A New Quilt Retreat in Wisconsin

My good friend Chris Daly who is owner of Dye Candy has just purchased a great place in northern Wisconsin for Quilt Retreats.  I just have to share the info because I am so excited and plan to get there hopefully very soon..
I would love for you to take a stroll through her blog post about the retreat.  You will be amazed.  I wish Chris all the best!!
You can read about and see photos of Woodland Retreat at the Dye Candy link below.  Or just click on
Woodland Retreat

So you love beautiful hand dyed fabrics check out her shop Dye Candy
Chris will be vending at Quilt Expo Sept. 5, 6, and 7.  I will be helping in her booth when I can.. so I hope to see you there..

Quilt Expo in Madison - in 2 weeks

I'm very excited to once again be giving a couple lectures at Expo this year.  I'm also very excited and can't wait to see the quilts.  This is a great show and I hope you can get there.  

Sept. 5-7

Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center

Madison, Wis.

wiquiltexpo.com

Getaway to Quilt Expo  

Now in its ninth year, Quilt Expo continues to be an ideal opportunity for quilters to get away, connect with quilting friends, be inspired, learn fresh techniques and discover what’s new in the quilting world. Plan to escape to rejuvenate your quilting spirit by making Quilt Expo your fall destination.

 

With an abundance of comfortable accommodations, eclectic dining and extraordinary shopping, the greater Madison area offers attendees the perfect three-day getaway.

 

To learn about driving directions, hotels, services and attractions in the greater Madison area, visit the Quilt Expo website or refer to page 17 of the Advance Registration Guide.

How I started Sewing/Quilting Blog Hop

My mother was not a quilter.  My grandmother was not a quilter.  I think I only had one aunt that quilted and I really wasn't interested.
In 2000 I started rubber stamping cutesy cards.  I went to a Stampin Up party and I was hooked.  About a year and a half later I got into Mixed Media.  That lasted about a year or so.  June of 2003 I had my first sewing machine.  I was making fabric postcards and little fabric atcs and trading them.  I got hooked on Quilting Arts magazine and had to own all of the back issues.  ( and all of the supplies, and still do)!  I talked my sister in getting a sewing machine too.  And we both took our first quilting classes at Patched Works in Elm Grove Oct. 2003.  You can see my first quilt below.

My first quilt... Fun Patches pattern

My teacher was Lisa Garms.  She really encouraged us to dive right in.. And I did.  I tried some fancy variegated free motion... And some fancy stitches in the ditch.

So it was ok... not sure I was really in love with it.. It didn't look like anything I saw in Quilting Arts Magazine.  

Sooo the local Tech college had some classes.. One was called Parallelisms taught by Chris Kirsch 

I signed up for the class April 2004.  I really love the technique and fusing.  She was a great teacher.  We fused fabric and then cut them into little strips.  Fused them to fabric,  added some fancy fabrics and I even couched some rattail cord to it.  Wow.. what a mess but, a pretty mess.. I was so proud.  I never named it.. so I'll call it John Doe #1

My first art quilt

I started to steer more to the art quilts.  I started making them really not knowing what I was doing.  I took many classes and a Seminar with Ricky Tims.  I think he changed my life.  Even though I wasn't fond of traditional quilts he made them easy... Slash and then sew them back together.. it's called CAVEMAN QUILTING.  Crazy Mixed up Chicken was born.  Using the Luella Doss fabrics which I thought were really wild.

Maggie Gordon a quilting friend told me to put this quilt into the show in Cedarburg.  She actually grabbed it from me and took it there herself.  And it won 2nd place.  It was my first ribbon.  I was so happy.

Crazy Mixed Up Chicken

So this is the beginning of my quilting career.  I could go on and on and tell you all about the rest of the nine years after that but I won't.. What I will tell you is what is going on with my quilting now.  And if you want to hear the rest of the nine years my sister and I have a lecture called The Tale of Two Sisters, One Wild and One Crazy. 

I'm still making art quilts.  And making traditional quilts.  ( I have a secret love for them but, I am horrible at quarter inch seams.)  I'm getting better.. they say practice makes perfect.  

Lately I am trying to write some patterns of some Cats and Dogs.  Making them into a workshop.  I have 2 patterns currently Daisy and Dexter.  

My quilt Zak will be hanging at Quilt Expo Sept. 5-7th.  He is one of my most recent quilts.  And 

Zak 

"Beauty" can be seen in Grand Rapids as part of the Ultimate Guild Challenge with the Milwaukee Art Quilters.

My Quilt called My Blue Heeler, Rosie will be traveling to Houston and will be in an exhibit called It's Raining Cats and Dogs...I am thrilled.  

I will continue to quilt as long as I can because I am hooked!!  Everything about quilting has enriched my life. I have great quilty friends.  I have made some beautiful quilts.  I have bought some beautiful quilts.  Including some very cool vintage quilts.  Traveling to quilt shows and meeting other quilters has been so exciting and fun.  

And one more thing.  Raising money with quilts.  Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative is doing a great job auctioning off quilts for Alzheimer's.  I have a quilt traveling for five years in their exhibit Alzheimer's Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope. http://www.alzquilts.org

And Studio Art Quilt Association has an amazing auction of quilts made by the members. The auction starts Monday Sept. 9th.  You can go here for more information.  http://www.saqa.com/saqa-u.php?ID=2367

So I am posting this because of a wonderful friend I have meet through quilting had a great idea to do a blog hop.  Cheryl Sleboda is one of the neatest quilter friends I have met.  She loves to share and comes up with these great ideas.. So I would like to share with you the entire list of blogs that you can go to and see what possessed others to go down this crazy path of quilting.  Please visit their blogs and read their stories.. You won't be disappointed.  

Aug 1. Cyndi Zacheis Souder - http://moonlightingquilts.wordpress.com/

Aug 2. Becky Glasby - http://bumblebzs.blogspot.com/

Aug 3. Cheryl Sleboda - http://muppin.com/wordpress/index.php/blog/

Aug 4. Barb Forrister - http://www.barbforrister.com/category/blog

Aug 5. Jackie White - http://jabotquilt.blogspot.com/

Aug 6. Tracy Mooney - http://www.3littlebrds.com/

Aug 7. Lisa Chin - http://somethingcleveraboutnothing.blogspot.com

Aug 8. Laura Krasinski - http://laurakrasinskisartontherun.blogspot.com/

Aug 9. Catherine Redford - http://catherineredford.com/blog/

Aug 10. Sylvia Lewis - http://bunchberrystudio.blogspot.com/

So I suppose you would get away without seeing one of my more recent traditional quilts. Well, here you go.. Traditional with a Modern look. How do you like that pink paint on the wall.. It's a wonder my daughter got any sleep at all in that room... :-)