It’s been quiet around here lately because I have been so busy! I finished Bignonia

and the wind turbine piece and have started another.

I got word from IQF in Houston that my entry, “Prairie Fire”, for the World of Beauty contest was accepted so I will have three pieces on display there this year. In addition perhaps a piece in the silent auction, if I can find the time to make something.

Word just in that “Longhorn Splashdown” was juried into LaConner Quilt Museum’s fall show in Washington.

Currently showing are “What’s Up At The 4-H Fair” and “Haybales Study at “Culture and Agriculture” an all-media art exhibit in MN, “MonGrand Pere”, “Spring Encounter” and “In The Bleak Midwinter”at The Aullwood Audubon Center in Dayton. OH, “Harrier Hunting” at “Celebrate Spring” at IQF- Long Beach, CA. and of course “Chicory” and “Coneflowers” at the Topeka Art Guild Gallery right here in KS. These can all be seen, including detail shots, by clicking on GALLERY in the side bar. It’s almost a full time job just keeping up with what’s where and what’s next!

For the last few days, I have been working on catching up the books for sales tax which is due next month. It’s just eleven days til I fly out to CO to visit with the Rocky Mountain Quilters for a few days. I’m really looking forward to that! There will be a trunk show/lecture followed by a two day Coneflowers workshop.

Since the weather lately has cooled a bit, it’s been great to get out early and do some gardening chores. I got the new plants into the ground and they transplanted beautifully with no wilt whatsoever.  Yesterday I spread some compost and did some deadheading.  The two Sunny Knockout roses that I planted this spring are blooming.

They start out a cheery yellow and fade to pure white.  I want to get some of the double pink ones next.

Danielle in GA sent me this photo of her completed top already! She wishes there was more distinction between the petals and plans to add some in the quilting stage or even with some thread painting. Great idea! Hope we get to see how it turns out…..Thanks, Danielle!

This is the piece that I started in Wichita as a demo. I will continue to work on it as demos in GA next month.

The flower and stem are batiks and one of the backgrounds is a handmade sun-print but the rest are commercial prints. That print in the background was really wierd but cut up like that it actually has a “foliagey” look. I like how it has areas of light where it looks like sun sparkles, and I used one of those light areas to highlight the edge of the stem. Sometimes those stems disappear if you aren’t careful! So far I have made Coneflowers in oranges, yellows and darker pinks. We have a patch of wild ones near here that are this very pale pink. I LOVE how the batik has those built in shadows and highlights!

Lovely soft shades with dark to accent the petals. Love the center!

Similar flowers but different visions, I love when that happens.

So soft and pretty!

Can’t go wrong with complimentary colors! The red and green make your eyes dance.

Loved the concept of using assorted spots and dots for a truly one of a kind contemporary look.

Using fabrics inspired by the pieced block, this one is lovely and sophisticated.

I just LOVE seeing the pieces begin in the workshops, with all of the differing visions that the individuals have, it’s always exciting to see what develops.

I always hope to get pictures when they are finished.

They WILL be finished, right?

The last Coneflowers sample is finished and ready to be shipped off to GA today.

I HOPE it is the last one!! I don’t usually need to make this many samples, but this class HAS been popular! I just got word that the August Wichita one is filled. I am so ready to start a brand new project, but I don’t see that happening real soon.

I have been working on setting up the slide shows for the four guilds in GA in Sept and Oct. I much prefer to bring just the real quilts but with flying that is not an option. I will be able to bring one suitcase of quilts, so I think that plus the slides will suffice.

Even though I did get the sales tax figured and paid on time, I am no where near caught up on the rest of the bookwork and that is nagging me to get on with it. Yesterday it rained much of the day which always makes me want to go out and weed when it finishes and I did do that for an hour and would like to do some more today. But first I need to get the package ready for UPS and pay some bills. I feel like a juggler with too many balls in the air!

This afternoon when I go to town, I need to go by Lowes and see if we have “Coconut Lime” Coneflowers. Thanks for the heads up, Gwynette! I love how they get petals all up the center.

So far, I have made the coneflower samples from mostly batik fabrics which lend themselves so perfectly to this subject, but I decided that it was probably time to branch out and use other commercial prints. These are the two sample sections from the two days of teaching in NW AR.

I’m not crazy about the leaf fabric – may have to change that.

And this is how far I got yesterday before I had to quit to join friends for an evening cruise and meal on the lake. Oh, what a refreshing break in the routine that was!

Yesterday I only cut fabric for the design wall. Nothing is sewn or actually committed yet. I thought if one kitten was good maybe three would be better!. The black and white butterfly scraps are not big enough to fill the pieces in the pattern so I will have to divide the pattern pieces in order to use them. That is certainly an option that anyone should consider when making this pattern – adding more seams to best utilize your fabric and even eliminating seams if one piece of fabric is colored in such a way as to make the seam unnecessary. The pieces off to the right are contenders for the accent strip, but I won’t decide just yet.

This afternoon I will sew!