Sunday, December 31, 2017

And Happy New Year!!


The Kona Cotton Solids 2018 Color of the Year is right up my alley!!
Doesn’t this just make you happy??



I thought I would share some pictures of the quilty gifts I received for Christmas this year!
My friend Michelle gave me the beautiful crystal sewing machine above!


Some fun things in my stocking.  How did Santa know I like Sue Spargo?  And Hi Fashion?
Look at that delicious thread!  The little fat quarter bundle is from Africa and it smells funny - 
Probably the batik process they use.  The fabrics are beautiful and it says I can 
Machine wash on cold.  Any tips on getting that chemical smell out?


Here is part of the crew wishing you a Happy New Year!  I have lots of projects
Planned for the New Year!  How about you??



Thursday, December 28, 2017

Merry Christmas!!


I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!! I have been busy having fun with family this week šŸ˜Š❤️ I did receive my next Woodland Whimsy packet in the mail, the frog! I’m excited to get started on it. I also have two Challenge quilts that I need to start on and my son-in-law helped me with one of them this week. I’ll be posting more pictures etc. soon. I’ve had several people ask for the pattern of a quilt I designed and made for my friend. I am going to try to get that out and see if I can make it usable for others to follow, so more on that later. 
Have a great day!!

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Millefiori Block Number Three



I finished block number three on my Millefiori quilt! 
Time to pick out fabrics and prepare paper pieces for block number four!

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Freehand Patchwork by Danny Amazonas


This was a special exhibit in Houston sponsored by Free Spirit and Sew Batik. “Danny Amazonas does unorthodox freehand patchwork that is quite different from the traditional techniques...Using no intricate sewing he produces amazing artwork...”. “A painter who never uses paints, Danny is obsessed with creating stunning works of art from slivers of fabric.”




You can read more about Danny in the latest edition of American Quilter magazine (January 2018)



Sunday, December 17, 2017

Sew Savvy Christmas Party


Yesterday was quite the holiday party at Hi Fashion!  The Sew Savvy group met for fun, games, gifts, treats and show and tell.  Jeff, the owner, and his crew sure know how to throw a fun party!  The always make it special and nice and I know we customers really appreciate it!!


LOTS of show and tell!  This is only a sampling of what pictures I could catch.  There have been some busy sewers and quilters in the Grand Valley the past few months!










I had to laugh at this tea towel hanging in the store!


We were all given a Tasty Tootsie Tool, as well as a bag full of goodies.  Thanks to
Jeff and all at Hi Fashion for a fun morning!!


Saturday, December 16, 2017

A Celebration of Color



Pantone announced the Color of the Year 2018 - Ultra Violet!


And at the Houston Quilt Festival they had an exhibit entitled "A Celebration of Color" sponsored by Aurafil.  See the pictures below!




Rainbow Cat Eyes
by Laurie Ceesay



Beach Colors
by Kathy York





The Golden Window
by Cecilia Koppmann





Jeweled Window
by Judy Nelson and Debbie Spencer





Spectra
by Kristine Zimdars
quilted by Carleen Fletcher


Friday, December 15, 2017

CWQG Christmas Party


Last night was Colorado West Quilt Guild's Christmas party!  We had a potluck, with absolutely delicious food, a short meeting, donated socks, underwear and money to the Salvation Army, had an ornament exchange and played the LCR game with fat quarters.  What a fun evening with wonderful friends!


This is the ornament I received in the ornament exchange (actually I stole it from Lucina - each ornament could be stolen twice). I really love this one with all the intricate weaving - it kind of looks like a Celtic Knot.  Thank you to whoever made this!!!!


I forgot to mention that we had show and tell, which is always great.  This is a memory quilt made by Val.


A graduation quilt!


And a quilt made by Brenda for her grandson.

There were other show and tells items but I was sitting too far away to get great pictures.

I could have taken pictures of dozens of beautiful ornaments because they were all great, but I didn't want to bug everyone by asking for a picture of their ornament :). I did catch one of this ornament made by Kathy Lisco though, that I love.  I think I will have to ask her for the pattern!





And finally, a little get well shout out to Phyllis Davis, who seems to have gone through one health issue after another recently!  Take care of yourself and feel better soon dear friend!



Thursday, December 14, 2017

Smokin' Iron!


Yesterday I finally made it up to my sewing room and worked on clue #3 of the mystery quilt I'm making through Hi Fashion.  I made 24 Flying Geese blocks and in the process I discovered that I own TWO of these Flying Geese rulers.  If anyone wants my unopened second one, leave a comment and we'll get in touch! (or email me!)
While working on these blocks, all of a sudden my Reliable iron starting beeping and lights starting blinking and then it started smoking!  So much so, it filled my sewing room with smoke and the smell of smoke.  I was almost afraid to touch it, but I did get it turned off on unplugged.  I guess something inside just burned up.  So sad, as it's been a great iron!


These three quilts were in a Viewpoints 9: Word exhibit, sponsored by Smudged Design Studios, at the quilt festival in Houston.


If you're a quilter, you see this viewpoint a lot!
Home
by Katie Themel
(she said her quilt studio is where she feels most at home!)













The quilt below is:
Serenity
by Diane Wright





The Town, the Shore and the Deep Blue Sea by Alicia Merrett






Well I'm off to try and find myself a new iron!  Have a great day!

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

The Finished Fox!


I finished my Woodland Whimsy Fox this morning!  I love it!

I found the butterflies difficult and I wasn't sure I was going to like them but once I got the bodies and antennae on them, they kind of came to life and I'm happy with them!

The mushrooms were fun to make, as were the blue flowers at the bottom.  I also learned a couple of new stitches: The Hungarian Braid Stitch (top vine, with the daisies) and the Knotted Buttonhole Wheel (inside the blue flowers).

I haven't had time to work on quilting projects much the past month but I did get this done and that's an accomplishment :)

Hope you're having a great day!!

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

More Quilts from the Judged Show


I took a lot of pictures in Houston, so here are some more!
The Twisted Sister
By Margaret Solomon Gunn
(Hand pieced hexagons - and look at the machine quilting!!!!)


Direction Optional
By Stephanie Ruyle (and several other members of the Bee Sewcial group, Denver, Colorado)


Anne’s Favorite Cherry Tree Road in Avonlea
By Mutsuko Shinzo and 9 friends (Japan)


Service for 12
By Tracy Back and the Rambling River Art Quilters (Missouri)
I really like this one!


Fantastic!
By Junko Fujiwara (Japan)
Won the Founders Award and $7500


Hadlock Bridge
By Barbara Binotto (Maine)


Colorado Country: Lake Dillon
By Sharon Schlotzhauer (Colorado)


Caught in a Storm
By Patt Blair (California)


Splash!
By Diane Ruskin Doran (Maryland)