Noble Seasons: Winter in progress



I've been working hard on my Noble Seasons Winter quilt, with both machine quilting and hand embroidery.



Another peek.

I'm excited because I just found out that all four seasons of quilts will be showing at the Mancuso quilt festival in New Jersey in March 2012! They will also be at the Mancuso World Quilt Festival in Pennsylvania later in the year. I'll report more details when they become available. The Winter quilts will debut at Road to California in January 2012.

While I'm at it, here is my holiday ball, finished. Or do you think it needs embellishment?

It's rather large, almost like a soccer ball, so I'm inclined to keep it as is. I'm hoping that the people in my ornament exchange group don't read this blog. If they do, sorry about that!

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead to upcoming events. I can't wait to go to the Long Beach Quilt Festival, which begins later this week. I'm there Thursday-Saturday. I'm taking a gelatin monoprint class from Pokey Bolton on Thursday. I'm docenting at the "Space Between" exhibit on Friday - look for my quilt there, too. It's called "Between the Air Conditioner and the House," and it features my desert tortoise, Gramps. Quilt detail shown below. Then I'm going to the SAQA/Art Quilt List reception on Friday evening.

Hope to see you in Long Beach!

The AAQI auction is coming up in early August, with my "Gaps" quilt in it. I have all the info in a recent post.

I am also teaching two more classes at Flying Geese Fabrics. On Saturday, August 6th from 1:30 to 5, I'm teaching how to make my flannel baby ball. If flannel and baby toys aren't your thing, I can teach you how to make any style ball that floats your boat. Here's a photo of the one I made for my grandchild:

Then on August 18th I'm teaching my Holiday Cookie Stocking. You can make individual cookie ornaments with the same pattern, so I can teach them, too. This is on a Thursday, from 3 to 7.

If these classes interest you, you can call Flying Geese Fabrics in Tustin at 714-544-9349 and say, "Sign me up!"

what I've been up to lately

I've been busy doing a variety of things. I still have to finish the face of my summertime cat, seen in previous posts.  And I'm also working on something for an ornament exchange. Here it is so far. This is what I do in the evenings in front of the tube - handwork!

I'm putting beads on all the ornaments to look like sprinkles. I made Christmas tree cookie ornaments for my very first ornament exchange, just like the one on the stocking.

I also made some jam, of all things. It's my first experience, and I found out how much work it was! I made strawberry-rhubarb jam with homegrown strawberry guava juice. It only made six jars, and one of them didn't seal so we have to keep that one in the fridge and use it up. :-) Hmmm, I think it would taste good on cornbread. Maybe I'll make some for tomorrow night.

I'm also working on a jacket. Half of the squares are recycled from an ugly old peach-colored jacket. The jacket was silk - I dyed both the silk and the inner acetate lining, first with Koolaid and then with Jacquard silk paints. I also did some stamping on them. The color turned out better than the photos. I was amazed at how pretty the acetate lining colors turned out.

 The photos show the unfinished shell, and I'll add a red lining and a big arty button. I'm thinking of making a button from a rusty old flattened bottle cap! I'll put a cork backing on it, so it's not so thin. Notice I kept some details from the jacket, such as buttons from a cuff. Elsewhere there are buttonholes and a tag sewn into the lining fabric. I'm having fun with this project!