Thursday, March 11, 2010

I've Been Busy

Since I last posted, I've been on another trip to visit a dear friend and her family. This time I went to Maryland, and had a marvelous time. We hit some great yarn shops, a bead shop, G Street Fabrics (my fabric is sitting at my post office at this very moment, since I was performing at Morning Musical Review when they tried to deliver it today) and of course various parts of the Smithsonian group of museums as well as other places of interest, such as the National Cathedral. On a completely frivolous note, she also took me to see Ricardo, her hairdresser, and I got my hair cut. (Drumroll!) It's not a complete departure from my former look, but it's a little more modern looking (I hope) and definitely 'cleaned up'. Here's me last Sunday.



I spent one day in DC by myself, traipsing through the National Gallery, Archives, Sculpture Garden, Portrait Gallery and the Renwick Gallery. I still feel like I'm filled to the brim with the sights I saw and the ideas I got.

Before she turned me loose on my own, Linda kindly went with me to DC, and we toured Arlington Cemetery, including Arlington House, which is beginning a major renovation soon, the National Building Museum, and the Textile Museum.

This last stop will be of special interest to most of you, and I would urge anyone who's handy, to go there now, as their current show is Contemporary Japanese Fashion: The Mary Baskett Collection.



It runs for about another month, and yes, it was wonderful. All of the items are from the wardrobe (as in, she still wears them regularly) of a woman from Ohio who lived in Japan near the beginning of the Japanese designer phenomenon. She spotted these intriguing designs and began buying and wearing them. She was there for quite a few years, so her collection spans a considerable time. You can get quite close to most of the pieces, and they're displayed very well for the most part, with the accessories meant to be worn with them, and on 3-D 'forms' inside so that the shapes are clearly shown. We could have done with a little more information about some of the pieces, but really, it's a great show, and quite interesting to see the pieces close up.

There's another interesting show there as well. It's Fabrics of Feathers and Steel:
The Innovation of Nuno
and is a collection of very unusual pieces of fabric. I know you've seen some of these before, but the innovation of these is awesome. Of course you can't touch the fabrics on display, but they do have small 'touchable' samples by the description of each group, so you can get a sense of the tactile quality of the fabrics.

In case you wonder what I was singing this morning, it was 3 songs for a performance club. It's been about 2 years since I was able to go and perform, or even attend, so this was very nice. "V'adoro, pupille" from Giulio Cesare by Handel, and 2 of the Six Songs of Emily Dickinson by John Duke. 5. "Nobody Knows This Little Rose" and 6. "Bee! I'm Expecting You". My wonderful accompanist and friend, Diana, made it all possible, as always.

8 comments:

a little sewing said...

Liana, you do look nice with your new bob! Wonderful review of the exhibits, too. I must make time and get downtown to view these wonderful designs.
It's been so long since I have listened to art songs. Just to see it mentioned in your post makes me want to find something for listening in the car!

Cennetta said...

The updated bob is the way to go! Looking good. Thank you for the review. It's been three years since my last visit to DC and going to the museums is one of my favorite things to do when I go there.

Mardel said...

Liana you look great with your bob. That is the look, and about the length I am aiming for as my hair grows out. You look fabulous.

The review of the exhibit sounds fabulous; too bad I can't get down there.

And congratulations on singing too. It sounds marvelous.

Vicki said...

You have been busy! And a new haircut is always fun. I got mine cut last night too. It is a bob too but shorter.

KayY said...

You look fabulous Liana!

gwensews said...

Nothing like a new hairdo to lift one's spirits and make you feel giddy! Great that you were able to vacation and enjoy some things that you are interested in.

Ann Made Studio said...

You new hairdo looks great Liana :)

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

Your new hairdo is great and I'm glad that you had such a wonderful visit with Linda!