More Quilts

I wish I was a better photographer, with fancy lighting etc.… But here are more quilts. Enjoy.














All the little dots on this quilt, which won a prize,are appliqued. Truly amazing.






And Oh look this is my creation. It is from the Celebrate Spring collection. It was in the way far back on the back wall and I am shocked anyone found it or saw it at all. But many people came in the booth and told me how much they liked it. Yea.






This is by my good  friend Pat Kroth from Wisconsin.






Love Love Love this quilt. 




Have a great week end. I am going to clean my car, man does it need it, and pack for my next trip.
Happy Quilting!!

Some quilts you might not see–from Houston

I like to take pictures of quilts that really catch my attention when I go to the quilt shows.

Many of these are not prize winners but are certainly winners because they have made it to the “show.”

Here are some of the ones that caught my eye.

This quilt was made from blue jeans. I just loved it.

I am very interested in how we are going to start representing the new wind turbines that are beginning to dot our landscapes.

I really love quilts with houses in them.

I love it when friends win awards. Barbara Hartman is my friend.

So is Suzanne Marshall. Both so talented.

I’ll post a few more next time.

Working the stitch

I will demo machine quilting in the Fairfield booth #936 tomorrow from 11:30 – 12 noon. 

Be sure and stop, and if you are not in Houston with the rest of us enjoy this little video.

Machine Quilting

Hope to see you there. Be happy and remember  - “Where ever you go there you are.” 

I just read this blog post on Fear by photographer David duChemin and I thought of how much it applies to all of us.

Things to keep in mind

Fairfield Booth 936 ARTFABRIK/FRIESYLE Booth 839
International Quilt Festival
Houston Texas
October 31 to November 4

I was thinking about all the things that help me while I am machine quilting that I want to tell people when they are standing there watching me demo.



Here is my list so far:

• Wash your backing fabric before using and while you are ironing it use some spray starch or spray sizing on the back to make it slide easier as you quilt it
• Use a super slider on your quilting surface to also help the quilt move easier as you quilt it
• Spray your quilting table with Pledge and rub it down to also keep the surface slickier
• Use some Neutrogena Hand Cream on your hands to keep your fingers tacky, this won’t effect your fabric and you won’t have to wear gloves AND it will make your hands so nice and smooth - put a little on those elbows too, they get so ugly looking.
• Make a test sandwich of the same fabrics as your quilt and then warm up on it first
• This also lets you test your thread tension before you start your quilting
• Always start with a new needle that is appropriate for the type of thread you are using
• Match your bobbin thread and top thread in color to help avoid any tension issues, it doesn’t matter what color your backing fabric is
• Clean your bobbin area on your sewing machine before you start any new project
• Listen to classical music or a book on tape. This is way better than the radio or TV AND not too loud.
• Pre-wind bobbins so when you run out you can just pop one in

• Start your projects in the middle and work out
• This keeps the backing fabric always moving outward and helps avoid any puckering on the back of your quilt
• Do easy quilting designs first then when you tackle something a little more challenging you will be warmed up and looser

Quilting should be fun not a chore.

If you are going to do some quilting today think about this list and see if any of these ideas will help you be happy in your quilting.

If your not having fun don’t do it!!

Happy Quilting