Traveling quilt - better it than me!

I have been wanting to share this with you.  This is a triptyc done with my friends Grace and Sara  for the Orange Blossom Challenge last year.  The challenge was to pick a holiday and make a quilt.  For our group quilt we chose National Bubble Wrap Day (it really is a day in January).  Sara entered our quilt in "West Coast Wonders" and it was accepted!  It is traveling first to Long Beach this July.  I hope you will make an effort to look for it when you go to the Long Beach show.  (mine is first, than Grace's, then Sara's).

The latest from the Anna's Studio!

I have been coveting my time in my Studio and have enjoyed just quilting. I haven’t kept up with the laundry or housework or anything else. I have so enjoyed being home. I don’t want to get dressed in the morning because then I am afraid I will have to go somewhere. I just want to quilt.

I finished a “Scrap Therapy” quilt to give as a wedding present this July. We have two weddings, two weeks apart, this July. I want to use the Common Threads mystery quilt for the other wedding present. I am waiting for the last installment so I can finish putting it together and quilt it before July.


Our Loose Threads group is finishing up “Fearless Design”. I am working on a series of quilts. These are just some of the ones I have worked on. I have taken this a little further and will post them when I am done.

I’m babysitting Becky for awhile today so I thought I would take her to the grocery store. Keeps her busy and then I get one of those hanging over my head chores done. Tomorrow is a dyeing class with Kristin Eilers. Looking forward to a day of dyeing and a day with friends!

Finishes!

While visiting the quilt show with baby Daniel, Katrina was asked how many quilts Daniel had.  I was ashamed to admit that he didn't have any yet.  Now he will.  I just finished his first quilt, one of many I hope.  It is backed with red minkee ( I forgot what a pain this is to work with!).

Just for fun I used the pattern we received for the Orange Blossom Quilt guild's block of the month to make this small quilt for Jeff.  The ties are from Jeff's dad (who passed away two years ago).  Just a fun reminder.  I made three for the quilt guild and guess what?  I won!  Now I have to make another quilt.  This really is a fun pattern.  I have to make one more to have 12 then let's see what I can come up with.

Finished Trees!

"Burn Out"  18" x 18" - 2010

I finally finished my quilt from Pamela Allen's class which I took this past January at Road to California.  It was all about designing from the background to the foreground.  The sky fabric was leftover from another class. 

"Roaring Rapids" 10" x 14 1/2 - 2010

This is the result from a class I took a few weeks ago with Linda Schmidt through the Common Threads Quilt Guild.  Linda taught us many, many techniques to use in our art quilts.  These techniques are going to help me finish my diamond landscape quilt which has been sitting around for a few years.  Sometimes it takes me awhile to finish a quilt because I haven't learned the technique to use to put the finishing touches on the quilt.  I have a few tops like that!

Loose Threads meeting was tonight!

Yes, our Loose Threads Art group met this evening at Deo' house.  We are working out of the book Fearless Design, in fact, we are almost done.  One more lesson that no one seems to have time to do.  We never did decide what we are doing next month.  I hope to do the last lesson.  It is working in a series and that is something I have always wanted to do.  I'll let you know how it goes.

I forgot my camera, so I only have my quilts to show you.  The first one is done from a panel (shown) that I took and made it my own.  I'm really happy with it.  The next one is done with fabric I painted and stamped.  It is just a nice calm scene.  They both need names.  Any ideas?

I'm thinking of having a  All Day Quilt on Saturday, June 5 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.  Breakfast will be provided but bring your own lunch.  It will cost $15 and I can have 8 people.  I will be your on site teacher, so if you want some help on anything, I'm here for you.  Who would like to come?

I'm off to Thimble Town tomorrow to pin some quilts.  I need to finish Daniel's quilt.  It shouldn't take long to quilt.  And then I have two weddings this July to go to so I will be pinning one of those.  I don't know how soon I will have those for you to see but I will post them when they are done.

Project of the Day

     I made this cute little bag for Denise today.  Denise has never owned/carried a purse in her life and she will be 40 next week. She needed some guildance on a feather star table runner so I had her pick out fabric from my stash for her purse. I sewed, she spent most of the time cutting. I hope she will enjoy this purse and not forget it somewhere! 
     Also worked on my panel project for Fearless Design.  I hope to have it done for our Loose Threads art group Monday night.  I also hope to have pictures of our group for you on Tuesday.
      Well, my friends are quilting at Party, Party.  I miss going so much.  I'm thinking of starting one at my house once a month.  Anyone interested in coming?  How about a Saturday sew-in for 8:00 am to 5:00 pm?  Anyone up for that?

I finally got to quilt again!

It felt so go to be in the studio, doing something I wanted.  This was a piece of fabric I painted with dyes and have been wanting to quilt.  All done and it was so much fun.

The Best Of The Valley is over! How very, very sad!

The show is over! It was so much fun and now it feels like a let down. I have been preparing this for almost a year and now all the stress and preparation is done. I had a great time talking to so many wonderful people and seeing such fantastic quilts. Quilt shows do motivate you and I am looking forward to getting back to work. It’s time to refocus.

Here are some pictures of my quilts at the show. Some of my quilts did win ribbons. They weren’t all up on Thursday when I left so it was a surprise when Martina had gone through the show and said I had won some ribbons. I won three 2nd place ribbons and one Hon. Mention. I am very excited and the comments were very helpful.

    Here is a picture of Linda (my quilt show mom) and Suzi (my quilt show step-mom) with the quilts I made for them (out of two of my projects from my Loose Threads Art Group - from Fearless Design). Needle Divas met today at my house where Linda and I worked on Loretta’s Presidents quilt. The top is done and Linda will quilt it sometime in the next week. We hope to show it at the Orange Blossom guild meeting and then hand it over to her family. The tribute to Loretta at the quilt show was very touching and I think her family was appreciative of all the quilters that supported Loretta.

Kay - It was so great meeting you at the show. I hope to see you with a blog soon. Everyone loved your quilt. We had donuts this morning because your quilt inspired us!

I have so many projects to work on, I wonder what I will feel like doing tomorrow!

You Should Be Here!

We are having so much fun at the quilt show. It has been great talking to so many quilters. Some have been quilting a long time, some are beginners, and some are there just to see what we are all about. I have met such fantastic people these last two days. It amazes me have you can feel like you have an instant bond with someone you have never even met just because they are also interested in quilts and quilting. I look forward to tomorrow but then I feel sad that it will be all over. I know the many hard workers will be glad it will be over. They are starting to look tired. It has been a long week for them. They have done such a wonderful job with the show and I am so thankful for the way they have taken care of me. Linda has been so wonderful as my “mom”! I will have a surprise for her tomorrow, as thanks for putting up with me for three days. I’ll take pictures.

Here are some pictures we took today and yesterday. I had to put in the ones with the grandkids. Here I am with my “mom”, Linda, who takes good care of me everyday. More pictures tomorrow.

All Set Up and Ready to Go!

The show is almost here. We set up my booth this morning in Lindsay. Linda Matthews and Suzi McVickers did all the hard work. I was surprised at how much room I had for my quilts. Here are some pictures. (My pictures seem a little foggy in the middle, something I need to check into.)  There are some also around the corner.

I took a look at all of the quilt entries. There are some amazing quilts and some very talented quilters. I feel challenged when I look at all those quilts. Someday I would love to have a best of show or judges choice ribbon on one of my quilts. It is something to strive for. I was able to see my quilts that I entered. No ribbons! Oh well! I am still featured artist and loving it. My Nights of the Round Table, my favorite quilt, looks terrible. It doesn’t hang right. I blocked that quilt and thought it was fine. Lesson learned. Hang your quilts before you enter them to see if you need to make any adjustments. I had hoped to enter that in other shows but have since changed my mine. It will just have to hang in my living room for my family to enjoy. They are all very supportive. They will love it.

I am so excited to have the opportunity to spend three days around my friends, both those working the show and those visiting, around so many beautiful quilts, and it looks like there will be some great vendors as well. Remember to check out the website and blog for Best of the Valley and come and visit me at the show.

Best Of The Valley

Check out the Best of the Valley website (look under my sites of interest).  They have a Blog!  You can see the process they are going through for the quilt show this weekend.  Nothing like behide the scenes.  I hope all of you in the Central Valley of California will come out to the show.  It is guarenteed to be a great time.

Getting ready for Best of the Valley

I spent yesterday sewing on labels and sleeves on the quilts for the Best of the Valley Quilt show. Here is the stack of quilts for my booth (how fun is that to say!). Linda (my show mom!) and I set up Thursday morning. I am so excited.


After work this morning I spent time searching Hanford for some outfits to wear for the show. What a pain! There is nothing out there that fits me. It is either too small, makes me look like a blimp, or is so old lady looking I wouldn’t be caught dead in it. I found a few tops but am not really convinced I will keep them. Tomorrow I will try Visalia. I wish I could just wear jeans!

I hope you all will come to the quilt show this weekend and visit with me. Check out the Best of the Valley link on the right hand side of this blog. I’ll post pictures this weekend of the show.

On the Design Wall

I’m back from Hollywood Land and glad to be back home in my studio. It has been hard getting back into a schedule so I spent some time getting caught up on those things that have to been done for the three guilds in which I am involved. I am doing the theme quilt for the Kings River Guild, “Flower Pots”. I am using very different fabrics from ones that I would normally use. These were samples and a background I used in another quilt. The fabrics are very busy so I am not sure how it will all come out in the long run, but it is worth the try.

For the Orange Blossom guild we are doing a patriotic quilt, here is the third installment, The first two are in my February retreat blog.

Here are the block of the month for Common Threads that is due next month. I like getting all of this out of the way so I can spend sometime on other things and not have to be pressured at the last minute. I need to spend time on the Common Thread Mystery Quilt. It is due in June and I want to have it for a wedding present in July. I also have to work on the 60’s challenge quilt and that is due in June also. I’m getting stressed just talking about all this.

We had a relaxing time in Hollywood and stayed at the Renaissance Hotel, next to the Kodak Theatre were the Academy Awards were held. Here’s the view from our window. See the Capital Record building in the distance.

 

I hope to share my quilt from the class I took today, but not till I have some more done. It will just remain a mystery!