Creative Life Sampler

Baby Shower Idea Our quilt guild members are sewing flannel burp cloths for the neonatal care unit at our local hospital. This is a quick, easy project and a great way to use up some scraps. These burp cloths measure 7 x 18 inches, a nice size to throw over the shoulder to protect clothing from anything that might come up while holding baby.  Rounded corners are safest. They can be drawn by lining up a small circular object with the horizontal and vertical edges at the corners, (I used the bottom of a child's pencil sharpener.) Two 7.5 x 18.5 inch lengths of fabric are sewn with right sides together using 1/4 inch seam allowance. Be sure to leave a couple of inches open on one of the sides. The rounded corners are clipped above the stitching, to maintain the curve, before turning it right side out and pressing. Match up the two sides at the opening and stitch it closed. Continue around the edge to give them a nice finish.   New moms are always searching around for something to hel

Back in December, I posted about the remembrance/ kindness rock garden that someone started in a planter on the walk along the Ventura Beach Bike Trail.  Just thought I'd report back. It has grown quite a bit!  It seems to me that there is also a lot more variety in the rock painting now. More voices are apparent. Some are simply decorated, and others have clearly taken a good deal of time in the creating.  Even the presentation is an artistic expression. As I was taking in the messages, colors, and artistry, a woman with supplies in hand wandered up, ready to do some work. She shared that about eight people are contributing to the rock garden. They aim to touch lives and spread some cheer to beach visitors. People are encouraged to take a rock from the kindness section, as a memento of their trip to the beach. Since tourists from all over come to California beaches, Ventura kindness rocks are finding homes across the country and around the world.  (To read more about this effort c

'Tis a month before the month of May, And the Spring comes slowly up this way.   Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1772-1834   Wishing one and all a very hopeful, happy spring.   Note: Englishman  Samuel Taylor Coleridge   was a poet, philosopher, & theologian  who joined William Wordsworth, in founding the Romantic Movement (1790-1850), which focused on individual experience, and idealized women, while extolling nature and the common man. His work would greatly influence Ralph Waldo Emerson  and American transcendentalism.  

CMATO at Thousand Oaks Mall Wandered through a Southern California mall this week and I passed this store front. Could there be a better place than a mall to bring the arts to more people? This is home to the California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks (CMATO), a lovely, inviting gallery space, open to the public free of charge.   I've always been curious about this place but, in the past, my timing has been off and I haven't been able to explore it. Happily, I had the time and a willing companion, so we decided to check it out. CMATO's stated goal is to provide "a place where ideas are shared and people connect." The current show is entitled "Landscape Through the Eyes of Abstraction," which presents art work on the theme of the environment. (The show of six contemporary artists will be on display through July 31, and activities are planned for Earth Day so check out their website:  https://cmato.org/ .) The bold colors and shapes in the work of Charles Arno

Just finishing the second week of Ventura Modern Quilt Guild's 100 day challenge! Guild members are choosing their own project(s) to work on at least five minutes a day for 100 days. To be honest my biggest hurdle so far was deciding what I wanted to tackle. So many possibilities!!  But I did need to take into account scheduled events in the coming weeks. A portable reverse appliqué and hand quilting project is perfect for those occasions when you'll be separated from the sewing machine for awhile. Fortuitous, since I already had an idea for a new quilt in my "Q is for Quilt" series. The first step was to transfer that idea to the background fabric using heat erasable fabric markers, and to baste it to my second fabric. Then it was ready for reverse appliqué. Folding under along the drawn line, the top fabric is sewn in place to reveal the color underneath. I'm not sure if I'm getting faster at working by hand, or if this particular design is not as elaborate