Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Living in the eighteenth century

The Halloween snowstorm left much of the northeast in darkness.  Heavy, wet snow is not meant to sit on tree branches that are still in full leaf!  Connecticut has been pretty hard hit, with power lines down everywhere and schools closed.  So, for my Texture Tuesday submission, here is my taste of eighteenth century living.  Make sure you visit Kim's site for all the other textured wonders:
Processed with 3 layers of Kim Klassen's "And then some" (color burn @100%; screen @20%, texture left only on the edges; and soft light @100%)
We were luckier than most, because we have an AGA, the world's most amazing stove.  This kept the kitchen a little warmer than frigid, and allowed us to cook most of the food in our freezer before it defrosted.  Fetching water and heating it to do dishes was not so much fun, though!

Living for a few days in another century reminds me of my ongoing dilemma.  I am pulled between rival interests: some days I am wild and modern:
 mandalas painted on fabric (left) and a painted glue-resist piece (right)

a day of painting, scribbling, drawing, and printing on fabric

"snap happy" bag made from my fabrics.  The piecing was inspired by Alisa Burke's book, "Sew Wild"
Some days I want to live in another era:
hand-pieced tumbling blocks, all ready to put together in a quilt

vintage stars, also all ready to go
(you can see that the "putting together" part is not my favorite part of quilting!)
We got our power back yesterday.  I think I like it here in the 21st century!

9 comments:

Shannon Jones said...

What simple ambiance with the candle photos. Great job!!
And I'm glad you have your power back.
I too live between two worlds. I love antiques but I also like all the bright colors of today!

Marilyn said...

I'm so glad I don't have to live in the days without electricity. This lovely image evokes feelings of romantic times though.

Shannon Jones said...

Thanks for visiting me! It was actually the "spooky" fabric that you can buy. I think I got mine at the dollar store. It turned out pretty neat as a table runner.

fotogran said...

This is simply beautiful. I can almost feel the warmth of the flames:)

Kia said...

How lovely and romantic, Kathleen! :)
Sorry for the bad weather you had, but I love candles and your shot is so so pretty! Great texture work too.
Happy November.

Pat Mark said...

I will take the 21st century any time but the lanterns are lovely and I do like to use candle light sometimes just for the mood.

deb duty said...

That sounds like no fun at all to be without power in the cold. I'm used to losing it with hurricanes in the heat! Of course, that's no fun either! Love all your fun quilt patterns, old and new!

Rosie Grey said...

Hope everyhing is back to normal again! Wonderful photos - the candles look so cosy and the colours are fantastic!

Melly Testa said...

Glad you have electricity! Great photos and blog.