Fall 2007

One of my favorite aspects of quilt and garment making is the never-ending journey of learning new and interesting information. I enjoy it all—the fabulous fabrics and threads, the modern technology and the quest of developing my own project or facilitating the new and varied projects of conference classes. Such was the opportunity this past week.

I have just returned from a delightful week of teaching at Quilting by the Lake in Morrisville, New York. The conference is a program of the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center and hosts a wide variety of textile arts subjects. I led a talented group of women in two days of yardage design (using the sewing machine to create many avenues of embellishment – threads and more threads, sashiko and crazy patch, with multi-combinations and variations of all.) Finishing the yardage design, we turned our classy fabrics into jackets and vests suited to our personal lifestyles and today’s fashion demands. We had a grand time! And best of all, as they learned, so did I.

Thanks to all of you who participated. AND send me photos of your finished jackets!












Now the calendar pages turn and I finish preparations for my first annual retreat in beautiful, cool and mountainous Cloudcroft, NM—fall sessions, each four days long, begin September 19, with another starting October 24. Both fall retreats are built on themes of classic and simple quilt designs, while ENCOURAGING TWISTS of your personal taste in size, color and detail. Each participant will develop their individualized piece.

Crazy X 5 is a combo of sewing machine techniques customized to crazy patch and simple blocks. Our goal is having fun, to develop a personal style in a framework that evolves from simple imagery. Our October Baskets, Posies and More class explores the endless potential of combined sewing machine and hand accents in folk art posies and lightly embellished baskets. Each project starts from quilt reflections we’ve known forever. We will explore the endless choices to create a personal style.

Once I taught in a pampered retreat that included delicious meals inter-mixed to our stitching time. Delicious meals at noon and evening were perfect breaks to creative sewing energy, so I am duplicating that theme in my mountain get-aways. To make this happen I “enticed” a MOST TALENTED friend, Judy who has it all—she quilts and cooks el grandee! She has agreed to help us have the best of all retreat experiences, sharing her love of needlework and having our meals ready at the appropriate times.

Look on my Retreat page for more information and email or call me with specific questions. Our first session, Crazy X 5, begins Sept. 19; session II, Baskets, Posies and More, begins Oct. 24. Hope to see you there!

Several of you have asked me for resources to aid and assist in on-going efforts to sew wonderful embellished clothing and quilts. Here are some of my favorites.

Thread resource
Threadart.com

Books on Fit
Jackets for Real People by Palmer/Pletsch
Sewing for Plus Sizes by Barbara Deckert/ Taunton Press

Books on Pattern Making
Pattern Making for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph Armstrong (expensive, but great)

Book on Tips and Tricks of grand garments
High Fashion Sewing Secrets by Clair Shaeffer

I’m so proud of my new website, designed by Holly Knott. Look it over and email me regarding anything you need that I didn’t include. I’ll also look forward to hearing from you regarding project help, visiting and teaching in your guild or conference and hopefully, meeting you in Cloudcroft, NM at one of my Mountain Quilter’s Retreats.

Check my “What’s new?” column every 1-2 months. I’ll keep you posted on my whereabouts and sewing news I discover.

My next teaching venue is August 23, Greenville, Tx.

Happy stitches,