I Like #176

 Welcome to another week of things to like.  It's been a tough week at work here, but there are still good things to share!  For one thing, I finally started working on another big art quilt; I've really struggled the last two months with being motivated and feeling creative enough to start something big.  I'm not sure how successful this piece will be but it feels good to at least have started something.  It's going to be another sculpted piece, so one of the first tasks is quilting it.  I'm committing myself to quilting at least one full bobbin each evening, and it's good to see measurable progress.  Picking quilting threads to go with my fabric is always one of my favorite parts.

Another thing I've been liking recently is the Textile Talks.  These are weekly live video-webinars (with Q&A) that are hosted and organized by a consortium of fiber arts groups including SAQA, the San Jose Quilt and Textile Museum, the International Quilt Museum in Nebraska, and the Modern Quilt Guild, among others.  You don't have to be a member to watch them, and they've been really really fascinating. One of the most recent ones was on the phenomenal swing coats of Patricia A Montgomery.  Each quilted coat features the story of a less well-known woman who was instrumental in the civil rights movement.

The Mentor c. 2015

Daisy Bates, Little Rock, Arkansas, Patricia A Montgomery

To find out more about Patricia A. Montgomery, click here 

To see information on how to watch the Textile Talks live, click here

To watch all the previously aired Textile Talks on YouTube, click here

I like this cute mask my technician made me!  I prefer masks with ties (rather than ear loops) but the polka dot combined with the adorable knitting patch are just too cute.

One not so great thing this week-  I have been struggling with a mouse infestation in the house and garage.  I'm not squeamish but I really don't want them inside.  I think they moved in after they chewed through a tasty bag of birdseed in the garage.  I had set bunches of snap traps (I won't use sticky traps or poison), but they kept just eating the peanut butter and not getting caught- apparently my mice are really late.  I spent all weekend cleaning and sealing cracks, and have finally got some traps that seem to catch them, so I think I'm making progress.  I found this little guy in the shower on Saturday, but at least I was able to catch and euthanize him.  It's very aggravating, they seem to be able to sneak through very tiny openings.

I found a recipe for a blueberry bundt cake in the NYT this week.  The cake turned out to have a sort of pound cake texture, it was tasty, but I found it a bit dry, and the icing overly sweet.  I think I'll change the recipe a bit if I make it again.

The flowers are still going, makes me happy to see them.

Bentley was not sure whether what was going on in the backyard was interesting enough to warrant coming all the way outside.

Blue always just wants to go in the studio.  He pushes right past you on the way.  This plant is some type I got on the clearance rack at lowes a few weeks ago when it was almost dead.  I'm not sure what it is, but it's flourishing now and has some pretty tiny yellow flowers blooming.

I hope everyone has a good week!  Click over to LeeAnna's for more things to like!