A tribute to Goldie

We lost a dear friend, quilter and teacher here in Northern California. Goldie Olson passed away peacefully with family on Tuesday. Goldie touched many of us with her heart that was filled with the joy of quilting. She loved to share that knowledge with everyone around her with her classes, groups, gatherings and pot lucks. Good Times Weekend, Friday Night Live, Stash Burner and Scrap Happy have been hosted by Goldie at Honey Run Quilters in Cathy's classroom for many years. Just this past weekend Good Times was held without Goldie's presence and smile for the first time. 

I meet so many quilters that have taken a class or classes from Goldie. Most recent her Bargello class this year. We have all benefited from her knowledge and love of quilting. It was a pleasure and honor to quilt many of Goldie's beautiful quilts.

Following are pix of a few plus pix taken during show and tell at two of her Good Times Weekends and ending with her quilts displayed at Annie's Star Quilt Guild's 2011 quilt show when Goldie was our Featured Quilter. 

 Goldie's Christmas Tree Bargello sample quilted for the class she taught 

at Honey Run Quilters in the Fall of 2014

Let's Begin sampler by Goldie Olson

Goldie told me when I quilted this for her, Let's Begin was a sampler that she taught many moons ago. The fabrics reflect the era :0)  

Goldie's Bargello class sample 

Pix taken during show and tell at two of 

Goldie's Good Times Weekends...

All of the following pix were taken at the 2011 

Annie's Star Quilt Guild quilt show 

when Goldie was our Featured Quilter... 

Goldie, you and that beautiful smile will be sorely missed  

Goldie and her daughter Marta

Marta posted this pic on FB yesterday 

Margo and Marta, your mother is loved by sew many! 

She is one very special lady 

Split Decision

Split Decision 

... my version of Don Linn's Split Decision 

Almost finished to a flimsy over the weekend :0) 

I have one last piece to add... a circle will be pieced into the lower right corner

Started Friday in a curved piecing workshop with Don Linn 

and finished to a flimsy over the weekend.  Saturday at Leslie's and Sunday at HRQ. 

Love my sew group weekends! My top evolved with changes from Don's original pattern

and quilt shown here...

that's part of the fun! Very abstract especially for me and so out of my box, again! 

Last week Don was Annie's Star Quilt guild's guest speaker and workshop for November. As our speaker Don spoke mostly about his machine quilting and gave lots of tips and tricks he has developed over the years doing Free Motion Quilting. He does both, at a sit down domestic and has a longarm. Don has three books published, one on curved piecing and Art Deco quilt tops...

and two on FMQing plus a DVD. I learned allot and hope the guild will ask him back to do a FMQing workshop. No longer afraid of curved piecing, he has a simple but effective approach that works! 

Curves ahead!!! 

Enjoy your week

Tot ziens, Jo

It ain't over until the fat lady sings

There were no fat ladies singing, the quilts have been taken down, the doors to the quilt show closed, however it's not over. Always those little things to wrap up. It was a grand event. Wonderful vendors, good food from Roots, family and friends came to see our quilts! Life is good!!! Where to start with pix... so will begin with my kids!

My son Chris, better known as Scribles, Kristy and Haley standing in front of Kelly's quilt at our guild's Harvest of Quilt's quilt show. Michael was a gigantic help and support for me. In fact, he was so helpful and quick on his feet, there are no pix of him! That's just how good he is! Love these wonderful people! 

I have the best customers too! with the nicest comments on their placards. Thank you! This week I am posting pix of quilts made by each of them on my longarm/customer blog Moonbear Designs and Quilting. Each day there will be a post featuring each of their quilts, today began with Judy's two quilts... here is the link :0) 

This is another link to Lynn Wilder's blog, Sew'n Wild Oaks with some really good pix of Donna Greenwald's (our featured quilter) quilts plus an even better pic of Amaretto Cottage. Thank you Lynn!

Still recovering along with my longarm. Today I spent the day fine tuning my longarm, Helena. She has been working hard this year and deserves a little TLC. I am changing out her check spring and getting her tuned up for the holidays and ready to frost some quilts. 

Hard to pic a fav but... this one I have to share because I worked on it with my friend Janie for more than a year. Amaretto Cottage... finished and hanging at ASQG's Harvest of Quilts 2015 in Chico, CA... with a first place ribbon in our category... Well done Janie!!!

 Tot ziens, Jo

 

Sew'n Wild Oaks

 This is Lynn Wilder's Sew'n Wild Oaks booth set up 

at Annie's Star Quilt guild in Chico CA

Our guild was very fortunate to have Lynn and Gail join us as a vendor

plus earlier this year Lynn was our guest speaker at our guild meeting 

followed by a great workshop. I learned allot from Lynn's Patchwork Math book! 

These are pix from Lynn's blog. Lynn also posted some pix of our member's quilts along with quilts made by Donna Greenwald, our featured quilter. Check it out here!

I have yet to download all the pix I took at the show. I was so tiered following the show, I was asleep really early, as soon as I got home and my head rested on my pillow. Of course, now I'm up early thinking about what a wonderful weekend we all enjoyed! Stay tuned for pix later this morning! First, back for a few more ;~zzzzzzzs tot ziens, Jo

Harvest of Quilts

5 more days!

It's countdown time until our guild's quilt show coming up this coming weekend! Lots to do with a full schedule this week. Quilts will be judged on Thursday. I volunteer as vendor committee chair along with Brandie and Jill. Throughout the year we contacted several vendors. 15 will be vending our show this year. Thursday afternoon we will be taping off vendor spaces and set up is on Friday, both for quilts and vendors. The quilt show is Saturday and Sunday. 

***forgot to mention that Lynn Wilder of Sew'n Wild Oaks is one of our vendors!***

It's going to be four very busy, long and fun filled days!

My longarm studio will only be open today thru Wednesday of this week. I will keep my business cell with me for phone calls throughout the week. Quilts for the show are finished, labeled and ready. I am having one quilt judged so that will be a learning experience! A few customer quilts will also be judged.

Stay tuned... there will be pix posted soon! 

Better yet, come to the show.

You are all invited! 

Tot ziens, Jo

Patchwork Math with Lynn Wilder

Wow! Friday I attended the best workshop with Lynn Wilder of Sew'n Wild Oaks 

Named Patchwork Math. Don't let the name scare you away if you ever get the opportunity to take Lynn's workshop. Lynn makes it easy. If you are one of those quilters LIKE ME who always has to tweak a pattern, turn a plain border into a pieced border or make your own layout just because of a block or a fabric, this is a great workshop! 

Plus learning to build blocks using techniques that make the components easy! The block above is one of Lynn's built with all HSTs plus she has a link on her blog for a video on how to make 8 at a time (without bias edges!). Other lessons on making Flying Geese, Double Flying Geese, Quarter Squares in 2 and 3 colors, Corner Square in a Triangle and more. Lynn's book makes it easy and how to figure out the math to size the components to fit your own layouts. I would have loved the two day workshop as I could not get enough and the day went way too fast! Thank you Lynn! and Gail!
 

Lynn also gave a lecture at our guild's meeting the night before, Annie's Star Quilt Guild in Chico, CA. Wonderful trunk show with quilts in fabrics that I love and Lynn machine quilts all of her own... beautifully!!! I have been following Lynn's blog for a long time spending my early mornings coffee in hand reading all that she and Gail have been up to. Which is allot! From Monday's at In Between Stitches in Livermore, CA to a guest on The Quilt Show and most recently, Heartfire, one of Lynn's patterns is available as a kit from Keepsake Quilting! Well done Lynn!

Lynn and I were posting about her visit on our blogs at the same time ;0)

Here is a link to Lynn's blog post

Pix of our blocks in progress up on the design walls at Cathy's Sew & Vac...

This is Beth's, the floral print is cut from a bridesmaid dress she found in a thrift store :0)

 

Amazing how each of our blocks are so different! This was so much fun!

 We have company coming for the day otherwise I would be spending the day in my sewing room finishing my block. I am looking forward to seeing the kids and the grandkids! 

Enjoy your Sunday! 

Workshop with Mary Kay Davis

Mary Kay Davis with Shimmering Sight

Mary Kay Davis was our speaker at Thursday nights Annie's Star guild meeting. I went early and met Mary Kay for dinner with Beth and Judy before the meeting. Really nice person, close to kindred spirits as we had allot in common :0) Plus it was great getting to the meeting early for a front row seat and a good view of her quilts during her trunk show. Follow the link to see more of her work. Wonderful speaker as well. 

Shifting Focus

by Mary Kay Davis

Pictured above are just two of many challenge quilts Mary Kay has made. I was hooked and showed up yesterday for her workshop. We made quilts from one of her patterns ~ Steppin' Up the Squares. Fun pattern that can be made in a day. Perfect for large prints and fussy cutting. 

Three of the group actually finished their tops! Cindy, Tess and Char were almost finished when I left early. We had the best day :0) plus we kept venturing out of the classroom and into Honey Run Quilters to make different fabric choices! One of the fun parts of a workshop! Our tops in progress...

Top & layout by Tess
I really like this pattern done scrappy!

 Cindy G

Both of these quilts will be going to the Wounded Warriors project at Morning Star Quilts.

Char

who fixed the goof on the layout before her blocks went together :0)

This quilt will be donated as well to a cancer organization

These three were the "over achievers" who finished their tops! Yea!!!

This is Mary L's. LOVE her fabric choices! 

The border fabric on the left is an addition from Honey Run and it's perfect!!!

My border fabrics pinned next to the few blocks I had sewn before leaving.

It will be finished today this weekend because I am not going to have another UFO added to the ones not getting finished! It's raining and windy today, the perfect day to quilt :0)

Thank you Mary Kay. It was so much fun to spend this time with you! Hope you made it home safe last night with this storm and that we will see you this Fall at our quilt show.

Tot Ziens! Jo

btw, if anyone is interested... Sue Spargo will be doing 5 days of workshops at Honey Run Quilters at Cathys in March!!! Link to HRQ with a photo of one of the projects! There are a few spaces open :0)

Challenge Quilts, revisited

Sandy and I ran into each other twice today! This morning at a fabric sale where we both spent about the same amount :0) GMTA and again at Honey Run at Cathy's at Goldie's Weekend Sew In. She was sewing on binding and I was picking up quilts. Anyway, she had a pic of Kathy's challenge quilt plus more and sent them to me from her phone.

Challenge Quilt by Kathy T

Kathy actually made miniature quilts of quilts she has made! 

Plus some embellishments, machine embroidery and Sew Much More! 

Here is a better pic of Connie's challenge quilt

Yoga by Cassy L

and Brandie's again, these four were the top vote 'getters'

Too see more individual pix refer back to the first post...

The following is a recap of most. For the display, 

names were not included on the placard so as not to influence votes

and I don't know everyone in the guild (we have 200 members)

#1 The bird cage is made by Judy P. We had trouble finding her letter, 

it was an S which she made into the hook for the cage! Very clever Judy!

Redwork is by Michelle, one of the organizers

#4 The giraffe is made by my friend Sandy (Sandra E on my longarm blog)

 #11 Where the Wild Things Live by Pat

# 12 Audrey Hepburn by Brandie

# 13 Sorry, don't know the name, it is a self portrait and it's really good! 

Heidi by Grace C (an organizer)

 # 14 She was a nice girl by Jill R

# 15 Fender guitar with music by me :0)

#19 with bird cages is Kelly K. Both Kelly and and Judy's birdcages (above) were in memory of Maya Angelou

#17 Betty V made the spools of thread
(great FMQing!)

That's Kathy's in the upper right #18

Lower right is Bonnie C's, organizer

# 21 Sculls eating the moon is all Marilyn K!

Blood Splatter is Angie

# 22 Yoga is Cassy

# 26 Connie's Humming birds

# 27 is very clever, reading tea leaves. Our theme was to be about reading

Armchair with A Golden Book by Cindy G

 # 28 M is for Marriage by Shar

 # 30 The quilt with the blue sky is by Cathrine

(you don't want to know)

And on the chair is Gail's clock to tell us it's Quilting Time! Love it! 

Still missing one of the walls! because that's where Lynn's quilt was hanging...

 Along with Judy's Shoe Tree

 and a few others...

This is my second (and last) attempt to get all of them in one post!!!

One thing I can say, Annie's Star Quilt Guild has some pretty amazing quilters!

This is a pic of our wall of Community Quilts...

and that's not all of them

Enjoy your weekend! 

Groetjes, Jo