Quilt Guild Meeting Today

The second Wednesday of the month is the day of the monthly meeting of my quilt guild, Calico Cutters. We meet in West Chester, PA. It's an awesome group of women who have supported me through this wonderful journey, becoming an author, designer, instructor and now ruler designer. They have a very special place in my heart.

I am Program Chair. I feel it's important to volunteer when you belong to an organization, even tho my free time is limited. Most months we have a nationally known speaker. Today our speaker was Jane Davila from CT. She's a surface designer.

Yesterday we held a workshop focused on stamp making. It was so much fun, although my carving skills left a bit to be desired. I did end up making a stamp that I loved. I stamped it in 2 different directions on silk.

Here are some of Janes samples. They are gorgeous.

Today was our regular meeting and Jane gave an excellent and informative talk about elements of design. Here are some of her little quilts. (You can read more about her at ( www.JaneDavila.com)

 

Sometimes I get a surprise bonus at the meetings. During Show &Tell, I see items that were created with one of my patterns or my techniques. It is so rewarding.

 

I love the fussy cut butterfly circles, Lee.

The next photos were created in my Mini Mosaic Workshop.

 

 

 

 

I'm heading to the mountains for another Mosai Pet Retreat. I can't wait to meet my new students.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Mini Mosaics Magic

It's quite an amazing day when there is a room full of 23 quilters that love my new technique for making mini mosaics. I'm always a little skeptical about the reception for a technique that uses tweezers and 3/8" squares of fabric.

But this was a group of my peeps! My fellow guild members. Even one who made a comment that I was crazy, a few months ago when I wrote about my Mini Mosaics on my blog. I knew they would be honest with me. So I was over the moon when the comments ranged from "it's addicting" to "this was the best workshop I've ever taken" to " this would be so much fun to do with my grandkids".

Here are some photos:

I was working on a psychedelic Bailey before the workshop. Thanks to the energy of my fellow quilters, I couldn't wait to go home and finish it. It looks just like her except it's in technicolor.

Show & Tell next month at our guild meeting is going to be so exciting. I think there will be lots of finished projects. Woo Hoo!

And even more good news is that everyone will be able to learn about it in a future issue of Quilting Arts, coming out this summer. I'll keep you posted. But of course I'm always available to teach you in person at your quilt guild.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Come See My Quilts

I'll be the speaker at my guild this month, next Wednesday, October 14. My talk is about taming dupioni silk and how to incorporate it into your quilts. I'll be sharing my most recent silk quilt plus many more. 

The meeting takes place at The Goshen Fire Company at 10:00am.  1320 Park Ave, Easr Goshen. Hope to see you there. 

Getting Out

I spend a lot of time at home either in my studio quilting and designing or on my computer writing patterns and taking care of business.  So I don't get out much. I'm not complaining, because I love what I am doing.  Ten years ago I never imagined that my live if quilting would turn into a more than full time job. I consider myself extremely lucky. 

Last week I attended the monthly board meeting for my quilt guild. I'm the Orogram Chair. The hostess, Pat Barton, was in my Perfect Pillow class at MAQ this summer. I was in her kitchen eyeing the snacks and when I looked up to admire her screened in porch, look what I saw. 

They were just beautiful. 

Most mornings, I meet my wonderful friend Hattie at Ridkey Creek State park to walk our 5 mile loop (with Bailey too). Driving into the park this week, there's a stunning sunrise veiled with the morning fog. I drive by the stables to 

I know one day, this view will be the subject of one if my quilts. 

When I arrived at the parking lot, I was greeted with another Curvalicious creation.

It continues to amaze and excite me to see quilters using Curvalicious and to see their designs and fabric selections. ( and yes, I am still getting orders from the shout out from The Quilt Show).

Now I did have to go to Home Goods to buy some sheets. This is an awesome time of year to shop there. Tons of items for college bound kids plus lots of stuff for Halloween. I did buy Bailey an adorable costume for both Halloween and the New Year's Eve day dachshund parade in Key West. I'll save her the humiliation of modeling it for now. But I brought home a new friend. 

I think she's adorable. While I'm deciding whether to keep it inside or put it outside and whether to use it for a mum or candy, I thought my girlfriend would look cute in it. 

She doesn't look too unhappy. 

A Taste of Bali

I am so excited to be able to share my trip to Bali.  I am offering this as an auction item at Calico Cutter Quilt Guild's fundraiser at their December meeting on Wednesday, the 10th

for a limited number of people. 

I have lots of photos and stories to share, plus my amazing husband is offering his services as a chef! He took a cooking class one day while I was at the spa. Maybe he'll even share his recipes.

I bought lots of fabric and he bought spices at the market.

March 20, 2015 is the date.  It's a Friday. 

 I hope that lots of my guild members are interested, although we can only accommodate 8.

 

Let's raise some money for a really terrific guild and group of quilters  

who do lots of charitable deeds and open the doorway to inspiration.

A Busy Week Ahead

"Elegantly Amish" Twins- 39"x39"  - Silk Dupioni

The next 12 days will be crazy busy for me.  I will be traveling from Malvern, PA to the Pocono Mountains to Warwick, NY.  Here's my list of presentations, just in case you will be in the area.  You know I'd love to see old friends and meet new friends.

•  Penn Oaks Quilt Guild on Monday 11/10.  I will be debuting my "Sensational Silk" lecture
• Calico Cutters Quilt Guild on Tuesday 11/11.  I will be teaching my newest pattern, "Beachalicious"
• Mountain Quiltworks  in Honesdale, PA on Saturday 11/15, "Sensational Silk" and a Curvalicious demo
• Warwick Valley Quilt Guild on Tueday 11/18.  A Curvalicious workshop

 Check the websites by clicking the highlighted links, or call ahead to get the particulars.

So are you wondering why I made identical twin silk quilts? You will find out if you attend my lecture at Penn Oaks.  If you can't make it, I know lots of you live too far away, I'll share the story next week, right here.  Sign up with Bloglovin' to make sure you don't miss it.

Happy Memorial Day!

OK. I know it is a little early for Memorial Day, but our guild challenge was Wednesday.  It was a paint chip challenge.  Anyone who wanted to participate was given 3 paint chip colors to use to make a quilt that was at least 24" x 24". 

These were my colors.

Red, white and gold! To me, it said PATRIOTIC. 

It was an opportunity to use the Curvalicious tool in a new way

 to create a quilt that had a flag waving in the breeze feeling to it.  

Read on if you want to see how I created the quilt with this tool:

The first step is to cut the fusible wavy strips.  

Start with 1 yard of the white fabric or whichever one is the applique.

After washing, cut it to 28" x width of the fabric (or selvedge to selvedge.)

Back this with fusible web and then remove the paper. Fold in half, right sides together.

The curvy strips for this quilt are offset.  To cut the strips, after cutting one, line the tool up for the next one using the cut edge of the first one. 

7 strips are needed.

Using 1 yard of the red fabric, press a crease down the middle, parallel to the selvedge edges.

Align one of the curvy strips on top of the crease as the spine for the quilt top.

 

The best way to do this is to fold the strip in half and line it up with the ironed fold.

Press.

The first strip in place.

 

The wavy look is achieved by offsetting the strips.

Use a ruler to make sure they are 1" apart, from bulb to bulb.

 

Work outwards from the middle strip towards both side edges.

 until all of the strips re fused down.

Trim the top and bottom if needed.

After fusing all of the strips, stitch them down.

(I like a blanket stitch.)

.Make 10 star blocks that measure 7" unfinished. I made mine "liberated".

 Create a top and bottom border with 5 blocks each.

 Add enough fabric on each of the sides so they measure the same width as the body of the quilt

Then add  3" borders on each side.

It was such a beautiful day, that I took photographing the quilt as an excuse to play outside.