Shows and more!

Last weekend, after a couple of years absence, The International Quilt Festival returned to Chicago/Rosemont which is 10 minutes away from my house! Little compares to the quality of this festival. The quilt shows were fabulous and the vendors a plenty. 

I love to start off walking through the show to get inspiration and be awed by the beautiful art. Although I took quite a few pictures I will share only a few. As I was walking through the show I quickly noticed this quilt and immediately knew who it belong to. Although I have seen her work many times on her blog, seeing her signature style in person was amazing!

A World of Many Colors by Georgeta Grama

I loved the perspective in this quilt. It really gave the feeling of walking down an alley with graffiti walls.

Amsterdam Alley:The Shortcut Between by Leslie Tucker Jenison

I was attracted to the colors and piecing of this quilt. I love the use of hexagons and the secondary design that is made.

Details of Catena by Timna Tarr.

This clever piece was made from candy wrappers...Pixie sticks, Skittles, Reese's Pieces, Starbursts and more!

Appropriately named, Sweet Blooms by Pat Kroth. 

The use of color and the shape of a Tuning Fork arranged every which way really caught my eye. 

Tuning Fork #6 by Heather Pregger

One of the exhibits was called Chicowgo. I just thought that some of these were just so clever. Gotta love the play on words!

  by Mary MacNeil

 (I took VanGogh's Cow for my daughter who teaches Art)

 by Mel B McFarland

 by Connie Donaldson

 by Mel B McFarland

This past Thursday, I was fortunate to attend a lecture and trunk show by Victoria Findlay Wolfe. She is well know for her blog, book and modern quilt theory, 15 minutes of play. She also won Best of Show at Quiltcon this year with her modern take of the double wedding ring quilt. It was amazing and honoring to meet her. 

Here are some of her quilts she shared.

Her grandmother's quilt where she got her inspiration.

 15 minutes of play made fabric

Everything but the kitchen sink quilt.

 Mixing antique blocks and blocks made from Made Fabric.

 Playing with stripes.

If you ever get the opportunity to hear Victoria speaks I would recommend it!

Here is her cow quilt...could have fit in the Chicowgo show!

So what else have I been doing? 

I have spent some time in my sewing room but since this post is already quite long I will only share my July Art Journal page which is ready for Monday! 

The rest will wait for another day!

Can you believe that July is just around the corner? 

My page is a little predicable with the 4th of July being the main attraction of the month. Without further adieu...My July Calendar.

Here is the link to see what some other's are doing.

Sewing from Mom's Sewing/Craft Room

For quite awhile now, my mom, 83, has been having more difficulty working on sewing and craft projects. Her hands hurt and she doesn't see like she use to...

and it is frustrating to her. She loves her crafts! She loves buying kits, and panels, fabric and patterns to make for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, to donate and occasionally, something for herself. So her sewing/craft room is packed full of UFO's...some started but many never touched. 

One of my brothers has been after her to go through her things, sort them and start cleaning out. A bit overwhelming for my mom. 

So now that school is out and I have a bit more time, I offered to start going through her room with her. 

Last Thursday, we made a dent but there is much to go. We loaded a box of things she is not ready to give up, a box for me to take home to work on, a box for the rest of my siblings to look through, and one to donate. 

So far, I completed 11 Christmas ornaments kits so my mom will have them ready for our annual family exchange,

and this soft book which I will bring to my niece that had a baby in May, 

 (There are 12 soft pages.)

(She has many of these soft books panels but I only took this one. The rest will probably be donated.) 

and she had 2 panels of these retro linen kitchen towel panels. 

(Love the retro feel of these 2 prints.)

which I cut apart and stitched with a narrow hem. 

Not sure who will get these but I thought they were cute. 

While I was finishing projects, I pulled out one of my own. I saw this project on pinterest 2 summers ago, bought a pair of cheap flip flops and then never made them. So this morning, I cut apart the flip flops,

enlarged the holes on the bottom,

got out my t-shirt yarn that I previously made,

and started a 5 strand braid,

threaded through the holes, knotted, and glued

And now I have a comfortable pair of flip flops! Unfortunately, it was storming here today so inside pictures today.

The Last Day

Well today is the last day of the Tammy Bag blog hop! I hope you have been following along to see all the great inspirational bags! 

I have been taking a break from blog hops and just about everything since my work has been so busy...but now school is out and it's time for summer FUN! Starting with the Tammy Bag, designed by Madame Samm!

This is the first time that I have done a bag with a metal frame. I found it much more difficult than I expected. Making the bag was fine...the pattern directions were wonderful...loaded with photos! My problem came with sewing on the frame...maybe it is the arthritis in my fingers and probably not the best frame for the project...but here it is!

I will be using it for my hexi project which is my forever take~along project.

The outside pockets are perfect for the 2 different type of threads that I use. A cheaper plain cotton thread for stitching the pieces and a fine silk thread for making the flowers. 

The pockets on the other side are perfect for my scissors and my needles.

Inside there is plenty of room for hexagon papers, squares of fabrics ready to be stitched and in the pockets are some finished hexagons ready to be stitched together, my finger pincushion and some finger pad protectors. Everything I need for my take~along project. 

Thanks to Madame Samm for all her hard work, the pattern, and cheering us on. Thanks for the sponsors Riley Blake Designs and Corrado Cutlery! Thanks you for visiting and be sure to stop by the rest of the talented ladies on the hop today!

June 18th (Tuesday)

Felicia

Dawn

Carol

Britt-Inger

Kiera

Sharon

Jeanie

Mandy

Theresa

Mdm Samm

A Win and a Finish

Last night was the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals! 

It was a pretty intense game...fast, hard hitting and some awesome saves, but in the end...

BLACKHAWKS WIN!!!!

Triple overtime, the 5th longest in playoff history, before...SCORE! 

The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Boston Bruins.

3 more WINS to take the Stanley Cup!

While watching the game, I finished hand stitching the binding on this UFO that I took out of the archives back in April. 

Most of May, it was put on hold since I was way too busy.

I embroidered the blocks in 2010 but didn't know how I would layout the quilt. It was a bit of a puzzle. 

Here is a closer look at each of the blocks. 

(It was very sunny out so the backing shows through in the first couple of blocks.)

Most of the blocks I drew myself but I believe, 'Be Thou Humble' I found in a book from my local library which started this idea. I don't remember the title...way too long ago. 

The backing, border, and binding are all from my stash which makes me quite happy. 

Now to get it washed and labeled♥

School is Out for the Summer!

Wow! It has been a while since I've posted here. I haven't spent much time in my sewing room or reading blogs either :( 

For the last 6 weeks, I have been very busy at work as I had a long term assignment teaching 2nd grade! I really enjoyed my class and teaching but it does take a lot more time than just subbing day to day. Planning, grading, meetings, report cards and all the special activities that happen at the end of the year. 

I am ready for summer!

(If only the weather would cooperate)

A few things that I did try my best at to keep up with is the Art Journal Challenge. With June my birth month, I decided on a celebration theme!

I stamped in my birthday and a dear friend of mine's birthday.

I have plans to make the altered book cover that my pages will go in this summer...I have some ideas...hope it turns out as well as in my head :)

Go to the flickr group here and/or the facebook page here to see some most amazing talent.

I also kept up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. June's color is yellow.

I can't believe that we are 1/2 way finished with this year's challenge. Here are all my blocks!

I'm loving it...think I may make some more of each color! All the colors are from my scrap bins and it really hasn't had any effect on reducing the size of my scrap bins...at all! 

You can see everyone's pretty blocks here.

Besides being busy at school, my daughter's came home and we were able to celebrate Mother's Day together (a week late but that's OK with me.)

My beautiful daughters!

3 generations!

Well that's all for now...but I promise to be back soon!