The Getty Museum

Mike and I drove to Los Angeles to visit the Getty Museum. It was built on the top of a tall mountain. You park your car at the bottom and take an electric tram to the top. Most of the art is very old; J. Paul Getty was not a fan of modern art. My favorite painting is Van Gough's Irises.

All of the buildings are made with stainless steel and coated with white paint or white Travertine clipped onto the steel. There is an abundance of glass everywhere. The result is a museum with very geometric lines and reflective surfaces.

The setting is fantastic; on a clear day, the 360 degree view is amazing. The weather was perfect for spending a lot of time in the gardens. The photo above is of a circular garden in the middle of water. The photo below is a shadow from a very unusual sundial in the garden.

I came home with a bit of a tan and totally exhausted from all of the walking. I took a lot of great photos. It was a wonderful way to spend a Friday.

Photo Sphere

A friend of mine wants to insert a photo into a sphere and distort the perspective. I played around in Illustrator for a little while and came up with the photo below. I like it. I think I need to spend a little more time exploring the possibilities. Hmmm . . . so many ideas, so little time.

Perfect Bindings by Machine

I'm tired of having to sew bindings down by hand. If I'm going to spend time stitching by hand, I want it to show!
A few months ago the search for the perfect machine binding began. Is there such a thing? If so, I haven't found it yet. I've tried several types, the quilts below are the best ones to date. Both are pretty good; but not quite good enough. Is it possible that my standards are too high? Maybe I just haven't done enough of either to be really good. I think I need to try a few more before I give up and sew the bindings on by hand. The quilt above doesn't actually have a separate binding. The back of the fabric was brought to the front, folded and mitered at the corners and sewn on with a straight stitch. It was pretty fast but it doesn't give the finished appearance I want.

This binding technique is the one that Ricky Timms uses on his quilts. I watched his Grande Finale video and decided to give it a try. I watched it two times, took notes, purchased a special foot, Pearle cotton and set to work. There is definitely a learning curve on this one. Mitering the corners are the hardest part.

I like the two colors on the binding. I think it adds a wonderful spark to the edge. Hopefully, the next one will be much quicker!

New Charms & Postcard Received

I am still receiving charms from the Surface Design trade. This beautiful postcard was made by SuZ, it came with a charm attached (it's the fuzzy one in the photo below).

This 1" charm trade has been really fun. They are all so colorful and unique. If you are interested in trading (mostly postcards) check out the Surface Design group on Yahoo.

Once Upon a Time

Several members of my Blockhead group exchanged 4" novelty square fabrics. Monti showed us a quilt she was making called "Once Upon a Time". It was really cute and a great way to entertain and teach a child many things.

I decided that I too would make a "Once Upon a Time" quilt for Marcy, who is expecting twin boys. I will incorporate all the picture blocks above. The alternate blocks are either diagonal or X pathways. As you wind your way through the pathways, you compose a story incorporating new bits as you encounter a new picture block.

My co-worker, Margaret, is making an "I Spy" quilt for the 2nd baby. Marcy isn't due until July, but the baby shower is in April. We are both hoping to be done in time for the shower!