Golden Touch

Creativity has been pulling me in different directions. I've been working on the little elephant quilt, sketching other designs, and doing some writing.

Here's a picture that cracks me up. I took it on the Oregon Coast a couple of years ago.

So many things to make, so little time

I finished one of the Egyptian medallions after some tinkering with different techniques. I'm going to put it away for a while, then see how I like it. I started another little quilt today, this one with elephants. The ideas are still coming fast.

I need to get a photo-altering program on my computer so I can prepare pictures for posting.

Portland's Underground

Tonight the History Channel is showing Cities of the Underworld: Underground Bootleggers. "100 years ago Portland, Oregon was America's Sodom, a city full of vice, considered the most dangerous port in the world. It was a place where you could get drugs or booze or wake up trapped in a cell beneath the earth. Expanses of underground tunnels enabled slave traders, opium runners and speakeasies to flourish. Join host Don Wildman as he ventures beneath modern Portland into the nefarious world of fight clubs, slave tunnels and gambling dens."

Sounds like they might be exaggerating a tiny bit, but it should be entertaining.

Alnwick Castle

Also from a recent issue of the Oregonian, Alnwick Castle, which was "Hogwarts" in the Harry Potter movies, has a Poison Garden. This 2004 article in the Guardian describes the plans for the garden and some of the plants there. The Oregonian's description, three years later, shows that the Duchess of Northumberland was able to make it a reality.



The castle has many attractions. Blackadder and a few movies (in addition to Harry Potter) were filmed there. The website has an informative timeline juxtaposing events relating to the castle with events in Great Britain and elsewhere in the world. The earliest parts of the castle were erected in 1096. Alnwick was the birthplace of Harry "Hotspur" Percy, familiar to medieval history enthusiasts. It sounds like quite a tourist destination now. The castle website is worth a look, if only so those of us who live in this young country can marvel at the idea of living among buildings that are a thousand years old.

Shakespeare for Every Occasion

A fellow Portlander, Jimmie Moglia, has compiled a book of Shakespeare quotations that apply to daily life. It's called Your Daily Shakespeare and there's more info at his website. I found out about his project through a recent Oregonian article and I just had to post here about it because anyone keeping Shakespeare's grand language alive is all right by me.

Rain, rain...

...makes a nice change after a run of 90-degree days. It's much cooler in the studio and with the window open I can hear the rain.

I'm working on a series of Egyptian-themed medallion mini quilts and I'm happy with the progress. They might be the first items to go up in my etsy shop when it's ready.

Busy

I've been sewing new curtains for the studio. I love the fabric. It's a delicate floral burnout. I'm sewing it by hand since it has the sheer flowers, but it's sturdier than I expected. Here's a picture:

Tonight I worked on a mini quilt of Bast until the heat and Justin Timberlake on the radio drove me inside.

Summertime

I made pesto with basil from the farmers' market, then used it to make a homemade pizza that turned out great. And yesterday I started making a doll quilt that I've had in mind for a while. It's a simple checkerboard pattern with gingham and a floral fabric and will be very sweet when it's finished.

Here's the pesto recipe:

1 cup pine nuts
salt and pepper
4 cups fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except oil in a food processor and process until finely chopped.

While machine runs, pour oil slowly through feed tube and process until smooth.

Makes about 1 cup.

Up and Away

I have so many ideas lately I can barely write them all down, let alone make them, but little by little I'll put them into effect. Yesterday I finished a pair of shorts for Aidan. I sewed them completely by hand and they turned out great. He couldn't wait to wear them and show everyone. I'll post a picture once I figure out how.