AQS Quilt Shows ~ Teaching Applique ~ Current Project

This past week I was fortunate to attend the AQS Branson quilt show where my Missouri Splendor quilt had been accepted. It was such a thrill to see my quilt hang with those rock stars of the quilting world. I was very proud to be included. My friends Christine and Sheila (bless her heart, still recovering from knee surgery) attended with me and we met up with Debbie & Allen Webb a friend and former co-worker. They all wanted to see my quilt hanging there as well. They are my cheerleaders and were there for the journey of the making of it.

The photo below is the view as you walk into the quilt show. What a surprise to see my quilt right away.

My momentos from the quilt show. This is a once in a lifetime experience for me.

Next is AQS Paducah. I have my camping reservations in place. Ready to open the camper and get it ready for the first trip of the season.

After the quilt show in Branson I had the pleasure to teach a beginner needle turn applique class. I had delightful students and enjoyed teaching again. It has been quite some time since I had taught a class. I have another class coming up April 15th and it is full. Yeah. Maybe I can develop a couple more classes. This is the sample I designed for my class

One of three applique projects under my needle currently is Bird by Bird a design by Phillipa Naylor. Here is a potential mockup but changes and placement of color are being considered. I have to admit that I have struggled with Phillipa’s technique using fusible on her applique so I reverted back to my comfort zone of freezer paper prepared edge. I am however loving the fusible on my perfect circles and will continue to use that technique with the circles. Just look at those perfectly round circles.

Working on improving my free motion skills using my Bernina Q16. This is a class from Angela at Quilting is My Therapy. I love the ability to watch her class videos and practice on my machine right away in the comfort of my home.

I did finish quilting my Jen Kingwell ‘s pattern Golden Days quilt. It is still a challenge for me to decide how to quilt sections but eventually something comes to mind of how it should look. It is also very helpful to have a friend who is a professional long armer that I can consult to give me her perspective on what she would do. Thank you Vicky. I attribute the concentric circle quilting in the border to Vicky’s advice. Great idea. I was challenged at the thought as I had never executed circles such as those but I found I really enjoyed the process. It’s not perfect but it’s experience and practice. I did notice at the quilt show that the quilting used on the award winning quilts was quite dense and the stitch length was about a 12 and I am using an 8 or 9. Maybe I will try with the shorter stitch length. Having a machine with dual stitch regulators I can adjust that easily. I wonder if it will affect the ability to execute flow of the curves. I think I will pull out my practice sandwich and play abit.

Below is my sister showing off her 2nd quilt. I believe she even impressed herself by being able to increase her piecing skills with half square triangles and quarter square triangles. I am very proud of her progress. She is doing great.

Today under my needle is unpacking from my recent class and quilting a toddler quilt for my friend. Weather is supposed to be sunny and mid 50’s a nice spring day for sure.

Hope all have a blessed day. Enjoy your stitches.

Katherine Sissy Malone

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Giving myself permission to ditch a UFO and move on

How liberating to decide that a UFO on my list is not really what I want to spend my time working on and move forward to something else. I have 5 quilts on my list to finish this year. I have concluded that I no longer want to make 2 of them. What a liberating feeling giving myself permission to discard a project I am no longer interested in completing. Bottom line my skillset is at a different level than it was in 1991 and I really don’t want to rip a project that is half finished and begin again when I have more enjoyable projects ahead of me.

This week I finished and delivered my Class Sample, Lollipop Garden, for an upcoming applique class. This is my own design and is a techniques class more than a project class. I am really looking forward to getting back to teaching. It’s been a while and am a bit rusty but hopefully it will all come back to me.

Queen’s Cross is finished and is now in line to be quilted. My to be quilted tops are creating quite the back log which means my focus might need to shift just a bit. Golden Days quilt top is about 1/2 completed quilting. My goal is to quilt a top, then am allowed to work on a quilt project from my list. When that top is finished to quilt the next top hanging to in the to be quilted rack. Maybe I’ll get there.

Ventured to Springfield yesterday and added a couple more pieces of fabric for the Bird by Bird project. I really want to take Phillipa’s advise on her fabric choices for this project, but I also want this quilt to represent me and my fabric style as well, which is the reason I keep buying fabric and discarding fabric because it just isn’t quite right. Yet. I’ll get there.

AQS Quiltweek will be in Branson March 22 – 25th. I am a semifinalist featuring my Missouri Splendor, a Baltimore Album Quilt, pattern by Sue Garman. I am thrilled beyond words to be 1 of 24 semifinalists in a category including Margaret Solomon Gun, Pat Holly, and Janet Stone whose works I have admired for years. Wow seeing my name included amongst theirs is such a moment. I did give myself a little celebration wiggle. My quilt has also been juried into the AQS Paducah quilt show but in a different category. I will be heading to Branson with friends to see my quilt on display. I will also be heading to Paducah to see my quilt on display there also. It is very overwhelming how well my quilt has been accepted. This is my time entry into any American Quilt Society show and to be juried into both Branson and Paducah is such an honor. I’ve won just by being accepted.

Plans for today are to get as much quilted on Golden Days as possible. Hope you day is wonderful and filled with God’s grace and favor. Keep in those stitches.

Sissy Malone.