March One Monthly Goal Finish

Ready to link up your finishes?

Don't panic - this link-up is open until March 31 at 11:55 pm ET.

I'm pleased to be sharing hosting duties with Anne-Marie from Stories From the Sewing Room.  You can link up at either of our blogs and your OMG project will show up in the same link party!  

My goal for March is to quilt my Mobius Radial quilt. Read more about it here.

Now it's your turn to link up!  Please add a link to this OMG post so others can follow where you are linking.   Let's make that easy -  just paste this into your post:  

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal - March Finish Link-up

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Have a wonderful day! Patty

A Quilted Mobius

I love a good foundation paper piecing project and am a major fan of Audrey @cottonandburbon. She has several patterns available and this one - the Mobius Radial pattern - is my favorite.

The pattern instructions are very clear - complex but clear. I spread the construction out over several days and used lots of pins during the assembly process. (Read more about my experiences when piecing.)

For the quilting, I had originally planned straight line quilting running top to bottom, regardless of the piecing. But once two lines were sewn, I decided that I wanted quilting that would encourage the white bits to pop which meant just quilting the blue.

Fabrics used are both Painters Palette solids and the blue is Colonial Blue. I had Aurifil  1310 Medium Blue Gray matched nicely. The quilt finished 30" x 30".

Have a wonderful day! Patty

QuiltCon Recap Part 4 - Final reflections

A few weeks have gone by since QuiltCon - interestingly it actually feels like it was longer ago than that - but the good energy I carried away from the show is staying with me. (This is my fourth (and final) post. The others were QuiltCon Recap My Quilts, QuiltCon Recap The Quilt Show, and QuiltCon Recap The Best Bits.)

For me, the one word which describes the whole experience is joyful. The big feels of community, inclusion, and kindness are top of mind even a few weeks later. The time spent with good friends, inspiration overload, and the overall kindness and cheerfulness of everyone is like a warm hug.

So what are my fondest memories as I reflect a few weeks later? 

Seeing my quilt Patent Pending in the show and grabbing a fun photo with as many of the contributors at once whose schedules supported. There was so much laughter and joy, it made me so happy. These folks are the best and it made me so happy when they agreed to collaborate. (Read more about my quilt in the show on this post.)

Six of the seven friends who contributed were at the show and we had great fun grabbing photos. Linda @florishingpalms, Kitty @nightquilter, Charles @feltlikesweets, Val @valbetweenquilts, and Me (kneeling). Not pictured in this group photo are Pat @peacockcreekdesigns and Sarah @saroy but I grabbed individual shots. Sadly Yvonne @quiltingjetgirl wasn't able to attend.

Sharing an Airbnb with three friends - so many laughs, great quilt discussions, and just general discussion about life and family. It was amazing to actually see Kristin in real life after doing three QALs together.  (Note to future self - make sure to get a group picture of all roommates together.)

Photo sourced from Empty Nest Chronicles

Walking the show floor, inspired by all the quilts and techniques, moved by some of the writeups, meeting friends, fellow guild members or random people and talking about what we liked about the quilt we were standing in front of.

Chawne Kimber's keynote - funny, warm, thought provoking - and the emotional impact of her quilts. (See my Instagram post.) Chawne is an amazing person and I'm glad I've had the opportunity to meet her several years ago and enjoy her quilts again at this show.

Things I would like to try after seeing the show (in no particular order) -

• a two color improv quilt (my Dance Like No One is Watching mini was a trial piece)
• experiment with larger shapes and bold colors
• incorporate more hand quilting into my finish quilts - one of my favorite bits on quilts was a mix of hand quilting and machine quilting
• another group quilt (although perhaps one that isn't quilt as complicated!)

Notes to my future self (in no particular order) -

• Shop the vendor floor late in the day to avoid the crowds and the noise
• Volunteer again during registration - it is fun and exhausting all mixed together
• However, think twice about signing up for a 7 am volunteer slot (that was an early wake-up time!)
• Take a break for a cup of tea and a chat with a friend every day
• Grab more photos with friends (those are the ones I cherish, not the show quilt photos)

QuiltCon is so much more than the show itself. It is about the people - those who create the art and the story behind theirs quilts and every person you share the experience with.

Counting down the days to QuiltCon 2024 in Raleigh!

Have a wonderful day! Patty