Trip to Art Quilt Tahoe

As I did last year, I attended Art Quilt Tahoe in California in November. This year I had a class with Gerry Chase whose art quilts I have admired for many years. We painted on fabric using a djanting tool that is usually used for wax batik. Then those paintings were ripped apart, literally, and the pieces used to compose quilt tops along with the other fabrics and embellishment we brought with us.

Gerry is a marvelous teacher and a mentor in professionalism in art quilting. The class was all I could have wanted and much, much more.
Thank you Gerry and all the other students in the class for a memorable event.

Day of the Dead

We celebrated the Day of the Dead in San Miguel with visitors from the U.S., Rain Johnson and Amber Whitlatch and their sons, Ogden and Jubal. All of us made votive candles to welcome back from the dead our dear departed. Then we made this offrenda, an altar offering for them. It is traditional to scatter marigold blossoms to light the way and make offerrings of favorite foods and drink. A sugar skull and some pan de muerte (bread of the dead) rounded out the altar. We lit many candles and let them burn all night while we went to the Jardin to view some related entertainment. A very nice evening in all while we remembered those who could not be with us in person as they were in spirit.