Quilt Expo

This last weekend I made the trip to Madison, Wisconsin for the Quilt Expo. (I'm not sure how long this link will work but you can also find info at Nancy's Notions.) I've wanted to go for several years but it just hasn't worked out with my schedule. My daughter and her family live in Madison so I was able to stay with them, and spend some time with my youngest grandchild, in between my trips to the expo.

Your admission to the expo includes the huge vendor area and quilt exhibit. You are also able to take classes and attend lectures for additional fees. I went to four lectures and an afternoon class. The class was on the Cotton Theory technique for quilting as you go. You can find more info on this technique here. The lectures included wet felting, making a t-shirt quilt, working with color and using your stash in quilts.

The quilts that were on display were fabulous. I'll show just a few of them that tickled my fancy.

I love Baltimore album style quilts and there were a number of them on display.

I thought this was a fun way to do a wedding ring quilt. Each ring included beautiful embroidery and embellishments as you can see in the close-up photo.

This was another favorite. There was so much texture added to this one with the multi-layered flowers.

 

 It was very difficult to take a good photo of this one but I thought it was very unique and well deserving of the ribbon you can see on the bottom right.

If you ever get the chance to attend Quilt Expo it is well worth it!

Next time: a quilted yurt...

Floral Whimsy

It has been awhile since my last post but I assure you I have been very busy! Several months ago the Heartland Region of EGA selected one of the Group Correspondence Courses (GCC), Floral Whimsy, as the region GCC for this year. Now, I am not a beader by any stretch of the imagination, but I fell in love with this necklace. The model was done in bright Spring colors, but in my mind I saw Fall. So... I signed up for the course.

Because it was a region course those of us taking it are spread out over multiple states we wouldn't meet as a group, which is what usually takes place when doing a GCC. So, I plunged in and learned quite a bit in the process.

The main focus of the course was a study of color. You had to select three colors of seed beads and blend them together in the flower petals. Then you had to select beads for the neck cord that fit well with your flower. The seed bead selection was done with the help of the friendly ladies at The Garden of Beads in Anoka. They also led me to the correct section of the store when it came time to find my cord beads.

You started by placing beads on wire, shaping the wire, and then couching it down to a piece of chiffon. Then you stitched the seed beads onto the chiffon fabric. The instructor detailed in her manual how to alternate your three colors to help blend the colors together.

I had the most trouble with the peyote stitch that was used to hold the Swarovski rivolis. Because of the size, the center of the flower used an uneven peyote stitch and the neck closure used an even peyote stitch. This was probably not the best project for someone who has never done any peyote stitch! I did find some instructions online, but I still don't think my even peyote turned out quite right when I was stepping up from row to row. The uneven was much easier to do.

All in all I do like the way it turned out. I will turn it in the the group leader in two weeks and it will be sent to the instructor for evaluation. I'll let you know what she says!