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.

Quilt Show and challenge

We had such a great time at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show. I'm sure you are glad I finally went, since that's all I have talked about since coming to Virginia. The quilts were beautiful, but I don't think there were as many as Road to Ca. There seemed to be more different traveling challenges then Road and less regular entries. I saw Lynn Drennen and Company's Queen Mary quilt and Kristin Eilers Calla Lilly quilt. Lynn and Co. won a Judge's choice award but it was displayed in back of the convention center auditorium which I thought was just a shame. I hope to enter something next year. The quilts were very inspiring. Serena wants to start quilting again and finish somethings. Of course, we had to pick up fabric for some new projects. The vendors carried more civil war type fabric than what we would see on the West Coast. Actually this helped me out. I am collecting fabric for another challenge. The Kings River guild is doing the paint chip challenge and I have the uglies paint chip imaginable. But that is the challenge, isn't it.









These are the fabrics and the paint chip. I have to use all the colors on the paint chip and one extra. The one on the right has a fabric with a swirl that is outlined in black and the other uses the gold that is somewhat subtle in the background of some of the fabrics. Black would be my "other fabric" for the combination on the right and gold would be my "other fabric" for the one on the left. Which combination should I use? Or should I go in another direction. I have no idea what the design of the quilt will be. I am waiting for the fabric to talk to me. I need your input!!!!!!!!!
Back to Lexi. Only a few days left. It will be hard to leave but I look forward to seeing Jeff and my sewing machine. Home for a few days and then off to Empty Spools for a week of machine quilting with Don Linn.

Knitting in Virginia

Here's Lexi in the cap I knitted for her. It has four pom poms on the top. I wonder how long those will last. Knitting keeps me busy while I watch Lexi. If I would just remember to bring a project with me. I can't imagine how many knitting and crocheting needles I have at home that are now duplicates. I finished my scarf and am starting another one. But, of course, Lexi looks the cutest in her cap!
I worked on the Material Girls challenge blocks again. Found another mistake! Took two hours to make one block and gave up and put it all away. How hard can a 12 inch block be. I miss my Bernina! I'll finish them at home. Two down, I don't know how many more.
We went to the movies the other night and saw "Shutter Island". I wasn't sure if I would like it but I did and thought it was very suspenseful. It was very well done and always kept you guessing. I would recommend it.
Tomorrow is the quilt show. I'm looking forward to sharing this experience with Serena then jello shots in the evening. Another mother/daughter bonding experience!

In Virginia

I've been in Virginia for almost a week and have enjoyed my time with Lexi, my granddaughter and, of course, my daughter, Serena. We celebrated Lexi's 1st birthday this past Saturday with a party. We had a great time with lots of little kids. Lexi seems to enjoy all her new toys and loved her birthday cake, as the picture shows. She ate cake and finger painted with the icing.
There is little time for quilting, but I brought some of the Material Girls challenge blocks to work on. I put one together yesterday afternoon and realized I did the math wrong. I drafted all the blocks to get the sizes everyone wanted but on one I used the finished dimensions instead of the cut ones. This always messes me up, and I love math. So I came out with a 4 inch block instead of a 6 inch and no extra fabric here. I also have been knitting and will post a picture of Lexi with her new cap soon.
A special note to Loose Threads: I am so sorry to have missed our group last night. Want you to know I thought of you and hope someone posts pictures of your projects. Let me know when we meet again.
Friday we are going to the Mid-Atlantic quilt show. I am so looking forward to this. Serena and her friend, Amanda, are going with me and they are in for a big surprise. They have no idea how big this show is going to be. They have never been to a show before, so they aren't really sure what I am dragging them too. Serena quilts and Amanda wants to learn. It will be great! I'll let you all know what they think.

Back from retreat

We had a great time this past weekend at the Orange Blossom Retreat even though there were only nine of us. Great food (always too much), great fellowship, and lots accomplished. The weather was fantastic. These are a few of the things I got done this weekend. The Irish Chain is for Don Linn's class at Asilimar I am taking when I get back from Virginia. Lots of space for quilting! The Uncle Sam and the flag are for the Orange Blossom Theme quilt. I caught up on the Common Threads mystery quilt (take note Barbara!) and I began a quilt for Baby Daniel (due toward the end of March-fifth grandchild) and drafted blocks for the Material Girls challenge. It feels so good to have so much accomplished, since I leave for Virginia Wednesday morning (if I can get out of Fresno - weather permitting) and won't be back for two weeks. I'll miss my sewing machine and my husband, of course!
I will try to post while in Virginia.

Finished last quilts for BOTV

Here are the last of the quilts I finished for the Best of the Valley. I have hit a dry spell. I spent so much time thinking about the quilt show and working on quilts, that now that it's behind me I can't seem to focus on any project. I'm going on the Orange Blossom retreat this weekend and working on some blocks for Material girls, mystery quilt, baby quilt for next grand baby, and just some little things that don't take any imagination. Then I'm off to Virginia. Hope to go to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt show and hope to be inspired. I also hope it doesn't snow!
Received the supply list for the class I am taking at SAQA Reinventions Conference. I think I am over my head. I don't understand half of what they want. And I have to have two projects to work on. What was I thinking? I'm not ready for this!

Best of the Valley

Well, yesterday Susie and Linda came to pick the quilts they want to display in the featured artists booth at the Best of the Valley Quilt Show. It was a little stressful having people go through your quilts picking out what they felt was a good over view of my work over the past 11 years. They were very gracious and I think they did a great job of seeing me in my work. Now the work begins. I have to have pictures of every quilt and a entry form for each one. I don't want to hear anyone complain when they have to fill out one or two for a quilt show again. It's going to take me days. I wish I had been better at taking pictures all along. I do have a new laptop that I hope will help, if I can only figure out how to use it. You know how the learning curve is when you get something new. It seems to take you twice as long. I hope to have some pictures to put on the blog for you to view when I am done. Thanks for listening.