I tend to shy away from classes when I am at the International Quilt Festival, mostly because I love being on the floor and don’t want to use my time otherwise.

But, each year I attend at least one lecture and this year it was Ricky Tims!! I have done several of his lectures in the past and I ALWAYS come away with some new idea or technique. This year was no exception.

The BIG AHA moment for me was when Ricky talked about using a projector to enlarge patterns…..

Now I HAVE a projector and still use my computer printer to print “posters” and then have to trim and tape all of the papers together!! And, if I do it the wrong size, I have to start over again. Using a projector, I can visualize the finished size before I start tracing!!

He also encouraged the audience that, if you do this a lot, it would be worth investing in a small projector. After a quick look at Amazon, I see that you can buy a “mini” projector for between $40 and $60!! That might be a good Christmas Present to add to your list!!!

As an aside, I have a photo that I want to enlarge to about 40-inches so I plan to try this out in the next few weeks.

Ricky also talked about how he quilts some of his “Locomotion Quilts”, such as this one……

The process was interesting and I enjoyed seeing that most of these designs are based on grid quilting.

In this video, he shows us a few of his designs. The audio is quiet so you may need to turn it up to hear his narration, but the quilting ideas are great even if you can’t hear!!

Linda and I also attended a couple of the free sessions on the show floor.

The first was presented by Jenny Lyon and she talked about her cut-work designs…..

Some of her ideas included…..

• Use two layers of Misty Fuse as it doesn’t alter the hand of the fabric.
• OR….use Terrial Magic to stiffen the fabrics.
• Mark the design, leaving space between the elements
• Stitch around each element at least two times
• Don’t cut right up to the stitching line so that you can wash it and let it fray.
• Short, stubby scissors are best for cutting out the pieces. She suggested that Kai, 4-inch scissors worked well.

I can’t wait to try this technique and have a Christmas Gift planned using it…..so I better get busy!!!

Our favorite of these free talks was presented by Sue Heinz and called “You’ve got a friend in Elmer”…..glue that is!!

She didn’t allow the word “glue” to be used but she presented MANY ways that you can “Elmer” your way out of difficulties, including applying binding, holding seams in place when you are piecing or appliqueing, and a whole host of other ideas that I can’t remember right now. I should have taken better notes!!!

OKAY…..we are now finished with the International Quilt Festival…..or at least my version of the trip!!

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing all of the quilts and that you have been inspired and encouraged by the techniques that you have seen.

AND…..why don’t you think about joining me next year. It is a trip to remember!!

Tomorrow we get to change gears as I embark on the journey of Dresden Plates!!! Be sure to join me!!

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Well, I have spent the past 4-1/2 weeks showing quilts from the International Quilt Festival in Houston and you wouldn’t think that there would be much left to show…… you would be SO wrong!!

However, it is time to move on to other quilt-related things, so here are the last few quilts that I want to highlight from the show…..

I enjoyed these two versions of a similar quilt from Hope Wilmarth. First the monochromatic interpretation…..

….and then the technicolor interpretation…..

The miniature exhibit was called “Honey I Shrunk the Quilt” and, as usual, I don’t have any idea how this quilt was made…..

Look at the scale AND the quilting……

Simply amazing!!

There was a wonderful exhibition honoring the late Congressman, John Lewis.

Several of the quilts depicted one of his well known sayings

….but my favorite quilt was a portrait of his mother……

The colors and fabrics take me back to another era!!

One of the most fun things about this show was being joined there by friends. My ever-faithful traveling partner, Linda, joined me for a 7th show, but this time we were excited to include another mutual friend, Rosie!!

We had SO much fun together.

It was also exciting to catch up with Christina, a friend from home who had moved…..

I also had the opportunity to meet up with some of the women from the “Global Quilt Connection”…….

I felt TOTALLY out of my league as I talked with women who are legends in the quilting world…..

…but they were all so very encouraging!!

BUT….the biggest excitement of the show was when a total stranger called out my name and said….”Frances, I have been following your blog and I appreciate it so much!!”

I don’t think that my feet have touched the ground since!! Thank you, Gemma, for making my show experience just that much more exciting!!

I have one more thing to share tomorrow. I did a lecture with Ricky Tims and, as usual, came away encouraged and excited with new ideas. Be sure to come back…..

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This post only shows ONE quilt…..mind you, it is 22 feet long!!!

This quilt was created by Helen Godden. It is hand painted with dye, and free-motion quilted on a stationary Handi-Quilter machine.

Her original design depicts many of her favorite native animals and birds, flora and landscapes of her homeland, Australia. She created it during the Covid lockdown over a period of six months!!

This is what she wrote about it….

“Suddenly (in 2020), everything stopped. I needed a personal challenge. I drew this design in 2018 and planned to create it one day, but when would I ever have the time for such a huge project…..”

Here is a view of the entire piece……

…and here are some close-up photos…..

Just look at the quilting!!!

….and all of those Aussie animals…..

How about a Kookaburra….one of my favorites when we lived there…..

I could have studied this quilt for hours and still not have seen everything!!

But, let me give you some more information about Helen Godden…..

She calls herself an “Extreme Free Motion Quilter” and she is a wonderful FMQ teacher!!!

Earlier this year I purchased one of her classes…. “50 Styles of Quilting Beyond Missionary Stippling”. I learned so many new designs and I love that they are presented in short 3 minute videos and are extremely easy to follow.

If you are interested in any of her online classes, be sure to CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE…..

BUT, even more exciting, each Christmas she does a FREE Quilt-A-Long and it is in progress RIGHT NOW.

Click HERE to get started!!

If you are not interested in making the project, you can still check out her instructional videos on her You-Tube channel…..

So, today you got 22-feet of quilting and a free class….THAT is good value!!

Tomorrow we are going to make a final run thru the International Quilt Festival and pick up a few of the items that I missed!!

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