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I want to revisit blocking. I wrote about blocking in 2016, 2013 and 2012, but I have changed my methods since then; it seems like a good time for an update since I am currently blocking a quilt. This turned out to be long enough to be a magazine article! Please note, there are variations on blocking. I have found these methods work well for me and I have passed them on to my students with no complaint. You may do it a little differently. At the end of the day, what we want is a straight quilt. First, why…
I’ve been working on my “blue silk quilt” over a year. I have never had a quilt experience like this one. It sounds sooo artsy-fartsy, but this quilt told me very clearly what it needed as I worked along; it has taken me on several unexpected paths. I would head in one direction and it would stubbornly oppose me. When I finally heard the message it was telling me, it would purr. We have now become friends. To tell the tale of the many permutations of this quilt might bore you, so I will give you the Cliff Notes…
Please note: My weekly newsletter includes my blog post plus lots of other goodies – A Quilt of the Week, a good ole Snort Laugh, usually an article about another interesting artist plus additional content that varies. If you just follow my blog and not my newsletter, may I suggest you get my newsletter instead (which includes the blog post of the week)? This week I will be writing about my interesting Thanksgiving in my newsletter. You can sign up for the newsletter here. It was a another great show for the Pioneer Quilters Guild! It is one of…
I love going to the International Quilt Market at Houston each year. It is a luxury for me to attend since I don’t have a brick-and-mortar shop. But I like to see what’s new and what I might add to my online shop. You can read about the quilts here in Part 1 and Part 2, and a post about the Festival experience here. There is a huge added advantage of being at Market – the show is already hung and you can get in to see it! There are very few attendees viewing the quilts during Market. I…
There is nothing like teaching at the world’s largest quilt festival! It is exciting, challenging and just plain FUN! It was a LOT more crowded this year, a very good thing! There is such a buzz and excitement of being on the show/vendor floor. For many, if not most attendees, the Houston show is a Bucket List item, long anticipated and planned for. You can find photos of quilts Part 1, Part 2 and interesting products from Market here. We are an aging demographic and there were lots of scooters! I usually get 20,000+ steps/day at Houston and this…
Continuing on with the quilts from the Houston Int’l Quilt Festival 2023; you’ll find this post much shorter. You can find Part 1 here, a post about the Festival experience here, and interesting products from Market here. I hope you enjoyed the show!
I had my best year yet at the Houston Int’l Quilt Festival! This was my 10th year to teach – who’d a thunk it? I will write more about the experience, teaching and Market in subsequent posts. I am not sure what my timing will be on those posts, so stay tuned. I may just post them as I complete them, before next week. I’m running as fast as I can! You can find photos of quilts Part 1, interesting products from Market here and the Festival experience here. There were 6 quilts that stood out to me. I wrote a little…
See explanation of this year’s show in Part 1. I just couldn’t pare it down to one post, so you’ll get 2 posts full of fabulous! Here we go, in no particular order, with occasional comment: Gorgeous silks and incredible details throughout. This is another that would have been up for my fictional “Judge’s Choice”. The teeny triangles grab me and the simple quilting makes for a superbly edited piece. Eileen is in my guild and I remember this charming quilt from our local show. She received a Judge’s Choice! The center is from a pattern, but that charming border…
I have been attending the Pacific Int’l Quilt Show almost every year since 2006, yet I get excited about it every time! This year had a wrinkle. I had just come back from a 5 day event and was also prepping for Houston. About an hour into the show I began to feel overwhelmed. I knew I needed to take my loss and start the 3 1/2 hour drive home. I needed to listen to my body. As a result, I drove 3 1/2 hrs, stayed for under 2 hrs and then drove home. I know I missed entire sections…
I attended the –Sierra Gold Quilters Guild Show in early Oct and I am just now getting around to posting. I had a very hard time narrowing down my photos; there was so much food work! Their wearables section was very strong – I counted 18 items! And there seems to be a lot of excellent applique going on around there too. I do think it was their best show and I do get there most years. I have short comments on each. You will enjoy the show: Fabulous use of brights and if it’s Dresden, it must be…