What is the best way to spend National Quilting Day? At a quilt show of course!

National Quilting Day is observed annually on the third Saturday in March.  It is a day that is celebrated around the country with special quilting shows, classes, open museums and much more.  This is a day to appreciate and to recognize quilt makers, along with all of their long labor, love and skill that goes into the making of each quilt.

Quilters Anonymous 36th Annual Quilt Show
"All Quilts Wild and Wonderful"
March 17-19, 2017
Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, WA
Saturday, March 18th: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday, March 19th: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

A Quilt Show in Green for St Patricks Day

St. Patrick's Day is a festive holiday celebrated on March 17 by people of many nationalities and religions who often know little about the history of St. Patrick or the holiday's symbols. Most people are aware that the holiday originated in Ireland and that Patrick was Irish. They also may know that he drove the snakes out of Ireland and choose to wear green clothes on the holiday in order not to be pinched.

Inspiration - A Trip Through Restoration Hardware

Restoration Hardware is a luxury brand in the home furnishings marketplace offering furniture, lighting, textiles, bathware, décor, outdoor and garden. They specialize in timeless, updated classics and authentic reproductions provide a unique point of view and an unmatched combination of inspired design, high quality and un-paralleled value.
 My trip through the Seattle store was quite a surprise.

 If you go, be sure to visit the roof deck.

Quilt Show - A Walk in the Woods

A Walk in the Woods

Dimensions: 47” H X 70” W

This piece is an expression of my sense of wonder at the interactions between natural things. Color, form and decorative pattern translate moving grasses, filtered light through autumn leaves and the striking shapes of trees into a celebration of nature.

Hand appliqued, machine pieced and quilted using cotton fabric and specialty threads. Machine quilting was a joy, an exploration in texturing the surface and using the thread as another design element.

I can tell when Spring is on the Way

Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and also to ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth. Time for my annual trip to the nursery.


Daffodils, my favorite flower, are important indicators of spring.

 

Quilt Show - Neptune's Weave

Neptune's Weave - 43" X 56"

Appliqued fish and plant life of a tropical undersea scene are a showcase for colorful embellishing.  The graduated sea background is pieced.  The net brings all the elements of the quilt together.

Winter in Seattle

Seattle, Washington has a mediterranean climate with dry warm summers and mild winters. The month of March is characterized by gradually rising daily high temperatures, with daily highs around 49°F throughout the month, exceeding 58°F or dropping below 40°F only one day in ten. A perfect time to get outside!

Art in the Atlanta Airport

Lois Mailou Jones (November 3, 1905 – June 9, 1998) was an artist who painted and influenced others during the Harlem Renaissance and beyond, during her long teaching and artistic career. Jones was the only African-American female painter of the 1930s and 1940s to achieve fame abroad, and the earliest whose subjects extend beyond the realm of portraiture.

More From Atlanta - Fast Finishes!

One of the classes I taught was Fast Finishes.

First we learn to join pre-quilted blocks using several innovative techniques. Go home ready to make larger machine quilted quilts without all the work of trying to get it into your machine. The Quilt-As-You-Go method allows for more detailed quilting using a standard sewing machine since you're only quilting a small section at a time. Fast finishing concludes with super-fast binding. Is binding the quilt your least favorite part?  Bindings and piping are a snap with this no-fail completely machine-stitched method.  In this class you will be making a sample to take home to keep as a ‘how to’ example for your own quilts. Binding will never be the same again!