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Kool Kaleidoscope by Ricky Tims

I personally want to thank EVERYONE who submitted an entry for my upcoming Kool Kaleidoscope book. There were many submissions in our Show and Tell from TQS members and other entries came in via email. All in all we had 126 submissions which were narrowed down to the 51 quilts I HAD to have in the book! Then, of course, the publisher says to cut it down to 25 (I'm down to 26) -so that was a really tough thing to do. I think everyone who made a Kool Kaleidoscope is a winner and my heart goes out to those whose quilts were not selected as a finalist. All of the entries were an inspiration to me personally!

The finalist's quilts will be sent to me for eyes-on examination and photography before the absolute final list of quilts for the book are chosen. However, congratulations to these quilters whose quilts have been selected for final review.

Kool Kaleidoscope 1, by Calquilter
Kool Kaleidoscope, by BrendaF
Kool Explosion, by Pamo65
But is it Kool?, by Need2sew
Red Feathers, by Elsielf
Kaleidoscope Caliente, by mkdquilts
Spring, by tinacurran
I Love Lacey Things, by Betttyannseeman
Summertime Fun, by Cmoellers
Celebration, by PennyM
Kaleidoscope Bright, by savagequilter
Christmas in July, by smoses
Celestial Navigation, by Karen Mackowski
Kool Kaleidoscope entry, by Pat Daniels
Kool Kaleidoscope entry, by Patti Henderson
Kool Kaleidoscope entry, by Gigi Kandler
Vallarta Kaleidoscope, by Ginger Quinn Munoz
Dream Catcher, by Bonnie Rosenbaum
Star Trails, by craftmom
Elements of Change, by midge4quilts
Kathy’s Kool Kaleidoscope, by quiltedkathy
Kaleidoscope, by krwatts
Rays of Summer, by KarLynne
Starburst, by sewearly
Space Kaleidoscope, by quiltrascal
Mini Kaleidoscope, by ajclapp

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Our Ricky Tims Super Quilt Seminar in Lynnwood, WA ended last night. The event was over two years in the planning and then, just like that, it's over. The group of approximately 500 enthusiastic quilters were fantastic. Every moment was energized and as always there was a lot of laughter and learning. It's always fun to see them alert and excited at the end - following 15 hours of lectures. But it's so much more than lecture, we call it a show. It's practically a theatrical event! Those who have been, do you agree?

So, here's a photo of Libby yesterday with a group of RTQS registrants. What clever caption can you give it?

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But Is It Kool? submitted by need2sew

Thanks to everyone who posted a Kaleidoscope entry in our Show and Tell section, and to those who sent their submission by email. Now comes the hard part of choosing 20 for the book which will be published by TQS site sponsor, C&T - whoo hoo!

I think there are about 125 total submissions. I'm so very proud of all the quilts. If you could only imagine how if feels to create a method or technique and then see so many happy results. What a lucky guy I am! Thanks for your continued support. If you have not seen the quilts in the Show and Tell - go take a look!

DVDs are available at www.rickytims.com. The book is scheduled to release Fall 2010.

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Saying farewell to our wonderful group in Frederic, MD last May.

Justin and I are now on our third day of driving to Lynnwood, Washington for the Ricky Tims Super Quilt Seminar which will be held Thursday-Saturday.

Libby's foot is all healed, so she'll be there - in rare form I'm betting! Alex and John fly in today.

The entire crew will rendezvous at about 5pm today.

I can't wait! With over 500 registered for this seminar, I'm betting many of you out there are planning to be there. Raise your hand!

Also, for you Southern California and southwest US quilters, the Downey, CA deadline for large groups (10 or more, and best registration price) is coming up in early September. Go to www.rickytims.com for more info.

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Hi everyone. Last week my dad was admitted to the hospital with a blockage in his colon. Initially he was very sick and we were very concerned. However, almost immediately upon getting to the hospital they started treatment to maintain him and so we went to an 'on-hold' pattern. I was away on my short vacation (actually in the mountains away from communications) when this originally happened. Once I got home to civilization, everything had cooled off - which was a relief. The docs and surgeons wanted to keep him over the weekend to see if everything would move on its own without surgery. I'm happy to report that mom called earlier today dad delivered the goods so he is going home tonight without any surgery. Thanks for your concerns and prayers.

Some of you caught wind of this situation and I wanted to follow up. I'm spending the night in Rock Springs, WY en route to Seattle (Lynnwood) for our Super Quilt Seminar this weekend.

Dad will be 83 in November and he still quilts every day.

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Many of you know that the key goal when going to Autumn Rock is to see a bear - which might happen once or twice a year. Well, this past Friday we had a gathering with friends out at the property. We were sitting by the fire just below the rock and I caught movement out of the corner of my eye - yes, it was a bear! Whoo-hoo! Better yet, I had my video camera in my hand and I was able to grab a few seconds of the event.

Someday I'm gonna make a Bear Paw quilt. Has anyone out there made one? I have one Bear Paw block in my first quilt.

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All of the recording for my new Christmas CD (Christmas in a Small Town) is complete. I was in Nashville last week for the final recording sessions with fantastically talented players. Here is a clip from the string session on Northern Lights. This is a 12 piece section, but we recorded everything 3 times - so that ends up creating a 36 piece strings section. Just thought you might like to take a peek into this part of my world.

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Mary Jane Butler has been on a journey – a creative journey. It has currently led her to creating spectacular art dolls that feature quilting as a main element. The journey began as a child when she used to play with paper dolls. She would often make large gown-like dresses for her paper dolls..
 
Many years later she saw several African bells sitting on a shelf. These bells had a typical bell-shaped flair, but they were squeezed front to back, making them flat. Mary Jane imagined them to be over-sized skirts. When all of this imagery started coming together in her Open Range Art Dolls, she created them with paper-mache. However, after experiencing quilting, a series of dolls evolved and are now created with quilted dresses over a frame of twigs. These newest creations are called Hoop Skirt Dolls, but the dolls are essentially flat so hey hang perfectly on a wall. Each one is totally unique and one-of-a-kind and certainly a fantastic conversation piece.
 
I first saw these dolls back in May hanging in one of our local galleries in La Veta (Mary Jane lives near here), during a recent La Veta Quilt Retreat. Needless to say, with quilters visiting town, all of them were sold in a matter of hours. Mary Jane also has other styles of art dolls that do not feature quilting. If you are looking for a fantastic piece of art, VERY reasonably priced ($95) you can get your own Mary Jane Butler Open Range Art Doll online (click here), or contact her directly at: openrangeartdolls@gmail.com

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Grape Jelly, by RitaBlocksom

Hey everyone! This is a reminder that I am accepting submissions of Kool Kaleidoscope quilts for my upcoming book. TQS members can submit their entries via the Show and Tell link. Please remember all submissions must be completely finished before submitting. Also, only quilts utilizing my Kool Kaleidoscope method will be considered. There are other ways to create a kaleidoscopic effect, but that is not what the book is about - so, although your quilt might be awesome, if it is not a Ricky Tims' Kool Kaleidoscope, the publisher will not accept it for the book.

You can see how it is made on Episode 403. We also have the how-to DVD for sale at my own Ricky Tims online store. The publishers and I are particularly looking for creative settings/borders, etc. The deadline for submission is August 15. This strip-pieced quilt generally take 2-5 days to make so you have plenty of time. It's practically the ultimate mystery quilt because you can't plan it - it just happens!

If you have made a Kool Kaleidoscope, post your comments about the process in order to encourage others who might be considering making one.

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Guess who finally started their own Member Blog? That's right - Yours Truly. There have been so many little, stupid things I want to post, but the Daily Blog is not the right place. Then, it dawned on me - duh - the Member Blogs! Find me there! It's called, "I'm Just Sayin'... by Ricky Tims."

It's mostly just 'my status' as the clock ticks.