Day 4... What a Day!!

Hello Everyone,Today was quite a productive day!  Besides having a 3 hour meeting on Teacher Certification, we were still able to get tons of sewing completed.  When you see the sets of photos coming up you will see what I mean.Remember this is the NEW Technique of the Month that will not be available for classes until January 2013.  So if this is something that you would like to learn and have a guild or shop in your area that would like me to come and teach... send me an e-mail.Onto the progress photos.My Mariner's compass.  I am really liking...

Day 3... Mariner's Compass

Hello Everyone,Day 3 of the Certified Instructor retreat started of with a bang and ended with one too!!  So let's take the tour...My Mariner's Compass center.Jodie's earthy version.Lisa's "Starry" version.Ginny's primary color version.Andrea's "50 Shades" version.Cathy's peacock feather version.Judy showing us one of her newest designs.  Love the wedding ring with the flying geese twist.  Isn't it gorgeous?Now let's see some end of the day photos...Ginny'sTammy'sJodie and her progress.Cat's progress.Our fearless leader, Judy and Linda at our meeting.My version just before I went to bed.Linda all comfy and ready to work.... wait... go to bed???   See Linda you made...

Day 1 and Day 2

Hello Everyone,As you know, I am now in Montana getting my certification to teach Judy Niemeyer Patterns and techniques on a national basis.  We arrived Sunday and immediately began working on some projects that we had already started.Pattern:  Stepping Stones with Kaffe Fassett Design rolls and Aboriginal Dots and Spots.I wanted to work on more of my Stepping Stones pattern.  I love how it is turning out too!I used two Kaffe Fassett Design Rolls and then some Aboriginal Dots and Spots.The pattern and the fabrics are available here, here, here, and here.My friend Ginny is happily pressing away.My friend Lisa,...

Bagged and Ready to Roll

Hello Everyone,Many of you know that I am off to get certified to teach Judy Niemeyer's Paper Piecing techniques this week.  We will also be learning her new Technique of the Month (TOM).  That will only be able to be purchased through certified teachers or shops as well as taught by them only.That means come January, 2013 when the pattern is available, you can get it from ME!! And if you would like me to teach it to your guild or shop, just send me an e-mail.Anyway, I spent the better part of my week choosing my fabrics and cutting...

Finally... A Winner!!

Hello Everyone,So sorry this took me so long, but I finally chose two winners... and a new name for my Desert Sky quilt!!Let me introduce you to Berries Jubilee!Wendy is the winner for naming the quilt!  She said:When I look at this quilt it reminds me of a celebration of color! How about "Berries Jubilees"The runner up is Christina Gilman!  She said:For some reason, I'm thinking about Salt Water Taffy after seeing this quilt. I'm sure everyone else has already suggested every possible permutation of "berry", so I won't. Fruit Loops?Thank you both for such great names!!  Until Next Time...

In Just 2.5 Weeks...

Hello Everyone,As many of you know, I will be heading out to Montana in just 2.5 weeks to become one of Judy Niemeyer's National Certified Teachers!  I am very excited about this and have many scheduled workshops and classes on my calendar already.  You can see where I will be by clicking here.  While I am out there, we will be learning her new Technique of the Month (TOM).  Isn't it just gorgeous?  The TOM can only be taught by Certified Teachers and shops.  The pattern is only available through them as well.  Yes, I WILL BE ONE... insert happy...

Scenes From a Photo Shoot

Hello Everyone,Thank you to all who entered the giveaway for naming the quilt pictured below.  I still haven't decided on the name yet, but it will be soon and then I will announce the winners!Yesterday was a picture perfect day and I needed to do a photo shoot of all my Judy Niemeyer quilts.  I wanted to get good photos for the guilds, groups and shops that would like me to come to lecture, do a trunk show or a workshop.  Taking the quilts outside in the daylight really gives them better lighting to show the true colors and I...

A Berry Good Giveaway

Hello Everyone,As many of you know I was on a retreat last week.  During that week I finished my Desert Sky Quilt. I am really in love with the way that it turned out too!But as with all my quilts, I rename them because they don't necessarily look like what the original pattern was named.I thought I would have a little contest to name this quilt.  What better way than to ask my readers? So what do you think I should name this quilt?  There will be two winners!!One winner will receive Judy Niemeyer's pattern. One winner will receive 6 batik fat...

On the 3rd Day...

Hello Everyone,Our third day at the quilting retreat was a fun and fabulous day!  Every retreat now, we have a sewing machine repair man come to clean and service our machines if we would like them done.This time my machine had the spa treatment.  My machine is a Viking Designer SE and this is what it looks like naked.  I have never seen it like this and it was quite shocking.Carol's completed quilt... gorgeous!Charlotte finished her bright beauty!Marilyn did a patriotic wall hanging.Pat, once again was channeling her quilt with her clothes.Caroline and Cheryl are fashonistas with their brand new...

The 2nd Day of Inspiration

Hello Everyone,The second day of our retreat was quite productive for many of us...Justine finished her Seasonal Table Runner.  You can find the pattern here.This was sort of a cheat... I returned this quilt to Sharon.  I quilted it for her.  So it is done!  She just needs to bind it...Darlene's Arrowhead quilt.Are we channeling our quilt?  Matching clothes to quilts is definitely a skill.A crayon quilt demo.  Don't you just love the smell of a new box of crayons?Very cool to shade with melted crayons.Cass finished a Lone Star.Mama and Papa bunny.The final layout for my Desert Sky.  You...

Scenes From a Quilt Retreat Day 1

Hello Everyone,Day one of my quilt retreat is complete.  It was a productive day for me and for some of my quilty friends too.I have been working on my Desert Sky and was able to get many of my Unit S pieces complete. You can find the pattern here. Love the color scheme.Joan finished a UFO.  Great job, Joan!  It will look fabulous on your bed.Sue, A.K.A as Speedy completed a table runner.More of my S Units.Stacked and ready for chain piecing.Loving the colors again.Brenda finished a fall table runner.Justine was finishing up her Seasonal Table Runner from the workshop...

Cut and Bagged

Hello Everyone,In my previous post, I indicated that I am preparing for an upcoming quilting retreat. I am actually prepping a couple of projects to bring along.Do you remember this blog post? All those fabulous batiks are now cut and ready to sew.The spikes.The backgrounds.The paper foundation units.All are ready to go!Then I had to cut the corner units for each block and...rectangles for the border units.Everything is neatly tucked into their bags.A great organizational tool so things don't get mistaken for a different block.  The binder and paper clips, keep everything in order and prevents the fabric from straying.I can't...

Paper Piecing Class Number 3

Hello Everyone,On May 8, I shared with you the progress of my students in the paper piecing class.  Just click here to see the blog post.  I will wait for you to come back.Okay, you're back... today's post shows the progress everyone made.  It was the last day of class and everyone is just about ready to piece their blocks together to make the quilt top!Here is one version, all the center blocks are pieced and this is a possible layout.These are Judy's border corner blocks.  We just arranged them this way because we liked they way it looked, but...

Pairing Fabrics

Hello Everyone,In just 2 short weeks I will be heading on my yearly spring quilting retreat!  Very excited to have uninterrupted sewing time and being able to do it with my friends.  In preparation, I have begun getting a new project ready.I am pairing up Kaffe Fassett collective prints.With Kaffe Fassett Spots and Aboriginal Dots.They are all 2.5 inch strips.  Some are from the pre-cut design rolls that I have in stock in the shop, and some I just cut myself.Here they are together.  I think this is going to be one happy quilt.  What do you think? More on this...

Lunch Anyone??

Hello Everyone,First things first... I have the BEST READERS ever!!!  I loved reading every single one of your comments on my last post.  I smiled and laughed through everyone of them... I am NOT alone.  If you haven't read the post, just click here and don't forget to read the comments too!In the last post you may have noticed my design wall with a project in progress.  Well it is now finished, sort of... it isn't quilted yet, but the excitement is building.I paper pieced four placemats and a table runner.They were made from a Bali Pop (2.5 inch pre-cut...

PPP... Paper Piecing Progress

Hello Everyone,On Saturday, I taught the second class in our "A Touch Of Spring" paper piecing project.  I would like to share with you my student's progress thus far.Noreen really did well with her homework.  She had tons of the various units complete.Our two sisters in class did quite well too.  Love their blocks.Such beauties... NY Beauties!This is the OTHER Noreen's progress.  Yes, can you believe it two students with the name Noreen in the same class and both have very different styles.  Love this!This is Rita's block.  She is doing one similar to my class sample with chocolate and...

Paper Piecing Class

Hello Everyone,On Saturday, I taught another paper piecing class.  I had a fabulous group of ladies!  They all chose a variety of fabrics for the project.  This is probably my favorite part of teaching, seeing all the wonderful choices my students make.This class was another Judy Niemeyer pattern, A Touch of Spring.  You can find the pattern here.  Working hard cutting out the foundation pieces using the quick cutting method.Getting down to business sewing the arcs.  Quick cutting the fabric before piecing, using the template layout sheets.Beginning to see all different results.  A lovely combination!Almost ready to trim.This version is...

Almost There

Hello Everyone,Remember when I showed this quilt in progress.  It is still in progress.  This is the quilt that is my Two's Company Bee project.February was my month and I sent all the participant's paper foundations and the background fabric.  Then they had to use wild red fabrics for the geese. This is how far along the quilt is right now.  I am still waiting on a few more blocks to arrive.  So looking forward to completing this quilt!!The fabrics that everyone chose are just fabulous!!Quilt Stats:Pattern:  Which Way is North?  can be found here.Background Fabric:  Aboriginal Dots Ivory by Kaffe...

Picking Fabrics For A New Project

Hello Everyone,Soon I will be going on a quilt retreat and I am thinking ahead as to what projects I would like to work on.  Ideally, I would like to work on two more samples for my Judy Niemeyer Certification coming up in July.  They will then become permanent samples for my classes as well as trunk shows.The color palette I picked is bright and cheerful.  Very similar to my Island Breeze quilt, but there is no yellow.  They are all batiks that can be found in my shop by clicking here.There are 24 fat quarters total to make this...

Thinking Spring

Hello EveryoneI don't know about your part of the world, but here in Connecticut we have been experiencing fabulously warm weather. Very unusual this time of the year when 46 degrees Fahrenheit is the normal. Being a warm weather fan, this is one of the best times of the year for me.Do you remember this quilt?  This is "A Touch of Spring" or as I renamed it "Chocolate Raspberry Truffle".  I am revisiting this because I will be teaching it this spring.  Keep reading for the details.Since we have been having warm weather, I took a stroll around my yard...