Blog

Another finish! SAQA Spotlight Donation 2021

By Jenny | April 1, 2021 |

  I actually got my SAQA Spotlight Auction donation done early! The Spotlight Auction is held each year at the SAQA Conference and of course, it is virtual again this year. It raises money to support SAQA programs. Donations are 6″ x 8″ pieces that will be displayed in mats with a 4.5″ x 6.5” opening. Here’s my contribution – ta da: But wait, that’s 2 layers of hand dyed silk organza, so it’s sheer. Here’s how it looks in the window: I do love what sheer fabrics do! Here’s my backstory. I was cruising my stash and sketches, trying…

A quilt show, a finish and Spring eye candy

By Jenny | March 25, 2021 |

I’m spending a lot of time filming and editing for future on-demand classes. That is a major thing, just getting to that point with my equipment and editing skills. It will be a ton of work but I am so excited about this! I’ll be putting my classes on the Creative Spark platform, part of C&T Publishing, my book’s publisher. There is already a lot of content up at Creative Spark, so go take a look. The quality is outstanding and I am proud to be a part of the team. I do have a lot of work to do…

Feet!

By Jenny | March 18, 2021 |

I was hoping for a finish this morning but I’m running late, so this turned out to be a post on using the right foot for your machine. I am a BERNINA girl, so you’ll see BERNINA feet, but the same goes for your brand. Let me set the stage – I’m trying to finish a little wall hanging made from Kellie Willey‘s Little Modern Mini pattern. I auditioned  a few background fabrics and these 3 made the cut: At the time I thought this was it. On a whim, I tried orange: Hands down, this was the win. I…

I played hookie…and I liked it!

By Jenny | March 11, 2021 |

It’s spring here! I played hookie this week…shhhhh. I have so many things I “need” to do and “should” do. I love what I do so most of them are fairly pleasurable things. But none of them included any activity starting with a “q” and one of them had “tax” in it – yikes! Sometimes you just have to go off course. I went way out of the box and worked a mini. I don’t do minis and I rarely piece. This might not seem like a radical step, but it was for me. And besides, it sounded like fun…

Taking and making…

By Jenny | March 5, 2021 |

  I’ve got 2 posts this week, one on teaching and this one on taking and making. I took Pat Pauly‘s “Take Two” class this week and I’m reeling, in a good way! If you don’t know Pat or her work, her website describes her: “Known for her improvisational technique, Pat Pauly uses bold color and unusual juxtapositions of printed and painted fabric. Her workshops on the contemporary art quilt carry the same qualities as her work—energized, spontaneous, and artistic. With a mastery of diverse construction techniques, Pat uses textiles as a medium of choice.” Pat has been creating work of…

Lots ‘o teaching..

By Jenny | March 5, 2021 |

  I’ve got 2 posts this week, this one on teaching and one on taking and making. Teaching or lecturing 6 out of 7 days was a challenge, mostly because of some serious tech issues. Everything ultimately went well with nary a hitch. I do love to teach! The East Bay Heritage Quilt Guild is one of the largest in California and is known for the skill and passion of their members. Their show is beyond impressive. I was blown away with their organization and expertise. My equipment check had 5 people, each with a different expertise! The ranks of…

Teaching and taking

By Jenny | February 18, 2021 |

NOTE: I may not post next week given my schedule (see below), but I will be back! Starting Saturday I’ll teach (online) for 6 out of the next 7days so it’s been a week to edit my class plans, beef up my Power Point presentations, polish my handouts and edit videos. There has not been much sewing going on! But I can dream! I saw that Pat Pauly was offering her Take Two class again and I jumped on the chance. Pat is an extraordinary textile artist whose quilts are bold and big with strong composition. This is one of…

The computer’s away and Jenny will play

By Jenny | February 11, 2021 |

I’m in computer hell this week and rather than try to “get something done”, I decided to roll with it. I really couldn’t do what I needed to do: record for an on-demand class, get my files and videos polished up for upcoming gigs and record more videos. The memory on my laptop and desktop is shot. I have my tech guy help me with all of this and he’s had a lot going on in his life, so the whole timeline came to a halt for awhile. My new laptop is getting loaded and prepped; my desktop is next.…

I’m having some fun!

By Jenny | February 4, 2021 |

  Oh I’ve had fun this week! I finished my prototype using the Instant Paper Cloth (IPC) technique I learned from Margarita Korioth at this year’s Craft Napa. Before I get to my project, I have to share: Yeah, this happened. I had to beef up the napkin supply from which I am making the IPC. I didn’t have much of a stash, so I might have gone a little over board. I think this will be enough to work with for awhile. It’s kind of like freezer paper – hard to believe that people actually use freezer paper to…

My LAURASTAR arrived!

By Jenny | January 28, 2021 |

I’ve got two completely different subjects this week, so you’ll see two posts. I received my LAURASTAR Smart i steam generating system on Tuesday and got it set up yesterday. Wahoo! I didn’t know it was coming and the name of the shipper was not LAURASTAR. I didn’t realize what was being delivered…..until this arrived at my door: Given that it was about 5′ long and weighed about 50 pounds, I made a wild leap and assumed it was my LAURASTAR. I mentioned last week I was chosen to be a LAURASTAR Ambassador and I wasn’t quite sure how all this…