Brenda’s blog

As the year comes to a close it's time to post my resolution for 2010.  2009's resolution was to complete 12 quilts for myself.  I made my goal, but now have a big stack of quilts that I'm not sure what to do with.  The vast majority of them are going to end up stored in a closet.  What fun is that?

I have decided that 2010's resolution must be a bit more practical in nature.  For the coming year I plan to finish up 12 of my UFO's.  The only rule is that the project must have been started no later than December 31, 2009. [1]  This time giving them away or selling them is absolutely OK.  That will help to reduce the clutter around here.  I've already started a list of which projects I would like to get taken care of in the coming year.  This is, of course, subject to change as the year progresses.

1. Mike & Holly's wedding gift -- quilt, bind.

2.  Double Wedding Ring -- finish piecing, quilt, bind

3.  One Block Wonder -- quilt, bind

4.  Embroidered Butterflies -- finish embroidery, design setting, piece, quilt, bind

5.  Fractal Nine Patch --  quilt, bind

6.  Old Thimbleberries shop sample -- attach borders, quilt, bind

7.  Old Jinny Beyer shop sample -- attach borders, quilt, bind

8.  Purple and Green Kaleidoscope -- quilt, bind

9.  Paula Nadelstern Kaleidoscope -- quilt, bind

10.  Haunted Houses wall hanging -- design setting, piece, quilt, bind

11.

12.

Quilts 1,8, and 10 are already scheduled to be given away and I have no particular attachment to 6 & 7 so will easily part with them when and if the opportunity arises.  There are countless more UFO's around the house that I hope to make at least some progress on during the coming year and I have quite a stack of my own quilts just waiting for their turns on the quilting machine.  But first I must finish up a challenge quilt that is due at the end of the month and finish up my guild's next raffle quilt.  It needs to be completed by the middle of January.  Oh, and I'm hoping to have a new book ready to go to press by the end of 2010.  Guess I'd better go get busy!

[1]  That means I still have some time to start some new ones!

At the quilt show last week I picked up a neat little toy that's letting me create images that indulge two of my passions -- kaleidoscopes and snowflakes.  This toy is a bit of software called Kaleidoscope Kreator 3.  I also picked up the two add ons to go with it, but I'm having so much fun that I haven't gotten around to loading those two CDs onto my computer yet.

Here are some of the images I've created so far.

Plumeria Test

Bluesky snowflake 2

Crapemyrtle 3

These are the three photographs I started with.

I've always been a big fan of quilts in which the pattern of the fabric does most of the design work.  Such quilts are generally simple to piece, but require a great deal of imagination to create.  I saw several quilts at the Houston show that performed this feat magnificently.

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This first quilt is what inspired me to buy that large scale African print.

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And lest you be fool enough to think that this is a new item in the quilters' bag of tricks, here's a stunner from the 1840's!

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No, I didn't just return from a trip around the world.  Darn it.  But I did return from a trip to Houston for the International Quilt Festival.  Most of the fabric I brought home makes me feel like I've been around the world.

France

Africa

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Russia

South Pacific

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On Saturday I taught a beginning fractures class at Sooner Quilts.  I only had three students, but they caught on faster than any class I've ever taught.  We were done nearly 2 hours ahead of schedule.  You go, girls!

Sue

Betty

Linda

Thursday evening I was in McAlester doing the guild program for the Kiamichi Quilt Guild.  Sadly, I didn't get any pictures, but had a lovely time.  They are a smallish group and meet in the old high school on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm.  Most of the members show up early and at 6:00 they have a light dinner/heavy h'dourves.  I found them to be very friendly and very enthusiastic.  I'll come back any time they like.

What's your favorite room in the house? Bonus points if you show us a photo!

That would be my studio.

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Yes, it's that time of year again.  Every year when we go to look at the exhibits Ken checks out the wood turning entries and comments that he could do at least as well as the items on display and that he's going to enter the next year, but he never does.  This year I literally sat on him and made him enter a couple of items.  Guess what?  He won blue ribbons on both of them!!  Way to go Ken.  (Hopefully I won't have to sit on him again next year.)

Ken's antler pen

Ken's hour glass

Some of these pictures are out of focus because my camera has autofocus and tends to key in on the glass fronts of the display cases.

There were plenty of fabulous quilts to be seen again this year.  My friend Cameron Potter won a blue ribbon with the lovely pastel number in the center of the photo.  The piece work is very simple, but her custom quilting is outstanding!

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Another friend of mine, Linda Gaither, entered the show for the first time this year and won a red ribbon.

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Toni Galley was so pleased with the red ribbon that she won with her very first fair entry last year that this year she entered 6 quilts and now has 6 more ribbons for her collection!

Michelle Schroeder always limits herself to 3 entries and now has 3 new ribbons.

There were several quilts entered by others on which I did the quilting.

I also quilted the Edmond Quilt Guild raffle quilt which I entered on the guild's behalf.  It took Best of Show!

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Last, but not least, are the quilts I entered into the fair.  This year this self proclaimed ribbon slut entered 9 quilts in the fair.  Yes, I won 9 ribbons.  5 of them are blue

and the other 4 are red.