Friday, February 7, 2020

A Midwinter Outing and Progress

You know you live in the boonies when the nearest world class museum has a 50% discount "resident" rate and you're still eligible with a zip code that is over 60 miles away!  That was the case earlier this week when we visited the Corning Museum of Glass with our daughter, SIL, his mom and our one-year old grandson.  It was a lovely, if cold day, with no snow or storms in the forecast - perfect!  And we took the "long way" (not interstate highway) to get there, which made for a perfectly delightful early-morning ride. 

I had never been anxious to visit this museum, being more a lover of handcrafted pottery than glass.  Wow, was I mistaken - this was a fabulous museum, so inspiring, with absolutely amazing works of art.  Silly me, wanting to shed excess weight in my purse I didn't tote along my camera, figuring hubby would have his fancy camera to do the job.  And he did, although his newly charged battery only lasted for 15 or so photos before dying - sigh.   But, we'll be visiting there again soon, before the summer crowds arrive.  And I will have my camera next time! 

Anyhow, here are a few of the photos we were able to capture.  A tiny sampling of all this museum has to offer.  Not all our photos have attribution, although I believe many will have info either on the museum's website or the google's search engine.  Keep in mind that these are all created of glass!
larger than lifesize - stunning!



I wish I had the attribution and description of this next one.  I remember that Japanese newspaper pieces are somehow added to the glass.  Next time!




As you would expect the museum shop was filled with gorgeous tempting items, here are just a couple that caught our eye(s):
My favorite item from the museum shop, but at more than a car payment or two, no.

Info on the artist who created the item shown in the previous photo

The most expensive item in the shop - I'll let you guess.   We didn't get the attribution, sorry.

And here's one for Lizzy; I had our daughter take the photo with her smartphone after our battery died. I loved this piece, from one of the modern exhibits.  It immediately reminded me so much of one of Lizzy's sunset photos of the NYC skyline from her beach.

Here's a link to the museum's description:  https://www.cmog.org/artwork/cityscape.

On the quilting front, progress is being made on Sing the Blues Mama Lou.  All the quarter segments are done, and now joined into half blocks; with blocks to be sewn together tomorrow if all goes well.  So happy that each step is getting shorter as there are half as many pieces as the previous step!  Looking forward to a finished top soon.

Wishing you all a happy, storm-free weekend!  (We had over six inches of snow last night and a few more inches today - hopefully finished now.)



14 comments:

Hill Top Post said...

I love your "Sing the Blues Mama Lou." You do blues beautifully! I think I like the glass bunny best! Isn't he something you would like to snuggle? (Not!) With all the snow, it sounds like a wonderful time to join the blocks!

Quilting Babcia said...

He does look like a bunny with those ears though the artist planned him to depict a lynx. Yes, tomorrow will be a day of sewing after the bread is baked for our church potluck on Sunday. The snow is pretty but we're growing weary of the cold wind.

Debbie said...

Love the surprises you find in museums. That happened to my daughter when she visited one in Orlando.....it became the inspiration for her senior collection for fashion design! Sounds like a fun day .

Chantal said...

Wow! That sounds like a very inspiring museum. Such beautiful pieces. Thanks for sharing. I like it.
The snow has finally stopped falling here. Not sure for how long but we at least have a chance to clear up the driveway a little. Enjoy the blues! Looking forward to the flimsy. ;^)

Barbara said...

Beautiful items in the museum. I have a hard time keeping my hands to myself in a museum gift shop. I'm reminded of what I told my kids when they were little...hands in your pockets.

Janet O. said...

Looks like a fascinating museum. Ever since seeing some Chihuly pieces at the 2002 Winter Olympics, I have never looked at glass in the same way.
Great progress on the blue quilt.At this point it starts to feel real, to me.

---"Love" said...

What a great experience you had in that lovely museum! I like the bunny too (or the lynx), but that orange-glowing bowl is something very special! Can't wait to see your blue quilt finished. I really like that pattern. ---"Love"

Lizzy D said...

Thank you for the NYC skyline at sunset photo---that stunning bowl. My dad loved this museum, sadly I have never been. It looks truly inspiring.
Baking bread and sewing---such perfect winter pursuits.

And Mama Lou is lovely!

lizzy

Kyle said...

It's nice to be able to explore a new museum. It's a medium that I don't' much about. Each stitching step gets your quilt closer to the finish.

Wendy Caton Reed said...

It boggles my mind when I see creations that I cannot fathom. How do they manipulate glass like that? Gorgeous!

QuiltGranma said...

Interesting what they can do with glass! Mama Lou Spider Web quilt... love it. I plan, some day, to make one with the scrap strips I have from straightening out the cut edges of my new purchased fabrics. I always straighten them out before cutting anything, and leave at least 1" in my strip so I can use it later.

Quilting Babcia said...

It's a great scrappy quilt, though doesn't go as quickly as just sewing strips onto phone book pages. But maybe(?) more interesting in the end.

Cynthia@wabi-sabi-quilts said...

Your Blues quilt looks very cool - and that museum as well! It's nice to be pleasantly surprised by a place like that (I love pottery too).

FlourishingPalms said...

Your museum outing looks delightful! What a happy surprise to be inspired. I have visited the Morse Museum in Winter Park, Florida, on three occasions and still find it fascinating. It's where most of Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass items are stored. Absolutely gorgeous pieces, so I know how you felt about your museum visit. It's good to see you making progress on your blues quilt. Happy wintering!