CVA MQG crayon color challenge

February 29, 2016February 28, 20167 Comments

The Central Virginia Modern Quilt Guild crayon color challenge was so much fun.

We pulled three crayons (they were Crayola) from a bag. We were tasked with using those three colors in a quilt. We could add any other colors we wanted. The reveal is scheduled for March 1. Read the entire post for why I won’t have this quilt for the reveal. Sorry, CVA MQG. 😦

I got Plum, Blue Green and Green Yellow.

I wanted to use these colors in a big way. I purchased yardage of each color: Michael Miller Cirtus, Kona Lagoon and Kona Berry from Quilting Adventures. I sketched and colored what I wanted to do:

I wrote on the sketch, “hotel art” because it looked like something you’d see in a hotel lobby. I ultimately called the quilt, Lakeside Avenue, the location of our guild meetings.

I had some Kona Tomato and added a little bit of it to the quilt as I went.

Then, quilting it. My family and I traveled by train to New York City over Christmas, and I had plenty of time to hand quilt. I got most of the middle done. Once home I machine quilted the rest because I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to hand quilt it all by the deadline.

I like the difference the hand quilting and machine quilting gives to the quilt.

I entered the quilt in the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, February 25-28, 2016, and it was selected for the show.

I am inspired by art museums, and attending the festival was better than an art museum. Here’s me at the festival with my quilt. No ribbons, though, but look at that color. It won’t be back in time for me to take to the March 1 meeting. This photo will have to do.

Inspired by color,

Wanda

A Thousand Star Experience

November 7, 2015November 6, 20155 Comments

I’m back from Texas, and it was an inspiring and exciting trip. I arrived early on Thursday and immediately saw inspiration at the airport.

Look at those colors.

Then I grabbed a cab to the convention center, bought tickets for the International Quilt Festival show, met up with Susan, ate some lunch, then began the tour.

I really liked this award winner by Melissa Sobotka of Richardson, Texas. She used batiks and silk. The colors were earthy and I was drawn to the applique:

This next quilt is not modern, but it is strikingly beautiful: Brilliant Rose by Junko Fujiwara of Narasheno, Japan.

I made it to my quilt, and a friend of Susan’s (on left) took our photo with Random Perfection.

Susan was a big help in getting me registered for classes and events.

On Friday I took a bus tour through Texas. We began early.

The Texas Quilt Museum was our first stop. They had an amazing collection of contemporary quilts, but I can’t show them to you. They didn’t allow photography. This is a shot from the inside, showing outside to the streets of La Grange, Texas. I saw stars at many stops along the way. After lunch and shopping in La Grange, we traveled to Round Top, Texas where the Festival Hill Institute is located. They have an incredible music academy there with a star-filled auditorium:

After that we visited a local quilt shop in the Stafford area of Houston, called Quilters Emporium. They had goody bags for us, and then back to the convention center. Susan was so good to wait for me to get back from the bus tour.

Then it rained and rained. It was more than the streets and bayous could handle. Susan and I attempted to get to the convention center Saturday morning but the streets and highways were flooded. We survived this exciting ride and just relaxed the rest of the day.

I am grateful to Susan for her hospitality and good cheer. I had a great time, and I’m sure this thousand-star experience will find its way into a quilt.

Wanda

Liebster Award

October 10, 20153 Comments

Thanks to Kristen with A Thought in Every Thread for nominating me and my blog for this award. It’s a way for readers to discover new blogs. Please check out her blog.

Kristen asked me to answer a few questions:

1. How, why & when did you start blogging?

I’m going to repeat myself here since I wrote about this in the New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop, so I’m going to cut and paste just a little bit of it:

I started this blog because I was looking for a creative outlet. I followed a series of worksheets in a self-help book. I made a “vision board” and wrote a “purpose statement”. I enjoyed making the vision board more than I liked pursuing the things on the vision board. This discovery led me to start a blog. I had no idea what I wanted my blog to be or to say. I knew I wanted to put text and photos on “paper.”

2. What inspires you most in life?

Inspiration is everywhere. For quilt design, I have a sketch book and doodle and draw and put my thoughts on paper.

This is my idea for a quilt as part of the Savor Each Stitch Book Bee. We are studying Color and I saw this photo on the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s Pinterest page:

And I liked the simple and clean look of these colors and began sketching and coloring:

3. Are you a cat person or a dog person? Or neither?

I don’t have a pet at the moment. My last pet, Lucy, died a few years ago, and I was devastated — just can’t bring myself to get another pet. I looked for a photo of her to put in this post, uploaded it and became sad looking at her. Ditched that idea.

4. Where do you hope to be in 10 years’ time?

I am fascinated by the Tiny House movement and hope to have a tiny home with less baggage — I see a simple and clean theme here.

5. What is your go-to Karaoke song?

I’ve never participated in Karaoke, but I sing, “I remember when. I remember when I lost my mind” — Crazy by Gnarls Barkley, at the top of my lungs.

6. Favorite city?

Tough question. I’ve lived in mostly small towns but now I live near Richmond, Virginia and work there. It’s a cool place.

7. What is one thing you wish you were better at?

I wish I was better at being truthful with my family. I hide what I really believe and think from them. (not my husband or daughter — I’m totally honest with them).

8. Describe your ideal summer’s Day?

Eating ice cream at the Island Cremery in Chinoteague, Virginia. The best ice cream I’ve ever eaten.

9. What song always makes you want to get up and dance?

“Shout” a la Otis Day and the Knights in Animal House. C’mon now.

10. Your biggest crafting/sewing disaster to date.

C’mon now. Moving on.

11. What is at the top of your bucket list?

Inner peace.

As part of the Liebster Award, I’m nominating five bloggers, who have less than 200 followers, who I feel are worthy of this award.

Annett at knettyCraft

Sarah at Sarah Goer Quilts

Barbora at Skalabara

Mary at Zippy Quilts

Helen at Midget Gem Quilts

Rules for the Liebster Awards

Write a post thanking and linking the person who nominated you.

Include an image of the award in your post.

Nominate 5 to 10 other bloggers with less than 200 followers who you feel are worthy of this award.

Inform them they’ve been nominated by commenting on one of their posts.

Answer the 11 questions asked to you by the person who nominated you, then make 11 questions of your own for your nominees (or you may use the same questions).

Lastly, copy and paste these rules in your post.

1. What one thing do you believe with your whole being?

2. What was your last blog post about?

3. Are you a cat person or a dog person? Or neither?

4. Where do you hope to be in 10 years’ time?

5. What is your go-to Karaoke song?

6. Favorite dessert?

7. What is one thing you wish you were better at?

8. Describe your Dream Vacation?

9. What song always makes you want to get up and dance?

10. Your best sewing/quilting advice?

11. What is the one Bucket List item, from someone else’s Bucket List, you have no desire to put on your bucket list?