Friends & family

When does a picture not tell a story?  This one chock full of story for me.  Cheryl and I shared many, many laughs while working at SWATCH Watch and living in the East Village of NYC back in the wild (weren't they wild for everyone!) days of the 1980's...Could it be so long ago?  We worked closely with some very talented designers in those days and I have always credited that experience with turning on my eyes.  So now, to get this photo of my friend standing with Kaffe and Brandon and the Material Obsession book...well...1000 words.
Cheryl did her workshop at The Cotton Patch in SF and here is her quilt, Cheryl has also chosen on of my favorite fabrics (I love the green bamboo) for the border of her quilt. Get Sewing Cheryl and thanks for sending the first step of memory lane.
I got another photo from home this past week.   That dapper guy, third from the left was my dad, Russ Gowland at Miami University in Ohio.  My mom and dad have a sweet life story having met in high school when my dad was a basketball star. Mom was "Miss all Around Girl 1956" and a cheerleader.  They, like everyone, have had their ups and downs in life but they have stayed happy.  I love thinking of them still sharing everything and walking down the beach together daily.  I often see my dad at the age he was in the photo when I look at Oscar. Oscar has amazingly inherited the stance, the casual hand in the pocket, he sense of humor, and the confident nature of my dad despite living on the other side of the world.  How does that happen?
One of my favorite mom stories was one she told of singing and dancing the night away on the tables at a party one night. Funny the things they say that stick.  Haley, my niece might have inherited that trait.  Quiet and shy by nature, this chick is turning into a rocker!

She and her twin brother Connor, the drummer for the band, have recently won studio time in a band play off near Dunstable, MA.  My brother Chris, her dad, has always loved music and set up a sound studio in his basement many years ago where the kids have learned to sing and make music.  He has always played in bands, sung himself and thrown incredibly FUN parties...but I think he has handed the microphone over to Haley.  Save this photo because one day she will be a huge star!  Rock and Roll must run in our bones, although not according to my kids who have one rule around here...NO SINGING MOM!

Rusty, my brother, has become a rocker too!  Here's his band playing at the Whiskey somewhere in MD.  Living the dream!  Rusty wore a suit and worked hard all his young life.  He was a hard working student at high school and University and went on to forge a successful career.  Then one day, at 45 he retired to live the good life.  He coaches his kids' sport teams and with Liz, his wife, stays super (I mean super!) fit and has taken singing, guitar, and violin lessons just for fun.  It's a dog's life!!!
Dog featured in photo, Wags, Sheena's pup living the dream at Bawley Point!  Talk about a picture telling a story...and here are some quilt photos...the ones you have scanned the page for...
I really liked these two quilts at the Eastwood Quilters Show hanging together as they compliment each other so nicely.  This quilt uses Anna Maria's Bohemia range which is one of my all time favorite collections of fabric.
This one rang a bell as I made a version of this quilt once too from Kaffe's book Patchwork, when it really all started to come together!  Round and round we go...out of time, boys yelling in the kitchen about long showers...tgif. kathy

Comments

[Melissa]

Wow. Thanks for sharing. The world, the connections, time, family...its all a magic place. You sound bemused and happy. Nice. I could go there.

[V]

Gosh, your blog is such great eye candy, I can barely stand it... SO many great ideas, no wonder I have so many projects laying here, I think, wow! I wanna try that!, and that, and that.... Thanks for inspiring!