Garden Favorites

I'm really into spring. The colors of the garden, the blossoms on the fruit trees, the sounds of the birds; however, it's the yard work that throws me into a tizzy. Winters are long, (or so they seem) and I can never really clean up all the leaves that fall before the first snow. So, that makes quite a bit to do in the early days of spring. Raking, hauling manure to fertilize the gardens, trimming the bushes and cleaning up the outdoor furniture tends to become an endless chore. I want to go out to the garden centers and pick up my annuals but I know that tender plants are so susceptible to a frost that I must wait until at least May 15 before planting. In my younger years I would head to the garden center at the first signs of warm weather. Now, being a bit older, perhaps wiser also, I know that I must be patient.
I do have some color in the garden now with my beautiful hyacinths. They are scattered around the yard and provide that much needed beauty of spring that I so crave. So, patient I will be, and continue the yard cleanup with thoughts of sunshine and warm and sunny days.

More pics from IQA Chicago

The above are some of pictures of quilts I took at the IQA show in Chicago. Though I took over 60 pictures of different quilts , these three quilts are my favorites. The first one is Fatal Attraction by Sandy Curran; the second is Turbulence by Diane Firth (can you believe each of those strips were torn then sewn to create the concentric circles); and the bottom quilt is Twilight Dance by Charla R. Gee ( love the colors of this quilt). I also enjoyed the SAQA exhibit of quilts but they were off limits to photograph. As I review the pictures of these truly superb quilts I marvel at the artist's techniques and their attention to detail and choice of colors.

When telling the uninformed about my trip to see quilts at an international venue such at IQA, many vision the quilts their grandmothers and great grandmothers made. When I show them my pictures they are left speechless. I do love the traditional quilts and many traditional patterns, but my heart leaps when I see these quilts; contemporary, artistic, and innovative. Traditional quilts may warm the bed at night, but these artistic wonders warm my heart.

IQA Classes

While attending the IQA show I was fortunate to take two wonderful classes from two very creative and innovative teachers. The first class involved making a purse from Tyvek. Yes, tyvek, the building material used by home builders to moisture proof a home during construction. The teacher, Tricia Spitzmueller, http://www.triciaspitzmueller.com showed us varied artistic uses for this material and how much fun it was to experiment with this recyclable . The first picture above shows the sample purse. It is fun, durable, and so light weight, it's hard to believe you are even carrying it around. Thanks Tricia, I really enjoyed your class.

The class on Friday was presented by Lisa Engelbrecht http://lisaengelbrecht.com

a master at calligraphy. Even though it may take years before I perfect my skills with ink pen and paper practicing this art, she made the class fun. I personally think she was extremely generous with letting us use different types of pens, inks, paints, stamps, and other creative materials. The second picture is a project done by Lisa which appeared in Quilting Arts Magazine. I know I will have fun continuing my practice on canvas of using inks and paints. She has a DVD which can be purchased at her above listed website.

Attending classes at this IQA show is exhausting but nevertheless it gives you a chance to try things you may never have tried before, and with the help of teachers as listed above, it is always a delightful experience

Chicago Memories

I'm finally back to somewhat "normal" after a whirlwind 4 days at the IQA show at Rosemont, near Chicago. It will be difficult to fit in all my memories in one blog but I will attempt to start out by saying that it was exhausting but I had a great time.

One of the events I attended was the Bernina Fashion Show luncheon. This is one of the entries of the show called A Snowflake's Journey by

Donna M. Brown. It was gorgeous; a wool cape embellished with wool fibers and a silk sheath overlaid with machine embroidered lace and Swarovski crystals. It literally takes your breath away. There were over 43 garments in the show each as beautiful as this one. However, this was not the only fashion show I attended while at the Quilt Show. On Thursday, I went to the Surviving Project Runway luncheon sponsored by Cloth Paper Scissors and Quilting Arts Magazines. If you have ever watched Project Runway on Bravo you can just imagine what fun I had being a participant in the afternoon shenanigans that followed the luncheon. I don't want to give too much away, but if you have the chance to attend the luncheon at the IQA Longbeach Show, please do not hesitate. I never laughed so much in my life. In my next blog I tell you about the classes I took from some very good and patient teachers.

Chicago, my kind of town

Leaving today for a trip to the International Quilt Show at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. I've been looking forward to this trip for quite some time. IQA puts on a fantastic show in the windy city with over 800 quilts on display and 400 vendors setting up shop. It's a mini version of their big show that takes place yearly in Houston in October. It's a chance to see traditional and art quilts in one venue and it offers the a chance to take classes with famous teachers well versed in varied aspects of quilting. The wealth of information is staggering. At this show, as in Houston, the very gracious, Karey Bresenhan, hosts a get together with SAQA and quiltart members which includes the traditional tiara parade. Meeting with other art quilters at this get together is the highlight of the trip for me. My mind explodes with ideas by just talking with this very talented people. Of course, I do also enjoy the shopping at the vendors on the convention floor. I guess you could say "Chicago is my kind of town".

The Library Ladies

Every Monday a group of quilters meet at my local library. We range in ages from 50? to 85. Though we differ in our choices of quilting, fabric selection, and techniques, the things we have in common are community support and a love of quilting. We share ideas, family news, and offer a hug to one another in trying times. Each of us brings something different to our Monday get-togethers. On the first Monday of each month we have a potluck lunch and the food is delicious.

Once a year our group is asked to display quilts and other quilting memorabilia in the main library and display cases. This year my faithful quilting companion, Charlie the chicken, is making his debut at the library show.