Amid the August swelter....

I broke a needle the end of last month during some overly aggressive, exhausted, & stressed out quilting. 

After all my attempts to retrieve it, I had no choice but to give up and take it in to the shop.

After a 2 week road trip with my husband, I was finally able to retrieve it. 

Dissected, deep cleaned, new bobbin case, cutter & pile, and heaven knows what else their chicken scribble said... $276.02--- holy crap! 

My Babylock Elisimo better purr like a kitten from now on!

I continued piecing my dotty quilt. The blocks are all joined, and I am embellishing with a few more Dresden plates and circles before I make my sandwich. I am still jostling the embellishments and would love some feedback. I am pleased to have met my goal with all the added distractions.

Also, I completed a new name tag as part of a challenge for our new modern quilting group!

The excitement leading to August's goal of the month

Quilting makes me happy. I love the crisp new fabrics... planning out my design... shopping for the supplies. I can lose myself for hours in all of the above...

The goal of creating a quilt for my own purpose- whether it be gift, donation, to snuggle with at home... or proudly display.

This year my friend Tricia encouraged me & "nudged me along" reminding me ... 

"this is our year- to stop worrying about "the quilt police" and bravely enter our quilts in shows and challenges".

I had entered quilts before in our local show... but never beyond my zip code.

Entering a quilt in the IQA 2014 show was a challenge I could not believe I took on. The decision to enter forced me on their timeline and a determination to meet certain requirements I might otherwise have skipped. 

Sealing that envelope containing my entry & fed-exing it out was an accomplishment I was sooooo proud of. And while there is always that mild hope one might actually make it in to the show... I knew my quilting was not ready yet for IQA level competition. 

It felt really good to have the confidence to mail it in!

So- I decided to participate in some of the other show challenges. There were several good ones this year. 

(Were they always there & I never noticed? probably... but this year they called out to me).

One special one this year, was the challenge to create a quilt about life & being 40. For most of my friends... turning 40 was a freeing and perhaps empowering milestone. But for me... it was the most stressful time of my life (as I explained during the quilts creation in previous posts). 

So I was thrilled today to open up an email that began:

"Congratulations! Your quilt Frantic at 40 will be featured in the special exhibit Life Begins at 40."

So.... my goal for August is a simple one (Since I will be gone for half of it).

I need to ready & and then mail in my quilt for the show! It still needs a sleeve and now, more formal labeling. 

Update as of August 6, 2014
My quilt is on its way to IQA. Padded in mounds of tissue paper in hopes of avoiding fold lines and wrinkles. Double bagged to protect from dampness. Labeled several times on bags, on tissue, in box. The envelope and completed paperwork included twice. Bubble wrapped & boxed by UPS with delivery promises & reassurance of my "housewears" arrival. My very first time shipping a quilt... oy vey... I may need chocolate. 

update evening August 8th: 
Sunshine in Texas past 2 days... 
arrival shipment confirmation email just arrived! 
Hopefully there was no sorting damage & they will open asap to limit folds.