Hoffman favorites

One thing I always enjoy at the annual International Quilt Festival here in Houston is seeing the latest exhibit of quilts and dolls from the Hoffman Challenge.

This year's exhibit was delightful, just as I had expected.  My favorite quilt has a theme which I have often thought of doing too -- it is titled "20+ Years of Hoffman Challenge"

Each of the 16 star blocks feature one Hoffman fabric which had been a Hoffman Challenge fabric.  The four corner blocks each use two Hoffman fabrics.  I love this quilt!  Perhaps because I recognize fabrics which I have also purchased with the intent of entering the challenge that year.  I have entered a few times, and the first time my quilt traveled for the year! 

Kudos to you, Janet Tranbarger from Riverside, CA for your clever quilt!

My favorite doll from the doll exhibit is this one:

Melissa Lewis of Weaverville, NC made this clever doll. She titled it "Cat Ladies Can't Eat Tuna".  Don't you love the expression of her cat-lady-doll as her kittens strive to reach her can of tuna?  Melissa won a first place ribbon in "Most Humours Dolls? for her clever cat lady and cats.

Here are a few more of the dolls (above) and a couple other quilts (below).

Simple and luscious.

 The magical call from the Pied Piper!

Owls still reign in popularity.  I saw them everywhere (in quilts, on fabric, patterns, etc etc etc).  In fact, I did purchase an owl-doll pattern (shall I make these owls for my classroom of Toddlers or for my Terrier pound puppy?)


Sneak preview of the new 2014 Hoffman Challenge fabric:

The rules are simple and the challenge is fun, especially if your quilt is selected to tour for the year!  For more information on next year's challenge click here:  www.hoffmanchallenge.com

Or to see more of this year's quilts (or previous years too), click here

Untraceable

Some quilts are simply too luscious for words.

 see the little tree and the many butterflies flitting about...

... a view of the body of the large butterfly ...

... even more little butterflies flitting by ...

I hope you enjoy these lovely detail views of The Untraceable Butterfly Path created by Lin Hsin-Chen of Taiwan.  I think this quilt is simply delightful and I am thrilled to learn that Lin Hsin-Chen also has a website http://www.linhsinchen.idv.tw/news.php  (or click here).   On her website, she states:

        My foolishness has grown during the time of creating The Untraceable Butterfly Path. The stray butterfly in my heart no longer has a feeling of helplessness, because the world that she knew has changed. The current changed situation has disoriented her for a short time, while stirring self-knowledge. I woke up in the dark night, thinking: why not being happy in this limited life and soar happily above the earth to see mountains and rivers?

        Global warming has been a big problem for butterflies’ migration, as well as letting butterflies reduce mysteriously; the various environmental damages are far beyond our expectation. This has warned us that how we should treat mountains and rivers and how to love them more.

Click here to see photos of this quilt in its earliest phases.  Below is a full view of this colorful quilt (photo taken in Houston where it is currently on display to all attending the 2013 International Quilt Festival and Market).

The Untraceable Butterfly Path by Lin Hsin-Chen

If you are coming to Houston for the International Quilt Festival (and/or Market), be sure to look for this quilt.  You will find it hanging near the center red carpet aisle near the Wall separating the quilt exhibits from the vendors (Aisle A, near Aisle 100) in an exhibit of ten quilts from Taiwan.  All of these quilts are spectacular!

It's coming ....

It's that special time of year .... when the weather in Houston begins to turn a little cooler (no, really! it is!) but most of all, it is time for the annual gathering of quilters from near and far!

This morning I was in the George R. Brown Convention Center helping to hang quilts for the fast approaching International Quilt Festival.  I cannot believe it is already almost here!  The Sneak Preview is on Wednesday, October 30th.  Come one, come all!

For those "in" the business (the quilting business that is), International Quilt Market opens this week-end.

For those interested in the Modern Quilt Guild Movement, join us this Saturday, October 26th, for the Quilt Market Meet Up, from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. 

Many members from the national Modern Quilt Guild will be there, and all are invited.  I plan to be there and hope to see you too! 
Click here for more details.

circles

Here is a close-up view of the finished Circle quilt, blocks made by Beyond the Sunset (BTS) members, which I blogged about previously (click here to see my blocks).

Once the blocks were collected, Liz Broussard took over the piecing together the variety of circle blocks.  We had given her some of the scraps from making our blocks which she put to good use in the sashing.  Once the top was pieced, Liz quilted it.

Time to play "I Spy" and see if you can identify my block(s) in the finished quilt.  How many of mine were used?  This quilt raised money for our guild, the Quilt Guild of Greater Houston (QGGH), when it was sold during our QGGH Quilt Show and Auction this past summer.  One of our own Beyond the Sunset members had the winning bid!  Susanne, if you ever tire of owning this quilt, just let me know, as I'm positive it will find a happy home with me!
 

Stay tuned for photos of what Pat Marek did with the many unused Circle blocks.  Apparently, we were quite an ambitious group and turned in far more than Liz could use in a single quilt, which is a good thing, don't you think?

Innovative Piecing

When asked to select a quilt from Quilting Modern: techniques and projects for improvisational quilts by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen, my son selected "Shattered Quilt" (pp 92-95).   These blocks are the start of his new quilt. 

I fell in love with Marcia Derse fabrics and have used one (the blue) in these blocks.  Look at her website http://marciaderse.com/ to see more of her art and fabric line.

It is fun piecing the wedges into different sized blocks.  Hey, I am making a two-color quilt!  Possibly my first ever as I tend to make scrappier looking quilts.  I am enjoying the simplicity of working with just two colors, just two fabrics.  Maybe I will do another two-color quilt .....

But first, to finish this one!  I wonder how easy will piecing the quilt top be, since I am altering the quilt to be longer and wider than the pattern given in the book.  Then once I have the quilt top, how will I quilt it?  Or shall I have it quilted?   

Another Little Quilt Swap #8

It's official....

Another Little Quilt Swap (ALQS8), hosted by Kate North in the UK, is open and recruiting interested quilters.  I've participated in Kate's swap a few times now -- I haven't always made it to the final deadline, but the times I succeeded in swapping, I have LOVED my new quilts!

For more information, check out the website: http://anotherlittlequiltswap.blogspot.com/

If you are interested, send Kate a note (her contact info is on the blogsite listed above).  Be sure to read through the rules first.  It is a no-obligation swap.  If you miss the deadline - you're out of the swap, but not penalized nor does it hurt the swap (other than we don't get to see your quilt or trade for it either!)

Come join the fun ... If you have any questions, ask me as I'm happy to recruit a few new ALQS#8 swappers.



Click here to see posts about this swap that took place earlier.