IQF-4

I wanted to give a shout-out to the girls from Go! Sticky. These two are super saleswomen. Fun. Informative. And not at all pushy. But they had a great spiel, which was easy as their product works great. I used it on my cutting mat to pick up lame shavings. What a mess it would have been without my Go Sticky roller. It did a great job. Of course, since they ran a IQF special, I also have the purse size and full size with extension pole. I've not used them yet, but know they'll work just as great as the hand-held size. Very cool! It's a sticky roller thingy that you can rinse off and reuse. No sticky paper to peel off and run out of. So it's a "green" product, too. It's from Easy Living Products, Anaheim CA (per the box) or Pine Mountain GA (per the receipt). Couldn't find a web site for it though. I guess they just make the quilt festivals and home show circuit. Anyway, I love their product. Hi, Girls!

IQF-4

It's time for more quilts. The first is entitled "Tap Dance Finale", by Martha Brown, Pickering, Ontario, Canada. Techniques: machine applique, machine quilted, thread painted, hand painted. "A province-wide exhibition whose theme was Water celebrated the conservation and value of this basic natural element. I wanted something different, so I decided to portray a water tap emitting its final drop. The spigot is one hand-painted piece of fabric, sprinkled with salt while still wet to achieve the rough texture. Metallic threads add a bit of sparkle to the surface."

Next is "Zen Eucalyptus" by Jane LaFazio, San Diego, California, USA. Techniques: wool felted, hand stitched and needle felted, dyed. "Eucalyptus pods and leaves fractured, with whole zen circles. Cut into bits, chunks, squares and reassembled with 412 edges. A zen meditation and tribute to the taupe, celedon and plum eucalyptus."

IQF-3

The quilt depicting the fish is entitled "Full Circle" by Kathryn Botsford, Campbell River, British Columbia Canada. Techniques: painted, thread painted, hand applique, and machine embellished, machine quilted. (I also took a close-up to show you some of the detail work involved. Stunning.) Design Source: original design. "Living on Vancouver Island, surrounded by water alive with Pacific salmon, is a continued reminder of transformation. West Coast salmon begin their lives as tiny yellow-orange eggs buried in the gravel of river beds. In their redd they continue to grow and to change into alveins with large large yellow-orange abdomens. As they further develop, they travel down the river and eventually become the adult salmon. They travel over incredible distances in the Pacific Ocean, and in time they return to their place of birth where they spawn and die."

The second quilt shown today is entitled "Dahlia Reflections #2" by Barbara Barrick McKie of Lyme, Connecticut, USA. Techniques: machine appliqued and quilted. "My garden this year as last was full of dahlias. This is the fifth in a series combining reflections of flowers in glass with the same flowers realistically portrayed. This dahlia was a fantastic bloomer with over 10 inch flowers."

(I also included a close-up of this quilt so you can appreciate the detailed work.)

The last quilt for today is by far the cleverest. The circles/ovals are photos of cracks in bricks, stones, etc. and they make up the alphabet. So cool!

The quilt is entitled "On Cracks: An Alphabet Quilt" by Gail Hunt, Vancouv

er, British Columbia, Canada. Techniques: original photography, image transfer, machine pieced, hand quilted. Design source: original design. "Made in response to myfab Quilt Challenge."

IQF-2

I have been busy with company. Our son was in from Florida. What a nice visit we had. Also, we ate very well: seafood at Babins's on the Kemah Board Walk on Sunday night and great sandwiches in Galveston on Monday at the Sunflower Bakery. We also walked a bit on the seawall and drove around the island (Monday). Plus we got lots of visiting/catching up done.

I've also been busy REorganizing my studio. Thanks to The Fabric Organizer by DeNiece Designs (see photo at left) for getting me started. This is a great product. I bought 20 of the large and 10 of the small Fabric Organizers, and I must have more, more, more. I can see the fabrics clearly and they are easily accesible. I love that! And to make this product even better, it's made and sold locally by a young lady in Spring, Texas. I'll be calling her soon to order more. I'm rearranging everything so I can put a majority of my fabrics on these little jewels. Check them out at http://www.thefabricorganizer.com/. Here's what I have to show you so far (see photo at right) of my REorganizing.


I also want to share just a couple of quilts that I snapped at IQF. There were so many gorgeous quilts, and I took so many pictures. I'll just have to share a few at a time.





This quilt is entitled "Abandoned" by Lynne Morin of Kanata, Ontario, Canada. Techniques: painted, machine applique, machine quilted. Design Source: a photo. "A photo of an orphan in Africa inspired me to think of so many 'abandoned'."








The next quilt is entitled "Moving Forward", also by Lynne Morin of Kanata, Ontario, Canada. Techniques: painted, machine applique, machine quilted. Design Source: Based on a photograph. "This was inspired by my niece who is looking back in the photo, and also looking back on her life so far. She is moving forward by making changes in her life."

IQF-1

I started my IQF trek in the vendor area. This happened by chance. It's the door I entered, right there at the vendor area. So, it must have been where I was supposed to start. Right? And who doesn't love to shop! My prey -- gadgets. I love gadgets. Gadgets, that is, that make sewing tasks and techniques faster and easier.

My first stop was at #2018, The Wave Edge, where I watched Lily Marie Amaru demonstrate the Wave and Circle products she designed. She wrote a 65-page book, "Let's Make Waves", showing step-by-step how to use The Wave Edge Ruler. She first demonstrated The Simple Circles tool, and how to sew the circle. You can see both of Lily's unique gadgets, and her patterns at http://www.thewaveedgeruler.com/. But to purchase, look for her tools and patterns at your local quilt store. Lily is my kind of lady, as she suggested we buy her items at our quilt stores, to both support local businesses and to save us the expense of the shipping fees. Thanks Lily.

The last photo is a shot of a photo Lily had at her booth of her in all her splendor, boa and all, working hard. I think it's her favorite shot, as she wanted to make sure I shared it. It's pretty funny. Be sure and check out her website (link above). This is really a talented and fun lady.

International Quilt Festival (IQF) 2009

I spent Friday at the Houston International Quilt Festival (its 35th year) at the George R Brown Convention Center. I had not been in a number of years; so, it was time to go again. I believe it will now be an annual trip for me. All I can say is WOW!

Nah. I can say much more. I have lots to tell and show you.

I arrived around 11:00 a.m. and left when it closed at 7:00 p.m. So, I literally walked for 8 hours. I sat down maybe three times. I imagine I walked about 8 miles at least, up and down vendor aisles, and up and down and across while looking at all the quilts, and up and down vendor aisles again. The quilts were amazing. I took over 200 photos.

I'll be sharing a little at a time about my IQF experience. There is sooooooooo much to share! The photo shown in this post is a photo of the cover of the Houston IQF 2009 commemorative program. The quilt shown is "Star of Stars" c. 1845, from the International Quilt Festival Collection.