I decided to play for a while the other day and make myself a coffee sleeve. After drawing out the design I quilted it and then I did it again with thread painting. This took longer but I was so happy with the result!

Flow II: Captured by the Current. This piece was finished in 2007 (and actually has more beads in it now). It won first place Innovative in the Clark County Quilters Guild quilt show and third place Art Quilt at the NW Quilting Expo, both in 2007. I posted this as partially completed earlier in my blog but wanted a more current (ha!) picture of it since I will now continue the series thru the challenges in the Fast Friday Fabric Challenge group. Flow I: Lava Flow never got finished, I was almost there but in the end it didnt work. I do still plan on re-making that piece, but using a better construction technque.

Here is the other quilt I did for me, tho I already have people asking for a pattern LOL! The background was done with a Crumb Quilt variation and the gingko leaves are a green organza fused to the background (I used Misty Fuse of course). A straight stitch in free motion was used to applique and to thread paint. As simple as this quilt is, it took me over a year to make it! Too busy, too many other projects that need to be finished, not enough time in the day. I will try and get a detail shot soon.

Finally, a quilt for me. Ive loved this fabric line by Lakehouse since it came out and finally made this quilt, designed in EQ5, just for me. Not a huge quilt, I think it came out to 48 x 48.

As usual, too much! Here are Beverly and I at the International Quilt Market Spring in Salt Lake City, Utah representing our designers group Designers Place NW. We had a great time and wonderful booth neighbors. Even though Ive been to several markets with other's booths, this was still a learning experience having Our Own Booth. We came away very happy with the experience and totally motivated for the next Spring Market right here in our own home town, Portland OR.

While walking the show we passed the exhibits, including the Hoffman Challenge and Lo and Behold there was Beverly's bag 'Raspberry Ole'!! She was SOOOO excited to see it on display! The two fringe beads on the upper left corner were flipped up and Bev's hands were just itching to flip them back down into place.

This is the project I am currently working on. It is a wool/rayon felt base onto which I have machine needle felted various rovings (different types of wool, wool/silk, silk, tencil) leaving areas open onto wich were appliqued pieces of velvet, silk taffeta, and silk dupioni. Yarns (wool/silk and wool) are couched around and on the leaf and I am now in the process of adding yarns around the appliques and amongst the felted rovings. (After the appliques were done I decided I didnt like the look of the satin stitching.) The leaf has been thread painted and the entire piece machine quilted with decorative threads.

Last week I flew to Oklahoma to visit a good friend and to pick up two new additions to our family... two 8week old Chihuahua puppies! Origonally the breeder lived right here in Oregon near us, and in fact Mom has one of the puppies from the same parents as these two cuties. She is the sweetest, most personable dog and I wanted that sweet disposition in my new puppy. Unknown to us, the breeder moved to Oklahoma while I was waiting for my puppy to be born. He told me that I could just have the puppies since he knew they would be going to good homes, but that Id have to make all the travel arrangments. Well you cant just ship these tiny things, and I just happened to have a good friend in OK, so off I went to get the puppies! Here they are in action. Mine is the darker chocolate one, and my dad is taking the lighter tricolor.