Its Christmas Eve and I just got home from having a great dinner with some friends. On the way home I stopped to take pictures of some of the Christmas things going on around me. There is a Catholic church and they put on a pagent, it is packed around there!!!

I hope everyone has a great holiday!

Amazing color!

Nap time!

Yesterday I was working in my studio and happened to look out the window! I really do love living here, you just never know what you will see!

I just finished this Im calling it ribbons of joy. Its 71 x 51.
This is sooo different from all my other work but I want to make more, a ribbon series, could be cool.I need to dye more fabric, Im thinking about doing one that is pale pale pale colors, see if I can get past the Easter thing.

While I was in the States I got 2 part time jobs. So I will be going to Saigon for one job and on January 1st Im going to China for the other!!! I am looking forward to seeing China even though it will be big cities. Cant wait to try the food!

Ok I have been making fabric for the last three days to start my new piece, I have to say that once I get started its fun! I'm trying to stay in a color group so that I'm not all over the place like I usually am.
Why is it that all pale colors look like Easter? I don't care for that.
For those of you that were in Strip Piecing you will notice that I made two number 14s, they do work well!
I will add more photos as I work on this!

This is the last of the tops from Nancy Crows class, I just finished it today. Im happy with it. Noe I will have to do something new!! I have been dyeing lots of gradations to take with me in April.

I have been very frustrated trying to get my dyes through customs... they are worried that Im bringing in something harmful. I am supposed to get them tomorrow! I did find a prochem MX dealer in Australia and she said that they ship here often, That will be great!

It has been raining here every day since Ive been back! At least the landlord fixed the leaks in my bedroom!

Here is another piece that I started at the Barn, I finished it today, its ok.

I think Im afraid to start something new, Im not sure where my work is going or where I want it to go, I do know that I want it to be mine and not something that looks like I did it at the Barn. I love going there and pushing myself and learning new ways to work. I look at the pieces I did just before I left and they look so simple to me now..... maybe tomorrow Ill start something new.

I have a web site!!! A friend of mine put it together while I was in California. I hope that lots of people can find it and buy my quilts!

Its www.annerparker.com have a look and let me know what you think!

Today I added on the last 4 rows on the right, Im calling it done. Now I have to wait form my shipment of cotton batting to get here!

I asked Nancy how I should quilt this and her suggestion was to do it in a grid pattern, I think I will have Hong do it that way!

Here I am with Nancy Crow!!! I was there for 2 weeks......! Its was great and in April09 I am going back for 3 weeks!!!

This was from the second week at Nancy Crow. I had such a hard time with this piece, I felt that I didn't really get the assignment but just kept pushing through. Im not sure about this one.... I need to keep working on it to make it mine, for some reason it feels very much Nancy and not as much Anne.

We made columns by re piecing all the new fabrics we had made. This is about 87" tall and 48" wide, Nancy wants me to double the width!
I really like this, it is very different form my other work! I also like the thought of working really big!

We made LOTS of new fabrics LOTS and LOTS

This was the first exercise of the first week at Nancy Crows! We were to make strip sets in given sizes then we had to come up with a check and a plaid.

Nancy had me take a portion of the plaid pattern and blow it up and assign it colors based on the light and dark areas. I like this and will finish it.

I am so proud of what we did yesterday!
I sat with my friends in Pasadena Ca. and we cried with joy! I am so glad I was still in the States to be a part of it all!
I go back to Hoi An on Monday!

Well, I'm still in Oregon and counting the days to head back to Vietnam!!! I really miss my home there even though I know that its raining and my roof leaks and the river has flooded, its still home for me!!!

My 2 weeks with Nancy Crow was wild! I had a great and exhausting time I will load some photos when I get back.

I did get some great news!!! My green quilt with all the beads has been accepted into the SAQA Points Of View show!!!!! Very exciting for me!

Ok more when I get home.

Tomorrow Im flying to Saigon and will be there for 3 days , then on Thursday Im flying back to the States! I will be there for 2 months! Part of the trip will be in Ohio at Nancy Crow! I am very excited and will post photos when I can. I have been there before and know how grueling it will be and am looking forward to it!

Here I am with Hong, she does all my hand quilting!!! She runs a booking office in the market and when its quiet she works on my quilts. I am so happy to have her as my friend.

I seem to be doing a little series, I love this. I love most of the things I make.... thats good. It is 40 x 54, I find I like working this size it gives me room to move around in. Now I just have to get it quilted.......???

I finaly got this quilted by my friend Hong, she did a great job. I have never used beads on my work but I am happy with the way this turned out. I cant say I will ever use beads again though.