Friday, July 23, 2010

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

What a lovely trip it was.  Here is a scene from the last leg of my journey, looking out the parlor car window on the Amtrak Coast Starlight, of the Pacific Ocean, somewhere near Los Angeles.



And here are the trains from the West (L.A.) and East (Chicago) meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  It would have been easy to get on the wrong train (except for all the announcements warning us not to).



I worked a lot on this block for my grandson's quilt of my great great grandmother.  The photos were printed on silk for me by the Pixeladies, then I stitched over it to make sure it will withstand multiple washings etc. This sort of image has the added feature of being a little like a movie, because as the fabric moves around, in the course of being used, the facial expression changes, so the interaction can be very like a conversation. 





This is the beginning of a spotted pony I'm making for Jude's Patchwork Beast online class. These classes have been so wonderful; I will miss them...they have helped me see cloth differently and interact with it more lovingly. 

8 comments:

  1. suzanna...i have two new neighbors in my next door pasture...two amazing appaloosas. i don't exactly know what is going on, but they
    take one at a time away in a horse trailer, bring back, take again
    and the one left behind goes all crazy...
    running, almost hitting fence lines, whinnying
    so Shrill....calling calling the other. pretty
    intense. i will try to get a pic this wk end
    and post. They are incredibly beautiful.

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  2. Oh I would love to see a picture Grace. I wonder where they go in the trailer? Appaloosas in the neighborhood sounds VERY nice...

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  3. Susanna,
    this is cristina again.........
    I live in albuquerque! great photo, while you
    were stopped...
    i took the train to california twice and loved
    the scenery . . . clickity clack, clickity clack

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  4. Hi Cristina...isn't it the greatest trip? We stopped in Albuquerque only a short while, but there were craft vendors lined up ready for us. It was pretty hot and we couldn't explore the city at all...have you lived there a long time?

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  5. Hi Suzanna! Thank you for stopping by my blog. I have missed blogland, and it will still be a while before I get back. I love seeing glimpses of your train ride ~ I have taken the train several times from Texas to Illinois and it is one of my favorite things to do in all the world. Putting your grandparents' photos into fabric is such a wonderful idea! And I love your spotted pony, too. You've been very busy traveling and sewing. Were you able to sew on the train? I was imagining how every stitch would sew your train trip into the fabric, too. xo Kari

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  6. Hi Kari...yes I do love taking the train and did lots and lots of stitching and listening to audiobooks/watching the world go by. I'm so glad you're returning to blogland...I've missed you and understand the need to go slowly.

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  7. Hi Suzanna,
    I've lived here all my 56 going on 57 years of life!

    I am a "burque" girl, through and through........
    cheers!

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  8. Hi Cristina...living in one place for a long time is good for the soul I think...roots grow...

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