Achh! Not In Paducah!

[Betty J.]

Okay guys and gals. I know there are a lot of us out there in TQS land that are not in Paducah this week (NIP). If you read the facebook entries of my quilty friends it sounds like almost ALL of them in the US of A are there or going there. Sigh. I had originally planned to go, something interfered, I canceled and then it went away. But I am hoping to go next year!

So what are you all doing in a quilterly manner this week? I finished my two show quilts earlier this year and have been making some utility quilts that are extremely easy (just 8 inch blocks with 4 inch borders), in part to rest up before I plunge in to my next major quilt. Yesterday, I picked up a project I had started almost a year ago...birds in a tree on silk or Radiance...and started to try to move it forward. I am not liking what I've done so far and, since I haven't gone far, I may just start it all over again. Or not. I'm going to play around with it some and see if I can fix the problems I see without too much stress.

My motto for the next little while is stress-reduction in my quilting. That last show quilt almost made me stop altogether, and then, getting it photographed! That was hard. It's a lot of shiny stuff (Angelina fibers, irridescent paint, glitter thread, hot fix crystals). So I ordered a new filter for my camera and tried again...better, but not perfect. I have declared this quilt done (except I still have to sew on the label I made yesterday for it).

What wonderful productive things are you all going to do while the others go off and play?

:lol: :lol:

[wendy w.]

I'll be getting inspiration from the pictures posted from Paducah, so hopefully doing a virtual visit Hope they've all taken their cameras.

[Nancy R.]

I just finished and mailed a couple of mug rugs and just finished preparing my "Tea for Two" quilt so I can mail it to the Denver show tomorrow. Next I'll start working on a bag for a friend's daughter for her high school graduation in May. I'm also watching Jacquie Gering's new craftsy class on quilting with the walking foot and am thinking of quilting a little wallhanging with my niece's name in Jacquie's style for her birthday, also in May. No problem keeping busy here!

[Betty J.]

Cool!

[Renata L.]

A little while ago I finished my Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt which became a birthday quilt for one of my sisters.



Last week, I finished a quilt to celebrate the 60th birthday of a close friend in Staten Island, NY. I found the design in Amy Ellis book on Modern Neutrals. I made it in shades of blue and gold.



My sister has been quilting my quilt tops on her long arm machine because I have no experience with a long arm machine. So, while spending some time with her, she taught me how to float a quilt on the machine and I worked through a small pantograph design. First row: pretty bad! Second row: better (I also realized that I could talk, walk, breathe and move the machine at the same time). Third row: the best! If I can talk, I surely can sing while quilting--you are my sunshine... Fourth row: after dinner and a glass of wine, not as good as while singing! :lol: Fifth and last row: back to singing, yup, that's where I found my comfort zone.



Oh, and my sister, two of her friends and I made our way up to New Hampshire for MQX this year. We had a great time together and met up with half on my sister's guild, or at least that's what it felt like! I took two classes, one with Kimmy Brunner on how to figure out what design goes onto a quilt and another with Lisa Calle on designing a mini whole cloth quilt (one of my near term projects).

My next step is to catch up with outstanding mug rugs. I've picked out the fabrics for Jane's muggie (golfjane) and then on from there. Finally, I spent a bit of time reorganizing my not-so-big stash using Jane Wolfroen's tool book on color. Was I in for a surprise! In my mind's eye, I even had magenta and fuchsia mixed up with each other. So this has been a great learning experience about color and reorganizing my stash will make it easier to pick colors for my next quilt!

Now you all know what I've been up to and why I've been so quiet on the Forum...

[Nancy R.]

You've definitely been busy, producing some very beautiful works of art!

[Betty J.]

Wow Renata! You've been busy. I love the quilts, the longarm report, and the color reorganization. I really look forward to your next project. Are you going to buy a longarm now?

[wendy w.]

Lovely Renata

[Charae H.]

Both are gorgeous, Renata!! As a side note, I was a little disappointed to find out that singing works better than a glass of wine. Will need to sign up for vocal lessons before I attempt long arm quilting! I need to tag along with you when you are fabric shopping! I always love your selections~

[Betty J.]

Well, this has been a good day. I managed to prove to myself that I can stitch the thinner vines by bobbin work on my birds-in-a-tree piece satisfactorily, thus not requiring I start over. I am using number 8 perle cotton in the bobbin. Some of the embroidery I digitized in my Bernina v6 software and I think the combination is going to work. I still have a ways to go, and some of the stitching you see needs to be gone over with the bobbin thread, but here's some pics:





I am glad to be in my studio. Not sure I'd say I was glad to not be in Paducah, but it's been a good day anyway.

[E.M. T.]

Renata....I had remarked to DH that you had been absent for quite a long spell...was wondering why?? Well ! Now we know !!
Stitchin' beauties and quilting away and getting around the countryside...and classes,too ! Holey Moley !! Skill sets
are being elevated ( as if you needed that !!Your work is wonderful as it is !) Can't wait to see Celtic quilted. I finally have
enough fabric collected...orange and yellow...I might get mine started. Glad to hear from you...and Thanks for the
comments on my little projects !

[Norma H.]

Renata, I have been wondering where you were. Those quilts are beautiful. I love your color selections. I tried a longarm two years ago. It's not easy to follow a pantograph. I think you did it very well.

BJ, your stitching looks wonderful. Those colors make me smile.

I am making gifts these days, latest a bag and a letter on a towel. No photos yet

[Nancy R.]

Looks lovely, BJ!

[Charae H.]

Beautiful, Betty Jo. Love the black on red!

[Betty J.]

Thanks all y'all.