Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been obsessed with Italy. If there is such a thing as past lives, I had more than one there. At 12 years old I got ahold of a copy of The Agony and the Ecstasy (Michelangelo Bio) and read it until the pages tattered and the cover fell off. I tried to take Latin in 9th grade but it was cancelled that year. I wanted to sign up for an Italian art history exchange program my senior year but my parents got divorced so that fantasy was smashed. But still, I read about Italian history, cooked Italian food, studied Italian art, listened to Italian opera. When I finally saw The David in person, I cried.
I didn’t make it to Italy until my early 40s, but I’ve returned many times, and have some very special friendships there. My adoration of Venice transcends the crowds of tourists. I’ve wandered the streets without a map until I am utterly lost, and then walked into a local restaurant at the end of a maze, and shared a meal with a family who spoke no English. That was on a trip I took 3 years ago, to photograph Carnival. That was one of those dream trips of a lifetime and I am still processing the visual treasures I brought home.
So this week I am just sharing 2 kinds of eye candy – this new collection from Kaufman that just blew me away when I first saw it at Quilt Market – and I also invite you to visit my photo page from Venice.
You may have heard about how dolphins and jellyfish have been seen in the clear quiet waters of the Grand Canal during the pandemic. On one of my visits there, we saw George Clooney’s wedding party in tuxes and evening gowns zooming up the Grand Canal, being chased by several smaller boats full of paparazzi and their mega-cameras. Timing is everything.
I hope you enjoy looking at this extraordinary Venice-inspired fabric collection, and my photos from Venezia!
A shout-out to our top-selling thread Aurifil that is made just outside Milan Italy…their factory is up and running again so there is hope we will all get through this pandemic!
If you’d like to keep going with my photo collection, pour a glass of Montepulciano and visit my photo album page.
with hope for the future…
Luana and Paul
