Featured Quilt : Capriccio

Capriccio by Ricky Tims

Click the quilt for a full view.

H 16.75” x W 16.75”

Statement: A capriccio (also Caprice) is a piece of music, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character. This free-form composition seemed to follow that theme with movement and repetition. While many of my quilts are created “improvisationally”, this particular quilt is not improvised. It was created with templates and yet, the process is so easy and forgiving.

Did you know that curved seams are more forgiving than straight seams in a quilt? If you have straight seams - they should remain straight after quilting - and that’s kinda hard. But if you have curved seams and they curve a bit more - nobody can tell.

Techniques:

Machine pieced using both improvisational patchwork and templates. Free-motion machine quilting (domestic machine, no-stich regulation)

TRY THE JIGSAW PUZZLE

Choose your own difficulty. Click the 9-patch grid to change the number of pieces. Click the circle arrow to make the puzzle pieces rotate instead of stable orientation. Also, there are tips under the "?" on the upper right of the puzzle. If you'd like a full-screen version, click the button below. Have fun!

Jigsaw Puzzle

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Photo of the Week

Photos of the Week - Week 14

Critique Group Challenge:

Week 14, Collection

Photo by Debra Gagnon

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Debra says:

Oooo, those in the know do not need a caption. Possibilities await!

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 14 - Street Photography

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 14, Street Photography

Photo by Kathleen Madden

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Kathleen says:

I went out a few times for this challenge and also watched the documentary on Vivian Maier. After seeing that, I decided I had to change this photo to B&W. This man passed us as we wee sitting on a bench next to the one he sat down on. He was quite elderly and was using a golf club for a cane. He said hello and then sat down on bench next to us about 15-20 feet away. After seeing the film on Vivian, I now wish I had engaged in conversation with him...not sure why he looked so down or maybe just tired...what was going on in his mind???

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 14 - Letters

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 14, Letters

Photo by Karen Koehle

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Karen says:

A pair of calipers that my Grandfather used at work. He had many sizes but this one is 3-1/2” tall. I chose it for the letter “A”.

Ricky's Challenge Photos

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 14, Letters

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says:

This is a little sign that was gifted to me a couple of years ago. I like the writing - and decided to tilt the lines and push in so the visual impact was stronger than reading the message. Edited in Prisma app with Aircraft

Critique Group Challenge:

Week 14, Collection

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2022 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

While my quilt collection is pretty hefty, showing it in a photo wasn't really reasonable. But I do have a collection of smoking pipes. This is just a portion of them. I thought about doing all sorts of things in laying them out, but in the end, decided to show the collection as it is - nothing fancy - just providing the impact of how they are presented in the pipe cabinet. I edited with the City Flare option in Topaz, but reduced it significantly - and added a bit of smart sharpen. The left side had its own natural shadow vignette - so I darkened on the right to balance that effect.

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Featured Quilt: Granny's Tied Quilt

Granny's Tied Quilt

by Bertie Newsom Hudgeons (c. 1964)

Watching Lonesome Dove this past week (the mini-series based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Larry McMurtry), There was a scene with a quilt that was very similar to this quilt made by my Granny. I remember Granny making this quilt from trousers, corduroy, suitings, and other heavy fabrics. It has a wool army blanket inside, and flannel back. I helped her tie it. I’m sure I only tied four or five ties, but still, it's part of my memory. The quilt is heavy. I tell folks that as a child when Granny put me to bed…she PUT ME TO BED. I wasn’t moving until morning when she would peel off this heavy quilt off of me.

This is the kind of quilt we don’t necessarily critically notice when it's on a bed. It’s just comfortable, ‘country living’... old-fashioned. But when you put it on a wall and take a photo, you see the construction and assembly. It’s super easy and very practical. It uses up scraps and in the end, there is minimal waste. Granny was a product of the Great Depression. It’s a heartwarming quilt and brings back wonderful memories of my childhood.

Larry McMurtry grew up in Archer City, TX (a few miles south of my hometown, Wichita Falls, TX) and was a contemporary of my mother. In 1955 when my mother’s younger sixteen year old brother was killed in a car accident (1955), Larry McMurtry wrote a memorial/tribute about him.

It was that tragedy that led Granny to purchase the 1955 Sears Kenmore sewing machine to help her through a time of grief. The machine eventually came to me, which led to an unexpected quilting career. Crazy huh? I have a connection to Lonesome Dove! Follow your own dots - you might just be surprised how they connect.

TRY THE JIGSAW PUZZLE

Choose your own difficulty. Click the 9-patch grid to change number of pieces. Click the circle arrow to make the puzzle pieces rotating instead of stable orientation. Also, there are tips under the "?" on the upper right of the puzzle. If you'd like a full screen version, click the button below. Have fun!

Jigsaw Puzzle

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Photo of the Week

Photos of the Week - Week 13

Critique Group Challenge:

Week 13, Rhymes With Tune

Photo by Gigi Kandler

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52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 13 - Composite Montage

Week 52 Photo Challenge:

Week 13, Composite Montage

Photo by David Scharf

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David says:

Ricky did say we could be subtle or extreme, right? I went galactic by blending photos of a gnarly old oak tree and a black and tan granite countertop using the "Difference" blending option. I'm disappointed I couldn't capture the full tree, but I had to cut off the trunk and outer branches to avoid surrounding trees and houses. I tried all kinds of different adjustments, many of which could dramatically affect the look. In this image I started with high texture, low clarity on a black and white tree and high vibrance on the granite, in LR. After blending I tweaked Levels in PS until I liked the look.

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 13 - Point

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 13, Point

Photo by Joan Marycz

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Joan says:

The points of the Spruce needles are getting covered in snow today. The calendar says it’s Spring. Edited in phone

Ricky's Challenge Photos

Smart Phone Challenge:

Week 13, Point

Photo by Ricky Tims

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Ricky says:

Dear sweet Cordelia’s tail is long as a whip and eventually comes to a point! This went through Prisma and then BeCasso before finally being ready to share

Critique Group Challenge:

Week 13, Rhymes With Tune

Photo by Ricky Tims
from the 2021 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

I had a spitoon that perished in the Spring Fire when the cabin burned. I found this one to replace the one that burned. It’s on an area rug

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Greek lemon roast chicken and potatoes

Greek lemon roast chicken and potatoes
by Hugo Dos Santos

I love cooking, maybe you know already that!

One of my favorites cuisines or styles of cooking is Greek food, it is very similar to Portuguese food but they have some differences.

One of my goals, when I'm traveling, is to reproduce the same dish that I like on my travels.

Did already ask you what flavors do you prefer in a meal?

Did you know that our tongues have 5 different senses? Yeah, right it's pretty amazing, bitter, sour, sweet, salty, and umami (savoriness).

One of my favorites is sour, I like citrus flavors.

So this recipe it's stunningly good!

Ingredients:

For the potatoes

6 potatoes, medium sized
4 tablespoon olive oil
pepper
salt
thyme, fresh

For the marinade:

3-4 clove(s) of garlic
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 teaspoon(s) oregano, dry
lemon juice, of 2 lemons
lemon zest, of 2 lemons
4 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup + 1 tbsp of water
thyme, fresh
3 1/2 tablespoon of honey
5 tablespoon mustard, mild

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces

To serve:

1 tablespoon(s) strained yogurt or Greek yogurt

General:

Preheat oven to 390*F

For the potatoes:

Peel the potatoes and chop them into wedges.
Place a pan over high heat and add olive oil.
When it gets very hot, add the potatoes.
Add salt, pepper, and a few springs of fresh thyme.
Saute until golden.
When ready, transfer to an ovenproof baking dish and set aside until needed.

For the marinade:

Beat the garlic, bouillon cube, oregano, lemon rind, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, water, honey, mustard, and a generous amount of thyme in a food processor, until the garlic is completely broken down and all of the ingredients are combined.

For the chicken:

It is better to wear disposable gloves when working with raw chicken
Place the chicken in a large bowl and pour the marinade over it
Massage it onto the chicken until it is completely coated
You can cook it immediately or refrigerate it and let it marinate for up to 1 1/2 days. The longer you let the marinade work on the chicken, the tastier it will turn out.
When ready to cook, place the chicken over the potatoes in the baking dish.
Drizzle any remaining marinade over chicken and potatoes and cover with aluminum foil.
Roast for 45 min., remove the aluminum foil, and roast for another 30-45 min., basting the chicken with the marinade and juices as often as possible.

The marinade:

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I'm Just Sayin

Featured Quilt : Capriccio

Photo of the Week

Photos of the Week - Week 14

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 14 - Street Photography

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 14 - Letters

Featured Quilt: Granny's Tied Quilt

Photo of the Week

Photos of the Week - Week 13

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 13 - Composite Montage

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 13 - Point

Greek lemon roast chicken and potatoes

More Articles ...

I'm Just Sayin

Photos of the Week - Week 14

52-Week Photo Challenge ClassWeek 14 - Street Photography

Smart Phone Photo Challenges Week 14 - Letters

Photos of the Week - Week 13

52-Week Photo Challenge ClassWeek 13 - Composite Montage

Smart Phone Photo Challenges Week 13 - Point

More Articles ...

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 14 - Street Photography

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 14 - Letters

52-Week Photo Challenge Class
Week 13 - Composite Montage

Smart Phone Photo Challenges
Week 13 - Point