THE FWS PONY CLUB Quilt-Along Wk 12 Cake Stand & Christmas Tree Discussion Page
 

Hi QuiltE, After starting the FWS here someone mentioned the Yahoo group and that they had the pping patterns and being new to all that I decided to join them as well. I much prefer our group as there is so much more interaction between the members and the QB offers so much more than the other site. The Yahoo Pony club is where the letters are on file. The author suggested I post them here.

I'm curious ...Where did you see the yahoo link?

If you click on the "title" of the letter it takes you to the yahoo site

QuiltE...so many questions...

1st above you asked about hearing from PC receivers and meeting/hearing from one of them. So far Laurie has had contact with a daughter and a DIL of a couple different people. Not yet found one who is still a live. She mentioned that the 1940 census is coming out soon and that will help her with her research.

*How was our experience*? LOTS AND LOTS of FUN!! Laurie was so nice and very easy to talk to. We all (I went with 2 friends) wished she had more time to talk...time went way too fast! She showed several FW magazine covers and had lots of interesting things to tell us about her research for the children. Crystal took lots of pictures, so when she sends some to me I will post them...where is a good place? This thread?

*On seeing the originals* They were GREAT! So much better to see in person. The book does a good job getting the colors/details but it still isn't the same as IRL. After seeing the FW I might even try that one when I get the PC done.

*Inspired*--YES!! I can't wait to sew again!!!!

There is a quilt shop in WI who is doing the PC as a BOM...6-8 blocks each month if I remember correctly. They had 32 blocks so far...assembled with cornerstornes and sashing. They had some fun novelty fabric in their kits.

Speaking of sashing...I found the perfect red to use! I will use it as my background when I get my next block finished...maybe this Friday since I have time to sew then. I really want to get to doing at least 2 a week! Next week isn't so busy and my new migraine meds might be working by then so maybe... Oh and there is a nice navy in the same print I will keep in mind for my 2nd quilt (I am making 2 twins).

Need to get some ironing done..

Carrie

Oh I forgot, yes I took my blocks and the were "oohed and ahhhed" over as well. :)

Anne, thanks for posting the letters. I signed up for the Yahoo group but can never remember my password. Plus, they're too quiet-I like our rowdy group. When I did the Christmas tree block I remembered your hint about using crayons to mark the colors for pp. Boy did that help especially since I switched the dark/light placement.

Carrie, sounds like you had a great time. Glad you're feeling better.

Dubib...so glad life has settled down a bit for you and DMIL is home. I'll look forward to seeing your catch up blocks.

Carrie...how inspiring for you. Keep rubbing it off on us.

Hopefully, I'll be catching up with my blocks early next week. It's been so warm here that the garden has had priority and then I'm taking in a free motions quilting workshop this Friday and Saturday....My snap peas are already coming up.

Sewing on FIL memorial table runners this week, trying to catch up for being a couple of months late on that quilting job. Gardnergal, your snap peas are up...good for you. We have had fresh kale from the garden. Did you plant your potatoes on the 17th of March? I missed it this year...maybe on Good Friday I will.

Love the blocks posted; maybe by next week, I can post mine. Love to hear the story from Carrie, meeting the author and getting to talk to her. How wonderful.

My DH put out the first row of potatoes on March 17 and I put out a couple more yesterday. I hope to get the radishes, turnips and other cool crops in yet this week while the weather is still a little cool. It seems like we have instant summer. Last night the window was open with the fan on and I only used a sheet for a cover all night. What will the real summer be like?

Happy Anniversary, JanRN. 42 years today is really calls for a big celebration!!! Yes, JanRN, I tend to "tell" all about good news!!!

Honchey thanks for posting the updates letters, I love reading and knowing someting more about the PC kids and their families.

Carriem Wow I am here thrilled to know you met LAH in person and could see FW and PC quilts. What a great experience, please post phots whem you get them.

JanR Happy aniversary!

QuiltE - here we say that the cat has seven lives, so, better be a cat in Canada! rsrs

I too really like his designs. I know people that have met him and he doesn't come across with any warm and fuzzies so go for his expertise and not his personality and you probably won't be disappointed.

Thank you all for the anniversary wishes. QNS you forgot to mention I was a child bride and I'm not old enough to be married this long. Just kidding--we've been together since I was 16!! Our exciting celebration: a 2 hour motorcycle ride. We've never had the bike out this early--everything is in bloom and just as green as if it were May; just beautiful.

QE: I'd love to see KF in person. I have a couple of his books. I think his quilts and fabric are really busy but somehow he brings it all together with beautiful results.

You guys won't believe it...I almost don't...but the workshop that I'm attending is taught by Mary Buvia. She is one of 25 people in the world classified as Master Quilter by the American Quilters. Here is a link to one of her quilts. http://www.ihqs.org/images/2011gallery/502_Full.html
It doesn't do justice to her work. I can't even describe how beautiful it is...and she is so humble about it while being so passionate about her craft. Maybe a little will rub off and I'll be able to do feathers! I did get my blocks from last week done but haven't had time to post them. I did get the garden planted with the cool crop stuff. Only so many hours in the day...

WOW ... that's some incredible quilt! What an experience for you ... we'll all look forward to hearing all about the workshop and Mary after you return! This weekend?

Congratulations! on your garden completion ... now to let it grow and to hoe! :)

Here is a sample of the quilting workshop from last week. Mary also does what are called art quilts...not the traditional blocks like we are doing...and they are breathtaking. She has a book coming out this summer called At The Loading Dock in which she goes through her quilt by that name and details all of the techniques and tips she uses to get the affect she wants. My LQS is scheduling her continuing education class monthly and I want to try to attend. The key for me will be to practice so that it really is worth learning more. She is also a spokesman for Superior Threads and is giving a threads class in May which I've signed up for. She uses 100 weight silk thread for her piecing and much of her quilting and every other weight and kind of thread inbetween. You can't see too much variation of the thread in my sample but it's there. The local Indianapolis museum has asked her to display her quilt Fairy Lace along with her husbands painting by the same name which was her inspiration. I've really never seen anything like her work and it's such an opportunity to be in her classes. She is totally approachable and takes each student at her particular level and encourages her on. Amazing.

WOW! That is amazing quilting!!! Is that all free motion?? And is that really a paper clip at the top? What is the measurement of the rectangle??

edited...

Ok now I see legs on the bottom of the picture...must just be a "quilt clip" :)

yes it is FMQ. The piece is about 26x20. The paper clip is holding the papers that showed us how she created the design layer by layer. She doesn't hold anything back!

So you all understand...that was Mary's quilting, not mine. I doubt I will have the fortitude to practice as much as she does to get those results but I do want to get comfortable with the technique. Incidentally, she says the smaller the arch or s curve, the easier it is to do. Just a tip for any of you that do FMQ.

OK..I remembered another one. Say you're making a flower or a feather...she says that you should only consider one element or loop at a time, pause slightly at the end of it so there are 2 stitches and a sharp corner them begin the next element. That pause is almost instinctive so you probably do that without thinking about it. The pause also gives you the ability to see where you want to go with the next element. You can almost translate it the same way we put together a block. If we concentrate on the finished block when we're doing the first HS triangle, chances are that HS triangle will be wonky but it won't always be apparent until we sew everything together. It's then that we see how little bit off each section is and how it affects the final block. I'm not there, either for the FMQ or the piecing, but I know where the problem lies...I get in too big a hurry!