Medallion Quilts at the NEQM, and life

 Another month has flown by.  I don't check blogs as much as I used to... maybe on Instagram more now I guess.  

I never posted anything last month about seeing the AQSG Medallion Quilts at the New England Quilt Museum.  The truth is, I got my times mixed up and it turned out David and I had to just fly through the exhibit before the museum closed.  Still, what a treat to see this traveling exhibit! 

Here are a few - and Lori of Humble Quilts has just posted more on her blog here with really great photos and details.  Please check it out!  

Made by Wendy Caton Reed: 

Made by Blair W. Mahan: 

Made by Sandra Starley: 

Made by Jennifer Perkins: 

In other news, I am just busy with Christmas preparations, really looking forward to having all the kids here.  

I am also processing the news that Kaela and family will be moving to San Francisco after the holidays... for a new great job... and taking my three grand babies with them, as they must, lol.  They say they will be back to North Carolina after a few years.  Here's hoping! 

So we have been relishing every moment with them.  Charlotte loves our riotous collection of hashioki  (chopstick rests) - 

And anything related to cookies - 

I still feel new in my local quilt guild but I've told myself to "give it a year" in the hopes of finding quilting kindred spirits.  Tonight is a holiday potluck I am prepared with all of my homework - hospital pillowcases; donation blocks for QOV quilts; BOM blocks; Yankee Swap gift...  

and fresh sour dough bread (butter on the side) for the potluck... which I will slice up at the last minute.  

I hope that if you are reading this, you are doing well in spirit and that you will be spending time with loved ones in the coming weeks.  The holidays can be fraught, I know.  

Still, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and Happy New Year all around.   

xo

Cynthia 

Quilts at the NEQM! and new kitchen!

Last weekend David and I went to Massachusetts for a brief overnight to see a few old friends and visit my Medallion with Sashiko quilt hanging at the New England Quilt Museum;).  Many thanks to Barb Vedder for including this quilt!  It was a thrill to see it within such a wonderful exhibit of creative, quirky quilts.  We sort of dashed through because somehow I didn't realize the museum closed at 4:00!  We then went on to NYC for a couple of days.  It is very easy to fly between Raleigh and New York City, happily.  

This one of Barb's was my FAVORITE in the show, so timely - 

In other news, my brother makes fine cabinetry, and he has re-done our little kitchen.  It was so fun to plan this with him in terms of the cabinetry.   We kept the footprint, flooring, and lighting, but replaced cabinetry and appliances.  The cabinets are painted Sherwin Williams' "Alabaster."   The counters are quartz Miraggio Gold. The electrician's assistant took the old appliances, and the plumber took all the old cabinetry, so that was a win-win for everyone. 

I absolutely love having my cookbooks close at hand, but behind glass.  My recipe binders are in the little cubby.  New white KitchenAid, coming full circle to the white KitchenAid I inherited from my Mom and later gave to my daughter.  

The green of the island and backsplash was color matched from an old floorboard found in the 1740's home we had in Massachusetts.  "Hartwell Green" we are calling it.  It is very moody and I love it. 

I'm so happy with the slightly deeper hightop counter my brother made, in such a lovely Cinnamon stained oak. 

There are a couple of little things to finish with the kitchen but it is all but done, and such a pleasure.  

The day my brother finished, our step-mother Denise visited for a week from Denver.  Noelle came over from Raleigh to see her one day.  

Back to quilting...  I've come to a sort of deflating decision to stop with the Mathilde Mystery quilt.  I adore the quilt, but some of the choices I have made are just..... no.   I'm going to put all these pieces into the "parts department" and challenge myself to use some or all of them... someday.... maybe in some baby quilts, who knows.  

And so very happily... I am going to continue making scrappy Ohio stars.  I will either set them in red like this, or do my favorite setting, a split square for a diagonal stripe-y vibe.   I'm looking to make it a wintery quilt appropriate for December - February (or anytime really).   I love this kind of scrappy piecing because I know eventually the quilt will be so "wabi sabi".   

I am loving the cooler, sunny days!  Where did October go? 

xo

Cynthia 

19th Century Basket Quilts at NEQM

Here's my Ethel's Treasure Baskets quilt hanging behind its beautiful inspiration at the New England Quilt Museum.

Ya, I'm pretty thrilled and honored to see it hanging there and I sure wish I could visit the exhibit and see all the quilts!  Feeling waaayyyy too far away in Japan.  If you are near Lowell MA and love quilts, the NEQM is a must!  (While you are in Lowell, visit the Boott Cotton Mills too!)

And there is a Brown Bag lunch on August 1st at 12:30 with a talk by Laura Lane, Collections Manager at the museum:
Join the NEQM Collections Manager, Laura Lane, for an in-depth look at our Genre Gallery exhibition, 19th Century Basket Quilts, on loan from the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG). Members of the AQSG were challenged to study a basket quilt from the 19th century and create a new quilt of their own that was inspired by the original. The new quilt could be a reproduction or simply reflect the original in a way that spoke to the maker. Among the inspiration quilts are three from the NEQM permanent collection, which will be on view in the Museum’s Donahue Gallery.

Laura was so helpful to me, providing time and space at the Museum for me to study that wonderful old basket quilt.  Here's my post about making my study quilt.   It was such a fun challenge. 

You can see all of the 2016 study quilts here!

And a little plug for the book, available on Amazon.  Proceeds support the work of the American Quilt Study Group. 

xo
Cynthia

Japanese Quilts at NEQM

detail from Under the Eternal Starlit Sky by Makiko Nakamura 

Just under the wire last week I finally got over to the New England Quilt Museum to see Quilts Japan - I mean, wow!  One of my favorites: 

Under the Eternal Starlit Sky by Makiko Nakamura 

detail from Under the Eternal Starlit Sky by Makiko Nakamura 

detail from Under the Eternal Starlit Sky by Makiko Nakamura 

detail from Under the Eternal Starlit Sky by Makiko Nakamura 

And, in the classroom, be prepared to have your socks knocked off by the quilts of Gladi Porche.  This is up until April  28th so you have some time to get over there to see her amazing quilts.  There are several inspired by Japan, and one is more amazing than the next.  Love. 

Gladi has blogged a lot about the Quilts Japan quilts - click here  and also peruse her other posts - very inspiring and if you've missed Quilts Japan, reading Gladi's posts is the next best thing. 

Both exhibitions so wonderful - colorful... just amazing! 

x 

Cynthia 

More quilts at the NEQM

Here are a few more pics from my visit to the New England Quilt Museum the other day  (As much as I loved the exhibit of Japanese quilts, I am also so drawn to antique American quilts).

 A gazillion half square triangles in this LeMoyne Star quilt circa 1870:

 A simple and striking log cabin, circa 1900:

Notice the "big" stitches -

Some charming red work, 1889:

Such a lovely "prized possession" this must have really been -

And lastly, this treasure trove of antique fabrics:

I'm noticing half square triangles everywhere.  I am making something with lots of little half square triangles too.  It is a "study quilt" for the American Quilt Study Group.  I know I read somewhere that we are requested to not show the study quilts on our blogs, not yet... but just so ya know.... that's where most of my quilting energy has been going lately!

Hope all my quilt buddies are having a nice spring.... (when will spring really reach Massachusetts?) or a lovely autumn in the other hemisphere!

xo
Cynthia