Ode to Volunteers

One of the joys of speaking at Guilds around the country is finding little pearls of wisdom and ideas that everyone could enjoy. This piece of clever poetry was read at the Camarillo Guild a few weeks back to warm review. Carol Wharmby shared this with me so that you might get kick out of it. The author is unknown... but what a gift!

VOLUNTEERS:
Many will be shocked to find
When the day of judgment nears
That there's a special place in heaven
Set aside for volunteers.
Furnished with big recliners,
Satin couches and footstools,
Where there's no committee chairman,
No eager team that needs a coach,
No Bazaar, and no bake sale
There will be nothing to staple,
No one thing to fold or mail.
Telephone lists will be outlawed.
BUT a finger snap will bring
Cool drinks and gourmet dinners,
And rare treats fit for a king.
You ask, "Who'll serve these priviledged few?"
And work for all their worth?
Why, all those who reaped the benefits
but did not volunteer on earth.

How Much Quilting do ya need?

Well, that sure is a question? The truth is ofcourse it depends. I must admit I have a tendency to use the image underneath as the start for my quilting which at times translates to I quilt a bit on the heavy side. Some of us just don't know when to quit ;-(
A heavily quilted quilt can quickly become more of a thread painting. Frankly I enjoy thread painted pieces but painted surfaces don't have to become a thread painting.
I was looking at this piece done a while back though.... and I didn't over do it so it seemed a worthwhile posting. This simple portrait called Water For Life ( part of a "water" element exhibit) just needed some quilt securing to keep the message simple. I was at a loss for how to quilt the background.... so I let flowing water hit the shower door and watched how water drizzled down the glass door changing directions while ever moving downward. Right now, I bet you are thinking this girl needs to get a life!!!! I imitated that downward dripping pattern in my quilting. The rest of the quilting was fairly simple.... securing facial features with invisible thread.... outlining folds on the boys jacket, some admitted fun with thread in the boys hair... and that's pretty much it. By the way... this piece is also titled "Surely Redfords Kid", after my long lost love, never before met... Robert Redford. That man has INCREDIBLE hair! Click on upper photo for quilting detail.

Machine Quilting magazine article is out!

Wow... I spent most of the Christmas holidays writing an article titled THREAD: The Linear Paint! It now in print in the Spring issue of Machine Quilting Unlimited. I LOVE this magazine which is specifically targeted at those that do the quilting on finished tops. If you quilt, and are unfamiliar with this magazine, you might check them out at http://www.mqumag.com. They are a subscription only magazine with beautiful photo quality and (I think)informative articles. I did a several page spread on how one 'might' use complements to spruce up or tone down areas of a quilt top. Posted here is a snippet of the article. Contact mqumag.com for past issues and subscriptions.

Great Fun With Arapahoe Quilters

Just home from Englewood, Colorado following a whirlwind FUN visit with a wonderful 360+ member quilt guild in the heart of the Denver area. What an incredibly helpful organized board and volunteer staff. Thanks too to Jukeboxquilts.com for bringing and offering some training products and supplies, and congratulations to Jukebox owner Kelly Galleghar Abbott who will be the featured artist at the Denver Mancuso Quiltfest show in late April.

I'm so impressed with the volume and quality of this guilds philantrophy efforts. God Bless you for being God's light in the world.

THANK YOU for the great time at last nights lecture and the array of Q and A segment questions. I hope I get a chance to go back someday. Click on photo for a closeup. To those waving in the back row.... I'm waving back right now! Really!!!
Does everybody look happy here????

You Must Be "Croaking" froggie eyes!

The transparent inks I like and use are soooo versatile. In this lil project, we are creating eye balls for the 18 sightless frogs found in this pieced and appliqued Java House Quilt Pattern. Friend Phyllis Reddish was less than thrilled with the suggested pattern instructions for creating froggie eyeballs so I created eyeball sets using bottled inks and markers. Now for Phyllis to match eyeball sets to individual froggies and applique them on her quilt top. This will be one cute quilt. "Click on photos for closeup.

What does this girl do with her time?

Don't ya sometimes wonder where your time goes?... why more projects don't get started?, or worse finished? I have a finished project that didn't feel completely finished. I started thinking about my friendship group and the lovely gift they gave me for my birthday (a tablerunner with 'cakes' at either end and flanked along each side with fabric presents (each made by a different member). I want to always remember who made what present. What better way than to place a name tag on each gift. Whaddaya think? Anyway.. all ten tags are done and can be added to presents as displayed. These were really quite simple to do.... just printed the names on fabric, fused the names to a 'tag fabric, placed fusing on the back of tag fabric and doubled fabric over (wrong sides together with fusing in between and pressed to make the tag slightly more rigid. An edge snip of the fold over edge to shape like a tag. Then a metallica needle into the machine, metallic thread top and bobbin, and a simple satin stitch around loose edges.Slow stitching kept any threads from breaking.. yeah!

A Frat House Crest

The Sigma Alpha Epsilson Fraternity long ago adopted this crest as their iconic symbol. When a friends hubby wished to honor a frat brother with a 'Fraternity Quilt', his wife came to me to 'ink' the crest. It was a heck of a lot easier than applique for certain. I inked this 20" x 30" image on a cream colored sateen which admittedly soaked up ink like crazy but also produced a nice even finish color. Click on the photo for a closeup view. It's heat set and done, and will be off to my friend Laurie Lyon to incorporate the crest panel into the gift quilt.