Upstate workshops....bring your needles!

In addition to heading to Squam this summer, as part of my plan to vacate the city when it's at its hottest, I am heading to Syracuse this July to teach at Quilting by the Lake.  And, while I assured the leaders of the conference that I am not a quilt maker, I assure you that the workshops will relate to both the quilt maker and non quilt maker alike.

I'm teaching two embroidery workshops over a week's time.  You could take one or both; they will relate but not overlap too much to be redundant.   You can read all about both workshops here.   I hope to meet some of you blog readers there!  Have any of you been to this event before?   Perhaps you could advise a novice like me about what to pack in my duffel!

Oh Julia......

 One of my favorite things about our new apartment is the kitchen.   It's the nicest one I've ever had, and so far, it is a pleasure to cook in.   We've got great countertops (and lots of s-p-a-c-e!) but my favorite thing about the room is this......

Katy made this for me for a Christmas surprise and I am head over heels in love  (with it and with her ; ).    Casually, long ago, I think I mentioned to her that my dream kitchen would have a pegboard like Julia Child's, and apparently she was taking notes, because here it is!  Right down to the color of the boards.  I'm a lucky lady.

My new favorite Le Creuset trivet- thanks Helen!

What I love most is that the pegboards are so flexible.  Maybe one day this spring my collection on vintage crocheted pot holders will take center stage in our kitchen gallery, or come summer my huge pile of souvenir plates will take flight.  You never know what might happen! 

Messy Room

Well, I hemmed and hawed about putting up some pictures of my new studio space.  I unpacked and unpacked and unpacked, and installed a wall (well, Katy and my Dad installed the wall), and unpacked.   And then, I started working.  There wasn't a lot of sitting around looking at the space.

 And the thing about me when I'm working is....I'm kind of a slob.  Things get piled up, piles tip over, there's stuff everywhere.  What would my mother say if I posted pictures of my messy room on the internet?

Speaking of my mom, remember when she came to Chicago and helped me pack and everything was, for the first time in my life, in perfect sorted order?  When she left, I worried about what it would look like in New York if everything was still in that state of tidiness.   Could I work that way?  Probably not.   The truth is, dear readers, I like a little chaos. 

So, here it is.  Every messy pile (well, not every messy pile, I do have my standards).

I have things (that my mom organized) sorted in boxes on the shelves, but the work surfaces (what surfaces? you ask yourself) are covered in piles, and that's how I like them.

Are you coming with me to Squam?

I am pleased to be able to tell you that I'll be teaching at Squam Art Workshops up in New Hampshire again this year.  If it weren't for Squam, I wouldn't be typing away at this blog today.  I was inspired to create this blog there.   At Squam, there are real ice boxes in every sweet little cabin.  In every cabin there is a fireplace, with a fire ready for you to light every evening.  There are waffles every morning and ice cream every evening, and candlelit talks, and walks in the rainy woods, and (if you take my class anyway) embroidery on docks.    Oh, and maybe most exciting (for me anyway) at Squam, you can hear the loons crying every night.  It's amazing.

I had a great time last year, and I hope to see you there this year!

Folk Art Museum

One of my favorite places to go in New York is the Museum of American Folk Art.  Located next to MOMA, in a tall and skinny little sliver of a building, it is almost always a quiet oasis.  Overlooked by viewers rushing into it's popular girl neighbor, the museum always has something inside that knocks my socks off, and right now is no exception. 

The current exhibit showcases Quilts from their permanent collection, and what a collection it is!  From collectively made signature quilts, to African American quilts from Alabama, to Amish quilts, to a mind boggling collection of variations on the log cabin, it's an amazing show.  While I don't consider myself a quilt maker, I am incredibly inspired by old quilts, particularly those that are quirky in some way.  This show is so chock full of goodness that I've gone to see it twice already and I've only lived in New York for two and a half weeks!  If you're in town, or planning a visit, the show is up for a while- you've got to make the trip.  In April the quilts will turn over and a new collection will go up.  AND, as if that weren't enough, there are even more of the quilts on display at their Lincoln Square location.  More on that later.....

P.S.  If you're not in the New York area, the accompanying publication Quilts: Masterworks from the collection of the American Folk Art Museum is available online.  I don't own it personally (though I wish I did!) but I spent some time with it at the show, and the reproductions are beautifully done.

Five Things New York

Five things I am loving right now about New York:

1.) The turquoise (!!!!!!) Tribeca Taco Truck, and specifically, the El Pastor Taco with Grilled Pineapple.  Oh my gosh is it good.  I woke up thinking about it this morning.

2.) The Brooklyn Farmer's market, where you can get an apple cider doughnut every Saturday, even in January.

3.) The Bright Orange color of the Staten Island Ferry.

4.) The way that everyone puts out their paper recycling in neat, tied up string packages.  It's so civilized.

5.) My new studio, with one entire 12 X 8' wall newly covered (Thanks, Dad and Katy!) in flannel wrapped homasote.  I've been in there pinning stuff up and staring at it all afternoon, and it feels like the studio of my dreams.  Pictures to follow tomorrow, I promise!

I promise I'm here somewhere!

I am buried in here somewhere under a lot of heavy boxes, but I will be back soon.  Just as soon as I find one very important item: my camera cord.  All is well here in Brooklyn, and I can't wait to post some pictures of the new studio in progress....the walls arrived today and are set to be installed this weekend.  Let's talk next week, shall we?  And, for those who are interested, despite my lack of camera, my shop is once again now OPEN.  Later alligators.