A quilting challenge!

The day started normal enough.  Drinking my coffee, and checking on my friends on Facebook.  One of my friends, Teri Lucas, said she was awaiting the mail for a special package.  Turns out she was waiting for a delivery of Robert Kaufman Radiance.  I mentioned that I had found some in my sewing room while doing a reorganization.  Teri challenged me to make something out of it.  I accepted the challenge!

I considered making some piecework, as I had just watched a Sally Collins' video yesterday on precision piecing.  Then I thought about doing a crazy patch.  But what I really think of when I see Radiance is how beautiful it looks quilted!

I could have done a simple feather wreath, but I wanted to do something different.  I mean, if it is a challenge, it should stretch your abilities.  So I searched my Quilting Designs and found this design!  Perfect!  So I did a practive piece on muslin, with turquoise Isacord thread.  Started to add some thread painting details.  Yeah!  That's a good touch

So I created this!  But this wasn't Radiance, it was a piece of cotton sateen.  Not the same.  And although you probably couldn't tell it over the net from the picture, I would know that it wasn't Radiance.  So although it was great practice, it was back to the drawing board.

Taking inspiration from my favorite coffee mug, I drew up this design.  I wanted to add the snail, because I know how to stitch 'em!

Sorry for the sideways picture...grrr!  So this is done on a light brown piece of Radiance.  Superior threads of King Tut, Kimono silk, Rainbow, and one YLI.  I think the drawing looks better than the actual execution.  But it was fun!  I used a wool batting, which gives it a bit of loft!

So, the moral of this story is, sometimes it pays to just keep your fingers off the keyboard rather than adding your two cents worth!  Have a quilty day!

Mystery Bus Trip

Bright and early (6am to be exact...yawn!) 49 excited quilters meet up with this handsome guy who loaded us all up on this big blue bus.  Except for a few of the ladies, most of us had no clue where we were going!  We were promised a fun day, and by golly!  they were right!

The fun started as we boarded the bus!  The committee had a terrific goody bag for us, with a cool handmade name tag (to help the shop owner's identify the bus people and give us our due discount!)  We all got a great recyclable green bag from JoAnn's, which most of us filled by the end of the end (more on that later!)  We also got the cool little Fiskars scissors, which are great for handsewing!  A raffle ticket for door prizes, a salty snack, napkins and wet wipes to keep us neat completed the bag!  To keep our strength up, we all got a delicious muffin, and a cooler of bottled water was availble to keep us hydrated during the day!

We had lots of fun trying to guess where we were going, as the bus started our journey.  We started out headed west...were we going to Morton and Peoria, or perhaps even further west?  When the bus pulled off in Bloomington, a general cry went through the bus, oh no! It's way too early for a quilt shop to be open!  But to keep us on our toes, it was just a well planned potty break.  When we turned north from Bloomington, we started thinking Rockford, or Madison, WI.  Well, we did stop in Rockford, pulling into the Quilter's General Store right at opening time!  I didn't get a picture of the shop, but it is in an old farm house!  Every inch of space was used!  They had some great fabric, especially kids theme!

Besides fondling fabrics, we quilters like to eat (you got that idea from our goody bag, right!)  So our next stop was lunch!  The Machine Shed in Rockford is a terrific restaurant!  They were pre-warned, er, notified that 49 hungry ladies and one bus driver would be visiting them, and they were ready and waiting to serve us!

I split a BLT with another lady, and we had more than enough food!  The sweet potato fries were served with cinnamon butter to dip them in!  BTW, this was my plate...Alma's was identical!  we shared the fruit cup you see in the background.  Then another lady who had too much on her plate gave us her cole slaw which Alma and I shared!  They didn't have any lemon meringue pie that day, or you would be looking at a picture of that!

Next stop was the Quilter's Haven!  Another delightful shop!  We all oohed and aahed at their selection, then helped the economy of Rockford!

Back on the bus, and we headed east.  We drove through Dekalb...we saw signs talking of Aurora in 22 miles....were we going to Naperville?  Great shop there!  But then we turned south.  Went through a lot of towns, but we finally knew...we were going to Morris!  The Fabric Center is a fantastic store, and was our last store!  They have a huge store, with all kinds of fabrics, lovely shop samples, and places for weary quilters to sit and contemplate!  They graciously stayed open an hour later for us, and we graciously made it worth their effort!  Supper was at Culver's in Morris.  I was good and had a salad, and I was so good, I rewarded myself with a Lemon Ice with raspberry topping!  It was very good!

Like all good days, it had to come to an end.  I got home at 9:30, welcomed by a happy dog and hubby!  And see, I did manage to fill my shopping bag!

Millie Sorrells Advanced Heirloom Quilting

On June 2, I had the opportunity to travel to Decatur, IL to take a class from Millie Sorrells, quilter extraordinaire!  Millie is a lovely and gentle lady who does drop dead gorgeous quilting!  She had a quilt win a second place ribbon this year at Paducah, as well as having a miniature quilt hang in the show!  Millie also has the privilege of having one of Superior Threads Kimono Silk threads named for her (it is a beautiful red)!  What a fantastic class it was!

We practiced different quilting patterns in the morning, then Millie gave each of us a class kit that included cotton sateen, wool batting, a spool of Kimono silk, and a Schmetz needle, size 60.  She even included enough bias binding to finish off our sampler!  Now that is a class act!  We ran out of time to finish the sampler in class, but I didn't let it be just another UFO in my stash!

This was such fun to work on!  I had never done clam shells before, always afraid that I could not get them perfect.  But I marked out a grid, and went for it!  I love the checkerboard effect! And what is not to love about a feathered wreath! 

The nautilus design was not from Millie's class.  I got this idea from Teri Lucas, another quilter extraordinaire!  I love the swirling lines, and being able to use more lines to fill in!  It was uber fun!

Speaking of Miss Teri, I was fortunate to have been interviewed by her for her blog.  Please check out her blog, and not just my interview, but her whole site!  She is an awesome quilter, and an awesome person!

Fun with feathers

Goodness!  I didn't mean for a month to go by without a blog post!  I still have been super busy with taking care of hubby.  He is still non weight bearing on the fractured leg, so he is dependent on me for most things.

The major news this month is that I bought a new sewing machine!  And, yes, this loyal Janome girl crossed over and bought a Bernina!  It is the 550QE!  I am so in love with her!  I have named her Earline, in memory of my Uncle Earl, whose inheritance money I used to buy her.  Earline has been purring like a kitten, responding like the fine European machine that she is!  She has not been fussy about threads or needles.  I am getting used to the BSR (Bernina Stitch Regulator).  I will be taking a class later this week to learn more about that feature.   I also am going to be taking an advanced Heirloom quilting class with Millie Sorrells on Saturday.

Sorry that this is sideways!  Yesterday I picked up this book at JoAnn Fabrics using my 40% off coupon.  I am in love with her feather concepts.  The book is "Creating your own Dream Feathers" by Peggy Holt.  It is published by AQS (American Quilters Society).

The "S" shape is the first one I attempted to stitch.  I used a multi-colored Mettler thread to do all these!  I did not use the BSR, but will play with that later to see about getting some better stitch control!

I love the stylized butterflies she showed in the book!  I am going to be practicing these a bit more, and I have just the piece of fabric to put them on.

PS:  I will be selling my Janome 7700, if anyone in my area is interested, let me know!

It's been busy!

I guess I had better get a post in before April gets away from me!  March was a very busy month for me, with our quilt guild retreat at Lake Williamson.  I fully intended to have several posts on the retreat, but my intentions didn't make it into reality.
I had promised hubby that I would work on a quilt for him at retreat.  It was a Kansas Troubles Quilters  pattern called "Candle in the Window".  He had seen the quilt made up at A Quilting Bee in Mahomet, and wanted me to make it.  Not exactly an exciting thing for me, but I told him I would work on it at retreat.  Well, it is done, and is at the long arm as I type.  Pictures to come.

I did get the binding done on this quilt, also made for Wayne! The pattern is from Elisa's Backporch Design.  It is called Earl Grey, but I added an extra round to make it bigger, as well as a border, so I am calling it The Duke of Earl Grey, a nod to Wayne's teen years in the 1950s!  If you go to Elisa's website, she has a great video for doing those curves.

I did make some more of those mini pieced baskets and made a miniature quilt!  I was labeled as the crazy one at retreat...but I really enjoyed the challenge of working with small pieces and seams!  Sally Collins' technique made it so easy!  I will be taking an Heirloom Quilting class from Millie Sorrells in June.  I am going to wait until then to quilt this, as I am going to ask Millie for some advise!

I also finished up the cherries from Nancy Prince's class.  I used Sally Collins' technique to add that 1/8" border.  I used silk thread and silk batting.  Wayne thinks I should just frame this instead of finishing it off with binding.  I may just do that....eventually!

Speaking of Wayne, he is the reason I have been so busy!  Wayne had lost nearly 100#, and was feeling lots better physically.  So he traded in his motorscooter for Yamaha 250cc motorcycle.  Less than 24 hours later, he fell while getting off said motorcycle, fracturing his femur.  He spent almost 3 weeks in the hospital, and is home.  But he is to be no weight bearing on the leg that was fractured.  Fortunately, we had a power chair from when he fractured his proximal fibula (small bone in the lower leg just below the knee) last year.  So I have been doing private home care duties.

The weekend that Wayne fell, we were going to go to Shiisa Quilts in Bloomington, IN to take a Hexie Class from Mickey Depre.  I needed a hand project to do while in the hospital, so I taught myself to English paper piece.  I designed a little wall hanging on EQ7.  I am going to add some hand stitched embroidery ala Laura Wasilowski.

Wayne's accident also truncated my planned trip to Paducah!  I did manage to get down for Tuesday and Wednesday!  Circle of Life didn't get any awards or ribbons, but I am just thrilled to see it hanging at the Paducah Show!

So this brings us up to the current date.  I have been working on a few things.  This is my independent stab at thread painting!  I traced a picture that my nephew Logan Ingold had posted on his Facebook site, and followed Nancy Prince's instructions!  Not too sure what I will do with this. Probably quilt and bind it, and hang it in my sewing room!

Indiana Heritage Quilt Show

I just spent a fantastic long weekend in Bloomington, IN at the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show.  The only sad note is this weekend is also marked with deadly tornadoes through southern Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and on and on.  My heart and prayers go out to those affected by the storms.  Please remember that this tragedy will go on for these people long after we have put it out of our minds, so continue to keep good thoughts going their way.

I first was introduced to IHQS when Mickey Depre was teaching down here a few years ago.  We had been internet friends, and I wanted to take a class from her, so that was the perfect opportunity.  I passed up last year because of time constraints (well, I was going to Paris, and needed to save my shekels for that trip), but I couldn't pass up this year's show!  The instructors for this year's show were all people that I had either taken a class with, or had their books and was wanting to take classes from!  What to choose?  It was difficult!

Bloomington, IN is about 3 hours from my home, so we came on Thursday to travel leisurely.  After getting checked into our hotel, we went to Shiisa Quilts.  Being the smart woman that I am, I encouraged my hubby to go into the shop with me!  He saw lots of things that he thought I should do!  I did buy a batik for another project, and one kit for a cool wall hanging that he liked.  I only wish I had the time to do all the things he wants me to do, and all the things I want to do!

I got to meet Janet Meese, another internet friend, who is the owner of Shiisa Quilts!  What a delightful lady, and very welcoming!  I will be traveling down the end of the month to take a Hexie class from Mickey Depre, and staying over for an all day sew the next day!  What fun!

I was craving pizza, so asked Janet a recommendation for a good pizza place!  Without hesitation, she recommended Lennie's Pizza.  And why not!  Lennie is her brother!  It was so great, that we went Thursday night, and again on Saturday night!

Of course, I had to have a stein of the home brew from the Bloomington Brewing Company.  On Janet's recommendation, I tried the Java Porter.  Good choice, Janet!

My first class with Nancy Prince.  I was first introduced to Nancy from The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims.  I love the look of thread painting and was wanting to experience all I could!  Nancy is a delightful instructor, and helped all of us do our best with our class project!

Hubby was impressed!  It was lots of fun to do!  I am still amazed that I actually did this!

In keeping with the eccentricity, or eclectic, style that defines my quilting experience, the next day I took a class with Sally Collins.  Sally is known for her precision quilting, and her miniatures!  Another awesome instructor who took the time to explain how she gets her precision work done.  And spent time with all of us to make sure we would come away from the class with the tools to improve our quilting, whether on a minature level, or on a more "normal" sized level.

Yes, that is my class sample we are holding!  I was the over achiever and got two done in class!  I see a miniature quilt in my future!

Oh, Yes!  There was also a quilt show there!  This was the Best of Show quilt!  All the quilts were awesome, and I got lots of inspiration from them!  And a great group of vendors, too!

Central Coast, California!

 My hubby was a career Air Force long before I met him. His most talked about base was Vandenberg AFB, which is on the central coast of California near Lompoc (who else remembers Roger Ramjet!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZIjT3S7wvc.







So when we started to talk about where we wanted to take a short winter vacation, we decided that we would go there and let him take a trip down memory lane!  And the bonus was that I have an internet quilting friend who lives in Santa Ynez, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away.  Bonnie was thrilled to have us come visit her.  Our hubbies hit it off like they had been old friends forever!  And honestly, have you ever met a quilter that you didn't like!

Our first stop was Creation Station in Buellton, CA!  What a fun and energetic shop!  Lots of great store samples to get your creative juices flowing!

And look at this bathroom!  Not just an afterthought here!  There is even a little motion sensor croaking frog in the corner!  Love it!

After a delightful lunch, we went to Roxanne's in Carpinteria, CA!  Bonnie maintains Roxanne's website, so is very good friends with the owner.  Who, by the way, drives a spiffy blue 2002 Thunderbird!  We are soul mates!

Roxanne greeted us each with a hug and a little gift!  What a welcome!  There were a couple of jelly roll strips, a small KitKat bar (one of my faves!), and a cute needle keeper!

Right inside the front door is a great fireplace!  And next to the fireplace are framed newspaper articles about Charlie Chaplin.

And this plate was on the fireplace!  Oona was his fifth and final wife.  It just takes some people a couple tries to get it right!  It is so great to feel connected to the history of a place!

This is Roxanne's cutting table!  I could just sit and look at this all day!  Everything in the store was fresh and bright, just like the owner!

Work with Passion, Exceed Expectations, Encourage Creativity, Build Relationships, Have fun!  Live Inspired!  Great words to live by!

After eating Chinese for supper, we cruised on to Bonnie's quilt guild meeting in Santa Barbara!  Bonnie is also the webmistress for her guild!  There was a great speaker on judging quilts.  She gave a little bit of history on her quilt journey, and then "judged" a few quilts for guild members!  Very insightful!

We had an awesome day with Bonnie and Jerry!  Thanks again for taking the time to show us a bit of your world in California!

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