Pumpkin Arrangements

I saw in our syllabus for European Floristry class at College of San Mateo that we were to bring a large hollowed-out pumpkin to class. I bought my pumpkin for a pumpkin display on my front porch before our instructor, Wendy Pine, told us that we should bring a medium-sized pumpkin instead a large one.  Due to an e-mail mix-up, I did not get the message that we were also to bring branches and bark to class. Fortunately Tracy, my floral partner-in-crime, tipped me off and I rustled up some just outside our classroom. Though my arrangement turned out okay…

Tracy suggested that I add more floral materials to bring. The arrangement was a little short, given the optical weight of the pumpkin, and the back did not have as much visual interest as the front:

Since I was hosting book club the next evening, and I needed an arrangement with all-around visual interest, I decided to follow her advice. The taller filbert branch from my yard added a more proper height and millet grass with pheasant feathers left over from here added width.

I am overjoyed to report that the very shy Michael Jackson just gave me permission to let you know that he resurrected himself just to come to book club at my house. Here's proof:

Eat your heart out, National Enquirer!

Since everyone at book club enjoyed the pumpkin so much, I decided to make more for gifts. This one had a more ikebana feel to it:

I planned to make one more using a green ironbark pumpkin, but some kids stole it from our front porch on Halloween night. I looked for its remains alongside the other smashed pumpkins on our street, but there was no trace of it. Note to self: bring pumpkins inside next Halloween night.

Pacific International Quilt Festival XVIII – Wearable Art Competition

In my last post on the Pacific International Quilt Festival XVIII, I will show you  some outstanding pieces of the Wearable Art Competition.

“Passing through the Painted Desert” by Judy Mullen was a marvel with the sunrise neckline…

…and the intricately appliquéd, embroidered and beaded cacti on the desert sands:

Eve Kovacs’ Spanish-inspired “Flamenco Rose” featured a beautifully quilted bolero jacket and matching purse. The understated red piping near the hem of the slacks pulls together the ensemble while keeping the focus on the jacket.

My mother was particularly taken with Kimberly Andert’s “Thrift Shop Muse” vintage ensemble. It is a true tribute to found treasures and would make any Second-Hand Rose proud:

Because of time constraints, we could not visit all the wonderful merchants that sell their goods at this show. I did, however, manage to squeeze in a few moments to ask Susan Christie permission to photograph her booth of fantastic vintage jewelry:

She offers a truly stunning collection of sterling silver and marquesite jewelry. I especially like the exquisite details of the sterling silver musical instruments:

This concludes my mini-series of posts on the Pacific International Quilt Festival. It was a privilege to showcase the astonishingly talented artists who were selected for this show. I would like to tip my hat to the Mancuso Brothers who always put on a grand show despite all the logistical and physical challenges they must face in presenting these precious works of art.

I hope you enjoyed strolling down the aisles with me and my mother.