Want to get better at something? – search out knowledge or when it presents itself in say a show or shop, just sign up for the classes. MQX is just that opportunity.  Is it a great show with wonderful vendors – yes, but it’s also a great opportunity to attend classes with very talented instructors.

When I started going to MQX quite a while ago all the classes were about long arm quilting (not so now includes piecing & fiber art). I would  take six or more classes in the course of a couple days and by the end of the show it felt like the new knowledge was oozing out my ears.  One instructor (I think it was Jamie Wallen) told us – if you don’t set aside time when you return home to practice what you have learned then you’re losing out, letting the knowledge you obtained slip away like a memory.  After he said that, I started keeping the next week or so of my machine quilting time open so I could practice and retain what I had learned.  I’ve learned a lot over the years, and he was right practicing after increased retention of what I had learned.

So, better late than never, what did I learn at MQX this year? I didn’t realize it at the time but I signed up for two classes with the same instructor, Bethanne Nemish (she’s great).  One class was on her free hand edge to edge machine quilting technique which is beautiful and almost as important – doable design.  The other class was on some of her specialty knife edge bindings.

We made four styles in four hours – that was a marathon class. The bindings are beautiful, incredibly detailed and time consuming but something I’d be crazy enough to use in one of my quilts.  For perspective,

Time consuming = regular binding time for a quilt X 20 but I love a good challenge.

Above are pictures of the sample bindings I made in class. So, go out and learn everything you can in classes, books or videos and like that instructor said – don’t forget to “do” what you learned or it will slip away.  Happy stitches!!

Apple Valley Quilters were great hosts and what motivated members – their charity quilts and walker bag assortment were amazing. We covered the Never Truly Traditional lecture with a focus on Creative Muscle reviewing different ways to expand your creativity.  It was great fun and they asked some great questions.  Thank you for having me.

This weekend I dyed clothes, sky fabric and some tone on tone grey / black. Still ironing the 30 yards from the last batch so the 6 yards and a few shirts did not truly give my shoulders a work out during the multiple rinse process (LOL).

Dyeing tree fabric this coming weekend but only after spending Saturday with Ginny at Lost Acres for her 70+ Quilt Happening. This is a great event with a free lecture, items for sale like orphan blocks, tops, quilts, fabric, and she always provides snacks, not to mention all the goodies available in the Farm Kitchen.  My Mom, Grandmother and I always enjoy Ginny’s Quilt Happenings,  lots of people sharing a camaraderie of quilt interest and friendship.  Hope you can stop by, I can’t wait to go!!!

Ginny’s website for directions, event starts at 9am this Saturday, 4/22/17 (website has an old date, it’s this Saturday 🙂 ).

http://www.lostacres.com/index.html

As one of the Galleries on my website shows, I love working with orphan blocks and unfinished old quilt tops to help them find a new home (Antique Orphan Fun). If it’s really scary looking (beyond-only a mother could love) or has lots of holes I like to take tops apart and put them back together, or I just put a bunch of antique orphan blocks together.  I was so inspired when I stumbled upon this video, this is Mary Ornish upcycling old quilts that are BEYOND REPAIR into clothing I just had to share it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ2bhohM70k

As the disclaimer states, please don’t cut up perfectly good quilts to do this, there are plenty of orphan blocks and broken bits and pieces to play with. There are generally lots of orphan blocks around in need of a good home, in fact, one of my favorite things to do at a show is go on a hunt for, “The Ugly Orphan”.  I then challenge myself to use it in a quilted item.  My 1830’s quilt began from one ugly orphan that was incredibly crooked and has orange and grey plaid in the block.

Please consider finding orphan blocks a good home, a sampler style quilt is just one way to find them homes as donation quilts for those in need.

That said, Mary Ornish is incredibly talented, what beautiful and inspirational clothing – what’s old is new again – YEAH!!

Been so busy, didn’t tell you about my Mom’s bus trip to Keepsake.  Seats are selling quickly and it’s just around the corner – here are the details:

KEEPSAKE QUILTING BUS TRIP 2017

As soon as you enter, you’ll be greeted by a spectacular array of thousands of bolts of cotton fabric, our famous fabric Medleys™, kits, books, patterns and notions

ALSO INCLUDES STOPS AT:

Patternworks  for knitters – specialty yarns, patterns & tools

Old Country Store – kitchen gadgets, collectibles, candles & candy (and more)

When:    Saturday,     April 8, 2017                       leaving at 8:00 a.m.

All-inclusive package:

• Bus to Keepsake Quilting & Patternworks (in the same plaza) and the Old Country Store (Moultonboro, NH)
• Dinner at Harts Turkey Farm
• And Driver’s tip
• Lunch can be purchased at grocery deli next to Keepsake or brown bag your own
• We’ll be having contests with prizes

Bus will pick up at Enfield, CT (behind Macy’s) commuter parking lot, (exit 48 off route 91) and Ludlow, MA at Big Y/Ocean State Job Lot parking lot

Price:           $70.00                         Deposit ASAP, first come, first serve

Contact:  Marcia Testa            860-749-9026           Fyrework4@cox.net

What a friendly group at Berlin Sisters in Quilting. They were very receptive to my Creative Muscle lecture which covers why I believe creativity is a muscle everyone has and that it grows exponentially as you exercise it.  The trunk show included a path to help explore your creative side no matter what level of quilter.

Here’s a piece from my “Hot Stuff” portion of the lecture! I had a terrific time sharing my bag of tricks, you all asked such great questions – thanks so much for all your hospitality.

I know I’ve disappeared lately, my real world job has been a little overwhelming since returning from California, hoping it will slow down soon. I do have the Tutorial for Baby Quilt in Eight – instructions for a  feed dogs up technique to quilt and bind a baby quilt in eight hours, I’m just experiencing technical difficulties in uploading the information.  I should have this resolved shortly so keep an eye out for my first Tutorial.

I’m also working on a series of Quick Quilts with Hand Dyes – quilts that feature larges areas of those hand dyed fabrics that everyone is so afraid to cut up. Fussy cut your favorite parts so you can share their beauty!  Some of the patterns will be available as Tutorials.  Off to work on that upload, thanks for stopping by!!!

The show is over, everything is packed and I’m heading home .  Except for the rain when we were packing up, the show was GREAT!!!  The people that attended the show were so friendly, we saw old friends and made new ones.  It was a good show, Jennifer and I always like being there.

Now United will have me in NJ for 5:30 am then a little plane to CT.  Had a great time but can’t wait to get home, my puppy is getting a little anxious and I can’t wait for her to jump into my arms.😊

So in this case silence for the last month or so means I’ve been busy, especially busy dying fabric to vend at Road2CA! I think this is our fourth year and we have a great time every year!

Yesterday started a little slow but got so busy we never ate lunch until 3pm. Today I gave a lecture to a little over 100 people on Machine Quilting on Your Featherweight. ( Thank you so much to the audience for being so friendly 😀). And right now I’m playing Class Angel in Jennifer”s Twinkle Star Floating Star class. What a wonderfully hectic day!

Two more days left to meet terrific quilters! We hope to get here early enough tomorrow to get a peek at the show. Jennifer has a quilt in the Fly Me to he Moon exhibit here so that will be fun to find. Stop in and say Hi if your in the area!

What do you do with a rainy summer day – how about heading to New London, CT for the Clamshell Quilt Guild’s 2016 show, “QUILTS ALL AROUND TOWN 2016”?

http://www.clamshellquiltguild.org/show.html

My Mom and I will be there vending in the Sew Craft booth – yeah! Mumzy has been working on some kits and a few other goodies –  J  while I’ve been making pincushions and dyeing fabric.

I’m a newbie to this show but it sounds great, Jackie Kunkel is the speaker also offering workshops, they have a special exhibit from the Hoffman Challenge and from what people have told me LOTS of quilts on display.  Can’t wait to go and hope to see you there!!!

I’m definitely having a Christmas in July experience, like looking at holiday shop window displays, I’ve been given the opportunity to display my fiber art and quilts in a local shop window.

Last night I met up with some friends of mine at the shop who helped hang some of my art in the front window – thanks Georgia & Chris!  🙂   I wasn’t sure quite what to expect so I brought a bunch of pieces and we went to town holding up this one, then that one, to figure out how to lay them out on the wall.

The shop is on Main Street (Rte. 190) in Stafford Springs, CT (my home town). The building is being beautifully remodeled and the space to display in is amazing with great overhead lighting.

After we were done we went across the street for dinner. It was dark when we left the restaurant so we went to see how everything looked at night.  The warm glow of the overhead lights pouring over my art on a big white wall made me feel like I’d actually received a Christmas present in July.  Thanks again Howard Buckland for the opportunity!!