Home Again

Houston.  What a trip!  What an experience!  What a source of inspiration!

That's probably enough with the exclamation points, but wow.  Just wow.  If you have never been, and you are a quilter or quilt lover, then I highly recommend it.  I am truly blessed to have been there twice.  Truly.

I wouldn't even  know where to begin with sharing quilt pictures, I had so many favorites.  I took quite a few, but they're mostly to remind me of effective color combinations, or quilt lines I wouldn't remember, or textures that made me want to reach out and touch them.

I have no idea how many vendors were there, but I do know I visited more than I should have.  When my roomie wanted to see my haul, I spread it out on the bed.  oh my.  I was more than surprised that it actually fit into my suitcase.

 There is thread and fiber and fabric and freezer paper sheets and a starch pen and, and, and...  I brought a goodly amount of cash with me.  I left with much less.  There were two bead vendors that could have kept me from visiting any other vendors.  I'm glad I decided to move along, because there was definitely a lot more that I wanted to see.  This first group is from BeadStuff.

 These are from BowerBirds.  Do you see the groups of five petals, sold as flower units?

One of the owners made beautiful bead necklaces.  If I could wear this type of necklace with comfort, I probably would have purchased one.  They were absolutely stunning.

 I imagine some of the flowers attached to a crazy quilt.  Can't you just see it?

Since I've been home, I've been swamped with laundry.  Who knew that I would accumulate so much while away?  I'm certainly surprised.  In between loads, I've stitched together a quilt top for Komforters for Kids.  It's not what I'd prefer to be doing, but I'm not really sure where to start.  I have a dozen projects in mind, all are vying for priority.  While I vacillate back and forth, I stitch something useful.  Hopefully I will make up my mind sooner than later.

But don't worry.  We've got Retreat coming up soon, and that means four days of sew 'til you drop, and you know that I will try my best!

All Good Things Come to an End

My feet hurt, but my heart is full, and my brain is on inspiration overload.  hooey!  What a week!  So many wonderful quilts!  So much eye candy!  And so much fun!

I wouldn't even know where to start.  When it comes to showing quilts that caught my eye, well, I took a LOT of photos.  I'm usually not much for taking pictures at quilt shows, unless I'm doing it for publicity purposes.

Here are a few of the things that caught my eye:

 There was the angel dog, and the CanCan woman.

 And, oh!  Look!  There's Jeremy, on the right!  He's our LQS owner, master of Thimble Towne.

I thought I saw Thing 1 and Thing 2,

 But upon closer examination, it turns out that they were Drunks 1, 2, & 3.  (They were self- labelled:  No commentary was involved in the previous sentence.)

 How about this idea, for keeping pipes (of pipe & drape) from tipping.  There were weights holding them in place.  (When you're involved with a quilt show, you notice things like this.)

And I suppose you would like to see a quilt?  This is one of my favorites.  I spotted it in a special exhibit, in the back portion of the room.

I thought I'd taken a picture of the narrative, but it seems to be missing.  I think the artist was from Australia, or perhaps New Zealand.

And tomorrow, my visit draws to a close.  Back on the plane, Lord willing, and I'll be back at home before you know it.  Then again, there were tornadoes and flooding in other parts of Texas.  Here's hoping the weatherman is correct, when he says they're nowhere near Houston!

Lots To Do!

Today we attended the Winners' Luncheon, and heard the top eight winners share about their quilts.  It was wonderful.  One woman won with her very first quilt.  Two of the winners had only been quilting for 6 years.  I really liked what one man said.  It was something to the effect that "Do what interests you, and it will make you happy.  Share your work with others, and maybe someday they'll shock you and put you on stage, too!"

 This is my absolute favorite quilt, winner of the Founder's Award.  It's all hand applique and hand quilted, by a woman from Japan.  Each and every stitch is absolutely stunning!

If you click on the above photo, you can see her name.  Junko Fujiwara. 

 We had three hours between the luncheon and the IQA preview.  We took a peek at the vendors, prepping for the onslaught.

Finally, the doors opened, and we were ushered in.  Look at that!  They hung my quilt!

 This year they had a photo op tree, covered with handmade flowers.  It's quite lovely in person.

We stayed until they kicked us out at 10pm.  That was fine.  My feet HURT, and I was more than ready to call it a day.

Tomorrow we go back and visit the vendors and see some/all of the special exhibits.  We only saw the competition quilts this evening, and visited one half dozen vendors.  Only 2000 more to see...more or less.  Stay tuned for the next report, perhaps some time tomorrow.

Made It!

"Smile!  I'm going to take a selfie!"
"I don't do selfies!"
"Well, neither do I!"
hahahaha!

 I took this in the Dallas airport, before our plane plans fell apart.

oh, American Airlines!  Once again, you were a nightmare.  But, we made it to Houston in time to make it to the awards ceremony, whew!  Our plane from Dallas was delayed for maintenance, as there was "something leaking from the engine."  They "fixed it," boarded us, then had us deplane.  Several hours later, they gave us a new plane, and I mean literally a new plane, in pristine condition, one that still had that "new plane smell."  Incredible!

The old plane?  Well, that was fuel, leaking from the engine.  I am SO glad they did not try to fly us!

We made it to the hotel just after 5pm, and were only so late to the ceremony that we missed the awarding of the first Judge's Choice.

Each quilt was more spectacular than the last, but my overall favorite was a hand-quilted treasure, made by a smiling woman from Japan.  Absolutely spectacular!!

The crowd was thick, so I didn't take pictures, but as I stood awestruck in front of her quilt, she came towards me smiling and bowing, saying, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"  I think I know which quilt I'm voting for, for Viewer's Choice.  I would love to see if she could smile any broader or bow any deeper!  :)

At noon, we're headed to the Winner's Luncheon.  It's fun to have friends who travel in the upper circles of the quilt world!  Sharon L. Schlotzhauer won a third place, with her miniature quilt.  She's allowed to bring one guest at the luncheon, and that would be me!  :)

The top 8 winners will each speak about their quilt and their quilt life.  I was Sharon's guest back in 2011, and it was a highlight of the week.

Then, this evening, the show opens with a preview to IQA members.  I used to think that membership was pricey, but if you're at Houston?  It's worth every penny.  Now if I could just track down a name badge, I'd really be smiling.  ;)  (I'm not taking a class this year, so I haven't paid the extra fees...)

So, anyway, that's the haps so far.  If the award ceremony was anything to judge by, it's going to be a wonderful few days, filled with inspiration!!

HOUSTON!

ahem.  Sorry for shouting.  I got a bit carried away there.  But according to the contestants list on quilts.org, BLACKEYED BEAUTY IS GOING TO HOUSTON!!  Oh, there I went and did it again.  Sorry about that.

I'm just really really really thrilled.   This is the second time I've had a quilt accepted into the judged show.  I believe the first was in 2011.  Maybe it wasn't just a fluke.

And that's my big news for the day.  Other than that, I've been madly cutting/sewing/creating on my design wall.  I'm trying to hit an August 1 deadline, but it's going to be touch and go as to whether or not I'll have something.  I'll share later, when I've got more than pieces on the wall.

In the meantime, I've got to get back to my happy dance.  Thanks for visiting!

Blackeyed Beauty in progress - April 2015

Susan Brubaker Knapp seminar at Empty Spools, Asilomar

So Many Things

First off, I finished my quilt.

I know.  I'm stunned.  I still can't believe it.  It could probably use some tweaking, which I still might do, but for now, it is finished and set aside.  I will examine it with a critical eye after taking a break for a while.

Oh.  Did you want to see it?  Here you go:

My entry packet for Houston is in the hands of the USPS.  I mailed it yesterday.  Amazing.  I really did not think it was possible.

Last weekend, we took a break and visited our daughter and her family.  I was so focused on finishing my quilt, I couldn't be bothered to take the time to post much of anything.  For those of you who enjoy Penny pics, these are for you:

She has hot chocolate in her demitasse.  Every picture taken during this visit is an action shot.  She doesn't hold still, not at all.  :)  Grandpa and I got to babysit from 4pm-11pm.  What a delight to tuck in a little girl who smiles and says, "I love you, Gramma!" 

Twenty minutes later, she called out, "Gramma?  Gramma?  I'm not sleeping.  Gramma?  I need you, Gramma!"

All I had to do was tuck her back in.  She wanted me to lie down with her, but I told her I was sorry, but I had to watch Grandpa.  Grandpa had fallen asleep on the floor in the other room.  She thought that was pretty funny, and I was excused.  She went right to sleep.

This week I am on a little break from the valley.  I've got a few projects with me, and hope to have at least one thing to share by the time I return. 

This isn't what I usually think of, when I think of the beach, but it will do.  It will do very nicely, thank you.

And there you go.  Now you're all caught up...until next time!

Frustrated

Put it in, take it out.

Try this, un-try it.  Trying that doesn't work either.

What am I talking about?  I'm trying to finish my quilt. 

I thought hand-quilting would work, but it became too lumpy-bumpy and distorted.  I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't.  It got worse.  I stopped quilting this morning at 10am, and pulled out quilting until 1:30pm.

Then I decided to tie it, with buttons.  But the buttons overpowered the quilt.  The embroidery became insignificant.   All I could see was buttons.  I sewed them on for 3 hours: they only took 45 minutes to remove.

I tell you, this baby is starting to look a bit worn around the edges with all the stitching/unstitching.

I finally understand why Crazy Quilts are tied.  Trying to do anything else to secure them can make one crazy! 

And so, my next feat will be to tie it, unobtrusively.  It still has 4 lines of quilting, which I think I will keep.  In the end, maybe it will have to go too.  If nothing else, I've changed my thinking.  It is more important to do it right, than to meet this year's Houston deadline.  Meeting it is still a possibility, but one that is becoming more and more remote.

Oh well.  I still think goals are good!  :)

Stitch, Stitch, Stitch

I'm continuing to pursue this crazy dream of finishing a quilt to submit for Houston.  Time is of the essence.  I've been moving my needle as quickly as I can, as often as I can.  I have one border left to embroider.  Over the past couple of weeks, the size of my quilt has more than doubled.  It began as a 24" square.  When I finish, it shall measure 36" square.  It doesn't sound like it's THAT much bigger, but it's gone from 576 sq in to 1296 sq in:  That's a difference of 720 sq in!!!

Isn't math fun?  :)

I've also worked on a few other odds and ends, but for the most part, I've been stitching.  Stitch faster!  Stitch faster!

Just thought I should check in and let you know I haven't forgotten you.  I'm just really, really trying to focus.  Goals are good!  We've got some weekend plans and then some, so I really do have to spend every spare moment on this quilt...if I want to submit it to Houston.

ttfn!

Grand Plans

Okay, so I want to get back on my weekly goal setting.  I know I'm late, but better than not at all...

I believe we're on week #19.  Does anyone else think this year is going by much too quickly? 

Coming right up is the deadline to enter your quilt in Houston.  If you don't enter, you don't get in, right?  Then again, you have to have something to enter...which I'm working on.  Stitch, stitch stitch!

I have hours and hours of handwork in my future, as well as 8 machine-stitched seams, binding and quilting.  Entries must be received by May 30.  On Facebook I've seen more than one quilter concede that she will not make it.  oh dear!  To be received by May 30, it needs to be mailed...before then.  What would we do without FedEx?  ;)

But I'm definitely getting ahead of myself.  Stitch, stitch, stitch!

If I don't blog much during the next couple of weeks, imagine me with my head down, stitching like a mad woman.  Goals are good, and this month's goal it to get something submitted to Houston. 

Stitch faster!  Stitch faster!!

Shopping and Stuff

There has been some interest expressed in wondering what I bought at Houston. A better question would be what DIDN'T I buy at Houston? I bought a lot. It would be safe to say that I was single-handedly trying to save the economy. If spending was the key, it would have been saved, believe you me. :)

I have never been able to pass the ArtFabrik booth without buying a yard or two of Laura Wasilowski hand dyes. I bought two. Plus a 1/4 yard of Laura's hand-dyed silk velvet and some of Frieda Anderson's hand-dyed silk ribbon. I also came home with this sampler pack of Kreinik threads. I read about them on Allie's blog all the time. I figured I should see what all the fuss is about. The two balls of perle cotton are variegated Valdani.

I found this hand-dyed velvet ribbon. Surely it will be useful for something? The hand-painted grape lace was from a different vendor.

Vintage trims? I need some of those. I need some modern day trim (right side of frame) as well, don't I?
How about charms? Bunnies come in charms and buttons. Too cute!

I really thought I would be able to make it past the bead vendors. I was unsuccessful on the last day. I smiled all the way to the register, and all the way home. I'm still smiling.

For some reason I thought I might need to start stamping on fabric. I bought some stamps, just in case. The blue foam surface was recommended as the perfect thing on which to stamp fabric. I was advised to use fabric paint, applied with a sponge, for perfect results. One of these days I will try them out.

Hand dyed silk ribbon? I need that too... (The variegated is from Frieda Anderson.)

And then there was the hand-dyed silk velvet. ooh! aah! I need LOTS of it, don't I?

It rained over the weekend, which meant this morning we woke up to fog. Can you see the two bicycle riders on the right? Driving in the fog is a learned art. I've been doing it for 25 years. So far, so good.

By this afternoon, the fog had burned off. Brilliant!

The rain and the cold spell knocked a lot of leaves off the trees. That's not all they knocked off.

Let's play "Where's Walnut?" Do you see?

He's hiding to the right of the bend in the stick, under some leaves.

Where's Walnut?

He's 8" from my toe!

I must say that as a child, my father believed in raising us to have "highly tuned visual detectors." For the lay person, that would mean LOOK CLOSELY! You might miss the treasure!

What did he consider treasure? ummm...Marlboro miles. He didn't smoke, but he collected miles and enlisted all of us in the pursuit of one man's trash. He redeemed them for tents, duffel bags, fishing rods, jackets...yep. Trash to treasure, in an amazing magic act.

I think I prefer picking up walnuts.

And that's it for today. Tomorrow they pour the footings, on Wednesday they pour the slab. woohoo! I think there will be more pictures for you in the not so distant future!

Houston Lingers

When they say "everyone" goes to Houston, they aren't kidding. Look who I saw, when I walked in the door one morning. I chased after him, until he was stopped by a fan. Smile, Santa! You're on Candid Camera!

The following is a random selection of quilts that caught my eye each time I went through their rows. I suppose it was the color, along with the geometry, that did the trick. Whatever it was, I was drawn to these.

oh dear, another blur. I'm sorry!



This quilt was VERY attractive. I loved the poinsettia wreath. The twigs in the border had couched yarn, adding enough texture that I wanted to touch it. I behaved, I did not touch.



Later, on this same day, I ran across an elf. I told her that I'd seen Santa earlier, and she was a bit surprised. She said he said he was going to be staying home and resting! ;)







I haven't done much creating since I've been back, although I have held a needle. While at the show, I bought a darning ball and darning yarn. When I got home, I bought some needles. Why am I darning my socks? Because they're cashmere, they're my favorites, and Costco doesn't seem to have them this year...

Last night I pulled out some drafting tools, to help Mr. Carpenter with a project. He's making a bridal arch for his buddy, who is getting married next month.

And finally, I was thinking about getting ready for retreat - I haven't even started - and saw the pile of wrapped clothesline in the corner. Rather than drag it with me, I stitched up the basket last night. It's my biggest one yet. I have to say that I think I like the smaller ones better.

I'm still waiting for 16 pounds of my Houston purchases to arrive. I don't know if I can show you what I bought, I got more than a little carried away. If my shopping is an indication, I guess I'm hoping that 2012 is going to be a VERY productive year!!