Pretty Flowers of Spring

I took this picture of tulips in Salt Lake City at Temple Square just before Easter. They were so lovely, and I absolutely loved the colors. I hope it inspires you, too.

I Get to Teach a Class

I am so excited. I get to teach a machine quilting class at a local quilt shop. This is a first for me, and I am thrilled. Someone saw my big bag (see post from February), and liked the quilting on it, then asked if I would teach a class. So, of course I said yes, since I really have been dreaming about this opportunity. Of course, there is a little nervousness involved, but I think I have come up with a good plan, and we'll see how it goes.

The classes are scheduled for May 21st and June 20th. We'll see if anyone signs up (grin). Maybe I"ll share how it went later. If you have any good tips about machine quilting, please leave me a post, I'll be happy to share it with my class - and then here, too!

A Century Quilt!

Last year, two friends, Pam & Tina, had milestone birthdays - 60 and 40. They decided to do a 100 year quilt in celebration. I was just dying to be a part of it, so I found Ann & I made 100 also. Then, Lyn & Kristi also made 100. So, we made a quilt to celebrate. Actually, we made 6 quilts. We each made 6 of 2 different blocks. We approved our fabric choices, and shopped for some of the fabric to be the same (the background of the main star and the little star, the borders). We had to hunt high and low for the outer border. Tina translated the instructions to make it easier for all of us. Then we went to work.

We traded our blocks in November, then most of them set them aside for a few months. Tina, our extra-achiever, has hers quilted, bound and hung in a local quilt shop. The rest of us have to have our tops done by April 14th. We will share them at quilt guild. Tina is moving this summer, so we can't procrastinate any more. The quilt finished at about 85 inches square. I just finished putting on the last border today. I am very excited to have this much done.

I will be making a scrappy back with the leftovers of this quilt and another Americana one I did last year. Then, I will quilt it. I hope I can finish it completely by our last guild meeting in May.

I am also working on 2 customer quilts, have made 2 quilt tops for a local shop owner, and I have a challenge to finish by April 14th. I am also going to be teaching a machine quilting class in May and repeat it in June at another local quilt shop. I have lots to do, but I work best when I have lots to do. (grin!)

Quilt Guild Retreat - How Fun!

These pictures were taken at a retreat I helped organize for our local quilt guild. We had a trunk show after lunch, and the main person showing quilts was Linda Hansen. Linda has been a quilter for a long time, and was a member of our guild until she had work hours that kept her away. She spent 2 years working on a goal of finishing her unfinished projects. She finished one a month during those two years, and that included machine quilting them as well.

She shared many quilts with us (these are just 3 of them). The first two were made out of scraps she had. The last one was made in memory of a family relative. She quilts words in the quilts to tell stories. They are just fabulous!

I have been inspired by Linda's quilts and her drive. It keeps me trying to do more!

We had a fun day at the retreat. 6 classes were held, and we brought in lunch from a local restaurant. Each person chose an item from 7 possible meals. Each lunch was labeled for the person who ordered it, so it was easy to hand out. It made it very easy and affordable, too. We had a door prize for everyone, and gave away a new prize every 20 minutes, except during lunch. We will also be giving a refund to the participants because there was money left over, so, I think that is pretty good, too!