Sarah and Wendy's Lost Quilts

PLEASE help get these quilts home! This past summer, Anne Copeland of the Fiberarts Connection curated the exhibit “Then and Now” that was on display at the Mancuso shows in New Hampshire (World Quilt Competition) and California (Pacific International Quilt Festival, PIQF, Santa Clara). The Mancuso show folks returned all the quilts to Annie, who in turn packed them up to return to their owners. All but four have made it home; alas, it appears that two of Sarah Ann Smith's quilts and two of Wendy L. Starn’s quilts are currently lost and unaccounted for since about October 11th. That's over a month. If you see these quilts for sale anywhere, PLEASE let me know!!!!!!!

As far as can be figured, Annie shipped out most of the boxes on October 11th at an Office Depot near her home in Lomita, California; they are a postal acceptance facility. Those quilts were packed in Flat-Rate Medium USPS (US Postal Service) boxes; all of those for which she has a receipt and tracking numbers were delivered. Several days later Annie made two trips to the US Post Office in Lomita. One trip was for the international shipments (to Canada and the Netherlands) and another was for domestic mail. Annie had tracking numbers for six of seven boxes known to ship that day, and all are marked as delivered according to the USPS Tracking and the seventh box the recipient has said she received her quilts. Of those who answered my e-mail, everyone had opened their boxes and received only their own quilts (and with the size of the box it would be pretty hard to fit in extras).

That leaves the four quilts – as shown in these small images above that have gone missing.

My Apologies - Olio

Obviously, I have not posted in aeons. FB has fulfilled the need so often to express myself or vent, that this wee blog has suffered as a consequence.

I have been to England since I last posted. Istill need to sort out the photos. However, I have sketches for two new quilts. I have started the quilt based on a section of floor at Winchester Cathedral with the Stonehenge Line to mimic the slabs of stone used in the section I sketched. I also am planning a new quilt based on a section of Stonehenge. I made one with Hale-Bopp in the evening sky already. The new one will be a fall tree colour in the daytime...

Been making costumes for Steampunk events,here's the Wiki Link explaining it. Steampunk. I have also beeen knitting on many various items, some of which are even complete.

I bought a new spinning wheel this year as well. It's the Thurmaston Suitcase from Timbertops. We are still getting to know each other however.

I finally finished painting the wheel of my Louet with a Celtic Knot and thistles. I think it turned out well.

For a gal who had only one spindle up to three years ago and who now owns two wheels and 4 spindles, I'd say I've been bitten hard by the spinning bug.

Have been busy as well helping out the dear daughter with her yarn business. I have also been nick-named the Mama Minion but the other minions.

We went to Garden of the Gods with the Judd Family the other day and it was a treat as always.

I am sure that there is lot's more I should tell you about, but that will be left for the next post.

How about that, this is a post with NO pictures taken by me, LOL

Sew Expo - I Actually Sewed Something

Today I met my friend, Judy Wisehart in Denver for lunch and to attend the Rocky Mountain Sew Expo. It's become a regular thing for us to meet up there and walk through and view what the vendors are flogging. Normally, when we go, it's too crowded and hectic to really see anything due to the crowds. We usually attend on Friday, however, this time we both able to attend today and it was perfect timing on our part. We ate lunch without waiting forever in line and actually got to see what the vendors had to offer. Judy scored some trims and tulle for making dresses for her granddaughters along with a super duper spiffy ironing board cover.

I also ran into my friend and customer from Great American Quilt Factory where I worked for 3 years. It was kinda of odd tho as she was the only person I ran into today, unlike past shows where I would get lost from Judy because I was talking to yet someone else I knew. That's Sharlene and me.

I also did a Make and Take of a table runner on gridded iron on backing. It was really simple to use. I definitely think I will buy more of the grid to make some table runners as gifts. The other picture is of the few goodies I bought. Mulberry silk yarn for Erin to dye up along with silk sari waste to spin into some woolen yarn for a novelty. The photo includes the table runner top and some cherry pins. I also scored some hook and loop tape to close some 1700s period jackets that I intend to make later on. I found yardage of one of the fabrics in the table runner but there wasn't enough for the size of napkins I want to make to go with the runner, so I will order it from the website of Contemporary Fibers.

The strawberry buttons and the novelty hooks and eyes came from Denver Fabrics where I stopped on my way out of town. I need to find a warm grey fabric to make my Mother of the Bride dress and thought I might luck out there, but alas no. The one fabric I found that was the right colour and weight was very short on yardage, sadly and there was no more to be had. The strawberry buttons are for an Outlander Swap over on Ravelry. Strawberries being one of the symbols of the Fraser Clan, which is the clan of the main male character in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.



I did actually spin today as well for the Tour de Fleece... Again more shall be revealed...

#63 of 365 - Really! I Still Do Make the Odd Quilt

Can't say much about it. It's a Super Secret Quilt, but yes, I do make the odd quilt now and then..

#20 of 365 - What I do the 3rd Wednesday of the Month for 10 Months

From January to October, the hat I wear is the Block of the Month coordinator for the Piecing Partners Quilt Guild here in the Springs. This is what I put together every month for guild members to see how the selected block is put together and what colours to use for the chosen block. No matter how much information I give the ladies, someone ALWAYS chooses to hear a different drummer. Hopefully, with the new plan I have implemented for 2010, at least they'll get the size right.

Time to Reveal More - NYB

The Double NYB in all it's glory.


Detail of the Double NYB Block




Detail of the Single NYB

As promised here is the more to be revealed. Here are detail shots of the NYBs after they were quilted. The binding is now on and on the double one completely stitched with a sleeve for hanging if I so desire. I plan to make so matching fabric napkins just in case I use it on the table instead.

The single block NYB is light enough in weight that it will just get hook and loop tape to hang it with. This is a great trick I learned from Mistress Quilter, Judy B. Dales aeons ago. She primarily uses it for hanging odd shaped quilts but I find it works just as well for square and rectangular ones. It also makes them quick change artists, when I want to change them out.

Support

Who Supports You?

My friend, Marion, over the pond in the UK asked that question on her blog today and it got me to thinking about who supports me.

My daughter, Erin is my biggest piece of scaffolding. She lets me clutter the house with all the bits and pieces of stuff that help me to make my art. Be it yarn, fabric, beads, threads, papers, even bits and bobs of junk I find out and about.

My friends from all the different aspects of my life who support me in my artistic ventures by saying all the right things, even if I don't want to hear it. They are the knitters, The Ravelers, the quilters, The Quilt Mavericks, the fiber artistes of all sorts, the historical re-enactors, The Renaissance Scots, the paper artistes, the Scottish community, the Colorado Medieval Festival folks, the Rennies, the greyhound rescue folks, swordsmen, spinners, weavers and costume makers.

I also can never say thank you enough for all the friends that saw me through treatment for breast cancer 8 years ago and held my hand and kicked my ass when it was necessary. I have very little biological family left and my friends are the family I have made. Thanks to all for being the supports of my life. Huzzah, Huzzah, Huzzah (that's 3 cheers) to you for being there through the thick and thin.

On another note, I am way stoked about Coraline the Movie, opening this weekend. Neil Gaiman and knitting what could be better than that, I ask you?