Swamp Hibiscus Update

I've had a small block of "alone" time so I was able to focus on my Swamp Hibiscus quilt for the last two days. It's still very much in the beginning stages, but I'm excited about how it MAY turn out. My husband, Smokey, is a great asset when it comes to giving honest opinions about my designs and choice of color. I have spent literally weeks looking for a certain kind of background fabric for this oval. Finally, at the AQS Show in Nashville, I found more or less what I was looking for. When I got home, I pinned it up on the design wall behind the flower. Smokey took one look at it and said, "No." We talked about why it wasn't good and then I pulled out the fabric that I had chosen almost a year ago when I first drew out the pattern. Wouldn't you know? It was the perfect fabric all along! And now, I start the process all over again as I work out from the center. People have asked me if I have the entire quilt in mind before I start . . .Are they kidding?

We enjoyed the show in Nashville. The vendors were great and I especially was interested in all of the different threads available. It's great to purchase small amounts, try them, and then you can order larger amounts if you like them. I think I bought thread from four different companies. We stayed at the Opryland Hotel. Unreal. BUT, we absolutely loved walking around in the evening through the lush greenery. We had planned on doing some sightseeing in Nashville but it was so hot (102 degrees) that we came on home a day early.

I Can "Bearly" Stand It

In Charleston, there are huge painted turtles all around the downtown area. This is the first year that they've had them and they seem to be a big success. For those who aren't aware of what I'm talking about, different groups (or individuals) start with a blank slate on the surface of a molded turtle. They paint or otherwise decorate it and then it finds a home in front of the sponsoring store or organization. Early one Sunday morning, Smokey and I took our grandson around downtown and stopped at each one we found. It really was a lot of fun.

They also do the same thing in Hendersonville and have now done it for a few years. Only they do bears. They are all up and down Main Street and some of the painting on them is wonderful. On my walk this morning, I took my camera with me and took pictures of several of them. One of the interesting bear factoids around here is that the bear population has increased so much that they are going to have a bear hunting season this year in the state parks. I was surprised to learn of the dramatic increase because their habitat has been so diminished by the increased building all around.

Another thing that is so wonderful here in the Hendersonville area is the abundance of free entertainment. Friday night we went to the library to hear a bluegrass concert by the Piney Mountain Band. They focus on playing authentic bluegrass music--much of which originated in this area. They were very entertaining. The Friends of the Library here uses some of the proceeds from the annual book sale to provide many different enrichment programs throughout the year--some musical, some movies, some authors, etc. Tonight they are showing silent movies in the field behind the library (I passed on that one).

And then, Friday night, we went to the parking lot at the Visitors' Center to hear a band play oldies rock. They are called Sound Investment and to say that they were very good would be an understatement. A great thing about this venue (which has been every Friday night during the summer) is that all ages of people get out in the middle of the space and dance. Last night I saw a couple dancing to a fast beat song that had to be 90 years old. It was amazing. Everyone was in good spirits and it was just a nice time. I was even asked to dance one time by my husband (Will miracles never cease!)

As Promised

Well, I didn't exactly get around to it right away, but here are a few pictures from the Asheville Quilt Show. This first quilt won Best of Show and it really is an example of simplicity winning the attention of the judges. The work on this quilt was excellent but it certainly was more low key than some of the others. I personally think that it is so very difficult to choose "one best" of anything in a large group.



(By the way, all of these images are in a sideways position) This quilt was made by Barbara Swinea of Asheville and won 1st place in the Professional Pieced Category. If you click on it and open it up into a larger format, you can really see just how wonderful it is. (It was one of my personal favorites). This was the first time that I had seen any of her solo work. Previously, I had just seen her collaborative works with Linda Cantrell.

And this is another of the First Place Winners. I really can't begin to tell you just how high quality this show is--and it's not a juried show. The Asheville Guild is full of creative people and, with the decent prize money, they also attract quilts from a pretty wide area.






And finally, a work in progress (and you can see it better if you click it to enlarge). I taught a class Saturday at People, Places & Quilts on the Drunkard's Path. I really love to teach this class, because there are so many, many ways to use this very simple block and come up with some pretty dramatic quilts. And students are always so amazed to learn that sewing a curved seam is not all that hard. At least three of the women came away with that affirmation this time.

I had taken this quilt top to the class as an example of another layout for the Drunkard's Path. After I got back home, I stenciled in a design on the white blocks and then thought long and hard about the color of the thread and the quilting for the rest of the top. And so, I did something a little different from anything I've done before. That's why I like to quilt things that will never be prize winners. It's a great opportunity to work out ideas. I'm really pleased with this concept and will definitely use it again.


Well, it's back up to the mountains tomorrow and I'm hoping the air conditioner is working. It'll be cooler than Charleston, but it will still be HOT!

What's Happening?

This weekend is the annual quilt show that is sponsored by the Asheville Quilt Guild. This is the second year that I have entered it and the first year that I have actually helped in the preparations. A couple of weeks ago, I helped with the judging process and yesterday I helped hang the quilts. I really like to listen to judges as they talk about each quilt. You can learn so much about what makes a "show-worthy" quilt. My friend said on the way home that she certainly had learned that she needed to work on having straight borders.

This is such a high quality show and I had hoped to post some great pictures, but holding the camera with one hand and trying to shoot around a mass of people just doesn't work for me! I hope to get some better ones when I go back on Sunday to help break the show down and pick up my quilts. This was one of my favorite quilts at the show: It's really a very simple pattern--the Drunkard's Path--but the use of color and placement of the blocks was spectacular. I'll see if I can get a better picture of the Best of Show quilt and a couple of others that I really liked. I was very pleased that both of my quilts won awards--one lst and one 2nd. It's always nice to have something that you've labored over be recognized. Those quilts are already posted on this blog, so I won't add them again.

I have finally gotten a good start on my next quilt that will focus on a swamp hibiscus. I took pictures last year of the plant in my yard and have mulled over it since. I finally got the inspiration for how I wanted the quilt to be, drew it out and then studied it some more. I started sewing the background last week and, after sewing for 2 days, decided that it looked terrible. Back to square 1. I then found a background fabric that I like, but don't have enough. Soooo.....now I have to find it. I guess I'm going to be FORCED to go to Mary Jo's! Anyway, I've started piecing the flower and I'm posting the work in progress: It has now reached the enjoyment stage--until the next roadblock. Oh well, we should welcome those growth opportunities.

The other thing we did recently was to go hiking in the Dupont State Forest this Monday. It was a great day for a hike and was so beautiful. We went on a trail that leads to Triple Falls. This picture isn't that entire vista, but it gives you an idea of what we saw. I'm looking forward to building up my mountain legs enough so that we can go back to some of the places we went to six or seven years ago. There is just something so peaceful about being in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by massive trees and flowing waters.