Saturday was the Pine Tree Quilt Guild members' meeting in Augusta. We had a business meeting in the morning. I sat with my friends from Back Road Quilters and had a fun day. After lunch Sarah Ann Smith of Camden gave a talk on journal quilts. She had her journal quilts from 2006 with her and plenty of slides. It was an inspiring lecture and left me wanting to try my hand at it.
Some people make a commitment to create a weekly journal quilt, others a monthly quilt. Sarah Ann suggests a size of 8 x 11 as small enough to get it done, but not too small. Neither too big or to small, but just right. These journal quilts are meant to be explorations of techniques or ideas. She showed us other quilt artists work in her slides. They explored themes such as feathers, landscapes, portraits, but you could also do shells, leaves, numbers, whatever interests you. What do you collect? Start with that. I've got an idea and would like to (ahem) commit to once a month. My art quilt workshop seems to have gone by the wayside. Let's see if I can revive it with this journal.
More to share: William Morris in Applique by Michele Hill due out Jan. 2009. Take a look at Michele's blog. I think I've been bitten by the applique bug! I am really enjoying working on the blocks from Marie Henry's Teach Yourself Blocks from the Past. I finished one block at the quilt (the pomegranates in the top right picture)meeting yesterday and started another today(the green fleur de lis). I like the 125% size, but realized yesterday that I will have my work cut out for me in resizing the patchwork blocks, too. Oh, I can do that, right? I'll be like Scarlett O'Hara and worry about that tomorrow.
Jan Krentz is coming to our PTQG May meeting! I have her Lone Star Quilts and Beyond. It has been in the back of my mind (what a cluttered place that is) to make a Lone Star quilt for quite some time. Jan will be giving different classes on Friday and Sunday and a lecture at our members' meeting on Saturday. She will be teaching a class from her new book Quick Star Quilts and Beyond. PTQG members will be the first to have a class based on this new book!
I really enjoy podcasts and want to share some of my favorites with you.
Alex Anderson's Quilt Connection
Annie's Quilting Stash...the first podcast for quilters
Sew Forth Now...all about sewing
Cast On...Brenda Dayne on knitting
Sticks and String by an Australian bloke who knits...worth it for his accent alone!
and of course, KnitPicks!
Well, the cats, DH, and the fire all need to be fed. So long until next time!
2 comments:
I see you have been very busy Beth.
Good for you.
Carolyn
Journal quilts seem to be very popular, and I know Sarah Ann Smith has been into those for a while. The chambered nautilus would be interesting to translate to a quilt. I enjoy having a bit of handwork to take with me, so maybe applique will be your take-away project. Jan Krentz's new book piqued my interest too--are you going to get it? Thanks for sharing those knitting links!
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