This lovely piece was started in one of my “Coneflowers” workshops in the Atlanta, GA area by Pat Kilmark! She recently sent me the photos along with a report that she had entered it in the fair where it won! Congratulations, Pat! Very nice. I am always happy to see the finished works.

She is planning to enter it in an AQS show next and I wish her luck!!

I have been working on getting the patterns ready for Market and I seem to be more behind than usual this year! Hopefully today will wrap it up and I can get them to the printer.

I took a day off Saturday and went to a workshop sponsored by the Kansas Art Quilters. It was on transfers and I hoped to find a way to make fabrics that would work into some of my pieced work as it said that we would learn to transfer images to fabric. We did, but mainly we did Gel Medium transfers which are very plastic-y and not at all something that I would want to use. Disappointing, but at least it was a day out!

There was a nice note from my hostess, Maxine in Ft Collins, CO where I went in July and did a Coneflowers class. She sent me some photos from the class that I can share with you. It’s always fun to see what other folks do.

Maxine wanted her Coneflowers to be very pale like the White Swan variety that has a greenish cast. She chose rich darks to set them off and I like the wall effect in the foreground and the shadings in the centers. Her stem and leaf really stand out against it and her quilting gives nice dimension.

Julie chose a very interesting complimentary color scheme and it looks like her coneflowers are growing at the water’s edge. Her fabric choices for the flowers really emphasize the light and shadow on the petals and centers. Nice choice of accent strip and the piping in the binding is a nice touch!

This one is fun! Kay’s choice of black and whites to set off her hot pink flowers really works, and she used so many different ones! I like how it is darker at the bottom, grounding the piece and shades up to light at the top. The accent strip is just dark enough to stand out. I LOVE the flower centers! And the free form edge sets everything off perfectly.

Nancy’s coneflowers make me feel like I just discovered them growing out in a field on one of my walks! They are surrounded by wonderful nature fabrics – even some songbirds! I think she got all of her petals from one wonderful batik fabric and did it masterfully, utilizing the subtle purple shadings. The dark centers set them off nicely. This is going to improve even more with quilting!

That was such a fun workshop! Good job, everyone!!  I invite anyone from any of the workshops to send your pictures to me to share…

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!

Here I am in rainy Georgia on a strange to me PC so everything is a bit of a challenge. There will be no photos from here, probably.

My flight was delayed causing some concern for the person meeting me but it all worked out in the end. One bag was overwieght by 12 ounces, but the lovely lady in KC passed it so for me, that almost balanced out the delay!

Here in Georgia I am staying with a very nice family who have made me feel right at home. We’ve had one workshop already “Easy Design Play”, and tomorrow we will have the Coneflowers Picture Piecing one. So I have today “off” and thought I would see if I can post something here.

Rose in PA emailed me with the news that “Packrat Palace” won Best Wallhanging at PA National this year!! I think the theme was No Place Like Home so that probably helped!

I also got news that both of my entries to KS Paint KS were accepted to the Topeka Art Guild’s open contest and exhibit.

And just before I left I delivered three pieces to the Take Kansas Home program – they will be offered for sale in the facility on I-70 in Goodland – so if you are ever traveling accross KS check it out!

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 Old Homestead” was selected by juror Bruce Hoffman of the prestigious Snyderman-Works Galleries for SAQA’s 2009 exhibit Points of View.  Mr. Hoffman chose 30 pieces from 148 qualified entries. This helps to renew my vision as it was not long ago that I received the “no thanks” from Quilt National.  “The Old Homestead” will be shown soon at PIQF, as well.

Yesterday’s mail brought my copy of Gloria Hansen’s new book “Digital Essentials” and I can’t wait to read it!  Gloria is a wealth of knowledge on the subject and has so generously helped me in the past. In fact my website was designed by her company Gloderworks . I seem to have conquered the now familiar territory of show entries to some extent but there is SO much I don’t know. I am very technologically challenged! Order your own copy from Gloria.

Finally, I found the YLI invisible thread I needed so I can get on with quilting the second POPPY quilt.  But probably not today as I am looking forward to going to a little workshop on collage by Karen Stiehl Osborn today!