What's in a name??????????????

Thanks to EVERYONE who came out to the Mississauga Quilt Show on the weekend. I know some of you were there and I didn't get to see you as I wasn't there the entire weekend or I was busy. I hope you came away from the show as pumped as I am. I have new ideas I want to try, things I want to finish and well - so many ideas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    (And when your teenager says - oh mom -  I should have a quilt with X on it - well what else is a mom to do, but jump into making such a quilt!!!!!! - actually came home with TWO ideas for her - but don't tell her!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh she reads the blog!)

Thanks to Jane S for organizing the event and ALL the volunteers who helped with the show. It always amazes me to see how people pull together to put the shows up and then to tear them down again. Speaking of tearing down - it was a sight to see. We really should have had a video camera because we climbed on those ladders (two of us) at 4:05 and at 4:42  ALL the big quilts were down!!!!!!!!!!!!   It was an assembly line to say the least. Cheryl and I took the quilts down, people were there to grab the quilts, pull out the rods, and then the metal poles disappeared as fast as we could disconnect them. It flowed so smooth - I was in AWE!!!!!!  The quilts were bagged and ready for pickup shortly after 5 PM - VERY MUCH AHEAD of schedule. That is impressive!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I walked around the show, I saw how I have touched others in their quilting journey, of course there were my own quilts, but then there were the ones that I quilted for others, the ones that I worked on in a group and then those that were a result of a class that I taught. It sure warms your heart to know that others enjoy this hobby as much as I do!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who could not attend the show, here is a mini show (OK - so it is just my quilts).

Finding Nemo

Lessons from the School House

Scrappy Nine - Patch (hey - amazing what you see on the camera. You see those two nine patches with yellow in the top right hand corners????   Why were they not closer to the center????   Same with those on the bottom????   Just goes to show you that the camera is a GREAT way to look at a quilt for block and colour/value placement!!!!!   It is ALWAYS a learning experience!!!!!!!!!!!!   I remember playing with them and for some reason decided that this was the best place for the blocks. Again - there are some fabrics which do NOT go in this quilt, but I used what was exchanged - that is part of the fun and the story of the quilt - not making it perfect, but making it fit with what you have. 

I WIN (or do I?) - this is the "lovely" prequilted blocks of the month that I had so much trouble getting finished. 

A Tisket, a Tasket (a group quilt)

I have decided that MOST of the quilts that I make have a story and I WANT everyone to know. OK - so I want to have a nice story about each that I can easily peruse when I am in a  nursing home and have no room to actually store the quilts any more. ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!    I am going to make one of those BLURB books with my quilts. Pictures and stories of what happened when I made the quilt. Often the stories are more fun than the quilt and I want to have that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   OH BOY - yet ANOTHER project!!!!!

In the basket project, there were eight of us and each one chose a basket style (or not) and the rest of us were to make a block for each other with their favourite things in it.

This is Pat's quilt. She had a specific basket design that we were supposed to make

This is a detail of the block that I made - can you see the mistake??????   I never even noticed it until she pointed it out and of course it is too late to change it?????   Do you see??? - I switched the bottom background fabric (triangle) for the basket insert fabric. HA HA - Now you didn't notice that did you!!!!!!!!!!!!    And that is what makes the quilt (or any other quilt) WAY MORE interesting than if it was PERFECT. PERFECT is boring. This faux pas creates a story about the quilt as well as the making of it!!!!

This is Mary's quilt. I won't go into detail to protect the innocent, but some of the blocks had to be modified due to the construction of the blocks!!!!

Mary had NO specific basket design and so I made her a pot of honey!!!!!     The Bread and Honey Festival was a big thing for her for years as it went right by her front door and she loves bees. 

This is a detail of one of the baskets in my quilt which had no specific design for the baskets. M was THRILLED to find a picture of her at the quilt show. Yes - there she is - a teeny sweet little thing. And yes that is Sparky!!!!!   Very much a puppy. Yep - this was started years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are all three of the basket quilts. Of the remaining five quilts, I know that one top is done but not quilted (is that right Linda????), one is still in block form (her blocks were not made the same size - even though they were supposed to be and that can be a show stopper!!!! )and not sure what happened to the other three. We have lost touch with the people. YES - I was NOT LAST in getting my project completed. Thanks to Mary, Linda and Pat for all the nagging to get me to complete the quilt!!!!!!!!!!!!

One more interesting thing about my basket quilt. What to call it?????   I must get more creative with the names of my quilts because look at this....................

The label from my quilt

And the label from another ELAINE who also made a quilt with baskets on it (not in our group). 

Pretty funny and Jane would not give us a prize for this because there were a number of quilts with the same or similar names. OK - got to be more creative!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And now back to reality for a couple of days. The CreativFestival is this coming weekend (set up is on Thursday), so I need to get a couple of quilts done and try to clean up this mess. And a sit n sew on Sunday with seven people - that means the entire studio needs to be clear!!!!!!

The accumulation of stuff from the last couple of days that needs to be sorted and put away

The cutting table is still a mess

BUT the ironing board is CLEAR!!!!!!1

On that note - it is a tad too early to start quilting, so I will do some tidying!!!!!!!!!!!!    This organizing thing is a CONSTANT. You can't let your guard down or things go crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111