Daily Blog

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Does everybody know I have a brand new quilting studio? Exciting, right? It has been so exciting! But man! Between the construction on a brand new room, and then a lot of other house re-modeling, my life has been VERY interrupted for quite a long time. 

And that meant my exercise routine was interrupted as well. I'm pretty sure most of you quilters have had times where "real life" interrupted your exercise routine (you do have an exercise routine, right??) Quilt shows, quilt shop hops, quilt workshops, quilt retreats, quilt show deadlines...oh, and maybe some of us even have non-quilting type interruptions! 

Anyway, what do you do? Do you just give up, and say "I'll start over again on Monday" (next week, next month, next year--fill in your favorite start date)? Do you despair that all your hard work will have gone to waste and you will be as weak as a kitten when you finally are able to start back up?

My exercise routine was interrupted for almost three months. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was NOT back to square one when I was finally able to restart my usual routine. 

Its important to remember that its all in a lifetime. Interruptions are as much a part of life as our routines are.  If it's a lifetime commitment to healthy living, the interruptions are just an unavoidable part of that. There's no need to despair, or to quit and start all over. Just start right back as soon as you can, doing as much as life allows.

If you'd like to read more of my musings about life and exercise and interruptions, come check out my healthy living blog. 

(If you like, you can see pictures of my new studio over on my quilt blog.)

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Songe d'Automne won the Machine Quilting Excellence award at the 2000 International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX. The fabrics are all original hand-dyed fabrics.  The quilt measures 84" x 84" and is a mix of piecing and applique.  It was quilted on a domestic machine. 

Watch what Ricky is up to now when Episode 1408: Recreate the Northern Lights...Wherever You Call Home! debuts on April 14.

Songe d_Automne - 36 pièces non-rotating

Songe d_Automne - 100 pièces non-rotating

Songe d_Automne - 289 pièces non-rotating

Songe d_Automne - 100 pièces rotating

Songe d_Automne - 289 pièces rotating

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Want to dress like Lady Mary of Downton Abbey?  These videos from The Hollywood Sew show you how to create a "vintage" dress incorporating style elements from the past while using a modern-day pattern.

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How would you like to own a quilt created by Libby Lehman, Caryl Bryer Fallert, or Judy Matheison? Now is your chance.

On April 7, 2014, The National Quilt Museum will launch its 2014 Annual Benefit Auction. This year over 80 items will be auctioned with a combined value over $40,000. It will include quilts, quilt miniatures, sewing machines, gift baskets, notions, and much more. Items were donated by over 60 companies, guilds, and individuals passionate about today's quilting community. 

It is a two-phase auction that starts with online bidding. To participate in the online auction, simply go to www.quiltmuseum.org/auction. Participants will be able to bid immediately following a brief registration process. Online bidding will run through Wednesday, April 23^rd at 10pm central time. The online auction system is highly dynamic, working similar to eBay's platform. Bidders will be informed if they have been outbid at any point during the 16 days. 

On April 24^th, at 6pm, the Live Auction will begin. The auction will take place at the Convention Center in Paducah, Kentucky. Online bidders will be represented by a proxy at the live event. Each item will be won by the person offering the highest bid, regardless if they are in attendance. Typically, over 70% of items are won by online bidders that do not attend the live event; as such, everyone has a good chance to win. 

The National Quilt Museum works to bring the work of today's quilter to new and expanding audiences worldwide. It promotes the quilting community through exhibits, education, and advocacy efforts. The Museum is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that receives over 80% of its funding through the generosity of the quilting community. The Annual Benefit Auction is the Museum's largest annual fundraiser. 

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Alex doesn't get a day off very often, but after the Super Seminar she had one day so...

(Click on the picture to start the slideshow).

HOT SPRINGS ARKANSAS

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The Quilt Life Magazine isn't just about patterns, it's about living The Quilt Life every day.

Want to know who won the American Gothic Challenge?

How  to create a Fabulous Faux Flange, as taught by Janet Stone?

How symbols of the Netherlands are being used in delightful ways?

How to make Alex's Sweet Pototatoes or Ricky's Potato Blue Cheese Soup?

Jan Magee, Editor-in-Chief, writes, "There's more to quilting than making quilts. Alex and Ricky know what it means to live "the quilt life." It means planning your day to squeeze in as much quilting as possible. It's reading and learning about new techniques from books and classes. It's planning a vacation around a quilting retreat or a special quilt show. It's expressing your creativity and creating art. It's all that and so much more." 

Head on down to your local quilt shop and pick up the April edition or click the button below to subscribe.

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Alex has Ricky take center stage in this project- and technique-focused episode, filmed on location at the AccuQuilt headquarters in Omaha, NE. Our hosts are joined by Share Ruwe and Karen Ruwe (no relation) who talk about their common last name and the collaborative work they have done together for the Nebraska State Raffle Quilt.  Episode 1408: Recreate the Northern Lights...Wherever You Call Home! debuts April 14, 2014.

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Coming to the San Jose Musem of Quilts & Textiles - May 3 - July 20, 2014 - Now and Then: Early Art Quilts by Ros Cross 1973-76.

From the museum:

Now and Then: Early Art Quilts by Ros Cross 1973-76 is a chronicle of the innovative, sculptural quilts of Southern California artist Ros Cross, and asks “how do we perceive now, what was made back then?” A native of England, Cross became fascinated with the American quilt tradition, and 70s pop and minimal art movements. Her work is a reaction and response to what was being made in California at that time. Although created for only a brief period of time these inventive quilts made with stuffed parts and hanging pieces, merged a pop art aesthetic with a quilt tradition. Her ground breaking approach to the medium points to the beginnings, the early history of the Art Quilt movement, and her work is a testament to the spirit of invention in this medium. This exhibit of five stunning pieces is a rare documentation of an important innovative artist in the art quilt field. It also includes recent work of graphite drawings that express the artist’s current explorations.

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A new exhibition is running at the American Museum in Britain through November 2.

The Colorful World of Kaffe Fasset celebrates his fifty years working as an artist and colorist. The exhibition features work spanning Kaffe's creative life.

Over one hundred sumptuous works of textile art – a kaleidoscope of knitwear, needlepoint, beading, and quilts – will be on display in the dramatic exhibition alongside vibrant mosaics and still life paintings by the Fassett.

This is the grandest show of my career – every item is part of an intricate opera of colour. I have always wanted this approach to my work, but other museum designers and curators have steered me to a rather mixed approach in my exhibitions.

This show is so unique to me because it explains in a visceral way my growing obsession with the power of colour. My hope and conviction is that this exhibition at the American Museum in Britain will show the grey and beige clad young the sensual thrill of pure colour. I still feel vital! I want my message to come across in this mood altering show – I’m flying high on colour.

This show is closer to my desires than ever before in my many, many presentations around the world.

(Kaffe Fassett, 12 March 2014)

The American Musuem in Britain is located in Claverton Manor in Bath. For more on visiting the museum, click here.

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Spend some time looking at all of the creative quilting designs used in the 2nd Place winner of the Art/Innovative/Pictorial category of the International Quilt Show Dubai 2014.  Autumn in the Desert was created by Simin Ahmaripour of Iran.