Weekend in San Francisco

I had only to mention the Amish Abstractions exhibition at the deYoung Museum in San Francisco, and my sweet husband immediately suggested that I go.  And I had only to mention San Francisco to my sister, and she suggested that she join me. We flew down bright and early Saturday morning and I was home by 10:30 Sunday night.  In between we packed in quilts, shopping, wine, meals out, and lots of walking.

 I highly recommend our hotel in Union Square.  It  more than fulfilled their claim of "urban hospitality" and description as "innovative, practical, and funky."  The hotel and our room were attractive and comfortable, and the service was exceptional.  The staff were welcoming and very attentive to our needs.

Two of our first stops after settling into the hotel were Needlepoint, Inc., which is a really wonderful shop if you like needlepoint and Britex Fabrics.  What a fabulous fabric store, well-staffed with knowledgeable employees!  It is certainly four floors of bliss for sewers; however, the selections were somewhat limited for a quilt maker -- but it is not a quilting store, so that is understandable.  I loved visiting each of these stores, but I was rather pleased with myself for leaving them with my money still safely stashed in my wallet.

With a little assistance from our friends at Hotel Abri, we caught a bus to Golden Gate Park and walked to the deYoung and the Amish Abstractions exhibition.  I had already seen every quilt in the book and on the internet, but I was still amazed and awe-struck by the sheer beauty of these quilts.

Some are dark and rich and some are muted, with lighter or brighter colors that seem to glow, but the colors are always fabulous.  These quilts are fascinating to me on so many levels that I can look at them over and over again.  They are both simple and complex, traditional and  modern, restricted and liberated.

The weather was sunny and warm...

...just perfect for breakfast outdoors in Union Square.  See the Needlepoint, Inc. signs?  That's why I can always find the store when I visit San Francisco.  I just need to find Union Square and look for those signs.I

After breakfast Sunday morning we walked through the Heart of the City Farmers Market and explored the Hayes Valley Neighborhood (boutiques, art galleries, wine bars, etc.).  I've seen the Keep Calm and Carry On slogan so many places lately, that this little gift bag in a bookstore as we neared the end of our weekend really caught my eye.  I think everyone needs a little whirlwind getaway now and again, but if that's not possible...

With wishes, true and kind -- Joan

Making it up as you go (aka, A pattern is a suggestion)

Here are my bee blocks for Carla (aka Lollyquiltz), who requested 12.5 inch wonky log cabins made from the Nicey Jane strips she prepared and sent to us:

I always have fun making wonky log cabin blocks!  Carla prepared the strips for the block party, but whenever I'm cutting fabric, I always cut extra strips (or strings) to set aside for string blocks.  I love having them ready and then grabbing them and designing as I go.

I also recently received two wonderful books of beautiful colors, quilts, and inspiration:

I love Gwen Marston's no rules approach to quilt making, but even more, I love her acknowledgement that free-form, improvisational, and make-it-up/change-it-up as you go quilt making is not just a new phenomenon, but is something we share with our sister quilters from many years past. I love looking at antique quilts from different eras and different parts of the country and world.  What a legacy of inspiration!   

When I recently took my "Celebrating Julia" cooking class, many of us questioned the chef/instructor carefully about how much of a particular ingredient should be used or exactly when and how an ingredient should be added.  She always smiled patiently and responded, "A recipe is a suggestion" and encouraged us to feel free to deviate from recipes or use whatever methods work best for us.  That is how I think of quilt patterns -- as suggestions.  AND -- it is oh, so important to enjoy the process.

LOL -- my son is playing a video game in the same room, and the music playing in the background is this: Rules Don't Stop Me.  Perfect.

I recently signed on to participate in the Lazy Gal Liberated Amish 2010 Get Together.  For this "challenge" we are making quilts meeting these 4 criteria:  (1) choosing a quilt from the Faith and Stephen Brown Collection (see above book), (2) using solid fabrics, (3) making the quilt "liberated" (see Gwen Marton's book), and (4) using some liberated letters or numbers on the front of the quilt.  

The Faith and Stephen Brown Collection is currently on exhibition at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, and there is a pretty good chance that I may fly down for an overnight in April to see the exhibition in person! More later if this -- hopefully -- works out.

If you want to see some gorgeous Amish quilt eye candy, but don't want to buy the book and can't get to San Francisco, you can see them at the website here.  

This is my year to explore and experiment with solids in a variety of projects.  Sound good?  Then hop on over the Sew Fantastic for a chance to win a giant fat quarter pack of the 25 most popular Kona Cotton colors!  Good luck!

With wishes, true and kind -- Joan