Purple Sampler Quilt
I just completed a lovely sampler quilt yesterday with a great overall design called Damask fern which is one of my favorites.. I wanted to use a light purple thread and had a spool of Signature thread that I thought had enough thread to do the job. Well it was a very close call and I watched nervously as the last row was stitching out… was so relieved when there was still a little thread left at the end!
Just Enough Thread
I am back in my quilting studio after a long week of working as Registrar at the Vermont Quilt Festival. I didn’t have time to take pictures of the amazing quilts there but if you go on to the Vermont Quilt Festival Facebook page you will see many quilts and highlights from the show. (and while you are there ‘like’ their page and you will get news updates from VQF)
Below is a picture of me and my friend Teela Dufresne who is Volunteer Chair along with her daughter Trista who posted a lot of the pictures on the Facebook page. This picture was taken after the show had ended in the middle of all the clean-up required to shut down and pack up.
After a long week at VQF
Next year is a BIG YEAR for VQF – it is the 40th Anniversary (another good reason to like their page so you can get updates as we prepare for that show – it’s going to be the best-ever! – Forty and Fabulous!)
The theme color for 40th anniversary is Ruby Red – I purchased this new mug at the show for inspiration and also a bunch of beautiful red fabrics to make a red and white quilt for the show…. I will post updates as the quilt progresses!
I haven’t done a post in a while – been busy catching up on client quilts since returning from Rangeley Maine quilting retreat and then spending a fun week in Vegas on a family vacation.
Also consuming me right now is the Vermont Quilt Festival that I am Registrar Chair for. It is a great show and I am looking forward to seeing all the registrants arrive! If you have a chance you should go to this show – great contest quilts as well as Antique quilts and special exhibits and if you are a quilter – great vendors! The show runs June 26/27/28 at the Champlain Valley Expo but I’ll be pretty much tied up for the week at the VTC Williston campus where most of the classes are being held and the hub for registration. For more info www.vqf.org
Another part of the show is the Sew Batik Challenge that I am submitting the 24″ x 24″ piece for:
Busy times!!
Bigfoot on the loose in NH!
Settling back in to the real world after an amazing week of quilting with friends in Rangeley Maine – we all had a great time, a lot of laughs and worked crazy long hours on our projects. The only thing missing this year were the moose! We normally see many more than we saw this year.
Here are some photos of what I worked on over the week… and also a picture of Big Foot who was seen lurking in New Hampshire on the way home. (I had to snag a photo as my husband is a big fan of the “Finding Bigfoot” show)
Modern Quilt Design in Reproduction Fabrics
Fall Fabrics quilt top
Fall Table Topper
Binding technique – close up
Paper Piecing Workshop Wallhanging
I added on a computerized system (Intelliquilter) that I use in addition to my normal free-motion quilting. The system is amazing and I am just digging into using it to its full potential. I took a class with Helen Baczynski to learn how to design patterns on the system and have been putting it to use! Today I designed a custom wreath motif to go in the alternating plain blocks of a quilt that also had 9-patch blocks – it came out great and works well with the quilt. So the 9-patch blocks were done free-motion and the yellow blocks were done with my custom wreath design.
Quilt with 9-patch and plain blocks in alternating layout.
My original wreath design with undulating center.
Believe it or not we had snow today in Vermont… so what a great day to work on a Christmas Quilt! This quilt makes great use of traditional red and green with a neutral for contrast that shows off the piecing nicely. The quilting uses a combination of free-motion and computer driven designs.
Quilting detail viewed from the back of the quilt.
This quilt will be great for the Christmas Season
Puppies love quilts too!
I have made several quilts for my parents over the years which they use all the time! My mom is recovering from back surgery and has spent weeks on the couch with several quilts at one time. But… she’s not the only one enjoying them! Lucy their chihuahua loves to snuggle into them as well!
I had a great week last week at Machine Quilter’s Expo (MQX). I learned a lot from great teachers Helen Baczynski, Angela Huffman and Bethanne Nemesh! Did some volunteering, and very much enjoyed the special exhibit of Cathy Vandiford Wiggins.
Dresden Beauty in Indigo – my 2015 show quilt at MQX Festival
Well – week 1 of being a full time quilter went very well! Made progress on several client quilts..here are a few photos to help you ‘think spring’ and sunshine:
It’s a great time of year here in New England to be a quilter… I head off to MQX Quilt Festival in New Hampshire tomorrow to take some classes and build on my skills www.mqxshow.com
Also I have been very busy working registrations for the Vermont Quilt Festival that will be held in Essex Junction at the end of June… www.vqf.org
After balancing growing a quilting business and working out of the home for the last ten years today is the first day of being a full-time quilter. I am very excited to begin this next chapter and looking forward to more time dedicated to my passion of quilting and the opportunity to help more quilters finish their beautiful projects!