Little Quilt Swap #6

A few weeks ago, I posted about the "Little Quilt Swap" which is sponsored by Kate North from England....I have so enjoyed it that I am sure I will participate again.  If any of my readers are interested, you can go to her blog or click on the logo on my sidebar.

This is the quilt I made for the swap and sent to Arkansas.

Today I mailed the little quilt that I had made to the person whom Kate sent to me. The recipient of my quilt lives in Little Rock, Arkansas.  And when I got home, I was very pleasantly please to have gotten a quilt from Julie Waldman who lives in Oakland, CA!!!  I LOVE my quilt...it is mostly (if not all) batiks...just beautifully designed and made!!

This is the beautiful little quilt I rec'd today from California!

My studioQ group met today.  There were only seven of us present but we still had a great time!  The gal who was to have it had to cancel at the last minute so we thought we had no where to meet...then one of the Q'ers came up with the idea of meeting at Cabbage Rose...a favorite quilt shop in Fort Worth which has several rooms for classes etc. and very nicely will let groups like us to use them.  After our "show and tell" and catching up on news, we went to eat at the Flying Fish, right across the street for the Rose.

And...last but not least, my daughter and I are going to Houston Sunday for the International Quilt Festival.  We are going by tour bus...it was a kind of last minute decision on our part...hoping that there were still some seats left to fill!  And luckily, the lady in charge had three left and was delighted to sell off two of them!!  I have been once before, but Andrea has not so it will be a full but fun day!!

Fall Festival Quilt Show Blog

This is a new challenge/blog for me to be involved in...Amy's Creative Side  is a very neat blog which sponsors a bloggers Quilt Show.  Click on the above to see all the quilts posted "out there"...including this one which I am going to post....

Aurora Borealis

This wall hanging/quilt was my entry in my guild's show challenge.  Each year Trinity Valley Quilter's Guild of Fort Worth, Texas holds a quilt show and each show has a member's challenge.  This year our quilts were to be created with one "mystery" fabric. (the same for everyone) and to go along with the theme of using recycled material.  There are five quilts chosen by the judges, no 1st, 2nd, etc...just equally given a ribbon and a cash prize....We had 35 entries this year and mine was one of the lucky ones...my fabrics were scraps from my husband's old ties, bridesmaids' dresses, mother-of-the bride dress, formals, Halloween costumes, and more.  I did quite a bit of hand quilting and beading on the quilt practicing some of the techniques I recently learned from a class I took at Arrowmont.

Challenge # 45-Chainling

This week the Diva's challenge is based on a zentangle from Rick and Maria named "Chaining".  I had not done this one before....found it to be very fun..and somehow as I was working on it, the whole design became a pumpkin shape!  Guess my subconscious realized it is fall/Halloween season!

Challenge #45: Chainling

"Pumpkin on the vine.
October is harvest time.
Fall is in the air!"

....and my accompanying Haiku!

Working on My Medallion

Slowly but surely I am finishing my medallion that I started in the workshop I took last week.  I have been thinking  about the background for the wall hanging as I bead and have a pretty good idea what I want to do.  Larkin also gave us some wonderful instructions on how to finish up the art work.

Day #1

Day #2

Day #3

Day #4

I really enjoy this process...as I learn, making a few mistakes...I am thinking of ways to improve, new ideas....This becomes.."can't wait to finish so I can start on a new one!!!"

In the meantime....our Texas Rangers are really doing great!  They are now in St. Louis, ready to win the World Series with one game to go!!  Then today's game was called because of rain....bummer!  Oh, the tension grows!!

Challlenge #44 Inside/Outside

Last Monday the Diva posted the new challenge...to create a tangle, then fill that tangle up with other tangles...very fun!!!  Here is my effort and accompanying haiku!

Challenge #44 "Inside/outside"

"So many tangles!
Inside, outside, all around.
A fun tile to do!"

And I am continuing to work on my medallion for my art quilt from Larkin's class.  Here is the start and what I have so far....this is a very slow, but gratifying, technique to work with.

Beginning of medallion

Second day..doesn't look like much....very slow!!!!

Fabulous Workshop!

This week...busy week...I attended a two day workshop sponsored by my quilt guild.  The artist who taught the class was Larkin Van Horn, a fabulous fiber artist whose current speciality is beading.  Now her beading is not your everyday beading!  Her work is simply out of this world.  I had taken a class from her a couple of years ago and learned some very good basic skills...but what I learned this week was 'way beyond my expectations.

Here is just one example of her work...be sure to click on her name to go to her website and see more of her wonderful creations!!

A closeup of the above medallion.

And the very beginnings of my medallion!

At the beginning of the workshop, Larkin warned us to not expect to complete the beading and probably not the background.  And she was right!!  It is a very slow process but I really love it!!!  I think I have a new addiction!!!  I'll post progress as I go.

Tomorrow is our monthly guild meeting where Larson will speak to the entire membership present.  Although I will be there and look forward to hearing her, I would really love to stay home and work on my medallion....maybe with cooler weather approaching I will feel like staying home and getting some of my projects done!!!!

Challenge # 43-Sunflower Fun-D

This week the Diva posted the challenge a day late because Canada was celebrating Thanksgiving on Monday, October 10.  Belated Thanksgiving, to my Canadian friends!

The Diva sometimes gets ideas for the challenges from fellow bloggers and this week's subject comes from the Republic of South Africa which supports a project to create awareness of leukaemia and bone marrow transfer.  The Sunflower Fund is a nonprofit organization which I became aware of through the blog of Pennyb of Fish Hoek, Cape Town, South Africa.

Challenge # 43-"Sunflower Fun" (d)

The Sunflower Fund
Share a little; Share a life!
Fight leukaemia!

Finally!!!!

RAIN, BEAUTIFUL RAIN!!!!  Finally we have rain...it started at our house about 7:00 last night and hasn't stopped yet...(9:30 AM).  Two hours ago we had FIVE inches in our rain gauge...and still coming!  And it has been a very gentle, steady rain...soaking into the ground not just running off!

Weekends activities have had to be curtailed....Rangers playoffs with the Detroit Tigers was delayed twice last night with the game finally ending after midnight...A Rangers' win, I might add!!!

We were at a marching band contest yesterday afternoon and saw the preliminaries.  North Crowley Mighty Panther Band was selected to compete again in the final round in the evening...we left before that...and I am sure they were probably rained out.  And it is hard to complain when we have so desperately needed rain.

Part of the French horn section standing at attention at beginning of show

A backdrop for the NC program "Medal of Honor"

The Mighty Panther Show "Medal of Honor" has a patriotic them, based on honoring our armed forces and fallen soldiers.  Really good show!!!

Lots O' Challenges

While we were out of town, the Diva posted several challenges that I missed out on....and when I returned I had immediate obligations and wasn't able to get to the topics of zentangles until this week!  

Because of our drought, I began to think of what would I miss most if our house burned down.  Although there are many irreplaceable things, I would hate to loose pictures, so I have been scanning pictures to my computer and putting them on an external hard drive.  And while scanning, I have caught up with challenges! And my Haikus to go with...

Challenge #42-HOPE

"Hope Springs Eternal....
The start of a famous quote.
A word to live by!"

Challenge # 41: Duo Tangle:Jonqal/Opus

"Jonqal and Opus
What is black and white and 'read'?
It's a newspaper!"

Challenge #40: Pinwheels For Peace

"Make Pinwheels for peace.
I wish it were that easy.
Let's make love, not war!"

Challenge #39 "Love Is All You Need"

"Love is all you need.
Two hearts beating together.
Make the world go 'round!"

Challenge #38: Better Than A Pair of Ducks

"A Paradox, hm-m-m-m?
Looks like a party to me.
Let the good times roll!!!

Summer...Just Won't Go Away!

I just listened to the weather forecast....we are still getting high 80's plus for temperatures and no real rain in the future.  I guess it will be shorts for the football game tonight...Friday Night Lights!  We aren't that interested in the games; we go for the half time show!!!!  And tonight, both grands' bands will be taking the field!

I have this one Texas Sage that has never bloomed for me in the seven years I have had it.  Now this year...when everything else is drying up and dying...it blooms!!!  Guess it really is a "Desert" sage!!

Texas Sage-blooming in a drought period!!

What the majority of the yard/shrubs look like!!!