AHH THE SOUTH

Oh, the lovely hazy late afternoon of a South Carolina summer day - -

(nope, I'm not in California - am in SC to visit family at the beach...

Today I journeyed out to the lovely, charming town of Conway, South Carolina, founded in 1732, just up the river from Charleston. It's a town full of grand old Live Oak trees, dripping with Spanish Moss... a bustling down town, a charming RiverWalk... we had a little history, a little lunch, and a little bit of a - you guessed it - Quilt Shop !!!!

So now I'm back at Myrtle Beach, where I am enjoying not putting on work clothes, not being at the office by 8:00, not getting any 'emergency' calls, not working through a pile of papers... just sand, and sea, and fun - - going to a Pirate show tonight with the family children... fun!

(to all would-be robbers: DH is home with a gun and a big dog!!)

...... and Blogger is eating the photos - oh well...

Happy Quilting everyone,

Kate

A Little of This, A Little of That

Hello everybody - and a happy Thursday from San Francisco Bay... a beautiful cool, crisp summer day... and all is right with my world.
I have been happily sewing on several projects... The first one is - - OMG - it's a KIT !!!
Why did I buy a KIT???? Well, because I liked it, of course... I found it on ebay - and snapped it up to make a Christmas present for my sister..

My sister has one quilt of mine - a very old and very early utility quilt - just BIG four-patches... she borrowed it once and fell in love with the cool comfort of sleeping under 100% cotton - a joy we all know... Well, it's time she got some more 100% cotton, but a bit more lovely --- this still needs borders, and, oh yes, quilting... it's only June, after all..

I did a few blocks for the Sunshine block lottery - July is 'novelties', my favorite month - I buy this novelty stuff and then don't use it, so love digging it out... this has sharks on it... not often i need shark fabric!


Then there's "Quilts for kids" - one from my stash, made from Lotto blocks, actually...

and one from Quilt for Kids Fabrics - I love these colors... these just need washing and then are ready to mail...

So - I'm just as happy as a pig in mud...

and I'm gonna go 'waller' in it some more

Happy Summer Quilting,

Kate

Quilting Show AfterShock

HELLO HELLO - I'm just home from the National Quilting Association Show in Columbus, GA. I saw fabulous quilts, met some terrific ladies, and took a great two-day class on quilt judging. And, I had a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role of quilting in my life.

First, here is some eye candy for you. Oh my were these quilts fabulous. I love this little mini, sort of a quilt in a quilt...

And this next one is made of 12,000 hexagons... and what great color.

isn't the color in this next one, inspired by a mandala, fabulous??

this was my personal favorite - I swear I knew if I could just touch this quilt, that it would feel like real feathers!

So now, to the reflecting...

Going to a national show is a very humbling experience... you walk down aisles and aisles of quilts that are made at an unbelievable level of quality and artistry. You reflect a bit on the origins of quilting... and where it is today... and whether some of these works are quilts at all, or if they have gone over the boundary and are really tapestries. You imagine the incredible amount of time some of these works took to create...

And then you take a class in judging... and try as you might, it seems mostly about pointing out flaws - because, after all, that's how you eliminate the number down to the winners.

I discovered that I want to hug every quilt, not critique it... I want to talk about the incredible creative spirit, the choice of colors that reflects the quilter's passion...

And I discovered what I already knew a bit; that i'd rather sit and sew, flaws and all, than work so very carefully to achieve perfect points...

So - the class was wonderful - and now I am reflecting - reflecting on what I want quilting to be in my life - both now, and later when I retire...

It's all good...

And congratulations to all these fabulous quilters.

Kate

I'm Gonna Be Certifiable

Well - maybe I already AM certifiable in some ways... but I'm beginning to work on a new way! Tomorrow I am going to the NQA Quilt Show in Columbus, and I'm gonna take a two-day workshop on quilt judging... and then, sometime soon, I want to start the process of becoming a certified judge. (And, for any wannabe-thieves who are reading this, my bad-ass dear hubby will be home with a gun and big stick).

I have wanted to take this workshop for a long time - in fact, I signed up (and paid) for it last year, and then was unable to go because we moved to California... so I am really looking forward to it!

First off, I think I will learn a lot about quilting... and second I will learn about judging. I have only done a little bit of judging, but I enjoy it, and it's really very similar to a lot of the academic work I have done over my career...

So - tomorrow I fly - but on Thursday I am in class all day... I'll write a nice newsy post thursday night and tell you some of the things I have learned!!

Plus, I'll take some pictures of all the fabulous quilts that will be on display!!

Yippee... Columbus here I come!

Kate

FINISHES

Hi everyone!!

I just finished up these two charity quilts for the "Hands2Help " initiative... they are now all boxed up in this fabulous box i recycled from something else, and ready to go to the post office...


So, my DH, who is the volunteer 'postman' at my house, says, where are you sending them??

...........and I reply... "to Judy, the Green Fairy.""""

................the look on his face was priceless.................. what????

sounded logical to me...
If you don't know Judy, the Green Fairy, check out her blog at http://greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com

She does perfectly fabulous quilts... and she and her husband go to Rumania every summer and deliver quilts to orphanages... so I am happy to put my two in the big box!!!

Happy Quilting,

Kate

QUILTY INSPIRATION

HELLO EVERYONE!!!! I've been away for a few days - Chicago and Wisconsin - boy was it HOT !!! 98 - 99 degrees, felt like a blast furnace!

My hotel was filled with great quilt inspiration... here are some photos of the wonderful designs in the carpet...

I am so happy to be home, and can't wait to get back to my stash and my sewing machine!!!

Happy Quilting,

Kate