked rugs:  www.hedgerowdesign.com.

Hedgerow is one of those special places where creativity sparkles and smiles and beckons you all at once.

I can’t wait to go back.

Turkey Tracks: More Winter Pleasures

Turkey Tracks:  February 18, 2014

More Winter Pleasures

Kathleen and John Nixon often visit me in January or February.  Like me, they love Maine and love being here in the snow.  Nature graced them with 8 to 10 inches on their first night here.

One of the things we love to do is to work puzzles.  Kathleen and John have a favorite puzzle artist–Heromim.  And this year they brought two of these beautiful puzzles.  We set up the white folding table, add a card table for extra pieces, and drag up folding chairs from downstairs.  Then we set to work.

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Here’s the first puzzle.   They let me choose which one to work first.

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Heronim signs his puzzles in two ways:  signature and a tiny black cat on one puzzle piece.  You can see the black cat on the logo.  Kathleen found that piece almost right away as we sorted out the edge pieces.

Heronim’s pictures are set in California and, apparently, in MAINE.  I’ll see if I can find some of the latter.

So, we are playing, which is why you have not heard from me in a few days.  I will post something serious soon.  I promise.

Meanwhile, play is a very good thing.  And play with old friends or family is the best!!