suziehammond

Some rain sounds so nice! I also enjoy the first days of fall after a run of summer. Then I want more summer tho.

We are finally into sun-splashed warm days! It has been a long winter for us. Although we don't get lots of snow as we are in the valley, there is plenty on the Andes which we see from the front windows. It does get pretty cold and you stay cold in the house tho. This house has primitive miserable heater arrangements. As in, huddle up in one room next to a gas heater. If you ever get me pried loose from the living room heater to go to the kitchen I will warm it up and never leave. Except it is about 4ft x 5ft and no place to sit and eat in there. lol This is a second world country after all so we aren't using up the resources that the US and Europe do. Our new house will have solar heating and insulation! And I can't wait.

I know what you mean about shoveling snow. That drove us out of Toronto at one point. I do not want to spend the precious hours of my life dealing with weather! From here until early April we will be having lovely weather here in Santiago. Eating out on the patio, partying, outdoor concerts and time in my warm, sunlit studio! We are about on par with a climate like inland parts of So Cal. We often get down to 26 F at night and are under piles of quilts then the day may get up to 50-which is NOT comfortable all day, you need your heater!

Here is a snapshot out our front door that I have been meaning to turn into a Q at some point. Contrast is better in the big shot. The cross on the top of the church across the street is picturesquely crooked due to that big earthquake in 2010.

suziehammond

Oops! wanted to know if you went ahead and went to the Hilton and slept like a baby or not!

Difergie

Sounds so picturesque! Do not envy the heating situation though.

nancia

No, I fell asleep around 5 until 8. Just a little nap, but ruined my window of opportunity. I am having a very hard time motivating myself to do anything. I haven't sewn in weeks. I read the board, read a book on line, and that's about it. Oh, I have been going to the hand quilting guild meetings in Bristol.it's called, " the mothers and others quilt guild". It started a long time ago with just mothers and then some men wanted to join, and some non-mothers, so they changed the name. I think it is rather cute! They were very concerned when i didn't show up the week before last, but no one had my number. I didn't realize there would be so strong a reaction ( in a nice way), so now i know to let someone know. The biopsy came back negative, and they were very pleased about that. These were the people i was hoping to meet when we moved here, not the cold, self-centered people i did meet. It takes all kinds. These women are very kind, warm and caring, and everyone of them has a hardship going on in their life. This is where they come for support and friendship. We sit around the wooden frame in the choir room of the church and quilt, and catch up on how life is going for each of us. And, since I'm new they haven't heard all my stories yet. There was a thread a couple weeks ago about a woman who had newly joined a quilt guild and lots( some) members thought she was too loud and talked too much, even saying that they weren't going back if she was going to be there! Omg! It was one week after I'd first been to the guild, aNd I'm really hoping it's not my new guild! So i told them the story as we were all packing up to leave, and one of the girls butted in with "nah, we'd just tell you to shut up!" And everybody laughed. I can deal with that!!8-).
Is anybody else having trouble staying signed in? This is driving me batty! I sign in, i move around in here, and I have to sign in again. I'm used to signing in and staying signed in forever. What's going on??

goldendog55

I'm having that problem with many of my threads. Thought I wasn't doing something right.

nancia

Well, i guess admitting to being non productive freed up the log jam! I worked tonight on my Dias del muertes in honor of my parents. It needs work, but i feel good about starting it and putting a Lot of symbolism into it. That was something i always enjoyed. I could find symbolism where there was none, lol. So far it is all fused together and i found some glow in the dark paint ( after I turned the lights out to go to bed, there was the glowing bottle, )so i went around the eye sockets, etc. then turned off the light again. I will add more tomorrow. This may be more of an art project than quilting project. Now, to figure out how to post pictures from my ipad. I 'm positive it can be done, i just haven't learned how yet! Thank you, dotty for getting me " back in the saddle". Our guild is participating in the local celebration this coming weekend so i am trying to get stuff done to exhibit. I have given away everything I've made so i don't have much. I thought i would take some doll quilts from the swap and see if they are interested in those. Grann of 6 is loaning me some quilts that she has made so that will be fun. Of course, I'm loaning the one from my gm, the silk crazy gravestone quilt, and a couple of flimsies from my other gm and one that I am working on. It's not judged, just a friendly display to show what we are up to. Wish i had a couple of the mug hugs I've made. I think those are something they have never seen, and probably never will again, lol. I'm proud of coming up with the concept then designing and creating them. That is one place where my sculpting background shows up. Ah, to have good hands and back, what i wouldn't give ! Time for bed, have stuff to do tomorrow! If anyone knows how to load pictures, or share them from the ipad please pm me and tell me how, and remember, use words no bigger than two syllables, i am a computer moron. Thanks!8-)

suziehammond

BOY--haven't we all been there!! Repeatedly......... Glad to hear though that you filled the reservoir and it started spilling over again. Waterfalls of creativity can be so very satisfying.

Delighted that the biopsy was negative and as is well on that front??

Getting established in a new area can be tough I think. Certainly I have taken my lumps in that arena. While many things might be easier or better in the new place--and I go out of my way to review and count those regularly--other things are in need of, well, help to make life as comfortable and delightful as it was b4? Certainly true for me. I adore Chile and with little effort have managed thoroughly enjoy it here

Mothers and Others sounds great. Those types of groups are definitely 'keepers'. Here there are no crafting or quilting guilds or groups and there are no fat stores full of gorgeous cottons dripping with colors. S I have had to create alternatives. Which is tougher still when you don't know the language. But some neighbors and I get together now and again and they have a totally different south american take on their crafting which is refreshing. I am making other interesting connections and now learning the craft which is all the rage here which is a type of tin sculpting over a base object. I never would have discovered that had I stayed back in CA. I also have discovered the end of town where it is store after store of fabrics of varying sorts. They find cotton pretty stupid here as they are making clothes, upholstering and doing curtains and do not want to iron. But for art quilts it is quite a mecca and challenges me further. There are some stores carrying a wide variety of cotton poly sheeting for KS bedding and it is only about $6yd so that is cool! So for me accepting and embracing these difference is fun. But like you I have found that the human socialization factors take longer to build.

Sounds like you are getting there tho and you will find those lovely soul mate type friends as you go forward. I have done so everytime we moved. Thanks the heavens for Skype to stay in touch with them all!

I can't wait to see your 'Dia' piece. It sounds like you are making some excellent progress on it. It is special and so can't be forced of course but it will burst out when ready.

I also love your mug hug idea and want to do a few when fall rolls around again. Enjoy the show and tell us how it went.

I guess I will send along a few examples of projects IP at the moment. The wine carafe is a gift from my neighbor with this tin technique they love playing with here. (I gave her a small Q)

Also is the commission Q on the wall. "Musical form" Not sure how to finish it. My first thot was more music fabrics but surprisingly they overpower it all if I put anymore in there. Black frame all around with the purple strip going into the border--and then what the heck kind of quilting design??!! Ideas encouraged.

nancia

No ipad users, i guess! I know how to take pictures, but not how to add them to the thread. Can do it on my PC, which isn't working.

amelia0607

I would like to make this picture into a 6.5" quilt block. Any suggestions for how best to do this? I'm so very new to quilting in general that I don't even know where to begin. Thanks!!! (BTW, I'm going to post this on the main board as well but think you art quilters might have more creative ideas)

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goldendog55

You could always print it out on photo fabric from your computer. If you buy it from a fabric store, it will come with instructions.