Highlights from the 2024 Quilt Festival Part 1

Truly Madly deeply was meticulously pieced, appliquéd, and freehand quilted by Karen Lambdin using the Whig's Defeat pattern from Quilts With a Spin (affiliate link) by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins. 

She added special touches including a scalloped edge and beaded piping. For details on this technique, check out Bethanne Nemesh's All the Devilish Details class.

Silk and Soul by Karen Lambdin features a plethora of techniques including but not limited to shadow trapunto, painting, vintage pieces, paper piecing, and yo-yos.

Karen created her own blocks from silk with inspiration from Cinzia White's The Storyteller Sampler (affiliate link). She added personal touches, such as her favorite hobby (kayaking) and her pets.

Longstanding quilt artist, Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry explored symmetrical spirals in Electric Snails #2. Sketched as a line drawing in Corel Draw, printed on fabric using Spoonflower, employing transparent elements, and quilted with assorted colors of thread and designs, this piece shows Caryl's signature style.

MJ Kinman uses a paraiba tourmaline to represent earth, and a black diamond to represent the climate crisis, in Eclipse 2020, which was created for eQuilter.com's For the Love of Gaia exhibit. 

I had the pleasure of attending MJ's "My Quilting Odyssey" lecture during the Festival. She explained how Interaction of Color (affiliate link) by Josef Albers influences her work.

FYI: June 2024

I hope your introduction to summer has been a good one. My kids just wrapped up school, and will be starting up summer sports and programs before long. I'm also going be starting a fun project with Fat Quarter Shop. Lori Holt has designed an adorable scarecrow quilt that I'll be piecing from assorted batik fabrics. The year-long Quilted Scarecrow Sew Along begins June 9 with the first "Scarecrow Sunday". 

Check out the blocks being made and share your progress with the #QuiltedScarecrowQAL hashtag. To participate, you need the pattern (available as a paper copy or a downloadable, but not tangible, pdf) and fabrics of your choice. There's a kit from Lori Holt's Autumn fabrics available for those who want to simplify the selection of fabrics. I also think Quiet Grace fabrics by Kim Diehl for Henry Glass would be very well-suited to this pattern.

For cross stitchers, there is a stitch along you can follow or join  (#TheQuiltedScarecrowSAL) complete with pattern (pdf or paper) and kit.

Angela Walters is starting a new quilt along. She's an excellent resource for all things free-motion.

Fellow US women, don't forget to celebrate 104 years of being allowed to vote by going out and making your choices for primaries. Review your candidates at https://www.vote411.org/plan-your-vote.

For those who are even more local to me (or fancy yourself a visit to the southwest), the Albuquerque Modern Quilt Guild is hosting the de-accumulation event of the season (or if we're being honest, it typical results in the opposite).

If you have you or your kiddos just scored all A's and have a Boba Tea near you (a rare combination---to be sure), check out the 2B Smart reward program.

My sewing machine case was on its last leg and needed replaced, and even though I'd adore a Tula Tutto, I went for a low-budget option from Harbor Freight. Don't forget to look for quilting supplies in unconventional locations. I also sighted this rotating mat at Tandy Leather.

FYI: May 2024

Piecing the Past Quilts is hosting "Rest & Refreshing," a free block of the month program. Sign up now.