Quilters Unlimited Show and a Challenge

Quilters Unlimited Guild had their annual show this year.  It was a little bit of a transition from what we have been used to...different building...different show set-up...new vendors...missing long-tme vendors, long lines.  But the quilts were beautiful and we enjoyed the camaraderie.  I always enjoy seeing my quilting friends and it was especially nice to see Linda (eatsleepquilt.blogspot.com).  My friend Wendy and I spent the morning and a better part of the afternoon at the show and we were both exhausted by the time we left.  I did have a chance to take a few photos of some of my favorites from the show to share...

I love all quilts with half-square triangles.  The picture does not do it justice.

There were many New York Beauty and Cinco de Mayo quilts. 

This one was a real beauty.

Finally, I thought I would stretch a little and participate in a challenge by a well-known quilt lecturer and designer. Here is a picture of the first block...I will share more after the June 30th deadline for the challenge.

More to follow soon...



An Evening with Karen K. Stone & UFOs

Karen K. Stone was in town last Wednesday for a trunk show/lecture and 2-day Clamshell Quilt workshop for my guild.  As a beginner quilter, Karen's work peaked my interests, especially her Cinco de Mayo and New York Beauty quilts.  Her trunk show was impressive and her slide presentation was entertaining and fun.  I love her use of color and the randomness of her designs.  I took her New York Beauty class sometime ago and unfortunately I didn't get very far.  It was my first foray into paper piecing, so the finished block leaves a lot to be desired, but I have since made progress with the paper piecing skills.  So I will dig through the UFO pile soon and finish it one day. 

Speaking of UFOs, the pile is steadily growing.  Not necessarily unfinished blocks, but I have a lot of tops  that need to be quilted and/or the binding put on.  I am trying to work through them, but it has become a bit overwhelming.  But I press on.  Below are a few pictures of Karen's clamshell quilt (lots of color and texture) and a reposting of the wonky NY Beauty block from her pattern. It is not listed on my works in progress list because I have vowed not to add another quilt until I complete something and remove it from the list.  Somebody pinch me (virtually) if I fail to keep to this promise!

P.S.  I did not take the Clamshell class because I also vowed absolutely not to take another class for one specific quilt unless there is some awesome technique that I just have to learn...pinch me again!

New York Sunrise/Quilt Odyssey Show in Hershey, PA

It has been so hot here, that I stayed in and was finally able to complete the New York Beauty wall hanging top.  I am re-naming it NY Sunrise.  It was all paper pieced except the pie-shape, so it was a little bit of a challenge, but I am becoming more comfortable with the process.  I am going to machine quilt it with a simple design.  The fabric and pattern speak for themselves.  I found a great batik backing with purples, oranges and a little green.  It should make a nice accent.  Now it is back to the double wedding ring and ocean waves tops.

I did take a little time to drive up to Hershey, PA on Saturday to go to the Quilt Odyssey show. It is only a 2-1/2 hour drive.  My daughter and granddaughter went to chocolate world and I went to the show. They gave out samples at chocolate world.  My granddaughter is 2 years old.  You get the picture...my daughter looked like box of chocolates exploded all over her clothes. :0)   It is a nice show, not too big and just enough vendors.  This time I had my camera with me, but forgot to check for a memory card and the memory became full after 3 photos.  But the quilts were gorgeous.  I will post in a few days.