Ruth Stoneley and A Stitch in Time @ QAG

This is one of my favourite photos of Ruth Stoneley and Judith Baker Montano. It was Ruth who took me on a magic art-quilt ride in 1991/1992 where I made my first two art quilts on a retreat at Griffith University, Nathan. It was around the same time I met JBM. An exhibition of Ruth's quilts, A Stitch in Time, is currently on show at the Queensland Art Gallery (Brisbane). So many memories of her shop (Patchwork Supplies) and evidence of her love of Houston TX, La Veta CO and adventures in Taos, NM are to be found in her quilts. Her passion for textiles, embroidery, patchwork and quilting continue to inspire. Don't miss this opportunity to share the works of one of our most intriguing, ground-breaking and generous quilters.

Dulany Lingo's polymer for the home

Cherries ... by Dulany

 Dulany has just started her polymer for the home, available through her new website.  In addition to being a fabulous photographer, master of  knitting, thread and glass, Dulany produces kitchen measuring cups and spoons - and I was fortunate enough to see Dulany making a set based on a Judith Baker Montano design. They are individually created by Dulany in her home studio at La Veta - which is the biggest studio I've ever seen - and doubles as Dulany's residence. Dulany's website has a description of the process she uses to transfer the images and how special, made-to-order sets can be created. All the best Dulany and thanks again for your kind comments, and for sharing your part of the world with us.

Dulany visits us @ JBM's studio

La Veta Town Quilt

La Veta Library is a stunning place in a stunning part of the town - and totally helpful for Australians looking for Internet access. In fact, there wasn't a place we visited where Internet access wasn't supported or encouraged - for anyone. The entrance to the La Veta library is highlighted by a fantastic quilt by Judith Baker Montano where she has crazy quilted multiple blocks where the centre piece is a picture of one of the La Veta houses - my apologies that pictures don't do the quilt, or the town, justice.
Judith's hand work is beautiful - the techniques to incorporate photos of the La Veta homes, the beautiful embroidery - it is fitting that a quilt about La Veta homes should be found in one of its most inviting, public places. In between blocks that represent the La Veta accommodations are wonderful florals.

I loved this quilt - and could have spent the day looking at all the things I missed - and then there was the tangible sense of community that oozed from the stitching. The quilt evoked an overwhelming  "I-wanna-touch-it"  response from all who passed it - kids and tourists alike. The pictures of the houses are all included in Judith's latest book - Montage - available to any of the 2QAQ members through the library.  What a treat!

Thread Wall in La Veta

Judith Baker Montano's studio

This is the threadwall in Judith Baker Montano's studio. It is fascinating simply because it is the entire wall - and then there's the urge to just get in the midst of it all and run fingers through mile after kilometre of beautiful thread. Thick and thin. Silk and more silk .. every colour of the rainbow and a few more for good measure.  It makes such a statement.  This is, perhaps, what happens when you have your own range of thread and ribbon - and there was a lifetime of "more" behind the wall, stored in every conceivable place. Ribbons, threads, hand-dyed this and that - exotic collections of doo-dads ...  Judith's studio is thick with all things creative - simply walking into class each morning was an experience. Creative classmates (Susan, Sarah, Shirley, Debbie and Lorraine) provided more opportunities to learn and get inspired.

Thought I'd share my own "threadwall". It makes a statement. And they say size doesn't matter...

La Veta dining



Bye Bye my American pie ...

Perusing some of the gastronomic wonders of our trip ..  the slow food devotees,  Ryus Avenue Bakery , and their food products were something to behold. Not just because the bakery is only open three days of the week - but that the queue to get the food is mind boggling - and the locals go early before the tourist steam train from Alamosa arrives (a few times a week). The bakery website apologises for the queue being out the door in peak months!!!  So ... a Canadian friend I work with informed me one day, when I produced a home-made lemon meringue pie for morning tea, that in North America there was an entire food group called "pie". One of the "bucket list" items from the trip was that I wanted to try real American pie - and thanks to the Ryus Avenue Bakery, I did! Home made fresh cherry pie. I can still taste it ....


Chicago was no where in sight ...

And to complete the menu, I also had the not-so- inconsequential Chicago Hot Dog as a first course ... and it was absolutely, totally delicious. Indescribable doesn't cover it -  and I managed to inhale it without the aid of  antacid. The only thing better than the dog was the bowl of 'slaw accompanying the future heart attack.  All of us saved our packets of accompanying potato crisps for ... Ernest. The breads produced in this bakery were so good it ruined out taste buds and expectations for the next few weeks ...  C'est La Veta and thanks to Sue Dennis' blog for reminding me that some of the food on our trip was gastronomically delightful!

La Veta locals

La Veta locals ...

A bit of fun today as a disc arrived from Judith - it really is amazing how the same people at the same event appear to take the same photos ... and you know the rest! When we were travelling, La Veta was such a special place - for so many reasons. The local deer - I think it would be true to say you can do just about anything in La Veta within reason - but speeding is truly a crime because you might hit one of the local ... deer. They are timid and cautious - and if you drive slow enough, or are simply lucky enough as we were - you will see mum and baby pop over a fence (far more athletic than this body I can tell you), Mum puts baby bambi into someone's back yard with instructions to stay put, and then pops back over the fence to graze on the footpath.We would return to Judith's and Ernest's place after lunch past a beautiful  adobe church - where the deer would snooze in the beginnings of the afternoon shade ... absolutely carefree (while remaining timid and cautious) of humans .... so this photo from Judith took me back to sharing the streets with the local deer folk.

Unambiguous in La Veta, Colorado

Musings of a postmaster

While visiting Fort Fansisco in La Veta recently I came across these words scratched into the inside of the (former) post master/mistress booth. It reads:
The dirty bastard that spits Tabacco against wall here must spit on the cieling (sic) at home
Have you ever been told? In spite of the temptation, I kept the shiva sticks in my bag for this one.

Creative thinking in Colorado

Early mornig in La Veta

Every place at every time provides an opportunity to think about design, explore possibilities. Sometimes you just need to get to the particular appointment on time, or enjoy the holiday sans over-intellectualising the whole thing. Fortunately, or unfortunately,  the influence of the 2QAQ group is ever present - and instead of seeing trees and forests, rocks and wires it's now "possible thread or sewing lines" and ... it happens to  everyone I think, I'm still playing catch-up. Some pics that remind me of thread, quilting, art quilts, order, design, space and balance ....

Aspen about to turn

Barn, La Veta

Fort Fransico, La Veta

Wall, Paducah

Wall, Fort Garland

Fence, La Veta

Fence post, Antonito

Gate, La Veta



Grate, Manitou Springs

Tunnel, Rocky Mountains, New Mexico

Fort Fransisco, La Veta

Rocky Mountains, Arizona

Hog Oiler, For Fransisco

Belle Mead Mansion, Tennessee

Timber and Adobe, Fort Garland

Water Tower, Cumbres Pass

Royal Gorge and the Rio Grande

Cactus @ Royal  Gorge

I've been looking back through 1000 plus photos - that's after deleting the 200+ that were blurred, not what I expected and not what I'd put my name to. Travelling across the mid- and west of the US for 2.5 days on Amtrak from Chicago to LA I noticed that many of the photos became similar - a tree here or there and suddenly there were 5 shots of it. There are whole periods of time where I've not clicked a thing. I think it's what Steinbeck referred to in "Travels with Charley"

"And I sat in the seat and faced what I had concealed from myself. I was driving myself, pounding out the miles because I was no longer hearing or seeing. I had passed my limit of taking in or, like a man who goes on stuffing in food after he is filled, I felt helpless to assimilate what was fed in through my eyes. Each hill looked like the one just passed ........"

I can see that there came a point where I got overloaded. Lorraine has commented similarly - and my memory of crossing the Continental divide in the night remains a piercing pain in my ear as it refused to "pop" in the darkness descending through New Mexico to California. It still hasn't "popped" although I've given it plenty of chances to do so. The absolute beauty of this - is that unlike Steinbeck I can go back through so many images and take them in as a connoisseur of fine scenery might. Inspiration is everywhere ...  such as the cactus shapes where ever we went  through the mid-west and especially the high desert plains of San Louis. I love the interweaving and coral like effect of running stitch across itself, like the many "branches" of cactus.

Rio Grande a mile below ... leaning over the bridge

We visited the Rio Grande proper en route to Taos from La Veta (via the turn off at Fort Garland). Almost into Taos, Jude says "turn here" and we travelled about 7 miles into the flatness until we came across this - a massive canyon not visible from simply driving along the highway. It's the windy and scary Rio Grande - so we parked and of course walked out to the middle of it. Judith has not managed to conquer her fear of heights - as I had done only weeks previously at the Royal Gorge - and except for a little moment when I thought my body would hurl itself over the edge without my permission - it was exquisite. Breathtaking on so many levels. I am fascinated by the lines of rocks, the geometry of the bridge, the spans, metal and the swirls of the river cutting through the bottom of the canyon. More stitching ideas for sure ...