Forest Chandelier in Italy

This is an installation in Italy by John Grade called "Reservoir." He made glass cups and hung them from a net. When they catch the rain they glisten. See more pics and info here. How beautiful!

Follow John Grade on Instagram @johngradestudio.

Elaine Seaman's Fabulous Pine Burr Quilt!

This stunning Pine Burr quilt is the creation of Elaine Seaman (Lakeside Quilters, Standish, Maine). 

This isn't an easy quilt to make. You need an adventurous spirit and Elaine has it! Nice work!

Here's what Elaine says about her quilt:

 I never make the same thing twice and this caught my eye for a challenge. You inspire those of us on a mission to step out of the quilting box. 😃 I hang them in my small hair salon so that the non perfectionists in the quilting world know they can try anything that catches their eye. You caught mine !

If you'd like to see the pattern for this quilt, click here: Pine Burr Quilt Pattern.

Victoria Findlay Wolfe's Sharp Stripe Fabric Makes a Stunning Mask

I love the color and design of Victoria Findlay Wolfe's Sharp Stripe fabric. If Jackie O. was sailing off the Cape today, she'd be wearing this mask, don't you think? It's a nice combination of classic and modern. Wait, you don't need to wear a mask when you're sailing! 

See more about this mask on Etsy.

American Flag Face Mask

Will we be getting out to celebrate Memorial Day and the 4th of July? 

Small picnics with a few people spread apart? Probably.

We will be sporting these patriotic masks when we go out, which isn't often.

See them in my Etsy shop: American flag face mask. 

I hope the situation improves soon and people someday wonder what this thing is. 

Best wishes to you all. 

Modern Style Face Mask

I'm working on refining a collection of masks that I'm selling on Etsy. We're going to be wearing masks for a while, so it might as well be fun, right? There will be times that we don't want to wear a disposable strictly utilitarian mask. I like this one because it's fresh and modern, kind of artsy, and doesn't introduce lots of new colors to my outfit. 

The back side is white so it's reversible. It has a nose wire. It's washable, but I wouldn't subject it to the high heat of machines. Hand washing will make it last longer. Three layers of cotton fabric provide extra filtration.

So I've been looking at mask making videos to get ideas for improvements. Do you like ties? Or do you prefer elastic? Any input/suggestions would be appreciated.

The masks shown below were made from Kaffe Fasset fabric for Mother's Day. Only one left from the whole bunch.

Face Mask Messages

What message does face mask wearing convey? I used to wonder when I saw Asian people wearing masks in public whether they were sick and not wanting to contaminate others, or if they were trying to avoid disease, maybe due to an already compromised immune system. Or both. 

Do we mask-wearers come across as considerate of others? Afraid of others? Just following the rules? Are we saying "Back off!" This Love mask invites social interaction. At least it says "Hi, there's a person in here, behind this mask." 

This mask wearing thing will take some getting used to. My mask fabric choices are developing every day. I'll settle on a favorite, then I'll want to make one for a friend, relative or customer, and I'll go in a whole new direction. 

See the current batch here. Any thoughts? Do you prefer ties or elastic? Prints or solids? Darks or lights?  Stripes? Rag rugs?

This mask tickles my fancy. It looks like a rag rug, but it's a digitally printed fabric. It looks so realistic. I didn't include it in my store because I thought it might appear that I don't understand the point of masks. Oh well.