Stitched Online Workshops & the Early Bird

While cruising the blogs the other day I came across Alma Stoller's Stitched Online Video Workshops.  Taught by 20 different teachers.  Sounds like fun.  I was especially taken by Deborah Boschert's work and signed right up.  Well Deborah sent me a goodie package for being one of the first to sign up.  Pays not to procrastinate.  So this is what I am looking forward to in January.

Here is my goodie package.  Something to get me started stitching.

If you are interested go to http://www.seekyourcourse.com/offerings/137www.seekyourcourse.com/offerings/137  for more information about the video workshops.
Deborah's work can be seen at www.deborahsstudio.com
More to share later. 

What to do on a Sunday afternoon...

I know what you may be thinking but we were out taking a drive and looking at the glass blower's show and sale, and shopping for things at the antique store.  I know you say, who were you with Candy - couldn't have been Tom but it was.  We have taken to spending time together out driving a bit on the roads around us.  Here is why.

I got to drive "Liebschen" today for the first time.  Way too much fun. 
Also found a great old flat plate iron that gets really hot - have to keep some things straight on my list. 

Log Cabin the Modern way

I bought an assortment of scrap bags from Piece O' Cake http://www.pieceocake.com/ designs when they were moving.  I don't think these are available any more.  I used them to make this Modern Log Cabin baby quilt.  It makes me happy. 

Tie Scarves

Judy and I did more scarf dyeing a few days ago.  Continues to be so much fun to see what comes.  Here is the pic of several. 

Autumn

When asked I don't think I could pick which is my favorite, autumn or spring.  Right now though it is autumn and cool, crisp and beautiful.  Saw these Gingko trees today.  What a color - especially against the blue sky. 

The World - Our Slice of Life - Unveiling

The Rambling River Art quilters met in Columbia today to unveil our pieces in the World challenge.  14 members each did a section depicting something significant in their life.  What a great piece this turned out to be!  Such creativity.  Lots of water (like the world), lots of places and we are so excited.  The pieces are just pinned to a background for now but will be mounted later along with a picture of the earth from space in the center. 

Rambling River Quilt

The Rambling River Quilt is hanging at Manwell Coffee Alley in Washington, MO for the month of October.  Along with the quilt, the Washington River Festival and Big Muddy Clean Sweep will be held on Saturday October 15, 2011 at the Washington Riverfront Park.  For more information on the river festival and clean up contact Steve Schnarr at steve@riverrelief.org

What Tickles my Fancy? - Geocaching of course

For our challenge at Bits n Pieces quilt guild we are to create a piece based on what tickles our fancy.  I mentioned this before.  Well mine is based on Geocaching.  www.geocaching.com.  It is a nerdy scavenger hunt using a GPS and can be done anywhere in the world.  I have had more fun, met the nicest people and gone into places I would have never seen doing this game.  No prize, no cash, just fun.  Great for kids to get them outside.  Who doesn't like a scavenger hunt.  Anyway, here is my challenge piece.  It contains pictures of places I have been, SWAG (stuff we all get) from caches, some Travel Bugs and coins and more.  The block itself is based on the Geocaching logo which is basically a four patch and a circle.  I had tremendous fun doing this.

My husband says he is going to take my ashes to caches all over the world. 

UFO no more

I have a box of UFO's (unfinished objects) in my sewing room.  At the Modern Quilt sew in recently I pulled one out and finished!  It is a selection of Laura Ashley fabrics just done in random square in square format but it's done.  Amazing how this looks like new material - it's not. 

Prairie in fall

I live close to and volunteer at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit MO.  Several years ago they reestablished a tall grass prairie and have approximately 100 acres of it.  It is managed with fire.  It is truly spectacular in the fall.  We play games with the kids who come out for classes and they literally can hide in the tall grass.  There is a tipi and a sod house on the prairie too. 

Thatched roof and a sheepdog named Rufus

Rufus was raised at a rescue farm with horses so he thinks carrots are a special treat

At the end of my recent trip to England I went to visit a friend from junior high (when it was junior high and not middle school), Lynn and her lovely husband Neil.  They have lived in England for 35+ years.  Although I have seen her occasionally in the states and kept in touch sort of I had never been to visit.  Two other friends from the same time period met me there.  Lynn and Neil live in a 400 year old bakehouse with a thatched roof.  Their dog Rufus is their 4th sheepdog.  What a charming visit we had catching up about families and kids, reminiscing about the things we did in high school.  These shall not be mentioned here just on the outside chance any of our children read these posts.  Just goes to show that sometimes our friends from very far back can reconnect quickly like time has not passed.  I'm hoping they will come to visit me.  Here are a few of the house and Glinton.

The Old Bakehouse

I got to ride a bit while there. 

Candy, Allison & Anne at the pub

Need I say anything?  It's a 1929 Alfa Romeo and we looked hot going for a country ride in it. 

Pinterest

OK I stumbled upon this somewhere.  Turns out a lot of friends already know about it.  Go there and check it out.  You make "bulletin" boards of different categories and then when you find a picture you love while you are surfing you can put it on your board.  Saves the links.  Genius.  Addicting.  Watch out.  Oh yeah, you can follow your friends boards too.  pinterest.com

Stephanie Redfern

While at the Twisted Thread show in Birmingham, UK, we ran across an artist that just blew us away.  Nancy came running to find me to tell me I had to see this book.  She was right.  We also met Stephanie (a thoroughly delightful lady) and saw her at work.  I have found she has a blog and a website and will follow her closely.  Her works spoke to me.  I came home with some of her cards but would have like something larger if I could have carried it home safely.  Anyway, back to the book.  She created a fiber, mixed media book called Stone Bird.  It started from a fossil and she said it just grew on it's own.  The book itself had roughly 24" pages, trimmed in canvas with paint, ink, fiber and more.  You could turn the pages with gloves on and enjoy it.  She also had a quilt hanging in the show.  I have posted several of our pictures here.  Enjoy. 

Her web site is www.sredtextiles.co.uk

Home from England and...

Although I have been home for two weeks from a fabulous England trip I have also been back and forth to Chicago for a college student and then hosting family after a funeral so it seems that I am just catching up.  I had hoped to blog more from England but found the wifi connections to be difficult to find at times so just decided to wait until I got home.  I did want to share a few of my favorite quilt pictures from the Twisted Threads show in Birmingham, England though.  More on that later.  I am sorry I can not give credit to the makers of these quilts.  I didn't keep track.  These were just a few of my favorites in a wonderful show.
Things I notices there:  very contemporary, lots of printing and painting on fabric, makers from many places on the European continent, lots of gray & yellow, beautiful displays of individual artists. 

e-quilter mention

Imagine my surprise as I was paging thru e-quilter's blog by Luana Rubin and I saw my quilt from the Sacred Threads show.  Quite a complement actually.  You can follow to her link here: 
http://luanarubin.typepad.com/luana-rubin/2011/07/sacred-threads.html

She also is going to the Birminham Quilt Show so maybe I will meet her.  I am so looking forward to seeing a quilt show in another country.  I'm going to meet up with Annedore from Germany.  I bought her Eric Clapton quilt at the SAQA auction a few years ago and we have kept in touch since.  I hope to spend some time with her at the SAQA booth.  Great way to get to know new people.

What Tickles my Fancy?

Hmmm I know what you might be thinking but...  Our guild is using this as a challenge.  After going thru many ideas I kept coming back to what is something I love to do, will go out in all sorts of weather to do, will be competitive doing, will go to odd places and put my hand into or under rocks and such - you guessed it (or maybe not) - Geocaching.  If you don't know what this is - stay tuned and see how I turn this into a quilt. 
If you really want to know more go to www.geocaching.com to learn about it.  See you thought I was going to do something related to sewing or fabric - too predicatable.

Modern Flowers - Dresden's

The Dresden's are finished for now.  After making several and trying out different edges this is my final composition.  I attached all by hand and in the future will quilt more on the actual flowers and maybe add some embellishments.  The background has already been quilted with a variegated thread in leaves.  I am happy with it for now.  I'll be teaching the methods for making the flowers at the Quilted Fox www.Quiltedfox.com this fall in two sessions.  Should be fun to see what people make and do with their own creations.  An oldie turned new.

 

It really is square but is pinned on top of something else.  

I won a gift certificate

Modern Quilt Guild was making X blocks for charity and I won a $20 Sew Mama Sew sewmamasew.com gift certificate.  So... I picked out a fat quarter bundle called Happy Mochi Yum Yum in greens.  I think I like the name as much as the fabric. 

Bristlecone Pine

Can you see the textures here?  This tree sits at 10,000 feet above Cedar Breaks.  It is probably hundreds of years old.  Amazing lines and textures.