Ft. Worth Quilt Show - The Last Batch

I don't know what happened to the blog over the last few days - a few friends alerted me to the problem and it seems that publishing the little test message below brought it all back. Anyway, here's the last few shots I took at the Ft. Worth quilt show.

I liked this one because it was all pieced. I admire the tenacity of the maker to get all these odd-shaped pieces to FIT together! Plus, the optical illusion aspect was pretty cool too.

Russ wanted me to take a picture of this one. It's very brown (and doesn't translate well digitally), but it was very Texas-themed and he liked it a lot.
There was a special members exhibit - the theme was to take a country song and translate it into a quilt. I really liked this interpretation of Buck Owen's "Act Naturally". The film strip has photo transfers of famous "cowboy" actors.
And finally, I'm a sucker for quilts using Kaffe Fassett stripes. Simple piecing - striking result.

My life is absolutely CRAZY right now. September has been a very active month at the shop - wth a major event each weekend. I'm very close to reaching burnout and my house looks like a tornado has been through it (....even worse than normal!). I haven't really sewn much in the last few weeks - I've been puttering with the Quilt Pink blocks that have been turned in at the shop. About half of them are too small to fit into the setting design I picked, so now I have to come up with an alternate plan of how to set them. Ugh!

I am DESPERATELY wanting to sew on something FUN - not just because I HAVE to. But my sewing room looks like the tornado stayed for a while. Perhaps I can take some time this week and do some cleaning/straightening and become more motivated to spend time in there.

I took some photos from the Plano Balloon Fest (which was pretty much a total bust due to windy weather) on Sunday, and I'll do my best to post them in the next day or so.

A Test

It seems my blog has disappeared. I'm trying this post to see if it will REappear!

Ft. Worth Quilt Show, Part 2

I spied this quilt almost the minute I walked into the show. Does it look familiar? It's our Nuts and Bolts quilt from the Quilt Sampler magazine - only the maker substituted a purple shot cotton. Did we get a design mention in the description? Heck no!














This quilt is Cinnamon Stitches (pattern by Piece O' Cake). I've always loved this pattern -but I don't own the patterns because I didn't know how to applique when it was published. The colors aren't clear, but the quilt was made with lovely reds, greens, and cheddars. It was also difficult to photograph because I couldn't back up far enough to get it all in.










Here's another shot that includes a portion of the vine border.


Being married to a guitar player, I just had to take a picture of this one!



I thought this quilt was really creative. It's all hand applique and the design inspiration was Broadway playbills. I think it was made for a theatre student.



That's all for tonight....more to come tomorrow!

TheView on My Way to Work

I was sitting at the stop light at the freeway this morning and looked up - and there was a hot air balloon just drifting through the sky. The mornings have finally cooled off enough for balloons to fly well.

This weekend is the Plano Balloon Fest - Russ will be on the "Moo Crew" for Schepp's Dairy. Audrey and I usually help out, but I don't know if I'm going to make it this year. If I do, I'll try to get a picture of "Airabelle", the giant cow balloon. It's a sight to behold.

Happy Birthday To Me

Sunday was my birthday. It started off with a booming thunderstorm around 5:30 am. What a welcome sound!

My family wanted to do something for my birthday - even tho staying home would have been just fine. So, I decided they could take me to the Fort Worth quilt show. I've never been. So, we headed off in the rain. The show was small (in comparison to the Dallas show) but there were some great quilts. It sure was nice to attend a show as a tourist and not as a vendor! I took quite a few pictures and will share them over the next few days.




This was the best of show quilt. It was hand appliqued and is a true charm quilt. Every piece of green and red is different!


And - it was quilted within an inch of its life.....yes, ALL of the background was stipple quilted....by HAND.

This quilt was a lovely study in reproduction fabrics and blocks. Each block measures 6".

I liked this one because of the Kaffe Fassett fabrics and the simplicity of the piecing. I just wish the camera had captured it better.

I was really drawn to this one because of the 2 fabrics and the effect of the reverse applique. How simple but how intriguing.

That's it for now - more photos later!

Expectations vs. Reality

Did you ever have one of those visions in your head that just DID NOT turn out like your mind's eye? It happens to me more often than I'd like - and here's another example.

I've had this idea for a new kit sample percolating around in my head. I've done all the math (you have to think ahead if there's a chance that you'll kit the quilt to sell). I had a plan. I made 6 blocks and went BLECHHH.

I know what's wrong. There's too much contrast. I recognize that now. I should have known that before I ever cut a piece of fabric. I was just too tired to think straight and too anxious to start. I have 6 blocks completed and another 24 completely cut and subcut ready to go. Now what do I do? What's my time worth? Should I finish what I started, even though it won't work out for my purposes, I don't like it, and I don't even want it personally? I'm thinking not. I should just cut my losses and move on. But it bugs me on a deeper level to completely abandon a project. But I know it's for the best, and I have a friend who is willing to take it off my hands.

It's kind of like ripping off a bandaid. Do it quickly and minimize the pain.

Back to square one......


Here's another project I plan to undertake. This is a pair of Audrey's favorite Levis....the knees were completely ripped out. I plan on making a tiered skirt out of the top of the pants by adding layers of cotton - I had a devil of a time getting her to select a fabric yesterday. Over 3000 bolts to choose from and she can't find anything she likes...what's wrong with her? Is she a genetic mutant?

I've never done this before - we'll see how it works out. The acutal test will be will she really wear it?

I'm venturing into uncharted territory....

Stepping Stones

I've had a few comments asking about the quilt in my last post. The quilt/pattern is called "Stepping Stones" and was made for our September Strip Club.

For more information on Strip Club, click here.

Now, I must shower so that we can get on the road!

Nose to the Grindstone

This is how I spent my week. I had a sample that I HAD to make for an event, and I was behind on my schedule due to holdups on fabric delivery.

I started this quilt at 7pm on Monday night, and put the last stitch on the binding at 9:30 this morning (Friday). And yes, I did go to work this week too.

I don't even want to LOOK at my sewing machine for a few days.....but the quilt did turn out kinda purty....

Tonya, I feel your pain with cats and backing fabric. Here's Merle impeding the ironing process. He was quite content with his tent thing.

You gotta love 'em.


We're running away for the Labor Day weekend. I may sleep for two days straight.