Indulge Yourself...

In today's economy many of us are making sacrifices just to make ends meet and reevaluating some of our "wish list" items. I've seen this in the quilting industry but to a lesser degree than in other areas. Quilters still want to quilt regardless of what is going on in the world...it is our comfort, our social outlet and our creative outlet too. We're diving into our stashes more to save a dollar on new fabric...finishing up UFO's rather than starting a new project...but one thing we shouldn't be doing is sacrificing our classroom experience. Whether you are taking classes at your local quilt store or traveling halfway across the country to attend a conference, there is something very special about the inspiration you receive in the classroom. Not only are you able to meet other quilters and teachers but you can fill yourself up again with the warm fuzzies you get in a classroom full of quilters and let the world go by even if its for just a day or two.

I am fortunate enough to be teaching at a few very exciting venues this year and wanted to toot their horn just a bit. If you feel like indulging yourself by attending a special quilting conference this year please check these out. I would love to see you whether you come as a student or just drop by to say hello. Those who know me know that I love to have visitors in the afternoons in my classrooms. For those of you who may be interested in taking one of my workshops, please know that I cater to the beginning student, hand or machine, and walk everyone thru the simple steps of creating beautiful quilts. All of my workshops are very hands-on with lots of quilt fondling and eye candy! I hope to see you soon!

Empty Spools Seminars-Asilomar (Monterey, CA). I will be there in about 2 weeks and will be teaching a five day workshop. I will be there in April 2011 too. If you've never been, you have to treat yourself to one of the top-rated quilting conferences in the country.

MQX-Providence, Rhode Island. April 14-17, 2010. I was lucky enough to have been invited to teach there last year and will be there once again in April. They are in their new location and I can't wait to go. They have an amazing show and great teachers. I will be teaching four different full-day workshops Wednesday-Saturday.

Superior School of Threadology-Quilt Hawaii June 29-July 4, 2010. When Bob from Superior Threads called and asked if I would mind teaching for him in Hawaii this year what could I say? WOW. This will be a total indulgence class...maybe you could write it off as an educational business expense?

Camp Watch-A-Patcher, Irvine, CA July 11-15, 2010. This will be my first year teaching at this quilting retreat but I have heard loads of good things about it in my classrooms and can't wait to go. They have some great teachers lined up and the reports from my students are that everyone has a wonderful time and it is a very sought after retreat.

Northwest Quilting Symposium, Olympia, WA. August 12-15, 2010. This is the first conference of its kind in this location and there are some amazing teachers lined up. Lots of quilters are excited about attending and I've already heard from a number of students that are planning to attend. Sure can't beat the location!

Thank You Jenny!!!!

Many of you know that my favorite oldest daughter,Jenny, is my webmaster and she works hard trying to keep my website updated. She is even more patient with me when I casually ask for some changes that I think might be simple like "Could we update my Gallery?". I had NO idea that such a simple, easy request could turn into such a dilemma. It turned out to be a much bigger and more complicated project than we both anticipated BUT, like her mom, she loves a good challenge and pulled it off last night and it's up and running! Check it out HERE I forgot to mention that she was doing all of this while taking care of Chloe and Samantha ages 2 1/2 and 3 1/2...no small feat!

Jenny also does professional photography and has quite the talent behind the lens of a camera. She is starting to include quilt photography in her expertise and has been experimenting with some of my quilts. Some of those "different" pictures are included in this blog and in my gallery. Check out her website HERE.

I wanted to publicly thank Jenny for her love...her support...her talent...and for taking such good care of me always. Luvu Jenny, Mom :)

Progress on Projects...

Sometimes it takes a special upcoming teaching engagement to make me push to get some things done. I will be teaching at Asilomar again this year (a little over 3 weeks away) and would like to have some "new" projects completed to bring with me and one of those is Caryl's linen quilt. I had to share just how far I've gotten on it in the past couple weeks. The more I do on this the better I like it. It may not be finished by Asilomar but at least it will be done enuf to be able to share with everyone.

When I was at Road to California last week I paid a visit to a favorite vendor. BJ's Designs always has the most amazing stash of linens...very good quality and fair prices. She also has breath-taking blouses/jackets created from vintage linens. I had no business buying anything but her booth display included a beautiful long blouse/jacket that took my breath away and I had to have it. I need a nice jacket for my Linen Ladies workshops and this would be perfect for Asilomar too. I couldn't just wear it the way it was, could I? Nope. I had to go buy some amazing buttons to go on it...then had to add some white Highlights threads in all the flowers, feathers behind the flowers and beads of course! I am thrilled with how the embellishing is adding a touch of Cindy to an already beautiful garment.

If anyone is even considering attending Asilomar, this year would be the perfect year to do so. Due to the economy the sign ups have been light. This is in favor of the students as I have the privilege of having a small intimate group of students to myself for five days. I have all kinds of special things planned and am looking forward to being able to spend a lot of one-on-one time with each student!

Simply Sensational Sew Days...Passing It Forward

For several years now I have been hostessing monthly Sew Days at Honey Run Quilters in Chico. This initially started as a way to provide an easy and affordable way for my students to keep in touch, receive additional instruction on designing, basting, quilting techniques, etc. For $10 a day each student came to spend the day...I never dreamed it would become such an important and vital part to all of our lives. There is a "core group" that is there every single month. There is another group that gets in when they're lucky enough to find an opening. Each newbie to the group is always welcomed with open arms...nobody is a stranger, ever. When the Sew Days started I ran my hiney off offering instruction to everyone there...now I still run my hiney off but everyone in the core group instructs, inspires and helps anyone that needs help. When I take a moment to breathe a bit, I soak in the room enjoying the classroom "hummmmm", the conversations..the purring of the machines..the laughter...the hugs...the total experience of 20 people coming together to enjoy the magic of quilting. I know that these days won't last forever, nothing this good can, but I have enough insight to appreciate every single one of these days and all those that attend that make them so special.

Today was no different. As many of you know California has been hit hard with a pretty decent storm. We had an easy light rain today and early this afternoon I turned around and saw these two little 7 year-old girls peeking in through the front glass door of the classroom checking things out. Their mom was walking the dogs so I invited them to check things out (the dogs stayed outside!). These girls were amazing...they made themselves right at home chatting with all the quilters, checking out all the quilts but finally landed in Janice Maxey's corner of the room where she was marking her quilt. Janice took them under her wing and explained the marking process and invited them to participate and help her out.

There are no words for what took place...words wouldn't do this moment justice. Maybe I could sum it up with "passing it forward" and you would understand.

I am blessed to have been allowed to live my dream of teaching my passion of quilting with those that choose to join me in the classroom and I don't take one single student or class for granted. I know that this won't last forever and know that I will look back on this time in my life as my "favorite part".

Hugs, Cindy

Caryl's Linen

I think it's been at least a year now that one of my good friends, Caryl Moskoff, gave me a beautiful linen. I was so excited to turn this into a quilt I bought several books for design selections...I needed something to fill in all of those squares. I marked and removed the designs three different times...nothing worked. As the rest of you Linen Ladies know the linens are NEVER square and each little square was just a titch off. I finally put it back into my stash out of frustration.

At the end of the year when Christmas was over I went thru my stash and selected four linens to work on this year and this was one of them. I followed my own advice to my students and followed the KISS rule...keep it simple! This simple repetitive cathedral window feather design allows for fudging, doesn't highlight the imperfections and it works! I placed my design on my light table and traced my design 121 times in the 3 1/2" blocks. I basted the linen using four layers...backing, batting, underlayment and then the linen. Daiwabo fabric was selected for the backing, Hobbs 100% cotton for the batting, Kauffman's Radiance for the underlayment and Superior Threads' Highlights and Bottom Line for the threads. Of course I had to make a special trip to the bead store to buy some beautiful dark greenish/tan freshwater pearls for the embellishing.

Since this has so many squares to quilt I decided to quilt the designs in four block sections and go diagonally through the middle each way. Then I can go back and fill in the quadrants. This not only helps to evenly quilt the piece it also gives me the satisfaction of getting small sections done.

I will document the progress of Caryl's linen quilt and also begin the journeys on the other three coming up. Thank you Caryl for such an amazing gift...aren't you glad I've finally started on it???? Cindy :)

Quilting at the Lake-Lake Havasu, Arizona

I got home late Saturday night from my first teaching engagement of the year in Lake Havasu, AZ.The Havasu Stitchers host Quilting at the Lake and I highly recommend it for anyone who is looking for a beautiful place to take classes and be spoiled rotten. Who says there isn't beachfront property in Arizona?

This is the first time I was faced with a last minute cancellation of my flight going down. Thanks to Kent's speedy driving to another airport 90 miles away I barely made another flight and was able to attend and teach at the conference. Gotta luv flying! I want to thank each and every one of my students and my caretakers for a wonderful time.

Pillowcase Quilt...Part One

I've shared lots of ideas for creating wholecloth linen quilts from tablecloths but haven't shared how to do a pillowcase quilt! I just finished my second one last night so thought it was high time to inspire you to create your own.

Many years ago I was starting to teach my Linen Wholecloth workshops, I had the pleasure of having Amity Jones in my class. She brought this beautiful pair of pillowcases her grandmother had crocheted and wanted to do something special. It was SHE who figured out how to create a wholecloth quilt from a pillowcase. When my book, Wholecloth Linen Quilts, was published there was a huge party at my local quilt store and Amity was there with a gift...the second pillowcase from her grandmother's set. I have waited a bit until I was inspired to work on it and am happy to say that I am finally finished and very thrilled with how it turned out.

Part of my Classroom Collection of handbooks will soon include a handbook on creating pillowcase quilts but I wanted to give you the nutshell instructions here to start the wheels turning in your heads. The next two posts give you very brief instructions.

Thank you Amity for such an amazing gift. I'm sure your grandmother approves of what we BOTH did with her amazing work. :)

Pillowcase Quilt...Part Two

When I first got started, I marked my design on the pillowcase with a blue Mark B Gone pen. I cut my batting, Quilters Dream cotton, about 1/4" smaller than the pillowcase and pushed the batting into the center of the pillowcase and smoothed it out. I pin and straight basted with Vanish Lite. I quilted my main feathers with Superior Threads' Nature Colors in a seafoam green and added a white Highlights for the whispies in the middle. The scribbling, pebbling and free-form feathers were done in Bottom Line so I could get the finer details.

The bottom of this particular pillowcase had a beautiful inset of Irish Crochet. I wanted to highlight that so before I even marked/basted this together I folded a piece of Kaufmann's Radiance fabric and stitched it to the inside of the crochet. This made a beautiful soft backdrop of sorts to highlight the crochet. When it came time to quilt this part I trimmed my batting to the exact bottom edge of the Radiance, hand-basted the fabric down and then added my free-form feathering. The crochet was then tacked down with fresh water pearls. I had trouble with the Irish crocheted flower petals curling up so I had to go in and tack down each petal with a stitch to make them lay flat.

Pillowcase Quilt...Part Three

This is the last part to the pillowcase quilt...

When the quilting was completed I soaked it in my bathtub in clear cold water for about 10 minutes to get rid of the blue pen, squeezed it in a bath towel and blocked it on my wall and let it dry overnight. I went thru my linen stash and found the perfect old pillowcase and signature linen to use on the back. The pillowcase was torn but the decorative end was in perfect condition. I cut the end of the pillowcase off, hemmed the edges and I will hand stitch this to the back of the pillowcase quilt for a decorative rod pocket.

I use my smaller linens for my signature pieces. I usually type up what I want to say and print it out. I place this on my light table, put my linen over the top and semi-trace the wording. I still like the writing to be my own handwriting but having it printed out ahead of time keeps me centered and straight. I use the Micron Pigma Fine Point pen color 05 to sign my linens and then press with a hot iron afterwards to set the ink.

Basic Wholecloth Quilts Handbook

During the course of getting ready for next week's engagement, I've managed to get LOTS done on my computer and at my sewing machine. One of those rewards includes finally finishing up another handbook, Basic Wholecloth Quilts. This ended up being a 22-page handbook which takes you through the basic steps of creating your own wholecloth quilt, overall vs. medallion styles of designing, straight basting, blocking and some basic background designs. This is now available for sale for $11. Click Here to go to my Classroom Collection of handbooks!

I was also trying to figure out how to take my small miniature pieces with me which was next to impossible with lots of frames, etc. So I managed to put together a portfolio in a binder which turned out beautiful. Jenny came over today with those grandbabies and took pictures of each piece...if you scroll over the printed design the quilted design comes up. Click Here to check it out!

It was a great way to end 2009 with two granddaughters in the kitchen making Rice Krispy treats with chocolate frosting (ages 2 & 3). You can only imagine the sticky marshmallow stuff and warm chocolate all over them...life doesn't get much better!

Thanks to all of you who have stayed in touch via my website and I'm looking forward to providing you with some great stuff next year. Happy New Year!!! Hugs, Cindy

Feathered Crystals-Big and Small

On top of everything else I have been busy trying to get some projects done for my upcoming engagement in Lake Havasu next week. The Feathered Crystals wholecloth is for all purposes done...I have five more sections to bead and the clipping on the back to finish up. I sure wish my little digital camera could capture just how pretty this one has turned out.

I have also been busy creating a portfolio of all of my miniature wholecloth pieces so I can take them with me in a binder to my engagements. I thought it would be cool to create a miniature of the Feathered Crystals and it turned out great! This will be added to my collection of pieces for sale.

As I am creating these new wholecloth pieces I am also creating handbooks so that you too can create your own. The Feathered Crystals handbook will be available for sale in my "Classroom Collection" within the week. It's written, I just have to put the final editing touches on it. Each wholecloth handbook will have several different variations using the same designs, step-by-step instructions and photos of the designing and quilting process. To view the other handbooks that are currently for sale please click here

Merry Christmas!

Yes, I know, it's a few days after Christmas but this is the very first chance I've had to sit down and take a few deep breaths! I LOVE Christmas, love getting together with family and friends and it was especially special this year as Chloe and Samantha are now officially old enuf to know about Santa, really dig into presents and enjoy the day.

Even though they're little girls they're really into trains. Kent wanted to get them an electric train set for their special present and it made a huge hit. Kent is still very sore from his accident so our son-in-law, Ryan, assembled the set on our kitchen floor and supervised the fun for the day. Miter is in his usual spot...on the couch...on a quilt...with his infamous ball. :)

Kent is still on the mend...after a visit to his doctor and more x-rays being taken it was discovered that he broke his left 9th rib in his back so needless to say he isn't moving too fast these days. Healing and recovery has been slow but we're still thankful it wasn't worse. That has to be the best present under the tree!

Crazy Linen Sew Day

Since I have been teaching my Crazy Linen Quilt classes I've also scheduled some follow up "sew days" so my students can get their projects done or start new ones. I held one of these classes a week before Christmas and we had a ball. I'm still amazed at how different each and every project is and what can be made out of bits and pieces of stuff.

It's also fun to cut up and "dress up" too! This particular student chose to remain anonymous!

Guardian Angels

I've known for many years that I have a special group of Guardian Angels in place taking care of my family and I. I've always joked that I hoped God was paying them overtime for the extra hours they work to keep us all safe.

I've been blessed with my amazing husband, Kent...we've been married for 33 years and he has always worked hard to provide for all of us. While teaching a class at Honeyrun Quilters on Friday I received a message from the store that my husband called and had taken a bad fall off of a ladder while installing a cabinet job and couldn't get up...could I come to help? This is when you see everything pass before your eyes. Luckily three of my students were nurses and two of them came to help. There are a million things that run through your mind when you see your husband being packaged up and taken away in an ambulance...but it's the prayers of those close to you and those that you are saying yourself that provide the comfort.

Some people would consider this a bad day...I consider it one of the luckiest days of our lives. Kent took a very nasty fall off of the ladder and miraculously missed his spine by an inch...no internal damage to his spleen and kidney...he can walk, he can continue to work in his passion of woodworking...he is still with us. God's Blessings.

I am very private in my faith...I live my life and teach my classes knowing that I am here for a reason and I make the most of every single day. I wanted to share my story with all of you so that during this holiday season you too could be thankful for the blessings in your lives. I am very thankful for my family, my students, and all of you...and I am VERY thankful for the Guardian Angels, both spiritual and those physically here with me, for taking such good care of us.

Hugs, Cindy

Miss Em's Cookie Boxes

Most of my readers have never had the pleasure of indulging in the desserts that my daughter, Emily, prepares for my retreaters. Those of you that have know what an amazing pastry chef she is!

She is off and running preparing gift cookie boxes for Christmas. She brought a sample box to last weekend's retreat and it is gorgeous. I wanted to let you know these are available to you if you need that special gift for someone.

You may check out her website at www.lovelylayerscakery.com and download an order form if you're interested! Yummmmmm.....

Home Again...

I made an unexpected quick trip to the Dallas Quilt Guild this past Thursday-Friday to present the Superior Threads program. I had a wonderful time and there is a LOT to be said for Texas hospitality! Everyone made me feel very welcome and they took very good care of me. Thank you Dallas!

My good friend Goldie Olson and I have been hostessing weekend sew-in retreats at our local quilt store, Honeyrun Quilters, in Chico for the past few years. 20 retreaters gather to quilt, eat, and enjoy each other's company...the retreaters divide the days and bring a potluck lunch to share and Goldie and I feed them dinner on Saturday night. Nothing fancy BUT all of us really look forward to this weekend five times a year. I'm pretty sure everyone appreciates just how special these weekends are and even when some of us arrive a bit out of sorts from life-stuff the rest of us are there to pick them up and get them back on their feet again.

Once everyone is nested and taken care of I'm always able to slip in some quality quilting time myself and managed to get a decent amount of quilting done on my Feathered Crystals quilt. I spent another hour tonight on it and before turning out my sewing room lights I noticed just how pretty the quilt looked in my sewing machine and I wanted to share....

I also wanted to share a snapshot of something very new I'm working on...talk about getting out of my box! More to come on this project in a little while...

Cindy

The Fabulous Four

When I teach my classes I talk about the four main areas to check when you are having thread issues in your machine...I call these tips "The Fabulous Four". If you follow these guidelines 95% of the time your trouble will be solved. I thought this would be a great thing to offer to my readers. Click here to go to my home page and click on the "Collections" Button and the link is there...just click and print!

I've been busy this week getting ready to fly to Dallas, TX tomorrow for a speaking engagement and also working on my silk wholecloth. There are some quilts you just LOVE to work on and this is one of them although the progress is slow...maybe it's because I add so many details? I made a trip to the bead store and found a beautiful opalescent goldish bead to add to the cathedral windows. If you haven't heard my beading tip...take wide masking tape and wrap it around your hand sticky side out. Sprinkle your beads to the tape and you can then tack the tape with your beads on it to the quilt...simply pick the beads off the tape! This is my hand project on the plane tomorrow.

The Classroom Collection

Jenny, my amazing daughter and webmaster, devoted her entire morning to getting the Classroom Collection and Wholecloth Miniature collections uploaded to my website!

This will be a "preview" for about 2-3 days as Paypal has been added but won't be active until probably Monday the 30th. So click here to check out the new button on my home page called "Collections" and let me know what you think!

While I have your attention and since I have just finished my last traveling engagement of the year, I still have some time available for teaching in 2010 if your guild is in need of a teacher/speaker.

Thank you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Hugs, Cindy

PS~

I just received a question/comment from a reader asking if the blue marking pen could be washed out of the silk. Yes, definitely! When my quilts are completed I fold them "accordian" style and place them in my washing machine "cinnamon roll" style. I fill the tub with CLEAR COLD WATER...I do NOT add soap to this initial rinse. I let the quilt soak for about 10 minutes or so and then spin out and then I air dry it. If you add a soap or additive to the initial rinse water it may have a chemical reaction with the blue marking pen and may leave brown lines and blotches on your quilt!

If you have questions you would like me to answer directly to you, please email me at linenqltr@comcast.net. When you leave a comment it doesn't allow me to reply back to you and I don't want to leave you hanging! Thank you, Cindy

Feathered Crystals Wholecloth-Part One

I just got home after completing my last traveling teaching engagement of the year in Elk Grove, CA. whew. As much as I enjoy traveling and teaching I look forward to this time when I can spend more time at home with family and of course in my sewing room! When I drive to an engagement I try to pack along my sewing machine for some uninterrupted time in my hotel room. I've been itching to get the green Dupioni silk wholecloth in my machine and bit the bullet and got it marked, basted and gridded before leaving.

As many years as I've been doing wholecloth quilting, it still amazes me what a quilter can do with a plain piece of fabric whether it is a piece of silk or a piece of muslin...and of course an old linen tablecloth! It almost seems magical watching the fabric transform into a quilt right underneath my needle.

I recently took two classes from Debbie D'Ewart (onestitchoff.blogspot.com)on no-mark backgrounds and feathering and finally have the confidence I need to do SOME of my quilting without lines. I had a blast adding free-form feathers to the crystal design in this piece and loved how it richened the design with more texture and movement.

I finally have the Classroom Collection of handbooks written and have tested them out on a number of students and small classes and so far so good...everyone is thrilled. Jenny will be coming over later this week to get it all set up on my website so that I may share with you too! I will have a special blog posting to let you know when it is up and running.

As I create some of my wholecloth teaching pieces (like this quilt) I will be creating step-by-step handbooks so that you too can create the same quilts and I will have pictures documenting the process.

I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving with family and friends. Kent and I are blessed to have our entire family together this year for the holidays and it is something that we are very thankful for. Have a blessed and safe holiday week.

Luv, Cindy

Bliss....

I got home late yesterday after an amazing speaking/teaching engagement with the Orange Grove Quilt Guild in Huntington Beach, CA. It marked my last flight for the year...woo hoo! I'm not particularly fond of flying and was relieved when I landed safely on the ground on Friday the 13th!

I LOVE snugging up at night in my jammies in front of the warm fire and so does Miter. Remember, he's the one who put the huge hole in my wholecloth quilt? Well, each night he snugs on the couch with Kent...with a pillow of course...and last night he got the quilt as well. And he always sleeps with his tongue hanging out. Life in a dog's world!

During my stay with the guild I spent my evenings marking that beautiful green silk into a wholecloth quilt. I will be documenting the progress and process of creating a wholecloth quilt so you can watch it come alive. I've included the drawing I created for the quilting designs.

I also put the finishing touches on the Classroom Collection of handbooks that I will be offering so keep an eye out as they will be on my website very soon. I am testing them out on a few people and so far they are a huge success.

Off and running....Cindy

More Crazy Linen Quilts!

I taught my second Crazy Linen Quilt class yesterday and had a ball! Seven students came with amazing stashes of old linens, lace, doilies and what-have-you's and each and every one of them left with a treasure. It's fascinating to watch and see what each person comes up with ...each has her own art, her own vision and each piece is unique. Laura came with a jacket from her Grandmother's wedding dress that she wanted to work into her piece. The jacket was in very poor disrepair and the strongest part of the whole garment was the front piece with the old buttons on it so this was cut out and placed on her piece...she had some beautiful collars that she adorned not only herself and Sam with but also put on her crazy linen quilt. Old jewelry came into play, an old Battenburg tablecloth rescued from my orphans was given a new life, damaged pieces were allowed to be cut and added to these quilts. The classroom was completely and totally trashed by the end of the day but we sure had a GOOD time!

Recess....

Homework is done for the day...time for recess!

Noooo, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. I have just been completely focused and wrapped up in writing and designing my new publications, working on my miniature framed pieces and still teaching my local workshops. Oh, and then there's those granddaughters that just moved closer that are over lots...mmmmmm....that's the frosting on the cake!

Even though this is my slower time of year as far as teaching/traveling is concerned, I usually push myself into very high gear preparing for next year's teaching schedule. I always re-write all my handouts so they are current...then there are new teaching samples...new demos...new instructions...well, you get the idea.

When I'm scrambling teaching everywhere my sewing room/office takes a huge hit and that's another thing that I work on a little bit each day. I don't know about you but when my room is a disaster it's harder to focus...when it gets organized and cleaned up I feel a bit calmer in here. I've managed to haul out several loads of "stuff" to either donate to other quilters or just plain get rid of and I think I've gained at least a couple more feet of walking room! Threads on the wall have been reorganized, my 2010 calendar hung and I treated myself to recess tonight. Long overdue.

We all know what a treat it is to have your husband gone for the evening...no cooking, no football...100% time for you. I got my classes prepped for next week so I treated myself to another class project for my Open Thread Bar workshop that I teach for Superior Threads. I've been collecting thread all year from my students and from my own stash to make a thread fabric table runner. This is 8 ft long and is made from nothing but throw-away threads and Dissolve. As soon as I'm done writing this I'll be at my machine for the next couple hours stitching it all together. One project down...dozens to go!

Oh by the way, Kent and I got to spend our very first Halloween with Chloe and Samantha trick-or-treating last night and they got to spend all night too! Miss Samantha was unconscious in Papa's chair shortly after getting home in her jack-o-lantern pj's and her blankie...Miss Chloe snugged up with Papa and Miter watching football. Life doesn't get much better. :)

Cindy

Alllllll Dooonnnnneee!!!

The mighty team of three finished up our 5th day at PIQF tonight...doggie tired but we had a great time! The show started at 10 am this morning and ended at 5 and we were done packing up by 7 pm...that's a record time. We kept thinking about the rest of the team in Houston who wouldn't be finished up until almost midnight. Sure glad I worked PIQF!

More Wholecloth Inspiration...

Another very busy day at PIQF but things finally slowed down this afternoon. I'm not sure if it was because we were out of so much product or because the quilters were out of money! Regardless I took advantage of the break and got to spend some quality time with the quilts. I wanted to share a few more shots of some incredible quilting.

P.S...Forgot to include the green silk quilt!

Humble Pie

It was the second full day at PIQF and the mighty team of three at Superior Threads didn't think it was possible to get any busier than day one...and it did. The good thing is that our booth is a very fun place to be and the time just flies. By about 4 o'clock though I was ready for some quiet time and snuck away for a deep breath in the quilt display. I remembered my camera and grabbed some quick shots of some of the beautiful wholecloth quilts here. Photos such as these are added to my permanent slide show on my computer for constant inspiration.

Going to a quilt show of this caliber is a double-edged sword. I go for the inspiraton and often leave feeling quite inadequate and humbled by the amazing talent from all over the world. There was this amazing green iridescent Dupioni silk wholecloth quilt from Ireland quilted in gold thread that made me weak in the knees...I immediately went to this special silk booth and bought silk yardage for my own some day. There were wholecloth pieces on plain muslin that gave me bumps...but there was this one amazing quilt that took everyone's breath away...Japanese quilters have this amazing incomprehensible patience for the smallest details in their quilts. The first quilt pictured features a cherry tree in full bloom...each of the blossoms was hand pieced and each petal was less than 1/4" and then it was stitched and embroidered. The background hills and sky were also meticulously pieced. This was the biggest mouthful of Humble Pie.

I was thrilled to have had two of my quilts juried into this show. I know my pieces will never win ribbons as I am not a competitive quilter. I quilt for the pure joy of doing it and having my quilts even accepted to be included in a show of this caliber is quite an honor. I feel it gives me another way to share my art with other quilters and hopefully inspire them too.

Cindy

Congratulations Elaine!!!!

I wanted to publish a second post dedicated to Elaine Miller of Redding, CA to congratulate her on an amazing award for a most amazing quilt!

Elaine is a long time friend, a part-time student and one of my special "linen ladies". Whenever she comes to one of my Sew Days in Redding I always wonder why she's there as she is soooooo talented and has such an eye for things. I always feel a bit inadequate with my advice. At one of the last Sew Days she showed up with this amazing quilt asking for advice and I told her she had to enter it into PIQF and she seemed shocked I thought it was good enough to do that.

I was thrilled when I saw her quilt last night (after the show premier) with this amazing blue ribbon hanging next to it for Best Machine Workmanship. The pictures just don't do this justice.

I want to congratulate Elaine on her fine workmanship and I am thrilled she has been recognized for it on such a high professional level!

Cindy :)

PIQF...Day 2 for us...Day 1 of the show

Boy, the show started off with a huge bang today with a record crowd and a record number of buses coming in full of very excited quilters! Due to the Houston show going on at the same time and illness on the part of our other "helper" we are managing to keep the booth going with only three of us! The nice thing about working at a quilt show is that you are always around happy people who have waited a long time to be there and everyone was very patient waiting for help. Quilters are some of the finest people I know.

Another cool thing about working this show is that I have taught for many of the local quilt guilds in this area over the past couple years. It's almost like a class reunion getting to see everyone again. I almost feel like I am teaching a thread class all day teaching people how to use threads, needles, answering questions, etc. It doesn't get much better!

I was finally able to take a picture of the stocked booth at the end of the day when the show was almost over...

We are going to leave a little earlier tomorrow morning so I get a chance to actually see some of the quilts in the show I've been hearing so much about. I'll try and get a few pictures for you...
Cindy :)

Pacific International Quilt Festival...Setting Up

As many of you know I am one of the national educators for Superior Threads but my relationship with them didn't start there...it started working with them about five years ago at some of the major quilt shows around the country. I get the pleasure of helping to set the booth up, stock threads during the show, educating our customers on threads and having a really great time to boot! This year the Houston International Festival came about at the same time as PIQF so the Superior Threads team was split...most of the group is in Houston and Yeimy and Ryan flew from Houston to set up PIQF.

I traveled down to Santa Clara today and Yeimy and Ryan Henke were already here getting the booth set up. When many of you go to the quilt shows you only see the booths after they have been set up. Here's an insider view getting our booth going.

We always have to start with getting all the quilts hung...then we arrange the tables...drape the tables, stock all the threads and then we're ready to rock and roll for preview that night!

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the stocked tables so I will be sure to do that tomorrow...

Until then I'm off to jammies and some hand work...it's been a long day!

Cindy

"For a limited time only..."

As mentioned in a previous blog, I've decided I'm going to be selling some of my framed miniatures during my slow months of teaching. I just finished a sample and wanted to share with you!

I asked for opinions on prices at my retreat last weekend and the popular vote was to sell the 5x5 framed pieces for $100, the 3x5 pieces for $90 and I have a smaller frame 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 for ornamental initials only for $75. The cost of the frame (approx. $10-$15) and shipping if required (approx $7-$10) is in addition to this cost. There are many hours involved in each piece.

Sooooo, if you are looking for a very special gift for someone for the holidays, upcoming weddings, anniversaries, etc. please let me know. I have chosen 13 different designs from which you can choose. You may contact me at my email addresses if you are interested: linenqltr@comcast.net OR cneed1934@aol.com.

I am going to the Pacific International Quilt Festival next week to work with Superior Threads and I will be taking pictures while I am there documenting not only the show but taking you along on the adventure of setting up/working/tearing down the booth. It's something not too many people get to see!

Cindy :)

Day Three...the glass of wine has been poured!

What an amazing weekend this has been...I'm home in my jammies with my husband Kent...the glass of wine has been poured and I have two dogs at my feet. What a wonderful ending to a great weekend spent with good friends and new friends!

Our day started with show and tell and prize drawings including the drawing for my special miniature shared in previous posts. Sandee Harvey, one of my Asilomar students this year, won this gift and I was thrilled she was the recipient.

My good friend, Debbie D'Ewart, was my "designated driver" on the way home. We spent the whole 2 1/2 hours talking about next year's retreats, new things to add and things to change. As tired as I am it's a VERY good tired. I love the energy, the inspiration, and the fellowship a retreat provides. When life gets tough...go to a quilting retreat!

Day Two...

My day started early again at 5:30 getting coffee made, trash out and cleaning tables with good soft music on...this room is amazing with it's huge windows that overlook the mountains. I get to watch the world wake up as the sun starts to rise, the skies turn pink and the pine trees start to poke out.

One of the highlights of the retreat is show and tell which starts right after breakfast each day. This room was filled with amazingly talented quilters and some of the quilts that were shown were breathtaking.

Yesterday I shared some of the reasons I enjoy the retreats so much and today I became acutely aware of why quilters need weekends such as these. Many of us are faced with personal and family "challenges" such as illness, death, loss of jobs, etc. Being moms/wives/caretakers it is often our burden to carry a good percentage of the load of support for those friends and family that are involved in some of these situations. We all need to get away to catch our breath, get a fresh perspective and have somebody take care of "US" for a change. I hear stories all weekend long of what quilters are going through and it warms my heart when I see others stepping up to the task to offer help, prayers, hugs and support.

Tomorrow's schedule will be much the same...get up early, make coffee, watch the sun rise, get hugs from everyone, and then say goodbye to everyone until next year.

PS: The last picture is Bev Armstrong getting the very last morsel of Emily's homemade caramel sauce!

Day One...They're Here!!!

My day started at 5:30am in the sewing room getting all the coffee made, goodies on the tables, final prep work done and retreaters started arriving by 8 am. Everyone brought carts full of supplies, quilts and what-have-you's...you'd think they were moving in for 6 months worth of sewing!

A warm-fuzzy about hostessing retreats is getting to see old friends again...it's almost like a small reunion not only for me but for other retreaters reuniting with friends. It's also cool watching the new friendships being created too. Another thing I love to watch is quilters helping other quilters with problem solving...the admiration of each other's work...the inspiration we all receive from each other. I love hearing the roar of the conversations going on during the day, the humm of all the sewing machines, and the day ending with the lights going down and everyone in their jammies. Very cool.

I've attached a few pictures of our day and will have more to post tomorrow. We have show and tell in the morning with prize drawings afterwards and then of course sewing all day and night. :) CIndy

Setting Up

I arrived in McCloud around 2ish this afternoon and what a beautiful drive it was...we had our second day of fall weather, the colors are starting to change and I was going to the mountains. mmmmm.

I spent the afternoon unloading, setting up tables, setting up electrical, dialing in all those little pesky details to try and make everything perfect. A number of retreaters stay right here in the Mercantile so they all arrived late this afternoon. They all helped me set up which cut hours off of my time so they benefited by being able to sew tonight instead of starting in the morning.

Off to bed..have a very long and busy day tomorrow. I'll have to share pictures of some of the rooms here including mine!

Off To McCloud!

As many of you know I hostess quilting retreats in the amazing little town of McCloud, CA. This is my last one this year and I have four more scheduled for next year. I LOVE to hostess retreats and I'm a bit disappointed that I won't be back in McCloud until next April. As much as I enjoy them, there is a ton of prep work ahead of time. Sooo, I thought I would take you with me to this retreat so you can enjoy it right along with me!

My daughter, Emily, is a pastry chef and she prepares all of our loaded with calories desserts. I picked these up from her last night...we have 4 Macadamia Fudge Nut Tortes and 4 Cheesecakes...yes two of them are chocolate! She also prepared chocolate and caramel sauces to go over the top of the cheesecakes. We have homemade chocolate truffles and miniature lemon cakes. One of my past Asilomar students special requested Emily's chocolate marshmallow crispy bars (she prepared these for me as an Asilomar treat). There will be NO lack of chocolate this weekend!

The car got packed last night and everything will get finished up this morning with room barely left for me. Set up is tonight so I'll take some pictures as I go so you can get a behind the scenes peek.

Cindy :)

25 Cents Worth

My daughter recommended that I post a picture of this piece with something to compare the size to and I thought it was a great idea! So I've added two more pictures showing it with a quarter and a ruler.

Since November/December are very light months for me to teach I've been toying with the idea of selling a few of these to help with the paychecks. I haven't figured out a price, etc. but thought I would toss the idea out to see if there was interest. If you are interested, contact me directly by email at linenqltr@comcast.net OR cneed1934@aol.com.


Cindy :)

Good things DO come in small packages!

For the past year or so I've been trying my hand at miniature whole cloth pieces and have fallen in love! I have always loved detail work and doing something detailed AND doing it veeerrrry small is definitely a challenge. I always emphasize to my students to breathe and blink while they are machine quilting but that is something you DON'T do when doing the little stuff!

I hostess four quilting retreats a year in McCloud,California (check out the "Retreat" section of my website). As part of the weekend I always have prize drawings. On the last day I have a Grand Prize drawing which has traditionally been one of my framed miniature pieces. I have a retreat coming up next weekend and needed to get this done. I took pictures as I went so you could see the process...

I scoured through my Dover books and found this amazing illustration...sized it on my computer...traced it on my light table and spent about 3-4 hours quilting it. I used a Microtex Sharp 60/8 and Superior Threads' Bottom Line thread. The illustrations show the flower being created and the leaves being sketched in. I then went over everything again adding some shadow to the petals, stitching the leaves again to add more depth and then adding the itty bitty scribbling in the background to provide the shadow.

After the washing and drying to remove the blue marking pen I put it in the frame to enjoy for a week before giving it away.

I thoroughly enjoy doing the miniatures as they challenge me so much. I need to sit down some time and do one to keep for myself!

P.S: This piece measures 4 1/2" square. :)

Inspiration at its best

Quilters are known for their generosity,their compassion and generally just being really nice people...I want to introduce you to one of my students, Sally Fried, who is no exception and takes things a step further.

Sally lives in Magalia, CA and is a first grade teacher in Red Bluff. Not only is she an amazing, fun teacher but she also takes the time to teach her students to quilt. For the past 10 years she takes time each Friday, along with a few parent volunteers, to work on the students' blocks. Each child makes a painted hand print animal, makes a quilt sandwich, hand quilts their piece and hand sews the binding around the edge. We figured that she has done over 1000 of these over the past 10 years. Funding was recently cut and she was left without a means to purchase the fabric needed...our group of quilters from our weekend retreats came forward and donated what she needed to keep those kids quilting!

Another amazing and special thing Sally does is create memory quilts from the clothing of a family member who has passed. Sally is pictured holding a quilt created for Patricia. Her husband, Byron, passed recently and she gave his shirts to Sally to create a memory quilt for her. He was a salmon fisherman so another one of my students, Amity Jones, embroidered the logo of his ship on four of the blocks. Even the orange sashing was one of his shirts.

The brown Hunter's Star quilt was made at the request of a daughter whose mother had passed. The quilt was created from her pants, blouse and mumu. She wanted a brown quilt so Sally added a few of her own fabrics to keep it in that tone. The other daughter wanted a splash of color and lots of white so the white nine-patch was made from the rest of her clothes.

After spending the weekend with Sally at our Good Times Weekend retreat, I just had to share her with all of you. She is our resident "blonde" and keeps things rolling all weekend long. She is an inspiration to all of us and I hope she has inspired you as well.

Asilomar

If you are a "regular reader" you know that I was invited to teach at Asilomar for the first time this year. It was truly an amazing experience not only from a teaching standpoint but as a newbie experiencing it for the very first time.

I was asked to teach again in February 2010 and received a call this past week to teach in April 2011...I'm still grinning!

For those of you who have been able to attend the Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar you already know what a special place this is...for those of you who haven't been it might be time to think about attending! The facility is nestled right on the ocean and if you leave your doors/windows open you can hear the ocean all day/night. Students come from all over to spend a week with the teacher of their choice. All your meals/lodging are provided and there is a special program each night in Merrill Hall.

My Asilomar course caters to not only the beginning machine quilter but also the experienced quilter wanting to learn more! Each day is a totally separate class...i.e., 1st day is Beginning Machine Quilting, 2nd day is my Open Thread bar, 3rd day is my Design Workshop, 4th Day is my Linen Wholecloth Workshop and the 5th day we wind up with the Crazy Linen class. I have a full handout for each of the 5 days and you go home with a fantastic binder full of great information.

Please visit the Empty Spools Seminar website at emptyspoolsseminars.com. There are some fantastic teachers that are coming so be sure to check out all the good information that is provided. Hope to see you there some day!

Cindy :)

Great Idea from Jan!

I teach my Linen Ladies Workshop to guilds all over the country and it's always such a treat when I receive a letter back from one of my students.

Jan Morin from Pine Grove, California, emailed me with pictures of one of her creations and I was blown away. I have seen a few jackets/garments made from old linens but never one to this level! I just had to share it with the rest of you!

Here is Jan's letter to me and thank you for sharing!!!!

"Here's my jacket/vest from old linens. The back was a VERY old curtain. The embroidery was on a soiled dresser scarf and the stains wouldn't come out. I cut out the embroidery and appliquéd it on the back of the curtain. The fronts are old linens that I quilted on fabric."

Crazy Quilters

I have been sharing my Crazy Linen Quilt with you over the past few months and now I have the pleasure of sharing my Crazy Linen Quilters! My students have enjoyed watching me create my piece and had to twist my arm just a little bit to start teaching a class on how to do this. These are pictures of my first official Crazy Linen Quilt class.

Each person brought her own stash of treasures and I brought two tubs of goodies to share. The classroom was completely trashed by the end of the day and it looked like a glorified garage sale/flea market!

I'm very proud to say that each person went home with an amazing piece. Each one was unique and personal and there were no two alike. They will spend the next few months or so embellishing their pieces with beads, embroidery, jewelery and then finishing off the backs.

I am working on the back of my piece at the moment...it is turning out beautiful and once done I will share that with you too!

A Special Gift from Susan Waldron

No...I haven't dropped off the face of the earth...just traveling all over the place teaching! I was also having trouble loading my pictures to my Blog so it really set me behind.

I spoke for the Amador Valley Quilters Guild in Dublin, CA last March and met Susan Waldron. She talked to me about some linens she had. When I got home the other night there was an amazing package waiting for me...Susan sent her linens to me as a gift knowing they would have a good home and something beautiful would be made from them.

She knows how important it is to document the history if you know it. I was so touched by her story I needed to share a few of the linens as well as the story that goes with them. Thank you for such a touching gift Susan...you can be assured I will do something beautiful with them!

"My husband is from Mullingar, Ireland which is about 60 miles south of Dublin. It is the "navel" of Ireland and is considered to be Joyce country. The town of Lilliput is just outside Mullingar. Martin's father was a doctor in what was then a very small town in the midlands. Quite often patients didn't have money to pay the fees so they paid with what they had--fresh fish, turkeys (which my mother-in-law had to pluck) and sometimes needlework. The tablecloth with the inset owls was such a payment. It was probably given to Dr. Waldron in the mid-1930's. As you can notice there is a swastika-like design which was originally a Celtic design inserted as part of the decoration. The town of Lough Owel (pronounced Lock Oool -- it means Owl Lake) is just outside Mullingar. The owl motif has been used as a local emblem for many years, but the local saying is: "Beef to the heels like a Mullingar heifer." (This refers to the size of the ankles of some of the country girls.)"

Crazy Linen Quilt-Revisited

It seems like months ago that I first shared my Crazy Linen Quilt with you. Well, I'm still working on it but I'm getting closer to getting it completed. There has been so much interest in this piece I now have two fully booked classes and am working hard on writing the handbook for the class. This handbook will be one of the publications I will be offering this fall as part of the Linen Ladies Collection.

One thing I've learned is that this type of project is NOT done quickly! It's two steps forward...one step, sometimes three...back. I've changed and added many things. At first I wanted this to be a sampling of linens, textures and colors. But then it became personal. I added pictures printed on fabric and used doilies as their frames...Gotta have those daughters, granddaughters and that very special husband of 33 years. I added a special sand dollar that was collected on an early morning walk at the beach...Grandma Julie's last trip to the ocean...a special, unforgettable weekend for just the two of us. A porcelain angel given to me by a very dear friend, Goldie Olson. I have a passion for angels and am grateful for the overtime duty they provide keeping me safe. The cameo that was bought many years ago while my daughters were young with a bird...I have a thing about birds too! And the little purse with a special message hidden inside...one of my favorite quotes...Mine!

"Take the time to quilt something beautiful. Your work will speak to generations to come about your passion for quilting and give your quilt a voice to speak to those who choose to listen".
Hugs, Cindy

We Need Your Advice!

It's been awhile since my last post but I was busy hostessing my retreat in McCloud. The dust has finally settled and I'm getting things rolling again.

I received an email from Linda Christie asking for some advice on a linen quilt she would like to make. I was a bit stumped so I asked her to forward pictures of her linens and sizes. Since I have a worldwide reading audience, we are both asking for your thoughts/inspirations on what kind of quilt could be created from her stash. If you send comments I will post them and then they will be here for all to see. I know she isn't the only one who would like to create something like this. I have duplicated her letter to me below:

"For some time now I have been collecting vintage linens mostly from family members and ladies at church. My daughter has asked for a white-on-white vintage linen quilt. Now that I have all of these, my problem has been trying to decide where to start. Of course they are all shapes and sizes. I am not sure how to put these together to look eye appealing as I want to use a variety...some are scalloped on the edges, some have edging either lace and/or crochet, tatting, etc. If I butt them up next to one another I have lost the outer edge appeal that is so beautiful.
The only thing I could think of was to use sashing between them and have the linen edging lay over the seamed sashing in order to see the lace."

Sizes: (1)Table runner 16x45, (3) cutwork placemats 11x17, (3) oval pieces 7x11,(1) round 20" tablecloth, (12) 12x12 napkins, (16) 22x22 cotton napkins, (3) 13x10 oblong end table runners and several odds and ends.

Thank you everyone! Linda and I will look forward to hearing your ideas!

Cindy

Wedding Dress Quilt from Lisa Calle

When I taught at MQX this year, Lisa Calle was in my trunk show class. She emailed me today with pictures of a special wedding dress quilt she made...it gave me bumps and I had to share with the rest of you. Amazing quilting on a very special heirloom. Thank you for sharing Lisa! Here is her letter to me~

My grandmother passed away about 2 years ago. I presented this quilt to my mother shortly afterward. The center of the quilt is made with my grandmother’s dress. The corner blocks were made from my dress with some of my mother’s lace flowers on top and with my sister’s dress as the border. Each of our initials are in the borders. I used Superior metallic thread. It was a bittersweet quilt to work on. Although my grandmother was 92 when she passed away, we all miss her.

Sisters Quilt Show Part One

Although I taught for the Sisters show last year, it was for a last minute fill in for a teacher who was ill and I wasn't able to stay and enjoy the show. This was the first time I've gotten to see the show in person and it was everything I have ever heard about it. The weather was absolutely perfect and the quilts were breath taking. There were quilts hanging from every porch and wall and each store was filled with quilts as well. I also loved all the flowers hanging from every porch. If you ever get the chance to come to the show it is the 2nd Saturday of July every year and the week before you can take classes from some of the best teachers around. Enough said...the pictures say it all!

Sisters Quilt Show Part Two

I left to teach for the Sisters Quilt Show last Monday and started teaching on Tuesday. I had four amazing classes during the week and finished up on Friday night. The Ponderosa Lodge where I was staying is almost a park-like setting with deer and loads of chipmunks for cheap entertainment. I always had some granola on the porch for my visitors. Each night I had to get all the thread back in order from the class...good thing I didn't have a roommate! Sewing machine was set up in my room and I've included a picture of my current project :)

This was my first experience having quilters with treadle sewing machines...yes...treadle sewing machines! They hauled the cabinets and all into the room with a hand cart and they were able to free motion quilt with Superior Threads too!

Since this was going to be such a long stretch away from home my husband Kent and dog Miter showed up at my doorstep late last night for a surprise weekend visit. We spent the morning at the show before it got hot and then grabbed a picnic lunch and headed for Camp Sherman to the river and the fish hatchery and then off for a couple mile hike. We couldn't remember how long it had been since we had such a day for just "us".

More Inspiration from Karen Azevedo

Last year Karen emailed me with her first linen wholecloth quilt, a few months later I got a picture of her second one and now we're up to three! I would say she has become as addicted to this type of quilting as the rest of us. I get bumps when I see her work and have to keep sharing her with the rest of you.

Karen wears two hats ~ she does long arm quilting and you can visit her website at cabincountryquilting.com. She also does new product reviews for the Machine Quilting Unlimited magazine. One of my students gave me a copy of this magazine a few months ago and was raving about it...I was SO impressed I immediately went on-line and signed up for a year's subscription. The articles are full of great information and beautiful photography. I don't normally spend a lot of time on magazines but I have read both of my issues cover to cover twice. I was also invited to write an article for this magazine on wholecloth quilting and the first part will be appearing in their September issue.

Karen's email to me is copied below...thank you for continuing to inspiring us all Karen!

"I am attaching some photos of my latest wholecloth. It is not an antique linen in the middle but rather a new doily that I found in one of our local shops. My access to antique linen is very limited! The lace doily is made in Germany in an area called Plauen so they call it Plauen lace.

On my wholecloth I also bought a square doily that matched the center lace and then cut it apart so that I had 4 pieces and put them in the corners. I also added an additional lace heart for the very middle. Both the front and back are a cream colored sateen. I also beaded parts of it.

I have since found several other pieces of Plauen Lace and am anxious to start designing around them."

New Stencils!

I have been designing stencils for Quilting Creations, Inc. for a number of years. When I am working on a design I try to come up with designs that quilters can get lots of uses from...use different parts for different things or have lots of choices with one particular stencil. Because I am a wholecloth quilter a good portion of my designs tend to work well for those types of quilts.

One line of stencil designs that is hard to find are a variety of large-ish ovals and circles...especially the ovals! I have designed two separate sets of ovals and circles that give you many choices. I intended for my students to pick and choose which ones they wanted in their quilts but many have used them just as they are using all the circles/ovals on their wholecloth and they have turned out beautiful. If you are interested in these stencils, please visit quiltingcreations.com (also a link on my Home Page) and look for NH199, NH198, NH233 and NH234. These stencils will be part of myLinen Ladies Club which will be premiering this fall.

I am busy getting ready to leave to teach at the Sisters Quilt Show in Sisters, Oregon. I'll have my camera handy and will be sharing pictures soon! Cindy

What a Difference a Pearl Makes!

I am still frantically trying to get everything done for Sisters and am down to the last 100 pearls to be added to this quilt. I wanted to show it to you while it was still in progress so you could appreciate what a difference a few details make.

This started out as a drawnthread work tablecloth. I placed it on a light pink Radiance and then added a small tray cloth to the middle. The middle design is from Elly Sienkiewicz's Baltimore Album Blocks collection and was quilted with Superior Threads' Bottom Line. The feather work was done with two different colors of Superior's Highlights and Nature Colors.

The beadwork on the tray cloth used clear/white and clear/pink beads and of course lots of freshwater pearls.

I have named this piece "Blooming Where I Was Planted". I wanted to acknowledge all the amazing things that have happened to me since quitting my full time job three years ago to follow my dream. Cindy

Great Job Miss Em!

Give me a half-a-chance and I'll either be bragging about my daughters or my grand-daughters...

Emily, my youngest daughter, is known for her amazing wedding cakes and pastries (Picture of her on "My Time" Quilting Retreat blog). She is also known for being able to create things from almost nothing. We make dates at least once or twice a month to go antiquing and have a girls day together and the last time she was scrounging around looking for old purses to get handles and parts from.

She just sent me pictures of four new purses she made and that are amazing. She went to our local thrift stores and bought old skirts and belts and made created these one-of-a-kind purses from the fabric from the skirts and made the handles out of the belts.

I would love to get into her head sometime just to see how it works...or maybe not!

Good job Miss Em....luvu, Mom :)

Finished....finally!

After finishing the post below I thought I should share pictures of the rest of the quilt! You've seen me working on this on earlier posts and it has been in my machine since March. I am going to be teaching at the Sisters Quilt Show this coming July and they asked for quilts for the teacher's exhibit...of course I had to list two quilts that weren't even done so it gave me a deadline to get them both finished. I'll show you the second one as soon as all the bead work is complete.

These are just quick shots to give you an idea of how it all turned out (overall picture only shows the middle section of the quilt). The original linen is in the middle and was a Christmas gift from my daughter Emily. I placed it on Kaufman's Radiance fabric which is 55% silk and 45% cotton...delicious fabric! The feathering was done with Superior Threads' Highlights #795 and #796 and the cathedral window background in Bottom Line #652.

As soon as the rod pocket lace is attached and the signature linen complete I will post those too.

Cindy

Almost Like Magic!

I've been working on this linen wholecloth quilt for 3 months now and have finally gotten it done. I've been putting off dealing with these two ugly holes waiting for a magic solution to arrive at my doorstep...and it did! I was recently at a show and the Bo-Nash vendor was there demonstrating their product. This product repairs tears and holes and I was VERY impressed!

For my particular holes, I turned the underside of my linen over and in the double-folded hem around the edge I cut out two small pieces of fabric from ONE layer. I tucked a piece into each hole. I took some of the Bo-Nash 007 crystals and very lightly laid some along the raw edge of the hole. Using the special pressing sheet I pressed with my hot iron. Wha La! The holes aren't perfectly and seamlessly gone but they are filled and I am a very happy camper.

You can find this product online at www.bonash.com. It is the 007 Bonding Agent and be sure to get the pressing sheet too!

A Time Gone By...

Remember Ricci Lindley??? Well, she blessed me with another treasure last week. A friend of hers asked if I would be interested in receiving a badly disintegrating wedding dress that had been passed down in her family. Of course I was interested!

I am always in awe of such beautiful pieces despite the fact that they are in such poor condition. I have enjoyed ooohing and awwwwiing and fondling the lace and thought you would too. I've taken some close up pictures of the collar, cuffs with hooks/eyes still attached, the back showing the itty bitty covered buttons and button holes, and other "parts". When I decide what to do with this beautiful dress, or what's left of it, I'll have to bring you along on my journey. If you have any ideas, please share! Cindy

Sewing Machine Roller Bag

When I'm teaching I always point students to good products that I find so I thought I should start doing this on my blog too!

One of my students from Sacramento, CA recently came to class with this GREAT bag for her machine. I bought mine yesterday and fell in love with it! It's not feminine and pretty but very practical and affordable. The bag that I have pictured came from Harbor Freight. There happens to be a store in Chico but they are on line too at www.harborfreight.com. This is a 20" Rollaway Tool Bag, Item# 92328 and it cost me $28.00 in the store. It also comes with another bag so it's two for the price of one. I have a Juki sewing machine which is larger and heavier than most machines and it fits comfortably and snug. There are lots of pockets on the inside and outside for even more storage. I put my tool box, foot pedal, cords, light, threads, etc. in the extra bag that came with it. The handle of the extra bag fits over the extendable handle so the two bags can travel together. They also had a smaller 15" bag for $14.00 that could carry a smaller sewing machine. Happy Shopping! Cindy

The Linen Ladies Club

I am very excited about my new "project" and had to share with everyone!

When my book, Wholecloth Linen Quilts, was published almost two years ago it introduced my world of quilting antique linens to all of you. The response from everyone has been almost overwhelming. Each time I speak to a guild or conduct a workshop I have the best seat in the house as I get to see all the little light bulbs going off in everyone's heads when they realize what they can do. I considered doing a second book, even had a rough draft on the publisher's desk, and decided to pursue an idea I've been playing around with for awhile instead.

When I teach I am always listening to my students and I've been hearing over and over that specific detailed instructions and designs are badly needed in this field of quilting. There is too much to cover to fit in ONE book!

I am going to be self-publishing a series of workbook-design packets that will be called The Linen Ladies Club which will be recognizable by my trademark logo above. You will be treated to well written instructions that will accompany each packet to get you started. I will then have specific instructions, illustrations and photos taking you step-by-step helping you create your own hankie quilts, pillowcase quilts, tablecloth quilts, wholecloth quilts on plain fabric, etc. I have some very talented students I have dubbed my Linen Ladies and they have come up with some great projects, ideas and tips. They will be featured in these packets too giving them due credit for their work. As all of you come up with ideas I could include you as well!

I design stencils for Quilting Creations, Inc. and they are in the process at this very moment turning more of my designs into stencils that can be used specifically for these wholecloth linen quilts. Specific designs will be printed and included in each packet and will be available for sale as stencils through QCI.

I created a special 3-ring binder for my Asilomar students for their daily workbooks and it made such a hit I decided to do this for the Linen Ladies Club. Each of the packets will be 3-hole punched. I am going to separately sell a special binder for these packets so as you add to your library you'll have a wonderful place to keep them for reference. My Design Class workbook and my great basting lesson handout will be included in the binder as a special perk. Each binder will also come with a "gift" of my enamel pin which is my flowered star pictured above. This pin is something I will never sell, but I give as gifts and those students that have them now love them! I will also be offering for sale some of the products that I recommend as well as some special gifty items.

I am SO jazzed about this and the sky is the limit with how far this will go. Due to my extensive teaching and traveling schedule I am squeezing this in-between everything and anticipate having it up and running by the end of summer early fall. As I said before I listen to my students and readers and would appreciate any and all ideas, inspirations, or critiques!

Cindy

Inspiration from Martha

I was lucky enough to have been invited to teach at MQX in New Hampshire last month and I had a ball. One of my students, Martha Wishart from Lexington, MA was one of my students and just sent me pictures of her newly completed project. This is her first linen piece and also her first piece as a machine quilter! Thank you for sharing Martha and welcome to the Linen Ladies Club!
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Hi Cindy-I thought I'd show you what I did after I took your class in NH. Keep in mind that I had never machine quilted before. The white material is a linen napkin.

I have an old organdy table runner that belonged to my grandmother basted and ready to quilt next.

I loved your class, and I'm having so much fun!

Backgrounds-Double Grid & Cathedral Window

I started Mother's Day at 4 am at my most favorite place in the world...in front of my sewing machine, under a beautiful quilt with a really good cup of coffee!

I haven't written a new post for awhile as I have been very focused on getting this quilt done and also working on a new venture that I will be sharing with everyone soon. I don't know about the rest of you, but some quilts "talk" to me when I'm working on them and this is one of those very special ones. My daughter Emily bought me this old linen for Christmas and I have enjoyed every moment of its creation. While I was working on some background quilting this morning I got caught up in how the quilting continues to change it. Something as simple as gridwork and cathedral window can make such a huge difference in making a piece come alive.

I love doing a background technique I call "double gridwork". The sample I am showing above starts out as 1/2" grid. I then go back and divide it in half again in both directions. It provides a beautiful background design that is easily executed. For those of "creatively pieced" quilts this is a good choice of background design to hide the creativity. I also love to take the gridwork and turn it into cathedral window. You can use your marked gridwork lines as a guideline for the windows and NOT stitch them OR you can stitch those lines to add an extra detail as I have done here. Of course I had to add itty bitty scribbling in the middle of the windows to add even more pop.

Happy Mother's Day everyone and check back soon...I'll have some fun new information on my newest inspiration and project. Cindy :)

"My Time" Quilting Retreat

Last weekend I held my first retreat at the McCloud Mercantile and Hotel in McCloud, California. I hostessed my first two retreats in Chico last year but had difficulties with the facility. The minute I set foot in this beautiful building I knew I had found a permanent home for my retreats each year. Visit their website at mccloudmercantile.com to get more information and enjoy the story of the renovation.

The Great Room is 3,000 square feet and housed my retreaters. There were two large windows which gave us ample light and a beautiful view of the mountains and countryside. We had enough room for each quilter to have her own 6' table without sharing! Scott and Aubrey from the McCloud River Lodge (mccloudlodge.com) catered all of our meals in the sewing room and the food was amazing...the only complaints were that there was too much of it! My youngest daughter, Emily Zimmerman, is a fantastic pastry chef and she provided our yummy, over-the-top desserts Friday and Saturday nights. Thank you Miss Em! (A picture of her demonstrating for a visiting class is included above).

The Mercantile has 10 exquisitely renovated hotel rooms and each was a work of art unto itself. We all had to run around and check out each others rooms. There are also numerous other beautiful small hotels and B&B's that housed a good number of the quilters too.

The retreats are designed for nothing but RRQing...rest, relaxation and quilting! Each person brought whatever projects they wanted to work on and they could quilt 24/7 if they wished. Franci Lamb, our amazing masseuse, provided private massages all weekend long and we celebrated birthday's too...Nancy Selby is showing off her birthday crown!

My daughter, Jenny Skibo, deserves a big round of applause as my amazing webmaster and photographer. The pictures on this blog are mine (except for the groupie picture at the top). Jenny's pictures will be updated as a slide show on the "Retreat" section within the next couple days. Jenny is a professional photographer, webmaster to many quilters' and quilt guilds' websites and of course I highly recommend her! If you want to get a feel for her work, and see my amazing granddaughters too, visit her website at http://passionforlifephotography.blogspot.com.

Soooo, if you are ever in need of a wonderful get away, I highly recommend the small town of McCloud...whether you come to my retreat or not. The town welcomed us with open arms and they were excited that we plan on coming back for years to come!

Advice Needed!

I taught my linen wholecloth workshop today for the Sierra Gold Quilt Guild and one of my students, Iola Gibbs from Pioneer, had a question for me and I need advice from my readers. She has some old quilts that were soiled with cat urine several years ago. She was asking for advice on how to clean these. I thought it was a significant enough of a problem to post it for good advice from everyone...I'm sure she isn't the only one who has been faced with this problem. Thank you for any advice you can offer. Cindy

What to do with a doily? Quilt it of course!

I was recently invited to speak/teach for the quilt guild in Sunriver, Oregon. The person in charge of me, Sue Schimke, shared a picture of a doily that she crocheted and then quilted. It was beautiful and I asked her to share her story too. It touched my heart and know it will touch yours as well. Thank you for sharing Sue and see you in July!
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I have always loved crocheting and I have made a few doilies in the past, it always reminds me of my dear Grandmother. I grew up under her quilting frame and her hand work always fascinated me. When I tried hand work I found that I was a spaz with two needles, but a wiz with one.
This year two of my dear quilting friends lost their husbands, one suddenly and one very painfully. When my sweet cousin’s husband who was my age died quickly of a malignant brain tumor it all seemed just too much. I came across a wonderful book called Extra-Special Doilies by Mary Werst. I found that sitting and counting helped calm me down and helped me to ease the pain. I didn’t think that I was that good at crocheting but this was such an excellent book and every doily was so beautiful that I made every one in the book, some 2 or 3 times. My Aunt who still does tatting and makes lace showed me how to block and starch my doilies correctly. They are each so beautiful that I couldn’t imagine them under anything and I was trying to think of some way to incorporate them with my quilting. Maybe I could use them as centers in spacer blocks. Then we had Suzi Hokonson come to our guild and do a program on textile art followed by a workshop on framing your textile art. When she showed a doily that she had framed I knew right then and there that that was what I wanted to do with some of my doilies. I hope to frame a few more of them and I am really pleased with the first two. I really do look at them as artwork, and I like being able to look closely at them, or at a distance on the wall.
Sue Schimke

More Inspiration from Karen Azevedo!

Karen shared her first linen quilt with us on a previous post. As I tell everyone who starts to work on these quilts you will become an addict~~and she has! I have copied/pasted Karen's email to me this morning and added the beautiful picture she sent. Thank you Karen and PLEASE continue to inspire us all! Cindy



"We've traded emails before when I started asking for advice and you posted one of my little projects that I framed after I saw your little one on your blog. I've attached a photo of another quilt that I made in your style. The center of the quilt was a pillow cover that I found in a local antique shop for $4. I removed the back and centered it on white sateen and then quilted and beaded it. I'm really liking it. I've been told to submit it to shows - don't know that I will, except for our local county fair, but the compliments are flattering.

I don't know if you are a member or follow MQResource but there are lots and lots of quilters there, short, mid and longarmers. I posted some pics of this quilt there with your name in the post as inspiration. I guess several of the ladies took your class at MQX after seeing the post. Here's a couple of quotes from a couple of posts:

"Fantastic. This post encouraged me to sign up for her trunk show class at MQX. Cindy is wonderful teacher and great quilter. I would love to take more classes from her."

"What a lovely wholecloth!! Karen, that is so pretty and the beading is sure to add to the beauty!

I had a student in my quilt whisperer class (Debbie in Chico) who knows Cindy and hangs out with her. I bet she would LOVE to see your wholecloth. "

Sounds like MQX was a big success.

Thanks again for your inspiration. I'm having lots of fun dreaming about what doily to use next, which pillowcase, etc. My mom even went through her things and sent me a bunch to work with for her. She said "no hurry" but she is 80 so I'd better not wait too long. Too bad I can't do this full-time!!! Take care."

Karen Azevedo

You're Welcome Ricci!

I finally arrived home today after an amazing week of teaching at MQX in Manchester, NH. I was lucky enough for Ricci Lindley to be my room mate. It's been the plan all along to give her the linen quilt during this show. I arrived about 11:30 at night and she was waiting up for me..PJ's and all. Many of you have been following the creation of this quilt on my blog so I had to share the homecoming!

I wanted to take a minute to thank all my students at this show for an unforgettable first time teaching experience here...I had a blast and look forward to hopefully seeing you at future MQX shows!

Parts & Pieces-Crazy Linen Quilt

When I teach my Linen Ladies Club workshop, I teach quilters how to take "whole" linens and turn them into wholecloth quilts. But what about all the parts and pieces we all seem to have? Turn them into a Crazy Linen Quilt! Rather than using bits and pieces of fabric, use bits and pieces of lace, crocheted doilies, old jewelery, buttons, what-have-you.

I have taken some of my parts and layered them on top of a beautiful linen given to me by Carlotta White of Redding, CA. This piece is obviously still in progress and it may never be done as I keep adding to it. This will be a great hand work piece for the long flights I have in store for me this week.

Just an FYI...when you are cutting up lace be sure to use Fray Block on those raw edges to prevent them from unraveling. Don't use Fray Check...use Fray Block. It comes in a blue/purple tube, I get it from Joan's, and it doesn't get hard and yellow like the Fray Check can.

Ohio Valley Guild!

I was recently invited to speak and teach at the Ohio Valley Guild in Cincinnati. I had a WONDERFUL time. They spoiled me rotten and during a "down" day in between my guild program and workshop, Hannah loaned me her Bernina and I got to quilt ALL DAY while watching it snow outside...mmmmmm. :)

Nancy Eckel (first picture on top)was my hostess and hauled me all over the place. She brought a hankie quilt she is working on for a friend and I was so impressed with the unusual lay out I had to share with you. She has taken hankies and folded them to create a different texture and then placed them on black fabric. Great idea! I've added pictures of a few more members during the workshop and then my hankie with a "C" which was a gift! Thank you everyone...I had a great time!

Cathedral Window

I recently had a reader ask what all the gridwork was for on one of my previous posts. I love to do cathedral window background work. I will mark my background with 1/2" diagonal gridwork, quilt the lines, and then fill in with the "windows"...of course I need to add more detail and add itty bitty scribbling inside the windows. These look good without the scribbling too! I'm working on a piece for auction for the upcoming Sisters Quilt Show and am adding tiny beads to it too. This will be my airplane project while flying to Manchester for the MQX show next week...I'll share pictures when I get back!

Roylene's New Passion

I recently received an email from Roylene Scoggin of Warden, Washington sharing her new-found passion of creating her first wholecloth linen quilt! I was SO impressed I had to share her story below....Thank you Roylene and I agree with you, this WILL become your new passion! :)

"I do enjoy machine quilting and have for some time now. Diane Gaudinski was my first inspiration in very fine machine quilting on a home machine. And then I saw your quilting on old linens and I was hooked. On this Damask napkin I followed the designs in the napkin and then filled in with my own designs. I used silk thread and a wool batt. I like to quilt with silk thread in the top and the bobbin (Bottom Line works well for this too). This was the first time I used a wool batt and although it was quite puffy initially it quilted beautifully and after washing had a very soft hand. I also decided to be brave and use colored threads to accent the leaves and roses. Then, of course, it needed some beading to complete it.

I live in Warden, Washington and winter in southern California. I visited with you four or five times when you were the featured quilter at the 2008 Road to California Quilt Conference. I just couldn't get enough of your work. I now have several more linens to work on. Who knows -- it may become my new passion."

Mmmm...I got to quilt ALL DAY!!!

I co-host a small weekend retreat with my good friend Goldie Olson. I always bring something to work on just in case there's some down time. It just so happened that everyone nested in early and didn't need help so I was able to indulge in a full day of quilting...something that never happens any more.

The linen piece I shared below was placed on a fabric called Radiance. It is a Kaufman fabric that is 55% silk and 45% cotton and is absolutely amazing to quilt on. I just had to share how the feathering turned out in the corner I was working on as well as the cathedral window background. I marked the entire quilt with 1/2" gridwork and will be filling it in with various styles of cathedral window and double grid. I used Quilters Dream cotton for my batting, Superior Threads Highlights for the feather work and Bottom Line for the background quilting.

What a difference a detail makes!

My daughter, Emily, bought me a gorgeous linen for Christmas that has some amazing gold embroidered flowers and buds. I finally got this in my machine yesterday morning and started playing with some beads last night to see how it would all come together.

When I teach my linen workshop I stress to everyone how important it is to show off the work of the original maker. Stitching "in the ditch" around all of the embroidery is critical...lots of ladies groan and whine! On this particular piece I'm also adding a 1/8" echo around the embroidery too. I'm just getting ready to sit and quilt some more (my quilting time is between 4-6am) and I noticed the difference this detail makes and had to share with you! These pictures show flowers that HAVE been ditched and flowers that haven't. Look at how the flowers come alive and a perfect choice of beads in the middle of the flowers adds a great detail!

An Irish Blessing for a Friend

I'm finally back home for a few days after a very busy couple weeks of teaching. Those trips are always a good time to get hand work done and I was able to get the binding finished and most of the bead work on the front of Ricci's quilt done.

The backs of my quilts are special...some of my students have nicknamed them
"Cindy's Petticoats". Remember when you were a little girl and you got the new doll for Christmas? What was one of the first things you did? Lift up the dress of course to see what was underneath! That's exactly what a lot of my students do with my quilts because they know I have added some wonderful details to the back. My quilts tell stories too...I document both happy and sad memories, inspirations, quotations, births, deaths, etc. that may have happened during its creation.

Ricci bought this linen in Dingle, Ireland on 9-11-01 and she asked me to quilt this for her. I felt this linen held both happy and sad memories and have documented them both.

When I sign a quilt I will often type up and print out what I want to say on Microsoft Word and then place the typewritten page underneath the linen. This keeps my handwriting centered and straight. I use a Micron pigma pen for the inscription.

The rod pocket on this quilt was created by cutting off the end of an unfinished pillowcase. The signature linen was created from an ordinary table coaster. I documented the event by only referring to the date. I turned the tragedy from that day around by adding an Irish Blessing.

The inscription on the pillowcase rod reads:

"Vintage linen purchased by Ricci Lindley in Dingle,Ireland
September 11, 2001
Machine quilted by her good friend, Cindy Needham
March, 2009

The inscription on the coaster reads:

An Irish Blessing for a Friend

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers~
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours~
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

Adding Ricci's Initial

It's been an extremely busy week of nonstop teaching and fighting an icky cold but I have managed to ease in some quality quilting time on Ricci's quilt. I love adding initials to some of my quilts and wanted to share this process with you.

In the beginning I added a small round coaster to the middle of this linen quilt to give the quilted hearts something to "attach" to but to also add Ricci's initial. I have several Dover books with old antique initials and chose one...enlarged it to the size I needed...traced it on Golden Threads paper with my quilt marking pen and pinned it to the quilt.

I chose my quilting threads which were Superior Threads' Bottom Line and So Fine. I chose several dark,medium and light threads and also changed my needle to a Microtex Sharp. I need a very small thin point to do this little work.

I very slowly and carefully quilted the initial through the paper and then tore and picked the paper away. I then went back and added different threads to bring the "R" to life.

I added micro-scribbling in the middle of the letter to give it shadow and depth. I have double gridwork in the background of the quilt and extended those lines through the middle of the coaster and quilted them into cathedral windows to bring the design from the middle of the hearts into the middle of the quilt, just on a smaller scale. I then micro-scribbled the very outside of the coaster.

I LOVE to bead my quilts and found the perfect itsy bitsy beige ones which I added to the initial. I plan on adding some freshwater pearls to the small cutwork holes that are in the coaster.

I'm almost DONE with this piece! I sprayed most of the blue out last night and it looks fantastic! I have about another hour's worth of scribbling to finish off the edges and then my next post will be showing how to square it up, bind and block. The last post will be showing you how I sign my quilts...I have a very special addition I'll be adding to this quilt and can't wait to share!

Blog Comments

I just received a Blog Comment from Karen asking about quilting around embroidery. When I receive comments directly from the blogger it comes to me as a "no reply" and I can't get back to you! If you have questions please write out your email address in the content of your letter and then I can answer your questions.

Karen was asking how I deal with quilting when the linen has satin stitch embroidery and if I quilt right over the top of it. It's important to remember that your quilting is there to honor the work of the original maker and to make HER look good! Therefore my quilting designs always go right up to any existing handwork and never over the top. It gives your piece dimension as it looks like the original embroidery is on "top" and your quilting goes "underneath". I'll be showing more of that detail in future blogs. Cindy

Ricci..Part Five

I LOVE to do feathers and enjoy how they change when you start adding some detail. Detail work is so important on these linen quilts. The more you add the more exquisite they become. I'm working on some of the feather border which is giving me a break from all the little double-grid work in the middle and wanted to share how the feathers come to life. Once I did the main feather work I went back and added a teardrop detail inside each one. I am using Superior Threads Highlights #797 for this part.

Scissors...Need some input!

After posting my Blog below and sharing my Dover scissors idea, a reader emailed me wanting to know where to buy them. We have both done a Google search and are unable to find a source. I bought my pair many years ago and just assumed they were still available. I have several different pairs made by this company and absolutely love them. Does anyone have a source they could share with the rest of us?

UPDATE!!!! I surely get tired of my old brain...The scissors are "Dovo" scissors, NOT Dover. If you do a google search there are multitudes of resources. I have four different pairs and absolutely love them all.
Thank you! Cindy

Ricci's Quilt...Part Four

I returned last night from teaching in Pasco, Washington and had a wonderful time! What a great group of quilters in a beautiful town nestled next to the Columbia River.

I brought Ricci's quilt with me to start pecking away at some of the handwork and thought I would share how I manage to get this done on an airplane. I always have my
fanny pack on which carries my cash, ID, etc. BUT the most important part is the spool of thread tucked inside that I can pull the thread out as I need it for beading and binding.

I have my beads stuck to masking tape so they don't spill all over the plane. (I take wide masking tape, wrap it around my hand sticky side out, and then sprinkle and stick beads to it). I can stick this to my quilt top and simply pick the beads off as I need them.

I carry extra beads with me to replenish the supply on the masking tape. Michael's sells a great storage compartment that locks the lids down and by pushing on the locking lever you can open up only one door at a time to get more beads.

I LOVE those little sticky leather dots you can put on your finger as a thimble.

I use the Dovo scissors that are sharp on one end and rounded on the other. It makes it through security at the airport just fine as the x-ray reads it as a double blunt edged pair of scissors!

I use the John James Sharps size 12 needles for beading my freshwater pearls and itsy bitsy beads. They are much shorter than the really long fine needles and they are thin enough to fit through the finer beads.

Ricci's quilt is finally going back in the machine tonight for a little bit but I thought you would all appreciate some travel tips in the meantime!

Ricci's Quilt-Part Three

This will be the last post for awhile. I'm on the road again starting tomorrow so my quality time at the machine will have to be put on hold.

Often times I will work on my quilts in quarter sections doing one-fourth of them at a time. It is easier on me mentally giving me a variety of things I can work on, i.e., feathers, gridding, scribbling, etc. It is easier to finish a quarter of a technique than a whole quilt's worth. This morning I did the outside edge scribbling and wanted to share with you how awesome this looks on an edge.

In the first post I talked about the "underlayment". This is a larger piece of fabric that I placed on top of the batting and under the linen. This not only prevents the batting from coming up through the cutwork areas but also provides a very pretty way to edge the quilt. Sure beats trying to finish this very tight scalloped edge! I scribbled along the scalloped edges of the linen first and then worked my needle out about 2" and filled in. Loose scribbling first to tack everything down and then go back in and fill it in tighter. By doing it this way you tack the fabric down so it won't move while you are doing the tighter quilting. When the quilt is completely done I will go in and square it up, trim and bind.

I have forgotten to mention the threads/batting I am using. I chose Quilters Dream cotton batting, old pillowcase fabric for the underlayment (I loved the beige-ish patina it had against the white linen) and Superior Threads' Bottom Line for the ditching, gridwork and scribbling and Superior Threads' neutral Highlights for the feathers in the hearts and border.

Ricci's Quilt~Part Two

I spent a wonderful day today with my family celebrating my first granddaughter's 3rd birthday. Happy Birthday Miss Chloe!

After the two hour drive back home, I'm snugged up at my machine again indulging in some stolen hours to quilt. I wanted to show you something I call sunshine and shadow. The center areas of the feathered hearts are featured here. I have marked diagonal grid throughout the entire quilt. In the center of the hearts I decided to turn the gridwork into cathedral windows.

When you look at most of my quilts you will see that the main designs such as feathers, cables, etc. are raised and catch the light...I call this "sunshine". In order to have sunshine you have to have shadow. I have a technique that I love to use which is called scribbling. It is SOOOO easy...you merely do very small meandering or stippling but you must cross the lines. It provides a beautiful shadow to all of your sunshine designs. If you want detailed instructions on this please email me and I can send it to you as an attachment.

Look at how a little detail work has changed this feathered heart!

Ricci's Quilt...Part One

This is going to be the first of a series documenting the making of a wholecloth linen quilt and is dedicated to Ricci Lindley.

I taught for Superior Threads at their School of Threadology last month and Ricci works for Superior...she was my class assistant during my Open Thread Bars and is a very dear friend of mine. She gave me a small box of linens as a gift and also presented me with a beautiful white linen and asked if I could quilt it for her. It was very close to her heart...she was in Ireland at the time of 9/11 and bought this linen that day.

I just finished teaching at Asilomar this past week and have been feeling a bit pouty as I spent so much time preparing for this engagement I have had almost zero time at my machine. Like most of you, quilting is my therapy and being away from my machine and my quilting is not a good thing! I treated myself to spending an entire afternoon with Ricci's quilt in my machine today with good music and a nice hot cup of tea.

The pictures I am showing for this first segment will be the beginning of a journey turning an ordinary antique tablecloth into a beautiful heirloom quilt. I have added a small white doily in the middle of the quilt (surrounded by feathered hearts) and plan on adding some sort of special memento or token or Ricci's initials. I am wide open for suggestions or ideas.

Review of what has been done so far:
1. I pressed my piece flat. Folded it in half and then in half again. This made a quarter, I pressed my folds into firm creases. This defined my center and my quilt design markings were based off of these lines.

2. I layered my quilt on the basting table...backing down first, batting down second, underlayment third (this linen has cutwork so I needed to place a fabric underneath it so the batting would not fluff through), and then placed my linen on top.

3. I pin basted and then straight basted on the machine with Superior Threads' Vanish Lite.

4. I always quilt my "bones" in first, i.e. the spines of all my feather designs to help nail it down. I quilted my feathers second. I stitched in the ditch around all the whitework embroidery.

5. Now that the piece is not moving anywhere, the piece is now on my handwork table in the living room and I am drawing in all the background gridwork. I usually choose to do this after most of the quilting is done because when you are quilting your main designs the fabric tends to move and will make your marked straight lines wiggly.

6. Part Two will show you my marked straight background grid lines, adding echoing around the feathers, quilting my cathedral windows and scribbling to add sunshine and shadow.

Karen's Little Project

I received an email from Karen Azevedo in Ft. Collins, Colorado (cabincountryquilting.com)She was inspired by my miniature linen pieces that are featured on a previous blog and wanted to make one of her own. She is a long-arm quilter but went back to her domestic machine to create her heirloom.

This was a small sachet that was filled with lavender in a drawer. She cut open the back, got rid of the lavender, and decided to use it as a practice piece. She put some glitter on a little heart button, added ribbon and pearl beads.

Beautiful job Karen...thank you for sharing!

More Best Students Ever...

I thought I would post more great pictures of my group at Asilomar...wasn't fair to post just a few!

Best Group of Students....Ever!

I got back late yesterday after teaching at Asilomar for the past five days. What an unforgettable experience. I feel sorry for the other teachers as I had the BEST GROUP OF STUDENTS of the whole conference! My teacher's assistant, Judy Miller(far left in the picture),out did herself trying to keep me organized and on track as well as making sure everyone else in the room was comfortable. Thank you Judy!

I've added some pictures of the grounds and the amazing beach that I only got to go to for a few minutes before my teaching started as well as some random pictures of some of my students.

If you ever get the chance to go to the Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar I highly recommend it. What an amazing place to spend quality time quilting, making new friends from all over the country and getting a chance to take a deep breath of fresh air by the ocean. I have been asked to teach again next February so if you are attending at that time, please stop to say hi!

Asilomar...On my way!

A dream goal of teaching at Asilomar has been realized this year and I am leaving early tomorrow morning for Pacific Grove, California! I have 17 students from Friday thru next Wednesday where they will spend quality time learning all about machine quilting, design, threads, linen wholecloth quilting and generally getting out of their box! I have been loading the car for two days now...here are some pictures of the itty bitty space I have left after loading everything. (Back of the car looking in...front seat looking back out). I have goodies for everyone each day...my youngest daughter, Emily, who is a pastry chef, has prepared exquisite snacks. My oldest daughter, Jenny, (my amazing webmaster) emailed me today and told me to take pictures and share on my blog each day. Oh, and by the way, this is the ONLY time my sewing table is actually clean! Everything is in the car. :) Okay Jenny, here's the first blog with hopefully many more to come!

It almost gives you bumps!

I've mentioned in previous blogs that there is a whole group of ladies who are doing wholecloth linen quilting and we have informally called ourselves The Linen Ladies. Karen Ottoboni, a very dear friend of mine, is part of this wonderful group. She recently acquired this beautiful aqua cutwork linen and turned it into a breathtaking, goose-bumpy heirloom quilt. I couldn't decide on which pictures to feature on this blog so I put them all in...each one shows another exquisite detail.

Karen is from Redding, California and will be the Featured Quilter at the Mt. Shasta Quilt Show and her work on the wholecloth linen quilts will be exhibited at the Sisson Museum from June 10th-July 13th of this year.

Congratulations Karen and thank you for inspiring us all with your gorgeous work!

Another New Project

I am posting this blog per my husband's request...he thought it was a great idea to share. My new love in quilting is doing miniature whole cloth quilts. I've taken it a step further this week and am doing small pieces to be framed. The first one is a scrap piece of drawn thread work layered with Radiance fabric, miniature McTavishing feathering in the corners and freshwater pearls added for embellishment. It measures 3x4" and is a thank you gift for Carolie Hensley from The Cotton Patch.

The second piece is quilted on cotton sateen and measures 4 1/2" square. Each of these was quilted with Superior Threads' Bottom Line thread using a Microtex Sharp needle very early in the morning when my eyes were still good!

Project in the Works

I've been working on this Battenberg lace piece for months now and thought it would be fun to share with you...I only have about another 1,000 beads to go!

I took this old lace tablecloth and placed it on black cotton velvet and stitched it down around the edges. I quilted the feathers in the velvet but unfortunately they didn't show up. I remember what Elaine Miller did (earlier post) with her tablecloth so I decided to add black beads to the spine of every single feather...what was I thinking??? I finally got done with that this past week and am now adding freshwater pearls to the entire piece. I also didn't care for how the flower showed up so I thought why not add a few hundred more beads and am now adding itty-bitty freshwater pearls to the flower to make it pop as well.

Some call handwork therapy but I'm not so sure sometimes...I think I'll definitely need it when this is done!

Making Lemonade out of my Lemon

I just returned from teaching for the past week in St. George, Utah for Superior Threads' seminar. I must have been gone for a bit too long as my husband called me one evening to tell me that our beloved dog, Miter, decided to try and make a poncho out of my very first linen wholecloth quilt. I have about a 4" hole, several teeth marks and a missing corner and a few bits and pieces that were salvaged. After the initial shock wore off I decided I needed to make this part of the history of the quilt and am needing some opinions! I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK ON WHETHER I LEAVE THE HOLE AS IT IS OR COVER IT WITH A SMALL DOILY AND EMBELLISH IT?

Road To California

I was lucky enough to be part of the teaching staff at Road to California this year and taught both my Linen Wholecloth Workshop as well as my Open Thread Bar. The ladies in the linen workshop did an amazing job turning their linen stashes into heirloom quilts. One student even turned her piece into a wedding quilt for her granddaughter's wedding...her granddaughter is only 6! I had to include a few pictures of my students at the Open Thread Bar too...:)

Congratulations Patty!

When I started teaching and sharing my passion of wholecloth linen quilts with others my husband, Kent, made the comment "well you know you've started something and pretty soon there will be linen quilts showing up at the shows. They will probably need to create a whole new category just because they are so different". Well he was right. In the past two years two of my students have had linen quilts juried in major shows with very good remarks from the judges. I have been teaching at Road to California this past week and was thrilled beyond words to see that a wholecloth linen quilt received the Judges Choice Award! It was even better that it was Patty Latourell that won the award. This couldn't have gone to a more deserving person. Patty is from Ventura, CA in the winter and Kemptville, Ontario, Canada in the summer. I asked her to write the story of the quilt to share with you all. Congratulations Patty and you are now an official member of The Linen Ladies Club!
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After seeing your pieces last year when you were featured artist at Road to California I was inspired. My mother had made linen table cloths before I was born, since I do not remember her working on them when I was growing up. We had one very large cut work one with all the buttonhole stitching that we used at all family dinners and as I got older it was always my job to iron this monster! I thought it was really neat to get all the pieces flat and straight and dry as it was always pressed after dampening, rolling and letting it sit for awhile before you could start, I also have memories of my mom ironing my fathers white shirts! I still use the large table cloth so have not made that one into a quilt as yet.

But I had the small cloth and thought I could use it and not be too overwhelmed by the project. I spent quite a bit of time deciding what motifs to use, then sizing them to fit on paper. I used my light box to trace the designs. I finished most of the sewing from the end of January 2008 to the end of April, but had not completed it when it was time to return to our summer home in eastern Canada, so had to take it with me to finish it over the summer. I applied the small beads during our hand stitching meetings every other Thursday all summer thought I never would be finished. I still needed to finish the quilting of the flower border, I was too anxious to see how the beads would look to finish quilting, so beading and quilting were finished about the same time. I wanted the scalloped edging to show so I hand turned the backing to make the knife edge.

This makes such a wonderful memory for me since my mother passed away in 1970. She taught me to sew on a Singer featherweight which I still have, so I am sure she would have enjoyed seeing this piece re invented into a beautiful usable cloth. It will grace my dining room table in my summer home in Canada.

Tea Party Quilt

I received an email from Margo Clabo from Cleveland, TN this morning. She is a member of The Quilt Show and saw my episode, #202, where I teach quilters how to create their own linen wholecloth quilts. She was inspired to create her own and I was so excited over what she did I had to share with everyone! These are her pictures and her story as they appear on "Member Blogs" on The Quilt Show:

I found this sweet little embroidered tablecloth in an antique store for $12 and thought it would make a good project, because my granddaughter loves to play with her tea set when she comes to visit Gram and Papa!

Like Cindy predicted, nothing on this little piece was perfect...not the stitching, not the edges...nothing was square, it has some stains and now the quilting certainly isn't perfect, but it's going to be a fun addition to the tea parties! (DH likes it because it reminds him of all the embroidered pillowcases his grandmother used to make.)

I happened to find a teapot stencil that was just right for this piece, and added some other motifs and crosshatching. The piece already had the corners embroidered for scallops so I just finished the sides. BTW...If you ever need really good directions for binding scalloped borders, I highly recommend Sharon Schamber's "The Perfect Curved Binding" tutorial in the free area of her website. Her technique worked beautifully! Margo Clabo

Another Great Idea!

I have featured my student, Bev Armstrong, in the past as she is always coming up with amazing ideas for her linen quilts. She loves to applique and decided that adding applique to her linens before quilting them would add a whole new dimension. I am showing pictures of a finished piece as well as one in progress. She has started several more pieces since these pictures were taken and each quilt has come out beautiful! Thank you for continuing to inspire us Bev!

Linda's First Linen Quilt!

Linda Rickman from Paradise, CA is one of my students and has been emailing me over the past few weeks for help on her first linen quilt. She emailed me this morning with pictures of her now finished project. She has learned first hand how never-square, never straight linens can post special challenges :) I have copied her story below~

In my small quilt group we do a gift exchange each year and this year I drew Pam H. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do but I had taken a Quilting Design class with Cindy in November and was fired up again about the Vintage Linen Quilting. Well I surfed on Ebay to see if there was anything that would give me inspiration and lo and behold I found a vintage towel with embroidery and the monogram letter "H" for Pam's last name. Got the piece and knew right away I wanted to do a medallion in the center and hoped the rest of the design would "come" to me. The towel had a couple of stains on it that I soaked out using Smashing White an Amway product. That
came out and I marked the piece totally and then realized that I had centered the medallion to the whole cloth without looking at where it centered on the embroidery. It was about 3/4" off center, so I soaked out all of the blue marking and re-did it. I just planned on cross hatching in the centers of the boxes around the main medallion, but it just needed more...so I scribbled. I ran into trouble as the piece originally had a satin stitch hem on both sides and they were not straight. I did some tight meandering around the edges in the hopes of pulling the fabric in, but it still was very wavy. When I finished the center boxes were too puffy so I did another stitching in their centers. When trimming the piece I ended
up trying to center around the medallion and decided to live with the fact that it is off center in the embroidery on the bottom. I amincluding a photo of the before I trimmed the piece and after. I can hardly wait to see my friend open it today and to start my next piece.

More Inspiration from Julie

I received this wonderful email and photos from Julie Sefton this morning and wanted to share~

Dear Cindy

I've attached 3 photos of a just-finished project ~ the vintage printed table runner was my mother's. Where she got it I have no idea, but it was part of every childhood Christmas I remember. Growing up, I was so proud when she finally allowed me to iron it before it was put out in December.

Over the years, it has been washed and used and had become very limp and stretchy; so I asked my long arm quilty friend, Chris, (http://quilting4U.blogspot.com) to help me turn it into a quilted table runner (thus extending its life and bringing new purpose to its existence).

I was just delighted when Chris returned the piece ~ her lovely freemotion work created the sensation of swirling snow ~ absolutely perfect!

The other items in the photo include the ceramic Christmas tree given to us by a dear little lady who lived down the street from my childhood home when we married 33 years ago; a pair of chalkware choir boys purchased by my husband as a young teenager for his grandmother; my grandfather's old radio (he loved to tell the story of how they clustered around it listening to the broadcast, later learned to be a hoax, about the invasion from outer space); and a pieced kaleidoscope titled Morning Song that I created during one of my first classes at the John C. Campbell Folk School several years ago.

LOVE visiting your blog ~ so many wonderful ideas!

Thanks,
Julie

http://quiltdivajulie.blogspot.com

Thank you Anita!

I am one of those very fortunate people who has been blessed with an occupation that is also their passion and dream...teaching. I have been teaching for 11 years now and many of the students I have taught have become very dear friends.

A special group of those students has been dubbed with the title of "Linen Ladies" and they have tapped into my passion of turning old linens into wholecloth quilts. One of those Linen Ladies, and one of the first, is Anita Bolton of Corning, California. She comes to my monthly Sew Days about 2-3 times a year and each time she races into the room with several armloads of projects she has worked on during the year and inspires us all. This past Sunday, and last year at this time, her armload of goodies included a beautiful Christmas present for me!

This first quilt shown is from an old tea towel that she placed on top of "new" fabric and she quilted the devil out of it. It's breath taking...I placed it above my insane schedule/calendar for next year. It sort of calms me down and is the first thing I see when I walk in the room.

The second little piece is my gift from last year. She took a small linen piece and again placed it on "new" fabric. She hand embroidered my name, added bead embellishments and again added her own style of beautiful quilting. This hangs on the wall above my "to do" box...again a calming force for what the day has in store.

Anita...thank you for your blessed friendship, your talent and your passion. You are an inspiration to us all!

"Elsie's Embroidery"

I recently received an email from Julie Sefton who lives near Memphis, TN who shared her beautiful wholecloth linen quilt which she named "Elsie's Embroidery". She completed her piece before she discovered that there were many others who had discovered the same idea of creating these linen quilts. I have copied/pasted her letter to me below:

The original tablecloth was embroidered by my paternal grandmother, Elsie Lucretia Race Walton. It languished in my mother's linen drawer for years (although it was used, there's a telltale gravy stain from many (!!) years ago). After my mother's death, the tablecloth came to live at my house.

One day, inspiration struck and I passed it to my trusted longarm quilter, Chris Ballard of Quilting4U.blogspot.com. My only caveat was that I wanted neutral thread and to be able to feature the original crocheted edging (also done by my grandmother) as the "binding."

The resulting quilt, Elsie's Embroidery, earned a 2nd place ribbon at this year's Delta Fair (entered as a non-traditional quilt, it was moved by the judges to the applied stitchery category).

The Picasa album for this quilt is here: http://picasaweb.google.com/quiltdivajulie/ElsieSEmbroidery#

The new "home" for this gorgeous piece is hanging on the end of my mother's family crib in our sunroom (along with several other of her quilts that have been "rescued" - Elsie's Broken Dishes and Elsie's Pinwheels).

Thank you for sharing Julie!!!!

Great Idea Marie!

When I am at the different shows around the country it's always a treat to see friends that I only get to see a couple times a year. Marie Jessup and Patty Beck work The Quilt Show Shop booth at the Houston Quilt Festival and Marie had a hankie quilt to share. I loved her idea of displaying her collection of hankies and better yet the wonderful border. She is adding the buttonhole stitch around the edge and may be adding some crocheted coasters to the middle of the quilt. Patty and I are always trying to outdo each other on seeing who can get the best deals and the most linens at the vendors...Patty beat me this time! :)

Houston Linen Workshop

One of my classes at the Houston Festival was my Linen Wholecloth Workshop. After the morning lecture each of my students was turned loose to design and create their own one-of-a-kind heirloom quilt both from linens that they brought from home but also from my "Orphan Bucket" where they adopt a linen from my own stash. What a fun group we had!

Celebrating Houston

I have been to the Houston International Quilt Festival for four years working with Superior Threads in their booth but this is the FIRST TIME as a teacher...what an experience and an honor. I taught my Open Thread Bar class, did a trunk show lecture on my wholecloth linen quilts and also taught a linen wholecloth workshop. Check out the next post for pictures from that workshop. My husband, Kent accompanied me to the show as he wanted to see a bit of "my world" and he was blown away by the amazing quilts and art...and of course the thousands of women! He had no clue :) We attended the Silver Star Salute dinner which not only honored the prize recipients but also bestowed Alex Anderson with her much deserved Silver Star award. If you have never been to the Houston Festival I highly recommend you make every effort to attend. It's like the Emmy's of the quilting world...you leave having been very inspired by the art but you also come home with much heavier suitcases from all the shopping you've done from over 1,000 vendors!

Beautiful Work Kris!!!

I taught at Quilt Camp in the Pines this past July and one of my classes was my Linen Wholecloth Workshop. I was lucky to have Kris Lambertus as one of my students and was thrilled when she emailed me some pictures of her FINISHED project. Her quilting is exquisite and she also added tons of light blue beading to the background gridwork. Good Job Kris and thank you SO much for sharing!

Quilting in the Garden

I was fortunate enough to have been asked to teach at Quilting in the Garden in Livermore, California this year which is held at the Alden Lane Nursery. What an amazing place. There are some places you go that just feel "good" and this was definitely over and above that. The nursery setting is amongst these amazing huge oak trees which provide an almost sanctuary type of atmosphere. There are little surprises tucked away at every turn and every time you turn around you find something else. The show is actually held on Saturday and Sunday and starting very early each morning a dedicated crew of volunteers starts hanging the quilts from cables that are tucked in the oak trees. I just walked around with my camera clicking and ooohing and aaahing at all the amazing quilts. If you are ever thinking of coming to this show I highly recommend it! Bring friends, your camera and your checkbook!

Great Idea!

Bev Armstrong of Chico, CA is another one of my "Linen Ladies" and is always coming to class with some amazing ideas. Recently she came with some purses she was making from the ends of dresser scarves. She quilted them, attached them to corded-type place mats and made amazing purses from them!

Passing it Forward

There is nothing better in the world, other than becoming a mother, than to be a Nana. I have been blessed with two beautiful granddaughters so far who live about 2 hours from me. When teaching in the area I get to spend the night and get some good Nana time with them. Chloe is always interested in what I am working on and decided to help me out marking a small piece. Can't you just see a new quilter starting to blossom?

Hearts All Around

I had to share this project I'm working on before it's given away! I went antiquing with my daughter Emily last week and found this beautiful little linen sewn to the top of an old velvet pillow and bought it for $7.00. I took it off the pillow, laid it on some seafoam green fabric and quilted the devil out of it. I'm in the process of adding freshwater pearls and beads to embellish the front. This piece is being donated to the silent auction at Quilt Camp in the Pines in Flagstaff, AZ and the beading will be finished up while traveling down there this weekend.

Luella's Vintage Linen Tablecloth

Elaine Miller of Redding, California has come through once again with another amazing linen quilt. The piece I have featured here belonged to a family member, Luella Miller, and was discovered in her hope chest. Elaine added some exquisite feathering and bead embellishing. She has taken a standard tablecloth and given it a new life as a beautiful quilt. Note the beautiful label she has on the back. Check out the May 16th Blog which also features the back of another one of Elaine's pieces. Thank you for continuing to inspire us all Elaine!

Fun With Doilies!

I'm always looking for new ways to use our "old" stuff. Joanie Sinclair from Milpitas, California sent me these great pictures of what she did. These aren't "old" doilies but rather, in her words "...are cheap and bought from a Dollar Store".

Joanie also said "I could never gather enough old ones to make it. I just loved the idea. I think they make such a pretty quilt and they look good on a table too. They are cut in half and then just sewn in the center seams of the half square triangles (the yellow and orange), then tacked down. The fans are cut into 1/4 then sewn in with the sashing on two sides".

Thank you Joanie for sharing your inspirations with all of us!

Foremothers Quilt

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Santa Clara Valley quilt guild. What a busy and talented group of ladies! Marie Strait was in charge of me while I was there and shared her Foremothers Quilt. I had to get a picture and share her story ~

My "Foremothers Quilt" was made to honor the needlewomen who came before me. The cardtable cloth which forms the base of the quilt was made by my great aunt, the napkins by my great grandmother, the embroidery floss was in my great grandmother's sewing basket and the buttons in my mother's button box. On the back I used a family damask tablecloth, slightly stained and well worn but full of memories. The apron was made from new fabric that I bleached to look old...and I know my foremothers are pleased!

Thank you Marie for sharing your inspiring quilt and story!

Memorial Day Weekend

Sharing a little more of myself! My husband plays the trombone with the Ophir Prison Marching Kazoo Band & Temperance Society Ltd. Basically it's a "politically incorrect" band of 45-50 guys who have a ball entertaining large crowds with very good music and bad jokes. They are good enough though to be invited back every year to play at the Old Sacramento Jazz Festival and always draw large crowds. This year Jenny, Jeff, and Miss Chloe and Samantha were able to join us for awhile and enjoy the weekend. We always stay at the Embassy Suites mainly for the "separate room" that becomes a sewing suite to get those deadlines met on the quilts! That's when you realize you've become an old married couple when the sewing machine accompanies you to the hotel! :)

Tatting is Alive and Well!

I was lucky enough to have been invited to teach and speak at the quilt guild in Coarsegold, CA which is just a few miles south of Yosemite National Park. I absolutely love tatting and was thrilled to find that two of my students were tatters! Peggy and Fran are pictured here with some of their work.

If you are ever looking for a nice getaway I recommend a stay at the Ravensbrook Bed and Breakfast. I stayed here during my engagement in Coarsegold and I have never been so spoiled or so impressed. The breakfasts are amazing and the setting, which is halfway between Coarsegold and Oakhurst, is gorgeous.

My Cozy Spot!

I thought it would be fun to share "my spot" with you! My sewing room is quite small but very well thought out on how to use every last inch of space. My husband built a countertop to hold both of my sewing machines with pull-out shelves underneath. The shelves can roll out and lock to hold the quilts up off the floor when I'm quilting. All the grandbaby pictures and mementos keep me company on my window sill and beautiful dried flowers on an Aspen branch provide my curtains. Kent took the closet out and installed some custom cabinets to hold my "office". Can you tell he's a cabinetmaker??? :) And look at that whole rainbow wall of my Superior Threads! It will brighten up even the gloomiest of days. A small island in the middle of my room provides my basting table and bookshelves and one end of the room provides my design wall. I decided not to show you the fabric stash as it is SUCH a mess at the moment!

Leaving Comments

I've had questions from readers on how to leave comments on my students' work. If you would like to leave your thoughts for them, just click on the "comments" line that appears right after the date at the bottom of the article. I'm sure they would love to hear from you!

Signing your quilt

I've always felt it is very important to sign the back of your quilt to document the history and the maker. With linen quilts it is especially important as the linen itself is often a treasured family heirloom. Elaine Miller of Redding, CA is another one of my "Linen Ladies" and was lucky enough to have been gifted a linen table runner that was a family heirloom. The flax was actually spun into thread from the family farm in Calabria, Italy and then loomed into the fabric to create the table runner. It is well over 100 years old.

Elaine painstakingly quilted the piece and added pictures of her Grandmother Marianna Campato, Aunt Theresa Baccardi as well as herself to the back and the history is documented on the label.

By quilting this beautiful piece it is no longer tucked away in a dresser drawer. It has been given a new life as a beautiful linen quilt and as a treasured family heirloom.

Close up!

Okay, I'm still learning the tricks to this! Here's another view of Bev's work.

Beautiful Pillow Sham

I wanted to highlight another one of my "star" linen ladies, Bev Armstrong of Chico, CA. Her work is exquisite and she is always wowing me with her amazing quilting and her attention to detail. She also had a linen wholecloth quilt featured in my book!

This piece is one of two pillow shams. She disassembled the backing of the pillow sham before she did the quilting. Due to the open nature of the drawn-thread work she backed it with a gold silk and then quilted it to death! After the quilting was completed she reassembled the back of the pillow sham so it was the same that it was before. I will be posting more work of Bev's in the future!

One more thing...

The picture below didn't do it justice...here's a close up!

Out of the Box!

I am always encouraging my students to get "out of their box" and try new things. Debbie D'Ewart of Chico, CA is one of my long time students and fellow "linen ladies". She purchased the DVD's from Sharon Schamber that had a beautiful pattern to learn her scribbling techniques. Debbie decided to do a wholecloth linen quilt using this pattern and of course tweaked it and and rearranged it to make it her own. I was blown away by the end result! Great job Debbie!

Good Morning Everyone!
I'm off and running on my new adventure of posting Blogs! This will give me a chance to share tips and ideas for your quilting but also give me a chance to show off my students and their work too!

As I travel about to shows and guilds I will be sharing pictures to help inspire you...and speaking of that, when I taught my last Sew Day in Chico, CA one of my "linen ladies", Anita Bolton of Corning shared some of her special projects. She made these amazing purses out of Dupioni silk and embellished them with parts and pieces of her vintage linens. Anita is a very talented quilter and is known for her exquisite one-of-a-kind quilts...she's also an obsessed linen collector like me!

Test

Let's test out this new blog feature to see how everything works....