Monday, May 30, 2011

Monday DW/BOM's AWAY/BIG NEWS

Finalist
Usually on Monday's it is Design Wall day where Judy @ Patchwork Times indexes everyone who wants to show what is on their design wall. Today I can't show you what is on my design wall because it is a secret until later in June, when the Round 1 Challenge of the 2011 McCall's Quilt Design Star Contest will be visible. Yes! I got into round 1--presumably because some of you voted for me. Thank you! I hope you will follow my blog so that I can keep you informed on when and where to vote next. At least two of us who post regularly on her index are in this Round 1! So...watch for us and please vote!!

Lynette over at whatahootquilts suggested I post my WIP - BOM from last week as eye-candy for her BOM's Away Monday. The Electric Quilt Company is having a BOM challenge this year. Do each block that they provide the project file and PDF downloads (in case you don't have EQ) and then design a setting at the end of the year for them. The setting is the challenge part ....so details will be forthcoming once we get through the year. I think you could still jump in on this if you're interested.

EQ BOM - I'm on track!
Psychedelic America
(my version of Marti Michell's American Beauty BOM)
Jinny Beyer BOM 2010 - Block 1
When I saw that Lynette is working on the Wild Rose Cottage quilt, it reminded me of Marti Michell's American Beauty 2010 BOM that I did, but in batiks! Makes it look totally different. Lynn @ Threads and Bolts organized last year's block lottos for us at the guild and challenged members to complete the quilt by April 2011. At the May guild meeting, members voted for their favorite completed quilt. I received an autographed copy of The Practical Guide to Patchwork by Elizabeth Hartman for my winner. It was really fun to do it as a challenge to myself with just a fat quarter pack of Hoffman batiks.

Then I remembered that I have finished another BOM top this year --the Baskets from our guild's Block Lottos in 2006 (below). It still needs to be quilted. And I'm just starting Jinny Beyer's 2010 BOM. I plan to go in June to my mom's to work on it a bit more seriously. Here is Block 1 (right).
Basket BOM from our guild's 2006 Block lottos
still need to quilt this one, but finished the blocks this year.

I've got several BOM projects in my 'to do' pile. You think I just loved these. It is probably more that I get suckered into starting one and don't get them finished that they are still on the 'to do' pile. My goal is to get several done this year...I'm making good progress.

But until the McCall's Design Star Challenge(s) are over I won't be adding any to this list of accomplishments. I look forward to seeing what BOM's you're working on and I hope you'll follow along and support me in this journey. Thank you so much!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

WIP

OK...it has been 3 weeks, but here is an update....I'm keeping current with my EQ BOM. I've added May Merriment (farthest left block w/black border)!

ON HOLDJinny Beyer 2010 BOM - target June
Oddie's Wild Nature - target July
Lonestar wall hanging - target August
One-fabric re-pieced table cloth - target October

Completed Tops awaiting Quilting
2006 Basket BOM - target August
Tulip wall hanging --this is a redo of the quilting - target November
Colorwash Heart Duvet Cover -- this is to salvage an old duvet - target December

Embellishing to be added?
Starlight-Flutterbright (crystals to be applied??), now hanging @ Highland Quilts, Athena, OR

Statistics
New: 0
Completed: 5
In Progress: 9

Monday, May 23, 2011

Monday's Design Wall

Well, I'm back to show you a little bit of progress.
...  on my EQ BOM -- here is my version of May Merriment. I strip pieced the 3 three greens together, then cross-cut to get 4 strips of 3 greens. Then partially put on one, and then was able to put on the other 3 strips, and then finish the 1st strip. These square in a square parts..I always sew on strips to the square (purple in this case) and then cut the square again--very easy to get good points this way.





...on the paintsticks--just a test on a scrap piece of fabric. You can see the motif in the fabric, my objective is to paint that motif in a large scale on top of the fabric with the paintsticks. I have already quilted the motif into the center of the quilt and hope to make it really pop by painting it. I've tested with both the matte and the irresdescent. The irresdescent by far will make it pop, but I might need some of the matte colors to create deadness behind the motif. i.e. shadowing maybe. We'll see. I think the quilting which creates a line to paint within will also help.

I got these paintsticks from Cedar Canyon Textiles while I was at Spring Market 2011 in Salt Lake City. Check out her website, signup for her newsletter...and check your local quilt shop for supplies.

More design walls indexed at Judy's

Monday, May 16, 2011

Monday Design Wall

Here's the result of last week's Design Wall. Using Quilter's Home magazine pattern as a starting point--with several modifications, my logo is on the top flap and pockets on the back are perfect for holding your business cards needed quickly when talking to vendors or attending schoolhouse and hoping to win the door prize!




At Spring Market (blog post), I learned a technique that I want to use...so here is what I'll be working with next.

More design walls are indexed at Patchwork Times!

Spring 2011 Int'l Quilt Market Report

This year's Spring Market was a whilrwind. I so wanted my friend Diane Haley-Nicolici to join me. She is an accomplished artist living in California and has taken some time to be a stay-at-home mom for a few years. But...time to get back in the work world and I think her skills would be welcomed in the quilt industry. She was able to come to Market and made some wonderful connections. I'm so proud of her and just can't wait to see what happens in the future.

I also was able to make some great connections. Thursday was a full-day of 15 sessions of Schoolhouse. This is done in a rapid fire set of sessions of 15 or 30 minutes and you run around like you're in high school and having to switch classrooms within 5 minutes between each session. I found something in every session that I wanted to see, sometimes having to choose between 3 or 4 that I'd like to attend. It is a great way to see many different presentations in a very efficient way. Marti Michell and her husband do a great job of organizing this each market. Late in the day I got to say hello to her and make a visual connection to the email I had sent and received with her about doing her 'American Beauty' quilt in batiks and showing it at the Krazy Horse Quitlers Show in Pendleton.

So, what can I share with you? Well...here we go. Please refer to www.facebook.com/kissedquilts 2011 Int'l Spring Quilt Market album for photos (almost 100 of them! you will NOT be disappointed)
1. Quick Little Landscape Quilts ---great technique using Fast2Fuse; new book published by C&T
2. Heather Thomas - a new book coming out from Landauer Publishing on how to teach color through experiential learning. This just might have to be next year's small group or a formal class. Any local shops willing to host it and pay me to teach it?
3. Floor mats -- definitely want to do one of these!
4. Pepper Cory - Colonial Needle Co. - received a packet of Sashiko needles!
5. Like Sew Websites - Google Search Engine optimization clues, I heard this in Houston 2009, but always good to know if there are new things to consider. Social media sites are becoming a bigger part of the equation.
6. - LUNCH! Heard from Diane that she made it to SLC! YEAH! YEAH!
7. Aurifil presented by Pat Sloan - Designer of the Month projects
8. Debbie Fields new book of small projects by Landauer coming out in the fall. She likes to use stitch and tear stabilizer for her machine applique pieces.
9. Aurifil presented by Sharon Pederson talking about her Sashiko Thread collection (I got one at Sample Spree!) and the importance of bringing in big name speakers and being sure to have all of the supplies they like to use available for you customers to purchase. She recently posted a handout which I didn't get at schoolhouse, but summarizes her points.
10. Modern Quilt Relish -- won a pattern! A year ago these girls decided to write patterns. I spoke with them later in their booth and the key was having a booth at market. Sending out piecemeal didn't work. They test their patterns, have multiple sizes in the same pattern and information for kitting is available for shop owners. Their quilts have asymetry and good use of negative space.
11. Anything but Boring - Janice Pope ...have her tulip purse as a sample and it is sure to sell!
12. Buttercup Quilts - what makes a Blue Ribbon Quilt? I've heard various particular ideas, but was
curious what would be presented. Three things were shared that you should pay attention to.
  a. Value is what maintains the design, if any of you were at Betty Wood's talk at the WWVQuilt Guild, she talked about value. My small group is learning about value through the 'Fearless Design' book that we're going through. Always a good thing to consider. There are 3 sets of 2 blocks in this quilt that are the exact same pattern, but the color choices make them look completely different. Can you spot them?
  b. techniques -- an example: Segmented seams - check out this photo! When pressing, twist the seam apart and switch the direction that the seam is laying to assist in keeping the piecing square.
  c. it's in the details --she shared several examples. She also showed how to make these thin twigs. Using bias tape, stitch it right sides together then cut an end and feed it through a kids plastic needle, then pull through to invert and make a twig.
13. Kaye England's new line of fabrics from Wilmington Prints, a quilt label and marketing sheets were handed out --I'll be working with her English Tiles pattern this summer to teach a newly minted teenager how to quilt!
14. Jinny Beyer talking about her new line of fabric, Kashmir; and a tumbling block pattern using leftover border prints. Just sort them in light, medium and dark and go for it!
15. Block party --a modern quilting bee. This was sooo fun to see. Photos of each quilt are in the album on FB. The concept...12 people, each has a particular month. Each month that is yours, you define the quilt block style, allowing some room for interpretation so that each of the other 11 members of the bee can put their own voice into the blocks they make. You send out fabrics to each bee member and they return the blocks to you based on your requests. The pictures here should help you understand. Basic shapes but sizes and where/how you use the fabrics, sometimes given the option to add prints of your own to the mix provides a uniqueness given to each block and yet similar enough in style to go together really nicely. I'd love to be a part of a bee like this. Anybody want to join me? This group now has a book out by C&T Publishing. I showed up on Friday for the booksigning, but there were too many already in the queue and I missed out.

Sample Spree - Even though the session was sold out, others can show up and get in line to enter after 1 hour for a reduced fee. Diane was able to join me that way and met Tony @ Hoffman of California and set up a time to meet with them the next day. We also chatted w/Eleanor Burns dressed in her NASA suit from her Schoolhouse session on the star quilts...Diane was overthetop about meeting her. Picked up a few things, but was there more for understanding the experience and what pattern designers make available during this opportunity at market.

Friday - got through about half of the vendors. Spent a good deal of time with Nick at Rocky Mountain Quilters and met Lisa one of the teachers at their shop as well. Had fun doodling. ;-) Heard Heather Thomas' detailed review of her upcoming book on color. I think I'd like to be able to teach this class so will stay tuned to her certification process. She also enjoys using paintsticks and I walked right past the booth as I was about to leave market for the day. So, I talked with them and got a demo and decided these were a much better solution than colored pencils to use on a non-white fabric surface. So, I picked up a set of what they had and will use this on a customer's quilt and see what comes of it. Stay tuned on this one...I'm hoping it will be a real stunner!

Sabbath--a day of rest for us...we enjoyed seeing many animals at the zoo. Check out my personal FB page for the photo album. A quick photo opp at the Olympic Stadium and a walk about at Temple Square closed the day.

Sunday --attended the live broadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at 9:30am. Then off to finish up at market. Jackie Robinson noticed I was carrying around my laptop in my bag and offered to keep it in her booth for me. What a relief! It is too heavy for that kind of lugging around but the suitcase was full that I left in hock at the hotel and I really wanted to show Diane some photos on it. Thank you again Jackie! Got to see June Jaeger. In the afternoon it came in handy to have the laptop there as I was able to show some of my most recent work to several different people, including Tricia Cribbs of FriendFolks (Turning Twenty fame) and the Rocky Mountain Electric Quilters cohort. Was able to obtain info re: Pattern Peddlars, Pattern Spot - a new C&T pattern online hub that allows designers to upload PDFs to be purchased and printed by the customer. I also left several pattern samples w/Checkers. Diane scored big time with the Warm Co. getting samples and being able to purchase a whole roll of Steam-a-Seam Lite 2. With all the applique designing she is doing, this will be great! As long as she can have a bit of electricity to run an iron ;-)

Market closed at 4pm....so we had a few hours to spare before needing to leave for the airport. Back at the hotel Elaine and I were able to repack our suitcases, eat our ThaiFusion supper and then get the car to the airport. My flight was oversold and I volunteered to go on the later flight getting compensation and an upgrade to boot. When I arrived home....beautiful roses and a thoughtful card awaited. My husband had left for Houston for a week earlier in the morning...so it was a very welcome sight that he thought of me in this way.

Well, that is my report from Spring 2011 Market. Glad to be home. Time to take in all the ideas that are flowing and figure out how they might be utilized within my own activities. Stay tuned!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Balloon Stampede and Int'l Quilt Market coincide

I'm off to Quilt Market in Salt Lake City, but not before getting a few special items created for our local Balloon Stampede activities. I hope many people will go to Patit Creek Cellars this weekend, have a look around, including items I have made and our guild's raffle quilt and buy tickets on Friday and Saturday. Guild members plan to be present!

Using my standard pot holder/table trivet design, I changed the backing fabric to hot air balloons in honor of this weekend in Walla Walla which is the Balloon Stampede.

I hope everyone has a great time, including a small group I meet with on Saturday mornings who will be hosting a breakfast. Check out http://www.facebook.com/your3rdplace for details if you'd like to join them. I'm sad I won't be able to participate this year. It is a great sight to see the balloons take off in the early morning.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Exciting Times!

Yesterday was a roller coaster for sure. But ended with a high! I picked up the mail and there was a rather large envelope from AQS. I have been waiting to find out if my 'Bordered Beyond the Block' quilt had been accepted into the AQS Knoxville show. I decided a big envelope was a good sign!

YES! It was accepted!! YEAH! I will leave it on display at Patit Creek Cellars in Walla Walla until June 7. So...if you're in the area, stop by and see it before it is sent off for the AQS show. To read more information about the quilt, click on the label to the right 'aqs mystery - beyond the block' to see all related blog entries.

If you're going to be in the Knoxville, TN area July 13-16, you might consider stopping by the show and checking out the almost 300 quilts. They expect about 15,000 people to go through the show during those 4 days. WOW! I'm still debating if I can justify going myself...we'll see. Anybody want to go?

Let me know if you are going, maybe we can meet up.

This week's Quilt Contest theme at Quilting Gallery is 'spring garden'. I thought this fit the theme well, so I've put it into that contest too. You can vote this Friday-Sunday. I'll post the link when it is available.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Monday Design Wall

Getting ready for Spring Market ....making myself a badge holder inclusive of my logo. I found a pattern and instructions in the Quilter's Home Magazine.


Check out other design walls over at Judy's Patchwork Times.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Spring Release and Balloon Stampede - 2011

Living in wine country and not drinking wine is rough, but it is a big market here and I wanted to try and be a part of that market by making items that would be attractive to people buying within that industry. We have over 100 wineries, I believe, in this valley, so there has got to be something that would work. Several years ago I leveraged connections with the winemaker at Saviah to sell potholders during December Barrel Tasting. During one day at least a dozen were sold, so I was convinced this would be a good thing to do, I just needed time to work on creating finished products. I really need to find good sewers who are willing to work piecework to make things.

In doing research for marketing our Quilt Guild's raffle quilt this year, I spoke with my neighbor who is the tasting room manager at Patit Creek Cellars. He was very informative and helped to determine a few things that probably wouldn't work, but also mentioned that they used to have a quilter that regularly showed quilts in their tasting room, and sold pieces as well. He suggested that if I'd like to display things or sell things, they would welcome those additions to their room. Well, nothing like an open invitation to an entrepreneur, eh? !

Wednesday night my husband was kind enough to help with designing and fabricating hanging mechanisms that would work within Patit Creek Cellar's tasting room. I hope this is a good investment.

Yesterday the marketing director for the raffle quilt, Crysta Evanenko, and I hung Walla Walla Valley Quilt Guild's Raffle Quilt. It looks great in the space with the 16' walls. The plan is to leave it there for the next two weekends - Spring Release and then Balloon Stampede. Should have good traffic both weekends--just hope Guild members come out and sell tickets! If not, Stash and Sew & Vac have tickets on hand with posters and they can sell tickets since their employees are members of the guild.

Three of my quilts are also hung for DISPLAY ONLY, at least for now, at Patit Creek Cellars. I've also put up the wall hanging, I just finished, pot holders, table trivets and my newest item, bottle bags available for purchase as well.

DISPLAY ONLY:
Bordered Beyond the BlockPsychedelic America Supernova-Black Hole 














AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE:
Bottle Bags and Quilted Potholders and Table Trivets



















I'm anxious to see how it goes for the next couple of weekends and if I need to get busy next week and make more based on the first weekend's activity. I'd like to at least back a few potholder/table trivets with hot air balloon fabric to be thematic for the weekend.

If you're in the area and would like to see the quilt and possibly enjoy tasting Patit Creek's new wine, definately something you should consider checking out.

Have a safe Spring Release and Balloon Stampede Weekend  (I'll be at Spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City during Balloon Stampede). Let me know if you get out to Patit Creek Cellars and what you think.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

WIP - May 4

Completed Projects
Vineyard Wallhanging - "View from the Old Cellar"

I started this several years ago as a local quilt festival theme challenge that was to represent the Walla Walla Valley. I didn't really know what I was doing, but wanted to create something that had a perspective from looking out a window. I used fusible interfacing on the vineyard piece, fussy cutting some of it out so I could place the window frame behind some of the elements. ok...let's just say that I'd never approach this in this manner again. I've learned.

So excited about this piece though for the quilting that I did in the borders. This is the first time I've tried doing a large design and then small stippling around it to help it pop. Doing trapunto would have helped even more, but that will have to remain on the list of techniques to try at another time. I drew the larger design in the border freehand, then quilted it freehand with a variegated thread. I almost stopped at this point because I even liked what this looked like. The small stipple is a solid thread just lighter than the fabric. Hope to display it this weekend in a winery tasting room during Spring Release. Maybe someone will even purchase it!

It may feel like I'm going quiet for a while now ...but Spring Release is upon us and I have 'business' items to create; Spring Market in Salt Lake City is next week and I'll be going to that too to do research and pitch my patterns to those who show an interest. Expecting a close friend who is an artist to join me and hopefully convince her to become a fabric designer so that I can design quilts for her fabrics! Maybe a big fabric house will just hire her and she can start a new career. Wishing big!

"Royal Peacock Jewels"
HELP !!! - McCall's Design Star 2011 contest, please vote - DAILY through May 24, 2011 for my "Royal Peacock Jewels"

Active - ongoing
EQ BOM 2011 - May Merriment - playing with color placement still

ON HOLD
Jinny Beyer 2010 BOM - target June
Oddie's Wild Nature - target July
Lonestar wall hanging - target August
One-fabric re-pieced table cloth - target October

Completed Tops awaiting Quilting
2006 Basket BOM - target August
Tulip wall hanging --this is a redo of the quilting - target November
Colorwash Heart Duvet Cover -- this is to salvage an old duvet - target December

Embellishing to be added?
Starlight-Flutterbright (crystals to be applied??), now hanging @ Highland Quilts, Athena, OR

Statistics
New: 0
Completed: 5
In Progress: 9

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Blog tours and McCall's Design Star

Yesterday I toodled around to all of the blogs who were featured on Day 1 as part of Volume 3 of the 100 Blocks Blog tour and magazine issued by Quiltmaker.


Surprise Surprise..in my junk mail today I discovered that I won one of the drawings at
So...I hope anyone following my blog, will consider checking out the blog tour and if you are landing here from somewhere else, please consider clicking on the 'follow' button. 
Thank you to Open Gate for the ruler I'll soon receive--hopefully a copy of the magazine too!
McCall's Design Star 2011 contest is on. Now through May 24, you can vote daily for one, but hopefully mine in particular! Here is the link to go directly there.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Design Wall Monday - May 2

Finished up my Supernova last week, check out my Supernova Journey Blog Entry for details.

Spring Release is just around the corner, so have been busy working on finished products to sell at a local winery. A vineyard scene from the inside of a window looking out is the wall hanging on the upper left. On the bottom is a panel print that could be 3 separate pieces strung on a wooden frame, or quilted as a table runner or wall hanging. Upper right are 1 side pieces of wine bottle bags and many bottle labels that could be used in whatever. The center log cabin blocks become table trivets or pot holders.


What's on your blog? See others' design walls at Judy's.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Krazy Horse Quilt Show in Pendleton, OR

Today, May Day! I enjoyed going to the Krazy Horse Quilt show in Pendleton, OR. Got to see several friends in the quilting industry and view beautiful quilts with various techniques employed.

The show organizers gave recognition to various techniques throughout the show, and the Viewer's had an opportunity to pick their favorite. Here are the Viewer's top three.

Viewer's Choice - 1st place (Shelley Coykendall)
Viewer's Choice - 2nd place (Jess Berry)
Viewer's Choice - 3rd place (Kathy Bernard)
This was my personal favorite--I loved the variety of flowers, the brightness in the fabric choices--lots of handwork too. Not that I like to do handwork myself, but I know that takes a lot of time. I tend to be more about the speed of getting it done. I don't think they have come up with a contest for that category yet ;-) !!











They also had a fabric challenge and these were the top four.
Crater Lake

Challenge fabric is used in the background here.

No doubt, Crater Lake was spectacular, but the fabric was a very patriotic one in nature, so I felt this was the best use of it in keeping with the spirit of the fabric:










These were quilts that I quilted for clients that were in the show. Thanks for sharing these with everyone. I thought you did a spectacular job on the piecing and am so happy that you were willing to put them in the show.
Marilee McQuarrie
Kathryn VanWinkle

Exhibited by Michele Olsen.

This t-shirt quilt I made on commission. I thought it was very appropriate this -cowgirl quilt- would be displayed in Pendleton's show! Home of a huge Stampede!



Here were my own that were in the show.
Supernova-Black Hole


Starlight-Flutterbright
Psychedelic America
























And we put the WWVQGuild's quilt in as well.

Starlight-Flutterbright kits were sold at the show by Quiltmania-yeah! in the blue colorway.

Well, that's my very biased Krazy Horse report.