Quiltcon post - food, fun and friends

To use the language of my kids' school, my "bucket" is very full right now - I'm overflowing with happiness. I just spent 4 days with some of my very favorite girl friends - all the while missing the ones that weren't able to come (you know who you are!)... I soaked up the inspiration, and hugs, the laughs and even the absolute absurdity of going to an 80s themed dance party all dressed up ridiculously.
We sewed, danced, ate, shopped and got inspired together - and we can't stop hoping for a next time to get to do it all again.
A few of us were discussing our favorite parts of the weekend while we waited for our flights. Hands down, mine was getting to be with these girls.
I love the LAMQG. We all had and shared our various stories about how we came to the guild and how lonely we each felt as we came into the group... Wondering, "will I ever belong?" How many times did I chicken out of going to meetings? Or slink out the back and swear I'd never go again? I'm so glad I kept going. I'm so glad they all did the same. These girls are my girls. Some of my dearest weren't even there at the conference, but they are included in this love, too. It's weird to think this guild has changed my life, but it has. And not just because of the quilts.

There were a few new friends made this weekend, too. And a chance for some of us Bee Happy bees to get dinner together too... Oh, and the food! Austin is known for its good food... I can only agree considering pretty much every meal I ate was amazing.

I got the impression that many people went to Quiltcon to network or meet people. Me? Yeah, I met some new and neat people. I just love that I got to play and get closer with some of the greatest women I know.

Quiltcon - Day 2 - Class with AnnaMariaHorner

Pardon me as I break all these Quiltcon adventures into multiple posts. There are just so many pics and just so many aspects even to each day that the only way I can properly journal this is to separate each thought. (If you're not interested, maybe just check back in a week or two from now, because I have a ton to share) :)
Ok... So...
Day 2 of Quiltcon for me was an all day class with AnnaMaria Horner. If you've read my blog for a while, you know that I have admired AnnaMaria for 10 years at least. I was a lowly textile designer myself at a big manufacturer when I first learned about AnnaMaria (as well as Lotta Jansdotter, more on her later!). What they were doing with textiles was so beautiful and fresh - in completely opposite ways... But what they both had in common was that they were artists getting their art into fabric and I loved their work.
Friday's class began with AnnaMaria sharing about her quilts and her design process. She kind of opened my eyes to the idea of her looking at her quilts as collages and editing them by using appliqué elements (and other processes) to add into their composition.
Sometimes it feels as if appliqué is not an honored part of "modern quilting" and as my friend Liz said to me - "maybe you've been peer pressured into NOT trying appliqué" - interesting thought, considering how much I love collage and how it's my art medium of choice.
I've decided to try it at some point soon. And not cutesy appliqué - because that's not my style... But actually collaging my quilt....
AnnaMaria was speaking my language.

She shared her joy and passion and fabric scraps with us and encouraged us to sketch out ideas and put them to work. (Again, my phone only allows 5 pics per post... And my project looks so different than these pics with her work that I will post it next)

The quilts she showed us are the quilts she is making for her children's beds. It's fun to see her work and to hear about how she thought of each kid and their personality and what she wanted to give to them as she composed.

She used both her fabrics and those of others, designed by both contemporary designers and vintage pieces. Which is really fun to see how even someone known for creating diverse product lines still wants to mix and match old and new, picking from different sources. I guess I am in good company there.

The pic of us together is cute. She's seriously so sweet, and I was so honored to hear she not only remembered me from the class I took with her before, but that she recognized me when I walked in and as we talked she mentioned seeing my artwork and quilts on Instagram. I'm not quite sure how she does it, but no one has the reputation that she does for making everyone she is with feel so special and happy to be with her. What a gem. :)

The funny piece of fabric she has on her tummy is a vintage linen scrap that she was admiring of mine. It took some convincing on my part, but she finally accepted it as a little gift. It's fun for me to be able to give even just the tiniest token back, after all she's given to me through her books, blog, classes, products and interactions.

My Quiltcon favorite quilts

There are hundreds of quilts here. Just so many that I keep turning corners and finding new ones that I haven't seen. There are ones I love, ones I don't love, controversial quilts, historical quilts... Quilts, quilts, quilts!
Here are pics of a few of my very favorites. There are a number of quilts by Denyse Schmidt in this grouping. (The ones by AnnaMaria Horner I will post about in another post) ... One of the quilts is by my dear friend, Latifah Saafir (the scallops). And there are a number of ones by Sherry Lynn Wood - who I've also found to be a super fun dancer... (More on that later too)
In the meantime, enjoy these...

Quiltcon - Day 1

Well, it's day 2 of quiltcon and my phone is filling up with pics of all my amazing adventures already. I'll have to post them in groups, to keep them straight.
Day 1 was a lot to take in as we all trickled into Austin and found each other and got inspired by what we saw... I ran into friends on the plane and in the airport, we made friends on the super shuttle ride into town and it just kept up like that all day.
I spent the day walking the floor and doing a little shopping. My classes all fall over the next 3 days.
The Bee Happy bees and I (missing Nicole and Latifah) had dinner together before an evening pajama hand sewing party with our guildies in a hotel lobby that got broken up by security for being too loud. (For real?)
The quilts hanging in the show are phenomenal. There is so much to see it can be overwhelming. But I think the point to note is that modern quilting has a place. This ain't your grandma's quilting, though a few grandmas join in the fun... this is art. It's exciting to be part of something new. To see it happening. To maybe have just one tiny part in it. (Ill post more quilt pics later)

Tada! The ScrappyTripAlong quilt

It's not finished yet... Still have to baste, quilt and bind this puppy, but the long awaited top is complete and a certain little girl is pretty excited about that.
Next on the agenda (that is, in addition to getting my gear together for 3 straight days of classes and learning and fun with my girls at Quiltcon... Slumber party!!) is loads and loads of quilting. Both kids are currently awaiting their finished quilts for their beds. And I've got another one basted and in line.
I realized tonight that before I can get into some new creative ideas, I need to clear the decks a little... Get some of these works in progress off my table.

Then who knows what may happen?
I'd like to play with some patterns a friend gave to me. Maybe try something from one of my zillion books. Definitely need to make more curvy quilts, for sure. Gotta keep cranking....

My sewing machine

Sure it's just a sewing machine. But then again, it's not. After all... I am actually the owner of 6 other machines. (3 antique Singers, a Pfaff that I hate, a trusty little roller skate of a Kenmore, and even Mimi's Hello Kitty Janome). None of those machines are really capable of what this new (to me) Janome 6600 can do. There are loads of features that have made it a favorite of many of my friends for years... There's a reason it's been my dream machine.
But this machine is far more than features to me. It was Yolanda's machine. Her dream machine, too. She asked her family to give it to me as a gift, as a memory of our friendship when she passed. The weight of that is big to me. Out of every other person in the world, she chose me to give this to. What can I do but feel the honor and love when I sit down to sew? My sweet friend, who was so much fun even to visit in the hospital... I'd rather be sewing on my roller skate Kenmore to have her back, but she is gone. Her memory is very alive with me, though. I put scraps of her fabric in every project I make these days. I treasure the conversations she and I had. There seems to be more aqua and yellow in my world than there used to be. I check in with her fiancé every few weeks - he's doing really well, as much as he misses her. (What a gem she had in him.)
Even writing this, my heart aches. It's funny how much a little machine can carry love and history, creativity and sadness and joy, all wrapped up in a bunch of parts.

Little things basket

I've been meaning to make a little basket to keep my makeup in (the sewing tools here are just modeling). Then tonight after a rough afternoon with the kids, my sewing machine was looking very attractive to me. Something I could control!
An hour later, this little basket existed. Sometimes it's the little things that help us navigate the big things.

Knitting again

After a 3-4 year hiatus, I've picked up knitting again. Encouraged by my friends to join Ravelry.com, and wanting to make a few hats, I picked up some scrap (nasty) yarn that I had lying around. I quickly made 3 hats since Jan 1. Okay... I'm hooked (pardon the pun) again. Then my friend, Lori, invited myself and another friend to come pick through her monstrously large yarn stash (NOT NASTY! Gorgeous!) and I brought home a haul of beautiful projects-to-be.
My next project is a knit cap for J though I have already pulled out the first FIVE attempts. (Sigh) I'm not discouraged yet, though. I'll keep you posted.

It's done! It's done! Yolanda's final quilt

Well. Here it is. The final Yolanda quilt. All completely hand quilted and heading off to her fiancé this coming week. It was very important to her that this was hand quilted and so when Chris asked me if I would finish it for him, I couldn't help but to say "of course".
I've been working on it for months.
Yolanda, I hope you can see this! I know you love it.