I have no idea how it happened, but I just changed my whole blog look and I do not like this one. I wanted a wider window so I could use less lines, hence less scrolling, but now look what I did. Darn it.
For now it stays. I guess I need to read up on blogs and appearances and …stuff.
This week-end---ALL weekend--I have been taking Merikay Waldvogel's "quilt history" type classes. Our guild booked her last year, and I was poo-pooing the whole thing--stewing in silence because I am so NOT a traditional quilter, nor do I care about traditional quilting.
But was I ever wrong!
If you ever get to meet or take any of Merikay's classes or go to one of her talks, I urge you to do so. She is SO interesting. On Friday night she talked about the scandal at the 1933 world's fair in Chicago where thousands of quilts were entered and 2 of the judges quilt designs won.
Then yesterday she gave an intensive class on dating fabric as far back as 1850. That was so, so interesting. And she showed us at least 30 of her quilts and we dated them as part of our grade. Several women brought in their own oldie quilts and we admired them.
Today we did newspaper paper piecing (say that 10 times) with feed sacks from the 50's. I do paper piecing all the time, but this was way more fun. We all exchanged fabric strips and I just got a call from a women who was excited that she just finished 16 squares. It is 9pm. :-) lol
This is one of mine:
There are some teachers I love, some I admire and some I think should design rather than teach... Merikay is in the first category--she is a lovely, gracious and knowledgeable women. If I took her classes, when I don't even like or care about historical quilts and LOVED it, think how much you all might like it...
PS--Last night and today I am reading her "Patchwork Souvenirs of the 1933 World's Fair" and it is even better than her talk! What an incredible writer she is......
Bye for now. I know, its a long post. I was sooo excited!
One of my favourite blogs is by Melody Johnson. She has been blogging for years and is an incredibly interesting lady. Not to sound too stalker like, but I read her blog every day. She is like a friend I have never met. OK—that sounds very creepy…
Anyhoo—Melody has generously shared her technique on what she calls “Special Edition” fabric pieces. I adore these hand-dyes. As it is my last week-end before I go back to work on Monday, I decided to give this a whirl since I wont need my cutting table for awhile.
Here is my first try:
Yah, its OK. But I learned some things and then did the second piece:
Obviously its still wet, but I like the movement it made across the piece. Delish!
I laid out a 1 yard piece of damp cotton that had soaked in soda ash solution for about 20 minutes. I used blue, red, green, yellow and purple dye. Melody Johnson uses pour bottles from a hair supply store, but I had syringes' so that is what I used.
Then I just put the dye in strategic places, moved them around with my gloves and voila! Now Melody’s pieces are less wet, I don't know how she does them without getting them so ‘blended’, but I’ll keep trying this technique. Who knows what I’ll do with them :-)
Today is sign up at our for quilting classes, and although I always get this way, I get nervous that no-one will take my classes. This semester I am doing a ‘Sunday challenge’ every month with fibre artists and one landscape embroidery class.
I am delighted that I can say the wedding quilt for my young friend Nicole is complete.
Of all the quilts I have made in the past, I think the ‘journey’ for this one was the most interesting. All hand-dyes, original pattern (based on Match Play by Sonja Shogren.
I received the most gracious email from Nicole’s mom, Lise, who is a wonderful lady thanking me for the quilt. I will be taking it to Nicole this week, so that will be done.
Here is the finished quilting design I decided on:
And I did the top in yellows and the bottom in purple so the quilting did not overpower the design.
I wish this young couple all the best in their future, and I hope they can enjoy this quilt for awhile.
Nothing much I am afraid to say. It has been rainly and cool for the last 2 weeks and it has finally gotten to me. Yesterday I laid on the couch and read a book and had a nap. And I chatted with my favourite (and only) much loved sister Kathie. How’s that for a lazy day. :-)
But today I received my order from Dharma Trading. I love my fall order from them and I also order from a Canadian dye company--G&S. I should get that next week I hope. Sorry I didn’t wait and order with you Janet even though we were going to order together :-}
Tomorrow I am going to work on a fractured quilt I am doing with a Dye-Art group. I hope to have this project done in a week or two—before I go back to work Sept 1. Some of these supplies will be a welcome help for the creation of my flower.
