Designing Monday

Our beautiful weather has finally come.   We spent the weekend outside cleaning out the flower beds and thatching the lawn.  Looks like we will busy for quite a while.

I made some time to work on quilting my Little Bird piece.  This was a class project taught by Linda M. Poole.  We used Inktense Pencils and textile medium to color in the design.  Just like using a coloring book.  The colors come alive when you add the medium.  It was really a fun class.

These are the last of the quilt show photos.  I can sure drag out a good thing.  It is always a treat to see so many gorgeous quilts and wonder whether I will ever have the skill to come close to making one of these.  I can always dream!

Stop by Judy's blog to see more great designs.

More Beautiful Show Quilts

Here are more of the beautiful quilts from the Daytona Beach AQS show in February. This first quilt looks like I forgot to use my color camera, but it is actually all gray and white.  Very different.

 I Love Lucy!  

 Can you see the heart with Lucy quilted in the middle?

 "American Pie"

 Loads of 3D details - white buttons for globes on the street lights, red rickrack on the awning

 A Passion for Purple

 "My Applique Addiction Continues"

 This is the full size quilt above called "Breaking Wind."

This is a close up of one of the little quilts hanging on the line.  It is the same quilt in a smaller size.  And look again.  She repeated the quilt a third time in a teeny weeny mini hanging on the line.

Still more to come.

It's Snowing

Well, it's April in Wisconsin, so it must be snowing, right?  I have just come back from 3 months in Florida -- fun in the sun -- and now it's snowing.  What a rude awakening!

So what does a quilter do for 3 months with no sewing machine?  Visit all the quilt shops and quilt shows, of course!  There were 3 quilt stores within easy striking distance of where we stayed, so I took in 1 a week for the first few weeks and then went back and visited again when I had the time.  They didn't really carry any Civil War repro fabrics which are my favorites, so I just enjoyed seeing all they carried and found a great quilt to make.  I had to order the pattern, so hopefully in the next few weeks I will have something to show you.

The very first AQS Quilt Week was held at Daytona Beach and I signed up the first day they took reservations back in October or November.  I took 3 classes and went 3 days to see all the quilts and visit the vendors.  My husband dropped me off everyday and took off for the Space Coast to see a launch - lucky him.  My favorite class was called Little Bird and taught by Linda M. Poole.  She did such a nice job and everyone had a ball.  Here is my piece in progress.

I also took a free motion class from Cindy Needham.  She did a great job of teaching, but free motion just isn't in my skill set yet.  I guess I just need to Practice, Practice, Practice!!  Not my favorite thing to do.  Cindy specializes in finding antique linens and then quilting them onto a fabric backing.  She does a fabulous job.

Here are some of the wonderful quilts that I saw.  I love to be able to take closeups and see all the detailed quilting and embellishment.  Enjoy!!

Look at all those sweet little hearts!

 Doesn't this look like a photo?

Bonnie Ward, the maker of this cute quilt with the Stash Queen dragon, was in one of my classes.  She had on a participant ribbon and she explained she had a quilt in the show.  I asked her to take me down and show it to me after class and we had a fun time as she told me all about it and then others gathered round to hear her describe it.  Although she didn't win a ribbon, she was excited to have it in the show and to be able to share it with others.  What a sweet lady!

Lots of cute embellishments!