Autumn News

Fifteen by Fifteen

While making my Decay #5 quilt, I focused on color fastness — watching how fabrics fade and shift under sunlight. I used an embroidered wall hanging, a blue work coat, and a pink T-shirt that once fluttered on the laundry line in my daughter’s garden. The wall hanging was fragile, and removing the remaining embroidery revealed its deep original color. The work coat kept its true shade mostly hidden in the armpits. For the T-shirt I opened the hems on the sleeves and bottom. I appliquéd blue and pink flowers and, as always, hand-stitched the background in long, steady strokes.

Guests from Israel

In September, a group of women from Israel toured Lithuania. I was asked to host them — to show my “studio” and how I create art quilts. My studio, however, is simply my one-bedroom flat, and twenty women would never fit. So I reached out to well-known Lithuanian quilter and historian Gražina Kriaunevičienė, who graciously agreed to welcome us in her studio in VIlnius. I learned a lot that day; Gražina knows everything about Lithuanian quilting history.

Some pages:

The ladies gifted us a set of quilt blocks inspired by Israel’s nature. I felt instantly inspired. As soon as I returned from Vilnius, I began turning them into a quilted book — a perfect way to honor their work.

Paris

At the end of September, I traveled to Paris with my friend Elvyra. It was a wonderful trip — we saw more than we expected. We walked from the Arc de Triomphe to Notre-Dame Cathedral, now reopened and beautifully restored. I’ve visited many grand churches — Sagrada Familia, Westminster Abbey, St. John’s in Valletta, Strasbourg Cathedral, Hagia Sophia, countless others in Spain and Portugal, even in St. Petersburg — yet Notre-Dame remains my favorite.
We visited Versailles, the Louvre, the Holly Chapel, the Eiffel Tower, and spent a whole day wandering Montparnasse. Strangely enough, in the Louvre’s gallery of royal jewelry, I photographed several pieces that were later reported stolen.

Amboise

The sweetest part of the trip was a two-day visit to Amboise, where I stayed with my friends Elizabeth and Stuart. This charming town carries immense history. The royal Château d’Amboise is where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final years and is buried in a chapel built specially for him. The Château d’Amboise once housed Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, during her childhood at the French court of Henry II.

Just 18 km away lies Château de Chenonceau, a graceful palace built across a river, surrounded by exquisite gardens. First recorded in the 1100s, it later became the favorite residence of Catherine de’ Medici, who pushed out Diane de Poitiers after King Henry II’s death in 1559.

As a lover of history, this journey was a true delight.