Tag Archives: LA

a little more LA and what comes next

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The last thing I want to mention that I love about LA is the food- we do tacos, tacos, and tacos. Also fresh fruit and veg- we had strawberries from a farmers market like I have never tasted in my life!

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Do you watch Chef’s Table on Netflix? I love that show! We went to Nancy Silverton’s restaurant for an amazing dinner.

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And lastly, I’ll mention the Getty Villa. I enjoyed the collection although a big part of the museum is currently closed. Loved these weird bird, fish, lady creatures.

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What comes next? I am doing the Coolidge Corner Arts Festival, Saturday June 3. I will be working toward that, right up to the last minute I’m sure. Tomorrow, some new finished pieces!

LA 2- it sure isn’t Boston!

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I love going to LA. Everything is so different from the everyday world outside my door- the plants, the weather, the fashion, the people on the sidewalk, the food… Then I come home to see my New England home with new eyes.

We stayed at a lovely Airbnb in Silverlake with a back garden which included-

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Also a fig tree and there was an avocado in the next yard, plus a large citrus of some sort.

After 2 busy days of teaching, we spent a day in the gardens at The Huntington. What an amazing place. I have never seen anything like the desert garden. I am including my husband in the pic for scale ;-)

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I took a lot of texture photos-

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And that is now my new phone screen saver. How about this cactus?

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There was loads more that I could show but that desert garden is what I will go back for next time I am in LA.

The next day we drove up to the Mount Wilson Observatory in the San Gabriel Mountains. We left town and it was 80 degrees. At the Observatory it was in the 50’s and we were freezing!

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Next, off to Ventura for something completely different. Unfortunately I spent much too much time in the hotel and not enough contemplating this-

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Yep, I am already planning my trip for next year.

teaching in Southern California

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I’m back and catching up on my sleep. Wow was that trip exhausting! I know that as I travel-teach more, I will get less anxious but at this point I can really make myself crazy. I’m a list maker and everything that I forgot, wish I’d had, or overdid, will be noted for next time. Honestly, the trip and the teaching went really well and any little blip was mostly easily worked out so I’m hoping for less stress on future travels.

The first venue was French General in LA.

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It was 2 full days- 2 classes of wonderful women making Tiny Worlds. I am always amazed that there is so much range of experiences in teaching, each group is unique. One class, almost no one finishes and in next class, almost everyone does! Some groups are chatty, some intense, some get very creative, some follow the pattern exactly. And you never know what it will be until the group comes together! I got to meet some long-time internet friends and meet many new people. The current plan is that I will go back next year and teach the Swaddled Baby which would be a 2 day class.

Lots of busy sewing-

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Next, up to Ventura for Craftcation. I taught the Tiny World pincushion there also-

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And lastly, I taught the Crafty Hand ornament. This was a free pattern that I made for Sweet Paul magazine in case you’d like to make your own. This was a relaxing class- the ornament is easy and everyone could be creative and still finish. I loved seeing what everyone made-

This one is right from the pattern-

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But some people really got into it and added all kinds of extras!

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Also, I got to take a fun class too! I learned some improv quilting techniques from Malka Dubrawsky of A Stitch in Dye, who I have online known for years- so much fun to meet in person! I am a self-taught, very basic quilter and so even though it was an improv class, I learned things that I’ve never been clear on such as theories of ironing the seam allowance. And, sewing triangles- a big step for me!

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I had an amazing, exhausting trip. I will do at least one more LA post with more pics. Now, time to get back into the studio and back to work!

 

quiet on the blog this month!

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There isn’t going to be much posting this month. I am off to LA tomorrow and this month has mostly been preparing for it.

I am teaching 3 Tiny World classes plus an ornament class- that is approx. 70 students! I made samples and refreshed my memory of the patterns.

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I did some pre-work for the classes so hopefully people might finish their tiny worlds in 6 hours!

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I loaded up a TON of supplies and shipped them out to LA. I figured it was better to have too much than to run short, right? Also my tools which might be a little iffy getting onto the the airplane.

After the boxes were shipped, I was able to breathe a bit and did some sewing for things I will finish when I get back. Then, I made some clothes, because I always seem to feel a need for new clothes when I am going on a trip. Here is one of my new shirts, first try-on.

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That was earlier today. Now it is all hemmed up and has buttons and is packed in the suitcase. See you next month!

LA Flowers

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I love going to a new place with a completely different ecosystem. At home, I am used to walking around and knowing most of the plants. When I go somewhere with a completely different climate, it is all an awesome mystery. I can’t get over the wonder of it all!

First, some flowers from my beach walk in Ventura.

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I know these ones- California Poppies.

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After leaving snowy Boston, all the flowers were bliss.

We left Ventura and drove to the Joshua Tree National Park. I’m so glad we went. The high desert is a beautiful place when winter rains have caused so many flowers to bloom. I hope I can visit again, maybe in another season.

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These are just a few of the many, many flowers we saw blooming there.

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Lots of plants growing out of rock crevices-

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Then LA. This particular flower was at the Getty Center–

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And these were at the Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. That was my favorite (non-fabric store) place we visited in LA.

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On our last day, we spent the afternoon walking around Venice Beach and the canals there. Oh my, this house is so beautiful-

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And the garden with all the colors of green- it took my breath away.

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That’s all the tropical flowers- don’t want to overwhelm the blog! We are getting some spring here in Boston so I will have lots of my own flowers to enjoy soon.