Appalachian Heritage Quilters Quilt Show - Huge success

Milky Way

The AHQ quilt show was a huge success!! Approximately 160 quilts were on display at the Crossroads Christian Church in Gray, TN this past Friday and Saturday – and they were beautiful! Best show we have had since I have been a member. Check out the Facebook page for Appalachian Heritage Quilters to see lots of pictures and info. I can hardly wait for next year. I was blessed to sell one of my quilts, Milky Way, to a local couple who will put it on display in their home. 

 

 

To get ready for the show, I needed to put hanging sleeves on 8 quilts, and a binding on one of those.  It was a customer’s first quilt that she agreed enter into the show. She did a fantastic job, didn't she?

Customer's first quilt!

As you can guess, I spent last weekend with needle and thread. If you are looking for a needle for hand sewing that glides through the fabric and has a big enough eye, that you can actually thread it – I have the answer: Dritz Embroidery needles, size 8. Then there's the only thimble I can wear now. I don't remember the name of it, but it has a rubber body that is comfortable and functional on my aging knuckles. 

By the way, setting up a quilt show is a major deal. Not to mention, getting it all out of the church sanctuary quickly, so it could be set up for Sunday morning!! Here are just a few pictures of set up.  Hmm, the few pictures I have here seem to imply that Angie and Sandy were the only ones working - but there were a bunch of us. The others must have been just out of picture range, or taking a cookie break. A BIG thanks to everyone who pitched in to make it happen!

If you have never entered a quilt in a quilt show - just go ahead and do it. It is great fun and very rewarding.

Now y'all have a great week, and let's go quilting!

Breaking free of "stuck" mode

Always put a lull-in-the-action in your studio to good use. I got stalled last week, waiting to acquire what I needed to continue. I really don't like being in that situation. I'm uncomfortable, and wander aimlessly through the house wondering what to do with myself.

First, I got stuck behind a needed tool. As you may remember, I'm taking the Precision Piecing class on Craftsy. The instructor had us make a template with all the different angles that quilters use. We marked all the seams and angles on it and punched holes in it where the seams intersect.

Now this is a precision piecing class. An inaccurate, homemade tool (the best I can do)  cannot precisely mark dots at seam intersections, no matter how accurately the patches are cut. I at least need a tool more accurate than one made by me. So I stopped working on those blocks, and ordered a tool made exactly for this purpose, The Quilter's Quarter Marker is available at SewUnique.com. (Thankfully, it arrived on Monday.) It works great! Oh, I just heard from Janet Hoxie (sales@sewunique.com) that the tool is on back order at the moment. It should arrive in 5-6 weeks. If you want, she will put you on the waiting list and let you know when they arrive.

Secondly, quilting work is stalled. I'm waiting for a thread order for one job, and am stuck behind a panto order on another. It can be very frustrating for me to just wait! My kindergarten teacher, Miss Taylor, noted on one of my report cards (which I still have) that "Sharon does not handle frustration well." So true.

Anyway, while waiting, I wandered around the studio, trying to get interested in a ufo or something. I spotted a project box, covered with dust, and found a top and backing just waiting to be discovered. What a treat. They had been in that same box since 2010! It's a slightly modified version of the Milky Way design by Georgette Dell'Orco. I had thread that was perfect for it - so I threw it on the longarm and voila!

 











Now I'm not quite so stuck. I can move forward on my Precision Piecing class, and will give myself a break from making decisions about future projects until the thread and panto show up.

Oh, BTW. I just scheduled a Learn to Quilt with Jack and Jill class at Heavenly Stitches Quilt Shoppe in Kingsport, TN. It will start May 6 at 2:00pm, and run for 6 weeks, ending on 6/10. If anyone you know is interested in learning to quilt, have them call Heavenly Stitches at 423-406-1401. The only prerequisites are to be familiar with their machine and be able to sew a straight seam.

Now let's go quilt something!