I keep waiting to hear from all of you out there. What have you been quilting this summer? Have you finished some awesome projects, been to any great quilt shows or have you started on Christmas projects yet? Sorry, I just had to ask! I would love to hear from any and everyone with the latest news, comments or photos!

I had a most fun day last week when Fellow Quilter, Fabric Girl and I decided to get together for a sew day. It was an absolutely beautiful, "fall is in the air" day as we set up tables outside in Fellow Quilter's yard. Who could not be inspired to create lovely things when surrounded by beautiful flowers, a gurgling water fall and pond and an occasional butterfly floating by! Could quilting paradise be any better?

I have been wanting to get started on a Christmas quilt, so with yardage in tow, I decided this was the day. By noon, fabric was cut and strips were being sewn together. I am using our late friend Dana's Toast and Jelly pattern with Christmas fabrics and it is going to be totally awesome! It will be a gift--and a hard one to part with I am thinking. This fun and easy pattern may still be available at Inspirations Quilt Shop if you want to check it out. (shopatinspirationsquiltshop.com)

We ordered lunch and a working quilter friend got enough time off to join us for a leisurely break. Upstairs, overlooking the above mentioned gardens is a huge, southern plantation style veranda wrapping around two sides of the house. A perfect spot for lunch. Lucky the cat, joined us for whatever crumbs we might drop. I am afraid they were few and far between.

Back to my machine, I finished the afternoon feeling quite content with all 30 blocks completed. Fabric Girl was also working on a Christmas Toast and Jelly and Fellow Quilter had a new stack and whack underway. It always amazes me how much I can accomplish when I stick to my project for a whole day with none of the at-home tasks to distract me. Our lunch time quilter friend brought embroidered quilt blocks for show and tell that she is making from a Crab-apple Hill Pattern. (www.crabapplehillstudio.com) Love those patterns and this friend is absolutely the #1 embroiderer in my book. What beautiful work she does!!!

A walk downtown for ice cream was a perfect end to the day!

I am hoping for a long, warm Indian Summer so we can get a couple more of these treasured days in before the snow flies!

"Sassy" our cat is busy getting ready for Halloween! What are you working on???

Til next time......keep on quiltin'

Annie B.

So sorry, but in my last blog I received and published incorrect information which just goes to prove....if you want the correct facts, get them from the horse's mouth, or in this instance, the quilter's mouth! Could this be the first mistake I have ever made??? Doubtful but sounds good! At left is a wall hanging, quilted by a dear friend, and which depicts wide eyed me after I realized my mistake! I love it!

So, to fess up, I was excited that Fellow Quilter's stack and whack quilt that won Best of Show at the Kit Carson County Fair. Actually, it was his magnificent machine embroidered quilt, that has won honors far and wide, which was actually the Best of Show winner. We are anxiously awaiting word on his stack and whack quilt! It IS worthy of high honors as well!

Yesterday I was lucky to see Fellow Quilter's just completed, newest creation, the most awesome Lone Star quilt I have seen which will soon be hanging at the Yuma County Fair as well as the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo at the end of August. He has incorporated the use of crystals into his design and you have to see it to believe it. A photo will follow when I can snap it!

Now that I've set the record straight, I must get back to my own sewing projects. My fall and Halloween fabrics are strewn across the floor and I am getting into the swing of my favorite season of the year!

Til next time........keep on quiltin'
Annie B.

P.S. Yesterday my kitchen drain plugged up and the dishwasher ran over--- but the floor is nice and clean now! Actually there was little humor in the situation and the drain is still clogged. Maybe my true confession today will resolve the problem! Will the truth set it free? Doubt it! A call to the plumber seems to be in order as I have quilting to do!!!

That about sums up July for me. Where did it go? After the quilt show we had two weeks to prepare for a huge 90th birthday celebration for my Mother in Law--who happens to be one of the sweetest in the world! After that great day, and the 19 house guests we had for the weekend headed for home, we headed to the hills and spent the week camping in the mountains with our kids and grandkids. Tons of fun and we beat the 100+ heat out on the plains which was a bonus! Cleaning up and catching up on laundry has taken most of the rest of the month--along with some good old fashioned catching our breath!
Backing up to June for a belated report, our 11th annual Quilts of the Plains quilt show was a huge success. We had 140+ beautiful quilts hanging up and down Main Street and aficionados came from far and wide to view them and participate in the day's activities.

Our "Designs by P&DQ" vendor booth was enthusiastically received and we sold many of the hand made items we had been working on for weeks. Fellow Quilter, Brian joined us in making some awesome table runners and pillows which added a fresh new look to our booth. He gave a great demo on the Accuquilt Fabric Cutter which sparked the interest of many. The program was loads of fun and our guest of honor had a spectacular trunk show of hand quilted treasures. I have to mention as well, the UFO night on Friday evening was a fun evening of sewing, socialization, treats and even prizes! Great planning went into that evening! I actually completed a hand work project that I started several years ago! I may be able to use it this Christmas. Yea!

The quilt tribute to our dear friend Dana was a special part of the show. Although P&DQ is not the same without her, Fabric Girl and I have elected to keep our name the same and our newly designed logo reflects that we are keeping her in our hearts as well.

There were winners and ribbons in every category and the QA raffle quilt went to its new home. Fellow Quilter, Brian, won "Best of Show" and a new Janome sewing machine with his beautiful machine appliqued quilt that has been gathering ribbons and honors wherever it goes! Not to let the cat out of the bag, but you should see his new creations this year. WOW! It will be going to the Yuma County Fair in August. PLUS..... his incredible stack and whack quilt has already won best of show at the Kit Carson County Fair. (see it below) Does this creativity ever stop? We hope not!
I finally reintroduced myself to my lonely sewing machine on Monday. All is going well so it seems not to have held any grudges for my being away for so long. I have orders to fill and am starting on some Christmas (YES Christmas) gifts so am back in the swing of things!

Let's hope that August brings those lazy, hazy days of the end of summer, that it takes its time and we get all our summer projects completed.

Til next time, Keep on quiltin!
Annie B.

HEY ALL YOU QUILT SHOW LOVERS OUT THERE!The BEST outdoor quilt show in northeastern Colorado is happening this Saturday, June 26th, in Wray, Colorado, from 9:00 to 4:00 on, you can't miss it, Main Street!

Fellow Quilter, Brian, had a delicious and fun volunteer appreciation dinner on the veranda of his home last evening and volunteer slots filled quickly! Fun people and supportive hands are what help make the show so great!

The more the merrier, so if you have a quilt you would like to bring to be displayed and judged (people's choice) it needs to be registered at Rainbow Fabrics by Thursday evening or you may call Wanda at 970-332-4343. Many categories, lots of chances to win a ribbon for your hard work or the grand prize of a new Janome sewing machine!

My husband and I will join the hanging crew early Saturday morning so everything is up and ready to be viewed by 9:00. The registration table will be set up in front of Rainbow Fabrics, where you can pick up ballots to vote for your favorite quilts. Don't forget to buy your tickets for the raffle quilt on display in the window at Rainbow Fabrics.

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Vendor booths will be set up and ready for sales in the banquet area of 4th and Main Restaurant, which coincidentally is located at the corner of 4th and Main Streets! There are some top notch vendors bringing their wares this year and will have all the latest and greatest fabrics, notions and ready made items for you to select from.

P&DQ Designs has a a totally awesome vendor booth planned featuring quilted items, aprons, pillows, garden decor and more. P&DQ will have 10% discount coupons for High Plains Quilting on line orders as well as a free gift, compliments of HPQ for each P&DQ purchase-while quantities last, so shop early. There will be two demonstrations at the booth as well, one at 10:00 on the bias tape/binding maker and one at 11:00 on the Accuquilt. You won't want to miss these informative demos.

There will be an indoor display of antique quilts next door to the vendor mall and a great show at 2:00 in the upstairs dining room at 4th and Main given by a talented local veteran quilter. Dessert and beverages will top off this fun program.

There will be a special tribute to our dear friend, quilter and pattern designer, Dana, of My Own Path Designs, who tragically died in an accident earlier this year. Quilts she had made and some of those from classes she taught will hang outdoors from the balcony railing at 4th and Main adding to the colorful display on Main Street.

UFO night is scheduled for Friday evening, June 25th, from 6:00 to 9:00 for anyone wanting to bring a project of their own to work on or just come to socialize. This will be held at the round house at Highway 34 and Blake Street. Easy to find and if you go through both stop lights in town, you have gone too far! Should be a fun evening and a chance to see what everyone is working on. This is being sponsored by our local quilting group, Quilters Anonymous.

This is also class reunion weekend so the town will be buzzing with activity and gatherings of old friends and new. The weather will be beautiful and the quilts will be awesome so load up the car with all the quilt lovers you know and head our way.

Til next time.....keep on quiltin'

Annie B.

Always hoping for the perfect season and eager for spring to arrive, Colorado did not disappoint again this year. Spring? We had our one perfect spring day and it was over too soon. The days have ranged from cool and wet to hot and windy, and I do mean windy! True to form, Colorado weather changes by the hour!! The early garden plantings did not sprout due to the cold wet weather, the wind broke off tomato and pepper plants, and the day the seeds went into the ground, the wind blew most of them into Oklahoma! Perseverance is the name of the game on the Colorado plains and little veggies are finally poking their heads through the ground. It truly does take a pioneer spirit to live here!

The " one last gift" baby quilt was delivered to baby Halle, our late friend Dana's grand baby, in May. Lots of tears were shed, hugs were given, as well as some smiles and laughs with lots of reminiscing! Despite all the "chatter" it had remained a secret and Baby and Mother were totally surprised and absolutely loved the quilt ! We know Dana was pleased and we felt her presence among us!

Fellow Quilter is slowly coming down off his cloud after winning his magnificent ribbon at the KC Machine Quilters Show and is back on the job getting many quilts ready for our outdoor quilt show on the 26th. Holy Cow! Is that this month already??? Where did April and May go?

My sewing partner and I are feeling like sewing fanatics right now making one of a kind quilted items for our vendor booth. We are going to have the most awesome booth ever! Table runners, wall hangings, baby quilts, bags and aprons are all in the works! Not to mention the most fun and unique hand crafted, "got to have" garden decor items made by our creative spouses. Ya gotta see em to believe em! WOW, are they ever cool!

The Quilts of the Plains Committee is busy working on final details for the Quilt show and the rest of us are trying to make a deal with Mother Nature for a warm and sunny with a slight breeze day on the 26th. Hey, it has worked in the past so that is what we are counting on !

Be sure to make the trip and join us for a day of fun as well as viewing and judging two country blocks of quilts. You won't be disappointed.

My machine and unfinished projects are calling, and the coffee pot is full --so til next time......Keep on quiltin!
Annie B.

I just had to let everyone know that Brian's quilt (fellowquilter@aol.com) won 3rd place ribbon at the International Machine Quilter's Show in Kansas City this week!

You can see more photos of his winning quilt on my March 2010 blog and Dizzy Donna has also posted this photo that she took of the awesome ribbon he won!
Brian has had a busy week taking all the classes he could fit in, as well as helping hang quilts and, from his latest phone call, it sounds like, having a spectacular week.

Let's hope he will fill us in on the details of the quilt show real soon.

Way to go Brian!!!

Keep on quiltin'
Annie B.

Have you every been dying to dye? I love using hand-dyes, and I have bought my share of coordinated packs at quilt shops and quilt shows through the years. I used to think that it was an undertaking of gargantuan proportions to get set up for dyeing. Well, thanks to some great books on the subject, and the good ol' internet, I finally got up the nerve to try it. I have been planning this all winter, saving plastic containers from yogurt...not the single serve size, mind you, but the bulk size. I guess they were about a quart or so.



Well, I was at the Denver National Quilt Show last weekend, and I came across a great booth. I cannot even remember the ladies first name, but I do recall her email was cute... arteest@cox.net ... she had her dye pots all out for everyone to see. What a streamlined system she has perfected. After a few minutes of talking to her, I decided that I'm gonna love this so much, that I might as well invest in a set of equipment, rather than piece together a bunch of odds and ends.



The lady does business as http://www.handsonhanddyes.com and you'll find her products there. Her instructions are very concise, but complete, and they have a lot of pictures. Pictures are good, don't you think?

The mixing of the dyes was much easier than I expected, and I did this all in my kitchen. Mind you, I did make sure all of the food and eating utensils were put away before I started... Once you mix the dye, you go to work adding the white fat quarters to each bucket, over the course of about 90 minutes. As you can see, I decided to put down a WHITE towel, to catch any drips. I thought that would be a good idea, because if there was any mess, I would see it right away. I had "no drips, no runs and no errors", so I was very pleased with the process.

The total process took me about 4 hours from start to finish, but I was rewarded with a full spectrum of light, medium, and dark fat quarters in all 12 colors of the color wheel. That's 36 fat quarters of fabric for one evenings work. I feel really proud of the accomplishment, and my mind is already considering the possibilities for this "Fellow Quilter" Designed fabric collection. I think for my next set, I'll try one of the gradations of a single color, to see just how many shades I can create.



If you've never tried it... I challenge you to do so. It would be really fun to do it with a friend or two. Just make sure to buy a kit for each of you... so you don't have to settle for just half of the great fabrics.

Be sure to check out her website... and while you're at it... check me out at http://www.fellowquilter.com where you can find information about my machine quilting services as well as photos of my quilts.

I'm about ready to leave for the Machine Quilter's Showcase in Kansas City. My quilt "The Garden Club" will be on display, and I've got a full schedule of classes to take... Perhaps I'll give you a report when I get back home.

I hope you are inspired...

Fellow Quilter,

Brian

After a couple years of sewing "on our own," Fellow Quilter, Brian, suggested we begin getting together once a month for a sew day. Anything goes....machine work, hand work, or just relaxing and catching up on "the latest"sewing news. We jumped on the idea and started several months ago and find we are having a blast. What a great way to learn what each of us is working on and to learn new techniques from each other as well as the newest gadgets we have tried. We meet at each others homes in a totally random fashion, whoever has the dusting done that month, (just kidding, who has time for that???) We enjoy lunch together (who says you can't order out?) and the rest of the day is spent getting SO MUCH accomplished! No interruptions and no getting side tracked with household jobs--which for most of us quilters is pretty much at the bottom of our list of priorities anyway!

Our sew day this past month was awesome. We have been interesting in learning the stack and whack quilt technique. Even though it has been around a while only one of us had made it to a class. On our trip to the Quilt Museum in March, we selected our fabrics. We found an awesome selection of perfect for our projects at the Golden Quilt Company Quilt Shop. in Golden, CO. Our over-achiever, we won't mention names, got fabric for TWO S & Ws. Talk about stepping out of the box, I, the fall colors conservative, selected big orange and pink poppy fabric, the flower child selected a wild and wacky fabric of reds and blacks on white, the primary color gal selected bright bold multi colored swirls. The"over achiever" selected a tone on tone purple as well as a tropical flower fabric for two quilts. The pressure was on! By late afternoon we had blocks sewn together for five quilts. They were were so fun to put together. We have been working on getting border and sashing fabrics chosen and sewn on and in a future blog I will be sure to have photos of them to share.

What a great way to get together with sewing buddies and become inspired to try new and bigger things. Anyone is welcome to join in the fun. One attendee does not even sew..she just came for the fun. What a compliment to the rest of us. The more the merrier and everyone brings new ideas to the table.
I highly recommend sew days....no dues, no deadlines, no set date, just a fun day together. Time flies and projects are not completed. Take time today and plan some good ole get together time.

Til next time, keep on quiltin'

Annie B.

Hey, all you quilt lovers out there! Spring has sprung and summer is not far behind! The 11th annual Quilts of the Plains outdoor quilt show in Wray, CO is approaching quickly. The date this year is June 26th and if May flies by as quickly as April has, it is just around the corner. There are many events still being planned that you will not want to miss.

In addition to the awesome outdoor quilt show up and down Main Street, there will be vendor booths featuring fabric and quilting supplies as well as finished items for sale.

An afternoon trunk show will feature a local quilter who is 90+ years young and still going strong. Her show will feature quilts she has made over many years and will be a treat for long time quilters as well as for beginners. Refreshments will be served to round out a delightful afternoon. A silent auction will be held for the many lovely handcrafted items being donated. If you find something you cannot live without. this year, there will be a top bid "buy price" which will allow you can purchase the item outright.

Due to extenuating circumstances, over the past year, the QOTP committee was unable to make a raffle quilt in time for the 2010 show. As different options were being discussed, our local quilt group, Quilters Anonymous aka QA, was working on a challenge block project and, upon hearing of the committee's dilemma, offered to donate their challenge blocks to the raffle quilt project. The group put the blocks together and finished the top and our awesome Fellow Quilter, Brian, has added his artful touch with his beautiful machine quilting. (fellowquilter@aol.com) The quilt, shown below, is brightly constructed in shades of bright purple, red and white and is definitely is a show stopper. A high five to QA for their thoughtful generosity so the show could go on!
Mark the date on your calendar and be sure to make the show a June destination trip. Bring your Mom's, Dads, brothers and sisters, Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunties, uncles, all the kids, inlaws and outlaws to see this most fun quilt show on the high plains. There will be something for everyone and you won't want to miss it.

See you in June and til then......keep on quiltin'

Annie B.

I just returned from a trip to Cleveland, Ohio to see the grandchildren. There is not much I enjoy more than visiting the grand kids (and their parents as well) but wait...there was more. My daughter in law called to tell me there was a quilting expo in town. How good can it get?

We set out on a Friday afternoon for the I-X Center to take in the Sewing & Quilt E*X*P*O! There were magnificent quilts on display, some of the most awesome garments I have seen and fun displays of "Make It...Take It" sample projects. These were quick little learning projects that let quilters and sewers put their hands on a new technique or product. Thirty Stage Presentations and many classes were also offered throughout each day of the Expo . A wide array of over 100 exhibitors offered something for everyone!

The display galleries offered more eye candy! The Original Sewing and Quilt Expo offered a display titled Explorations in Quilting. A select group of artists were invited to show developments and variations in their styles and techniques.

The Handweavers Guild invited six designers to participate in their First Designers' Fashion Challenge.

There was a display of the most popular pieces from the Faculty at original Sewing & quilt Expo.

The Textile Center: A National Center for Fiber Art participants received a packet of fabrics and had four months to complete their own unique quilt for the Project Patchwork Art Quilt Challenge.

The Robert Kaufman Batik Remix challenged each artist to give any quilt pattern an original interpretation using Robert Kaufman Artisan Batiks. These one of a kind Artisan Batiks are produced on the island of Java in Indonesia by skilled dye masters who hand stamp and hand paint each yard of fabric.

From Knock-Out to Knock-Off: Gorgeous Gowns from the Silver Screen featured gowns inspired by Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, Lucille Ball, Judy Garland, Rosemary Clooney Audrey Hepbun and others as interpreted and re-created by knock-off master Jim Suzio.

The Artist's Table changed daily and asked the question, "what inspiration can a painting or art piece give you for table dressings?" These displays featured flirty aprons, haute-y luncheon hats, time for tea cozies and much more. This display was an invitation to create your own lively linens and table dressings.

Flights of Fancy featured garments which where the work of three women, all of whom have managed to create the impossible with fabric.

Hoffman Challenge Dolls featured a chosen fabric design and issued a challenge to quilt, clothing, accessory, and doll makers to create original items using the chosen fabric.

As you can imagine, with so much to take in, our afternoon was over before we knew it. We checked out the vendor booths and selected a few things we couldn't live without! It was nearly overwhelming to take in everything in just one afternoon, we had but what a wonderful show and how lucky I was to be able to attend.

Look for a quilt show in your neck of the woods. It is great to see new products and techniques and I guarantee you will come home inspired and ready to tackle a new project.

If you happen to have grandchildren in the area, it will double your fun!

Til next time......keep on quiltin'

Annie B.