A Quilter's Heart

A friend and I went to the Smoky Mountain Quilters Quilt Show on Friday, in Maryville, TN. What a wonderful show. Lots of quilts, great vendors, and a lovely bed turning of antique log cabin quilts. The area Quilts of Valor group, did 3 presentations of Quilts of Valor to 3 service members. Although, I was not able to attend the presentation, I have attended several. What a wonderful way to present a service member with tangible evidence of our deep appreciation of their service and sacrifice. Get more information at www.qovf.org.

Best in Show

 


The Quilt of Valor group also had a gallery of quilts. I love this one.

This one is my show favorite. Sorry, I didn't get a close up of the quilting. The whole quilt was just so sweet, and the quilting was absolutely perfect for the quilt. And it came with a nice story. It was made by a bee to remember 3 of their members who had passed away. 

 

 

 

News from the Studio

The Amish Pinwheel quilt (from the Craftsy Precision Piecing class) is ready for quilting. But first – gotta practice a bit. Every machine quilter, whether domestic or longarm, needs a practice sandwich to play with. When I was quilting on the domestic, I kept a stack of fat-quarter sandwiches to warm-up the coordination and practice new designs. As a longarmer I do the same thing. I’ve got a growing stack of  well-used practice “quilts” for reference, and one all ready to zip onto the longarm leaders at a moment’s notice. Today, I practiced the border designs for the Amish pinwheel, and now feel ready to get started.  Since the quilt is all batiks, it was important to practice on batik with the same thread I will use on the quilt.  

Key Learning for the Week

Do you ever feel a little inferior or inadequate when you see all of the amazing talent at a quilt show? I do. But I fight the feeling. No quilter is inferior or inadequate – every quilter has a style, things they are good at, things they don’t need or want to be good at, and skills they want to develop. Embrace your style, your joy of fabric and thread, and the fellowship of your sisters of the craft.

Now, let's go quilt something!

From Spring Euphoria to Victory!

Spring has sprung with a vengeance around here. The Iris are in full bloom, shortly to be followed by the glads.
















My DS sent me a couple of pictures of Spring at the orchard. The pears were in bloom, and by now, I expect that the whole orchard is full of blossoms and bees.

 

News from the Studio

Last week, I finally finished the quilt top for the Precision Piecing class. So glad to have it done! Now to decide how to quilt it. It seems to want a cross between tradition and modern designs - so if you have a suggestion - please feel free!






And, how cute are these! I found these at the Patchwork Co - a quilt store in Windham, NY which I mentioned last week. She had a whole rafter lined on both sides with these cute wall hangings. I just HAD to get a bunch of them. Whether I ever make them or not, they are fun to look at! They are designed to be the kitty version of veggies - the first one is Le Artichat, and the other is Mushkit.

My Ah-ha! Moment of the Week

My "duh!" moment for the week, came with 2 days of paperwork! OMG, how did I let data entry and account reconciling go for SO Long? If I were to make a mid-year resolution, it would be to stay on top of financial stuff as it happens.

Procrastination has it's repercussions! Things that have been put off and put off generate a sense of being overwhelmed and discouraged. It is paralyzing and a big waste of time. So, if you have been putting off something because it is overwhelming, be encouraged. Just think about the first 2 things that you would have to do in order to move forward - just 2. Then take 1 step toward the first one - spend 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Then start on the 2nd thing. One step at a time. You will be surprised at your progress. You don't have to get it all done at once. You  just have to keep moving.

Now let's get moving and go quilt something!