Handi Quilter or Bust!!!

Well, I've been back just over a week now...but you know, life is busy, editing photos takes time, computers have glitches...

Where was I?  Well, I flitted off to Handi Quilter HQ in Salt Lake City, or more specifically to celebrate my being chosen as one of the

Winners!

 

We were graciously hosted by Vicki Hoth, Education Coordinator; Marie Eldredge, Studio Coordinator, Cheryl Duncan and Kerri Rawlins, Studio Educators.  Every one of them sweet, patient, talented and wonderful.  They are a well rounded team!

Photo snatched from & courtesy of Handi Quilter's Facebook page.

 

I knew I should have taken that little bag of Tiara's with me!

 

My co-winners were,

Miss Nebraska, with her Nebraska Husker quilt!

She is the only one of the 4 of us who owns a longarm, and was the only one who finished AND got her binding on!  Speedy little woman she is!

 

 

 

 

Here's Miss Florida, in red, with Handi Quilter Educator, Cheryl assisting with some programming on the HQ Pro-Stitcher and the quilt she will be gifting to her nephew and his fiancé for their wedding.

The all over design of this quilt is called Round Pegs in a Square Hole...and then there are 2 skulls stitched in the center squares, because sometimes you just have to appeal to the peeps you're quilting for.

 

 

 

and finally, Miss New Mexico!

Hers was a Southwest Quilt that incorporated screen printed motifs by an artist from her area.  I apologize to her and to all of you for failing to get a photo of her finished quilt in it's entirety...but I have snatched one from Handi Quilters Facebook page of her very large, flimsy.  At the time her quilt came off the frame we were otherwise consumed with getting my quilt done...in fact, I'm sure there was a pool going on somewhere in the building betting on when and if my quilt, the smallest of them all, would be coming off the frame. 

 

Miss New Mexico, left, receiving instruction from Handi Quilter Educator, Kerri.

 

 My little quilt wound up having the densest quilting motif which was selected by me at the "Quilting By Committee" meeting and it was the one and only Mizz Vicki Hoff, HQ Educator, who suggested we use metallic thread to give my quilt a little frosted glitz!  Well heck yeah...I'm not arguing with brilliance, experience and the opportunity to have a new sparkly to swat at!!!!

We moved forward, in spite of what I already knew about the challenges of metallic thread...

I have a history with metallic threads in my cross stitching past.

 

There's no way I could resist this kind of temptation!

Soft Threadcone, Sweet Threadcone...

Little Balls of "Fur"

Happy Threadcone, Pretty Threadcone,

Purr, Purr Purr!

 

Day One became all about tension...

both that of my breaking metallic thread and that which I could see the ever patient Handi Quilter Educators were developing about the shoulder area! (and it wasn't all me...just sayin'...)

I looked upon the snapping of thread and repositioning of the machine as an opportunity to observe how their committee of well oiled trouble shooting brains work!  I was, after all, there to become educated!

By the end of Day 1, we had the tension figured out, and things were humming along steadily.

Dinner was amazing family style Chinese...oooo happy camper!

 

Day Two...more humming along with only one thread breakage issue the entire day...unless you count the ones I made while sewing my sides down to secure them at the start of the day.  And then there was an overlapping incident that Educator Cheryl couldn't live with and sat and picked out then restarted the machine so that the little swirls would "kiss" appropriately. 

We kinda had a kindred spirit, perfectionism thing going on when all was said and done!

Progress was slowish, but rewarding at one pass an hour.

 

Dinner was specialty "Chick" pizza rubbing elbows with Nationally known quilters who were there taping segments for QNN.  More about a couple of them in a coming post...or two. 

Vicki and Marie were spending much of their days working on the QNN tapings, lugging machines in and out of the studio, setting up shots and herding guests.  We watched each morning while Vicki sat in hair and make-up right there in the classroom with us to prepare for her close-ups. Cheryl and Kerri, bless their sweet hearts, were in the trenches finishing our quilts with us.

 

A snowflake begins...check out the cool little flying saucer Glide Foot!

 

The same little snowflake all assembled!

Love all those swirly swirls!

 

I admit...I got a little verklempt, when I saw my tree in the center start coming to life with the swirling variegated snow and the most adorable snowflakes ever...I had my own little sentimental Hallmark commercial moment there for a second!

 

 Day Three...there was a little stress going on...I was leaving ahead of everyone and we knew my quilt was going to come off the machine dead last...tick tock tick tock. 

While I got to spend some time away from the tension in the sweatshop, playing on a little free motion project, "My Hero",  Educator Cheryl, babysat my quilt all day long.  She took a chance and sped the machine up a little, and suddenly we were clipping along at one pass every 50 minutes!

The hotel shuttle was scheduled to pick me up for my return flight at 3:00!  Would we make it?

I was feeling like Sweet Nell tied to the railroad tracks...would my Dudley Do-Right (Cheryl) rescue me?

Ahh Relief!  The last stitch completed at 2:27 pm...just in the Nick of Time!

You've never seen such a scramble to get a quilt off the frame, trimmed and hung up for it's official photo!

 

Stayed tuned for Handi Quilter Big Finish Part 2!

 

~Nancie Anne



 

 

 

Hometown Quilt Show Happiness

Well, I finally had time last night to go pick up the ribbons that didn't make it home from the quilt show two weeks ago!  I was surprised to find a ribbon on the Country Homecoming Quilt when I picked it up after the show.  I hadn't revisited the exhibit area to see that it had gotten 2nd Place in Peoples Choice voting in it's division. 



I knew about the Knotty Quilter Group ribbon on Mad Hats because the ribbon sponsors go in the day before the show and pin their ribbon to their favorite quilt, so it was there when I visited on Saturday, but what I didn't know and only learned from a garbled phone message, was that it had also won 1st Place in the Peoples Choice voting in it's division!



Now, that all being explained, I will hold these ribbons just as dearly as if they were assigned by a Highfalutin Judge in a snooty sanctioned show.  I have had my works & seen others works, both quilted and embroidered, judged by those who are so uptight about an unbending set of rules & nit pick about the tiniest things, determined that they have to find a fault somewhere, that they seem to have lost sight of the real goal.  To encourage, to share, to educate.  I sometimes wonder if they have gone so far beyond broadening their own horizons, perhaps not taking time to learn about new ideas and techniques that they are no longer able to reach back & see the joy and intent in the creation. 
I applaud our little hometown show.  With limited space, this group of industrious men & women put together a great show.  They have to max out the show at 165 entries each year due to those space constraints.  In addition, each exhibitor is limited to 3 entries in the publicly judged categories, thereby making space for everyone who wishes to, to have the opportunity to participate.  They also present workshops & bring in a fantastic variety of vendors, whose expertise, goods or services we might not otherwise have the opportunity to benefit from.   It is in small hometown shows such as this that one gains the confidence to show their work in a relatively non-intimidating environment.   They have the opportunity to view the works of others, become inspired, & move forward and strengthen their skills.  This is a place where kids can show their quilt from Kids Camp or 4-H, and let's face it, if we don't inspire kids, these arts will die.
So yep, I'm proud of my little collection of rosettes, because they mean that the work of my heart & hands made somebody smile, & I can only hope that I have played a part in  inspiring, someone new to take up needle and thread today.

All this from someone with severe perfectionist tendencies!

~Nancie Anne

Snoozy Sunday

It's been a loooong Staycation week here, redoing a bathroom.  Not too many things went together as advertised the first time...and in the case of reinstalling our old cast iron clawfoot tub...it has taken several shots and we still have some adjustments to make.  We have beautiful light icy blue paint on the walls, a little touch of beadboard to showcase the old tub and a pretty new floor and a super cute new vanity.  I'm pooped!  So for a few minutes, I'm declaring break time, before the darling of the hardware store returns, so that I can share photos of last weekends Idaho PieceMakerS Quilt Show.

So Here Goes!  Gotta Make It Quick!!  Enjoy!!!

This years theme was Purple Mountain Majesties

I Love This Paper Pieced Kitty!

 

Hubby was a fan of this Dahlia!

Stunning!

Can you see the inset zippers?

Something about this quilt makes me want to do the Hula!

We LOVED this little art quilt.  The original photo of this old pump was on display with the quilt.

The little window has clear vinyl over it so it look like the number face is still protected with glass.

Aloft.

Interesting Study in Value.

I have a soft spot for this design...must make one of my own!

Cute little Dresdens & Hexies!

 A Quilt to Cuddle in!

Drop Dead Gorgeous!

Cathedral Window Variation

Calling All French General Fans!

 

A Unique Sampler

Home Sweet Home

Doesn't Matter How Many Times I See It, I love it!

Cozy

La-La Lavender!

 

Itty Bitty Pieced Blocks!  Not A Stripe!  It's All Pieced and only about 12" long all together! 

And aren't the little jewels stitched to the back the cutest thing ever?

 

Warm & Wonderful!

A Little Americana!

Another mini quilt, hand quilted!

Older Youth Division

Younger Youth Division.

The quilt on the right was made by a boy who attended Quilt Camp locally.

Next Years Theme is Scrappy!

God Bless Our Most Beautiful Birds of Prey.

 

He's Ho-ome!  Happy Sunday Everybody!

 

~Nancie Anne



Doing The Happy Dance!

Early In June almost 500 Quilters submitted their photos of unfinished quilts into

The Better Homes & Gardens, American Patchwork & Quilting, Handi Quilter Big Finish Sweepstakes.  (Boy, that's a mouthful)

I submitted the following photo of my little lap/wallhanging size top, that I made as a "second unknown til reveal time, to surprise Lynn" version

when several of us participated in the Country Charmer Quilt Along in 2013. 

This quilt was part of a little secret that Sue Abrey, aka HRH, aka Quilt Times blog, cooked up! 

Sue made her own second wonderful surprise version too,

and, as we are prone to, we had a lot of fun egging each other on!

 

Mine is a combination of Lynn Wilder's Country Charmer

& Julia Ziegler's A Tree For All Seasons.

 

Here's another photo of the still borderless quilt! 



Soooo...I've been sitting on this news for THREE weeks, waiting til we got all the i's crossed and t's dotted & now the sponsors have made their official announcement, so I can officially remove my hand from over my mouth and share!!!

 

  Out of almost 500 entries, my little quilt (with a border) & I are flying to Salt Lake soon!!!!!

  I am looking forward to meeting the other 3 winners and the Handi Quilter Educators who promise to provide "One-on-one guidance, hand-holding, encouragement and expertise"!

We will be guests in the Handi Quilter Classroom in Bountiful for a 3 day educational experience that I have been assured by Lynn is incredible! 

Yes, I told Lynn right off the bat 'cuz, afterall, I just had to tell somebody...and I wanted to pick her brain a little before I accepted the prize, knowing that she adores her Handi Quilter Longarm & has experienced a Handi Quilter retreat.  As it turns out, she enjoyed the first retreat so much she returned a second time!  She sang the praises of the Educators saying "You HAVE to go!  You'll learn so much!" & added that "the food is great & they treat you like family!"
 

Thank you SEW much to All People Quilt.com
 Meredith Corp.,

Better Homes & Gardens, American Patchwork & Quilting,

& Handi Quilter

for extending this great learning opportunity for myself and the other three ladies who are scattered across the US to learn tips and techniques to finish our own quilts!
 

Serendipity Quilts

This weekend is the Idaho PieceMakerS Quilt Show & I just had to share some photos from a special display.  There were about 10 quilts...I'm just sharing my four favorites today!  They are all inspired by Susan Carlson's Serendipity Quilts.  Glue, netting & quilting is all that's keeping everything in it's place in these Art Quilts.

"Purple Pansy Eater" is actually more vibrant in person.

Taken from a family photo, her eartag was replaced by a quite lovely dangly earring!

I fell in love with her!  She could follow me home anytime she wants!

 

 This peachy little Filly is called Sun Blossom.

Little girls sure like to dance with Butterflies...or is it the other way around?

 

This is La Mama...taken from a black and white photo of an Alpaca.

Do you suppose some of his veggies are fermenting? 

I can practically hear the rumblings of his modified ruminant stomach!

Did you know that while most ruminants (animals that chew a cud), have a 4 compartment stomach, the South American Camelid Family has just 3 compartments?  This makes them much more fuel efficient which is a good thing in the High Altiplano where the air is thin and the vegetation is sparse, and a not so good thing when they immigrate to the land where Food Equals Love!

That's your lesson from the obsessed, card carrying, self described, Llamama today kids!

 

My only other experience with purple Lama Fiber was when we experimented with Kool-Aid dying during our 4-H years with the kids, supplied by our big, sweet, roman nosed, white Llama with the leaky heart valve & the angular limb deformities. Ironically he was named Lucky, only because his Dams name was Lucy!  He was the greatest babysitter we ever had, for both 2 leggeds and our 4 legged weanling Crias.  It was also not uncommon to see goat kids bouncing around him and twisting and leaping off his back if he happened to be laying down.  Bless his sweet imperfect heart.  We weren't sure he'd live to be 6 months old and he lived to be 18 years old!  We all, including our Vets, learned so much from this old guy, when camelids were still a bit of a North American mystery. Mostly, we learned love, patience, purpose and tolerance from him and to look at every day he was still with us as a most precious gift.

 

"The Lookout" is related to La Mama!  Their makers are sisters!

Raccoons are so darn cute!  I love them...except for when they start helping themselves to our spendy cat food! 

I loved this display.  I've been fascinated by this technique since I fell in love with Judy Mathieson's Ewe, "Rosie With The Golden Fleece" (click inside the quotation marks to see Rosie!) that she had laying on her Meet n' Greet table when she was the featured artist at Quilting In The Garden in 2012!  There she was demonstrating her wonderful Mariners Compass piecing technique on her cute little featherweight and it was everything I could do to keep from gathering Rosie up in my arms and hugging her!

 

So, if anybody needs me, I'm likely down the street in Julia's classroom paying tribute to one much loved critter or another!

 

There's more quilt show to come, so keep an eye out!

 

Hummingly Yours! (Llama Speak)

 

~Nancie Anne

It Feels Like Home To Me

Pieced, Appliqued, Embroidered, Quilted, Blocked, Trimmed, Bound, Labeled, Loved.

Blocked & Drying

I just have to say Thank You to that "well known by quilters" company that makes the nice scented starch for supplying good quality spray nozzles on their bottles!  We've purchased numerous empty spray bottles for a variety of uses over the past few years and sooner rather than later, we are completely frustrated because they never seem to spray correctly.  Therefore, I have a closely guarded collection of 4 or 5 of "their" spray bottles that I use for water or other concoctions. 
Upon recommendation by a LQS,  I also divide the contents of a full bottle into 2 bottles and dilute it.  It works just as well and goes twice as far!
I've also been known to toss my empties in the car, just in case I happen to drop by a quilt shop, so I can get a refill while I just happen to be there...totally an unplanned stop...really! 
So if you park by a little blue car with empty starch bottles rolling around on the floor boards...that could be me!

On the last Shop Hop that took me 2 1/2 hours into Oregon, I stopped in at the shop where I had previously purchased the olive green plaid homespun, twice, & purchased what was left on the bolt.  Odd as that may sound, it has, over time, become one of my favorite fabrics.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, I just knew that sooner or later I'd be kicking myself if I didn't get more while I still could. 
That intuition paid off.  I had set aside a brown homespun for a potential binding while the quilt was away at the quilters.  When I put the two together I had an immediate Ick! Pooey!! Yuk!!! moment and went just as quickly to the homespun stash and grabbed my favorite green.
I worried for about 2 minutes, about strips of the same green landing so closely together, but once it was there, I was soon over it!  I love it and I'm so glad I made that purchase or I wouldn't have had enough to get all the way around.

Careful cutting, careful pressing with tons of Heavy Spray Starch (not the sweet smelling stuff) helped it go on beautifully.  The little disposable orange Steris bag clips that one of our nurses collected in a drawer & gifted to me have come in so handy for keeping my bindings straight as I do the handwork part of stitching them down!  Funny little things that squeeze open and closed & look like a Preying Mantis' front legs!  Sadly, we no longer use the Steris Machines, so no more cool clippys for me!  I have to keep good track of those I have. Fortunately one of our OR Techs also gifted me a great little plastic container that once held sterile implants used in an orthopaedic surgery, to keep them in. 
Repurposing at its best!  That is what we quilters do, right?

 

 So yeah, don't die of shock here...but I've officially finished three quilts in the last two weeks. 

I'm so proud of me!!!

 

So here we go...drumroll!

Country Homecoming,

now

"It Feels Like Home To Me"

 

Here is part of what I put on the label. 

There are Places you feel Safe,

Arms that Envelope you with Love,

Sights and Sounds that Calm Your Senses & Fill Your Heart,

Smells that Entice you to Breathe Deeper, Fill your Lungs, and Exhale a Sigh…

This Quilt, for Me, is That. 

Simply Put,

It Feels Like Home To Me…

It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong…

Completed July 10, 2015

~Nancie Anne

A Very Belated Finish.

On July 4th, 2012, I shared this photo with you all of my freshly pieced Liberty Road quilt, made with Charlevoix prints, all by Minick & Simpson, & my Executive Sewing Studio Assistant, Maecee.  Shortly after this photo was taken I decided on borders and added my own little bits of applique to what otherwise looked like a vast wasteland & then off to be quilted.  She was soon back and has hung on the wall all summer the last two summers...with her batting showing around the edges like a pair of bloomers that were run up a flagpole!

I decided to avoid furthering her embarrassment, it was time she was bound and labeled before going up this year.  I had every intention of getting the job done by the Fourth, but you know how life gets in the way of good intentions sometimes!

So, Ta-Da!  I finished the binding & label yesterday, having decided to just trim up and join select scraps from the excess backing.  The plan is to get her on the wall, waving proudly, if not more demurely, in the next couple of days!



Happy Really Belated Fourth Ya'll!

~Nancie Anne...and Maecee