More Show and Tell

One of the nice things about attending a guild is to tap the brains of other quilters and to get ideas on how to quilt your quilts.  Tiffany shared her latest finish and received so many ideas on how to finish her quilt.

I really like being part of the Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild.  There are a lot of young quilters who are designing and bringing fresh ideas into the quilting world.

The colors and design of this quilt really  had a desert feel.

Kim worked on binding her latest finish.

Kim took a summer class where they made a purse, complete with accessories.

 *Blogger has changed to a new publishing format ONCE AGAIN! grrrr....

Tracy's Quilt

During Show and Tell at the Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild meeting, Tracy brought her latest finish.

A very large (King size?) quilt that will now be used on her bed.

Love the bright happy colors and this is a great way to use up fabric scraps.

Tracy also shared an Iron Tote/Caddy Pad she had just made.
There are several patterns out there, but I liked this one because of the square sides.
The silver heat resistant fabric on the inside allows you to pack up your hot iron while traveling.
The pad can also serve as an ironing board near your sewing station.

The tote packs up into a cute bag, allowing you to transport your hot iron back home.
This would be a great thing to take on quilt retreats.
And it would also make a nice gift for friends.
I will be quizzing Tracy more about a pattern at our next meeting, and I'll share with you what I find out.

Yellow Pinwheels Quilt

Another favorite brought to Show and Tell with the Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild was a
Yellow Pinwheel Quilt
made by Jill S.
Such talented ladies in this group!

The colors are perfect for the Fall season, and the machine quilting by Cleone Levos is so well done.

I love the circles amidst the flying geese and geometric blocks.

And notice how she continued with the flying geese designs as she quilted around the pinwheels.
A great mix of modern quilts with traditional blocks.
Jill mentioned that she gives away all of the quilts she makes.
I was sitting next to her and asked how I could get on her list.
After all, I do have a birthday coming up next April.
That should give her plenty of time to whip up something just for me :)

The Starry Night

Saturday was our September meeting for the Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild.

Alissa brought her recently completed The Starry Night for Show and Tell.
Beautifully done!

70" X 55"
O.H. M.Y.
This quilt is now on my to-do list!
The Starry Night is a digitally simulated quilt created by Emily Ceir of Carolina Patchworks.
Using Robert Kaufman Kona solids, the pixelated imagery is the quilted version of Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night.
One of my most favorite pieces of art.

The quilting really makes this quilt!
Machine quilted by Brook Norris




The back is as interesting as the front.


The Starry Night pattern is available from Carolina Patchworks
*I just downloaded the PDF version.

Centennial Sampler

While we were visiting Quilting Sisters in Payson, Arizona, I was so happy to see one of the award winning quilts from the Arizona Centennial Quilt Project Fabric Challenge.

Kathy MacCleary won 3rd place for her
Centennial Sampler

I have been following these quilt ventures for over a year now and have written several posts on the project.
The State guild offered a challenge to work with their specially designed 11-piece fabric line South West Beauties by Jason Yenter and In The Beginning Fabrics.

I was quite impressed with Kathy's creativity and the 3-D embellishments


A wonderful tribute to 100 years of Statehood for Arizona.

Shop Samples

While visiting Quilting Sisters in Payson, Arizona, I was quite impressed with their shop samples.

So many beautiful quilts lining the walls!

From the book "Quilts Without Corners" by Cheryl Phillips

Made by Patty McKinney
Quilted by Debbie Stanton
What a team!

Block of The Month: Memories of Provence

It looks like Quilting Sister's BOM just started in June and will continue through May 2013.
If you are interested in joining along, you can find more information on their web site.

Border Workshop

These blocks made me think of The Great Granny Quilt Along led by my friends Lori Holt and Jodi Nelson.
I wish I had seen this quilt first before I finished the edges.

This would have made a great border.
*hint hint for those of you who haven't finished yet.

Christmas will be here before we know it.
From the book Tis The Season by Jeanne Large and Shelley Wicks

Made by Monika Hancock
Quilted by Debbie Stanton

Quilting Sisters

Whenever we visit a new (to us) town in Arizona, one of the first things we look for is a quilt store.
While we were in Payson on Saturday, we stopped by Quilting Sisters.
What a great store!
Such a friendly staff, and they were overflowing with current fabrics, fun classes, and a wealth of new ideas.
They have so many delightful things going on, I know I will be back.
Soon.

Located in a beautiful location along the Beeline Highway.

A large offering of class samples dot every corner and cranny of the store.

From vintage aprons to Southwest designs, Quilting Sisters offers a little bit of something for every taste.

I was especially interested in the classes working with Amy Butler patterns and fabrics.

Cute displays offering suggestion on how to create with selvages.

An entire wall of Batiks for the batik lovers.

Applique classes in a warm cabin type atmosphere.

And even Rug Loom Weaving classes.
A great way to use up left over scrap fabrics.
It was wonderful to see a store with so much going on, from retreats to quilt lectures to clubs.
If you are driving this way through Arizona, Quilting Sisters is definitely worth the stop.
You can also learn more about all the wonderful things going on with their store by visiting their web site at quiltingsistersaz.com
*Tomorrow I will show you some of the beautiful quilts and ideas displayed through out their store.

Tonto Natural Bridges State Park

As we continue to explore the wonderful state of Arizona, we drove to Payson on Saturday, just 80 miles NE from our home in Chandler.
I was happy to get out of the heat, and make the climb to 5,000 feet.
Payson is surrounded by the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the country, and is famous for their rodeos, hosting the oldest continuous rodeo in the world.
These small towns in Arizona truly are the Wild, Wild, West, with Payson carrying the nickname "Zane Grey Country".
We even saw a signed picture from Garth Brooks at a local restaurant.

One of the other features that is a must see if you are in the Payson area, is a visit to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.
Spectacular.
One of the coolest places I have seen so far in the state of Arizona.

There is a short 1/2 mile hike down to the cave.
The drop is a steep 200 feet, although the park has done an excellent job placing stairs, and benches along the way.

Once you reach the bottom, there is a long bridge that leads you across the stream into the cave.

Tonto Natural Bridge is the largest known natural Travertine bridge in the world
150 feet wide
400 feet long
From the top, the spring waters continuously drop year round to the cave floor 183 feet below.

The mists of the waterfall are a pleasant way to cool down as you head into the cave.

Park rangers are there to greet you and answer any questions.

A beautiful pool of water, and interesting rock formations bring families and school groups from miles around.

The rocks are slippery and quite challenging to climb, but many give it a try.
There were a several families with young children who made the hike down, which made us wish we had our grandchildren with us.

Under the right conditions, Travertine can grow up to 1-inch per year.
It is said "Where the water flows, Travertine grows."

The walls are ribboned with long streams of stalactites.


View from the other side.
"Travertine, which forms the bridge is a composite of plants and minerals carried by the underground springs."

We were pleasantly surprised at the magnificence of this cave, and the well run state park.
There were several nice hiking trails, and the park offers clean picnic grounds and barbeque areas.
We can hardly wait to bring the rest of our family here.