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It’s kind of hard to have a compelling blog post during a quarantine. It’s not like I went to a fabulous quilt show this week or had a super fun gig at a fabulous location. But I have been productive in a very different way this week. I find it very hard to sit still and hang out. I have so many things I want to work on – this is my chance! Here we go: I did have a finish this week, kinda sorta: I am going to let this marinate for a bit, thinking I want to add…
Once upon a time, a long time ago, before Covid 19 really hit the US, the SAQA show Aloft premiered at AQS Daytona Beach (late Feb). I was able to see its debut. I didn’t have a lot of time to ponder the quilts as I was sneaking in time at lunch and after teaching. I particularly enjoyed Aloft because it was positive and, well, uplifting. I have grown weary of “statement” shows and craved a positive exhibit. I got a chance to hang out the with my Florida SAQA peeps and it was wonderful to get to know them…
This was my first time to teach at AQS Daytona Beach and I had a blast! I have not been to that part of Florida before and I found it to be genuinely friendly and laid-back. The influence of the car is felt pretty much everywhere. The accent was seriously southern and the food that I had outside of the Hilton was fabulous. The barbecue next to the convention center was some of the best ever. Walking around the city was a delight. It was a real challenge to pare down to one checked bag! By necessity I flew Delta…
I had a grand time at the Santa Barbara Quilting Retreat a few weeks ago when I studied with Betty Busby. Betty is a very popular teacher and I knew her a little bit from SAQA, so I was pretty sure I was going to enjoy the class. It exceeded my expectations for several reasons. I thought I would feel intimidated but I was not, a shock to me! Surface design, fabric painting and design in general are not something I am confident in. I’m usually a bit rattled in general by the whole taking-a-class thing. But I felt totally…
Let’s look at the Big Quilt Room of the Folsom Quilt and Fiber Guild Show: A Toby Lischko design. Nancy put it on point and chose a brown colorway to hang in her nature-inspired home in Tahoe. Susan redesigned the pattern for her daughter’s Cal King. Beautiful quilting enhances the design. Kaffe stripes and an off-handed remark in a Christine Barnes workshop gave Marie the inspiration to create this beauty. The block pattern go back to 1800/early 1099’s. Esther is a superb hand quilter and but did a fabulous job machine quilting this on a domestic machine. Exquisite applique. Pattern…
The Folsom Quilt and Fiber Guild Show 2020 – Part 1, Small Quilt Room, Wearables and other treasures
I love my home guild (the Folsom Quilt and Fiber Guild)! Every year I get excited about our Feb show, which is the first show of the year in my neck of the woods, so I call it Quilting New Year. See what I mean? All those happy quilters – gotta love it. I’m splitting my posts in two, one this week with the “Small Quilt Room”, Wearables and some of my happy purchases and winnings. Next week I’ll post the “Big Quilt Room”. The Emma Allebes Art Quilt Challenge this year was “City of Trees”, a moniker for Sacramento.…
NOTE: I may not post next week – it’s a busy week as you will read below. I wish I had more time in my life to play with wearable art. It is in my blood, but during this season of life I don’t think I’ll get much time to play with wearables. So I was super excited to visit the Haute Couture Societe and see their Show ‘n Tell. I didn’t take nearly enough photos! The room was packed for my lecture, a welcome sight. I thought it would be all wearable artists but apparently there are lots of…
I really don’t plan to cram major events altogether, it just happens. Hubby and I spent a few days in El Paso, Tx celebrating his Mom’s 94th bday. It was a grand time: She is very well-loved by many, for good reason. I’m a counter and I stopped counting at 50 cards! This was fun – my Sister-in-Law bought this special candle for the cake and it was spectacular. It started out like this and then all the little petal-like things flopped down, each with their own candle and they moved around the center candle. It was really cool! I…
This was my fifth year to teach and play at Craft Napa – pinch me! I felt the magic this year both as teacher and student. Pokey Bolton brings in such a great group of teachers each year and I think that one of the best things about the event is the variety: painting, dyeing, free motion quilting, batiking, stamping, jewelry, improv piecing, collaging, piecing, art quilts, abstract, mixed media, improv, encaustic, water color and…tea bags? All in one place! Although most students are from northern California, Craft Napa attracts interest from all over. This year I had two students…
When this posts, I will be at my fifth Craft Napa, teaching Fearless Free Motion Quilting – Start With a Square. I am pumped – my class is almost full and we’re going to have a blast! But there was just a wee bit of prep work involved of course: At the last minute, I decided to make one of these for each of my students. It took waaay longer than I anticipated, but I’m pleased with the outcome. Lest you think I’m terribly clever, this is the idea of Joanne Sharpe that I copied (with permission). I did come…