This, That and the Other Thing

Interwoven

 Hi all - I'm back from a very busy month of teaching and vacation and of course The Wedding. Guess what was waiting for me when I got home? My quilt Interwoven - it's back from the National Quilt Museum and I was so happy to see it again.  It's all about my being interwoven with my love for God, my love for the earth and my love of patchwork and color! I can't believe I spent a summer string piecing all those blocks... but, hmm, they look good! Maybe I should do that again!

Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my vacation pics, show you my sewing room and a bit of my latest project for RJR. My blog is called "quilty art" so not every little thing has to be about quilts, right? Photographs are art, yes? Not that I take the best shots, lol. 

Campgrounds, Canyonlands Needles District
(And don't you love the lenticular clouds!?)
I taught in Farmington, New Mexico and Durango, Colorado last month so Ted and I turned it into a camping vacation in the Four Corners area.  I loved my time with the ladies in both quilt guilds, they were so sweet and I hope they had lots fun. One lady gave me a bag of apples she picked from her yard and we ate those apples all the way through Utah as we hiked and camped at Bryce and Zion. I hope you like my photographs! I know the colors fed my soul and maybe they will your's as well?

Our first campsite was in the Needles District at Canyonlands National Park. They are the only campgrounds with running water in the park and I NEED my running water and toilets. I may love camping but pit toilets get old very quickly... like after the first time you use them. 

Cottonwoods along the road into the park

 The aspen, cottonwoods and birch? trees out West show much more glorious color than ours do in the Midwest. Oh they were beautiful!

Needles District

 The southern part of the park has the wildest pudding/mushroom shaped rocks, I've never seen anything like them.

Chesler Park/Joint Trail

 One of the hikes we went on was the Chesler Park ? Joint Trail loop thingy. It was the toughest hike I've ever done, we got lost and by the time we found our way back I'd worn off the skin on the bottom of one of my toes. (OUCH!). It was pretty cool, though. You go up and over the rock bluffs to high country - here is a shot of the overlook. 

Overlooking the Needles district -though I don't think these are needles!

 So... it's called the Joint trail because part of the hike takes you through an opening between the huge stone formations. The 'joint' goes on for quite a while... this is the beginning.

The beginning of the Joint part of the trail

 The joint gets dark and narrow and you have to scrabble down as the path changes - it was a bit challenging in places as the photo below will show you! 

There was about a 10 foot drop here so you scrabble down the boulders and then thankfully there was a log you can't see to help you get down to the path below.

Follow the light!

 When you come out the other side, you are in the high back country - there was hardly anyone around which once we got lost was rather spooky. 

Rock formations along the Chesler Park Loop trail

The paths winds it's way through this high meadow and cool rocks.

Needles!!

More needles and rocks

Needles, rocks and pine trees 

 One day we drove up to the northern part of the park called the Island in the Sky District. WOW!!!

My husband Ted. (He's happy to be out in the park.)

 We are hiking to a little known and hard to find archaeological site called False Kiva. We were the only ones up there and it was spectacular.  (We got lost on the way back from this hike, too. It's hard following those little piles of rocks which mark the trail!) 

On our way to False Kiva - yes there are drop offs and cliffs to watch out for!

 I'm afraid of heights and edges... but I'm willing to endure them to get to where I want to go! 

False Kiva

 I have some photographs taken from various overlooks in the park - here they are... I don't remember quite where they were taken anymore. But the park is so beautiful!

Island in the Sky District, Canyonlands National Park 

 If I remember right, this photo was taken along an overlook hike of about 3-4 miles along the rim and the hike started at the top of that mesa on the left. 

Island in the Sky District, Canyonlands National Park 

That overlook path goes out on a spit of land and once you are up there far enough you can see on the other side - the hike had 360 degree views. 

Iconic Mesa Arch... it was so crowded with photographers that this is the best shot I could get. Yuck. Tourists.
(Ha-Ha!)

Arches National Park, this is from the Park Avenue hike

Along our hike up the Delicate Arch there were petroglyphs. 

 Hiking way way up to Delicate Arch darn near killed me. Then once we were up there, the place was crawling with people like ants. We waited for a long time before I could get a picture without people laying down under, leaning up against, kissing, napping, posing, etc. under the thing. 

Delicate Arch

 The other BIG thing that happened to me was that last month my oldest son got married. I have tons of pictures but I thought I'd show you just three. First, Teddy M. is escorting my hubby and me down the aisle to our seats. Isn't he a handsome lad?

I think he's a handsome lad. 

Ted, me and my son Teddy Michael on his wedding day.

Teddy and Erin

 They got married in Madison in a downtown church. Downtown Madison is squeezed between 2 lakes so after the ceremony they took off with the photographer and had some fun in different places downtown. 

Teddy and Erin

 I love my new daughter!

~Now then~
From the Sublime to the Ridiculous.
My sewing room

I swear I used to have more room in it, lol!!

My free space is relegated to that bit of open floor, yikes!

 Hmm, when do you suppose it is time to start mentioning to your husband that you need a bigger house because of your quilting!?

(When and how? Suggestions welcome, wink wink.)

In the meantime, RJR has asked me to replicate one of my quilts using their new Malam batiks. The quilt they want me to replicate is my Overhanging Oak Branches quilt which you can find in my Gallery. Here are the new batiks!

RJR, new batiks
The quilt will be made into a kit for the Missouri Quilting company catalog I think.

First step? Organize all their fabrics by color and value... will they work?
Yes.

Some of the fabrics I'll be using -

 And here is where I've gotten so far. This quilt will be strip applique so I won't have to piece anything and it will go together quickly. 

Overhanging Oak Branches for RJR

I have to switch out some things here and there, but on the whole I think it will look great! Stay tuned and I'll show you more in my next blog....

Well that's it for me, except I feel the need to says something about what's happening in our country. Hate crime is up nearly 70% and everyday we hear about more violence being perpetrated from one race on another, or one religion on another.

This isn't how it's supposed to be. This isn't right.

When I hugged my son before taking my seat at his wedding, I put all my heart and soul into a prayer for his future; that it would be good. That he would love God and love his neighbor. That he would love his wife and love his future children. That he would experience success in this life and know how much he is loved.

Who doesn't wish these things for their own children? So as far as you are able, can you pray for the same things for other people in our country? Perhaps for people that don't look like you? Or worship like you?

Just my 2 cents. Here is my photo - it turned out to be one of my favorite wedding shots.
(I love my son and am so proud of him.)

Comments welcome!