Hola, Amigas!
What a lovely place is the small harbor of Zihuatanejo on the Pacific coast of Mexico...Robert and I had a glorious week in a little palm-thatched bungalow on the water. We got PADI certified for scuba diving...had high adventure in a kayak involving an almost-escaped boat...read a lot in the shade...ate simply out of our primitive kitchen...enjoyed talking with our host, Owen Lee, who owns the little Las Gatas Beach Club where we stayed (Owen worked with Jacques Cousteau aboard the Calypso for seven years before falling in love with his tiny corner of paradise in Zihuat forty years ago)....we adored soaking up the sweet nature, language, and culture of our Mexican neighbors in their coastal town.....it was a superbly mellow week.
And I did get a little stitching done!
I had brought the center black square from the Fan Quilt....I enjoyed working it, but alas, since I have returned home and pinned it in place on the quilt, it does not fit the overall design of the quilt at all, though the colors are fine. But no worries! I have gone through "false starts" on quilt centers before, as some of you old time readers might remember....
Anyway, I am glad to be home and will spend the next couple of days catching up on all my blogging buddies...
I plan on changing gears for a while and working on my Quilt of Valor, a project that Debra Spincic has organized via our Quilt Studio Webring. This is part of a national effort for quilters to create welcoming and comforting gifts for returning wounded soldiers...what a terrific way to be of service in the sewing room...
Anyway, here is my stitching for the week, influenced in part by the Talavera designs I was surrounded by in the market place...not done yet, of course...
And a detail.....
Here are some of the Talavera plates I saw...(My friend Judy Harper does wonderful work with Talavera in her needlepoint designs, which you can see here.)
Here is our base of operations...if you love simplicity, you would love it here as we did....
Ah, Mexico.....
WELCOME BACK!! Ah, Mexico is right. I left my heart there when returning after a few years in Mexico City. "Mejico lindo y querido" as the song says. You got it!!! The Talavera look. WOW! Now how am I going to do that? Allie's CQ to copy in needlepoint (which I worked on while you were gone) and now Allie's CQ Talavera. So many designs, so little time.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Allie! Your center is beautiful, and I hope you'll keep it even if it doesn't fit your project--maybe it's the beginnig of something else. I loved Zihautanejo when we spent the day there on our January trip. It's definitely the kind of place I'd like to return to.
ReplyDeleteHola, chica! Bienvenidos a casa!
ReplyDeleteMy friend Judith has a whole set of Talavera plates, each one different, each one exquisite.
The Mexico-inspired stitching you did is gorgeous! Muy bonita!
Looks like a sublime holiday--I love Mexico. Love everything about it.
Good to have you back! Your center really does have a Mexican art feel to it. I like it a lot.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as if you had a lovely week. Monday, that package will be on it's way to you.
Nothing like coming home! I would probably love your neck of the woods in Mexico but I can hear Wes asking already, "Where's the air conditioning?" The Army ruined him for "roughing it", unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI love your stitching, especially with the folkart influence. I do hope it will become some other piece of art for you to enjoy.
What a gorgeous beach and backdrop to your cute photo. I love your Talvera flowers, maybe that can be the start of a Mexican crazy quilt (una colcha loco.) And Judy can translate it to needlepoint. How's that for a roundabout of influence? It's fun to see you and Judy play off of each other.
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