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.

Finale of Bordered Beyond the Block

Yesterday I submitted my AQS 2010 Mystery Quilt entry to their contest. This is a photo of part of the quilting detail. I had to get my courage up and be bold about using the black thread. It is very exposed on this pale pink fabric, but I felt the quilt needed it.  I've uploaded lots of additional detailed photos to my Facebook Page including the piecing evolution of the mystery and the progression of designing the extra border which we were allowed to do as part of the contest. If you are interested in the specifications for the additional border, please send me an email requesting them.

I also want to share with you the original inspiration of my fabric choice. Stacy (Lee) Barter -- high school work colleague and classmate back at Monterey Bay Academy painted this several years ago.


"My Grandmother Dreams in Peonies"
Won the Best in Show $25,000 Award for the 2007-2009 Museum Exhibition Tour of Blossom - Art of Flowers.



My hope is that this quilt will be published in the American Quilter Magazine. My Part 1 of the mystery was posted on their blog.

Bordered Beyond the Block

It was a bit breezy, so hard to hold straight, but thanks to my neighbors Christy and Della....I was able to capture this photo before loading it onto the quilting machine. I'm very happy with how it turned out. Now to enhance it with quilting? !!

AQS - 2010 Mystery - BTB - Bordered

How is this for a test of my extended borders?

Difficult to add blocks to the border with this particular center size, so the appearance of a black very small border immediately beyond the center section wouldn't be there. OR...maybe it should be? This border is 6.5" wide...so the outside will be black about 0.5" to keep the squares 2" in line with the center section's 4-patch blocks (pin wheels too).

AQS Mystery Quilt 2010 - "Beyond the Block" - Part 3 piecing now complete

Fun to get the piecing of this mystery completed. I'm now debating whether I should add a border and extend some of the elements into the next border to add a little more interest. I love the focus fabric and am thinking of using that as the primary fabric for an outer border. Then the dominate elements might be extended into the outer border like the dark pink lines in the upper part (with stars) and going down towards the right mid-quilt. Also the 4-patch blocks in the lower left corner and pinwheels in the lower right corner. wdyt?

AQS Mystery progress

After working to quilt several customer tops this week, I get to work on my version of the AQS Mystery Quilt "Beyond the Block" today. This was issued in 3 parts. Here is a photo of my progress through Part 2 captured during a brief moment of sunshine on a cold winter day. I'll post again when I've got it put together.

Original mystery information available at AQS for members: http://www.americanquilter.com/publications/patterns.php