I'm back but leaving again!

Here is an example of my work from the Reinvention Conference with SAQA in San Francisco last week.  What an experience!  We attended two days of conference information with panels and speakers, mostly fiber artists.  I was very impressed with the level of intelectural stimulation that surrounded me.  It seemed that there were many who had degrees in fiber arts, unlike the quilting world I am use to.  Nothing like feeling like a little fish surrounded by large sparkling fish in a large pond.  (Sounds like a quilt to me!)

I took a class in infusing light into your work.  I was totally unprepared for this.  There were 12 students in my class and most were professional fiber artists.  Boy, was I out of my comfort zone.  We learned to wire a circut of led lights, hooked lights to a button battery, and were instructed to use a string of 35 christmas lights into a project.  For this quilter it was a real stretch.  I struggled with how to use lights in something other than a quilt, working somewhere other than my own studio.

Here is my circut that we wired and my first project.  It has three led's inside but I need a different setup for the led's.

Jeff and I are getting ready to head off to Hollywood.  Jeff has some kind of Water conference.  We are staying at the hotel that is next to the Kodak theatre where the Academy Awards were held.  I will be people watching, shopping and just relaxing.  Next week (the 9th - 11th) is the Best of the Valley quilt show.  The fun begins.  I can hardly wait.  I am so exciting.  How fun to spend three days surrounded by quilts and friends!

Baby Daniel Arrived

Daniel Jeffrey Hofmans arrived this morning, March 17 at 7:33 am (just 25 minutes after I arrived at the hospital - I was privileged to be present at his birth.  What a joyous miracle!) weighing in at 8 lbs. 6 oz.  Katrina did a great job.  She worked so hard after a week of little sleep.  I know she was concerned I wasn't going to be in town for Daniel's birth, but God was gracious.  I was back last friday and leave again tomorrow.  I look forward to returning to spend time getting to know this precious baby.

As you can see Jeff and I are very thankful grandparents.

Loose Threads

Monday evening was our monthly get together for our art quilt group, Loose Threads.  We are working out of the Fearless Design book.  This months project was to take four blocks (all exactly alike) and add borders to make them all different.  We were suppose to quilt them also but those who actually did the assignment (I didn't do this one or the last one due to all the traveling) didn't get to the quilting.

This is the one I liked of Grace's.  Can you till what the block was.

This was my favorite of Adena's.  I liked the use of curves with the geometrics of the block.

Deo brought her quilt from Joe Cunningham's Class.  Great job!

Barbara brought two quilts to show, her one from Roberta Horton's class with Japanese fabrics.  She says it is not her favorite.  But I like it.  I wish I could have taken the class, but we had a wedding one the same day last January.

Here's Barbara's Asian Salsa from Don Linn's calss.  She extended the design into the border.  This was not part of the original design.  She really did a nice job.  Of course, when I was at Empty Spools last week Don asked if I had finished my quilt.  Alas, it is another unfinished project, waiting for me to come up with a border design.  Soon, I hope.

Here are Sara's quilts for the last lesson. We were to take a panel and cut it up to make it a differnt quilt. I think Sara used these for this lesson, borders. Mine is on the design wall and I hope to finish it soon.

I am getting ready to leave for SAQA conference in San Francisco tommorrow.  I can't believe another week long trip.  Does my husband even know who I am?

Burn Out!

My husband thinks I have burn out. I just don't want to do anything today. I have a whole day (well, by now half a day) to do anything but I have just been reading blogs. I really need to work on laundrey, Yuk, my least favorite thing, and my quilts for next week's class. Any suggestions on how to get motivated. Maybe Jeff needs to go out and get me a Starbucks. Maybe I should just start with a shower.

Fantastic!

Just got back from Asilomar (Empty Spools) and couldn't wait to tell you all what a fantastic time I had. I did get a little lost coming home (left the map book and GPS at home) but ended up going through the Coalinga Hills. It was just beautiful. The only picture I could take was this one because of the curves there really isn't any where to stop. The hills were all shades of green with lavenders, yellows and some orange. It was just beautiful and so peacefully. Mistakes are often opportunities to treasure. I had a great ride home through the hills with Toby Keith serenading me on the radio.

Pacific Grove, where the Asilomar conference grounds are, was a joy to behold. We had some rain, lots of wind, some cold but we were right by the ocean. Everyday we looked out our window to the sand dunes and the water. On the stormy days, the white caps of the waves were a sight to see. I went up with Barbara, alias pointlessquilter, and Debbie, alias quiltcrazydebbie. We drank wine, laughed, shared, and just had fun.


I took Don Linn's class, Machine Quilting. I'm so amazed at how far we came in five days. We started out just doodling with our machine, learned how to transfer a pattern with stencils and making our own with tulle, we learned trapunto and made a heart, we talked about what to put on our quilts, worked on a whole cloth quilt, and so much more. Don was a great teacher, always encouraging us and inspiring us to greater things.

I love to machine quilt but have always free motioned. It really limited me and I would get so frustrated because I could not transfer a stencil properly and I could not follow a line. Notice how I said could not because I now can. I am so excited. This has just opened up a whole new world. I can even do feathers!




I hope you enjoy the pictures and I am sure I will be sharing more of the skills I've learned this past week. Now I have to put everything away and get ready for the next adventure. The SAQA conference begins next Friday. Off to San Francisco next week!

Church Baby Quilts

Every time a baby is born some ladies of the church make blocks to be put into a wall hanging for that family. This is the one made for Lexi. It was only a year late. I was waiting on more squares, which didn't come, and finally got around to it. In all the confusion of traveling and starting another quilt for another baby, I forgot a square. I am so sorry Laura! Laura was very gracious and let me make it into a pillow. (Serena will have to add the pillow - would make it hard to mail).


Since I have been back I decided not to put off things. So here is the quilt for Travis, the first grandchild for a family in our church. I know these don't look like much but they are appreciated by the families.


I'm on my way to Alsilomar tomorrow. I'll post pictures when I get back.

Back Home In California

It is so good to be back home. Sunshine this morning and rain this afternoon. I love it! Nothing better than to be working in your studio and looking out at the rain. Tomorrow is the Common Threads quilt guild meeting so I had to get my trading cards done, especially since I forgot to make them last month. And I had a great idea for February! This month's theme was words. What better place for a quilter to find words than on the salvage of our piles of fabric. So that's what I used.








Before I left for Virginia, I made the block of the month squares. We were given the center (a piece of tie silk)and were to make a crazy quilt square.








I also made a quilt square for a church baby quilt. The squares are coming in so I will have to put it together soon. I'll post a picture when it is done.








Before I left Virginia, I taught Serena how to meander. She has been working on a quilt all by herself and stitched in the ditch but needed to do something in the borders. I just wish she was closer, so I could help her with her quilting. It's hard to do over the phone. She has some great material to make a teal with dragon fly quilt. I can hardly wait to see that when she gets to it.

Special note to "quiltedtime": I like your suggestion of using aqua in my challenge quilt. I think that is what I am going to do. Now more shopping! And I guess I should come up with an idea.
Off to make dinner. Pizza and a movie with Jeff. I missed those nights when I was gone.