A Wee Quilt and St. Petersburg, Pt 3

I really am a quilter.  really.  sometimes.  Not often enough this year, but I think about it, a lot.  Over the weekend, I put together the first of a number of wee little quilts, that I think might begin to replace the 5 x 7" quiltlet cards that I usually make.  We'll see.  It depends on how my time management goes.

Enough.  Here is the quilt:

My working title of this was "Through the Storm."  The greyed water and sails look stormy to me.  The binding is printed with Bible verses, that hopefully will keep my friend close as she deals with the months to come.

St. Petersburg, Day 2

We spent our second morning in St. Petersburg at the Faberge Museum.  I have to say it was the highlight of our visit to Russia, at least in my book.  Then again, I love enamel work, I love semi-precious stones, I love gems and jewelry and, well, if it sparkles, it has my attention.

 The Faberge Museum is housed in one of the palaces across the canal and down a bit from the Hermitage.  The man behind it thought that the work of Faberge deserved a showplace in Russia, where Carl Faberge spent his working life.  (His family was from France.)  Faberge made the famous eggs for the tsars, but he also did all kinds of things.  The first room we entered was filled with silver.  Punch bowls, vodka shot glasses, all kinds of things for tables and desks.  Here is an example of the silverwork.  If it looks like silver, it is.  If it looks like gold, it is.  If it looks like a jewel, it is.  If it looks like glass, it's crystal.  How would you like this pencil cup to sit on your desk top?

 The next room contained the 9 Romanov eggs owned by the museum.  This white enamel on gold, with a gold  yolk and gold and enamel chicken was the first of the many made for the tsars and their families.

 The yellow egg, that opens to reveal a carriage (with all moving parts), is one of the more famous.

I took hundreds of photos in the museum, so it's difficult to decide which to share.  But because this is a primarily quilting blog, I'll show you the ones that reminded me of fiber art - even though the "fiber" is silver, and the "beads" are real pearls, etc.

 Look at the way that silver drapes!

 And the pearls!  Fabulous!

I also thought these were worthy of sharing.  Again, if it looks like a jewel or semi-precious stone, it is.  Like that tray?  It is carved from a single piece of jade.  seriously.  jade.

 How about these?  Be sure to click on the photo to see how precious they are.  Number 3 has (enamel?) Johnny Jump-ups in a carved crystal vase.  Number 5 is pearl and jade lilies of the valley, in a little gold basket.

 And finally, how would you like to have a yellow enamel Faberge holder for your...crochet hooks?  oh my.  The lives of the rich and famous.  Stunning.

So.  That was the beginning of Day 2 in St. Petersburg.  The morning was spent at the Faberge Museum, the evening at the ballet.  Stay tuned.  More to come.