Eye Candy & Inspiration from a local Quilt Show

There's a group of quilters in town, Pioneer Quilters, who have been meeting in a traditional quilting bee-style for 40 years!! They demonstrate how to hand quilt and share the joy of our art and craft. If you hit the hyperlink I've provided, you can see some of their work over the past two years. I have some photos to share from this year's show in Eugene, Oregon (sorry I didn't touch up the photos so that you'd see their actual colors and brilliance):

"She Flies with Fish"

"She Flies With Fish" by Sharon Rogers

A Tribute to Laurel Burch
The show program says the following about this quilt:
"Size: 72" x 72"
This panel runs horizontal instead of vertical, so there was a bit more of a challenge when piecing it. I was inspired by Karla Alexander's book 'Dynamic Quilts with Easy Curves'...If I am not following a pattern, I work from the center out and add blocks, rows and borders according to what I see fits."

"Fireworks in Grandma's Garden"  (great name!)

"Fireworks in Grandma's Garden" by Robin Fouquette

The show program says the following about this quilt:
"Size 62" x 62"
Inspired by Mickey DePres book 'Pieced Hexies'. The quilt is hand-pieced, including the entire background, then machine quilted. After the quilting, pastel chalk was applied and finally Swarovski crystals were added to create the 'fireworks.' Received Honorable Mention at the Denver International Show, 2nd Place at the NW Quilt Expo and 2nd Place Viewers Choice at the Emerald Valley Quilters 2014 Quilt Show."

"Stars Over Marcola"

"Stars Over Marcola" by Diane Scott (Quilted by Lisa B. Wilson)

This clothesline is too cute!! (I still actually use one myself whenever I can.)

I love the detail of this quilt. The church windows look like stained glass.

Program Description:

"Size 63" x 63"

This folk-style quilt depicts life in rural Lane County [Marcola, in her title, is a small community in Lane County]. The structures and stars were created using a paper piecing technique. Rounded trees were made using needle-turn applique, and there are elements of surface embroidery in many details. It was great fun to design and make each of the border scenes. There are over 100 little paper-pieced stars in the background represnting local July constellations. Many of the individual patterns are from the book 'Down in the Valley' by Myra harder and Cori Lee Derksen."

What a masterpiece!!

I'll have another one to share later when I get the details about who made it. You'll love it!

A lucky find at local Quilt Show!

A friend asked me to volunteer for the set up of a local quilt show. I have to admit that I didn't really want to, but I showed up. Shame on me, cuz I made some good contacts in the quilting and art world! I look forward to developing these contacts and relationships in the future.

Local groups set up booths on the actual day of the event, including my Eugene Modern Quilt Guild. I stopped by the booth and found a baggie full of cut half-square triangles in 1930s types of fabrics for 25 cents!!! I snatched those up and have sewn them together, making them one of my most recent "works-in-progress":

A pile of lovelies!

Close up shot of the actual fabrics

I can't wait to play around with them some more to find out what they'll become! I know that there will probably be stars involved, and I believe it needs some red added to it, don't you think?

1st Place at the Local County Fair!

Unbelievable! I've never entered anything in the county fair in my life. I had a few items sitting around and thought, What the heck! Here's the winner in the "Quilted Tableware" Category:

   

Bright Reds & Whites

Friendship Star centers

Reversible back

Another New Project

I'm starting to make some cute aprons, and this is just the beginning:

I love the birdcage fabric. This will have 4 scalloped pockets when complete. (Pattern by Vanilla House Designs, "Pocket Aprons" #P115)

Linking up with creative people like YOU via:

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Meet a Designer, Author, Teacher & Longarm Quilter!

Hey, I want you to meet my PT therapist assistant & fellow quilter/designer/etc. friend, Sheila Sinclair Snyder. We've actually been acquainted with one another since our kids were in elementary school, which is MANY years ago. "Thanks" to my impinged shoulder (GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR), I get to have one-on-one time with her for a little while. We mostly talk about how to improve my circumstances so I'll be able to avoid surgery & continue my inspired endeavors without significant interruption, BUT we also sneak in a little conversation about our families and arts.

See her kit for this very modern footstool as well as a smaller version in a pincushion: LicenseToQuilt.com & Connecting Threads

I've run into her a time or two at local quilt shows and quilt shops, & I've been able to enjoy a couple of her previous books, Pieced to Fit and Perfect Fit Pieced Borders. She has a new one out: Get Addicted to Free-Motion Quilting, Go from Simple to Sensational. She's available as a teacher and lecturer.






















Here's the link to her website where you can also find some free downloadable patterns to enjoy: LicenseToQuilt.com

Make sure you take the time to get better acquainted with her, just like I'm doing! I think you'll be glad you did.

It's "Works in Progress" Wednesday!

I've been working on my Red & White Picket Fence Table Runner for a couple of months, along with other projects I've posted previously (and many that haven't been finished or shared yet!). 

I love the spark, the zap, the zing of this design:

Here's the top...

...and here's the back.

There's only the hand-sewing of the binding left, and maybe a little more machine quilting around the borders. I bought a charm pack of reds and whites assembled and sold at the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show this past summer. I think it was a wise investment, don't you? I added a few more fabrics on my own for the back and the binding.

Have you ever made a "picket fence" block? Want to learn how? 
Leave a comment so that when I finish editing my pattern, and perhaps actually publish/pdf it, I can notify you.
Happy Quilting, or Sewing, or Cutting, or Planning!
Most of all, dream, dream, dream!

Quilt Show Entries

 I thought niece Aubrey's quilt was so beautiful, I entered it into a local outdoor quilt show. Wouldn't you love this on your bed or wall?!

My sister Diana does extraordinary work as well, and I entered her quilt into the same show.