National Spinning and Weaving Week

300 Authors!! Oh My!

A record 300 authors are coming to the 2015 Texas Book Festival, Oct. 17 and 18, the largest number in the 20-year history!

Nationally renowned authors include Margaret Atwood, Taye Diggs, Nick Flynn, Linda Gray, Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket), Gary Hart, Luis Alberto Urrea, Margo Jefferson, Attica Locke, Marie Lu, Chuck Palahniuk, Tavi Gevinson, and Adrian Tomine.

Other headlining authors include Sandra Cisneros, Steve Inskeep, Azar Nafisi, Leonard Pitts, Jr., Mary Helen Specht, Jonathan Lethem, Lauren Groff, John Sununu, Scott Simon, and Robert Christgau. You can see the full author list here.

One of the nation’s premier literary events and longest-running book festivals in the country, the Festival continues to be free and open to the public thanks to sponsors and volunteers. In addition to the record number of authors, the Festival brings 40,000 attendees, live music, kids’ activities, food trucks, book signings and sales, and 100 exhibitors all in and around the State Capitol over two full days

Let's Be Aware!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease. While most people are aware of breast cancer, many forget to take the steps to have a plan to detect the disease in its early stages and encourage others to do the same. We have made a lot of progress but still have a long way to go and need your help!

Two From Jessica!

Two of my quilts came home from the awesome quilting machine of Jessica!  These are two that I made last year--2014.  Everyone is surprised that I dye my backing.  Yes, I'm a lazy person--rather buy 120" plain muslin (get it on sale at Jo-Ann's Fabric--I use a 50% off coupon).  Then I decide on the color I want for the back and dye with a union dye.

No seam down the middle--just solid!

This is my Row by Row BOM from Quilt Doodle Designs, who has an applique quilt blocks this year.

and my penguin quilt--everyone loves!!  These patterns are available from Fatcat Patterns for a small fee.  If you join at the beginning of her BOMs, you can pick up each month's pattern--free!  But, you must make sure you come back each month to save the pattern.

I love Sindy's patterns!

Oh Those Bonnie Hunter Gals......................................!

Finally!  I was able to meet with the Bonnie Hunter Club!  It is held twice a month at Wooden Spools.  The gals meet under the direction of Jessica, who makes sure we are on the right path with our BH patterns.  The next quilt is called "Hopscotch, Butterscotch" from Bonnie's Adventures with leaders and enders book.

We had show and tell--YES!  Always fun when you have one of BH quilts finished. 

This one is "Lazy Sunday"

So colorful!  

Jessica was given a gift--What fun!  turtle alive!

Pat had this 30's sampler to show off--she was asking if other borders needed to be added--

we all agreed--nope!  It looks perfect now.

Here's Krissy's quilt--love how she uses her colors

and how about this one?  How colorful is this?

and she found this great backing--dental paste fabric!!

She also showed this wonderful log cabin small quilt.

It was a super day for sewing with friends!

Color Fulfills The Soul.............................................

What is your art medium?  Do you work with Styrofoam, plaster or paper mache, clay, acrylic paint, wax or maybe watercolors?  Do you fashion dolls?  Make felt?  Create landscapes?

Whatever your media, everyone has the same thing in common

COLOR!

I love to collect those wonderful catalogs found in tourist areas--the ones that advertise the fancy shops in the region.  I also like the slick publicity ones that feature upcoming exhibits.

COLOR!

Work by Rebecca Brady

Work by Jenn Ashton

COLOR!

And the world opens up with this website!

Have a Colorful Day!

Texas Quilt Museum Exhibits

Texas Quilt Museum

Autumn in Ohio by Noriko Endo 
Contemporary Quilt Art from
the Marbaum Collection.
This exhibit will feature 41 studio art quilts, dating 1984-2008, from the
private collection of Hilary and Marvin Fletcher.
These quilts were acquired from entries in the Quilt National
Competition, where Hilary served as project
director from 1982-2006.
Gallery II will feature 10 quilts from Texas quilter Cynthia Collier.

Cynthia will give a free gallery talk on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 3 p.m., with Museum admission free beginning at 2 p.m.

Teresa Wong will give a free lecture on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 3 PM on the history of Japanese
Quilt.  
 The lecture and PowerPoint presentation will highlight the fascinating story from her new book, Japanese Contemporary Quilters and Quilts: The Story of an American Import. Museum admission is free beginning at 2 p.m.

Forty years ago, Japanese quiltmakers were heavily influenced by American quilts and quilters. Today, there are two to three million quilters in Japan, making it the second largest concentration of quilters outside the U.S. Wong’s lecture will take visitors through this remarkable transformation and explain how it took place.

In 2014, Wong was named the first Faith P. and Charles L. Bybee Foundation Scholar by the Bybee Foundation and the Texas Museum. The honor was awarded in recognition of her research on Japanese quilts in conjunction with her Master of Liberal Studies degree at Rice University.