Virtual Retreat 2017

[Renata L.]

Sharon, that is stunning!! Well done!

Dawn, can't wait to see your quilt in Houston!! Congratulations!!!

I feel like I have more projects going than I can keep up with. Just finished my Cherrywood Challenge piece & submitted it in time, now we wait. In past years, they've had closer to about 200/250 entries, I think, and 120 are chosen to travel. This year.....465 entries!!! Yikes. Of course my hubby says mine has a great shot....ha! I don't know about that, but I had fun and made something I will be happy to hang in my home.

Also working on: binding a quilt for my niece, need to add borders & quilt a quilt for my nephew, piecing a quilt for my sister, and have to make 2 pairs of quilted pillow shams for a friend/customer to match the 2 quilts I made for her, and a friend just asked me to help her/do for her add borders onto a cathedral window quilt made by one of their grandparents (to make it fit her king sized bed). Aaahhhh! Where is all the time?! And have 2 quilt tops waiting to be quilted just for me, too. Lap sized, thank goodness, but still. Too.many.projects.Not.enough.time!

Explains why I'm not here very much......but had to pop in and congratulate you guys! Happy sewing, everyone!

[wendy w.]

Great news Sharon and Dawn and good luck Heather. What a talented, fantastic crowd you are

[Geneva C.]

It's been a busy hot and smoky summer here so far. We are stuck inside due to heavy smoke from fires in BC, Montana and Washington.

Which gives me more time to sew and work on the plans for the Featured Artist gig at the Fullerton CA Art Walk. If anyone in So Cal is interested it is September 1st., 7pm at FLDWRK 110 E Wilshire Ave. #101, Fullerton, CA 92832 (I tried to upload the flyer but it wouldn't take a PDF).

I've been working with the website gurus. My website is coming along, though not finished.

I made a little orange and taupe piece. It was fun!




My mini quilt group decided to learn new techniques this year and each of us was to provide a small project. I finished one last week. It was supposed to be bubbles,, made with a lace overlay with lots of silks, satins, and other fabrics. Well, I didn't have any lace or netting and I really didn't like the look of the intended piece. So I used up some scraps from a quilt I made for our front guest room. This is what I came up with. I kinda like it!




Anyway, later next week we are off on quite a journey throughout the US. From Alaska to Texas. I will be working on my "x" EPP while on the road. I hope you are all enjoying the summer!
Take care, geneva

[E.M. T.]

Hi! everyone....Like Geneva...it's been hot and now the smoke has rolled in and we can hardly see across town ! and the smell of smoke is
all there is !! :evil: UGH! Don't like living in the AC all the time but most summers bring a few of these days ! Garden is trying to produce...
and the huckleberries are ripe up on the mountain hillsides ! Yummy !! These were before the nasty smoke !!






I have a question for you all out there....Have you use Spoonflower ? and have you had photos reproduced by them?? and once fabric has been
printed , can you hand sew thru it ? .....Ink jet prints are a bit difficult to sew ... Have some projects in mind and I'm looking for info .... love to hear
your experiences.

[E.M. T.]

Hi Marilyn!
I've been gifted a couple pieces of Spoonflower fabrics, both very pretty and machine sewed great!. (Camp style shirt and peasant style tops). However hand sewing a couple crafty flower style hair bows was difficult.

Barb

[E.M. T.]

Geneva,
Fun to see and hear re what you're doing. I especially like your orange and taupe piece. I'd love to see you at the Fullerton Art Walk, I'll put it on our calendar!

Barb

[Nancy R.]

Hi Marilyn -

I've gotten a couple of little pictures of Lance (my dog) done at Spoonflower. The fabric is very soft, but I haven't tried hand sewing. You can get a little test print for just $5 (and the first one is free). You have to do some test prints to get the colors right, but you can find uses for those. They have a bunch of different fabrics to chose from so I would suggest doing a couple of test prints trying different fabrics and playing with the colors of your photo.

[Sharon E.]

Yesterday was the Colorado State Fair judging and I now have a good photo of another quilt I entered. I love the website KISS Quilts by Marlene Odie near Grand Coulee Dam. She originally designed this for an EQ7 competition and later posted on her site the free tutorial. She gave me lots of great advice. I did put a little spin, pardon the pun, on my quilt. Try as I might I couldn't get the dang points to meet nicely in the middle, so I made a smaller paper pieced version of the spinners and did a set-in circle, which is a tutorial on TQS and it looks great.

So back to the judging. I received a BOS in the senior division for the applique quilt. I put the spinner in the pieced class with 5 other quilts and it got a first. The spinner also received Best Use of Color award. So I am very pleased.

[Sharon E.]

Congratulations Sharon on both of your wins!

Great to see your "spinner" I'll have to remember Marlene Odie's website!

Barb

[wendy w.]

Well done Sharon, Spinner is wonderful.

Marilyn what a lovely happy garden until the smoke. Keep safe

[wendy w.]

Got nowhere this year at FoQ Phillipa Naylor was in the miniatures group as well (again) and ended up with best in show. Feeling right down in the dumps, holiday was not warm and we only got out in the canoes once (DH didn't like the look of the access points to the river Wye at the campsite).
For what it is worth here is Hawaiian Haycorns



Finished size approx 11 3/4" square

[wendy w.]

Rosemary - Don't be so hard on yourself Hawaiian Haycorns is fabulous!!

Barb

[wendy w.]

You flipping did Rosemary you got highly commended. I was so excited to see it for you. I'm stupid I took a photo of your quilt but not the notice. Cheer up you're brilliant.

You'll enjoy a display there by a Japanese quilter of miniatures.

[E.M. T.]

That's pretty stiff competition. Rosemary...It's wonderful ! :kiss: ...I'm puzzled over the fabric used ...the weave structure in the
brown seems strange to me. How did you control it? ( I'm gonna call it "oak leaves and acorns" :P ) :unsure:

[Nancy R.]

It's beautiful, Rosemary! Congratulations on your commendation!!