Quilting with Karen in the Studio!!
10 Apr 2012 2 Comments
in quilting
I have always been a teacher. I can remember rounding up the younger kids on Swearingen Rd on Marland Heights in Weirton, WV between first and second grade and holding school during the summer. I was a teacher assistant all through college and then became a high school teacher. When I retired from my teaching career I began teaching quilting (piecing and applique) classes at a local quilt shop. Then I purchased a longarm quilting machine and began quilting for myself and others and last year began teaching others longarm quilting techniques. Today I held my first Quilting with Karen in the Studio semi-private longarm class – four students all learning Advanced Feather Techniques. We had an absolutely fantastic time and they were wonderful students.
Here is a gallery of their accomplishments today………..they went from novice to advanced in no time and will now have the confidence to offer higher end custom quilting to their customers – so it is a win win win for everyone!!
Click on each picture for a larger view!!
This same class will be offered in a nine hour format – one full day plus one half day in Aiken on June 15 and 16 at the Aiken Historical Museum – sponsored by Aiken Quilt Shoppe – contact Nancy Clifton there to sign up. It will also be offered at the Quilters of SC 2012 Pieceable Retreat in October.
If you are interested in this class or any other longarm quilting classes contact me! A day in the studio is a wonderful day.
Stawberry Fields Forever
13 Mar 2012 1 Comment
in longarm quilting, quilt shows, quilting
I collect patterns that appeal to me and eventually hope I’ll get around to making. One way to accomplish this is to get a bunch of quilting friends involved. Two years ago we started working on Monterey Medallons, a pattern by quilt design Terri Atkinson. There were six of these in our show a couple of weeks ago. Here is my version called Strawberry Fields Forever.
I wanted to custom quilt this but after looking at it for a long time and listening to it I decided it did not need or want heavy custom quilting.
Heart motifs in the background – large, medium, and small depending on the space.
A leaf and swirl motif in all of the green areas. The hot pink chains just got stitch in the ditch.
I was very happy with how the quilt turned out and the judge liked it too!
Great big smiles!!
06 Mar 2012 3 Comments
in longarm quilting, quilt guilds, quilt shows, quilting
It just doesn’t get any better than this!! June and I collaborated on this show stopper and we are proud to announce that it won Best of Show Bed Quilt in the Cobblestone Quilters Guild A Celebration of Quilts 2012.
The quilt is named Southern Comforts and it is from the book Southern Album by Diane Frankenberger of People, Places and Quilts and Kristin Steiner. We originally made it for our show opportunity quilt but decided to enter it in the show just to see how it would do. Boy were we surprised and delighted!!
But yes, we had to watch it being given away and again we were delighted that the winning ticket belonged to a fellow guild member and good friend.
Even more delightful, the Charleston Museum’s curator expressed an interest in attaining the quilt for the museum’s collection. WOW!
I had other quilts of my own in the show and other quilts that I had quilted for customers. Did very well and have a number of ribbons. But I was so busy working at the show that I never had a chance to take pictures. We did have a photographer take pics of every quilt so when the CD comes out I’ll have more to share.
I’m pretty sure I’ll be floating on air for a few more weeks.
And I want to thank June for giving me such a beautiful and excellently done quilt top to work with. She is a talented piecer and appliquer and we make a great team!
The beautiful ribbons were made by Sheila. We always have hand made ribbons – different each show – and they are much coveted.
A sneak peak at a real show stopper!
21 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in longarm quilting, quilt guilds, quilt shows, quilting
Over the past few weeks I’ve been furiously working on the last quilts I had here for our quilt show. This work of art was appliqued and pieced by Virginia and she gave me free rein to custom quilt it. Having such large open spaces was wonderful and I went just a bit “feather” mad!! Virginia’s applique is exquisite and I hope my quilting did her beautiful work justice. To see this quilt close up and personal be sure to visit the Cobblestone Quilters Guild A Celebration of Quilts 2012 at the Gaillard Auditorium in downtown Charleston, SC on March 2 and 3 from 10 AM to 6 PM.
To enlarge any picture just click on it!
Quilt Show Silent Auction
17 Feb 2012 4 Comments
in friends, longarm quilting, quilt guilds, quilt shows, quilting
The Cobblestone Quilters Guild Biennial Quilt Show – A Celebration of Quilts 2012 is almost ready to begin!! Every two years we descend upon the Gaillard Auditorium in downtown Charleston, SC and cover the exhibition hall in beautiful, eye-popping, sensational quilts. Our members and other exhibitors are so very talented and this is an exhibit not to be missed. Quilt offerings range from the traditional to the art quilt – but no matter the genre – THIS AIN’T YOUR GRANDMOTHER’S QUILTING anymore!!
One popular part of our show is our silent auction. Guild members make and donate quilts and quilted items to be auctioned off. All proceeds from our auction go to support a chosen charity. This year we are supporting the Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center.
My good friend Frances pieced this ocean themed quilt and I did the longarm quilting on it as my part of the donation. We are pleased to offer it at the silent auction and hope it will raise a nice amount for the Children’s Center.
If you are in the Charleston area the first weekend in March please come and see our show. We will be at the Gaillard Auditorium from 10 AM to 6 PM Friday and Saturday, March 2 &3. Admission is $7 for one day or $10 for a two day pass. In addition to almost 200 quilts we have 15 vendors plus our guild boutique. Wonderful shopping opportunities!!
Stars over Monterey
02 Feb 2012 4 Comments
in longarm quilting, quilt shows, quilting
This lovely quilt was pieced by Virginia using the Monterey Medallion pattern by Terry Atkinson. Our small group used this pattern as their group challenge two years ago. We think there will be about seven of them in our show next month! I still have mine to quilt but it is next and is the last for the show.
For Virginia’s I used a funky feather and swirl all over meander with a variegated King Tut thread in the needle and Bottom Line prewound in the bobbin.
All pictures are clickable for a larger view.
Four very happy quilters!!
26 Jan 2012 2 Comments
in quilting
If a picture is worth a thousand words then four pictures must be worth a million words!! Here are the final products from the other new quilters in my Wadmalaw Island Sassy Senior Quilters Club!! This time last year I had six brand new quilters – only one who had much experience in sewing. A year later they had produced two joint effort quilts and each one has finished an individual quilt. When they showed off their quilts the first of January – my class more than doubled in size for this year!!! Many of the senior ladies had observed the quilting class but would say they couldn’t do that. Now they all want to try!!! I had a wonderful day yesterday on the island with twelve in my class and two more should have been there!!! It was especially gratifying to watch those who had been with me in 2011 sharing their knowledge and helping the new ones because to me that is really what quilting is all about.
Enjoy the pictures. I love how they used the same pattern but each one is so unique and so much a reflection of their own personality. They are also showing the pillowcases they made to match their quilts.
First up, Miss Mary Alice.
Here is Miss Maggie.
And now Miss Alice – she is Maggie’s sister.
And finally Miss Clare – aka Miss Daisy.
Our first pattern for 2012 is a Disappearing or Divided Nine Patch. Two weeks ago each quilter selected their fabric choices from our ever growing stash of fabrics. If we couldn’t find three fabrics to work together I came home and looked through my stash and was able to find something to complement their selections. It was so much fun to watch them as they looked at fabrics and we talked about what would work together as colors and value and pattern. Personal likes and dislikes are so unique!!
Our first sewing day of the new year was yesterday and even with double the number of sewers and all but one of them being very new to sewing everything went so smoothly. I have cut back my days on the island to twice a month but they will be able to sew on the alternate Wednesdays on their own as I make sure each one understands their next step before I leave and I have six seasoned sewers now to help them out.
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