Flower Child

As regular readers to this blog may know, I belong to a very unique and creative group of ladies who get together twice a month for mah jongg and red hat fun. This is the next in a series of posts about those ladies, and I hope this very special gal will forgive the silly title to this post. She excels at flower arranging, to needlepoint, quilting and more. Delicate stencils are featured in her home including this whimsical basket of flowers which escape the frame. The intricate Christmas stocking was lovingly done for her first grandson, and the quilted pillows were gifts for her daughter. An avid gardener, she delights in arranging flowers, such as the sunflower bouquet, and delights each of us on our birthdays with an arrangement especially for us. A couple months ago, she presented me with a selection in a tea cup (did I mention she also gives fabulous teas?) which she called "Herbs and Edibles" because the whole arrangement could have been eaten! I chose to photo graph it instead, and enjoyed it for the longest time.

A.........quintet of exquisite quilts!

When I was introduced to this dear lady more than 18 years ago, I remember being very impressed with her personality and talents. That admiration has grown so much! Her quilting skills are extraordinary and she allowed me to photograph some of her quilted wall hangings, only a few of the many full size and lap size projects she has made and designed. You will notice the wide variety of techniques in these few examples and I hope you enjoy her color palette as much a I do! These are true pieces of fabric art. What a glorious collection!

A.........mazing talent!

This is the third in a series of amazing craft work from fabulous friends. Quilting and sewing are just two of her talents. The quilted jacket is actually done right on top of a sweat shirt, making it warm enough to wear on chilly nights and even sometimes on winter days in Wisconsin. She has made many of these as well as the darling, almost full sized sheep! The sheep is sporting one of her scarf designs. These scarves have a scrunchie type tie, that make it easy for us scarf-tying-challenged folks. I love mine! I'm also in possession of a couple of her colorful kleenex holders. They're perfect for carrying in a purse. I must admit I was very impressed with her eggplant picture which she did in pastels and cleverly titled, "Before Parmesan". Now don't tell anyone else, but she also makes the best angel food cake in the world!

D.........ream Weaver

This is the first of a series dedicated to a group of my fantastic, and talented friends. The series will be posted in nine segments over the next couple of weeks and every one is worth waiting for.
My first friend is a weaver and so much more! She has been weaving for more than 30 years and I snapped a shot of her as she set up her loom to make a new scarf. The placemats and napkins are just one example of this art. But wait! She is also a fabulous seamstress. From the fabric she wove, she designed and made the beautiful vest and purse. But wait! She is also a quilter and used her quilting skills in combination with her weaving skills to make the holiday/winter table runner which matches a quilt. But wait! She used left over pieces of mink stoles she inherited from her mom and aunt to make this adorable (and soft) mink teddy bear. I wish I could include more of her work...taking these pictures really blew me away! Stay tuned for part 2!

R..........ed Hat Friends

A short while ago, I was asked to comment on who or what gives hope to my life. Certainly, my wonderful friends fall into this category! One special group is from Kohler, Sheboygan, and Plymouth. We began playing Mah Jongg two days a month several years ago and have also participated with great glee in the Red Hat Society movement.

Yesterday several of us journeyed to the Rahr West Art Museum in Manitowoc to see the "Art of Tablesettings", an annual show in which a couple of our members participate. They are shown here with their entry "Patricia's Summer Repast", inspired by working on this beautiful lattice wall hanging as well as Patrician glassware and a china pattern called "Patricia". A third member of our group created the flower arrangement. Such talented ladies!




Every leaf of the wall hanging was applied by hand before the quilting was done. How we long for summer during winter in Wisconsin! I'm not sure, but that might be a view of Lake Michigan in the background.



Of course, I volunteered to add a picture of myself for the occasion, but for some strange reason my request was denied....wonder why? :) After the art tour we had lunch and a rousing game of Mah Jongg accompanied by much laughter. With friends such as these, I certainly do not need a therapy group. My husband was once overheard telling a friend about what a good time we always have and then added, "And they don't even drink!"