What Happened To August?

Oh my goodness!  Was my last post really in July?  What happened in August?  I'd like to say that I was too busy preparing for the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's 2016 Exhibit to post but that wouldn't be quite true.  Yes, I did play a part in this year's exhibit, but it was quite small compared to past years.  Truth is, the only stitching I have done in the last 6 weeks was this small quilt that is part of the guild's "Dreaming of a World Without Cancer" display.  All of the quilts in this display are offered for sale at the price of $25.00 each with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society.   The guild's exhibit runs through September 25th, so if you are in the Wellsboro, PA area this week stop at the Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center to see it in person.  For those who live out of town, photos of the exhibit can be seen on the guild's Facebook page.

Now that summer is coming to an end and the days are getting shorter, I hope to have more time for stitching and blogging!

Christmas In July?

Is it Christmas in July?  Not really.  The Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild decided that our next raffle quilt will be a Christmas Stars quilt and I volunteered to piece a few blocks for the project.  I'm hoping that I'll win the quilt once it's finished because I don't have a Christmas quilt.  If I don't win, I may have to make myself one!  The free pattern and tutorial can be found at quiltingonmainstreet.blogspot.com.

Guess Who I Have Been Quilting With???

Guess who I have been quilting with this week?  Yes, the one and only, Pat Sloan!  She visited the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild for a trunk show and workshop Monday and Tuesday.  The workshop was "Kiss Me Goodnight" (The quilt shown behind Pat in the photo.) and focused on how to sew and use "made fabric".  I loved learning the no rules/no rulers approach to piecing and it's a great way to use up those scraps too!  If you ever get a chance to take a workshop with Pat, I highly recommend that you don't miss it!  She is a fun and fabulous teacher!

And The Winners Are...

Yes, much to my surprise, my summer tote bag won a blue ribbon in the miscellaneous category!

Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild 2014 Exhibit

I have just one last slideshow from the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's 2014 Exhibit.  This one shows individual photos of each entry.  Enjoy!

Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild 2014 Exhibit - Colors of Cancer

As a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society, guild members were asked to design a small art quilt using colored fabric representing specific cancer awareness colors (such as pink for breast cancer) There were 16 quilts entered in this project, all of which were sold at $25 each, raising $400 for our local ACS!

Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild 2014 Exhibit, Challenge Category

The challenge for the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's exhibit this year was to make a quilt showing one, any combination, or all of the elements...Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water.  I think those who entered did a great job representing the theme!

Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's 2014 Exhibit

As promised, here is a slideshow presentation of the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's 2014 Exhibit.  Awards will be handed out at this evening's guild meeting to all the winners, but honestly, I think everyone who entered is a winner...all of the quilts were just beautiful this year!

Colors of Cancer

Another challenge for this year's Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's exhibit was to make a small quilt using an awareness color from any type of cancer in honor or in memory of someone who has suffered from the disease.  These quilts are all for sale during the month of the exhibit with all profits going to the American Cancer Society.

Unfortunately, I have too many family members and friends who have had to battle cancer to just pick one to represent, so I decided to make a small version of my Elements challenge quilt using 1" squares of as many colors as possible.  I titled my quilt, Too Many Colors.

Challenge

The challenge for the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's exhibit this year was to make a quilt representing one, any combination, or all of the elements.  I chose to represent fire and earth with my quilt, Sunrise Around the World, but when I showed it to my husband he said it looked like an aerial view of a jungle explosion.  I guess either way you look at it I accomplished my goal!

I Have To Share...

I just have to share this news report about the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's upcoming exhibit.  My friend, Kate, did such a wonderful job of explaining the heart and soul of our guild.  (You will also get a sneak peek at exhibit which opens this Friday!)

Exhibit Time!

It's that time again...the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's Exhibit 2014 is just around the corner!  My entries are all ready for drop-off on Saturday and then we will start hanging the exhibit on Monday.  Opening night is Friday, September 5 from 7:00-9:00 and then the exhibit is open daily from 2:00-5:00.  Admission is free so if you are in the Wellsboro area be sure to stop at the Gmeiner Art & Cultural Center and see all the quilts!

Lots Of Labels

It's that time again....the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's Exhibit is coming up in just two short weeks, so I'm busy putting labels and sleeves on my entries!  I really should learn to label my quilts as soon as I finish them!

That's Me!

Our guild is in the process of making a banner that will be used to identify our group at various public events.  The banner will be made up of blocks contributed by guild members, so each member has been asked to make a block that represents their personal quilting style.  My first thought was to make a nine-patch, my favorite block, but I thought I should be a little more creative than that.  I'm not really a fan of Sunbonnet Sue or applique for that matter, but I think this block represents me well.  Sunbonnet Sue is steeped in tradition, but as you can see by her dress, she's not afraid to show her modern side either!

Workshop Weekend!

It was a cold and snowy weekend, but that didn't keep me from attending our guild's winter workshop!  What fun we all had and we came away with some great tips on free motion quilting and an easy quilt block pattern.  The pattern is Anita's Arrowhead and although it looks like it might be complicated, it is super simple!  I can hardly wait to finish the rest of the blocks and get them put together, so I can put some of the quilting tips to use!

Quilter's Trading Cards 2

We traded our quilter's trading cards at last night's guild picnic and look at how different they all are from one another!  I love each and every one!  I now have them displayed on the design wall in my sewing room...they are tiny reminders of all my quilty friends!  

Quilter's Trading Cards

This is one of those little projects that needed to be finished up...quilter's trading cards for tonight's guild meeting.  They were fun to make, but the project turned out to be more time consuming than I thought it would be...I am glad that not all 150 members signed up to trade cards or I would probably still be stitching!

Raffle Quilt Time!

It's that time again!  Yes, it's time to get started on another guild raffle quilt!  The Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's next raffle quilt promises to be nothing short of amazing.  Assorted basket blocks, set on point, with alternating Pennsylvania blocks, all surrounded by a beautiful hand appliqued border!  All of the members pitch in and make a few blocks, so this is truly a group project.  These Pennsylvania blocks are my contribution to the quilt and I can hardly wait to see them sewn together with all of the other blocks! 

Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah

I'll admit that my idea to make my favorite colors block into a zip bag wasn't all that creative, but it sure was practical!  This bag is the perfect size to hold all of my travel sewing supplies! 

Another Finish

This I-Spy Disappearing 9-Patch was put together by the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's charity quilting group.  I quilted it with a simple meander and just finished sewing the binding on.  I love this quilt!  It's so much fun to look at...you'll see fish, cartoon characters, bugs, flames, and even bacon and eggs!  Some young man going into foster care will have a good time exploring this quilt.