Applique with Karen Kay Buckley!

One of the classes I took last week at Quilt Festival was "Garden Medley Applique," taught by Karen Kay Buckley. I have been a huge fan of her work and her glorious Perfect Circles for quite some time, so it was a super treat to actually take a class with her. And it was a great class! I came out feeling so inspired and confident with some great new techniques.

Our class project was a little flower.

We didn't have enough time to really make a lot of progress on it, but we did have the opportunity to practice the various techniques required to complete it, with the main focus on preparing the applique pieces.

While I still love me some needleturn applique, there are times when I want to have stronger consistency in the look of my applique from piece to piece. Her method, using heat-resistant template material and starch, really results in crisp, consistent pieces that also make the actual applique part of the process a breeze.

I'm so excited about really applying what I've learned that I've dug out a kit I bought back in 2008 from SewBatik for the "Blooms All Around" quilt (a pattern by The Rabbit Factory).

All of those flowers in the border offer a great opportunity to really put all of the techniques she shared to work, including marking placement, using Perfect Stems, preparing curved shapes, and getting consistent pointy-points (which has always been my applique nemesis!).

My fabric is ready to go and my templates are made, so I'm gonna start prepping some applique fun!!!

Quilt Fest: a little bit of eye candy!

Mikki and I spent a good five hours last Friday wandering through exhibits and vendors at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, just taking it all in (we spent a few hours on other days too... but the bulk was on Friday). Though I had my camera, I didn't take too many pictures (and that was only partly because I was chastised for taking a picture in a no-photo zone... oops!-- but I deleted that one right away). There is just so much to look at that pictures tend to be an afterthought. And it is often very crowded, so getting a decent shot can be very challenging. But I do have a little bit of eye candy to share (I've also included the artist information in each photo):


Bouquet by Keiko Morihiro-- all those tiny little bricks in the border? Each and every one was hand appliqued. Gorgeous, meticulous work. Truly.


An Unexpected Pleasure by Nancy Arseneault-- not sure what to do with those orphan blocks you have laying about? Well, this quilter found inspiration in many places and then took hers to the next level. Gorgeous!


Happy Birthday by Harumi Asada-- sappy mama that I am, this quilt actually brought tears to my eyes. Such a beautiful tribute to her granddaughter (I just love how the quilter integrated the photos through the design). And look-- there's Mikki! Hi, Mikki!


Alpha Quilt by Becky A. Grover-- how fun is this quilt? I just love the quilting in this. Such an awesome idea and beautifully executed.


B.S. I Love You by Janet Stone-- the look of this quilt really appealed to me. The applique is gorgeous. And that checkered background? Pieced. Lots and lots of little squares. Totally awesome.


Portland Reflection by Gay Ousley-- this is one I could just look at all day. Peaceful, harmonious, beautiful... I love it.

Sometimes we were in awe, sometimes we felt woefully inadequate-- but at all times, we were inspired. It was fabulous! We didn't see everything, but I think we both felt like we got a great view of much of what was available. And, best of all, I got to reconnect with my friend. It was an awesome adventure.

Escape to Quilt Festival!

Because of my wonderful friend Mikki (who proposed the adventure) and my incredibly wonderful husband (who willingly took three days off from work to watch the boys), I had the opportunity to attend the annual International Quilt Festival in Houston. Holy cow!!! How insanely lucky am I???

I arrived in Houston on Wednesday afternoon, just in time for a few Mexican Martinis with Mikki followed by Preview Night (when class enrollees are allowed a sneak peek at festival exhibits and shopping before it is open to the public).

Our self portrait:


On Thursday, I attended two classes. The morning class was "A Fine Line: Creating the Quilting Design" with Melody Crust. It was kind of a brainstorming class wherein participants hung their quilts on the wall and Melody led discussion on quilting options and various design considerations. I'm kind of kicking myself that I didn't have a top to hang too! (But I opted to have a less full suitcase that I could fill with goodies on the way home.) Then in the afternoon I attended another class with Melody, "Borders: The Final Chapter." It was another collaborative discussion class where people brought their projects and Melody led discussion on border options and considerations. Again, it was a great class (and, again, I was kicking myself for not having a top to hang on the wall!). Having those real-life examples and hearing so many perspectives was great for fueling my own creativity. It is funny-- I kind of justified the classes I took with the thought that Festival would allow me to take classes with teachers who I would never otherwise have an opportunity to see. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the teacher for both classes happens to be from Seattle. Ha! Still, I'm so glad I had the chance to take them, because they really were great. After classes ended on Thursday, we only had a couple of hours to wander around Festival-- but we took full advantage of it!


My last class was on Friday morning, "Wool Felt Applique" with Cynthia Regone. It was AWESOME! All of my questions about working with wool (and wool felt) were answered, the class included a super cute project, and it was just plain fun. Immediately after class, I went downstairs and bought some wool. And a few other things as well...


I didn't go too crazy-- some fun patterns, some gorgeous wool and wool felt, a new thimble. My biggest splurge was on those cones of King Tut thread (I love quilting with that stuff!).

There were also many amazing quilt exhibits. This post is getting long, so I'll share those tomorrow to split it up a little. Suffice it to say, there was an overwhelming amount of eye candy.

On Saturday morning I returned home to my boys. Homecoming is a lovely thing. I think we were all very happy to see one another!

Quilt Festival: Shopping

It would be very difficult to come out of the International Quilt Festival without buying at least something. For me, I don't think it is even in the realm of possibility. The shopping options are just beyond belief... hundreds of different booths offer everything a quilter could desire. Check out Anina's photos... they'll kind of give you an idea of the scale involved.

In any case, of course I came back with some quilty booty:


The photo may not show it, but I exercised a lot of self restraint. Really!

I bought many patterns, mostly for baby/child quilts. They were way too cute to pass up and all were from designers/companies that were new to me. From Lee Brown I bought the cute applique kitty pattern (no Web site, but they're a British pattern company that offers many amazing and wonderful designs). Mary's Patterns had a very cute dinosaur quilt pattern I just had to have. Thimble Art offers really nifty dimensional quilt patterns that you really need to see in person to appreciate (I bought their dinosaur and jungle animal patterns). From Little Country Quilts I picked up a baby bib pattern with lots of cute applique options as well as a book, Quilts, Bibs, Blankies...Oh My!) with lots of wonderful nursery projects.

Really, only a little bit of fabric made it into the mix... unless you count my BIG splurge: a kit for the Playtime Quilt from American Jane Patterns. I saw this quilt online a few months ago, and have been pining for it ever since. When I saw it all packaged up and good to go in a spiffy kit, there was no hesitation: I immediately whipped out the charge card. My plan is to work on it over the course of a year like a block-of-the-month. I'm going to start in January (assuming I can wait that long!). And then there is the other kit I bought. But we won't talk about that one, because it is a secret surprise for someone special (shhhh!).

Also in the mix is a set of Micron Pigma Pens (which I have not been able to find anywhere locally) and a little fabric kit to make a Cynthia England pattern that I bought a few years ago (I am hoping the fabric kit will help motivate me to actually make it). Not pictured are the two thimbles and the wool batting I purchased. There you have it. Full disclosure!