Where am I?

Hello!  I feel like I've been busy busy busy the past couple of weeks.  Thank you to all the Brownstone Quilters who came out for my talk and workshop on Feb 11.  Also thanks to Clamshell Quilters where I presented my lecture; Quilts - The Story of My Life last week.  It is always rewarding to share my passion for quilt making.

Here is a little 4-patch variation that I made to celebrate my 30th Wedding Anniversary which was Valentines Day.

I included photos from the 3 decades in an IG post.

Happy Belated Presidents Day!  Here is very small sampling of my Presidents collection.

In other news, I finished a little log cabin doll quilt - its more runner size.  I did simple straight line quilting.

I had a very small piece of this pretty blue toile' for the backing.

Here is a little "Year of the Rooster" quilt that I made using leftover ninepatch blocks which worked well as little coops.

I made this before I heard about the challenge from the Two Thimbles Quilt Shop with the same theme.  I ordered this super cute challenge package filled with fun goodies!

I've already started a new little quilt for the challenge.  Join the fun!

Remember this project?  I finally had the time to really figure out the next border (it took lots of math brain power, lol).  It will be all clamshells and sparrows.

You can see a printout of the bird color placement on the left.  It is so so helpful for me.  I machine basted everything again - I love this method for hand applique it is so secure and no pins to catch.

Seriously Starbuck?   He is perched on some bedding while I was doing the sheets.....notice the empty cat bed.  If he fits, he sits.

My Alice Payne quilt will be on display this weekend at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.  Is anyone going?  I'd love a photo of it since I won't be there.

xo

New Secret Weapon

It's Dawn Dishwashing Liquid!    I'll get back to that but first~
I finished my Stars in a Time Warp Quilt.

Good and Plenty Stars - 38" x 38"

I named it that because of the black and pink like the candy.    Do you like it?  I hate it - but I loved the Choo Choo Charlie ads.

Here is the back.  I have had this fabric for about 10 years I think. This was about all I had but it was perfect for this.

It is a neat print about the "Arts".

I used my new stencil for the quilting and I'm pleased with how it turned out.  It is much easier to use it on a smaller piece for sure.  I buried my threads using a self-threading needle.

Why you need Dawn:
In a blog post recently, Chantal of At the Corner of Scraps and Quilts, shared her experience.

For reasons unknown, the blue ink did not come out with detergent and Clorox2.  Here it is soaking in Dawn.

What is weird is that it came out perfectly on this light fabric.....?

But not this one....

Luckily, over night it all came out - whew!

Thanks to all who took my recent poll.  Here are the results:

On Quilt Shows - results combine 2 polls
92%  Attend Quilt Shows
45% Enter Quilts
35% Haven't Entered Yet
13% Don't Enter

How we share (I allowed multiple answers)
41% Blogging
41% Quilt Shows
60% Guild Quilt Shows
15% Don't Share

So Hooray for us to attending and sharing our work!  Keep it up!

On a final note I had a mishap in the kitchen with a spaghetti squash yesterday that resulted in getting 4 stitches in my thumb.

I was impressed with this little stitching kit.  Special thanks to my daughter, Hanna, who insisted we get it checked out.   It is funny when the tables turn with our kids.

Last shot of Good and Plenty Stars.  I set it down and turned around to get the camera and it got this much snow!

We may get as much as 20 inches today which delayed my trip to NJ for a lecture/workshop but I'll make it for Saturday.

xo
p.s. it is so crazy, but I did almost this exact post a year ago, click here to see it.

Spring is coming!

Spring is Coming according to Puxtatauney Phil - woo hoo

In the US you can watch the movie almost all day.  It's one of Bill Murray's best.

Winner Winner!

katyquilts.netJanuary 27, 2017 at 5:25 PM

I would love to win this! I have just the quilt top to use it in! Thanks for the chance to win!

Congratulations Katy.  Send me your address and I'll ship my new stencil to you this weekend.

Everyone Wins!  Use coupon code LOVE20 to get 20% off everything in my Etsy Shop from now until February 14th.  Click here to visit my shop.

I've almost finished my Stars in a Time Warp quilt.  

There are a lot of ends to bury.  Do you clip or bury your stops and starts?   

Here are my January Log Cabin Sew Along blocks.    I'm in Bea's group with the modern makers and she also has links to all participants.

Happy Chinese New Year - The Year of the Rooster

We had a visit from this gorgeous hawk yesterday.

He was keeping his eye on everything - including us.

I've rededicated myself to planning.   Are you a planner?  Stickers seem to make it more fun.

Have a wonderful week and I'll be back soon~
xo

Feeling Groovy & Giveaway!

Thank you so much for all your thoughts and comments on the current trends in quilt shows and for taking the survey.  It will be open for a while and please vote if you haven't.

Last night, my local guild the Clamshell Quilters had the reveal of this years' challenge.  The theme was "Music of the 60s".  Here is modern style entry:

Feeling Groovy - inspired by the Simon and Garfunkel (aka the 54th Street Bridge Song) from 1966 and using those plastic things for playing 45s on a turntable - Which I got on Ebay :)

A close up of my quilting to look like grooves on a record.  The binding is a groovy print too :)
I had to mark the the space between the spiral stencil that I had.  I used dots as a guide.  There are 2 different spirals to get the effect.

Here is the quilting I did after fusing the "45" area.  This is a batting view on the back.

I did this to prevent the quilting interrupting the lettering, which I fused and quilted after I sandwiched the piece.

As I have suggested in the past, I almost always have a scrap piece to try out my techniques and stitching.

Here is a signature quilt that I made in 1997.  I brought completed civil war blocks to Gwen Marston's  Beaver Island Quilt Retreat.

I free-hand quilted large fans the size of my elbow swipe.

This leads me to announce that I have a new stencil in my Etsy store here.  On the bottom is the new Large Baptist Fan Stencil.

As you can see, I filled in the missing line, which I have done on the machine but this will make it so much more even.

I'm thinking of using it on my Stars in a Time Warp.  It will work well on smaller or finer projects.

On IG I shared this sweet sewing box that I received for Christmas.  It is designed by Cath Kidston.

I finished this simple runner, a workshop sample, of a scrappy log cabin variation.

The Giveaway:
If you attended the 1997 BIQR Retreat and you are on my quilt - you are an automatic winner!  leave me a comment and I'll check the quilt.

For everyone else, leave me a comment here, take the survey, and send a friend to try their luck.

I'll pick a winner on February 2nd - Groundhogs' Day.
I'll pick a winner on February 2nd - Groundhogs' Day.

xo

Putting Yourself Out There

Sharing our work really has it's ups and downs.  When we put ourselves out there it leaves us vulnerable to judgment.

Sometimes that judgment leads to compliments and recognition, but just as often it leads to rejection and criticism.

I have experienced both recently.  In December all three of my QuiltCon entries were rejected.  I wasn't shocked.  I took it in stride.  I don't really know that community and I'm certainly not alone.

On Monday I notified that my Alice Payne quilt was rejected by the AQS Lancaster show.  This was tougher and I was a bit heartbroken.  I wanted to share this quilt with the region where the original was created; Pennsylvania.

I'm hoping this means that hand quilting is making a comeback.  The show will display over 400 quilts but only about a dozen will be hand quilted.

On the upside I had a wonderful surprise last year at the Vermont Quilt Show and was awarded Best Hand Quilting for my Jubilee Quilt.  It was a thrill of my quilting career and I couldn't have been more surprised.

Within this past week I heard from two international blog friends that QuiltMania published a photo of this quilt in the latest edition. What a complete and unexpected surprise!

So I've had a good think about how I feel about rejection and recognition.  

Rejection is Painful
Recognition is Nice

Having said that, I feel strongly that putting our work out there is what really matters.  If I hadn't, I wouldn't have made so many special connections and friends through blogging, lecturing, teaching and also through sharing my work in quilt shows.

I have real problems with how quilt shows are judged and by whom (which I may share one day),  but I am always glad to share my work in the hopes that it might inspire someone.   Maybe sharing my recent rejections will make someone out there feel better about putting themselves out there.

So what is this unusual post all about?  To encourage everyone to share their work on blogs, at guilds, and to enter quilt shows.  You never know what effect you'll have on another quilter.  The Vermont Quilt Festival is not a juried show - it has a time deadline and you are not competing against the other quilts, you are judged on your own work.

Put yourself out there.  You will meet with rejection, but you may also be surprised now and then.

I'm adding a couple of polls to see how you feel.

Let me know what you think.