When a year slips by so fast it is hard to play catch up, where to start and what to include without being boring.
In November we went to Maine for our annual visit with Jo Diggs. We have been going for quite a few years now and it is always such a great trip. Jo and I go way back, probably 1979 or thereabouts. "Stripes and Spots" is in our collection of Jo's pieces.
“Girls Are Strong” by Hollis Chatelain, hand dye-painted, machine-quilted
We went to the New England Quilt Museum to see the exhibit "Gilding the Lily". If you ever get a chance to go to the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, MA, do go. It is well worth the visit.
"Gilding the Lily" was an exhibit of embroidered quilts spanning 200 years. Yes, there were a few crazy quilts but also there were many examples of beautifully embellished quilts and machine thread painted quilts.
I was especially moved to see the work of Hollis Chatelaine. I loved seeing the piece "Girls Are Strong" from a distance and then up close. The names of 112 female members of Hollis' family are stitched in the background. Such a powerful statement! Lots of pictures from the exhibit can be found on my Flickr page (yes, I had permission).
On our way back north we drove up Route 1, we always wonder if the falling down house in Searsport, ME will still be there. And it is! The first picture is from 2012, the second is this year. It must be very sturdy. I would have expected it be caved in by now. Will it still be there next year? It must have been a wonderful home years ago!
