August Color Your World - Purple

 

August has arrived and that means summer is drawing down.  I have upcoming adventures that are creating excitement and I'll be watching for those purple sunrise and sunsets as I spend some time on the beach this fall.  The Color Your World color for the month is Purple and I have to admit that I have totally fallen in love with this color more and more as I age.  Yep, old ladies love purple apparently.  Further down the post is the monthly project AND your BINGO card for August.  Let's get started and don't forget to grab that cuppa.

Brazos House Retreat - Going On a Picnic

Summer retreat time is so much fun!  It's been a bit since we've all been together and what could more fun when it's crazy hot outside than to sew with friends?  Unfortunately, our host and hostess have had a rough go lately and surgery was involved, so I travel down a day early to help with set up.  When I arrive, the house is still a "house" and a lot needs to happen.  Alrighty then --- time to get to it.

Round Robin - 2021-2022

 Well, I did it.  I bit the bullet and decided to give another Round Robin a chance.  The group that signed up is AMAZING and I am truly excited.  We've given ourselves enough time for each round and it should work out for everyone's schedule.  The first step is to send out our center medallion/panel/block.  I've decided to order some fabric and see where that takes me.

5/9-11/21 My fabric is here and I'm at retreat with it!!  Oooooh, look at these pretties - let the fun begin.

June 2022 Monthly Quilt Update

 

Our theme this year is just so fun.  If you didn't get a chance to check out the post explaining it all --- here is the LINK to the initial post and another June LINK  as well.  I'm super excited about where this will take me.  I know we all have colors that may not bring on the warm fuzzies, but this will be a chance to really challenge ourselves and we may find that our tastes can change.  

If you are new to the blog, you may be asking, "just what is a monthly update?"  I decided long ago that I just can't keep up with blogging daily.  I just can't.  Sooooo, what happens is I document a day in my life within one post and if something special happens, a separate post takes place.  See, you can stay caught up with a once a month check and then, if you're interested, see the other posts too.  It's a great system for me.

 In years past, I have set goals for each month and I will continue to do that simply to keep myself on track.  UFO mode will continue around here with minimal purchases (hopefully), but also a few fun and new items will make an appearance now and then.  The "hopeful attempts" will change each month and will always show up at the bottom of the update if you read that far - and they are joined by links to the previous monthly updates for the year.

Now, grab a cuppa and sit back for a fun read and perhaps a new idea or two.   (P.S. I format on a computer, so if you are reading on a phone, well sometimes the pictures will be before or after the story.  It is what it is.)

Let's go June - oh, and don't be blue, just enjoy the wonders of this color.

July Color Your World - Yellow

 

Oh there's sunshine in the world today.  Hello July!!!  Here in Texas there is a TON of sun this time of year.  Hot, intense sun that brings the color of yellow into our lives constantly.  It's a joyous color and much missed on cloudy or rainy days.  However, through the reading of The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair, it was not always so for this bright member of the color wheel.  Before we get into that, remember that our monthly project will be featured here along with a BINGO card for those who wish to play.  Now, let's see what yellow has to say.

Bamana Mud Cloth at the DMA

 The Cartier exhibit was wonderful, but I'm not finished yet.  Another spot I want to visit at the DMA today is highlighting Bamana Mud Cloth.  "What is that?" you say.  Well --- 

"Bogolanfini (mud cloth) originated among the Bamana peoples of Mali hundreds of years ago.  It was traditionally used to make tunics for men (hunters and warriors) and wrappers for women.  Women wore bogolanfini during crucial milestones in their lives, including coming of age, consummation of marriage, childbirth, and transition to the afterlife."

The geometric designs derived from mud cloth have been part of the Western visuals since the 1970s and an American fashion designer is credited with popularizing the designs in the U.S.; however, it was a Malian designer, Chris Seydou, who debuted bogolanfini motifs and fabric on the runways in Paris in about 1976.  Today, I've seen these designs on a variety of textile products - home furnishings to haute couture, by celebrated designers like Lauren, Givenchy, and de la Renta.

Fancy Fibers Studio - Farmersville, TX

I've been away from home so very much since the middle of April and that means, naturally, that we take off and explore some of the smaller towns in Texas today.  While in Farmersville, we stumble upon these yarn-wrapped posts and look to see Fiber Arts Studio beckoning us in.