Our Acceptable Obsession

Last week I enjoyed the Machine Quilting Today Show for 3 days.  Lucrecia and I took a room for a couple of nights and did some sewing in our room between classes. I finished 9 more blocks for my Ladies in Waiting quilt. It was slow going at first cause I wasn't familiar with the machine. The back of the hotel bedspread works for a design wall in a pinch.

When I got home I dug out this multicolored print I'll use in the border. I still want to pick out a copper or brown for some of the blocks then I can get on with the border blocks.

More about the show. Many of the classes at a machine quilting show are only 2 hours long. They have classes for beginners and experienced, for longarm quilters or domestic machine users, for art quilting techniques, for competition and for those with a computerized machine.  And then classes that interest me. Predominantly freehand quilting.

The classes are usually pretty good. I like to take classes to see how the teachers present the material and gain some new inspiration and ideas.  And just imagine, I learn something new while I am at it.
 I only take a drawing or a demo class because I don't want hands-on with a big heavy unfamiliar longarm. Ouch!

The show itself obviously had some phenomenal quilts made for the competition. This show also has categories that are more for everyday quilts I guess. Maybe next year I will enter that category. Again I was disappointed there weren't more pieced quilts. Always the art and applique quilts predominate. The lighting was pretty bad, but next year promises to be better. My camera has a flash so the pictures turned out fine.

Now it's back to reality. I have paperwork and doctors waiting and have a "show" to give in Waukesha. Yikes!

Smoky Mountain Getaway

My trip to the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina for the Quilt Symposium was uneventful. Thank goodness the grief began on the way home with a storm in Atlanta that delayed my trip 6 hours. Good thing I really like Airports. I think I get it from having grown up near one. We would often walk up to the park to watch the planes land.

  The symposium itself was wonderful. Over 300 beautiful quilts, 20 vendors and a few hundred quilters.  I was lucky to get these three pictures from my Thirtysomething class.  My camera has been acting up for a few weeks, so I will be getting a new camera in the near future.  I hope I have these projects identified correctly. The one above was by Kathi Culler.

The next one is by Judy  Slater. And the bottom one by Diane Berdis. I really liked that the gals chose some of the options I presented. I like to think of my designs as suggestions. There was alot of talk in both classes about "the next one I make like this" So with any luck they'll send me jpegs.
Students promised to send me pictures from the Infinite Stars workshop, too. Some of the gals stayed up till midnight finishing their stars.
After 5 days, it was good to get home. I have been watering the gardens all day today, it's been so dry. Otherwise things are the same as always. Love it.
 

Smoky Mountain inspiration

Going through my contracts for lectures and workshops, I was suddenly struck by the logo for the 2012 North Carolina Quilt Symposium. It was designed like one of my Infinite Stars and it was in orange and yellow. Imagine that. Better yet, check it out here. So I couldn't think of a better way to use SOME of my yellows and oranges. This is the start. I plan to add a Thirtysomething border. And to think I will be there teaching both my Infinite Stars class and a Thirtysomething class. Wish you could be there. And if you are, be sure to say "hi".

Quilt Festival Time

I am waiting here for a delivery and should be getting some work done. But I remembered it is Blogger Quilt Festival this weekend so thought I'd hang out here for  a while. I participated once before and was amazed at all the links there were to quilty blogs. Amy asked us to share a photo of any quilt. Could have a story, or be a favorite or taught us something - whatever. 

 I made this quilt about 4 years ago. I enjoyed it for only a short while before I had to send it off to the publisher for photography. It's featured in my latest book, S is for Scraps. I really like the quilt. The quilt never came back to me, because one of the editors at Martingale bought it.  Now I am trying to decide if I like it enough to make again. It's not like I need it or there aren't other quilts I want to make. And, it's rare that I'd make the same quilt twice. Probably all in good time. Patience is a virtue and I wish I had MORE. And where is that delivery man????

Quilting Season

I'm still enjoying this unusually mild winter and getting a good walk in on most days. I also enjoyed finding this picture in my in-box from Claudette Males of a quilt she started in a class she took with me in Cincinnati. The class was Kissing Cousins from my Thirtysomething book. It's always fun to see different fabrics used for the same pattern and no where is it easier or more fun than in a class.She did a great job.

This weekend is the Winter Quilt Show  north of Milwaukee near Jackson and sponsored by Material Matters of Cedarburg. There's classes, free lectures, lots of vendors and quilts. The weather should be good so I am expecting you to go. I'll be teaching, be sure to say hi.  There is also a new Wisconsin Quilt History Museum in Cedarburg. Maybe it would be a good time to go for some of you. I will be too busy.

There's a meeting at Benny's tomorrow and I haven't made my block yet, so I am off to do that now - maybe.
Have a good one.

Milwaukee Show

I hope all is back to normal soon for those that have suffered the ravages of hurricane Irene.

And the winner is...

I wasn't a big winner but I did win a ribbon on this album quilt. I really didn't expect to win anything. I know I am good, but lots of the good local quilters enter the Crazy Quilter's show cause there are cash prizes for the winners and it is a good show.

 I call the quilt Friday Night Special, cause I worked on the top Friday nights while quilting with the girls. It's some of the best work I've done on the longarm. Quilting with templates helped alot.  I am hoping some day my freehand quilting will be as nice.  I guess I just have to keep at it.

This is the other quilt from S is for Scraps that I entered in the show. It's called Midnight Express.


Saturday was a meeting of the longarm guild. Sunday I went to the show and while there I demonstrated machine quilting (on domestic) feathers. Mark met me there  so I didn't get to enjoy the vendors like usual. Yes, that means I didn't buy a thing! Tuesday morning the church basement ladies met to work on the raffle quilt.  We were getting a bit behind and are now on track.  Tuesday night was the quilt club at the shop. The girls wore me out in the morning, keeping them all on track. Good thing I had no responsibilities Tuesday night.

We have had a cool rainy spring so I haven't worked in the garden much. I try to put in an hour or so a day when it is nice.  I think that has been only 3 or 4 times this past April.

I'm just about done with the quilt on the frame.  Someone donated a big old top their mother had made maybe in the 70's.  I put way too much work into it.  Maybe I could sell it with proceeds going to church.

I'm looking forward to the next one I quilt and I have no idea which one that will be.  My birthday is next month. Should I have a giveaway of my new book?
 

Show Time

Show time is my favorite time of year. Both spring and fall. The next show on my agenda is the Mukwonago Crazy Quilters show on April 30 and May 1.  I particularly like going to the local shows cause they have real bed quilts and not all art/competition quilts like at the AQS show and Festival. I started the Mukwonago guild and might have missed two shows in the last 25 years. I don't enter often cause I am not competitive. But this year I entered 4 quilts from S is for Scraps. I still have to put the sleeves on. So after the holiday weekend, that's what I'll be doing.  Here are 2 of the quilts I am entering.

It's been busy here. Since getting back from Cincinnati, it's doctor after doctor. For all my people.  10 appointments in 2 weeks. Little time for quilting, but putting a little time on the longarm.  Great for stress-busting.

Spring challenges

What a beautiful spring we have had. I was really torn between going to the Crazy Quilter's
annual quilt show and staying home and working in the garden. I hate missing the show. I see so many old friends there. Of course I went to the show. I figured the garden wouldn't sprout too many weeds in one day.

I am always so inspired when I go to a quilt show - to buy more fabric. I was doing a pretty good job too of resisting until I ran into Pam. I haven't stopped by Pamella's Place for quite a while now. I told her how I enjoyed it a few years ago when I had her pick out fabric for me to make a couple of quilts for class samples.

These were the class samples for a 5 session class covering all the Thirtysomething units. We made sampler blocks in class, not these quilts. I really enjoyed the challenge of working with fabrics I wouldn't normally choose. I like to claim that I LIKE ALL fabrics, I just don't buy or use it all. I haven't the time! Ok, That is probably not the whole truth. So, at the show I suggested she pick out some more for me. And in less than a minute she picked out the two bundles of batiks shown below.

I am kind of stumped now with this new challenge. I have an idea or two. I don't have to use them all, and I can add up to 6 more fabrics. Should be interesting.

Are you up for a challenge? I could send you a bundle of fabric from our Church stash if you'd like. Let me know.
Here's hoping you get to enjoy spring in between some quilting stitches. I know - it's a challenge. Sew long.