Ready for GVQC Quilt Show

My dog is done. I left it for the last minute and had to get him done! So I spent ALL day yesterday doing that.
I quilted the lab...

It looks like the dog...that's good!
Stitched him to the quilted background.
This is the quilt I put on Julie's longarm quilting machine last month. Not bad for the first time!

I pieced that back as usual. I loved a pieced back. Mucho.

He has been delivered (thanks Elaine) to Rochester for the GVQC quilt show this weekend.
I also finished two of Pat Winters Boho Bags for the show...I literally sewed the last seam before
work this morning! I do work better under pressure. I always get it done.

At the show this weekend I will be participating in the Iron Quilter competition again. I can take 3 one yard pieces of fabric, threads and embellishments. We are given a list of themes at 10:15 AM, pick one and formulate a plan, then get to work! We have 3 1/2 hours to make a small quilt, finished! I loved it last time. I like to work under pressure. We will see how it goes!

Trying to get into Pat Pauly's Big Leaf class on Sunday. Of course....I wait...til last minute....

If your able to make it to the show...do! Almost 600 quilts to appreciate, at R.I.T. in Rochester.

Michael is HOME in Fort Campbell! He returned from Afghanistan last Tuesday night. What a relief it is to wake up in the morning, knowing he is on American soil. He is acclimating well and has already adjusted to the 9 hour time difference. Jenn is adjusting to cooking again! Thank you for all the thoughts over the last 9 months. Priceless.

Mela is 4 lbs now. She has a full head of hair apparently. She is already beautiful! 2 more months!

I 

Isn't she precious? Just waiting patiently for her entry into the world. I asked Sophia, "How do you think Mela breathes in Issa's belly?"
"Good", she said.
Of Course.

I have learned:

1. Saving Grace was excellent. If I mentioned it before, I hadn't seen the final episode yet. Great.
2. Another sale tonight on my Etsy vintage site! I am enjoying the endeavor of saving "junk"!
3. The war on the woodchucks under my house yielded 2 raccoons, 1 woodchuck and 1 possum. So far. I
4. Prerogative. I know this is how you spell it. I looked it up. It's just a jumble.

Valerie Goodwin Class Work...Awesome

For the last 2 days, I have been taking a class from Valerie Goodwin, through one of my quilt guilds, GVQC, in Rochester. What a great class this was! I loved what Valerie Goodwin did from the first time I saw her work in Quilting Arts magazine. We worked on the seven principles of design in art...any art. Of course we used fabric as our medium. On the first day we made paper studies of each principle. Movement, unity, rhythm, pattern, emphasis, balance and contrast. The piece above is my piece on contrast.
I have been "accused" of not having enough contrast in my work before. I can appreciate contrast in the work of others, but for me, contrast is not necessarily my objective. I love this little 4" x 6" piece! What contrast there is, is me.

After making the complex foundation, hand stitching, painting and sheer fibers are added. Hand work is my first love, so I add as much as I feel is warranted. I could have used some more time on the painting part. Next time.

Barb was kind enough to bring in extra fabrics today for me to work with. the shiny rusty bit worked great. Karen, my new Canadian friend contributed the black thread. Part of making this class so wonderful, was these two quilters that made up our little corner of the room. Very similar aesthetics. Connecting to others that share the passion of fabric and fiber...priceless.

Some student work. Karen's work is the in the upper left and center. The yellow, red, green pieces.

Barb's work is the soft, serene purple and pink work...3 along the bottom.

Caris Burton's pieces are really good. Caris took Valerie's week long class at QBL last summer, so she had a bit of prior knowledge! Caris work is always calm, soft and mellow. I especially love the lower left one.
I learned much in the last 2 days. I plan to use her techniques in future pieces. I like the layers, the interest and the purpose of the process. Valerie Goodwin will be teaching at QBL again in July of 2014. I will be saving and vacation day planning to be able to take her intensive class.
If you are intrigued by what she does, her book comes out at end of summer. You can pre-order ( as I have done!) the book from Amazon.

I surely have much on my plate right now! I have 2 CQ Boho bags to sew up for the GVQC show in a few weeks, as well as thread paint my lab and put him on the quilted background piece. Oh boy. I do work best under pressure, but that is not all I have to do.
Two RRRR rows are on the agenda. I do believe they are both 8" blocks. What to do? I don't know yet. Idea's are ruminating.
Melissa's baby shower is June 22nd.
I have a room to paint and a house to clean and organize (somewhat) for Michael and Jenn's visit the beginning of July.
Mowing takes up 2 hours of my time every 5 days now. Ugh. I hate outdoor work. I want to be sewing, not mowing.
Work and union business takes much of the hours in a week as we all know. Retirement can't come soon enough. I have so much to create and so little time.

I just mailed off the HGTV RRRR Monday. I made the 12 4" improvisational star blocks on the bottom. With 21 pieces in each block, it was quite a marathon for me! Naturally, the blocks were 1/2" off, so I had to add the red strips between blocks to get the 48 1/2" length. More work, but it added a needed separation between the blocks.

I have learned:

1. Michael should be off his COP in AFG by this time today, on his week long journey home. Anxious for his arrival on U.S. soil. 
2. Etsy shop was busy last week! Postage to Germany, Australia and China....mucho $$.
3. Case Histories, a BBC crime show on Netflix...very good. Jason Isaacs, the actor playing the main character...very mmmm.
4. Realist. Idealist. I am a realist. I was an idealist in my 20's. Jon, a youngun' at work, and I had a little debate about this recently. What are you?
5. Batavia will be welcoming TJ Maxx, Kohl's and Dicks to the Lowes store vacated space. 
6. Tennessee is the number one retirement destination. Affordable cost of living, coupled with a pleasant climate make it ideal. From the bits of TN I have seen, I feel it. 
7. Seneca Village, unearthed in Central Park, NYC, was an African- American/Irish populated settlement. Valerie Goodwin mentioned this today after I was studying her African Burial Ground II. Interesting.
8. I am an artist.

Paducah Quilt Show

One of my favorites at the Paducah Quilt Show. Stunning crazy quilted artwork. Spent 5 days with DIL, Jennifer, in Fort Campbell KY/TN. We made the short trek to Paducah on April 25th. We had just walked in to the outdoor eating area, when my good friend Penny saw us!

Hexi's! Love. The quilts from Japanese quilters were perfection.

Cool.

This quilt was fun.
Tentmaker's of Cairo were a feature at the show. They are known for their intricate applique quilts. This man has been making quilts for 35 years!

The pattern is in his head he said. Wow.

There were many quilts on display and all were for sale. It was worth the price of admission to see this demonstration.
Visited Nashville too. Nice.
Went junking. Great!
Flight delays on my way back to Buffalo were not unexpected.

Yesterday at my Fiberista group Beth lead us in altering an old book and adding fabric pages with binding technique. Great time. We actually cut the book pad out of the cover, covered the book with fabric and poked the holes with an awl for the binding. I love it.

My canvas pages are ready for working on them before they go into the book.

My friend, Julie, graciously let me use her longarm quilting machine to make quick work of my lab piece background! I never used one before, so after a little lesson, I just had at it. Awesome! It is not perfect, but it's not bad for first attempt. I had no idea how I was going to quilt it until I started up the machine.

I still need to thread paint the dog and sew him to the top. I already entered it in the GVQC show at the end of May, so I have some time to work on it.

Melissa is very pregnant! I met her Friday for dinner at Olive Garden, which for the last many times I have been there, it has not delighted me at all. I used to love Olive Garden. After that we went to baby gift register for the upcoming shower. Mela is in her last trimester now!

Have had much Facetime with Michael over the last 2 weeks. Nice. He has his bags packed. The American arrival is sometime this month! He wants three glasses of wine when he gets home! Missed that more than beer he said. Always good conversation.

I have learned:

1. Paducah show was too much perfection and dense machine quilting. The things that make my heart flutter are more imperfect I guess. That level of quilting seems unattainable for the average quilter. I admire it, but don't see the makers reflected in the work. I like to see a personality or style on fabric. That makes my heart flutter.
2. Flies. Hate.
3. Woodchucks. Hate. I am at war with them now. I actually hear them under my living room (no basement under this part of my house) I am taking action today.
4. Yay Michelle, Project Runway winner. 
5. I like fried calamari apparently.