World's Biggest Hexi Challenge on display in Brisbane

Later this Spring I will be teaching a class in English Paper Piecing - also known affectionately as 'hexi' piecing.  I'm still working on the class sample, but stumbled upon this impressive example while trying to catch up on the blogs today and just HAD to share this hexi eye candy - very impressive effort by the world's hexigon quilters - proof positive that paper piecing is alive and flourishing.

They can't get it all in one picture anymore... so for more info, here's a link to the website:

http://worldsbiggesthexagonquilt.blogspot.com/2010/03/craftexpo-brisbane.html

I'll try to post again soon - I'm either out enjoying the sunshine or sewing up a storm in the studio.

Linda M Poole

My friend, Linda M Poole, has a new line of fabric featuring seahorses on her blog - check it out!
She has a wonderful blog, and I love her 'color' goodies.

It's all about the Challenges

Life is a series of challenges.  How we deal with those challenges defines us. 

The FAT group is having a 3 day challenge this week - today is day 3 - I have not seen what the last day of this challenge will bring, but I'm looking forward to seeing it.

First - here is my effort for day 1:

and here is the result for day 2:

so now I'm going to find out what to do with these little 4" quilted shapes of denim, batting, paint and thread....

...and I made a crown!



Enjoy your challenges, however they find you, however you navigate them.

Now if I could just find a way to enjoy paying taxes.... hmmm.

Spring is flirting with me....

The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and I'm in my flip-flops!
Working on this little ditty - Mexican Star - started last weekend at the QCE Quilt Retreat:

I'm also working on a calendar quilt (another Pat Sloan challenge!) and that is going well:
almost as tall as me!

Must get back to the studio!
Drop me a line.... I'd love to hear from you!

March is National Craft Month - loving the sparkle in this star!

I've been increasingly interested in using up the supplies I already have on hand - including using some rather unusual "raw" materials in ways I've never tried before.

Recently, I participated in a "Going Green" charm challenge - I looked around the house for something I had on hand that lent itself to recycling, and remembered that pile of holey socks in the bottom of my closet - AHA!  I remembered how well the painted batting scraps worked a few weeks ago, and applied the same 'painting' method to a square of tube sock cut across the foot - no toes, no cuff, no heel, just foot.  This worked out even better than hoped - although the sock fabric did absorb a LOT of paint!
Once dry (which took a while, even with the assist of the hair dryer) I layered the sock wrong side up and added a scrap of batting and a scrap of 'backing' fabric - then quilted a star shape, added a little more paint to the 'highlights' and came up with this:

I also dismantled a bracelet and 're-purposed' the beads and wire -  and I'm really pleased and encouraged by this result - I love the sparkle in this star.

Tell me what you have crafted lately.   I love getting comments - what's yours?

Quilt Show Deadlines

No matter how many reminders I put in my calendar to send them off well in advance, it seems that I'm always rushing to get my entry forms and pics submitted to quilt shows right up to the last minute!

Today I'm prepping these two little wall hangings for the Three Rivers Quilt Show coming up in April.  Check it out at:  http://www.threeriversquilters.org/quiltshow.html

So I'm off to the Post Office!

Check back tomorrow - and rest assured there will be NO MORE pictures of snow. 
Yes, I may be in denial, but I think everyone must be pretty darned tired of snow by now - where ever they are!