Design wall Monday 10-15-2012

Here are some wonky stars I learned to do at Gwen's retreat.
I am using the glorious fabrics from Cherrywood.  I'm linking up over at Judy's,
go on over and see what everyone is up too :0).

Happy Sewing, Kim

wonky stars

Gwen's Beaver Island retreat: Meet Kathy Clarke

Kathy is one of those people who's smiles light up their face making you want to smile too. Her laugh is infectious too!  Kathy was just a few tables down from me pointing out onto the vista of the ever changing lake, she work away on her medallion which she named " creatures of the world".

Look at all those  spikey strips around her focus fabric!  Each house has an animal inside, and so does each liberated star.

When her medallion quite "talking" to her Kathy took her black and white fabrics and started making dozens  of HST, half dark half light for the next border.

You can see these HST that have been chained pieced hanging down in front of her medallion.

these are bits that she cut off to square up before cutting her fabrics for the HST that she gave me

I sewed them together using Gwen's techniques and made my own study in black and white

I added the blues of the lake, then quilted it all over in a wave pattern in variegated black and white thread.

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We had some good laughs, learned some cool stuff together and worked out some of the problems of the world.  It was my pleasure to meet you Kathy.   Happy Sewing back in Wisconsin,  Kim

Gwen's retreat: Meet Julie

Julie came with Sharon from Indiana, they had a great time together too.
Well these two ladies were really rocking the scarves and could tie them all
these cool ways.  I got scarf lessons from them both :0).
Julie was working real tiny, she came with some portion of these tumblers already
started and was trying out different borders to make her medallion.  Julie
had the silkiest, grey, sparkling, hair you have ever seen and a wicked sense
of humor :0).  We had some good laughs and lots of fun sewing time!
A treat to meet you Julie and I am wearing scarves again :0).

I forgot to tell you Julie has a quilt in Gwen's " Liberated Medallion Quilts" book on page 88 called  "Deer in the Headlights",  it is machine quilted by Kathy Dye.  Julie really knows how to use color and design a quilt!  

Happy Sewing,  Kim

Meet Julie, those are tiny little tumblers in the center

Okay sorry that is a bad picture of Gwen but check out Julie's scarf!

Julie rocking another great scarf

Julie's medallion taking shape and yet another terrific scarf look.


 

Meet Jackie

Jackie started with the cutest paper pieced dog that looks just like her dog Gracie.
And from the center of that cute medallion she added stars and just more great details.
Have a look at her work  and her great smile......she was having fun!  Nice to meet you Jackie from Michigan.   Happy Sewing,  Kim

Jackie having her books signed

Little Gracie

little liberated stars

Jackie's progress on her medallion

Meet Nancy Johnson

I really enjoyed Nancy's delight at being with Gwen Marston at the Beaver Island retreat.  She was with her sister and the two of them had the best time, shopping, sewing, going out to eat together and just spending time sewing together.  Gwen taught us a method of doing applique design that she said was quick and easy, so Nancy gathered her fabrics and said let's do one for me :0).  True to her words this medallion center really only did take Gwen 10 minutes to design and cut out!  Nancy was thrilled and we all were amazed at how easy it truly was.  So here are some pictures of Nancy having a super time at the retreat.  It was a pleasure to meet you Nancy from Dallas, Texas, Happy sewing, Kim

Nancy's delight :0)

Nancy has all the pieces Gwen cut and has added a tiny HST red border around the medallion

Nancy soaking in Gwen's critique of her work

Nancy's work at show and tell

Catching up with 6 inch blocks

While Randy is away on retreat I've been trying to catch up on my blocks for her sow along......I'm nearly there!  Here is some progress.  Bonnie Hunter is "sowing along" with Randy too.

Slowly they are adding up

Thanks Randy for keeping up with this sow along :0)

See what everyone is up to at WIP Wednesday over at Lee's blog...

Meet Fern Royce

Fern has an infectious smile, really doesn't this smile make YOU want to smile.  Fern is from Berkley, California.  It was a pleasure to meet you Fern, I hope you finish this lovely little quilt , Happy sewing, Kim

 Fern taking pictures for me on my camera

Fern made the tiniest HST border I have ever seen!

tiny, less than inch wide

Fern was trying to decide whether or not to include the star in the center of her medallion.

Gwen critiquing Fern's little quilt creation.

Blogger BOM #13...catching up!

Jackie has been leading this BOM project for 13 months......and I have just finished the last two blocks and I am all caught up!  How fun!  Thanks Jackie :0).  Happy sewing, Kim

Blocks in the first colorway

 turquoise and greens for the  second colorway

Block 13 is designed by Sarah, each block has a different blogger designer.

looks like another color blindness test :0)

I'm linking up over at Design Wall Monday with Judy, come over and have a look at all the projects :0)

Meet Charlotte

I only have one good picture of Charlotta and her work, the others are blurry or Charlotta in the back ground....sorry Charlotta.  The good news is Charlotta has a blog where you can see more of her work :0).  
Charlotta is from Kentucky and loves Zebra's.  Her work was so playful while she tried new techniques to build her medallion quilt, it started with a printed rectangle of a bird standing on a zebra.

Happy Sewing Charlotta, Kim

Meet Harriet from Baltimore, MD

Harriet flew from Maryland with her friend Kathleen and stayed in the condo below my family.  She worked at the opposite end of the room but we did get to talk a bit in passing, laughing and watching Gwen's demo's.  So here's Harriet!

Kathleen, Harriet, Fern ( with my camera) and Sharon behind her camera.

 

(There were plenty of Singer feather weights in the room .)

On the other side of this photo :0) ( this is what they are looking at)  they aren't really watching because they are star struck but because Gwen has take over their sewing space for book signing :0)

Harriet's study of color and shapes for her medallion center

Harriet found a small space to show her quilt on the design wall for show and tell.  ( sorry I cut your head off Harriet) She added a turquoise border then made the tiniest biased waves to applique on top.......just a lovely piece of work.

 Happy Sewing Harriet, Kim

Finish it up Friday

  Amanda Jean is back doing her Friday linky party :0)  Yeah and I actually have a finish to show!
And I linked up over at "can I get a Whoop Whoop?" too., come on by and see what everyone is up to.

 Here is my finished little quilt that I made from scraps from a little quilt Mary Ann was piecing while on retreat in Alabama.
China and Mary Ann Pettway led our retreat and didn't so much teach but set up a spiritual atmosphere conducive to creativity, full of suggestions, inspiration and support in each persons vision for her own quilt.   I found out they will be back at Camp McDowell again this Spring, if you can go I sure would not miss the chance to quilt with these wonderful ladies from Gee's Bend.  ( email Sarah Nee at folkschool@campmcdowell.com for more information. ) No affiliation just a happy camper :0)
  Happy Sewing, Kim

Mary Ann's signature

China's autograph too :0)

Add caption

Finished and hanging at the top of my stairs so I can see it everyday :0).

Christmas block for Victoria

I love to do blocks for group quilts, here is my latest block I made for Victoria while I was at Gwen's retreat, it is a mini medallion. Check out all the  blocks made by others over at Victoria's blog.

Happy Sewing, Kim

Little  Santa center block sent out by Victoria to use as inspiration for a block design, since I was with Gwen doing a medallion inspired retreat I made a mini medallion with some fabrics from the retreat and some that I took with me from Pokey in California :0).

Gwen's Beaver Island retreat: Meet Linda

Meet Linda

Linda showing her work at the show and tell

Linda showing  and telling us about making her liberated flying geese

close up of the vase and applique detail on the flower...."look a G for Gwen :0)" she told me.
Well why not turn the outcome of a liberated  applique into a celebration of being at a retreat with Gwen :0).

auditioning the flying geese, while Mickey's red border fabric shows on the left, we shared design wall space and by the end of the retreat space was getting tight.

 

Gwen's retreat brought quilters from all over, meet Linda from North Carolina.  Linda brought a piece already appliqued for the center of her medallion.  We all loved the fabric she chose for the vase and I think most of us asked her what the name of the fabric is and where she got it.  She has had it for sometime and doesn't know where she got it.  I think if we could have found it we all would have bought some on the spot.  It has great colors and depth and for a vase it is simply perfect!    Another beautiful start to  our challenge of making a medallion quilt, Happy sewing Linda I hope you finish this piece,  Kim