A Passing...James F. Murphy

My father-in-law passed away this last Saturday....we were all there and it was a blessing. I'm on my way back up to Rochester tomorrow for the wake and funeral. Everything else stops for now to honor this gentle, loving man....a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and proud American soldier.

Marcia

Onde Jacket

It feels good to be doing some sewing again....this is a new pattern from The Sewing Workshop and I love it. It is a very flattering silhouette. I will add buttons and buttonholes. The color is a bit off since it is a night picture. I couldn't wait until morning because I wasn't sure I would have time to post then. But you get the idea.

Marcia

Jersey Boys

Yesterday six of us took the train into NYC for a day of shopping (walking), dinner (then walking) and a Show (more walking to the train...oh my feet).....what a day...the weather was great, the dinner was wonderful....we ate at Il Cortile on Mulberry St. in Little Italy. There are more restaurants on this street than I have ever seen. We sat at Tony Sirico's table...they say he comes in alot...many of the Soprano actors have their special tables there. Terry loves the Sopranos, so that made for some fun conversation.

Then we took the Subway to 51st St. and walked to 52nd and Broadway to see the most amazing Broadway Show.

I laughed, I cried, I screamed and I SANG!!!!!! This show was fabulous....and our seats were front row center orchestra....WOW!!! It's nice to know people who know people. Every seat in the house is a good seat but this was such a surprise and just so much fun. Anyone who likes this music should make the effort to see this...hopefully it will run a long time...it's a packed house every show. There's a lot about Frankie Valli I never knew....made it even more interesting.

Today I got back to cutting out jackets and making a new batch of dyes...hopefully the weather will cooperate and I can get some fabric and scarves dyed next week.

Marcia

Spenser

In 1991 I was looking to earn a little spending money (stay-at-home-Mom) so I started babysitting Spenser...she was almost 18 months and a delightful little girl....seems like yesterday. Well, next week she is off to College at Albany State. She plays Lacrosse and soccer and is so well-rounded and level-headed....I think her college experience will be fabulous!

She is big sister to Chase, Sloane and Seaver....and first-born to Seth and Maureen. For those at the wedding, they were all dressed as pirates! We are all going to Gasho for lunch on Sunday and then to Dave & Buster's to play games...that is now our tradition!

Just a side-note...look who was the featured speaker at Spenser's graduation...Jesse L. Martin from Law & Order and Rent! He was great...it started to pour and he just kept talking and joking....made it not so bad!

Anyway...good luck Spenser...we love you and will miss you...study hard...play hard!

Marcia

On to the Beach!

This is my destination in the Buffalo area. It is actually south of Buffalo on Lake Erie on the Seneca Indian Reservation. My family built a summer cottage here in the late 60's. We rent the land and own the cottage. My two aunts and their families also have cottages...right across the road. In the top picture the area in the distance is Silver Creek, NY.

And this is our wonderful cottage. It has 8 bedrooms, a sleeping loft and many couches...and the best round table where we play cards and games most nights. Two years ago we added a great deck, which added even more space. I love this place.

This is Maddie wearing one of the dresses I dyed...she was the perfect size for the larger dress...so she got 2 or 3!

And this is Jane...perfect smaller size model....she got a couple too...along with Ella, whom I didn't get a picture of in a dress.

Every year we try to get as many group pictures as possible...we rarely have every family member...but we get who we can. This is my Mom, my three brothers, three sisters-in-law, and my sister (in other orange shirt, on the left).

And these are the kids and their kids! And there's 7 missing! We do have a great time when we're all together. I miss them as soon as I leave, and am so grateful that we do this every summer.

Yes...that's my sister and me in a kayak! On a whim...(didn't even have a suit on)...we jumped in the kayak and off we went...what a blast. I will definitely do more of that next year. At the same time, my husband was water skiing (after 20...30 years???). He did great and stayed up till he could ski no more!

And most nights this is the bonus...sitting on the beach and seeing this. A little piece of heaven...Snyder Beach.

Marcia

Summer Vacation 2

This is Carol Taylor showing one of her quilts at the Show & Tell group....her work makes my heart sing! She invited Marcia and me to her studio after the meeting. YIPPEE!!!

There was COLOR everywhere :) I must have gasped a hundred times. I SO admire art quilters....and I count a bunch of them as friends...I'm so drawn to them and their innovative ideas.

Carol's studio is amazing...the way she displays her quilts is ideal....love these racks.

There are so many quilts hanging here...I wanted to see them all. But I also needed time to look through her threads and decorative yarns. Then we went to the basement...

This is where Carol has all her dye stuffs....and a very cool dye table...and more quilts!

I love the way this quilt photographed...in person the bottom looked almost black...this is my favorite (if I HAD to pick one).

And then there is the fabric...there are probably five more shelves just like this....MmMm! Thank you Carol for a wonderful visit. And thanks to Marcia for a great time.

Marcia

What I Did on my Summer Vacation :)

On the Wednesday morning that I left Port Jefferson for Upstate NY, I drove onto the Ferry (which is 5 blocks from my house) and rode over to Bridgeport, CT....so I didn't have to deal with NYC traffic at a.m. rushhour. It makes my trip so much more enjoyable. That's Port Jeff Harbor in the top picture.

My first stop was Marcia DeCamps house in Palmyra to visit and maybe sell some fabric and jackets. I went to her show & tell group meeting and watched as one-by-one the beautiful work of the members was displayed. After the meeting I was invited to Carol Taylor's house to see her studio....WOW! Pictures tomorrow. Back to Marcia's. Above is some of her work done in a Nancy Crow workshop....Marcia is a veteran of NC classes.

Now...I have some fabric....but Marcia has MUCHO FABRIC!!!! And did you ever see such a neat display of fabric? I was salivating!! And the stories behind the acquisition of some of the fabrics was fun to hear.

Marcia and her wonderful husband Bill have the coolest house and grounds I have ever seen. They are both so creative and have some very unique ideas...fascinating to walk the grounds. And the Studio....well....it is a dream...I can't wait to go back and see it completed and hang out and do some work in it. That's it on the left. And I got to spend some time with Priscilla Kibbee, and bought some fabu buttons from Turkey and other places where she has traveled. All in all a great beginning to my summer trip.

I hope you can see this tree up close...very cool. My daughter who got married on Halloween would absolutely love to decorate this for October 31st!

Marcia

Summertime........

Well. I'm headed upstate to visit friends and family...so I probably won't be blogging much for a bit. I'm going to see Marcia D and her fabulous new Studio. http://www.decampstudio.blogspot.com/ ...I'll take pictures of course. She's taking me to her Show and Tell Quilter's group, and then we'll spend some time with Priscilla K. http://www.priscillakibbee.citymax.com/page/page/1476398.htm Then it's on to see the families in the Buffalo area and Rochester.

Nancy and I have decided to take a great new class with Jan Myers Newbury at the Nancy Crow Barn in the Fall...check it out. http://www.nancycrow.com/HTML/barnnewbury.html Someday I'll take a Nancy Crow class.....someday.

Marcia

Gorgeous Weather

We are enjoying the most beautiful weather...warm, sunny and dry . Too bad it's my work week...oh well, it's a 4-day week! I finished this jacket last night...it's cotton canvas.

I haven't been doing too much along fabric and sewing lines....busy with graduations, weddings, parties and house cleaning. But I did manage to get some more kids shirts done...I love these things.

Have a happy, safe 4th of July. We're going up to the Club and sit out on the deck and watch fireworks. Our village owns the Country Club, right on Long Island Sound. It is just one reason Port Jefferson is a desirable place to live. It has a million-dollar view of the Connecticut coastline and Sound, golf, tennis and fabulous restaurant. And as village residents, we pay very little to enjoy it, compared to other private places on LI. I'll take some pics.

Play Day

We had a great play day today...it was way too hot to go outside and dye, so we worked inside. Pat Rodgers was here from PA...so we of course had to get together. Esterita Austin stopped for an hour and caught us up on what she's doing and where she's going to teach.

Pat was showing us some techniques she uses and we were good students! Nancy's piece was put into a piece of leather to make the front of a purse. I made scrunched flowers with different silks...mmmmmm! Pat, of course, finished three pieces....with her eyes closed?!!! :)

Nancy brought a couple jackets for show and tell. The first, below, needs some finishing touches.

This one is done and really looks great

The back is fabulous...she dyed this canvas over the rack...then did some silk-screening with a thermofax screen.

Nancy also made and brought lunch...a yummy ratatouille with chicken....and left the leftovers...YES!!!

Marcia

Shirts

A while back I saw an auction on ebay for a lot of 6 white Hot Cotton shirts (linen/cotton)....they were $5 each....so I took a chance and bought them. I scoured and washed them in synthrapol and dyed one....I love the results. The color is saturated and the shirt didn't shrink...whew!!!

This youth top is from Dharma...it dyed beautifully, but when done I realized it was sewn with poly thread....which didn't dye. AAARRRGGGHHH! I don't know if it said that and I missed it, or if it's a mistake (I think this is the case)....so I must contact Dharma. One of the kids will wear it without even noticing that...

A few of us are having a playday today...Pat Rodgers is in town...she's going to show us some new techniques...always fun! And Esterita may stop by....ttyl!

Marcia

Prom Day in Port Jefferson

Fifty years ago there was a horrible accident after the Port Jefferson Prom, and parents vowed to keep their kids safe by holding the prom at the High School....but to make it something the kids would like, the parents work from October to June to transform the gym into a themed wonderland. The theme is chosen in October (different each year and kept top-secret) and after much planning, work is started in January on the painting. Work is done in a room in the basement of the HS, so the kids can't see anything. I ran this prom in 1995 (Manhattan Magic was our theme), so I know well what is involved....it is a true (hard) labor of love! These two pictures are the outside front of the gym....these are painted cardboard flats.
Graduation was last Friday, and Saturday morning set-up starts and goes till Monday at 4 pm....when the community can come and go through to see the results. The theme was "The Pirates of Port Jefferson Harbor". Terry and I went to see, waited in line and walked on to the "pirate ship"...with cannons sounding and pirates everywhere.

These two pictures show some of the painted flats that line the gym walls...all themed. The girl's and boy's rooms are also decorated. The main painter is Peter Hahn (of Port Jefferson) who did his first prom in 1995 with me...and has worked on every one since...even though he doesn't have a child in the class...he just loves it...and the prom parents feed him every night! And that is the spirit of this small village.

The ships line the back wall...this is always the most spectacular scene since it is so long and high. Above it all is a HUGE lace canopy that requires so many people to install each year...but it blocks out all ideas of being in a gym...and transports you to the themed setting. There used to be a lace mill in PJ and the owners (PJ residents at that time) donated the lace for the original canopy 50 years ago...it disintegrated after 49 years and had to be replaced this year.....so the son of the original owner, who is now at a mill in RI, donated a new one in honor of his parents.

Crowds of people then go back to the school at 8pm to watch the limos and carriages and buses and fire engines (yes, if one of the kids is a member of the PJFD, they get to ride in with the sirens blaring escorted by the FD...everyone LOVES that!) arrive...the kids are announced, applauded, and then walk in to the prom. If they arrive under any influences (limos are checked at the entrance to the school driveway, away from the crowds), they are not allowed in. They have to stay at the prom until at least 2...if they leave they can't return. And a breakfast is served at a site nearby at 5am. And the parents do all of this for their graduates...and the kids absolutely love it and make their parents continue the tradition.

Long Haiku Jacket

A month or so ago I wrote about a problem I had with a pattern from The Sewing Workshop (see my post May 23rd). I sent the already cut jacket to Linda Lee and I just got it back....she made the necessary adjustments and finished the jacket. This is cut to be a size XS...it is a very generous XS....more like a medium to me.

It is made with the linen/rayon....I have a second one in blues, cut at the same time, with the same mistakes in the pattern. Linda made adjustments and I will sew this one. One more thing taken care of.

Marcia

The Quilt

My quilt is back from the quilter and I am thrilled with the outcome. Eileen from www.designingquilts.com did a great job. I used some of my hand-dyed binding pulled to the back and top-stitched down...then I washed and dried the quilt to fluff it up....it's ready to give.

I've told Eileen there will be more coming....the quilting is my least favorite thing to do myself. Besides....my quilting never looked as good as this....and my hands can't take the stress.

Marcia