Wow! I am pumped now. I just got a call from the HMQS show office asking me if I could be at the show tomorrow for the awards ceremony because my quilt Party to the Stars will be getting a ribbon. How cool is that? I haven't entered this piece in a show since last year, and I entered HMQS on a whim. I also entered it in the AQS Grand Rapids show just making the deadline. Now I'm stoked for the day.

Went to an auction yesterday down a hard to find dirt road thinking that there might be few people there. There were about 300 people! We found and won treasures. I got these Singer Featherweight attachments and goodies for $20. Mike bought an S-curve roll top desk made by the Northwestern Furniture Co dating to the late 1880's made in Milwaukee WI. It needs a tiny bit of cleaning. He was thrilled finding it since he's wanted one for a long time. There were some amazing things at the auction. It was like being in Hoarders or Pickers.

Busy-Busy-Busy

It's been a busy time here this spring prepping for classes, trying to keep up with customer work, writing a few articles for an emag, etc.

Spring has sprung up quickly on us. A couple of weeks ago we had 16 inches of snow and now the floweres are poking up out of the flower beds and the temps have been in the 70's and 80's. WOW.

I'll be in Medina MN this Monday and Tuesday teaching the Falling Leaves class and giving a trunk show of my quilt art. It's sure to be a fun class.

Class at Country Loft Quilt and Design

Florals & Fibers on the Longarm
By Norma
Riehm
Just in time for spring. Come join Country
Loft Quilt & Design in a fun and creative class learning how to layer and
quilt at the same time with teacher Norma J Riehm, award winning art quilter and
national teacher.

Students will make a fiber layered art
quilt with silk flowers, yarns, Angelina, beads, crystals, and other fun fibers.
They will learn techniques for layering, hand beading, mctavishing, and making a
perfect binding. This all day class will give students time to also do hand work
for embellishing. This 6 hour hands on class will give students new techniques
for using the Gammill Longarm Machine. You will have a finished art quilt when
you leave.

There will be a trunk show of Norma's
layered art quilts to let you see the possibilities of using this technique.
This is a very fun class that inspires fresh ideas using the longarm.

What you need to bring: Reading glasses if
you need them for hand work, a notebook and pencil, and a camera if you wish to
take pictures.

What
you need to bring: Reading glasses if you need them for hand work, a notebook
and pencil, and a camera if you wish to take pictures. There is a kit fee for
this class of $25. The kit will contain everything you need to make the
wallhanging including embellishments and it is due the day of the
class.
Confident
Beginner skill level,
6 hour
class
$100 per Person
plus Kit Fee

Friday, April 20, 2012
10:00-4:00
Bring your own lunch.
Call Country Loft Quilt &
Design for Reservations
651-464-6260!

Where
& When
Country Loft Quilt & Design
15161 Feller Street NE
Forest Lake, Minnesota 55025
April 20th, 2012
10:00AM-4:00PM

Altering Fabric

Today I worked on the 3rd piecce of fabric from the online fabric exchange I'm participating in. I used a leaf stencil and shiva in an pearlized gold, and seta color fabric paint in pearl olive and an orange for the circles. I used the end of a cardboard roll to make the circles.

Next comes a heat press with the iron and a trip to the post office to get it in the mail Monday.

A Little Play Makes A Fun Day

Today was a great day for guilty pleasures. I spent the day watching and listening to a tv series and making fiber layered art.

I love the feel of all the yarns and other fibers I get to play with when creating layers. I'm always amazed at the depth of color and textures created after the background is quilted heavily and the movement from the stitches. It gives me the feeling that my art is taking a new direction with each new piece.

The next step will be putting on bindings and embellishing. I might even be a bad girl and play again tomorrow.

A Pile Of Dog Ears

What do you do when you are bored or have a huge project looking at you but you can't bring yourself to start it? You snip dog ears. Sometimes it's those little nothing projects that save me from running around stark raving crazy.

I'm an experienced procrastinator. Today's project is a monster queen quilting job waiting patiently pinned on the machine. The machine isn't turned on yet cause I know when I turn it on I have to start working.

I had received some paper pieced half square triangles in an exxchange. Today felt like a great time for snipping while watching a favorite show on tv. Yes, I'm a bad girl.