QuiltBlog

I'm so excited today even though the "storm" has certainly arrived here.  It is a blizzard but I feel so elated!

I just got the news that one of the new quilts I did with Cheri Meineke-Johnson won "Outstanding Innovative Quilt" in the Road to California show.  It was just announced today!  I almost forgot how wonderful that feeling is when you win any recognition of your work at all. I'm very pleased.  The name of the quilt is "Jewel Box".

  I'm also excited because Janet-Lee sent me an email to tell me I was one of the nominees for "teacher of the year" for 2011.  This is the third time I have been nominated and I'll tell you what, it is a HUGE honor just to be nominated.  Thank you to any of you who make have made that nomination or voted for me.  The people and friends I have because of this industry mean everything to me.

 I hope you all have as great of day as I have had and it's only noon.

I have been thinking how incredibly blessed we are to be in the quiting world.  We have such great people to work with and meet others all the time.  You can never be bored with quilting as there is so much to learn and to do.  I am sure you are just like me and your "bucket" list goes on and on and is continually added to. 

Always new fabric, thread and patterns to choose from!  I love it when I get an new quilting magazine and can see whats coming and the new tools. I love the quilt shows, to go and see everyone's ideas.  The quilts are awe inspiring and take my breath away.  I am always amazed at the creativeness that go into those quilts, let alone the talent to make them.

Then on top of that I work in that field and get to live my dreams because it is "work"!  I have tons of email friends I have made over the years, who share what they are doing and include me and I them, in our quilting experiences.  They share their families and lives with me.  I make new ones weekly.

I was in the mortgage business in management for 25 years and we never shared our secrets of the business.  They were always kept confidential as that was our niche in the market.  So you can imagine when I started working in the quilting world, how surprised I was that quilters share everything.  There are no secrets, we just want to help everyone with all we learn.  Everyone is your friend not your competitor.  We want to share our secrets because it is so fulfilling and fun.

We are all truly blessed to be quilters!  Thanks to each of you for sharing with me and being my quilting friends.

  My husband, Rick, took Wendy to the sleep lab tonight. One of us had to go and stay with her. He can usually sleep anywhere. I, on the other hand, need at least 3 pillows and my wrist thingys on because my hands are going numb every night.The chiropractors say it is my neck,not carpel tunnel, but I am going to have to have it checked out very soon.  I also don't do very good driving at night anymore.  Well, there you have it, he was the best choice.  i hope all goes well.  Wendy was excited. She took her pink Care Bear which she takes with her to all her surgeries, etc. and her pink slippers. And she had a long talk out in the cold with her dog.  Told her where she was going and when she would be back.  She is so funny.

Where does the time go?  It seems like the holidays were almost here and then they were gone. Does anyone else feel like I do?

I also thought I would have more time this month to relax a little and just quilt, but already one week is gone and I haven't been quilting. I will be filming this week and I am prepared to do a little table runner as well as a large quilt. I'm happiest when I'm actually quilting, and that's when all the ideas come.

   Sunday night we are doing a sleep test for Wendy, my daughter.  They are going to see if she has sleep apnea.  She sleeps best when she is sitting up.  Of course, if any of you know her, she says she never sleeps. It might be true.  We take her back to the eye doctor January 20 in Salt Lake.  Thank you all for your prayers, she seems to be doing good right now as long as we keep every obstacle out of her way.

  Bethany Pease will be here in two weeks to film with me. She just got married (I don't know her last name now)  and is such a good quilter.  She also makes me laugh a lot, so I am looking forward to it.

Seems like so many of my friends are having some health issues; let's all take better care of ourselves - okay?

 

I received my Machine Quilting Magazine and I always get excited when it comes.  I even have to steal it back from my husband several times.  It is so inspiring to me.  I have devoured the "Designing for Embroidery" article.  It is so fun to learn more about combining techniques. 

One of the first quilts I ever did, I used embroidery on.  I had a friend who did a wall hanging and it had wonderful borders and sashing and then some nine patch, using the border fabric and some plain purple squares.  Also there were large purple squares and the fabric was plain.  She was disappointed how the quilt turned out  because of the plain squares. So I told her to let me have it and she would be happy when I was finished.

I used the colors in the borders and embroidered butterflies in the large plain squares.  Then of course, quilted it.  She was so excited when she saw it and wanted to pay me.  I told her that she could just make one exactly like it for me instead.  It now hangs in my studio and everyone comments on it when they come.

Of course, the blocks should have been larger and embroidered before they were placed in the quilt to allow for shrinkage but there wasn't much.  It was so fun to match the colors in the borders in the butterflies.  People never guess that those butterflies didn't come on those blocks!

Now in MQU, the embroidery is for Pictorial Art Quilts.  You can even take photos and digitized them and put them in your quilts.  You just can't miss this article as Ann Horton explains how she uses, applique' with embroidery and then adds extra batting is areas  to "add texture and definition".  I can't wait to try this!

I also can't wait to read the next article "Painting with Fabric and Thread" by Kate Themel!  It makes me think the of the "Supper Quilt" that Linda quilted that is in her book "The Ultimate Guide to Longarm Quilting", also a must have book!

If you don't subscribe to this magazine, you are really missing out.  It is worth every penny and I don't say that just because we have a direct link to it at the top of our page!  You will find nothing else like it and it is full of fantastic articles to inspire and teach.