Pam Holland Designs and Productions

Come with me to Mexico.

 

I'm inviting you to join Jim and I on a wonderful event in San Miguel Allende

We have limited it to 20 participants and we will be based in San Miguel for the entire time…

I'm so excited about this event. You just can't help but be creative when you're in such a beautiful place.

You can walk in the Jardin, which is close to our fabulous accommodation. Husband Keith and I just loved sitting there in the sun, watching the world go by.

You will visit the market and take a cooking class and of course learn to look at the world a just little differently.

Lets look at color, design, texture and I will teach you everything I know about how to photograph and capture the essence of the city.

 

Mexico Delights

March 8 - 16, 2014

Travel with educator, author and designer, Pam Holland and Sew Many Places founder, Jim West on an intimate 9-day creative journey for quilters into the heart of Mexico, as we focus on art, photography, creativity, cooking and personal wellness!

Package Includes:

• Round-trip airfare from Texas
• Sightseeing as listed in the itinerary
• Deluxe hotel accommodations

• Sew Many Places tote bag
• Most Meals

http://www.sewmanyplaces.com/tours/mexico_0314.html

 

The Excitement of Santa Fe.

When I travel I am at the mercy of the speed of the Internet on offer as to the effectiveness of the blog.

I was doing two things at once on Wednesday and lost the contents of a couple of my blog preparations.XXXXXX Oh well, its just one of those things.

Lisa and I spent Wednesday and part of Thursday in Santa Fe. Of course thats not enough time to do all the things we wanted, but we moved as quickly as our legs and the heat would allow.

I think that the aura of Santa Fe is the environment that fits the environment in which I would choose to live.

BUT, I don't live there, I can't live there and I never will, so I capture it on camera for my own and others pleasure. The creative exposure lives in my mind and memory pricked by the photos I take.

I've already made two quilts with reference to my 2012 visit to Santa Fe. One of them, the african woman (seen below)

I photographed her at the festival and this piece is an extension of one of the genres I work in and will be a large part of my quilting artistic expression from now on.

I guess we've all seen thread painted portraits but in this piece I aimed to create it with short illustrative stitches rather than long directive stitches.

Thinking that I've sort of mastered that technique I have undertaken an even more complicated project.

"The plates in the window quilt."

The other quilt is a new genre and is in the currently in process.

This year my mind is working overtime...(wish I could turn it off sometimes) and I'm working on a few illustration ideas.

A gem of a day.

The vista from our hotel is  magnificent. I see  a vast blue sky, and the mountains surrounding the city of Albuquerque.

Bright colored balloons are dotting the horizon as they float quietly through the invisible air.

Its going to be a pearl of day again today.

Its a contrast to the dark wet days of home and a disturbing political event. I'll be there in a few weeks so I'm making the most of this special environment.

Communication with friends yesterday found that the Route 66 bus trip was in Santa Fe, an hour from here.

"Come and have dinner with us" was the invitation and so we took off on a short toad trip to meet Jim and surprise Ricky and Justin.

It was great, caught up on the news of the past couple of weeks and we had a wonderful dinner with the group.

Thanks guys.

The trip sounds amazing and they have had wonderful adventures along the way.

Dinner over and photos with participants we took off with cameras in hand for a walk through Santa Fe.

It was still warm, the air was soft and balmy.

The late evening sun turned everything gold and music drew us to the plaza. It was packed with participants listening to Eliza Gilkyson and her band.

People were dancing, smiling and just having fun it was a wonderful environment to be in.

 

We walked down the street, the sun was setting and the sky was on fire.

Sante Fe is alive with color and excitement. The Architecture is unique and has been carefully cultivated as a showcase of South Western living.

I love it.

All in all it was a gem of a day. We leave here in an hour or so and go up to Sante Fe. There are two quilt exhbitions on display and more photographs to take.

 

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3rd try at this post.

I'm on the road again and I now have faster internet.... but I lost all of the blogs I wrote previously. XXXXXX

So I begin all over.

Months of preparation.

Rushed trips to do media.

A year of meetings and planning and finally our event The Southern New Mexico Festival of Quilts is ON.

Its not the fanciest show, it not your hootin', tootin' shootin' show. Its our event and we're sure proud of it.

Is it the only show where the entire proceeds are donated to the community?  No, I don't mean a few thousand dollars I mean $45,ooo in the past 3 years.

We all donate our time and enthusiasm to make this a special event.

The entire community is behind us from the 1st National Bank of Alamagordo, the Mayor, Susie Galea to the Police Dept and Border Control to name just a few.

I walked around the vendors yesterday and I saw  this little red backpack sitting on the desk I just want to cry.

150 children need to take home one of these each weekend so they have enough food to get them through till Monday.

Our Quilting event will help them considerably.

I thank the Vendors, The Committee, and this year the groups of young men and women from the Holoman Airforce Base who volunteered to do the heavy work each day. It made a huge difference.

New sewing machines were donated to a group of young people who have a lot less than we do. They used one of my patterns to make quilts and I was delighted.

Classes were wonderful and I just want to thank EVERYONE you made a difference.

Quilting for the community made a difference.

Now I have a few days break.

 

My goodness

Friend Lisa and I have been moving at a fast pace for days.

I came home the first night of the class, laid on the bed to rest my legs and fell into a deep sleep. I woke half an hour later with a start. "Oh my goodness, its morning already" but it was really only 8.00 pm. !!!We were mentally and physically exhausted.

But classes have been wonderful.

I have the most enormous classroom with a table for each person, its cool, bright and we have space to move.

The first day they designed quilts from my Adventures of the Amazing Alphabet book.

It was such fun. We have legs, arms, hands, flying off the quilts.

The vendors were busy and I will add an album of photos. in the next couple of day. There are just not enough hours in the day right now.

So off to yet another creative day.

 

From the green of Ireland to the Orange of Alamagordo.

Its so nice to lay your head on the pillow and let the darkness sweep you into sleep. I'm one of those lucky people who fall  asleep almost instantly the head is down.

Its probably due to the fact that my brain is exhausted. I've been like that all my life so I don't expect to change in my middling age.

I'm writing this as the sun rises and the humming birds feed just a foot from the window.

The temperature rose to 105 yesterday and the day was hazy white.

I love the heat and all that goes with it. Cold drinks, blue skies, homegrown tomato on bread, sun, shorts, sandals and 'T's so I'm holding on to every moment, because in a months time I will be in New Zealand. The opposite side of the world and a weather pattern opposite to here in NM

The Southern New Mexico Festival of Quilts begins today. This is the most important event in my calendar year.

Every minute donated adds an advantage to a community group here in the county.

Everybody donates their time and in the past 3 years we've raised almost $50,000, we hope to add a further $20,000 with this event.

All in the name of quilting.

This year a team of community minded servicemen from nearby Holloman Air force Base have offered their time to help us do the setting up, the hanging of the quilts and general hard work. Its made a huge difference.

The set up yesterday was quick, efficient and with 3 years experience behind us it flowed well.

Everyone from the Chamber of Commerce, the Mayor, the Services, to the Media,  is supporting us, its a truly community affair and it was opened last night with a dinner at Tia Lupes.

I was given the most amazing Green Chilli Cheese burger, the restaurant was festooned in Orange and the town is turning orange for the weekend.!!!!! what a delight.

The darn big classroom.

The classroom is massive, the air-conditioner pumps, I have a walk around microphone so don't need to shout and a its going to be a great event.
The booths set up today. Sewing machine companies, quilting supplies, local craftsmen and delicious food stalls will all descend on us.

Classes have extended from 2 days in the first year to 5 days and each class this year is designed just for this event.

3 days of class here and another 2 days in Las Cruses in a week or so.

So now to breakfast and the anticipation of a fabulous day.

Using the computer for quilting patterns and ideas.

I use my computer as a reference for the patterns of many of my quilts.I thought you might like to see the process and the results.

For instance take this photo below. It is a set of dishes I bought at a store called Anthropologie. The photo isn't spectacular but the pattern is interesting.

I use an app called pencil sketch pro.

Its great for illustrating notes, or breaking down an image into shades.

With this app, the image looks like this.

I used it to break down a photo into shades for a student.

or to create this soft image from a  rather ordinary photo.

Using a program called Photo Artista - sketch. I got this result.

I like both programs, but I like the bottom image best to create a quilted image.I could print it large, trace it onto fabric and thread paint it.Or I could print the image onto fabric color it and quilt it... it would look like a water color painting....quilted. Fabulous.

I can change the angle of the background lines in the computer...I like the 45 deg angle is has produced. Lets get away from stippling. !!!!!

 

On the road.

 

While I sit and wait for my plane to leave I thought I would begin to express my feelings about the Metropolitan Museum in NY.

(I have a 7 hour delay in Dallas)

I needed to wait a day.

I needed to just go over the photos and think.

I took over 400 images and its wonderful to have them because I can re-visit over and over again.

Of course I missed a lot, but it was extremely crowded and to be honest I was completely overwhelmed.

I will feature this picture. I can do so, its in the public domain.

Vincent Van Gogh - Oleanders.

I was struck by the green in this picture. Blue based with yellow.The leaves, blue green and the pink of the Oleander is so complimentary.

Look at the fine orange stripe dividing the wall and the table. Purple, mustard and turquoise.... it makes my heart skip a beat.

I have to say the art captured my heart. Matisse, Renoir,Klee, an absolute delight.

 

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I've been slow with the blog because I've needed to   catch up on business and I'm also looking at alternative methods of communication with my Friends, Family and Quilting buddies. In other words a different blog format.

I'm not too sure whether my new ideas will  function as well, but I'm going to give it a try. In the mean time, I will continue with this format.

The long room Library at the University of Dublin

I always feel the need to capture what I do and when I look at the photos I took I realize that I fitted a lot into the month I've been away from Australia BUT ....

 

The trip to Ireland is over and now I continue onto the most important program of the year. This is my "Pay it forward' program.

Emotionally and physically we can now see it making a significant difference in the lives of some of the young people in Alamogordo and the pressure mounts to continue, expand and go further all in the name of Quilting.

I don't know where it will end, but that's part of the excitement.

 

 

Not everyone is here, but this is a photo of 'our bunch' No 1 bus with driver Dennis.

The trip back began at 3.30 am when the alarm pierced the silence. I had prepared everything for travel the night before so I was down in the lobby of the hotel by 4.00. A paper bag breakfast was supplied and we began to load two full buses with tired quilters for their trek home.

 

The luggage created a huge bulge in the body of the bus.

It was freezing cold and raining lightly so getting on the bus was a relief from the chill.

We didn't leave anyone behind (which is always my worst nightmare) and we arrived in Dublin in record time.

The trip back was long..... 7 hours compared to the 5.5 hours going over. Does a tail wind make that much difference?

The plane was full and to be honest I'm not too used to sitting in the back....!!! but I worked, dozed. moved around a little and watched a movie. I was certainly pleased to get off the plane and let the warmth of NY seep into my bones.

I had to walk. I needed to walk off the hours of plane and bus sitting, so within minutes I had my shorts on I grabbed my camera and I looked forward to another adventure.

 

I love the designs I find as I walk.

 

You find the most amazing things happening as you walk.

I get such enjoyment capturing the image and I enjoy it day after day as I keep it in my memory pile.

You never know what you will find.... Nudes in Time Square?

The men enjoyed the sight.

Even Marilyn made an appearance.

Inspiration, Inspiration, Inspiration

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Catching up on Ireland.

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Getting out at the right time.

 

I've added two photo journal posts to my web site.

The Linen Museum in Belfast.

The Murals of Belfast

It has been slow and so difficult getting photos on the blog using the hotel internet... so here I sit in the Exec Club in the airport and I have been able to get two sets of images up.

I've had a wonderful time here in Ireland, but happy to get back to being warmth.

We got up at 3.00 am, most of the ladies had a bite to eat but I waited till I got into the club at 7.30.

The plane leaves in an hour or so and I'm sure I'll snooze and catch up on work.

The G8 summit begins in Belfast next week. Today 10,000 people will be demonstrating, so we are getting out at the right time.

 

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