My Challenge Quilts

Our two local quilt shows are over for the year -- phew! (Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show and our guild show). A break would be nice, but I've got to finish samples for the fall term at The Stitchin' Post. Oh, well, it is nice that someone might pay me to teach the fun things I like to do so I'm not really complaining.

Every year I pose a challenge to our quilt guild, and this year's was to interpret the theme "Heart's Delight" (or "Hearts Delight"). I'm not an ooey-gooey quilter so I went for the first meaning and made three little quilts (approx. 20" x 20"). They were designed to stand alone (class samples!!!) but they were related enough in color that they could work together as well. To meet the size minimum, I stitched them together for the show. For my artist's statement, I called the grouping "Follow Your Bliss" because I combined my passions for making fiber art and running my dogs in the sport of agility. I call the small pieces Art, Work and Play:

Color of The Day -- Blue-Green!

I am back in town for a while and have been sewing and painting like crazy. Finished this fabric recently -- isn't it cool? I've got some backgrounds painted and ready for the next layer of stencils and stamps.

I should have my Laundry Blues top ready for quilting this evening -- yea!

In Case You Missed It... My Quilt Gallery Show

My quilt exhibit comes down tomorrow, but here is a link to the QuiltWorks blog so you can see some of my treasures! (Ugh, and me, too...) (May 2011)

Ruby Red Tootsies!

Well, ladies, I finally splurged and got a pedicure! My hairdresser opened her own salon and has an aesthetician coming in once a week, and she wanted to fill Melissa's first day with clients. What the heck, it was fun. I asked my friend Bevalee what color to get, so ruby red it is!

Creating on the Road?

Hello!

We spent part of Memorial Day weekend over in Salem for an agility trial -- our first time doing one specifically for small dogs. The courses are more compact and the equipment is smaller (and so cute!) so I had high hopes. Wookie did well on his run -- he had a clean run and got his first "Q" (qualifying leg to move up to the next level). He only does a few of the obstacles so he's limited in which events he does. Yoda and I ran in a fun match to become familiar with the equipment on Friday night, and a train ran right behind the building during his first run. We might as well have gone home after that because he got so scared that he just shut down on Saturday. It was so disappointing because he would have loved the games.

Enough of all that! We'll be taking a long trip in the motorhome later this summer and I'm already getting a little itchy about being away from my workbench and sewing machine for that long. I will take a box of beading projects but I'm not sure if I can get anything done in a small space with a puppy! I'm sure we will stop at a quilt shop or two, but I'd like to know how other artistic people handle being creative when they travel. If you have any secrets, please let me know!

More Bling!

This little bracelet has been on my "to-do" list a while (design was published July/July 2005!) and I finally got it done. It was supposed to be an instant gratification project, but I messed it up the first time. I pulled it apart and remade it, but it sat for two days waiting for the loop closure because I was bummed it was too large. Never fear! I added the loop two units from the end instead. :-) It is made with 4mm Swarovski crystals and size 15 seed beads -- a bit small to work on at night but I like the proportions. The double-needle right angle weave was a challenge for a tired brain to fathom at first, but once the pattern is set it is fairly easy to stitch away. Isn't the beaded toggle cute?

Spring Bracelet

It has been cold and dreary here, so last night I decided to whip up a bracelet to brighten things up. The flowers and leaves are Lucite -- I picked out pieces from a couple of samplers from The Hole Bead Shoppe. Swarovski crystals, of course! I bought some 8mm crystal AB rondelles ages ago and then didn't use them because they seemed too glitzy. They're perfect for this, don't you think? How fun, it goes with almost everything (and the sun is peeping out at the moment -- hooray!) I do love instant gratification... :-)