LA QUILT SHOW

Remember the old Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland movies where the kids would get together and say "Let's put on a show!".  Well, my CRAFTED peeps have decided that quilts hanging from the old warehouse rafters would look really cool, so we have decided to "put on a show" - a quilt show that is!  The event will take place August 1-3, 2014 and details are on the website www.laquiltshow.com. 

We want to create an event for quilters who love to submit their quilts to shows and for quilters who do not.  A safe, friendly, non-juried space where quilts of all types can be displayed and enjoyed.  The judging (for prizes) will be done by the public and quilt guilds who want to participate.

I am thrilled to be curating this show! I have met hundreds of quilters in my shop at CRAFTED and it is such a pleasure hanging out, sharing quilt stories.  Quilters come in all ages, genders, ethnicities, socio-economic groups, etc. and we instantly bond through this craft.  The LOVE fills my heart and the shop.

This is the Homepage Quilt which is currently for sale in my shop.  Note the warehouse rafters and the Big Ass ceiling fan (that is the name of the fan company!).

I love this quilt and "letting go" will be difficult when it sells.  The colors are so global and so modern.  It began as a set of placemats.  I made 4 placemats one weekend in the booth and just couldn't bear the thought of someone spilling food on them.  The blocks were rearranged and bordered in grey Kona.  I use so many shades of grey (pardon the pun) Kona in my quilts that I should buy stock.  Grey is such a great neutral.  I wanted to give it the texture of the blankets used by movers, so it's straight line quilted in a plaid inspired design.

This is the original quilt show logo.  It was designed by Rachel Waugh, CRAFTED's director, and pieced and quilted by me!  The Kona colors came from Momen+  http://www.momenplus.com - one of my favorite local patchwork shops.  The inset seams drove me a little nuts, but I love a challenge!  Not sure what the plans are for this piece - we'll see...

EVERYONE:  This is an open invitation to join us and be a part of the 1st Annual LA Quilt Show at CRAFTED at the Port of LA.  So - check out the website http://www.laquiltshow.com and jump in (the water is fine) in whatever capacity works for you.  If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or CRAFTED at the Port of LA.  What I know for sure is that we know how to put on fun and interesting events!

Adventures in Quilting

this morning...

I'm working on three pieces (well, actually 5) and wanted to share a little bit of my progress.  I have been experimenting.  This is a snapshop (taken with my phone) of what I'm working on. 

An aquaintance who weaves gave me a woven and dyed piece that she didn't want to keep.  She also gave me some leather scraps.  I'm patchworking them and will see what I come up with - it's pretty cool so far...

My love of hexagons continues.  That little batch in the corner has been appliqued and hand quilted.  A new tote bag is in the works.

Someone stopped by the booth and asked for placemats.  The set of 4 placements turned into a 50x70" quilt that I will finish quilting in the next day or so.  I get a lot of requests for home goods, but sometimes my creative muse pulls me into another direction.  Hang in there, I'm sure there will be placemats made in the near future.

By the way, anyone know how I can get my hot little hands on a longarm?  Buying one is not in my budget, but if you know of anyone who wants to get rid on one, let me know.  I'm into making larger quilts these days and the quilting on my home machine is becoming quite a challenge.  Just putting it out there into the quilting universe...

Have a great Sunday and check back soon to see the completed items!

Quilting Classes at CRAFTED at the Port of LA

This is my first blog post of 2014 and I am resolved to become a better blogger this year. 

In October I returned to CRAFTED at the Port of LA.  My new quilt booth is twice the size of the old one and I have space for a farm table and sewing machine.  I quilt while I'm there and generally make a new item for the booth each weekend.

I am teaching quilting classes at CRAFTED at the Port of LA.  For starters, I am offering one-on-one sessions, since those interested are at different sewing levels.  There are so many new and exciting things going on in the quilting world and this year I want to share them with as many people as possible.

So -  if you are interested in taking classes, email me at patsyjohnsonquiltsatgmaildotcom and we can schedule a date and time that works for you.