2011 Quilting and Sewing Expo in Oshkosh, Wisconsin

I'm back from more learning!!  I LOVE taking classes, and I encourage all crafters to take as many classes as they can.  It is so much fun to learn new ideas and listen to others in the classes share their ideas.  I always get a refreshed urge to create!!  Great instructors and a variety of vendors.  Reasonable cost.  Five classes, breakfast and lunch was only $60. 

First class of the day was Threads Untangled with Chris Lynn Kirsch.  Not sure what to piece or sew with?  What the heck is thread weight?  What is color fast?  What is ply?  This class answered all my questions.  The instructor was fun and informative with many examples to show.  If Chris is in your area, make sure you check out her class.

I had Chris again after lunch for a class called Parallelisms.  LOVED this class.  I now look at my stash closet in a whole knew way.  I buy fabric.  Lots of fabric.  Some fabrics in my stash have been waiting for a quilt pattern with big blocks because I didn't want to cut up such a beautiful fabric.  Now I want to cut it all up!!  In tiny pieces!!  Look below to see why!!

This is what Chris calls Parallelisms.  The concept:  take interesting fabrics and add layers.  Some layers are cotton, some silk.  She even adds layers of sheers such as tulle.  Check out the bottom left corner of this quilt.  Gorgeous!!

The second thing introduced in this class was what Chris calls Concentrics.  Instead of straight lines, add curves and other shapes for interest.

These quilts have so much interest.  This ain't your Grandma's quilting.  Afraid of trying?  I was, but my stash is large and mighty!! So, if I mess something up I guess its a great excuse to go shopping for more!! 

For the more traditional quilter, she had a display of adorable children's quilt.  So much fun and not hard!!  I highly recommend you check out this artist and author.
You may also want to check out her website.  You can find her at http://www.chrisquilts.net/

Another great class was Organizing Your Studio by Linda Halpin.  Boy, did I need assistance with that!!  Lots of ideas and an enthusiastic instructor.  I have two pages of my notebook filled with tips and ideas for organizing.  Who doesn't need help with that?  Linda's favorite item:  a labeler.  Take a trip to the Container Store, Ikea or just an office supply store.  But, don't forget to label those containers!!  I have the labeler she spoke about and love it.  But, you have to hide it from your husband and kids.  I have in my sewing studio two sets of 10-drawer organizers, all of which have a label on them.  Soon, it's off to the Container Store for me.  I will undoubtedly have to label all those containers!!

Now, although I enjoyed all of those classes and very much enjoyed all of those instructors, by far the most entertaining of the day was Fun & Done with Joyce Clark.  Joyce is a 14-year quilting and sewing instructor at Fox Valley Technical College.  She knows her stuff.  She is smart, funny and has a lot of moxy.  Fun & Done is a method that enables you to quilt your block sandwich.  Then you can sew them into rows, then rows into your whole quilt.  Done!!  Now you don't have to take that large, basted quilt and hassle with all that fabric while you try to quilt!   One block at a time . . . that's it!! 

I immediately went home and threw a sample together so I could remember how to do it.  It was easy!!  Check your local quilt shop or technical college for a class on this method.  You won't be disappointed.  There are no books out on this method, so a class is necessary.  Joyce also teachers a class called Cotton Theory.  Same idea, but you create a more dimensional look.  I found an entire list of Joyce's class.  Just go to http://www.fvtc.edu/public/content.aspx?ID=1801&PID=53.  A list of Joyce's classes are in the middle of the page. 

Many lessons learned . . . so much fun.  If you get a chance, try to participate in something like this in your area.  It really is great fun and you come home energized!!

Japan . . .

It's St. Patrick's Day.  I'm supposed to be thinking of Ireland, shamrocks, green beer, parades, etc., etc.  I can't seem to get in the spirit.  My mind and my heart keeps taking me to the haunting, sad and horrific pictures of Japan. 

I was in my sewing room, which is such disarray that it is hard to create.  So, I decided to do some organizing before starting anything else.  I went through the pile of new fabric I had just purchased and carefully folded each piece in a way it best fits on my shelves of stash.  My stash closet is organized in various piles.  Blacks, whites, florals, Christmas, etc.  I then came upon my stash of Asian fabrics and I immediately had tears in my eyes. 

As I am sitting on the floor of my in-tact and heated home, I think of those whose houses in Japan that are leveled.  Someone in one of those homes may have been doing what I was doing just the day before this disaster.  That someone may no longer be there, or may not have a home. 

I find that the older I get, the more introspective I become.  As I watch the news and see the video of earthquake damage, tsunami damage and now the possibility of a Chernobyl-like disaster, I think of how I may or may not relate to any of those disaster victims.  I think of the people who have perished and the loved ones left behind.  How would I handle such sorrow, or how would I be remembered?

If I had lost so much, would I be as gracious as the Japanese people?  I have not heard one report of looting.  I have had the good fortune to travel to Japan and can tell you first hand that this is a country of people who are kind, gracious and generous.  They are a people who seem to relish in giving.  It shows in the news reports.

So, here's a thought.  When we think of what is going on, not just in Japan, but in other disaster areas, do we think, "I wonder if they had designer clothes?"  "I wonder if they were a size 4?"  "I wonder if they drove a Lexus or Mercedes?"  I know I don't wonder those things.

If I were to perish suddenly, how would I want to be remembered?  Would I want to be remembered for what I had?  I think I would want to be remembered for what I gave.  Because I quilt, I think that I would like to leave a little "piece" of me wherever I can.  Yes, I donate my work to charities.  I've made quilts for victims of the Haiti earthquake, the Linus Project and other things.  It feels good to give. But could I do something more?  What other "pieces" could I leave?

When I was getting ready to go to my office this morning, I grabbed my coat and a green scarf knitted by my friend, Colleen.  This is a piece of her life she has left with me.  Colleen is also a teacher, which I consider to be one of the most noble professions.  Each and every day a teacher like Colleen leaves a piece of herself with each and every one of her students, whether she believes that or not.  We all leave pieces of ourselves.

With each disaster that I see, I feel the need to do something bigger than myself.  I think the challenge is to get more people to do something bigger than themselves.  I don't think it has to be a "change the world" action.  But I think that if we all think of something that leaves a little piece of our self; hopefully a piece of our best self, it can change our world.

Goosetracks Block 1 -- Done and Fun!!

I  finished my first block on my Hoop Sisters Goosetracks block of the month.  It was fun!! Fun!! FUN!!  I also love the way it turned out.  What's your opinion?

The only thing I would do differently is to try to find a fabric that was not quite so mottled.  I used batiks for all of the fabrics, but I think a more tone on tone would have worked better.  Some of the embroidery stitches got a little lost.  I still love it and can't wait to do next month's block. 

One down . . . nine more to go!!  Stay tuned . . .

Lovin' Me Some Magna Hoop

I am  not a very good free motion quilter.  Okay, I'm a terrible free motion quilter.  I have taken classes and I think I am getting a bit better, but truth be told, I still suck.  Frankly, who wants to spend all that time and energy creating a quilt top and ruining it with crappy free motion quilting.  I envy those who do this well.  It is truly an art.

After I purchased my Baby Lock Ellegante 2, which has many quilt stitches on it, I thought this would be great!!  I can quilt my own quilts and have them look like a pro did the stitching.  The problem:  hooping a quilt.  What a drag.  Especially when the quilt comes unhooped from wrangling it into the machine.  This happened more than I care to count.  I began to cuss like a sailor.

I thought I had the answer.  Sticky stabilizer!! I wouldn't have to hoop the quilt if I used sticky stabilizer!!  Great concept, crappy results.  First of all, that stabilizer isn't cheap.  Second, if you have an intricate quilting design, you can be picking stabilizer off the back of your quilt for hours.  No fun. 

So, I went to my Baby Lock Dealer and asked (okay, I begged) for help to resolve this issue.  There had to be a better answer.  So, here it is:

This thing worked great.  You can get it at your sewing machine dealer, or on Amazon for about $150.  (The cost of having a full-sized quilt done by your long-arm professional).  Magna Hoop use your own hoop (make sure you have the correct size as stated on the side of the box) that you can simply leave in your machine.  Mark your quilting area on your quilt, slide it over the hoop, and a set of magnets placed on an acrylic frame will hold down the your quilt.  I did a quilt border on a 64 X 80 quilt in the time that it had taken me to do one side in my previous, awkward hooping system.  No hoop burn, nothing to pick off the back of your quilt, no cussing.

I AM IN LOVE!!!

Bright, Bold and Modern

I had time to kill before I went to my Embroidablock of the Month Club, so I decided to drop in on a new shop that opened up last spring that I hadn't visited yet.  Keep Me In Stitches is uniquely different from any of the quilt shops in the Fox Valley.  Located at 3402 North Richmond Street in Appleton, the shop and its fabrics are bright and modern, loaded with fabrics from Kaffe Fasset and Amy Butler.  The shop is small, but nicely appointed and laid out in a way that makes you want to create. 

The staff is pleasant and helpful.  I loved browsing there without being "sold".  I love going to a shop where you can just casually browse, but if you have a question, you can get help from a friendly and helpful staff. Congratulations to Jackie and her new shop.

Quilting and Embroidery -- Oh My!!

I own two sewing machines.  The first really great machine I bought was the Baby Lock Espire.  I love it so much I hug it every time I finish using it.  Then I thought I would like to do other things as well, so I purchased the Baby Lock Ellegante 2.  I embroidered a few things - shirts, napkins, etc.  I also use it to quilt blocks and borders on small quilts.  It's pretty awesome for doing that as well.

But anyone who knows me knows that I have to figure out how to take it to the next level.  Here it is.  I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm jumping in feet first.  After all, what do I have to lose except some fabric from my stash, miles of embroidery thread and my dignity of being in a class with seasoned embroidery people.  I'm just hoping no one throws rotten fruit at me for slowing them down.

This is called Goose Tracks from Hoopsisters.  http://hoopsisters.com//  It's a block-of-the-month program that I will be starting tomorrow at Sew and Sew in Appleton, Wisconsin.  This is a Viking Husqvarna shop and they are graciously allowing this Baby Lock user to join.  There's a $20 per month fee, but it includes instruction by the amazing Bonnie, who is the shop's owner.

Wish me luck!!

Quilting and The Budget Repair Bill

WTF?  Really?  Quilting and the Budget Repair Bill?  What is this woman thinking?

Quite frankly, that's all I've been doing is thinking.  I've been thinking about all of the people who are affected by this bill, all the people who are not affected by this bill and all of the people who are willing to go to the Capital to voice their opinion, whether in opposition or in support.  Will this change my livelihood?  No.  Do I have any children in any public school?  No.  Then what's up?

I am not a public sector employee, but several of my clients are public sector employers.  I have many friends who are public sector employees and I see how this bill is tearing up both sides.  I struggled with my own views and how to put them into perspective and finally figured out that perspective.  Quilting.

I wondered what would happen if I suddenly had to pay an additional 5.8% for fabric (for public sector employees this would be the equivalent of the retirement benefits).  Would I stop quilting?  Probably not.  Then I asked myself how I would feel if I had to pay an additional 6% to 12.6% for thread, notions, etc. (for public sector employees this is the equivalent of health care costs)  Would I stop quilting?  Probably not.  But then I dug a little deeper.  What if my choice of patterns was taken away?  Would I then continue to quilt?  This is getting a little dicey.  Now, let's assume that not only was my choice of patterns taken away, but I could not have a say in my fabric, thread, and how and when the quilt was going to be completed.  Further, if I made a mistake, my quilt could be taken away and discarded and there was nothing to protect the work I had done.  Now would I continue to quilt?

I began quilting because others who participate in this hobby were enthusiastic and shared their enthusiasm with me.  How enthusiastic would they be if there was restricted choice, or no choice at all, on their creativity.  Furthermore, my love for quilting grew the more I learned about this art.  People like my mother-in-law Sue, who taught me basic rotary and piecing skills.  Or Vicki from Piece by Piece who taught me how paper piece.  There's also the many, many teachers and instructors who taught me free-motion quilting, etc.  Now I teach others because I am enthusiastic.  My enthusiasm stems from choice and a voice of how, when and what materials I can use to make my quilts and bags.  How enthusiastic and eager would I be to teach with limited choice?

So there it is.  What is the incentive to become a teacher in Wisconsin?  What will happen to the enthusiasm that I have seen on the face of so many good teachers?  What will happen to an education system that claims it wants the best and brightest, but snuffs out opportunity with such disregard for the best and the brightest.  Giving our public sector employees the right to bargain their rights is no different than giving any other person in any other profession, art, hobby, etc. the right to expression.  Such expression in no way will adversely effect any budget.  What it will do, I fear, is make very ugly, plain quilts with no color or creative threads. 

I always remember that it was because of a teacher (Gerald Steinacker) that told me that I was creative.  It was a teacher (Susan Gift) that taught me to write well.  It was because of education that I was able to leave an impoverished childhood and be whatever I wanted to be.

Back from the Launch

THAT WAS SO COOL!!  I had never seen a shuttle launch before, and Tim and I were lucky enough to see the last Discovery launch on February 24, 2011.  Other launch veterans told us it was disappointing because of low clouds, but I thought it was pretty amazing.

My trip to Florida also allowed me a trip to a quilt shop called Boutique 4 Quilters.  This is a beautiful shop in West Melbourne, Florida.  Easy to find, this place has plenty of inspiration for everyone, and it was busy.  Must have been full of us snow birds.  Great service and their prices are in line with most quilt shops I have visited.  I purchased a bag pattern, hardware for the bag (d-rings, purse feet, etc.) and a yard of fabric for just under $40.  If you are looking for traditional fabrics (such as primitives and civil war), this is not the place for you.  This shop's theme is mainly bright and modern with plenty of Amy Butler fabric and other brights.  The service was amazing with a gorgeous, sweet 10-year old Golden Retriever greeting me at the door.  She also puts her front feet on the counter when you check out as she gets a treat anytime she hears the register.  Check out this shop at http://www.boutique4quilters.com/.  If you are on the Space Coast, stop by and you won't be disappointed.  Plus, just two doors down is a little bar where the husband can get a beverage while you shop!!

Our next stop was Orlando.  Tim and I then ventured on to Orlando for the remainder of our trip.  We went to Universal City the first day and enjoyed something from nearly every bar there.  Margaritaville, Hard Rock, etc.  We were such tourists!! 

The next day it was into the park.  We ventured into the park and did everything a child and adult would want to do.  We must have picked a great time of year, because the longest wait we had was about 10 minutes.  We enjoyed dinner at the Hard Rock cafe.  We highly recommend their macaroni and cheese.  Yummy. 

That evening was a BLAST!!  First came the Mardi Gras parade that began at around 8:00.  We got so many beads that my neck was sore.  Please keep in mind that this is Universal Studios, so the parade was G rated.  Then off we went to see the Blue Man Group.  Front row seats included a poncho.  I was nervous.  This was sooooooo much fun.  From the great percussion, to the comedy, to their really amazing band, this is a must see.  You can bring kids to this and they would enjoy it as much as we did.

Sunday evening . . . relaxed in our suite with Chinese take-out and the Oscars.  Ahhhh.

Next adventure . . . March 26, 2011 Quilting and Sewing Expo at the Fox Valley Technical College in Oshkosh.  Brenda and I are taking classes from Fun and Done (quilt as you go) to organizing your sewing room, which I so desperately need  If there are any amazing tricks or tools, I will definitely share them.

More from the sewing room later!!