Blogger's Quilt Festival 2014

"Spectral Chroma"

92" by 74"

Adapted from "Twisted Ribbon Sampler" by Brenda Henning

Longarm Quilted by Nell Coons

This is my entry for Amy's Creative Side's Blogger's Quilt Festival 2014.  I think it would be wonderful as a viewer's choice or ROYGBIV.  

I made the blocks as part of my first Thursday of the month piecer's group at Mill House Quilts a couple of years ago.  Last year, I finally finished sewing it all together and for the first time, I had a longarm quilter finish it.

 Nell Coons was a part of the piecer's group for as long as I was and I was regularly amazed by her longarm prowess.  Nearly every month, she brought in the finished quilts of group members and I longed for her to quilt one of mine.  I needed this one finished for Quilt Expo and she said, "No problem."

She was supposed to bring it to the meeting before the Expo entry deadline.  She called me the day before and said she wouldn't be coming to the meeting, but it was finished and I could come to her home and get it.

Nell was a long time breast cancer survivor.  Unfortunately, while she was in the middle of quilting my quilt, the cancer returned.  She still finished my quilt on time.  And I was thrilled with it.  Sadly, she passed away shortly after that and never got to see it hanging in any of the shows.  She was a wonderful person and I miss her terribly.  My life is far richer for having known her.  

 I used my own hand-dyes, some that I dyed especially for this project, and Laurel Burch fabrics.
It sat for the longest time with only the little orange border until I consulted with a friend and she helped me design the final border with EQ7.  I had cut the border fabric before I started making the blocks, but the quilt grew too big and my cut pieces wouldn't make it all the way around.  So the New York Beauty blocks took up the space and finished it nicely.

I don't have any pictures of the entire back, but here is a shot showing the block I didn't like well enough to put on the front.

My Quilts in Waunakee Show

Two of my quilts will be in the St John's Piecemakers Guild show.

The show is Friday and Saturday, October 25 and 26, at St John's School Gymnasium, 114 East Third Street, Waunakee, Wisconsin.  

It's the only Waunakee in the world!



"Spectral Chroma" will be there.

And so will the pelican.  This is probably the last show for the pelican.  It will be semi-retired after this because I may be selling it.

I have a special affinity for St. John's Piecemakers.  Not only have I become good friends with many of its members, I was the featured speaker at the September guild meeting.  Topic: Thread-painting.

Three Quilts at Quilt Expo

I know I'm a bit late in posting this, but real life keeps getting in the way of my cyberlife (and my artwork too, but that's another story.)  I had a bunch of posts mostly written before I went to California, but I never got all the photos off my DD's camera and didn't finish them.  Soon...


"Spectral Chroma" debuted at Quilt Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this month and here is a photo of it hanging in the show.

It's 92" by 74" and was beautifully longarm quilted by Nell Coons.  I added some more machine quilting and will probably add a little more before I'm finished.

The pelican was also juried into Quilt Expo and will be in one more show next month before I unofficially retire it.

This dragon was part of a special exhibit of the Sun Prairie challenge quilts.  I haven't seen it in a while -- it seems like I made it and dropped it off immediately.  It's been traveling the country and I've missed it.

I'll have another post soon about Quilt Expo, then it's on to other stuff.

Two Quilts Juried Into Quilt Expo!

Two of my quilts have been selected for Quilt Expo in Madison, Wisconsin on September 5 through 7, 2013.





Both the pelican and a new one titled "Spectral Chroma" were chosen.

I am going to share just a detail shot of "Spectral Chroma" for now and will have more pictures -- yes, of the entire thing -- later.