Where has the time gone?

It's been crazy around here and I just realized I haven't blogged in 2 weeks!  

I haven't had much time for quilting, since I've re-entered the work world full time.  But I did manage to get in a full day workshop with Aniko Feher a few weeks back and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Aniko not only has terrific techniques for making an incredible looking portrait, but her sense of humor about life and quilting entertained me the whole day.

Everyone worked on the same portrait of a girl named "Nadiia" that stayed with Aniko for a while. 

I've done a portrait of Toby, my aussie, but my method took tons more time.  Aniko's method is just about bullet proof.  I have to try it out on a photo of someone I actually know!!  haha.

I did, just tonight, finish quilting the "S" quilt.  I underestimated the amount of quilting time I had left, but I'm thinking it was about 10 hours all together.  Not too bad for a 76" x 86" quilt, done on my domestic machine.  I used YLI trilobal polyester and it quilted up like butter!  I highly recommend stepping out of the "cotton thread only" mindset and try some different threads.  I also love Robison Anton thread.  Both brands are 40 weight and work well, in my Juki, with a size 90 or 100 needle.

Keep quilting!

Dogwood Panel is Finished!

Well, here it is.  I finished the dogwood panel that will be part of the Blue Ridge Parkway's 75th Anniversary Commemorative Quilt. 

I really enjoyed making the panel.  It measures 36 x 16.  I used my own hand-dyed fabrics and chose invisible machine applique as the technique.  For the thread play I tried and LOVED YLI Variations, a 35 wt trilobal polyester.  It has a wonderful sparkle to it and quilted up beautifully.  I almost put a green/yellow fabric in the center of each one, but instead decided to jazz it up a bit with # 8 and # 11 seed beads.  My friend Elaine showed me the moss stitch which I used in clusters in the center of each dogwood.


I unveiled it at yesterday's board meeting of the guild to many oohs and ahhs.  That was awesome!  As this was my first time participating in a group quilt project, I was so nervous my work wouldn't be up to par with everyone else's...  You really wouldn't believe how much stress I had over this.  And for what? 


Now I'm ready to start dyeing fabric for the quilt I've designed for the big quilt show in Asheville this summer.  It's going to be held at the NC Arboretum, a beautiful 434-acre sanctuary in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest inside the Pisgah National Forest and a short distance from the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I'll keep you posted!!