Quilt Progress

I just got back from The UPS Store. My entries for the 2013 AQS show are on their way to Paducah! I believe awards are going to be announced Tuesday, April 23. It would be nice to win a little prize but I consider it an honor just to have 2 quilts accepted in this years' AQS show.

Currently on my design wall is Dave and Christy's wedding quilt. (I think they've been married for five or six years already!) 

It has over 5300 pieces and is taking some time to sew together. The pattern is from Judy Martin's "Log Cabin Quilt Book", an excellent resource for Log Cabin Quilts.

Here are samples of the two main blocks. The four blocks on the top are complete. The six on the bottom were unfinished when this picture was taken.

Below you can see the pattern coming together. I have three rows completed with the fourth in progress. There is a pieced border to add yet as well.

This project has not been without challenges. I have to trim one set of the blocks for some reason and I sewed the sashing pieces together on a different machine than the blocks so the seam allowances were off just a bit. I have to go back and tweak 84 sashing pieces to fit the blocks. I'm not a perfect quilter after all. Even without having to correct mistakes, I've got a few quilt friends who let me know how imperfect I am!

Bold Vision

There is a nice article in our local paper about me this morning. Here is the link.

Daily Interlake


I thought I'd include in this post a photo of one of my hand-dyed fabrics. This is from a couple years ago. Seeing this really makes me want to dye some more fabric...Maybe during Spring Break!

Hand-dyed fabric

Paducah, Kentucky!

Way back in January, I prepared a couple of entry forms for the American Quilter's Society annual quilt show in Paducah, Kentucky. I have never entered this show before so I thought I'd give it chance. According to the entry rules, notifications were going to be sent out the first week of March.

Yesterday in the mail, I received two large manila envelopes (which were actually white, not manila)  from the American Quilter's Society. I was quite pleased with the size of the envelopes as rejection letters usually come in your standard business size. These being large white manila envelopes got me to thinking that I wasn't going to be despised and rejected (subtle Handel reference) by a jury of my peers.

But you never know until you read the fine print!

 As you can see by the fine print, (Thank the good Lord above)  I have two quilts accepted to the American Quilter's Society annual quilt show in Paducah, Kentucky.

So first things first, I had to make myself a celebratory Martini. You'll noticed that one of the accepted quilts serves as a nice background!

Unfortunately, as of this writing , I have no plans to go to Paducah to enjoy the show myself so I will just have to interrogate the quilts upon their return.

Now for the accepted entries:

Composition in Black and White 

And

Twist and Turns

I hope some of you will have the chance to see the quilt show in Paducah.

I love kickin' it with you!

At the beginning of February I was in Glacier Quilts getting some supplies when I happened upon these guys.

By Alexander Henry Fabrics

Consequently I brought these boys home and put them in this mess and forgot about them until last weekend.








I bought enough to make three pillowcases for some very lucky friends! Sweet Dreams.

Chocolate Love

Because quilting is such and aerobic activity, I have recently made the decision to go on a long term low-carb diet AGAIN! As a Type II diabetic, I have also decided to give up wheat altogether (life change) and I love bread slathered with a shitload of butter (so it's a difficult life change). 

My favorite coffee shop masquerades as a bakery or is it the other way around? Do you know how hard it is to walk in to Ceres Bakery  and just get a decaf? It is torture. Especially when the Sweet Potato Sticky Buns are sitting there in all their lovely nutty gooeyness and the Lemon Ricotta Crostata's are just waiting to be ordered because besides being delicious, it's just fun to say Lemon Ricotta Crostata! I won't even mention the Mixed- Berry Cheese Danish or the Better than a Blueberry Muffin or the Chocolate Croissants or the French Bread or the Current- Rosemary Levain...Sigh!

However, there is one thing I absolutely, positively won't give up, and that is CHOCOLATE! Susan and I were in the organic section of the grocery store looking over the chocolate selection when a lovely couple told us about the Almond and Sea Salt chocolate bar from Chocolove. We picked one up, opened it in the car on the way home from the store and have been in love with them ever since. AMAZING! If you haven't had one, stop what you are doing and go by one right now. Hurry. What are you waiting for? Go. You won't be sorry. One bar has three servings, or one really big serving depending on your mood or time of the month. They've been on sale lately so I've been stock piling them. Today I counted 11. 

I have made a resolution to have chocolate every day. Thank you Chocolove. I love you. (One serving only has 9 grams of carbohydrate)

What does this have to do with quilting? Absolutely nothing. I just wanted to tell you all about Chocolove Chocolate Bars and Ceres Bakery.

Wait a second!

Ceres Bakery displays work from local artists every month. I've had the privilege of displaying my art quilts there. Thanks Hannah.

There is the quilting connection!

In Process!

I realize it has been awhile since I've posted anything and I have been working. Honest! I will say it has been difficult to find the time to be in the studio, but such is life. It seems like I have a lot going on at once so it is hard to see the progress. I have started a quilt for our friends Dave and Christy and there is a lot of piecing to be done. The picture below will give you some idea.

The top four blocks are completed and there are 25 total. The bottom six are partially done and there will be 24 of those. This pattern is a log cabin and as you can see there are many pieces that make up one "log". 

This is my first applique quilt and I've just started to sew the pieces down by machine. Through various attempts, I have finally found the correct needle size (60) and the right thread. I'm using Superior Thread's Monopoly for the top, which is an invisible thread. (Do you know how hard it is to use invisible thread? I took it out of the package and now I can't find it!)

The other big project I have right now is quilting my friend Barb's Christmas present. This is as far as it is folk's. I have major quilting block right now. I just don't know what to do.

So until I figure something out, this is where it stays!

  

State Champs!

Parker (L) and Wyatt after their National Qualifying Tournament win.

I need to share some great news with you. As a freshman, our son Wyatt participated in his first season in Speech and Debate at Flathead High School. Wyatt and his Duo Interpretation partner, Parker Kouns, became the Montana State Champions in their event in January. Two weeks later, they took first place in the Montana State National Qualifying Tournament for the National Forensic League. The NFL Tournament is going to in Birmingham, Alabama,  in June. Anyone know any good quilt shops in Birmingham?