Best Sunday Ever!

As if having one quilt at Market wasn't enough - I had two!!

My guild had a challenge with Kate Spain and EZ Quilting. We each made a mini quilt out of Kate's new fabric line Canyon using one of EZ Quilting's acrylic small tools. I got a triangle.
And this was a challenge for certain. I have not made a lot of triangles in all my years - apparently for a reason - they are / were a challenge for me. Nailed it though! I may not wait another 25 years to make another triangle quilt.

Oh - yea top right! That one is mine. And is that a ribbon? Need more information about that.

There are all gorgeous!
Thanks for the repost!

Bursting!

OMG!
I have a quilt at Quilt Market in Houston!
And it is hanging in the FreeSpirit booth!
As my son said, "I get it mom - this is your Super Bowl"!

A huge thank you to Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom for letting me play with her new fabric line - Nostalgia. I loved every second of this quilt! From swatches to design wall to quilting it - just loved it!!
And thank to Jackie for sending me a picture first thing. Totally made my day!

Memories of Nana

And finished!
My new quilt for Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom! Presenting her new collection of fabrics, Nostalgia, all tucked into my quilt.  21 new toys to grace my design wall! Coming soon as a kit at Chrisite's Quilting Boutique!
Thank you to Jennifer once again for letting me play with her new fabrics! (available in October)
I think I am in love . . .

Riley's Roses #185!

Meet the latest challenge from the Modern Quilt Guild!
Play with Riley Blake's Cottage Garden fabrics!
They sent us 6 different fabrics - about a fat eighth each and said make something and it has to be quilted! So of course I had to add a few more fabrics from the line and maybe a bit more of my favorites! As soon as they arrived I knew I wanted to play with Heather French's French Roses. I bought the pattern, resized it and played. I am really happy with the roses - love them. I should have washed it for more fray but sure I will someday. Very happy! Will have to find other fabrics to make more of them!! Thinking maybe Kaffe? Or Jennifer? More fun heading my way!!

Oh and #185 - my entry number on the MQG gallery. Not sure where the numbers will end but I am in. (and that is another adventure technology for the another day)

Yup still here -

I know, I know I am the worst quilt blogger ever!
I am owning this title!
Yes it has been 6 months since I last typed words here, yes I am still quilting - no I have not tossed in the fabric bolts and called it a day.

So the last six months -

Finished a few quilts, couple of guild monthly blocks, shopped for a lot of fabric, one might call it hoarding if one does not quilt. I simple like to think of it as collecting. Yes I will need more shelves and boxes and maybe a bigger room. Went on an awesome retreat with the Slow Stitching Movement. Best time ever. And I sewed a little bit. Of course a new addiction/obsession came out of it - hexes! (thanks Liza!) Couple trips up and down the eastern seaboard with family - not too many quilty stops along the way. The start of Row by Row or as I think of it a scavenger hunt for shops I did not know existed. But will now Have to stop as I pass through again. Challenges. Think that about wraps it up.

Anyhoo - here is my latest finish!
For the Modern Quilt Guild's Riley Blake challenge. They sent 6 fabrics and of course I added a few. (sanctioned shopping!!!!)
It could be anything and as soon as I saw it I knew it had to be French Roses!! Heather French's pattern was easy to follow and adapt to my own needs - smaller flowers. I used my fish bowl from my Houston quilt as a model for my rose bowl. I was thinking peonies but actually made roses.
Finished!
About to be submitted. Not sure how Modern but I love it and have hung it with pride!

Ok - so it will not be another 6 months - promise!

Ready to Explode

Ok, so I took a bit of a break for that whole holiday thing and a running of a half marathon thing (more walking than running to be honest). And then there were the children home and houseguests - so not a lot of free time for quilting - this is how I keep justifying my lack of work. I did manage a small mini christmas quilt - but we can talk about that later (oh and I finished it in January.)

Last Friday I headed down to Old City Quilts for a fabulous quilty experience! First up was a Gallery Show featuring Luke Haynes' quilts and Thomas Knauer's quilts. AMAZING! So much inspiration! Wow! As if getting to see them was not enough - we got an audience with Thomas - a meet and greet if you will. He walked us through all the quilts. The stories he told about his were all so wonderfully personal and had so many different levels, textures and intricacies. Needless to say many of them spoke to me - I got them. And now I want to make quilts like them. Deep, meaningful and right.
Ok, we will see how that goes . . . .

A few photos of inspiration  - all of them are Thomas' -

You Are Here 

Ampersand 

Quilting detail from one of his amazing Marriage Series Quilts featuring the text form the original Common Book of Prayer.

It Takes a Million Stitches to Tell You How Much I Love You

Full Circle

I have now come full circle! I have gone back to my roots if you will.
While I was away in London, an email popped into my box announcing space still available for a New York Beauties class at Lady Sew and Sew in Henley. As I had just landed and a little bleary eyed I skipped over the email until massive amounts of coffee and naps had occurred. Not my typical class - love the block but curves - I have plenty of my own and have a fear of them in blocks. However, Dawn Cameron-Dick was the teacher. I called, registered for the class and then promptly announced that I had no supplies having just gotten off a plane - come early - so they could fix me up! I did.
So why the interest? Why drop into a class on vacation without supplies? Simple - Dawn. She was my very first quilt teacher all those years ago in Brussels. She taught me to quilt when I really wanted to learn to knit and have been grateful ever since. Her words still swirl in my head as I sew, and as I teach. Totally thankful to be able to tell her in person all that she has meant to me and my craft.
It was a huge surprise for her and such a fun day. Tons of giggles and catching up. The other ladies in the class where very gracious about our catch up too - big thank you to them.
If you are ever in Henley - pop in - Lady Sew and Sew has an amazing collection of fabrics with way cool fabric lines from the Isles and Europe! Plus you never know who is teaching that day!!



Oh yea - and the curve piecing is awesome!! Fun even! Dawn has an amazing method that makes it easy! Bring on more blocks!! Who is with me?!

One year!!

So one year ago I moved from one side of the Atlantic to the other.
Home! After many, many, many years and countries later.

It has had many ups and downs as most have. But let's talk about the ups!

Since hitting the shore line I have been crazy busy with this awesome quilty world!
I have hit Houston, Hershey, New Jersey Quilt Festival, Flights and Fantasies shows! I have hit every shop I could find and was open between McLean and Cambridge. I have attended classes with both Victoria, Lizzie, Kate, Kaffe, Brandon and Liza.

I have worked with the amazing Jennifer Paganelli with her latest and greatest (yes each one is the greatest) fabric lines!

And of course my fantastic local quilt shop - Christie's Quilting Boutique. Where I get to play and share and play some more. (and fold and pet fabrics!)

Not to mention all the new friends along the way - Julie, Terrie, Toni, all the ladies at Southern Connecticut Quilt Guild and of course all my friends from the quilt shop!!
Reconnecting with old quilty friends - Trudi and Susan - nothing better!! I am very blessed!

The journey so far has been non-stop and more than I could have asked for!
So happy to have landed back on these shores - here - right here!!
Game on!!

Been Quilin' . . .

and bout to resurface.
What a ride and a crazy month - promise to catch you up soon!
Best couple of weeks - sharing soon!!

Today is the day!!

The latest name of one of my quilts!! Means sooooo many things but here are 2 of them!
One - I finally decided to make a quilt that I had hiding in my quilt papers from sometime in 2005/6/7! And two - it is a line from one of my favorite movies - The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel!

This quilt has been made through the kindness of the Southern Connecticut Modern Quilt Guild, Denyse Schmidt, Terrie and Jennifer (members of my guild). SCMQG and Denyse threw down the challenge of making a quilt based on her patterns using her new Hadley fabrics - now available! Didn't make the first round of the challenge - limited number of bundles but through Terrie and Jennifer sharing their extras - game on!!

I created it Denyse style - using bags to put the strips in and them pulling them out blind. I really tried not to edit tooooo much but I kept pulling out the same color/print strip as I went along.
Love this quilt!!!

I let the quilt do the talking in terms of the quilting - never again - it wanted soooooo much! But I kept going and going and tying strings. Very pleased with it now but wow it was a lot.

Now it is to hang in Christie's shop for a special preview night with Denyse on the 11th (next week!)
Then it is going to hang in my house! Woo hoo!

Huge thank you to SCMQG and Denyse and Terrie and Jennifer for letting me play!!
Loved every minute of it! Even when tying off all those strings!

Over the moon!!

OMG!
A very sweet lady traveling from Massachusetts popped into Christie's Quilting Boutique while I was there. She came in to grab a Row by Row pattern and kit.
Jennifer Paganelli happened to visiting as it is "I Love Fabric Day" (and yes this is a national holiday at least in every quilt shop!!) Not only did she purchase the last Miss Connecticut 2014 kits but she asked Jennifer to sign her pattern and then she asked me too!! I was asked for an autograph!!
Sitting her still tickled pink!!

Almost done -

Almost done if you count getting to the quilting stage almost.
Sadly you will have to wait to see it - it will go public soon but I promised to keep it a secret until later.
I have had all the fun to playing with Denyse Schmidt's new fabric line Hadley along side my fellow quilters from the Southern Connecticut Modern Quilt Guild. Through the generosity of players I got leftovers!! (my secret favorite kind) A little of this solid and a few of that and I have a quilt top! Now basted and heavy with pins.
And quilt . . .

Here is a teaser of how I put it together - I tried really, really hard not to edit but just pull. But I will fess up to a few edits - not many but a few. Had a habit of pulling the fabric I just used in a different size strip.

Ready to make another quilt this way - kept the bags just in case!

Guess what I got!!!!!

Any guesses? Those that would guess a handbag - might not be wrong except this time -  nope.
Not a sweater either - another favorite purchase and clearly it is not Lululemon.
Anyone?

I will give you a hint - a went to visit one of my favorite fabric designers!! Jennifer Paganelli if Sis Boom.

OK tooooo excited -

Good Company!! Time to play!! Wooo hooo!!!

Best Quilty Trip . . .

ever!!! Or at least in a long time! A whole quilty trip and just quilts!

I found myself childless on the weekend of a quilt show - two words - ROAD TRIP!!!
I headed off to Hershey, Pa. to Quilt Odyssey 2014. Never been to Hershey ever, not even as a child on a field trip with school. (I grew up outside of Philadelphia).
Off I went - nothing better than a quilty road trip! I enjoyed the show - lots of great older Americana quilts from the region. Gorgeous award winners - far too many photos to share I am afraid. Loved every inspiring minute. It was a bit crowded but then again it was Saturday and it was to be expected. No issues - I can wait my turn to see and photo a quilt.
Fantastic merchants mall too - loads of familiar shops and many new ones too. And yes a few new treasures and threads jumped in my bag!
Once numb and overwhelmed with ideas swirling, I headed back east on the slow road stopping at Bird-in-Hand and Intercourse. I have always wanted to stop here since I started quilting but it was either a husband thing or 2 small boy things. Either way - nope. That day - just me and I stopped at each and every shop I could find! And I certainly never get tired if having to slow down for the Amish horse and buggies! They just make my heart sing!
Side note here - having grown up relatively nearby and spending a few days a year with elder aunties driving through the Amish Country the one thing I noticed was color. When I was little the ladies were in dark colors always - even summer. Not this time - bright solids were everywhere on the ladies and the young boys. And the clothes lines - love!
I am going to share my favorite photo of the day - a couple of young girls and boys getting water ice from Rita's. Just love it!!

One challenge down, one to go!

Presenting Pixie Sticks!!
This was a challenge by the Modern Quilt Guild. The challenge was to use the fun Michael Miller prints any way, any how as long as it was incorporated into your design. It has now been uploaded to the Guild site. I used Karen Griska's design to make them! (BOM for the Empire Guild - lucky guild members!!) Thank you Karen!!
Loving it - just need to decided where to hang it . . .

Onto the next challenge - the Denyse Hadley challenge!

I am totally loving being a member of the Southern Connecticut Modern Guild!! Who have kindly let me play and challenge me too!

Sunday Funday!

Yesterday was the sew-a-long with Kate Spain feature her new line Solstice for Christmas. Christie hosted the day at her shop.
Kate brought quilts to see and explained her design process. Wow! Very exciting - there just might be another class to come out of that! The Christie let us loose on the fabric strips for our stocking project. A little designing, a little dewing, a little (or a lot) of quilting, cutting and voila! New stockings! We even got personalized/signed goodie bags - bet we can make another one! Best part - finished project!
Such a fun afternoon - cannot wait to play again!

 

It was inevitable that Kate realized we were meant to be BFF's! Thank you for playing along!

Sooooo Proud!!

And excited!! The original set of Miss Connecticut kits SOLD OUT!!!
Woo hoo!!!
And Christie, Karina and I have just cut, counted and packaged more!
So happy my quilt is loved! I had so much fun making it and now sharing it.
Thank you!!

Oh my what a week!

So . . . . this has been quite the week!
Starting with playing at Christie's Quilting Boutique last Saturday where both Jennifer Paganelli and Kate Spain were playing too.
Then after many miles and hours in a car I got to see Jinny Beyer at her Quilt Studio! (O.K. she did not see me but if she had we know we would be BFF's!) I chose not to bombard her with praise at that time - she was working, sadly not of the sewing kind.
And then today . . . as I popped in to see Christie - Denyse Schmidt popped in to see her!!
So feeling the celebrity mojo washing over me -
I am off to sew . . . .

Happy Anniversary!!

Christie's Quilting Boutique is 6 months old!!
Congratulations on an awesome star studded day!
My new BFF Kate Spain was there as was another of my BFF's Jennifer Paganelli and of course my best BFF Christie!
Saw lots of faces I knew - it was nice to be known (throwing in an expat reference here!)
Best day! I even got to help cut fabrics - what could be better than that? Oh maybe talking about quilty stuff with quilty friends all day!

Tiaras at 10!

Today was class #1 of 2 for Miss Connecticut.
3 lovely ladies arrived at Christie's Quilting Boutique with their kits in hand ready to go!
We played for 2 hours throwing squares up on a design wall and the design table top.
And of course you cannot be a Beauty Queen without a tiara  . . .

A little bit of homework and next class we sew!! Tiaras and all because isn't everything better with a pink tiara?!