inspiration from nature... and an art quilt waiting to happen

It's true, there is inspiration everywhere... especially in nature. What inspires me most about this photo is that this place sits within a few miles of downtown Houston. A protected oasis in the middle of a densely urban area.  And one that is completely hidden from the busy commuters zooming past on the nearby freeways.

To me, this picture is worthy of a Noriko Endo art quilt technique - a naturescape. And now that I have captured the right image, it's going to happen... one day!

If you've never seen Noriko's amazing art, Google her (Noriko Endo art quilts). You'll be amazed.

The weather is changing here in Texas and we have our first day with a cool breeze. So it's a great time to be outside - but today is Sunday, so you gotta go out early in the morning so you can be back in time for football. What's better than a Sunday full of football and the perfect opportunity to sit with the boys and a hoop, needle and thread and spend the afternoon hand quilting? I have a two-year work in progress that I am committed to finishing. We'll see.

Here's another potential art quilt. I can see this image transformed with thread painting and a line of applique sunflowers across the top of the field.  So beautiful.

And this photo below makes me laugh, so I just had to share it.

This could be my mantra: I stop for quilts!

I took this photo a few days ago when my quilt buddy Amy G. and I went to the annual antique festival in Round Top, Texas. It was amazing as always, especially for me since I now have the time to shop, walk, think, (eat and drink!) without the stress of a big corporate job.  We spent hours and found some amazing antique spools, bobbins, lace and vintage linens. I came home with a wonderful vintage linen from Germany from the 1850's. I can't want to put them all together into an interesting work of art.

If you read Quiltmania (the international quilt magazine published by a French company) --- and if you don't you should pick up a copy --- you'll see a feature in the recent issue on the guy who actually started the antique festival in Round Top many years ago. He is now a well-known dealer for antique quilts and has a business in Tyler, Texas.

So, there you have it. From a magazine from France, writing about a guy in Texas that started a festival in Round Top, to quilts... the amazing connections in life... six degrees of separation.

Remember, my friends, always stop for quilts!