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It’s hard to explain what a Studio Art Quilt Associates conference with 200 artists is like. Here is a jumble of words and feelings to get things started: -Happy, joyful, excited, engaged, inspired, encouraged -Unique hair, shoes and jewelry -Inclusion of all – no cliques -There were Legends in attendance, artists that created the very foundation upon which I stand -Friends from all over the US and world -A sense of being part of a movement and among “my tribe” -We are a part of a legacy – “Preserve, document, plan” -Known introverts freely introducing themselves -A room…
I focused my energy on getting projects done and I finished both my class sample for Craft Napa as well as my SAQA Auction donation quilt. It feels good to finish! My newest sample for “Free Motion Quilting – Start With a Square” is ready for Craft Napa. I like its joyful nature and that is what the class is all about – free motion quilting, playing with new designs, figuring out how to combine them and having a blast while learning! The back is kind of fun too, looking like its a whole cloth quilt! I like to make…
NOTE: My newsletter is a one-stop point where you’ll get a link to my weekly blog post as well as other articles of interest. This week’s newsletter will be especially newsy. What? You haven’t signed up for it? Just hop to the bottom of the page and in 10 seconds you’ll be signed up. You can always unsubscribe if it isn’t your cup of tea. It has been a rough week but I did get to do some quilting – probably because I am massively behind and absolutely need to catch up! Now that is a lovely problem to have…
I’ve never visited Tucson at the peak of Spring. Our timing was fortuitous – everything was in bloom and the color was glorious! We both had allergies with headache and sniffles, but it was worth it. We stayed at La Paloma, a golf resort on the northeastern side of Tucson, hugging the Santa Catalina mountains. It’s a beautiful place, with incredible landscaping. The second day we were there, I came upon this! It was more spectacular than the photo coveys. The common name for this is the Flying Saucer cactus. These guys were about 6″ across and as deep. The…
I am just no good at trying to cobble together a proper blog post on vacation, from my laptop. Here’s a brief peek at my mini-adventure: We are doing a good job of splitting our vacation to satisfy both of our tastes. While he golfs, I do art, visit quilt shops, hang by the pool or redo my whole cloth (yes, I am redoing it). Love the La Paloma where we are staying. Gorgeous grounds! The sunsets from our balcony are divine. Art at Tohono Chul and… feather art at the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum. Yes, those are feathers. And the…
I was hoping to have the first stage of the trapunto stitched on my blue whole cloth quilt before I took a few days off next week. I’m going to Tucson and I’d love to be able to sit in the warm sun and snip around the trapunto while enjoying Tucson’s beautiful scenery. I had very few appointments or must-do’s this week so this was my week! I was going to get that top trapuntoed and return from Tucson to begin the quilting. Hah! It looks like my plan is not to be. I’m having treasured guests this weekend,…
I’ve written previously about this whole cloth quilt that I am obsessed with. Just to review, this is my inspiration: This quilt was made between 1830 and 1850, probably in the area of Marsielle, France, by an unknown maker. I saw it in person at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska while attending the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) Conference. I swooned upon seeing this quilt. It. Is. Stunning. As I studied this quilt, I knew I MUST make a quilt inspired by this beauty. I studied it and what attracted me the most are two…
I flew to Southern California, Orange County, to spend some time with the Flying Geese Quilters Guild, an active guild with about 300 members. I arrived early afternoon on Saturday and was picked up by Bonnie who drove me to a lovely hotel. She left me with a goodie bag: Is that not the sweetest thing? It was so nice to have snacks for the room – such a thoughtful gesture! Even though I am not a shopping kind of girl, I knew I had to go to the Fashion Island Mall, an iconic, huge, open-air mall in Newport Beach.…
When I teach, I often find frustrated free motion quilters who need just a little tweaking to find their free motion quilting nirvana. Sometimes it really is the little things. I want to focus on three often overlooked choices that can have a big impact on your free motion quilting success: You need a place to put your hands. That may seem obvious, but you need to plan ahead to have enough room to put your full hand down to be able to quilt well. I always allow enough batting and backing to accommodate the width of my hand, no…
I’ve been getting great feedback on my book, which warms my heart. Also, I am delighted to receive notes from all over the country letting me know about “21 Days of Plactice” groups forming spontaneously . How cool is that? If you’re not familiar with my book, I provide a 21-day plan to move your free motion quilting from ordinary to extraordinary. I want my reader to discover fun ways to up their game so I call that “plactice”, making practice playful. As I hear from my readers, I notice some comments that I want to address as an…