As with many of the participants in this bloghop, I first met Daphne Greig online (through the QuiltArt list tho it has been so long now I forget!).  She lives in one of the most beautiful places on the planet:  Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, and it shows in her work.  Thank you, Daphne, for being part of the final Holiday Giveaway to celebrate the release of my video workshop, Art Quilt Design From Photo to Threadwork!  You can see her review of the video workshop here.

To order a DVD, visit my Store page here.

Or to order either the DVD or a digital download, visit Quilting Arts’ Interweave Store, here    and see all my products there here.  And, of course, you can enter the various giveaways thanks to the generous quilt artists who are helping me give away copies!

Blue Ocean, Turquoise Sea, by Daphne Greig. It is no surprise that I love this quilt–the colors are SO me, but they are also so representative of the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada.

Daphne’s work ranges widely from pictorial, to applique, to pieced, to abstract!  She has an astonishing five (yes, 5!!!) books to her credit, and she still finds time to make art and teach!  I’m tired just thinking about it! You can find her books and patterns for sale here (and <blush> thank you for including my book on your sale page, Daphne!).  Daphne’s most recent book, Give and Take Applique, also has a companion DVD to help you create a class right in your own home!

Daphne’s Give and Take bundle with the book, DVD and supplies!

I’ve had the good fortune to run into Daphne several times at various shows where we have both been teaching.  Ironically, although I used to live less than 40 miles from her as the crow flies when we lived in Friday Harbor, Washington, and I had “met” her online, I didn’t actually meet her in person until after I moved to Maine!

Daphne also has a book on stained glass window quilts. The two on the top left look so much like the lush gardens you find on Vancouver Island!

And of course, anyone who has ever lived in or visited the Pacific Northwest can’t help but love the enormous cedar and fir trees that define the region.  Daphne captured it perfectly here:

Daphne Greig’s “Looking West.”

I love quilts that incorporate traditional with contemporary, as with the on-point squares that create the beautifully backlit sky and sea in this piece.

And what tour of the West Coast would be complete without Kelp!

Daphne Greig’s Kelp I. Aren’t the beads PERFECT?

So please surf on over to Daphne’s website, here, and leave a comment to win a video download of my video workshop, Art Quilt Design From Photo to Threadwork.

THANK YOU so much, Daphne, for being part of this giveaway!

Next up is Lisa Walton of Australia, then the final grand giveaway will happen right here!

Snow Buddies by Ruth Powers

I’ve got enough photos (the edited list!) for at least five separate posts of quilts and blurbs.  I decided that this year I would post both the quilt AND the signage from Festival immediately below it.  I just ADORE Ruth’s shaggy dog!  Good composition with the shepherd behind to set him off from the wintry background.  And notice the successful shadows to anchor the dogs to the earth since the horizon line is somewhat blurred on the left (as happens on a blustery winter day).

IQF signage for Ruth Powers’ Snow Buddies

Oh I’m SO IRKED! My friend Franki Kohler made this portrait of her beloved dog, and it is blurry AND I forgot to snap a pic of the signage! But it was too sweet not to share!

Kool in Ketchikan by Ingrid Catteneo.  This is a good sized quilt..maybe 40 inches across.  I totally love the dogs in sunglasses!  Think I’d like their humans, too!

signage for Kool in Ketchikan

Watch Your Step: Fall by Libby Lehman. 

Many of you have by now heard that back in April Libby suffered a ruptured aneurism followed by two massive strokes, followed by many, many seizures.   It is a miracle Libby survived the aneurism, let alone even one of the strokes.  Clearly, Libby’s indomitable spirit (and perhaps a greater purpose for her to remain with us) have conquered the first obstacles.  After a few difficult weeks in early Autumn, Libby is back in fine form and healing and improving daily.  If you are so inclined, you can follow Libby’s progress thanks to family and friends (known as Team Libby) at Libby’s page at Caring Bridge and can also make donations to help cover the costs of her care (which aren’t covered by insurance).  Here is what her family posted:

If you would like to make a contribution to the “Libby Lehman Medical Fund”, you may use paypal.com.  Just set up an account with paypal.com and donate to libby.medfund@gmail.com,  or send a check to her sister, Cathy Arnold at 2220 Stanmore, Houston, TX 77019 for deposit into a special account at JPMorgan Chase Bank.  For more details, please refer to the [ Caring Bridge ] Journal entry entitled “Contributions – Angels Needed”.

Signage for Libby Lehman’s Watch Your Step

I hadn’t seen any of Libby’s recent work, so was thrilled to get to see both old and new pieces on display.  Karey Bresenhan and IQA set up a display of Libby’s quilts in *primo* territory where folks could see Libby’s works (gathered from her holdings and those sold but whose owners lent them for the show), meet Team Libby (I got to meet her son Les and sisters), and make contributions to help Libby.   If you can afford just a few dollars, every little bit helps.  And sending prayers and healing light is free, and I swear it is working.  Libby’s recent improvements began just as things kicked into gear for Market and Festival–she KNOWS we are all out here pulling for her!

Jane Sassaman’s prize-winning quilt, Illinois Album, which garnered the Baby Lock Master Award for Innovative Artistry (on of the BIG prizes!).  The black border kinda disappears next to the drape, but it is stunning.  I got to say hello to Jane, and told her I didn’t know what thrilled me more, that she had won a top prize or that she was entering work again!  

I forgot to snap a picture of the signage (was too busy chatting with Jane and not trying to sound/feel like a dork), but at least I got this close up!

And here’s to the Maine contingent! My friend Pat LaPierre McAfee, of Supreme Slider fame, is a top quilter. She won (another!) first place ribbon for this beautiful work, Shades.

Signage for Pat LaPierre’s quilt, Shades.

Adagio by Dianne Hire, quilting by Pat LaPierre and Dianne Hire. I saw this quilt when it was at the top stage–Dianne had begun work on it well over a decade before I saw it a couple years ago. It had to get tucked away –work and life happen! But she brought it out and OH MY! Wish you could all see this in person. The colors and rhythm and designs make my heart sing!

And the signage for Dianne Hire’s quilt.

I just LOVE IT when I get to share the amazing work my friends make!   Today I get to introduce you (in case you haven’t already seen / met her) to Susan Brubaker Knapp of Blue Moon River Studios.  If you surf over to her website and blog, you have another chance to win a copy of my video workshop, Art Quilt Design From Photo to Threadwork (which you can also order, here).

My video workshop.

or to order either the DVD or a digital download, visit Quilting Arts’ Interweave Store, here. And, of course, you can enter the various giveaways thanks to the generous quilt artists who are helping me give away copies!

The first quilt of Susan’s that I saw was this one, and it took my breath away. I had recently “met” her online through the QuiltArt list. We share a similar approach and style, and have become friends and finally got to meet in person when teaching at the same venue. I always look forward to finding her at a show and getting caught up in person!

Susan’s background in graphic design is clear in her work.  She has such a strong sense of who she is as a quilter and artist. We share a love of the quilting, though most of Susan’s art quilts are now wholecloth painted, we approach the quilting and use of thread in a similar (though not identical) way.   I See The Moon was in the Dinner@8 exhibit in Houston a couple years ago:

I See the Moon, by Susan Brubaker Knapp

We also share being moms two two teens/young adults (hers are girls, mine are boys) and cats!  We have four (of every color so no matter what you wear the hair shows); not sure how many she has, but there are at least these two:

Susan Brubaker Knapp’s cat Maximum, in “Maximum Cat Nap.” Look at that fabulous fur!

I LOVE that one is named Trouble, hence “Trouble in the Pumpkin Patch!”

Trouble in the Pumpkin Patch by Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Susan is a great teacher, and now hosts–with Lyric Kinard– a retreat each Fall in her home state of North Carolina.  Please do visit her site and have an enjoyable browse.  Then if you can see her quilts in person…wonderful!

Thank you so much, Susan, for being my friend and for being part of this bloghop!  Remember to visit her site and her blog.

If it was Tuesday, that meant I was teaching Tame Fussy, Fiddly Threads! As always, the students were brilliant!

Tuesday is the “down” day between Market (the trade show, which is only open to industry professionals, not the general public, ends on Monday) and Festival (which opens with a Preview night on Wednesday evening, then is open Thursday-Sunday).  Folks who attend Market often stay to take a class, and folks who attend Festival come early so they can take classes, then be free to enjoy the show and vendors on Thursday.  This year, I got to teach one of my favorite classes, Tame Fussy, Fiddly Threads, which is all about using metallics, holographics, and heavy threads (the kind that go through the needle, not bobbin work).

A student plays with heavy 30-wt So Fine thread from Superior Threads early in the day.

Since so many of my classes are fusing, I thought I’d mix it up when I formulated this class.  Instead, we make a stencil out of freezer paper and paint with Lumiere and ProFab textile paints.  Students can use my model or do their own thing (which I LOVE when they do that!).

This student chose gingko leaves pointing away from the center on the north-south/east-west axes. She then penciled in quilting guidelines on the black background.

In the supply list, I suggest a black background fabric.  I love this small black and charcoal check!  Her quilting is great…love the nestled-in quilted-only leaf next to the stenciled leaf, as well as the shading on her leaves, and how she alternated painted and not in the spray of leaves on the right.

This student was having fun!  Her background of black and gold fabric is somewhat visually busy, so she is wise to concentrate her stitching on the painted leaves as the print could obscure the lovely stitching.

Then in mid-morning a fun surprise!  The best thing about Festival is seeing folks you know from (mostly) the internet…the quilts are great too, but the quilters are the bestest!

Luana Rubin, founder with her husband Paul of eQuilter, was at Festival and popped in to the classroom to say hi! We are both members of a small online group–there are not so many of us and we are VERY tight! We respect everyone’s privacy closely, so we can share and be sure that we will support each other and keep mum. I also got to see Luana AND her daughter Sophie later on the show floor (photo in a future post).

Practicing on a sample sandwich before working on the stenciled piece. (Note her shirt, from Lopez Island Resort; Lopez is the island next door to San Juan Island where I used to live.  I swear everyone on the planet has either been to the islands or knows someone who lives or lived there!)

Another set of gingko leaves, this time on the diagonals, partially quilted.

And the same leaves at the end of class. Fabulous!

Oak leaves are popular, too, and easy to draw! notice how she varied the thread for the leaves.  Would love to see how she quilts the acorns; we talked about doing a dense zigzaggy thing for the caps!

Love the quilted border!

A happy student–the maker of those wonderful gingkos– in a happy and talented classroom. We got to use the Janome 9900s in class, which is similar to the machine I use at home. FAB!

And those glorious gingkos from above at the end of the day. LOVE THIS!

My next Houston post will share quilt pics, then I’ll do more on classes I taught, then more quilts, then even MORE quilts!

Another fun day here at Art and Quilting in Hope, Maine!  Today Jaye Lapachet, whom I finally got to meet in person this past summer, is reviewing my video workshop Art Quilt Design, From Photo to Threadwork, on her blog, here  and participating in the giveaway.  Thank you, Jaye!

To order a DVD, visit my Store page here.

To order either the DVD or a digital download, visit Quilting Arts’ Interweave Store, here. And, of course, you can enter the various giveaways thanks to the generous quilt artists who are helping me give away copies!

First I’d like to introduce you to Jaye Lapachet, who loves polka dots, scrappy things, Quilt Modern style quilts, and blogging!  You can visit her artquiltmaker.com website, her blog, and also look her up on Pinterest (speaking of which I think I need to spend some re-Pinning time there!).  We met online through a quilty group, and this summer when I was in the San Francisco Bay Area, actually got to MEET in person!   Alas, the night we had dinner was en route to the airport after a VERY busy two week teaching trip, and I was pretty fried!  Guess I’ll just have to head West again so we can meet up when I have something approaching a functioning brain!

With Jaye on a blustery July evening in San Francisco

I knew when Jaye confessed to a love for polka dots that we’d get along well (I’ve loved them ever since I had a white with large blue polka dots dress when I was 2, and there was that “little black dress” of my mother’s with the gold colored silk lining with big white polka dots).  We also share a love for clear colors and scrappy:

Jaye Lapachet’s Flowering Snowball Quilt

It’s a good thing this quilt is on the other side of the US or I might be tempted to engage in a little larceny!

Jaye’s Renewed Jelly Roll Race quilt is fun–she blogged about it here.

I’m working on a diamonds quilt, and I’m kinda wishing I had gone for a simple, solid sashing like this one!

Jaye also has an interesting page on her website where she groups her quilts into series; I really liked “Feelin’ Blue.”    I like seeing the groupings of quilts together, though they made have been made at disparate times.

Feelin Blue by Jaye Lapachet

Clearly Jaye and I also share a love for similar colors!

Fabric of the Year 2011, by Jaye Lapachet

I’ve been “collecting” (we are not going to call it hoarding!) aquas and blues and lime greens for a thousand pyramids quilt.  I really like how she has the soft gray border, and may have to swipe that idea!

Thank you so much, Jaye, for being part of the bloghop!   Please make sure to visit Jaye’s blog for another chance to win a free DVD version of my workshop, Art Quilt Design From Photo to Threadwork.  And as always, thanks to Quilting Arts and Interweave for doing such a spectacular job producing it and donating copies for the bloghops!

Here’s the bloghop schedule; visit each site, enjoy the work, enter the giveaway (some of which are on these sites, some are something else–you’ll have to go and read how!):

November 12:     Sarah kicked off Round 2 and announced the schedule
November 14:     Marie Johansen   http://www.musingcrowdesigns.com/
November 16:     Brenda Gael Smith   http://serendipitypatchwork.com.au/blog/
November  19:    Jaye Lapachet    http://artquiltmaker.com/blog/
November 23:     Susan Brubaker Knapp   http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/
November 27:     Daphne Greig   http://daphnegreig.blogspot.com/
November 30:     Lisa Walton    http://www.fibreinspirations.blogspot.com/
December 3:        Sarah Ann Smith   right here!