A whole lotta catch up!

I've been traveling my tushy off so now it's time to pay the piper and blog all about it... so fair warning, it's probably going to be a long post (but lots of pics)!

So let's rewind two weeks ago, back to MQX.  It was a blast (as always), my students were awesome, and I had a bunch of fun!

Let's start out with... S N O W
No, it's not something we see in Florida, but remember, I'm a Jersey girl and I really do miss snow!

Here's part of my class during a lecture/demo -- haha, I'm still a hands-on teacher - everyone had a chance to try something from class!  And apparently, this is the only photo I took in any of my machine classes...

A peek of me with my Prince Challenge!

I awarded my Faculty Ribbon to this awesome quilt - Big ASS(terisk) by Becky Everett - such a cool piece!

And a pic with Gods Eye and yes, Trippy was there, but I didn't get a picture with it?? - must be show brain...

 And, seriously, the best class ever - Dyeing to Cut It Part 2 - where we took all the amazing dyes that the students made in Cindy Lohbeck's class and cut them up to make little bits of awesomeness!!

And then on Friday night, Kyra Reps was using a bunch of us as guinea pigs to test out her dot painted mandalas - so we (the Gammill crew) all participated!  What fun it was!!

Oh!  I almost forgot... I had new headshots done by the uber talented Bonnie McCaffery - here's my sneak peek!  I can't wait to see the others!  New headshots were kinda a must as my grey has really grown in nicely.

So right before takedown, I had a few minutes to stitch... fun stuff!

And of course... takedown - I have the best work family!

So from MQX it was a direct (haha...delay, delay, cancel, new flight) shot out to the Mothership (aka Gammill headquarters) in West Plains.  It was our dry run of the new Quilting with Confidence 2019 Tour - and from West Plains, we headed up to the Satellite Mothership (aka Statler) - and also to the hatchery (Warehouse).  Keep reading to learn more about the tour, I promise, it's coming.  So some of these pics are mine and some are from others... and no, I can't possibly remember who I've borrowed them from, but thanks!  So... in no particular order:

So... the tour - Quilting with Confidence!  I know I've talked about this recently, but here it is again - you know because not everyone sees every single thing.  Let me start with...

I am crazy excited about the tour!

I am honored to be a part of this amazing educational team!

No, this tour is not a sales pitch - we have been working our tushies off creating educational content to make YOU a more confident quilter - whether hand guide or computerized, or both!

The tour will be traveling to 50+ cities worldwide!  The classes, schedules, descriptions, and location information can be found here.  But wait... there's more... you don't have to be a Gammill user, owning a Gammill is NOT a requirement.  The only requirement is the desire to learn and gain confidence!

So... here's the really important part - registration is open for almost half of the cities, and new ones are opening every few days.  Go, check it out, see if there is a city near you and sign up!!  Next week is the kick-off event in Kansas City -- I can't wait!  Hope to see you at an event soon!

Block Breakdown 07 & 08

You guys!  I've totally neglected to add the latest TWO (yes two) episodes of Block Breakdown.  And not one of you messaged me to ask where they were?!!  

Many of you have messaged that you'd like to see both of these.  

Here is Block Breakdown 07 - New York Beauty

Block Breakdown 07 - New York Beauty (February 2018)

New York Beauty Printable

And here is Block Breakdown 08 - Lemoyne Star

Block Breakdown 08 - Lemoyne Star (March 2018)

Lemoyne Star Printable

So, if you don't see me posting these (approximately once a month), feel free to message me asking where they are.  You can always find the latest episode on Gammill's website, and also on the Block Breakdown tab above.  And, as always, if there is a specific block you'd like to see, just let me know!

Happy Stitches!

Block Breakdown #4 - Economy Patch

Here is Block Breakdown # 4 - Economy Patch



Every month on the Gammill YouTube channel I'll be sharing a different block showing several quilting variations. I'll make sure to share the link here as well. You can always click on the Block Breakdown links (located in the sidebar) to check if you've missed any.

Block Breakdown #3 - Square in a Square

Every month on the Gammill YouTube channel I'll be sharing a different block showing several quilting variations. I'll make sure to share the link here as well. You can always click on the Block Breakdown links (located in sidebar) to check if you've missed any.

Here is Block Breakdown #3 - Square in a Square:

Remember, let me know if there are any specific blocks you'd like to see - happy stitching!

Just the Two of Us - the pelicans are finished!

There they are! The pelicans are finished!  I am thrilled with how this project turned out. So many ups, downs, and even sideways to get to the end, but finally, we made it. Thank you so much for following along their journey with me - you are all amazing, helpful, supportive, you know - the best!

Here's what happened since the last post:

I decided on the freehand painted background -

Lots of invisible applique:

More invisible applique - placing the pelicans onto the background:

Loading of the beautiful ice-dyed backing (this one was dyed by Helia Ricci):

And then the quilting:

And then the blocking and drying:

The first facing.

Believe it or not, this was my first time facing a quilt.  On my first attempt, I cut my pieces, folded in half and pressed and then attached to the four sides of the quilt.  Well, I was so unhappy with the miters this happened:

After talking with my friend I decided to do a full facing (waste a lot of fabric).  And since I really wanted some wow, I decided to curve the edges.

Just a little bit more and it will be finished!

So that's it... it went by a lot faster in pictures!  

MQX - My Quilts and ME!

The other day I received this awesome email from MQX. Nice!

Lucy, my project for this years Journeys Thru Art challenge, was accepted. Awesome! I had been wanting to do a Lucy quilt for a while now, and when Journeys decided on Famous Female Faces I knew I'd be making a Lucy quilt.  I went back and forth between different techniques and kept coming back to using purple. I ordered a yardage bundle of Cherrywood Hand-Dyed Fabrics in the eggplant gradation colorway. My friend asked why I chose purple, and I just blurted out "it was Lucy's favorite color" - I had no idea of this, I was joking. Then my curiosity got the best of me and after a little google research I found out that purple was one of her favorite colors so it turned out pretty cool!
So here's Lucy (I still need to square and put the binding on):

It's a Jungle was also accepted. More awesomeness! It's a Jungle was started eons ago as a bed quilt for my son. I pulled it out and made a serious attempt to finish it for Christmas. Well, that didn't happen, and I guess it's good, because now it gets to go to MQX! It is truly a bed quilt, the pattern is Bound to the Prairie by Moda University. Of course I didn't follow directions and went my own way with colors, or should I say my reduced number of colors. And just wait until you see the backing for this quilt! It's an ice-dye by Sondra Millard/She's Got Mojo. I had sent her pics of my fabrics and she created magic (like she always does). This quilt is still being quilted so these are the only pictures I can share right now:

And do you know who else is going to MQX New England?... ME!  I'll be teaching!!  A couple of my hands-on classes have sold out, and space is limited in my others, so go check it out soon!!  Will I see you there?

East Coast Gammill/Statler Conference!

I just returned home from the East Coast Gammill/Statler Conference -- what an incredible event! I couldn't have asked for a better venue to start my teaching journey. Lori & Steve Clayton from Threads Run Thru It were excellent hosts and really pulled off a spectacular event. Lots of thanks also go out to Gammill Quilting for their hand in the event - I am honored to be a Gammill Quilting Artist!

Introduction of the educators at the Meet & Greet:

photo courtesy of Jennifer Smith/Gammill Quilting

A view of my classroom -- it wasn't quiet for long!

I was so nervous about teaching. For those that know me, I have anxiety issues -- lol, I should just say I have issues, I'm still not at total ease with the lecture part of teaching, as I often struggle to find words. I am so much better at the let-me-show-you part. But I do think I found a good balance point to start from.

Here are some pictures from my Spontaneous Art Quilt class - this class was a blast! So much creativity happening I just had to snap some pics:

and here's a picture of the group:

I don't have pictures from my other classes (insert frowny face), but Jen from Gammill snapped this one while I was speaking (and I managed to keep my hands still):

photo courtesy of Jennifer Smith/Gammill Quilting

And, of course, a few candids with some of my favorite people:

I didn't get a chance to snap a pic with our wonderful hosts, Steve and Lori.  This weekend was a wonderful experience. I met so many fabulous people and was thrilled that I was able to share my knowledge with them. I can only hope to be asked back next year, and you can make sure I'll get that picture with Steve and Lori!