Last Weekend Continued

So, getting back to last weekend Quilt Frenzy ...

Every morning and evening we saw several deer families. One doe had a single fawn and the others had twins. Very cute and not very skiddish at all.

Holly made and quilted this cute little neutrals quilt.

And she also found up and quilted this beauty.

Pam chose fabrics from her stash for these small socks. She had her mini group make them for her group project.

Holly was busy making these cute Halloween blocks. This quilt is going to be gorgeous.

Mar gave a tutorial on those cute little gift bags that she brought. And Pam gave a tutorial on a project bag that she has made that uses clear vinyl. Mar made one of those and was also busy working on her Potato Bags.

We also got to see Mar's Prairie Paisley quilt and the picture on her blog does not do it justice folks. That quilt is beautiful!

I was busy working on my socks (like Pam's above) for a sock swap that I am in.

We had so much fun. I'm looking forward to doing it again. Break out the calendars girls ... we gotta do that again!

Celebrations

If you haven't stopped by Mar's blog recently, be sure to head on over there and check out the celebration. It's her Blogoversary and she is having a giveaway.

Mar - it's been so much fun reading your blog and seeing all of your wonderful projects this past year. I look forward to many, many more blog entries.

Starting the weekend

Wow, so much to post ... where to start ...

Hi's and hugs all around upon arrival and then into the "hive" to start the fun.

We were welcomed in ...

and then ...








What a treat to be able to have this view of fabric all day while working on projects.




Marlene brought the cutest little gift bags for everyone. How sweet was that!

We started with some Show and Tell. And then we got right into setting up our sewing stations. We had a Friday afternoon jumpstart to the weekend and a full day and a half to follow.

I'll have to continue this later. Blogger is being a bit resistant to uploading pictures at the moment.

Weekends - What can I say ...

Don't you just love weekends? I do. They are such are welcomed change to the ho-hum work week. This weekend is no exception. I get to spend it with friends ... quilting, of course! My friends Mar and Holly are coming down to get together with Pam and me for a Quilt Frenzy. I guess a frenzy is good when it comes to quilting.

Sorry I don't have pics to post just yet. This past week got away from me. What can I say ...

Hope all of you can spend time quilting with friends this weekend.

A Busy Weekend

It's a busy weekend ahead for me. I have been working on some applique blocks for an online group swap that I am in. The deadline is near - so I'm stitching my little fingers off.

Today I am going to help a neighbor, Carol, cut out a quilt. She is fairly new to quilting and hasn't really done much rotary cutting. And then it is back to applique for the rest of the weekend.

I also have to pick up some fresh batteries for my camera and then I will be able to post some more pics.

Hope you all have a fun, quilt filled weekend.

A Quilt For Beatrice

So, my brother called a while back to see if I had a quilt that would be suitable for a baby. No - nothing for babies. We have some friends in England that were new grandparents. So, I told him I would see what I could come up with.

I had some fat quarters that I had won as a door prize at a guild meeting that I thought would work. Hmmmmm


So I added a couple of other pieces and came up with this grouping of fabrics.


This is the quilt prior to quilting. The picture was taken on a dark, rainy day. With the lights and the camera flash the colors got a bit washed out. Oh well. I found a green on white Beatrix Potter toile that I thought would be spot on for a British babe. My friend Holly quilted it using a Baptist Fan pattern and it turned out perfect. I didn't take any pictures after it was completed and now I so wish I had. I needed to get it sent off quickly so that it could get to Beatrice Elizabeth in Colchester, England. Beatrice, Mum and Grandmum all love it.

An excerpt from an email from her mum reads:
"It is stunning and I know it will be something that she will enjoy and treasure. The skill of crafting a quilt is a rare and amazing phenomenon in the U.K. Your stiches leave me in awe and the Beatrix Potter material is very apt. Beatrice is certainly a very lucky girl. Again thank you for the precious gift that I know she will love for all her years."

Long Beach International Quilt Festival

Early on July 25th I headed out for the show in Long Beach. The drive was good, the traffic wasn't bad either. As I drove past the LB Convention Center, I was amazed at the line of quilters waiting to get into the show. It was already past 10:30, but the line extended from the front doors all the way over the pedestrian crossing the spans the multi-lane road. I went and checked into my hotel, left the car and walked to the show.

It almost seemed like the Convention Center had no clue what to expect. I heard from some reliable sources that the Quilts, Inc people kept trying to prepare them for us quilters, but kept getting told that they (the Convention Center) knew how to deal with crowds. Clearly they didn't. On Saturday they ran out of food. People stood in line for an hour and a half waiting to get something. I talked to a couple of ladies during my lunch break (no standing in that line for me) that had driven around for over an hour just to find a place to park. I was glad that I walked. Plus it seemed foolish for me to since I was staying so close.

The show was so much fun. And the vendors ... OH MY!! Friday was vendor day for me. Saturday was for viewing the quilts.

I saw so many people that I know too. I almost did as much visiting as I did shopping. LOL

The quilts on display were interesting. Seems I didn't need all of Saturday for viewing them. They were, for the most part, all Art Quilts. And, as I mentioned in my first entry, Art Quilts are not my forte. I ended up spending just half of Saturday viewing the quilts and then it was back to ... you guessed it ... the vendors.

In all it was a great weekend. And I will be back next year, curious to see what Quilts, Inc has in store for the 2009 show.

Guild President's Quilt

I had the opportunity to organize and work on the quilt for our guilds outgoing President a couple of years ago. It was a fun project to work on, but at the same time I was nervous. Why nervous you ask? Well, making a quilt for myself is one thing, but making one for someone else is an entirely different matter. Sure, she knew the quilt would be coming because any guild President that serves 2 years gets a quilt from the guild. The tricky part is what fabrics to use and what pattern or design. This ended up being fairly easy. I had a general idea of her fabric preference and knew she likes traditional patterns. I selected a pattern from a BH&G Quilt Sampler and used 30's reproduction fabrics (the apron and feed sack styles and none of the "cutesie" prints). She loves this quilt! whew

A Weekend Quilting with Friends ...

I got a call from my friend Pam. Seems some of the Sacramento gals were coming down for a mini Retreat at Pam's new studio. How could I possibly turn down an invitation like that! So I quickly packed my things on Friday after work and headed off to quilting bliss.

The weekend was so much fun! Everything was perfect, well almost everything. It did get a bit hot during the day on Saturday, but that did not slow us down in the least. We all had a very productive weekend. And did I mention that the food was fantastic? It was a perfect weekend.