Still seeking comfort beneath my quilt…

For the past year I’ve been embroiled & stressed dealing with publicity for my guild’s 34th annual quilt show. What is the big deal you are wondering… after 34 years things should run quite smoothly? 

Oh, how I wish it were that easy. This year, it became more than just on line info entries, guild mailings, setting up interviews and handing out posters & postcards.

I found myself “the chosen ear of reason”- often a sounding board before “the next stitch”.

Inner guild tensions grew & added to the stress regularly. There was ALWAY's someone to complain none of it was being done right. :(

This years show seemed to bring with it far more stressors and chaos than any I can previously recall. 

For weeks leading up to this past week:  I have dreaded the phone calls, the texts, the emails, & the messages. 

(Honestly, I stopped caring who did what to whom way back in high school. I am one of the youngest members of our guild… but at times I feel like an elder.)

So why do it you wonder? I have certainly asked myself that question enough times the past several months to fill a blog! But- the answers are always the same.

It’s something to bring our guild members together. 

We cross the generations of experience, skills, and interests. 
We have hand quilters, machine piecers, and folks who do their own quilting start to finish on home machines. 
We have members who still insist on stamped mailing, though most have moved on to e-mail. I created a Facebook page that perhaps 20% have joined… but I figure it has to start somewhere.

The show brings us together. 
The civil warriors, 
thirties hat boxers, 
batik beauties, 
bold bright's, 
and everythings in-between that create those magnificent quilts for display.

Realistically, as with all such endeavors- some members end up doing most of the work... 
And some shows go off more smoothly than others. (Alas, this was not one of those).

I hope our show raised money the guild can use for workshops, speakers, and other endeavors. 
Our raffle proceeds always go to a local charity. This years also gave us a chance to have small exhibits like the Hoffman Challenge & our first “modern” area. 

But mostly, our show allows local quilters to strut their stuff and maybe win a ribbon or two. 
It is that well earned pat on the back & acknowledgment: that our work matters and can inspire others... (Even if it caused more than a few meals to be tardy and more than a few grumbles from occasionally neglected family members.)

It serves as a reminder that it is inspiring to be a quilter. 
A reminder there is magic in rescuing a project from the forgotten WIP pile. 
A reminder that all of us have it with in us to be proud of our art & share it with others who will appreciate it.

OK, 

off my soapbox...

My goal for the month of March was to finish the quilt sleeves and one final binding on my show quilts and survive the show. 

Proudly--- I did both 
and 
earned 3 ribbons along the way!

My quilt: Cello & Keys

2nd place applique quilts:

My quilt: At the Vantage Point

3rd place applique quilts:

My quilt: Frantic at 40

3rd place pieced quilts:

My quilt: Umbrella's in the Sand

A Quilter's March

They say that March roars in like a lion 

and out like a lamb... here's hoping!

I am eager for the inspiration of springs color's and warmth.

The inspiration of a flowers bloom and a

birds song welcoming spring.

Of trees filled in with leaves, magnolias ready to bloom, fruit awaiting to ripen. 

And grass that is green.

But this week... 

I would happily settle for a sky that is blue, 

a sun that shines, and dirty snow melted. 

In another words... 

Goodbye drab winter color blahs... 

Bring on spring's brights!

So, Goal setting for the month of March:

Firstly:

It is time for The Quilters' Guild of East Texas 

34th Annual Tyler Quilt Show:

"Color your World with Quilts"

Mar 20 to Mar 21

I am media publicity chair, so my most important goal is to help make the show a success. 

I need to renew those media contacts... 

and promote our show

My second quilting goal:

Creation of a few more blocks 

followed by the piecing of my 

"Off the Grid" Selvage quilt.

These are the blocks I created for my Lee Heinrich Quiltcon workshop. (It was fantastic!)

Hopefully my next writing will be posted 

after a successful quilt show, 

a fully pieced modern topper, 

& 

the melting away of this winters chill!

My Selvaged Heart

A most uncommon event...

a snow day in East Texas 

allowed for a major sew day!

I tried to clean house and other chores... 

but then I looked out the window and saw this doe looking back, playing in the falling snow.

so I decided... school's out for the snow day... 

why not take one for myself?

This is the view from my sewing room window.

I know for the East Coasters trapped beneath several feet of snow it is laughable. 

But here in East Texas... it is very uncommon and everything has come to a sudden freeze. 

Schools, business, mail delivery... all emergency shut down for safety on this snowy day. 

We have no snow plows, or de-icers or street cleaners.

Most have minimal experience driving in snow or on ice.

What we do have, are very excited children acting out scenes from the movie Frozen...

and a Sew day for me :D

My modern quilting group challenged each other to a Valentine's project. 

Tomorrow is our February scheduled gathering. 

I had all but forgotten about it with all of my Quiltcon preparations.

But,

 Here it is: 

Once I had a plan, 

I started sorting some selvages to create a "color wheel"

 Next, I drew an undefined outline for a "color wheel" with a heart in its center on scrap fabric.

Followed by sewing on fabric bits & selvages to create a color wheel type of background for a center heart. 

It was mindless & stress releasing. 

It was like creating a mosaic.

And then...

It headed for the "forgotten project pile" as I focused on Quiltcon preparations.

But I dug it out today 

and finally

quilted & bound it:

My Selvaged Heart

And since it is still snowing... 

maybe I'll go outside now... and play

QUILTCON memories

Quiltcon 2015 has come and gone. So much goes in to planning a convention like this and to all those involved: THANKS for the MEMORIES!

Delays forced me to miss out on opening day festivities. Alas, this was also the only day I would have had to leisurely explore the show…

Over scheduling can ruin a convention.. for me, it lead to much frustration.  Rushing to full day workshops left little time to actually view the quilts on display or vendors present. On brief lunch breaks, I would rush through the show trying to take in bits and pieces. I missed out on so much that made up Quiltcon.  

What I did view & experience left me with many questions about modern quilting... 

What truly defines a quilt as modern? 

Who decides what is a Quiltcon worthy quilt? 

What directions will it lead us in the future? 

What new techniques will come along to inspire us? &  

What, if any, might be  my contribution to it?

In my initial excitement & eagerness to register for workshops- I failed to think through my over scheduling. I promise myself after every quilt convention I will not over plan. But then I do anyway :(  This time it nearly made the weekend a place I was too tired and frustrated to be— I will NOT allow myself to do that again. (So if you are reading this now and I post an absurd workshop list for an upcoming convention- please remind me of this declaration!) 

My first workshop was "Bias Strip Curves with Sherri Lynn Wood". It was my first experience improvising with both curved & bias strip piecing. Joining these fabrics required just the right pull on the bias & against the bias for the correct seam. We were to give a shout out of Wooohooo each time we hit a wall using her techniques. Alas, I needed this shout out far too often. Before I knew it, my bias puckers were taking over & Sherri was cutting through my distortions with her rotary cutter for me to sew back together to flatten them. It was listed as a “beginner’s technique”… but many of us shouting Wooohooo would not agree. (This would be further discussed the remainder of weekend by chatting with other frustrated fellow participants). The more I tried to press my seams flat- the worse they got. Perhaps it was the pressing and not just the stretching and stitching? Honestly… I will never know… this one won’t even make it to the WIP pile

Mine are the two small multicolored, multi pieced ones on the bottom...

But at least I shared the workshop with some new friends!

Saturday was a very full day & I was still frustrated from Friday. I participated in the workshop "Strings of Florid Blooms- A Big MAMA of a double wedding ring quilt". Victoria Wolfe is a very good teacher & this quilt allowed a good opportunity to once again try to get over my fear of curves. I had some problems cutting fabric from the start because of cutting mat limits… so I had trouble with shapes & matching seams. She was very thorough and made sure I could follow through though without wasting further fabric. I plan to put to use the techniques and fixes I learned ASAP. I really like the quilt pattern and opportunity for the bold & brightly colored curves it provides.

That evening was the Keynote: The Quilter’s of Gee’s Bend. These Alabama woman are filled with southern inspiration & spirituality that left me eager to further  improvise. 

My final workshop was with Lee Heinrich. Her prep work to teach "Off the Grid: Creating Alternative layouts" seemed nearly as involved as my own! It was fantastic and I learned how to design creative layouts that would not look like “everyone else's”.  Her handouts and demo’s allowed our own layout creations alternating repeatedly on the design walls. We took turns laying out our own blocks, as well as wandering around room encouraging each other. I have 4 different sets of pics of my blocks in different layouts! 

Weather threats required I head home before the actual afternoon of sewing… but it won’t take long to piece & I left inspired to do so. 

I am glad we left when we did & made it home before the ice storm hit East Texas. I know to East coasters that a few inches of snow and ice are no big deal… but in the south, it can be deadly. We lack the supplies & most also lack the skills to deal with it.

As I unpacked today, I hung my Quiltcon badge up & admired all the pins shared. The pins are a fun way to remember new friends. 

QUILTCON here I come!!!

Prepped, Packed, & Ready for Quiltcon!

This has a been a tough convention to get ready for... 

One of my classes- Off the Grid: Creating Alternate Layouts with Lee Heinrich (requires 5-20 pieced quilt blocks)- so it became a selvage block obsession. 

Somehow, in spite of life chaos- I created 13-  10" blocks

I also created a mega 19 1/2" block that I figured is the equivalent to 4 blocks.

So, all together I have "17" block options for class manipulations

I have precut suares, strips, and yardage... so I should be covered! 

My other 2 workshops required a whole lot of fabric prep!!!

But I got it all organized... somehow! 

I am really looking forward to both

Strings of Florid Blooms Double Wedding Ring with Victoria Findlay Wolfe & Bias Strip Curves with Sherri Lynn Wood 

Two more "tasks" I took on:

cards:

&

lanyards

So Austin... Here I come!!!

The Indian and the Cupboard... with a few scraps thrown in...

Over the past month, I have spent several hours a day packing up my kitchen for a long awaited renovation.  It has been full of the "finally found, the once forgotten & the wonders of why it was saved in the first place".  I have parted with what I could and have been packing up the rest...

I have a stunning antique welsh cabinet. We bought it from the homes previous owner 21 years ago. It has many drawers & shelves & cubbys. It has taken me several days to carefully pack it up. 

Last week, I found a few Star Wars figures in a drawer and joked my daughter had hid them from her brother. She promptly defended herself and said they were hers & she did no such thing. Over the next week, I found a matchbox car, Buzz Lightyear, & a few more figures. (Someone had been busy!)

Today, I removed the very last piece of china... ready to be wrapped and safely stored. 

That is when it suddenly "appeared".

Growing up, I read to my kids all the time. One of their favorite books and movies was "The Indian & The Cupboard". It is about a boy with a magical cupboard that brings toys placed within it to life overnight. 

So now I know... It was my son who believed in the magic of my cupboard way way back then.  Wouldn't you just love to believe in that kind of magic again. 

OK, Back to sewing blog stuff...

In between my packing up the kitchen & other household duties, I am sewing the blocks I need for Quiltcon. As I explained last month, 

I registered for a class with Lee Heinrich called

 "Off The Grid: Working with Alternative Layouts".

  

It requires 5-20 pre-made, completed blocks to be the main quilt design. After putting it off for months, I finally grabbed my bags of selvedges to create my fabric. I sorted them in to color families to create "color families".

I decided on varied 10" star blocks... & I have been piecing them ever since. 

Here are a few completed ones:

My primary sewing goal for February is to finish creating as many blocks as I can. The more I have to work with for the workshop,  the more creative the quilts design can be. (I can decide how many to use in this particular project at that time.)

QuiltCon is a few weeks off & preparations for it & the kitchen are likely to leave time for little else. It is a very exciting & busy month.

Somewhere in its middle, I need to complete my guild blocks of the month & create a valentines day project for my modern quilt group... 

Guess I better keep moving & stop wasting time typing!

A New Year with New Goals

Structure, organization... sorting, packing, purging...

We are finally ready to REMODEL the kitchen!
I have waited far too long and the excitement is a bit overshadowed presently by the prep work.
So my quilting time has been limited.

BUT

I have come to a realization at this, the start of the new year...

I have agreed to participate in both my modern quilt group & quilt shops block of the month.
Can I admit this out loud as a quilter? or will I be struck down by the Quilt Police?
Well, here goes...

I HATE BLOCKS OF THE MONTH!

There- I said it and my sewing room did not explode!
Perhaps it is the requirement to create someone else's pattern... or use their fabrics... or perhaps it is the commitment. But I think it is far more likely... I do not like to measure, cut, piece, and then figure out why my block fails to look like or measure as expected in block description. :(
I think that is why I am an art quilter. I can design my own quilt and do so as I see fit in my own timeframe. 
So... here it is: the January block for my modern quilt group. 
(It is actually a pattern from the block of the month shared by The Knoxville Modern Quilt Guild)

 

I Tried & tried to get piece "E" to fit in the middle without its pucker. Eventually, I gave up and decided it was "good enough". Perhaps I will come back to it... but I doubt it.

I also needed to complete a challenge block for my guilds show. Since I am currently working on star blocks (I will get to that in a moment), I decided to use their fabrics for that. But when I was done... it was too small, so I added uneven borders. This morning I looked at it... I hate it :( So I will have to figure out how to alter it.

Any suggestions?

My other big commitment is for quiltcon. 
I registered for a class with Lee Heinrich called "Off The Grid: Working alternative layouts".  
I need 5-20 pre-made, completed blocks to be the main quilt design.
No big deal you are thinking?
Alas... I made it one anyway and decided to grab my bags of selvedges & make the fabric for the blocks.

I plan to use several different star designs.
I will post some blocks soon...

1/30/14
Update of Our guilds quilt show challenge block.
I recropped, used what little colored fabric I had left and pieced it. I am much happier with it now. TY for feedback

  

Goal Setting for the New Year

Goals for January: Planning for 2015 It's a new year with new goals & new projects. One of my goals will of course be to finish up the UFO's from 2014! But my primary quilting goal for January- is to remember my Girl Scout days & "be prepared". I ordered supplies for Quiltcon over the weekend. It is exciting to get in to the classes you eagerly register for, but so easy to forget all the prep work needed ahead of time. So... I reviewed my supply lists. OMG... What was I thinking??? One of my classes- Off the Grid: Creating Alternate Layouts with Lee Heinrich (requires 5-20 pieced quilt blocks)- so I am determined not to wait. For my Strings of Florid Blooms Double wedding ring workshop with Victoria Findlay Wolfe I need over 14 yards of varied fabrics for the front!!! 6 yards for background and 32 fat quarters. I tried to order her fabric color recommendations and each time the websites would run short. Finally, I lucked out & stumbled on a pack of 50 assorted solids fat quarters from Nancy's Notions. Though they are not the Kona cottons I am used to- I am trusting Nancy's reputation & their quality. My final workshop- Bias strip curves with Sherri Lynn Wood will require several more yards of fabric as well. That works out to over 25 yards of fabric- and that is just for 3 workshops! So, my first goal was to order all that fabric. My next is to get started on those quilt blocks for Off the Grid. Quiltcon is only 6 weeks away!