PIQF 2015 ~ International Quilts

Since I am not posting pix of the quilts I am currently working on until after our guild's quilt show, here are some pix I took yesterday at Pacific International Quilt Festival. Yep, I took the day off and went to PIQF. I've never been and my friend and customer Sandy (Sandra E) took me for my birthday along with Mo, her friend in Orland, CA and we had the best time! It was a very long day however so worth it. Thank you Sandy, love you!!!

Posting a few this morning and more tomorrow for my Saturday Morning Post. It's a mix of quilts that I was drawn to, some were ribbon winners, some not. Starting with some of the International quilts that were grouped in one part of the building... amazing quilts and quilters from around the world, starting with this one...

Deco by Lee Vause, Australia  64 x 72

I love Art Deco and of course, machine quilting so I was drawn to this quilt and it's quilting... wow. This is my first visit to PIQF and a big quilt show... ever! I was on sensory overload all day!!! Next is a quilt also made by an Australian quilt artist...

 Data Garden by Belinda Betts   67 x 67

Also a favorite because of the Tree of Life blocks in the center and again, the machine quilting... wow! Machine quilting has grown, check that, exploded! into it's own art form. The bar keeps getting set higher and higher with amazing workmanship. Inspiring most of the time and also humbling, reminding me of how far I have to go with my own skills. 

 Triple Feathered Star by Yvonne McKee 

from the United Kingdom  75 x 75

 Center star

This one is more traditional both in piecing and quilting however, WOW for the piecing!!! The second pic shows the center star which is made with teeny tiny HSTs, 1/4 inch at best as the second layer are 1/2 inch HSTs! The piecing was amazing, I know how challenging a feathered star is. The next pic is of the border, love the gold and red combined with purple plus the artist added beads along the edge of the binding. Below is one of the cornerstones with it's teeny tiny HSTs. The machine quilting, traditional and beautifully done!

There were several from Germany that had allot of embellishments as the one above, with crystals and lots of bead work. More on that later. For now here are two more from New Zealand quilt artists. The first is a whole cloth on a dark fabric with different color threads...

 Kowhai by Ross Munro  60 x 59

The detail and color is lost with my poor photography skills 

and old camera plus it was hard shooting the dark fabric. Still amazing!

 The second from another New Zealand artist... traditional and modern...
with straight line quilting

 Simply Red and Grey by Maree LeComte  71 x 71

and one more from a different part of the show (not international) 

that I really loved because it also combined Modern with Traditional

These are but a few of the quilts plus vendors... didn't have time to cover that part of the floor. Allot! I did, of course visit Jim and Nicky at ABMs Innova booth also representing their quilt store Sew So Shop in Yuba City, CA. Filled an order of thread at Superior Thread's booth. Chico's local quilts shops that are there... Sandy at the Rabbit Hole in Chico, Marsha and Morning Star Quilts in Paradise, and of course Honey Run Quilters in Chico...

Ronda, Lauren and Terri working the booth.

Kathy was there too doing a demo :0( my pic didn't work out)

and we just missed Carmen and Amanda who left following their morning shift.

PIQF goes on thru the weekend. Yesterday was the first day, If you have the opportunity... go! It's amazing.  Be prepared for sensory overload! 

I had fun this morning going over my pix plus The Quilt Show posted a slide show that Mary Kay put together of Part One of the ribbon winners at PIQF. Check it out with this link. The very first quilt in the slide show is made by Betty Sweet, from Magalia and a member of our Chico quilt guild, Annie's Star Quilt Guild. This same quilt won Best in Show at our last guild quilt show. It was great to see it again at PIQF let alone that she won a big ribbon there. We have some pretty amazing quilters in the Chico area. 

Enough fun, I have to get to work! and finish the quilt on my frame that will go into this year's show... coming up Nov. 7th and 8th. Have I mentioned that? yes, yes, so ignore me but come to the show or go to PIQF and get inspired! 

Tot Ziens, Jo 

Saturday Morning Post ~ Barbara's Applique

Glorious applique by Barbara H. 

This week felt more like Spring rather that the coming of Autumn

working on this beauty :0)

Custom quilted

with lots of outlining 

and a cross hatch fill behind the flower vase. 

Worked out great following the dots of the fabric's print!

Dot to dot crosshatch :0) and no marking!!!

Layered with two battings, a cotton with scrim base

with wool on top for a trapunto look.

Thread is Omni in Vanilla Wafer for the sashing and blocks.

So Fine 50 for all of the outlining and SID. 

I am loving the So Fine thread from Superior! 

A close up of the Friendship Star design

and the back that had a whole cloth look

The vase was not quilted on purpose. 

Barbara layered a piece of batting between her applique and the top

and added her own stitches in blue

It gave the vase allot of dimension

and if stitched thru again, could have looked like a blue pumpkin!

The cotton batting will give it enough stability 

for a wall hanging. Barbara plans to hang it in the entry hall where she lives.

This quilt will sure add a cheery hello to everyone that come in!

 Thank you Barbara!  

Cindy brought in 6 quilts and I have been busy working on those as well. Two are finished and one, on my frame is ready for a little SID and then it's a finish. Yea! Had allot of paperwork and mail to catch up on this week. Turned over my term's accounting for our guild to our new treasurer, Chris to begin a new term. Thursday's guild meeting was so cool with Joe Cunningham as our guest speaker. He was wonderful, talented and very engaging! Wishing I had singed up for his workshop, it was full with 20 participants! 

So busy, I didn't realize until yesterday that it's Labor Day weekend already and a long weekend, how sad is that! I am headed to Yuba City today to attend a Maintenance workshop for my longarm at the Sew So Shop and my Innova dealer. Looking forward to that and then... to enjoy an extra day off :0) 

Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend! 

Tot Ziens, Jo 

Right as Rain

Wow, what a load off my way too big plate, my Innova is feeling better! as am I!!! 

Jim made us 'right as rain' :0) 

Following a new and upgraded tension assembly (thank you Jim and Innova :0) re-timing we spent almost 4 hours on my Innova. Jim and I ran every kind of thread that I use on every kind of batting that comes into my studio. 

Our biggest challenge was getting a good stitch quilting on Quilter's Dream cotton batting, Request and Select, both very thin battings. It's a good batting, very popular here in Chico because of our temps and the brand of batting available at Honey Run Quilter's @ Cathy's so I quilt on it allot. All of Theresa's samples that I quilt for her are quilted with them. Of their battings I personally prefer Quilter's Dream Wool, LOVE the loft, it's light weight and allot more fun to quilt on! So do quite a few of my customers and the list is growing :0) Yea! 

After Jim left I headed over to Cathy's to bid farewell to Nancy. Dan had 2 cakes for her and she received lots of flowers and cards. I will miss her at Cathy's so very much but I know we will see her often at Embroidery Club having fun with that crazy crowd! ;0) Becky and I invited her to join us for lunch every Monday, that would be great!

By the afternoon it was too hot in my studio to fire up my longarm and it was all I could do to wait for some cool evening air to play on some samples on my Innova. I did and it was a BIG improvement! HUGH!!! It ran a little different on Auto Pilot than it had that morning with the belts dropped free hand. With a minor adjustment on the check spring I had it dialed in perfectly. LOVE this new tension assembly!!! Thank you again Jim and Nicky as well for letting me keep him all morning. The two of them have allot to do to get ready for an upcoming show in San Diego. They will also be at Pacific International Quilt Show in October. If you go, look for Jim and Nicky at their Innova ~ Sew So Shop booth! I have to add that Innova is a really good company. Support is available 24/7 and they really stand behind their product. 

Look for Theresa and Honey Run Quilter's booth at PIQF and the samples she made. With two more I have to finish I've lost track of how many quilts Theresa has made. She is one very busy person! (She also will be sorely missed!) Here are pix of the last samples, this one is up on my design wall waiting for a background fill I have planned for it...

This one was quilted 2 weeks ago...

with Solar by Anne Bright

 using a Fantastico thread *my new fav!*

 and the backing

and one more, from that book I've been drooling over Adding Layers by Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession. It's the one with the giant Churn Dash, this is a pic from the book... Theresa and I challenged ourselves to make this quilt and darn if she didn't do it first!

Wait until you see Theresa's made with a really cool paisley fabric! It's even better! Just like my machine. Now that it is all better, right as rain, I've decided to give it a new name as well. In place of Harley for it's chrome handle bars I think maybe the problem is that it's a she machine. "She" certainly has had her "moods" picking which days she wanted to run. Well now her name is Helena, my mom's name. It's a beautiful Dutch name and I hope it makes her as happy as I am right now. As you can see, I am up early. The windows are open and the fans have been pulling the wonderful cool morning air into my studio. I am ready to go play! See you on the flip side!!! 

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend
Take some time to take some stitches!
Groetjes, Jo

  

AP training at Sew So Shop

Yesterday I spent the whole day at the Sew So Shop quilt store in Yuba City, also my Innova dealer. Jim held an all day workshop on Auto Pilot, the software program for Innova. There were 15 of us attending, all from California ranging from Redding to Riverside. Most were Innova owners for a year or more, one with a new Innova on order, a few interested in buying or upgrading, a couple looking to be distributors and me, the newbie!

It was very nice to meet some seasoned Innova owners as well as see the excitement of the newest member, Joy anxious to get her new machine. We sat next to each other and it was fun to hear her exclaim as she saw all the wonderful functions we have available. There was so much to go over, almost too much. My brain was fried by the end of the day! Jim did an incredible job of explaining the software on a Simulator. Then did some demos on one of the machines in the shop. 

I got allot out of the day, both seeing a few functions I haven't used yet and how Jim uses the program and functions when he quilts. Like most programs, there is more than one way to get to the same result. Learned allot from hearing questions from other owners and sharing ideas and tips with each other. There were three people there that had backgrounds in computer software and it was nice to learn how some of that works into the functionality of the program. I learned allot and as mentioned was brain dead as I walked out of the shop and drove home to Chico late in the afternoon. 

Today I am ready to put what I learned to use on a practice piece loaded on my machine and then get back to customer quilts. Monday, Jim and Nicky was here in my studio to replace a part so that is fixed. Plus I had the chance to ask Jim allot of my questions one on one then. We learned what happens when you "accidentally" push the red emergency button and how to reset it! Jim shared that with everyone yesterday. All in all I am feeling allot better about where I am and realize that I need to be patient with the process.

Monday Jim also brought a part that I needed in order to download my patterns that I used on the 'other' longarm. I have three quilts here waiting for specific designs chosen by their owners. Thank you Tina, Pam and Tava for YOUR patience! Also Barbara, a custom quilt for her that is almost finished :0) Thank you to everyone!!!

I will end this long post with some pix of a sample quilt for Honey Run Quilters 

with a panto quilted last week...

 ...with a new panto design that came on the AP software. Love the fabrics that Theresa used, especially the black and white with ants above and the fabric below is the backing.

Enjoy your day!

My Innova is here!

My Innova longarm has arrived!!!

Set up in my studio and loaded with a pre-printed panel, something easy to practice on.
Definitely a learning curve on Auto Pilot.

 The first parts of the frame that Jim pre-assembled in his shop...

 the frame begins to take shape... back table in place

 The carriage for the sewing head.

Meet Jim and Nicky! The owners of Sew So Shop

 Really nice folk, I would recommend them to anyone interested in an Innova

plus a gorgeous quilt shop, classes, sewing machines, fabric and supplies. 

Well worth the trip or a stop in Yuba City, CA. 

Look for them as vendors at many quilt shows as well.
That's how I first met them two years ago.

 Here she is! All set up. Rollers and leaders on

 Michael made a little table for the mouse

 We have since worked on a few more additions. I made canvas strips to pin to the sides with dowels that Michael cut along with some wood strips to lay across the take up rollers for the single side clamps. He came up with the wonderful idea to add mending brackets to the boards for my magnetic pin bowls. I found a wireless hand held keyboard/mouse that will be helpful. 

Getting everything fine tuned. Considering switching to Reds Snappers and Red E Edges. Change is good, change is not so good. Learning new stuff ~ good, learning new stuff ~ not so good.
Looking forward to getting back into my comfort zone. 

Next: rebuild my worktable and finish the window treatment. 

A few people asked if I planned to name my new longarm, 

thinking about it. Suggestions anyone???

Happy Dancing!!!

A new longarm is in my future!!!

As of today, I am a brand new member of the Innova family!

Esther ~ Threads on the Floor ~ and I spent the day in Yuba City, CA. First we went out to lunch then over to meet with Jim and Nicky at the Sew So Shop. Our California dealer for Innova Longarm Quilting Systems. We played on all of the machines. Asked lots of questions. I made the decision to purchase an Innova.

I've been test driving them for a little more than a year at different quilt shows. Tried out a few others but I kept coming back to the Innova. Decision made! I am relieved and exhausted. After a visit with my mom, some dinner and a quick post, I am ready to unwind, except I keep happy dancing!!!

ETA is the end of February, which sounds like a really long time! It will fly by with preparations to be made and classes to attend so I can hit the ground running. I will spend much of the time working with Kathy to get her up and running on the Gammy as well. 

Esther, thank you for coming along, I am privileged to call you friend! And thanks to Jim and Nicky. What a wonderful day!