I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner!

Quilt Festival officially opens today!!!!

More quilts

Last night my good friend Laura Wasilowski own a third place in a new catagory called small art quilts for her quilt "Housing Department #7" YAA Laura. Kathy York won a second place in the same catagory. I had to miss the awards ceremony to have dinner with a group of women who run a retreat in Texas called Quilting Adventures. I will be teaching for them next fall. We had fun at dinner, but I missed yelling for Laura and Kathy at the ceremony.
Lots of people have arrived now for Festival, which opens tonight. The VIP advance sneak preview starts at 5 and then the regular advance people can come in at 7. The floor will be open until 10 p.m. We will be silly from lack of sleep and probably dancing in the isle's by 9:30, so be sure and stop by for alittle silly fun.

Quilts that caught my eye

Well, Quilt Market is over and we have a break for a day. Laura is doing the books as we speak. I started to walk the floor and view the quilts at the quilt show and I thought I would try to post the ones that I took pictures of. There is no rhyme or reason to why I like a quilt and so I just take pictures of anything that catches my eye. I learned at the Birmingham show in England that if I took a photo of the place card as well I would always know who made the quilt. I am terrible with names!

Rachel is in PAQA with me and I love her work. It is beautifully meticulous. She has several quilts in the show, but of course this orchid with all the colors was my favorite. We are going to go to the Contemporay Craft center to see the exhibit there. It is a wonderful space with a nice little gift shop and hopefully a great exhibit. I will post pictures if I can.

Great discovery, we realized that if we go downstairs and get on line in the lobby of this hotel and pick up the free wifi, it will stay connected when we come up to the room if we don't shut down the computer. We are going to leave the computer on all day, so we have wifi in the room. Tricky huh
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Market

Market at Houston has been a whirl wind. Laura and I arrived and set up the booth for Market on Thursday. We hung the quilts just like for Festival and then laid out our patterns for Market.
Then we went and set up our power point for something called School House. This is were you promote your products to any attendees who want to hear about you. We were sandwiched inbetween Ricky Tims and Mark Lipinski, so of course we had a great turn out!!
Then we had to take all the patterns and pack them up for something called Sample Spree. Anyone who is registered for market and pays a fee (Ithink) can come into the large ball room and BUY single itmes from the vendors. It was a mad house and we sold a lot of patterns. It is from 8-10 p.m. BUT then we had to go back to the booth the next morning and reset up all the patterns. I was exhausted before we even opened the booth. But business has been brisk.
We have however been doing very well and hopefully many of you will begin to see our patterns in a store near you.
We are also visiting with lots of friends who are here before Festival begins. I don't have my cord to load pictures, but hopefully I will tomorrow morning. I have to go to the lobby to get on line.
More to come, stay tuned.

Houston Booth 1225

We are off to Houston. Laura and I are doing our first Market Booth - Chicago School of Fusing Pattern Works. Booth 1225

Then we do the Festival Booth - ARTFABRIK booth 1225.
Stop by and see us !!

Student work

I always love to show my students work. It is such a joy to me that I get to "turn on the light bulb" when it comes to fusing, and know that people are having fun and being creative. Edenau from my classes at the Georgia Quilt show in Duluth GA, just sent me her finished top from the SunSet Pines class. I think it turned out great.

And these are little post card versions of my Season's Quilts from a Quilting Arts article.
Hello Frieda. I was a student during your recent trip to Dallas. I took your Saturday class and I had a wonderful time. I have always been a 'kinda sorta' girl in most things, except when it comes to quilting - then I get all precise and stuff. Your class helped me loosen up. Now I can use that yard of fabric I bought at last year's quilt show in Houston.
Again, thanks for a fun class.

Off to warmer clim's

I'm off for a week to warmer weather, even though we have been having beautiful Indian Summer weather here in Chicagoland. I am teaching at the Georgia Quilt Show in Atlanta GA, but before that I will be at the Cotton Patch Quilt Guild in Athens GA, teaching "Laughing Leaves" a very popular class this year. From Atlanta I go to New Braunfels Area Quilt Guild in New Braunfels TX. Again teaching "Laughing Leaves". It's great that quilters are interested in being free form and experimental. I'm glad to see the community branching out. :)

Laura's new blog

Laura has a new blog, check it out. She had one for like two days and quit because it was not fun, but blogger has changed and it is a lot easier to handle now so she is trying again, and I know she will have fun and funny stuff on her blog, you won't want to miss it! She is so silly.

Here we are the original Chicago School of Fusing gang. All bloggers again. From left to right, Emily Parson, Frieda, Melody Johnson, Laura Wasilowski and Anne Lullie. What a group. We miss you Mel. :(
And of course Judy Perez is a member now and has a fabulous blog.

Winners

Laura heard from Houston that a little quilt she entered in the miniature section has won an award!!

And Anne Lullie heard from AQS that the quilt she entered in the new AQS Iowa show also won an award!!
It is always good to know that your friends are winners. Congratulations to both. :)

Jordon River Arts Council

I had a fabulous time up north at the Jordan River Arts Council workshops for Rare Threads on the Fringe!
To begin with it was a gorgeous time of year to drive north. I took lots of foliage pictures on the way up and again on the way home, as color had changed in a matter of days. The area is really lovely. The library in Charlevioux where the classes were held is state of the art. It was the best room I have ever taught in anywhere. There was a projector in the ceiling that I hooked my computer to that immediately recognized my laptop and projected magnificently on a large drop down screen. The screen and the widow shades were all controlled by switches on the wall. Two of the four walls were pinnable with sliding panels that had white boards behind them. The huge floor to ceiling windows had duel shades one blocked the sun and then another set that were black out, all controlled by switches on the wall. They had plenty of tables that just wheeled out and set up like a breeze. The kitchen and bathrooms were right off of the room were we were AND there were electrical outlets in the floor to accommodate all the participants. It was class room heaven! Besides being new and clean and bright and lovely.

Secondly I had a great group of innovative women who wanted to try new things and do innovative art.

And thirdly I had a hostess with the most est. She feed me good food and showed me a good time. Fun was had by all.

Jordan River Arts Council

I'm headed up to the Jordan Rivers Art Council in East Jordan, MI for two days of classes. What a beautiful weekend to be going up north. I should see gorgeous color changes. We are going to do a day and a half workshop called "Strip Series", finding your own personal quilt block. And a half day workshop on "Laughing Leaves" a fused art quilt. If your in the area come by and check it out.

Houston Quilt Market

Purple Coneflowers as Daisies

Poppies in batik

Tiny Dandelions in silk

Duluth Trees in Batik

I have been so busy the last couple of weeks getting ready for Houston. Laura Wasilowski and I decided to do the wholesale end of the quilting show this year. We will be wholesaling our patterns under the joint name of "The Chicago School of Fusing Pattern Works" .
What a big undertaking this has been, but we are excited and looking forward to the show. Please stop by and see us in Booth 1225 and get a free Chicago School of Fusing Tattoo!!
In preparation for the wholesale booth I have been remaking many of my patterns in batiks to help quilt shop owners see all the possibilities - here are just a few examples.