Thursday, August 28, 2014

Quilts at the fair!!

Each year I make it a point to enter a quilt into the New York State Fair Competition, this is my 4th year.  At times some of my clients enter as well..... this year my mom and my client Elaine Reich entered quilts I had finished for them.  When we recieved the return post cards I knew what placing the quilts had gotten, but I was VERY excited to learn that EACH of them had recieved additional Guild prizes.  My Friend Cindy Raulli took pictures for me on opening day( couldnt get there until last night almost a week later) and I got to see the extra awards.


First up is my Moms Quilt.  I finished it for her this spring for her birthday.  It recieved an Honorable mention in the category for those quilts quilted by a professoinal.  It was a HARD category again this year and it means that it was competing with another quilt which I quilted. 

This quilt was awarded a Thumbstall Quilt Guild award ( one of 4 at the show)
This is my momma and her quilt, the pastel quilt on the backwall, sort of like a rail fence.


Close-up (photos courtesy of Cindy Raulli)

Photo courtesy of Cindy Raulli

Also in that Category was a quilt by my dear customer Elaine Reich.  Her quilt Sagamore Log Cabin debuted at this show but will hang in a number of places all over the eastern shore in the next year before being donated to the Great Camp Sagamore Auction next August.  This quilt competed against my moms quilt in the quilted by a professional category and won a second place. It was created using 1inch "logs" and was exquisite before she brought it to me.  This one really is MUCH better in person you will have to take my word for it and try and catch me sometime with it while I have it to share over the winter months.

Elaines quilt won a Towpath Guild award (one of 4 for the show).
This Elaine Reich with Sagamore Log Cabin (photo courtesy of Ted Reich)

photo courtesy of Cindy Raulli

Detail (photo courtesy of Cindy Raulli

Photo courtesy of Cindy Raulli

The center (photo courtesy of CIndy Raulli)              



The last Quilt in the bunch is mine Chocolate in my Garden.  I began HAND blanket stitching the fusable applique on this quilt around 5 years ago.  Once it was complete, I finished the top and it hung around for a LONG while until I was able to finish it this winter. As soon as I get this quilt back from the NYS fair it will travel to Springfield Illinois to MQX Mid-west for their machine quilting show.  When it is done traveling I believe it will go on my bed.  I LOVE how it came out and this one is another that really doesn't photograph that well.  I hope you get a chance to see it in person some day!!  This quilt was in the category of Appliqued and pieced.  I knew this one had gotten a 4th place and I have to be honest I was pretty upset with that placing, UNTIL I went to the show and saw the others who received ribbons higher than mine.  Oh my what beautiful appliqued creations they were!!  When I got Cindy's photos on thursday I knew this quilt had won the Emily Koon Award but I didnt know what that award was.  Last night I was able to get a program and discover that the Emily Koon award is for BEST HAND APPLIQUED BED QUILT.......EEEK!!!!  I was pretty excited about that I have to admit!! 
here I am with Chocolate in my Garden last night

Chocolate in my Garden (photo courtesy of Cindy Raulli)

Details (photo courtesy of Cindy Raulli)


I want to thank eveyone for letting me work on their beautiful quilts and create such wonderful pieces.  I wonder what next year will bring??  If your at the Great New York State fair in the next few days be sure to stop by the Arts and Home center and look at the amazing quilts hanging there!!

















Fall Classes!!

YEEHAW,  school is starting again!!

 If you know me, you KNOW I don't really cheer when the kids go back to school I miss them terribly.  This will be my first year without any kids at home during the day, my baby is off to Universal Pre-K and it is a full day program...... I am going to be alone with my longarm quilting machine all day.....OH MY the plans I have for us.  Okay, enough about that I am here to tell you about the CLASSES that are coming up this fall!!

I will be at O'Susannah's Quilts this year teaching BOTH on the domestic machine AND on the LONGARM!! I made some new samples for the domestic machine quilting classes, you will have to give me a BIT of slack about the longarm classes, I am still writing the outlines and trying to decide just what I can cram into the amount of time we have....... here is a sneak at the new samples for ALL the classes at once then check out each session to see one close up!, or better yet, check them out at the shop they are hanging up there now!!


SEPTEMBER

12th I will teach the first longarm class, morning and afternoon
LA101- this is an introduction to FREEHAND quilitng on the longarm machine.  we will explore design to use edge to edge on your quilts .  You will have HANDS on time with the longarm machine, and take home a Practice piece of your own to remind you when you are finished.  You do NOT have to have taken the rental class to try our my class because I will be there doing all the loading, unloading and setup etc for the class.  IF YOU WISH TO RENT THE LONGARM AFTER MY CLASSES TO DO YOUR OWN QUILTS YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE THE RENTAL CLASS TO BE QUALIFIED. 

 There will be a morning and an afternoon session for this class, come try our the longarm and all it has to offer!! This class WILL be different than my domestic classes since on the longarm you are moving the "pencil" and on the domestic you move the "Paper"

12th At night 6-9pm
MQ5- DOMESTIC machine quilting 5- BACKGROUND fillers

this class is the 5th in the series and focuses on dense designs which can be used to help highlight piecing or applique designs on quilts.  You need to have taken some of my other domestic machine quilting classes to tackle these more complex designs.......


13th-Morning 10-1
MQ1- Straight lines   
In this class we will begin tackling the final step of finishing our quilts… the quilting.  Using our domestic sewing machine we will begin filling our library of quilting designs that you can create yourself.  We will learn straight lines first with our feed dogs engaged.  This class will also address some common questions and myths about machine quilting on the domestic sewing machine.  Come join us and let your creativity escape while you learn how to FINISH your own projects!


13th- Afternoon 1:30-4:40
MQ2- Circles and Curves


A continuation of the first class we will begin exploring quilting FREE-MOTION designs on our domestic machines.  This hands on class will work with the feed-dogs down and help develop your confidence and relationship with your machine.  You MUST be able to use a darning or free-motion foot with your machine, and be familiar with how it works.   Bring an open mind and a willingness to try something new and I will help you jump into free-motion quilting!
 



OCTOBER
17th- morning and afternoon
LA 202- More FREEHAND CUSTOM longarm quilting designs to help accentuate your quilt tops and make them SPECTACULAR, this class will build upon designs and techniques we learned in LA101 and help you to add more freehand shapes and designs to your library of skills.  This is a HANDS ON class on the longarm machine.  IF YOU WISH TO RENT THE LONGARM AFTER MY CLASSES TO DO YOUR OWN QUILTS YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE THE RENTAL CLASS TO BE QUALIFIED.

 There will be a morning and an afternoon session for this class, come try our the longarm and all it has to offer!! This class WILL be different than my domestic classes since on the longarm you are moving the "pencil" and on the domestic you move the "Paper"

17th at night 6-9pm
QUILT WHISPERING

This class is a walk thru the process I use to choose all the elements of the quilting on a quilt.  We will talk about design choices, batting types, thread choices, and how they interact with the use of the quilt.  We will talk about how quilting designs can be used to highlight or downplay elements of a quilt and how we make those choices.  We will talk about your own unfinished projects (UFO's) and make suggestions as a group for how to quilt them and why we make those choices.

18th- Morning 10-1
MQ3- Vines and Swirls


Building confidence with free-motion quilting we will explore swirls and vines and build upon the design library.  This class will add designs and skills from classes MQ1 and MQ2 and lay the groundwork for future designs.  You MUST be able to use a darning or free-motion foot with your machine, and be familiar with how it works.   Bring a willingness to try new things and explore places you have never been with your quilting!!

Pre-requisite:  Machine Quilting 1 AND 2


18th- afternoon 1:30-4:30
MQ4- Basic Feathers 


Now that we are confident with designs and moving with our free-motion quilting we will tackle the design that “frightens” people most….FEATHERS.  We will explore different feather types and techniques to create them.  We will learn to draw them first on paper and then with thread!  Everyone can do feathers all you have to do is TRY!!

Pre-requisite:  Machine Quilting 1,2 AND 3




NOVEMBER
14th- morning 
LA 303- More FREEHAND and CUSTOM longarm quilting designs to help accentuate your quilt tops and make them SPECTACULAR, this class will build upon designs and techniques we learned in LA101 and help you to add more freehand shapes and designs to your library of skills.  This is a HANDSON class on the longarm machine.  IF YOU WISH TO RENT THE LONGARM AFTER MY CLASSES TO DO YOUR OWN QUILTS YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE THE RENTAL CLASS TO BE QUALIFIED.
This will be a morning class only

14th-afternoon
LA 404- In this class we will add still more designs to your "library", as your skills improve, your desgin choices will too, we will continue adding designs and ideas to your collection and get even more custom options to highlight your quilts.IF YOU WISH TO RENT THE LONGARM AFTER MY CLASSES TO DO YOUR OWN QUILTS YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE THE RENTAL CLASS TO BE QUALIFIED
This will be an afternoon only session

Consider joining me for the day and take both LA 303 and LA 404!!

14th- evening 6-9
MQ6- FANCY feathers

This is a DOMESTIC machine quilting class which is NEW to O'Susannah's Quilts.  In this class we will take our basic feathers we learned in MQ4 and make them AWESOME!!  We will add extra layers of color,design and frills to make your ordinary feathers EXTRAORDINARY!!!   Come join me and see the vast world of options available for your feather quilting designs!!
15th-Morning 10-1
MQ1- Straight lines   
In this class we will begin tackling the final step of finishing our quilts… the quilting.  Using our domestic sewing machine we will begin filling our library of quilting designs that you can create yourself.  We will learn straight lines first with our feed dogs engaged.  This class will also address some common questions and myths about machine quilting on the domestic sewing machine.  Come join us and let your creativity escape while you learn how to FINISH your own projects!


15th- Afternoon 1:30-4:40
MQ2- Circles and Curves

A continuation of the first class we will begin exploring quilting FREE-MOTION designs on our domestic machines.  This hands on class will work with the feed-dogs down and help develop your confidence and relationship with your machine.  You MUST be able to use a darning or free-motion foot with your machine, and be familiar with how it works.   Bring an open mind and a willingness to try something new and I will help you jump into free-motion quilting!
 





I cannot wait to meet you, or see old friends this fall and help you turn your UFO's into DONE!!  Call the shop today and sign-up for them all!!

!http://www.osusannahsquiltshop.com/

I also know that the shop is carrying the new printing of my FAVORTIE book the 365 free-motion quiltng designs by Leah Day that we have been waiting for in class, as well as some of my favorite books by Angela Walters AND she now carries Fil-Tec polyester thread in 16 colors YEAH!!!!  Be sure to check them out, it is going to be an AWESOME fall of classes!!