Its been a busy couple weeks, 4 quilts went out the door yesterday - woohoo!

And all of them were gorgeous - even if I say so myself!

Here are a few pictures of three of them - the fourth one will be on display at the QUILT Schenectady Quilt Show Oct. 18 & 19 at Proctors, so I won't post until after the show. Good luck Mary!

Enjoy!

Peg will donate this first quilt to Quilts of Valor - made with a beautiful array of patriotic prints in a "Disappearing Four Patch" design.

And a cute Whale baby quilt...  I love the fish with bubbles quilting design!

Yesterday at the QUILT Inc. guild meeting in Delmar, the raffle quilt for the 2015 quilt show was unveiled. It is a pattern by Pat Wys called "Arboretum". The guild members contributed various half-square triangles in a variety of sizes in browns, greys, tans and other neutrals. They were combined to create the pieced "trees" by the raffle quilt sub-committee members, and quilted by Laurie Collins.

The quilt is stunning, and I heard lots of gasps, oohs, and aahs when the cover was pulled down to reveal the completed quilt.

Here's a picture after the quilting was done, but before the binding and hanging sleeve were added.

Look for raffle tickets starting in October 2014 for your chance at winning this quilt - drawing to be held at the quilt show in April 2015.

If you are planning to enter a quilt in the QUILT Schenectady Quilt Show "Autumn Inspirations" October 18th & 19th - you need to get your registration in NOW. This is one of the years where the entry deadline is BEFORE the first fall meeting. So, you have to pay your dues first and pay for your registration fee (if being judged). Do it today - Kathy has to have the entry registration by the 30th - so don't delay - we want to see your quilts in the show!!!

Did you see the article by that name by Gigi Khalsa in the August/September issue of Quilters Newsletter magazine?

If not, I suggest you read it and think carefully about the comments she makes in the article.

What value do you place on your work? Do you even think about it?

It seems like women especially, have a difficult time asserting that what they do is of any value at all. Why is that? Low self esteem perhaps?

How much do you value your time? What about the skills you have worked on improving for the last 5 - 10 - 15 - 20 - 30 - 40 or more years?

Do you say things like: "Oh its nothing at all" or "Its just something I do once in a while". Comments like that devalue you and your work.

We should be proud of our accomplishments. Many people have no idea how to do what we do. Others just wouldn't take the time that is necessary to make a quilt.

We need to help educate others so they realize what they have when they receive a hand made quilt. If we don't value the quilt, why should others?

We can start by keeping track of the number of hours we spend working on a quilt. And how about tracking how much money we spent on that gorgeous fabric, thread, batting, quilting service, etc. Maybe we should keep a journal with the details of each quilt we make - including notes about why we made the quilt; what inspired us; what and whose pattern we used; or notes if it is an original design; everyone who worked on the quilt (piecing, quilting, binding); what we felt at the time; what special occasion it commemorates, etc. And don't forget to include pictures of the quilt - during the process and after it is finished - and maybe even when it was given to someone as a gift.

Let's start treating our work as "art" and not just as a "craft"!

Just noticed it has been over a month since my last post - ugh! Guess I need to set up a reminder!

In case you hadn't noticed, the summer is flying by! I hope you have been enjoying the nice weather - even if it is hot out. In a few months we will be wishing for this weather. Five months today is Christmas - but don't panic yet - there is still time to get ready!

So, since I last wrote - I made a couple trips downstate checking out commercial embroidery machines - oh my!

I've been toying with the idea of expanding the quilting business and offer custom embroidery as well. What do you think of that idea? Do you have a need for embroidered items? And if so, what would you like? Baby items, monograms, household items, shirts, jackets, caps, etc.? Depending on the item being embroidered, you need other special attachments - so its a good idea to know what you are going to do with the machine, so you can buy the appropriate items.

Anyway, let me know what you think - I'm all ears!

I just received an advance copy of Machine Quilters Unlimited - July/August 2014 magazine - because..... pictures of my "Hawaiian Dawn" quilt were included in an article on pipings by Margaret Solomon Gunn (you know - that gal who keeps winning all those big ribbons at the big quilt shows!)!

I was honored and thrilled to have her notice my quilt while it was entered in MQX East in 2012. She decided it would be perfect to be included in her article - and the rest is history - as they say!

What a treat to see pictures of my quilt displayed with those made by Margaret! Woohoo!

Here are some pics in case you can't find the magazine.....

I've been real busy lately - hence the delay in postings - but I know something good is coming, that you won't want to miss.
I just finished quilting a quilt that will be in a book of quilt designs by Kathie Greenwold - our local quilt appraiser! I only saw this one design, but can't wait to see the rest.

I was sworn to no pictures until the book comes out, soooooo you have to wait a while longer!

The quilt is called Italian Tiles - and the book should be coming out in the next few weeks - so keep an eye out for it!

What a great time to be had at the American Embroidery Conference held at Palm Beach Gardens, FL! This was my first time at the conference, which alternates in location between FL and Marietta GA. I learned a lot, saw some great projects, made some new friends, and bought some nifty embroidery designs!

Check out the logo by Lothat was embroidered on our bags - how fun is that?!?!??!?

People came from all over to attend the conference - including Australia and England - as well as many states in the US. It was interesting to see the different projects people made and brought for the Fashion Show - which included quilts, bags, and all sorts of clothing. Beautiful work. Here is a small sample....

And these gals know how to put on a conference - chocolate sewing machines for all!