Good morning from beautiful Kentucky! We made it in last night - it was great having a traveling companion - and aside from an interesting encounter with the TSA in Manchester - Oil of Olay, seriously? - we were good to go.  Beautiful accomodations, great soup - and we're off on the next lag of the adventure! It's so much fun traveling with others.

This morning, we're off to Hancock's, the Museum and tonight is the show preview...another great day on tap, and sunny weather to boot. Like Terry, pictures won't be up until next week because of connection issues, but we'll continue to post as I can. I'm using Terry's computer this morning to post - maybe I need to pick her up a thank you gift today. I'm sure I'll find something.

Off in search of inspiration and fabric for my Downton Abbey challenge...more as I can!

Thoughts from the past...

It's been a busy week this past week - I can't believe I haven't posted yet.  Now that I've made it through most of Friday the 13th, I should give you an update on some of what's happening.  The newsletter will be out next week with more information about upcoming events - and a pretty major announcement. 

The week started off with a bang when a story I wrote a while ago - about my son's wedding quilt - was picked up by HGTV.com. Here's the link to the story.  I was very surprised to see that happen, but a few comments on it will help it a lot - so please share the love and add to the coments.

I've been asked for a recap about the Downton Challenge - we're already seeing some amazing things happen with it, so I am very excited to see where it al will lead. 

Downton provides a wealth of ideas for you to use as the jumping off point. Your quilt  can be based on the storyline, a character or characters,  history  or an element within the story ...it's your choice.  The only rule is that you have to be able to relate it to the storyline, and it should be no more than 24" on a side. 

The only rule is that you have to be able to relate it to the storyline, and it should be no more than 24" on a side.  The Challenge will close on September 30*.  At that time, we'll be awarding prizes based on a raffle system - send us a picture of your quilt, tell us the story,  and you'll be entered to win a prize.   

I originally conceived of this as a fund- raiser for Public Television, who brings Masterpiece to us here in the US, I contacted the NHPTV stations, and the timing of this coincides with their online winter auction - which leads (conveniently) into the publicity run - up to Season 3.   Funds generated from the donation to NHPTV would be channeled to local programming.  I am also in discussions with WGBH in Boston, and will keep you posted. If you elect to participate to the fundraiser,  the quilt will have to be physically mailed to me no later than October 7th.

You do not have to donate your piece to the fundraiser to participate - it could remain a fun keepsake for you to work on - and relive the fun while we all wait for Season 3.

The current home of the Downton Challenge is an event on Facebook under the name "What Happens at the Abbey".  The date shows up as ending June 30, but that's a limitation of facebook.  Alas, not all quilters belong to Facebook.

On May 15th, there'll be a new home on the web for this - and many more quilt challenges.  Watch for the press release coming soon.  If you have any questions, please email me at Linda@thepatchworkpearl.com.

Have a great weekend  -  I'm going quilting on Saturday and Red Sox on Sunday.

Going back to my quilting roots

Happy Spring everyone, and Happy April Fools Day.  Like many of you, I was fooled early this morning, and I did what every self respecting mother would do under the circumstances - I one-upped the original prankster.  It had me getting emailed messages from relatives far and near, but Life is good.

I recently had the chance to give my presentation on Challenge quilts to the New England Quilt Museum, and it was fun taking the material out and dusting it off.  The presentation talks about the thought process quilters go through in making a challenge quilts, a subject which has fascinated me since I began quilting.

Many of you might recognise this quilt as being my signature quilt - it's on my website, my business cards, my postcards.  This quilt is actually the second quilt I ever made, and the first one that I ever made for a challenge.  Here's a bit of a closeup.

It's from 1994, and I never did give it a name on the label. The strand of pearls on it is strictly for the photograph. The prompt on this challenge was to make a  star, and you were given one of the celestial prints to work with - that's the fabric in the inner border. 

I looked through patterns and magazines looking for inspiration, and finally settled on this - it's called by several names - either Lone Star, Starburst, Star of Bethlehem are some of the names I've since found when I was doing the research for this.  Why I decided to make a star with 200 pieces is beyond me; I think there was something about the graphic design that spoke to me. I machine (strip pieced) pieced the segments and then set in the Y seams to put it into the framework. I  remember hand quilting (?? was I nuts?) this piece all throughout my 5 year old's karate classes that spring.  It's still one of my favorite pieces.

It's also, come to find out, one of the most abandoned patterns found by quilt collectors - and it makes sense if you think about the technology (cardboard templates) used to make many of the originals. It's a good thing that I didn't know that back then.

Since this is the cornerstone of my Challenge presentation, it should have a name. All my other 'kids' have one.  Any suggestions? Post up your suggestions, and we'll see if we have a winner.  Also, let me know how your old quilts have fared...

More about quilt challenges coming soon!

Welcome to the Kickin Stash Guest Blog - Friday, Mar 16th, 2012

I'm very happy to be this morning's contributor to EvaPaige Quilt Design's week of guest bloggers.  For those of you who are joining me today, Happy Quilting Day in advance!  Celebrate quilter style by going over to Patternspot and downloading  her new pattern, Kickin Stash.  It's one of the easiest - and most scrap efficient -  patterns I've ever worked on. 

 I'm proud to see that one of my blocks made the cover photo as well. My blue block is bottom row center.

I've known Beth a long time, and I've pattern tested several of her patterns along the way, beginning with Feeling Hot, Hot Pink.  She's stuck with me over time, and continues to invite me to participate. It took me a while to get comfortable with her style of quilting, but it's exactly as she is - fresh, comfortable, easy to work with. My quilting style has evolved over the years, partly as a result of working with her. 

In putting together this post, I  found my 'feedback email' to her for this pattern.  My words to her  - "Easiest block you've ever designed (almost) from my POV..."  (Insert LOL here; our conversations usually have that somewhere in them).

Don't let the "almost" alarm you - it's a running joke between us  that I'm the #1 fan of her Confetti Toss pattern.  But I do so love this one as well!    As has been pointed out before this week,  this is one of the easiest patterns that you can work with for a baby quilt, a child's quilt, or a charity quilt.  It's made for the scrap basket. 

I've often had the daydream of getting far enough ahead with my pending projects that someday I'd love to bank a pink and a blue baby quilt for the closet so that I can just pull  one out when needed.  I think this one will give me the perfect excuse.

I can't wait for the next group project.  

And I'm back...and the mystery solved

Well, I'm back and in one piece, having survived the second of two retreats. Well, I actually more than survived...I had a lot of fun, and got a lot of work done in the process. We were treated like Princesses for breakfast every morning - Does it get better than that?

This retreat had a completely different feel than the last one did - this was far more relaxing and enjoyable for me - even when you consider that I was 'teaching' at this one.  All of the ladies who came on the retreat are experienced quilters, so I'm not sure how much 'teaching' was needed, but I did manage to pull a few surprises out.  We made fabric bowls out of spare fabric and thread snippets as souvenirs. We even managed to leave one behind with our wonderful Innkeeper as a thank you gift.

Last week's blog had a 'blind item' in it - that sounds so much better than an Oopsie.  I mentioned Guest Blogger in it.  Many of you know I am a longtime friend of Beth Helfter (EvaPaige Quilt Designs) - and that I participated in her Drop and Give Me Twenty Challenge. Love it -  I was so much more productive last month. Beth has asked several of us to blog about our experiences working on her Kickin Stash project...that's the newest button on the right of this blog. I am very proud to do it - and cross the latest frontier in blogging on Friday, March 16th. 

In the meantime, I'd invite you to check out the other bloggers for the week...

Monday, March 12 - Deb Donovan (Aspen Hill) http://aspenhill.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, March 13 - Kelli Fannon (Seriously....I think it needs stitches ) www.thatlookslikeitneedsstitches.blogspot.com

Wednesday, March 14 - Anna Dzik (West Third street Designs) http://www.westthirdstreetdesigns.com/

Thursday, March 15 - Marianne Nowacki (Hillside Quiltworks) http://hillsidequiltworks.com/

Friday, March 16 - Linda Pearl (The Patchwork Pearl) http://www.thepatchworkpearl.blogspot.com/

Saturday, March 17 - Terri Sontra (Purple Moose Designs) http://www.purplemoosedesigns.com/weblog/

I know I've gotten to know them better.

Later...

Well, here I go again...

I'm all packed (quilt stuff, anyway!) and ready to go for my second weekend in a row, to my Red and White Retreat. I've learned that quilters pack waay more stuff than the UnTangled crowd does,  and as much fun as I had last weekend, this feels like coming home in a way. This retreat is very important to me, in ways that will become more obvious in the coming weeks and months. Is that enough of a tease?
I also have a trivia question - and there's a prize in it for you if you get it right?   What was wrong with last night's blog post? We'll revisit this next week.

Sometimes you have to make some interesting design decisions when what's in your head doesn't make it in real life. That's how this...

 

grew up to become this...

Retreats, Challenges, and Guest Bloggers...oh, my!

It's been a hectic couple of weeks, but I wanted to sneak in a quick blog post here before I'm off again. WOOSH seems to be the sound I hear most of.

This past weekend I was in Ogunquit with the UnTangled retreat with my friend, Sandy Steen Bartholomew. We had over 35 people at the retreat, and for a pilot program...it went well. We met a lot of really amazing artists, and I learned another language...Zentangles have their own language it seems.  The pic above is one I did towards the end of day 2. I worked mostly on blank copy paper - although Sandy was very generous in what she put in the supply kit...I was distracted with all the Left Brain details, and I didn't want to waste what I had in the bag. I'm practicing now. 

The Tanglers were happy that Sandy's new book, Fashionista arrived straight from the printer, so they got to enjoy it before almost anyone else could.

No sooner had I come back from that then I began to put the final touches on my second March 2012 retreat, the Red and White retreat.  If UnTangled was a large logistical undertaking - and it was! - this one has more the feeling of a girls weekend (with a quilt shop in the back yard). At this retreat, we'l l be working on my first quilt pattern - Lake Shore Magic - done after we got back from The Red and White Quilt Retreat.  We'll have more pics of that coming shortly. The funny thing is, most of the quilters are working the quilt in colors other than Red and White. It's a good thing that the pattern works up nicely in many colors.

Finally, who out there is a fan of the show Downton Abbey?  I know I became hooked on it beginning in season 2.  I've launched my first Online Challenge based on the show, which will be part of a fundraiser for Public Television.  Look for this icon to spot people who are working along in it - The Official name of the Challenge is "What Happens in the Abbey", and it has its' own Facebook page.