Exciting Development!

Tags

classes, patchwork, Quilt, Quilt shop, quilting, teachers, teaching, thimble pleasures

Exciting News: I have been invited to teach a Beginner’s Paper Piecing Class in Chapel Hill this coming January!  I am teaching one of my own patterns (Abstract Art) and feel privileged to be able to share my passion for this technique.

Tolle Neuigkeiten:  Ich bin eingeladen eine Klasse in Chapel Hill zu präsentieren – Nähen auf Papier für Anfänger.  Ich werde mein selbst entworfenes Muster verwenden und bin sehr froh meine Begeisterung für diese Methode teilen zu dürfen.

This past Tuesday, the shop (Thimble Pleasures) hosted a class preview event where the teachers for the first quarter of 2016 where invited to come and showcase their samples and meet prospective students.  The idea of such an event is brilliant and I was honored to be part of it.

Das Stoffgeschäft (Thimble Pleasures) hatte eine kleinen Empfang Dienstag Abend, eine Klassen Vorschau wo die Trainer/Lehrer ihre Projekte präsentieren und sich selber vorstellen durften, und auch interessierte/zukünftige Schüler treffen konnten.  Ich finde die Idee eine solchen Empfang zu organisieren grossartig und ich fühlte mich geehrt dabei zu sein. 

The event has additional, unexpected und unforeseen benefits for me:  I met Hannah (a fellow teacher) who just like me has a passion for maps, architecture and shapes, and also has an untraditional approach to life….

Der Empfang hatte auch andere Vorteile für mich:  Ich habe Hannah getroffen (auch eine Trainerin) die wie ich auch Landkarten und Architektur liebt, und einen etwas untraditionellen Lebensstil hat…..

I met other teachers as well – Sharyn Cole, who at one point proclaimed: “Seamless requires a lot of stitches” (soo true!).  Linda & Carl (Linderella’s & Colourwerx) were there, Stephanie Pennington-Grant who welcomed me so warmly, and also Dana Watson who teaches Japanese Tamari and impressed me with her quiet elegance.

Ich habe andere Trainer kennengelernt – Sharyn Cole, die verkündet hat “nahtlos benötigt viele Stiche” (so wahr!).  Linda & Carl waren auch da (Linderella’s & Colouwerx) und auch Stephanie Pennington-Grant die mich herzlich willkommen geheissen hat, und auch Dana Watson (sie unterrichtet Tamari) die mich mit ihrer Eleganz imponiert hat. 

 

The turnout was great, and for someone like me who works in solitude (and enjoys that immensely), events like these can bring on a case of the nerves.  Lori (manager at the shop) created a welcoming atmosphere that took away most of the jitters.  My friend M. accompanied me that evening (without me even asking), just saying at the end of the evening “well, I did not think you should do this alone” – a statement which can be interpreted in many different ways  🙂

Die Besucherzahl war toll und für jemanden wie mich, die alleine arbeitet und das sehr geniesst, kann so ein Empfang die Nerven hervorbringen.  Lori (Manager im Stoffgeschäft) hat eine sehr einladende Atmosphäre erzielt und meine Freundin M. hat mich (ohne gefragt zu werden) begleitet.  Am Ende des Abends hat sie dann gesagt: Ich dachte nicht, dass Du da allein hingehen solltest” – eine Aussage die auch ganz anders interpretiert werden kann….:)

I want to thank Lori and all the staff at the shop – I had a great time and am so looking forward to this and other classes to come.

Ich möchte mich ganz herzlich bei Lori und allen Mitarbeitern bei Thimble Pleasures bedanken – ich freue mich sehr auf die Klasse im Januar!

My husband thinks I’m famous – Mein Mann glaubt ich bin berühmt!

Tags

autogramm, autograph, block, Magazin, magazine, naehen auf papier, Paper Piecing, patchwork, Quilt, Quilt shop, quilting, steppen, stoffgeschaeft

 

This past May, on of my blocks was published in Quiltmaker’s 100 magazine.  Here is the block:

Das Magazin “Quiltmaker’s 100” hat im Mai einen meiner Blöcke veröffentlicht:

My friend and guild mate Aby also had a block published there. She has been published many, many times before but for me, this was the first time and thus very exciting!

Aby (eine Dame die in der selben Guide ist wie ich) war im selben Magazin repräsentiert.  Sie hat sehr viele Muster in vielen Zeitschriften veröffentlicht, aber für mich war das ganz was Neues und sehr sensationell!

To celebrate, our local Quilt Shop (Loving Stitches) organized a magazine signing for us this past Saturday.  Charlie was very excited and told everyone he knew! (none of his friends and acquaintances are quilters).  Then, before I left the house, he looked at me dressed in slacks and a nice summer shirt, and said: “You know, what you are wearing is nice, but don’t you think you should dress up?” I guess he hadn’t looked at me lately, because what I was wearing was me being dressed up!!

Um die Gelegenheit zu feiern, hat das Stoffgeschäft in unserer kleinen Stadt am Samstag eine Autogrammstunde organisiert.  Charlie fand das sehr aufregend und hat das allen seiner Freunden und Bekannten erzählt! (keine seiner Freunden und Bekannten sind Patchwork Leute).  Als ich dabei war das Haus zu verlassen, sagt er dann noch zu mir: “Was Du da an hast ist ganz nett, aber solltest Du Dich nicht ein bisschen aufputzen?” (Ich hatte eine dunkelblaue Hose an und ein Sommer Top). Der arme Mann, hat keine Ahnung dass ich schon aufgeputzt war!

Aby and I had a good time – we signed some magazines, interacted with lots of quilters at the store and invited some new faces to attend our guild meetings!

Aby und ich hatten Spass – wir haben Zeitschriften signiert, haben mit vielen Kunden geplaudert, und haben auch einige zu unserer Guide eingeladen!

All of the blocks you see on the board behind me, as well as my geography based designs are available in my Craftsy shop!

Die Blöcke die hinter mir sichtbar sind, sind mit meinen anderen Mustern in meinem Craftsy shop erhältlich!

The Modern Quilt Group Quilt

Tags

bold colors, bold patterns, cotton fabrics, fabrics, Fiber Arts, loving stitches, modern quilt, modern quilt group, muted colors, Quilt, Quilt shop, quilting

A few weeks ago, our local quilt shop (Loving Stitches) asked if I’d be interested in leading a Modern Quilt Group.  After giving it some thought, I agreed.  The group will kick off with a “meet & greet” on August 9th at the Quilt Shop!

Tanja (also a “modern” girl) and I, decided to make the same quilt, without consulting with each other.  We decided on the following rules:  we would pick a pattern, NOT consult with eachother on fabric choices, and we had to give the quilt a modern spin. To give credit where credit is due, the whole idea was Tanja’s (and it is a brilliant one I think!).  To also place blame on the right person, I am the one that chose the pattern…..And here is the pattern I (we) decided on:

Chirp Chirp (as seen in Quilts & more, Spring 2010)

We decided to do this, because Tanja likes strong colors and very bold patterns.  I also like bold, large patterns, but I am also very partial to very muted colors.  We thought that this would illustrate how the same pattern can result in very different quilts, based on the makers sensibilities.

And here is my quilt:

Front

I chose fabrics in white, tan and grey; the plum is there for a pop of bold color.  My jumping off point was the Edgar Alan Poe fabric (bottom center).  I initially wanted much more of that in the quilt, but it ended up looking much too busy for what I was trying to accomplish.  The bird in the center is fussy cut from a piece of IKEA drapery fabric.

By the way, the quilt is square and straight – it’s just my photography that is not!

The back also came from IKEA – just FYI, their fabric department holds a treasure troth!  Most of their fabrics are cotton, most are between 60″ and 120″ wide, and a LOT of them are perfectly suited for quilting.  And the price is great too!

And here is a picture of the back:

Back

I am presenting the quilt at the meet & greet on August 9th – I cannot wait to see what Tanja came up with; to my knowledge, she does not follow my blog (yet), so hopefully she won’t see it before I see hers!

I will update this post with a picture of her quilt after August 9th!

Linderella’s – a mom and pop shop !

Tags

Applique, Crafts, Fabric, Fiber Arts, Quilt, quilt designer, Quilt shop, Shopping, Southern Pines North Carolina, whimsical

Linderella’s – the inside

A couple of years ago, I came across a little quilt shop in Southern Pines (NC) called Linderella’s. I really liked that it was a small shop ran by the owners Carl and Linda. The fabrics they carry are mostly modern with a few sprinkles of traditional textiles and they also have a great variety of childrens’ and juvenile. Recently they also started carrying wools.

The Chickettes

Linda designs fun and fabulous patterns; mostly colorful, whimsical applique creatures that get your imagination going and keep you smiling. I have taken classes from Linda and really appreciate her teaching method.

The classes are limited in the number of students (mostly 5) which gives one a LOT of individualized attention!

Linderella’s – the inside

 

I like to support small business, and this is one that I believe is doing most everything right! The commitment that Carl and Linda have is obvious, Linda’s talent is evident, and the shop is bright cheerful and very well organized !

 

 

 

 

Linderella’s – the colorwall

I am also impressed with their use of social networking; many small businesses do not tap into this vast resource (often resulting from time constraints or fear of this “new” technology. Linderella’s not inly has a Facebook page, but also a full service website, through which I can order patterns, fabrics, etc.

By the way, I am in no way affiliated with the shop, not getting paid to write this or getting any other incentive – I just admire their chutzpa and talent!