It's here The International Quilt Festival

International Quilt Festival
Houston 2013
October 31-November 3, 2013
George R. Brown Convention Center
Houston, Texas

Hours
October 30 (Preview Night): 5-10 p.m. (IQA members and class enrollees);
7-10 p.m. (general public)
October 31-November 2 – 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
November 3 – 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Daily Admission
$12 adults
$9 seniors/students
$12 Preview Night package includes additional free day
Children 10 and under free
$42 Full Show pass (includes Preview Night)

Halloween

For some reason I'm excited about Halloween this year. I think it might be because of the Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze just down from my house. It surprises me how many people are there! Or maybe because of all the beautiful fall leaves and spider webs just out side my kitchen window. Or maybe because I'm judging the costume contest for the International Quilt Festival, who knows. I think I'll just enjoy the season.

Halloween at the International Quilt Festival

Thursday, October 31 -- 6:30-8:30 P.M.

IQA PRESENTS—QUILTAPALOOZA $33

A benefit for the International Quilt Association It’s Ghouls’ Night Out for all Festival attendees! Halloween falls on Quiltapalooza Night this year and we’re planning a spectacular costume extravaganza. We expect to see wads of witches, gaggles of goblins, and a zoo-full of zombies. Snatch your dinner box, find a seat, and participate in a frisky game of Fishing for Fabric (you can never have too much fabric, right?).

Be at your most creative when putting together your costume as there will be a contest with prizes for the choicest. Will you be chosen most Ghastly and Gruesome? Perhaps Classically Comedic? Or will your costume be Beautifully Bizarre? The judges will award these and more as you parade your party attire. (Judges are Darlene Christopherson, Nancy Brennan Daniels and Melody Crust)! So beware!

Then get ready to laugh out loud while participating in the Nasty Needle Threading Competition (we’re not talking size 12’s here). As always there will be scads of surprises, dozens of door prizes and plenty of quilters and friends to frolic with. Be there and support the International Quilt Association with their annual fundraiser. Costumes are strongly encouraged but not required. After all, this is your chance to celebrate Halloween as it is meant to be—all while attending the best quilt show in the world!

IQA is a non-profit organization and Quiltapalooza is held, in part, to show the exuberant side of the association. Enjoy rewards and door prizes galore during the evening thanks to IQA’s fantastic sponsors. Some amazing raffle items round out the evening’s excitement.

After all, there is just no such thing as too much fun when you attend the Houston Quilt Festival. A boxed meal and beverage included. Cash bar also available.

Libby Lehman - Her Journey

On April 30, 2013, Libby had a ruptured aneurysm in her doctor's office and she was rushed to Memorial Hermann Hospital. Lester had taken her to the doctor's office because she had suffered severe headaches for a few days, starting in Paducah, Kentucky at a quilting conference.   The following day she had a 7 hour surgery to clip the aneurysm.  Several days later she suffered a stroke and vascular spasms and required additional surgery.  Updates on Libby's progress are in the  "Journal" section of Caringbridge.

Her sister Ellen posted..."I received a quilt made by 26 of Libby’s friends and fellow teachers which includes a square from each of them and is entitled “Loving Libby Through”. Of course, it is gorgeous! The intent was explained to me as a comforting warm “hug” for Libby and also for it to be used as a tool for her in therapies to identify the squares and the donors’ by name. I can’t wait to take it to Libby tomorrow and if technology does not baffle me too much, I will include a photo of it on Caringbridge."

 

Sewing Machines

I'm up to 7,098,432 stitches on mine!

Someone asked me the other day what kind of machine I use. I sew on a BERNINA 830. With its generous dimensions, it offers significantly more working area than other sewing machines! The free arm leaves a 12" of space to the right of the needle, letting me spread out my project and guide it comfortably. This design provides enough room even for large quilts, and ensures optimum vision and control when quilting.

What I really think she wanted to know  was what kind of sewing machine do I recommend. I have three thoughts on the subject. Buy the very best you can afford, by European made and look very hard at who you buy it from. You are going to have a long relationship with your dealer.

There are other things to think about: what features do you need? I am a long time lover of BERNINA. The knee lift for the presser foot and the ability to raise or lower the needle with the 'gas' petal are favorite features of my old machine. 

Contemporary sewing machines are outfitted with many, many more options: duel feed, automatic needle threaders, switches that let you run the machine without pressing on a foot pedal, sewing machines with loads of specialty switches, the ability to make the needle end up in the down position or in the up position when the machine is stopped -- those features are just a sampling of what you'll find when you shop for a machine.

Take what you sew most with you to the dealer and play!

Moonlight Quilters

Visited a fun bunch of women of the Moonlight Quilters in Bellingham Washington last night. They meet the 2nd Monday of every month 6:30-9:00 pm at Grace Center at Trinity Lutheran Church 2408 Cornwall.

They have a delightful web site which includes a picture of their lovely raffle quilt, education, a list of their activities and more. If you are in Bellingham check them out, if not visit their web page!

Retreat at Seabeck

Evergreen Piecemakers and their tidy mess

I'm home from another wonderful retreat. Lots of sewing and laughter!

Puyallup Valley Quilters

West Sound Quilters

Quilt of Valor made by members of Evergreen Piecemakers Quilt Guild

Friendships

I love my friends! We decided to make friendship blocks, fall colors, and what the retreat means to us. I decided to make gold stars!

Quilts of Valor

I'll work on Christmas gifts and some other stuff I'll share later. We are making blocks for Quilts of Valor.

I made these blocks from left over bits. Too bad I didn't read the rules first. They wanted star blocks. At least I got the size right.

I did make pretty stars too!

It's retreat time

I love retreats! The kind where I sew, talk, eat all day every day. Someone else cooks, we run to the dining room when the bell rings. Sew and talk till the wee hours. We go to the most beautiful place on Hood Canal.

Seabeck Conference Center provides non-profit organizations with the perfect escape from the hectic pace of daily life. The facilities are located on 90 beautiful acres with sweeping views of Hood Canal
and the Olympic Mountains. The grounds are reminiscent of a small village, complete with walkways
that meander past manicured lawns, fruit orchards, and wooded trails. Steeped in history and beauty,
it's easy to find yourself transported back to a simpler time.

It's Autumn!

Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier. I'm making all the travel plans for the rest of the year, already dreaming for my winter get-a-way (not sure there will be one this year).

I put the winter quilt on the bed this morning. The story is, after 10 years of sleeping quilt happily under a fat polyester comforter, I decided that I should make us a quilt. So I did, thought we would freeze the first winter. The cotton batt just wasn't warm enough. So I made another quilt, with a cotton batt. Two quilts made it to heavy to turn over. The new 'winter' quilt has a lovely wool batt in it and it's just perfect!

Happy Melody, quilted by Krista Withers

Guest Artist - Susan McMillan

I love mail. It brings such wonderful surprises. Recently I received the following:
























Melody,
As my year as Vice President of the Prairie Quilt Guild comes to a close, I wanted to Thank-you again for scheduling a lecture and workshops with us. After I quilted Evelyn's Presidents Quilt, I took pictures of it and your block. I hope you enjoy seeing them.
Your workshop was great. I loved having a completed project at the end of the day. I am hoping that there will be a few of the "mini quilts" donated for the Mini Quilt Auction at our Quilt Show - June 26-28, 2014.
Thanks again,
Susan McMillan
 

The Last Stop on the Way Home

Best of show winner - Pat Busby - 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret'

Where else but a quilt show! The Northwest Quilting Expo in Portland Oregon. There were 600 quilts and 80 venders from all around the US, plus a variety of workshops.

Quilters admiring the work of Sonia Grasvik

Sue Bee's Designs

I thought "Ask the expert" was a fun feature

Arch Canyon

This is what happens when it's wet!

The major attraction of the Arch Canyon ruins is they are easily accessible to everyone. Those with a high clearance vehicle can drive to the ruins, all other will have to make a very short walk. A round trip to visit and explore the ruins and rock art will require approximately 1 hour. This is a desert environment, every member of your hiking party should carry a minimum of at least one liter of water. Arch Canyon is accessible year round in good weather.