One if by land, two if by sea

Paul Revere's Ride
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year

Patriot's Day! I remember listening to that poem in grade school. I didn't include it all here, it is very long. Traditionally this is the day to plant peas in Maine if want want to have peas to eat at your July 4/Independence Day picnic. My garden is just too muddy to plant anything this year. Maybe next week.

Janet Clement

Last Saturday at Art Quilts I met Janet Clement. It was her first visit to Art Quilts and she came with a friend. She is having a quilt show at the Merrymeeting Arts Center in Bowdoinham, Maine.

The opening reception was Friday night and the show runs through May 29. She is having a bargello workshop on May 1. FMI 207-841-5914.

I forgot to go to the opening (we were buying a new dishwasher, which is a different kind of fun when you have been washing dishes by hand for two months), but I did visit the gallery yesterday morning.

Let me tell you, these bargello quilts are beautiful! The picture above is a photo of the postcard Janet gave me and the photo is only a portion of this gigantic wall hanging. The colors are vibrant and her machine quilting is exquisite.

Here is the write-up from the Merrymeeting Arts website...
Beautiful Bargellos: Quilted Works by Janet Clement

WhenApr 16 – May 29, 2010

Where 9 Main St., Bowdoinham, ME 04008 Merrymeeting Arts Center, Cathance Landing

DescriptionThe Merrymeeting Arts Center, MAC, announces its second artist-produced show. “Beautiful Bargellos: Quilted Works” by Janet Clement of Richmond. The show will run from April 16 to May 29th. A formal opening of the exhibit is scheduled for Friday, April 16th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Merrymeeting Arts Center, 9 Main Street, Bowdoinham (down by the river in the grey building). Janet Clement is a veteran fabric artist who designs both large and small works, ranging from murals to wallhangings to bedcovers. Her work is regularly on sale at the Merrymeeting Arts Center store. The show will exhibit bargello pieces. Bargello is a quilting process in which cloth is cut into strips, sewn together and then recut. Next these pieced strips are assembled into the finished work, creating intricate patterns. The Merrymeeting Arts Center is open Saturdays from 10 am to 1 pm and by chance. For further information call 841-5914 or go to our website www.merrymeetingartscenter.org.

Happy villages!

Today at Art Quilts Maine Sally Rowe showed us how to make a miniature village using this book by Karen Eckmeier. We all brought 5 inch squares of fabrics, including a sky piece and many textural fabrics. We also brought "tree" or foliage fabrics. Someone at my table, who had done this before, brought along some chicken fabric which was fun.


We started with a piece of batting cut 4 x 6 inches. Sally gave us a template to use for the building shapes. I started with the sky piece across the top, then filled in with house shapes across and down. Each house had to overlap so that no batting would show.


Carolee gave me an extra piece of batting and I started another little village at the same time. I had so many building pieces cut out that if one did not fit in one scene I could use it in the next piece.

The fun really began when we cut out the roofs. It is starting to look like a real village now. Next came windows, ooh there is life in this town! Of course some trees and vines help, too.

When I was happy with my arrangement, I added a dab of glue to hold everything in place. Actually, you glue the buildings first, then arrange the roofs and greenery, and then glue those in place.

Tulle is added on top and each piece is stitched down. If you have ever tried Susan Carlson's Free-Style Quilts, you know what I mean.


When I was done, I looked at my pieces and thought to shove them together. I like it! Sally showed me a piece she created where she added borders on all four sides with more embellishments. I might try that!

Isn't it exciting to try something new? No wonder we all have UFOs. The inspiration and playfulness when creating something new is awesome and what we humans are all about! Go out and create! (is that enough !!! for one post?)

sometimes he dreams about fabric