Famous Quilting Friends

In the newest issue of the magazine International Quilt Festival Quilt Scene I picked up this week, I found two friends were featured. 

Barbara Olson wrote a very informative article called, "The Threads Creates the Design". She demonstrates her use of threadwork with many illustrations. We published her best-selling wonderful book a few years ago, Journey of an Art Quilter: Creative Strategies and Techniques. It's still selling! Barbara has a busy teaching schedule around the world.  Take a look at this article. It will help you with your art quilts. 

Also featured is my friend and up-and-coming art quilter, Beth Schillig.  You've read about her in previous blog posts. She has been sewing garments all her life, but in the last few years has found her passion for art quilting and has won many ribbons.  Her amazing quilt, Jeepers It's Jane, is shown right next to the likes of Ricky Tims and other famous award-winning quilters. She is thrilled to be in this national magazine!

Next week I leave for Quilt Market in Houston and will find more interesting trends and ideas to blog about in the next few weeks.  Keep watching!

Quilt Auction

A few years ago I when was writing the book, Quilting Party: Group Quilting for Celebration, Commemoration & Charity, my guild (at the time) was on a retreat. I thought this would be the perfect time to test out my quilt block system.

I chose two photos and divided the quilt group in half. There were 12 people in each group. We divided the photos (the photograph above is from Nantucket by my friend Vicki Rentel) into a grid of 12 blocks. Each person took one part and interpreted it in fabric. Because this group is so talented,the two pieced quilts came out beautifully!

Since these artists volunteered their time, I promised to donate one quilt to Kids N Kamp, a charity that lends support to families with children touched by cancer. Take a look at someof the quilts for sale this year. Every year this organization holds a quilt auction in the skybox area of the Ohio State football stadium. It's a ball. There's lots of great food; local celebrities and coaches do the actual auction. This year the auction is October28. I'll be there! I hope the bidding is high for my piece and all the other quilts.

Treat yourself to a class with Judith Baker Montano

Judith is the author of FIBREART MONTAGE: Combining Quilting, Embroidery & Photography with Embellishments which won the Benjamin Franklin GOLD award for BEST CRAFTS BOOK of 2010.

Judith is teaching at the end of October at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX. Quilt Festival is the most exciting, inspirational, heart pumping place for any textile person to be.  The enormous convention center is filled to the brim with everything a sewer or quilter could ever desire. It is totally fun, joyous, and overwhelming! Judith will be teaching 7 classes this year, full of fantastic, lush projects for her lucky students. The classes are filling quickly; register NOW. (Some are already full). 

If you can't make it to Texas this month (I’ll be there!), Judith has classes in Wichita, KS in November. She is also a featured teacher at a Crazy Quilting Festival in Lancaster, PA next March. While Judith is known as the “Queen of Crazy Quilting”, she is the master of many techniques. She’s a pro in more ways that I can count. Check her schedule often. I promise that any of Judith’s classes you attend will be one of the best you've ever had.

For a really special treat go to her studio in La Veta, CO.  She only takes 6 students at a time. You are assured to get her special attention.  I hear her husband Ernst is a great cook also!  And, if you time it right you could also visit Ricky Tim's studio as a bonus. Christmas is coming. What better treat than a gift certificate for a special class from a master teacher?