Week wrap-up

I had a great time this week with all the quilting and sewing related activities with the Utah Quilt Fest. I just wish I could space out the fun here and there instead of all in one week. Some of the Highlights:

Tuesday was the teacher meet and greet. This year's theme was "Piecable Paradise" which translated into Polynesian related decor, food and classes. The evening started off with a singer and his wife-she danced the hula beautifully! After some announcements, Laura Wasilowski spoke. If you ever get a chance to take one of her fusing classes or listen to one of her lectures....go! She was one of the funniest speakers I've ever heard. She had a great slide/photo presentation, along with alot of laughter and singing. Very entertaining, as well as educational! It was a great night, even if the refreshments were yucky..... I also went to the quilt show. As I posted last time, Utah has very small shows. I enjoyed seeing what everyone was doing, but disappointed in the small amount of quilts hung at the show. I did take some photos, but did not get permission to post from the makers, so below is a publicity photo from the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii of a Hawaiian related quilt for you to ooohhh and aaawwwweeee over.

Friday, I went with my friend Teri to a lecture class. The class was suppose to be about how to use your scrap to make new quilts. I was very disappointed with the class. The teacher just rambled on about how she uses scraps, showed some of her quilts from when she redecorated her house, then kept asking if anyone had ideas how to use scraps. At the end, she said she had heard about some bloggers who use up their scraps/stash and mentioned she had heard about a lady named "Judy" who posted weekly about her quilts. I finally figured out she was talking about Judy at Patchworktimes.com, one of my favorite blogs to read. The class was to be two hours, but it was only about an hour, then she spent the time trying to sell patterns and handing out papers about the classes she teaches. I don't know how other Fest are, but Utah Fest usually discourages the teacher spending more time selling then teaching.

Saturday, I was suppose to go to a family baby shower, but it didn't happen....too much other stuff. Hubby and I did major landscaping. We've let the summer swish by without alot of garden maintenance, and the yard looks awful. We moved two large Russian Sage bushes, relocated alot of ground cover, and transplanted Shasta daisies and lilies (from Teri's front yard). Next weekend, it's thinning out the strawberries, planting raspberries and a couple of peach trees. We also stopped by the last summer farmers market in Syracuse. I had some of my mom's earrings repaired, plus treated myself to 4 pairs of earrings and 2 pendants. I am not much of a jewelry person, but I am definitely trying to change my look. The earrings I choose must be okay, because daughter V already borrowed a pair to wear to Church today!

In Closing: I have noticed lately how friendly and thoughtful others are to me-usually strangers. At the market, the vendor repaired my mom's earrings for free before she knew I was thinking of purchasing anything! What nice things have you had done for you lately?

Quilt Fest Fabric dyeing class

I have never had so much fun in such a long time! I love fabric dyeing! My only past experience has been a couple of tie-dye experiments as a kid and with my own kids with store bought kits. The teacher, Anne Munoz, has been dyeing for 30 years and uses most of her items from Dharma Trading Co. in San Rafael, California (we each received a catalog in our class kit)

First, we cut our Pima cotton up into 10-15 pieces of various sizes....our choice on the size. Next, we soaked a couple of these fabric pieces in the fixer....dissolved soda ash. This helps the fabric to hang on to and retain the dye colors. Those fabric pieces had to dry in the sun, so Anne did a 45 minute demo on various methods we could try during the day.

I started off with the ziploc bag method. I soaked and squeezed out a piece of pima in the fixer, then put the fabric in a quart sized ziploc bag. I pour a little of the tangerine dye and a little of the yellow dye in and squeezed the bag until the fabric had taken the color. Set that bag down for an hour. Afterwards, I rinsed out the fabric in a 5 gallon bucket of water and let it dry. I repeated this method with a bag of green dye, aqua blue dye, and rust brown dye for a total of 4 pieces of fabric.

Next, I went onto the marble effect. This one was really fun and quite easy. I took a 3 inch deep rectangular pan (like you develop photos in)....I filled a bowl with water and shaving cream (the cheaper the cream the better) and mixed the water/cream into a thick mix, like heavy cream....poured it into the pan. I then mixed very small amounts of two dyes (pink and brown) in separate containers with a small amount of shaving cream to form lumpy colored bits of cream. The bits were dropped all over the top of the creamy mix in the pan. With chop sticks, I pulled the color thru until it formed a marbled color look. I place one of the pieces of pima (that had been thru the fixer and dried)on top, got the air holes out, covered it all with plastic, and it sat for any hour. I then just washed off the shaving cream, rinsed it good, and the fabric went out on the line to dry. Below is a sample picture from Dharma's website....though I think mine looked just as good. The shaving cream hangs onto the dye and your fabric just floats atop of the cream. The third technique was using a brush and a thickener in the dyes and painting a picture. I did not do well with this technique. I did try a couple of dry fixer pima and did two landscape pieces.

The last technique was using stamps and other things to leave an impression in dye. I actually really enjoyed this technique. I stamped a piece with pine trees in different greens and browns with a brilliant blue sky. I also tried some flower stamps, but they bleed and mixed together too much....good stash/slice up pieces when I need a little piece of fabric for applique. My best piece, besides the marbling, came from stamping. I did a 12" X 15" piece using fall colors (orange, reds, browns, green and purples) with multiple leaf stamps. I really like it! I am thinking it is going to become my October Nature journal challenge piece with a fall colored borders and some variegated quilting.

Over all, it was one of the nicest, friendliest, most educational classes I've taken at Quilt Fest here in Utah. As a group, we had a blast...very fun ladies. In fact, we said we thought we should all get together again for another class. We used the Eccles Community art center that is located in Ogden (Utah). It's housed in a very old Victorian House that has been restored for displays and lectures. We were in what was a carriage house at the back of the lot that has been turned into a huge classroom and shop. When you are fabric dyeing, you need alot of space and a good water supply

Between class sessions, I attended the Luncheon with Jane Sassaman speaking. She talked about her journey into quilting and how she made Art Quilts right from the beginning. Now that she does a fabric line, she has tried traditional quilt piecing and actually enjoys it a little. She had photos of her home in Illinois and her studio...wow! gorgeous! stunning! huge! During the prize giveaways at lunch, I won a packet of fabric and thread from the Weeks Dye Works of Garner, North Carolina.....funny-fabric dyeing class and won a packet of dyed items at lunch!

The Fest quilt show is hung in the same room as the luncheons. Unfortunately, Utah is not a big state for quilt shows. We have them, but they are not very large. There was only one quilted item of clothing....I thought of Summerset and all the shows she enters with her clothing (her blog is Pins and Needles-look to the right on my blog under "Online I explore")

Well....didn't mean to go so long...you still with me?

In Closing:Favorite color.....I like most all colors...though I have always favored red...drives my kids crazy with all the red clothing I own! What's you favorite? Share, please!

Busy week, but aren't they all!

This weeks to-do list:

Monday/Today:Visiting teachers (women's church group) coming for a monthly visit, house cleaning, new tire for car, gather items for tomorrows fabric dyeing class, purchase clear, water soluble stabilizer to finish journal quilt for September (Update: I have been visited, hubby thinks he can repair the tire, I gathered my dyeing items, and I finished my September Journal quilt-even the binding!)

Tuesday:More house cleaning, babysit baby Tayge, leave nice dinner for Hubby & daughter V, attend Teacher meet n' Greet at Quilt Fest

Wednesday:All day fabric dyeing class at Quilt Fest, luncheon with Jane Sassaman speaking, hopefully win a prize during class or luncheon, come home to a home cooked meal not made by me

Thursday:Clean and cook, babysit Tayge, make something yummy for recipe club, go to recipe club and eat yummy things and learn to crochet thick pot holders

Friday:The usual....clean, cook & baby. Hopefully get finishing touches on journal quilt done.Attend evening quilt lecture at Quilt Fest with friend T.

Saturday:Sleep in...no cleaning or baby. Work on various projects (fleece jacket, other clothes, Christmas projects), make cookies for women's broadcast refreshments, attend baby shower for newest great-great nephew, attend annual Women's (church)dinner and television broadcast at the church house with Daughter E., get meal ready for the Sabbath

Sunday:Sleep in, read paper, Church, maybe have the kids over for boardgames and some good talk.

Okay, that's my week....not too busy!

I have no way of posting a photo of the completed journal top of Antelope Island I am doing for the journal challenge.....but here is the photo it is based on. I will hopefully get a photo posted soon...bear with me folks! In closing:Which way do you work better...with or without a to do list? I am a list person. Share, please!

My favorite show

I am not much of a television watcher, but I love The Biggest Loser. I love to see the contestants workout and learn something new about nutrition and make it thru the challenges
I like the two hosts too. If I ever worked out with a trainer, I would definitely go for Bob. He still yells, but he is tough in a productive way. I would be scared of Jillian. She yells, even when someone is up-chucking into a trash can.
This is last year winner....Ali. Amazing before and after photos, huh! I know I could never be a stick skinny person again, but I am working to at least have a waist that goes in!

Okay, that's my crazy TV show. I do also watch/listen too alot of PBS and DVD's while I sew.

In Closing:Easy question...your favorite TV show?

Fall clothing for V

Daughter V needs a couple of new jackets.......something casual, but not a hoodie or sweatshirt. I found this pattern at JoAnne's, along with some light gray fleece. She wants the same jacket as the coat made up in orange-view E. I like the views F & D too (jacket in brown/F & Red/D)

Baby Tayge and his parents are all sick....anywhere from a cold to walking pneumonia. Of course, now I have the sniffles! Argh...I was hoping to make it through without getting sick! (Update:the kids went to the doctor last night-all have some yukky cold/flu thing that is going around...lots of fluids and have to just wait it out)

In Closing:Your favorite read/book...mine....just finished Mitch Albion's "Just one more day". Good, as usual. What are you reading?

I'm here!

I've been so busy lately, I forgot to post!

I've been trying to get ready for Fall and the quickly approaching Winter....lots of yard work and cleaning out for charity. I have also been thinking about my wardrobe lately. I am definitely in a slump! Jeans and tees or jeans and sweatshirts. I justify this by saying I babysit alot, which can lead to being spit up on alot, but I was already in this slump way before baby Tayge was born. I use to dress quite well, especially when I was a teen and my mom made alot of my clothes.

I did some Internet searching and first signed up at freepatterns.com. The Chinese jacket (I love jackets and coats) is one of their freebie patterns....actually, you already have to have a pattern, and they just show you how to convert it to this look. Well, I have an entire box of coat/jacket patterns from children's (grandchildren) thru plus size (me). I was probably attracted to this photo for the color...I love red! I also signed up at Butterick.com. Their freebie pattern I liked was for this retro wrap....pretty, huh. I thought, "where would you wear this out in farm land, Suzanne?" I don't know, but I like it! For me, maybe I could make it up in something warmer than taffeta or satin. For that matter, I could make it up in a few different materials.
Lastly, we had a great time last weekend at Peach days. I had decided to get a caramel apple, but they looked yucky (melted in the sun), so I had a couple of bits of V's funnel cake. The girls also shared a bag of cotton candy. Daughter E is determined to lose the last couple of pregnancy pounds, so she was a really good girl....proud of you, Sweetie!
In Closing:What one item (quilting, clothing, scrap booking, crafting, etc.)are you working on right now? Me...I am finishing my nature journal quilt for September and trying to finish the last 3 rows of the row quilt for my Guild. Next...clothes for me!

Fair Food!

We are going to the Brigham City Peach Days celebration tomorrow. It's kind of our annual end-of-the-summer trip. All the kids are meeting us there for the car show, motorcycle show, library book sale and the arts n' crafts fair. Unfortunately, there isn't a quilt show, but I am sure we will see quilt related items for sale.

I have been good ALL summer and have not indulged in any fair food. As I am trying to lose weight to improve my health, this has been really hard for me. I love fair food! I am going to indulge in only one goodie....should it be......

Funnel cake,

a caramel apple, or

cotton candy?

In closing:Completely unrelated subject....daughter V and I went to see the movie "Traveling Pants 2" (it was okay-not great)So, your favorite movie? Mine-"Dancing in the Rain" with Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor. How about you?