Two Art Quilts

I finally finished these two small quilts that have been waiting in my to-be-quilted pile for quite some time. First one is the result of a class I took taught by Cindy Grisdela. I named this one "Playing My Ukelele." Don't ask me why. I don't own a ukelele. I played one for ten minutes when I was about ten years old. But.. the name just came to me as something happy and light-hearted. So there you go. I kind of ruined it by not either facing it or using normal binding on it. I just turned the back to the front and sewed it down. I like this as a quick, easy way to bind quilts that I give away. But for this one.. it doesn't hang well so it looks frumpy. Some day when inspired I shall un-sew this version and will sew on a real binding (probably blue or black).

Second finish is called "A World of Friends." I used to be in a small group called Loose Threads. We had a challenge to make improv blocks using mostly solids. Then we exchanged them and each made something with them. I left the group shortly after the exchange, so, even though I got my top made rather quickly, I dawdled on getting it quilted. It feels good to have it finally done. The gel print in the middle is by Lucy Senstad, a local artist from whom I purchased that piece. And there is a hand-dyed (by me) piece in it along with the prints with the blue blobs which I did in a class at Houston. I like this quilt a lot. It reminds me of my friends who are still keeping Loose Threads going. It was just time for me to take a break from groups. I quit a couple of guilds and that small group all at once, and I've been happy I did.

Secret Pals

In 2018 I joined a new-to-me guild. It's pretty big and does a lot of projects. But it is pretty far away from where I live, so I will not be joining up again in 2019. It was a fun year with them, though. One thing in which I participated was the Secret Pal project. The person who was assigned to me was someone I know, which is funny because I only knew 2 or 3 people in a guild of over 100 people. It was fun finding gifts for her over the year. The idea is to make a bigger gift for the person's birthday month and also for the Christmas party which is the end of the Secret Pal year, and then smaller gifts throughout the regular months.

This is a small quilt I made for my person's birthday month. I couldn't show it to you at the time, in case she would stumble upon my blog. So here it is, long after I gave it to her.

For Christmas I made her this big bag and had other gifts inside it. This pattern is from Amanda Jean Nyberg, Crazy Mom Quilts. The pattern is called Show and Tell bags, I think. There is a large size and this is the medium. Did you hear that Amanda Jean is closing down her business, Crazy Mom Quilts? I'm sure she will enjoy having more time with her family. I have really appreciated the ideas she has shared with us, and her inspiration that she has shared with so many quilters the world.

This is the gift I received from the person who was Secret Pal to me. Isn't it beautiful?? It is the Barbados bag pattern. I love it!

We'll have a quiet Christmas at home with our daughter, and missing our son who is far away in South Korea. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Catching Up: More on the Quilt Show

Our quilt show from late September is already a memory; I promised more pictures and then procrastinated BIGLY. Here I am, finally.

These are from a lecture by Victoria Findlay Wolfe (VFW):

and these are from a a class I took from her on her techniques for making Double Wedding Ring blocks:

This is my block while being designed and laid out.

All caught up!

Minnesota Quilt Show

I attended the annual Minnesota Quilt Show which was in Duluth, Minnesota.. the last year it will be in Duluth at least for the next few years. It will alternate between St. Cloud and Rochester for the next four years. (This is decided by cost of the venue.) I love visiting Duluth, so I'm sad that the show will not be there for perhaps several years or forever.

As always, the quilts were awesome, and it was a lot of fun to see them all. Here is a very small sampling.

Berry Patch by Claudia Clark Myers

Gypsy Wife #2 by Candy Kehle

The Newspaper Jane by Sharon Evans
I saved this photo because I want to remember this idea of the middle blocks being jiggled to an on-point position. Not that I'll ever make a full Dear Jane quilt... but I have the book and maybe, just maybe.. some day... I might??

Duluth City Scape by Linda Naughton

This is the display of quilts by my guild, Minnesota Contemporary Quilters. Our theme was "Big and Small."

the one on the left is mine

made by a small group called 9/37. Each of the 9 members made 9 mini-quilts, and named this piece 9X9X9.

In the display of quilts by the guild in Blue Earth, Minnesota, I found this quilt by Julie P. whose blog I follow (Joe Tulips Quilts). That's me looking dorky but happy.

Sorry for the poor photo quality. This is my cousin, Beth, with the quilt she designed. It was made by her group, Make It Modern.

Salvaging Selvages by Alice Weickett. I got into the bad habit of saving selvages, also. I took this photo out of my interest in how people use selvages. I haven't done anything too interesting with them lately.

A group (I don't remember who) made quilts based on idioms. They were a lot of fun and very clever. I only have this one to show you: Read Between the Lines.

a cool 3-D one called Mountains and Valleys by Jackie Gaskins

My cousin and I visited two quilt shops outside of the vendors and the show. One is quite a drive out of town (Duluth) on a farm. We had fun there, but learned that the shop is closing in July. The other was a shop I'd never heard of before, Creations, in the city of Duluth; also a fun place, and we found some good sales there.

Next year's Minnesota Quilt Show will be the 40th annual show and will be in St. Cloud, June 14-16, 2018. See you there?

Rosalie Dace!

We were lucky to get Rosalie Dace to come to our guild and do two classes and two lectures. I am not taking her classes, but I attended one lecture last night and will do another one later this week. Rosalie Dace is from South Africa, so getting her to Minneapolis was quite a coup. She stopped here on her way from Point A to Point C; we became Point B. Lucky us!

Some of her works are on display at the Textile Center in Minneapolis.

I took the first couple photos before I decided I should also photograph her description of the work.

This one, below, is my favorite. I believe the inspiration is relating to voting. In many countries they vote by writing an X on a piece of paper. I believe that's what this represents.

This one is in the classroom and didn't have a statement with it. I think it's a sample for teaching purposes. After this follows a group of photos of students' work after one day of a two-day class. So interesting! I wish I had taken this class. (I guess I only photographed two student works; I thought I'd captured more than that.)

Next I show you some pictures I took of her slides. The first is the oldest known surviving pair of pants on earth. These were made in China about 3,000 years ago.

This is an example of the Tent Makers of Egypt's work. They do all this by hand! It's hand applique, and it's all made by men. She says they are coming to the USA this year (or next year)? I shall have to do a search and see if I can see their work in person!

The next one is a student's quilt; the student died shortly after taking Dace's class; she shows it to honor her student. And, of course, because it's lovely.

Then there are examples of work done by various groups. I can't remember who they all are/were. The third one down is made of.... can you guess? Not fabric. It's made from beer bottle caps (or some part of a beer container that the maker collects and has kids gather for her.. they're pieces of metal).

Can you guess what this one is made from? Rosalie just loves this one. She is in awe of it. The maker is unknown! She attributes it to a woman, but who knows? It probably was; it currently hangs in someone's office in a ... museum or something? I can't recall, but the piece is well loved and well regarded by them. Look below the picture where I tell you what it's made of.

It is made of safety pins! Thousands of them!

This one recently won "Best of Show" at a quilt show in New Zealand. Rosalie was one of the judges. She said some people were shocked that a piece based on graffiti would win. But.. it's based on a cultural phenomenon that is becoming not just graffiti but art, and the piece is technically superior, she said. And anyway, why not??

These slides are of Rosalie's own work. Most of them are the piece and then a detail, either beside the piece or in the next photo.

This is Rosalie Dace herself. She is interesting and entertaining, though she kept hoping we weren't falling asleep - heavens! We were enthralled! If nothing else, her accent is so cute. I look forward to attending her next lecture in a couple days.