Published!

May/June 2014 issue MQU

I am excited to tell everyone that two of my quilts have been published in the current issue of Machine Quilting Unlimited.

December is featured in a special Appliqué Quilts article by Diane Rusin Doran and Oh, Mexico Beach is displayed in the Quilts from our Readers section.  

Both are shown as full quilts and also with close up details and include the story behind each quilt.  

I subscribe to six different quilting publications and do enjoy them all, but MQU back issues are saved and kept in my library of quilting books. They are a great reference for inspiration and instruction.  I can honestly say that reading this magazine inspired me to improve my own machine quilting skills and gave me the courage to quilt December on my home Bernina.  

Other news from my quilt world:

Electric Quilt has released it's computer program software for Macs and it is truly wonderful!  I bought a  MacBook Pro about a year ago (lifetime PC user) and struggled trying to use my PC Electric Quilt program with VMware Fusion and Windows 7 on my Mac - it just never ran smoothly. 

For around $30, I could upgrade my PC version of EQ7 to the new Mac version and downloaded it in no time.  Other companion software such as "Stash" is easily installed. I've been using it without a glitch.  

Still December?

December 58" x 58"

The most popular topic of conversation here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin is the weather   - at least it has been this winter.  I don't keep track, but it has to have been one of the snowiest and coldest in a long long time.  Even though it's spring (not December) by the calendar, it's still winter outside. Why just the other day, Mother Nature delivered about a foot of new snow.

I can't say that I mind as it gives me many hours in my sewing room to work on my quilts. 

Speaking of December, my quilt titled December has been juried into the American Quitler's Society Quilt Week, Paducah, Kentucky, April 23 through 26.  It is always thrilling to have my quilts displayed there, my favorite show of all.  

On to other things besides the weather - oh wait - my quilt in progress is winter related too!  

Hmmmm….. do we have a trend going here? 

See my last blog post for an intro to this quilt.  

Below are photos of progress I've made.  After adding the roof, sides and sidewalk to the "old building"  I'm now working on the snowy trees.   The smaller tree took me an entire day to draw, cut, fuse and appliqué stitch.  The larger tree is pinned in place and will take a bit more time to get just right, and then it's on to more trees and branches to the left side of the building.  

The last phase will be the tulle overlay and/or other ways to achieve that really soft, lovely snowy effect.  This may take awhile.