Strausbourg France

Whew it has been a few days since I posted, I didn't realize it.

The news yesterday hit home for me.  Two people, maybe three now today, have died after a shooting at the Christmas Market in Strasbourg France.

when we were in Strasbourg this August, we walked through the area where the Christmas Market is held.

Strasbourg is a beautiful city.  Another senseless terrorist attack.

Here are some photos of a more peaceful city last August.

Nature quilts and Portraits that look like photos

Sorry about the little break  I took, I am taking three classes though OLLI - and have been very busy!

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Louisiana State University (OLLI at LSU) is one of a network of 120 university-affiliated lifelong learning programs supported by The Bernard Osher Foundation. We offer non-credit educational programs specifically developed for adults ages 50 and older; university connection and university support; robust volunteer leadership and sound organizational structure; and a diverse repertoire of intellectually stimulating courses and opportunities.

As a vibrant, member-advised community of lifelong learners, our mission is to foster lifelong learning and individual growth for learners ages 50 and over by creating intellectually stimulating learning opportunities that enrich lives

Frank and I are taking Russia - Tsar Nicholas to Putin which includes the ruse of Communism 

AND we both are taking Mexican Art painting- which is the Atami or Bark Cloth paintings that are indigenous to Central America.  The instructor is from Columbia and came from a village very near where the main center for the old painters is located.  

I am taking Marchita's course on Modern Art - which documents how the Modern Art evolved from the great impressionist painters on down to today.

So interesting!

Back to the quilts from the trip!

Here is Elizabeth Elliot's graphic black and white quilts.

 They kind of looked like explosions!

And Dorte Jensen was incredible!  The quilts were anywhere from 2 feet to

6 feet in height/width and looked like photographs.

Meanwhile, remember we are walking through the villages from building to building through the streets looking at these wonderful old sites and places where people live and work.   

Here is Denise Labadie's incredible stone quilts.  They all look like you could just step into them and walk up the stairs.  

This was another exhibit that was all about nature.  

And this is the entry from Noriko Endo

 This scene with the child looking up into the woods won first place

This was a landscape of the ocean with that face superimposed over it.  In person it looked more like a landscape than a face, but I notice here it looks more like a face.  

And I will end this post with the most familiar thing there for me...…...the Handiquilter booth!  LOL.  

They were happy to have someone who spoke "their" language come by!  

Erick and Amish Beginnings - France and Germany

Are you enjoying the trip?  Leave some thoughts as you read, I am interested in what you have to say.

Erick Wolfmeyer

I have to give you this link for Erick.  Please do read a brief info of him that tells you about his reason for quilting,  I also said he was from Idaho, well I knew it was an “I” state.  He is from Iowa. Close, they both are up north from here, LOL but I have only been to one briefly as Frank tried to kill me in a blinding snowfall.

He lives in a 400 something square foot house and makes these huge quilts!  Live small, think big, I guess.

I talked to him at length about his huge quilts.  He and his friend with him had great smiles and a warm encouraging personality.  I had no idea who he was, but now I am on the lookout for him and his work!

The other exhibits I wanted to show you today were the Amish quilts. there were two historical exhibits.  First a bit of history, because I was slightly surprised to find the Amish in such a place in Alsace and Switzerland.

The Amish are a result of a split in the Anabaptist beliefs in the mid 1600's.  Those who left the community at that time with Jacob Amann of Switzerland were later called Amish in the US.  They settled in Sainte Marie aux Mines.  Whoa!

In Alsace area they are referred to as Daifer.  Remember that Thirty Years War (1618 to 1648) talked about yesterday, well the area was in chaos and was being taken over by the French.  Remember it went back and forth between who ever could hold on to it for the time being.

Lots of famine and fighting.  After the war the King offered land and tax breaks and Jacob gathered his group and came from Switzerland.  After a while he felt offended by the Anabaptist teachings and wanted to put more distance between them.

They were farmers, hardworking and productive.  Jacob wanted stricter religious rules including control of his parishioners simple attire and lifestyle.  They sought exemption from service which got them persecuted greatly.  They also wanted to avoid taking oaths, and would signify agreement by tapping their hand on another's hand.

And to make matters worse, they were successful farmers and the Anabaptists were very jealous.

Hence the trip to the New World in the 1830's.  They still spoke their German-Swiss and they brought with them quilting needles!

This display consisted of American quilts collected by European collectors.




I tried to take photos of the placards next to the quilts but didn't always get every one.  I did get some impressive ones, however.

 One thing to look at is a point I make in the presentation I give about the origins of the Modern Quilt Movement.  Many of the designs you see here, the simplicity of construction and the bold colors were the precursors to the Modern Quilt.

Can you see it in these old quilts?  For sure.

You really need to read the descriptions, some are pretty snarky!  LOL.

 This is one of the churches where this display was positioned.  Churches were the perfect place to display quilts with the vaulted ceilings and gorgeous ornamentation.  In deference to the simpler style of the Amish People, the church was one of the most simple ones.  Wait, I think this one was a theater in the town.  The other venue was a church.