Love Those Bonnie Hunter Gals!!

When we return to Colorado summer home, I'm always anxious to meet up with the Bonnie Hunter Gals club meeting at Wooden Spools.  The group meets twice a month and their challenge is to follow along with Bonnie Hunter and make her quilts.  They choose a pattern to complete.  And there is always so show and tell of those completed quilts.

Here is Judy's quilted BH..............

Such yummy colors

and the back is just as colorful.  Quilting done by Jessica, our fearless leader.

Judy had another baby quilt to show that wasn't a BH pattern

and the back

This isn't a BH pattern--but, still worth the admiring--can we all say 'ooh and ahh'?

We had a  Kansas visitor who came for the day and showed the Marilyn Monroe fabric she was using to fashion shadow box blocks

"Tall" Pat had this wonderful BH pattern completed--don't you love the color selection?

string piecing on muslin for the back

and this will be the border--yummy!

The beginning blocks of yet another BH quilt top

I love the blues and browns

Our challenge this quarter is Majestic Mountains--an easy peazy quilt

Tall Pat( so called because we have a short Pat also in the class) has completed her MM quilt top

and begun the next BH challenge, which is to begin in August for us slow quilters!  Tall Pat is an overachiever!!  it is a fun group and very inspiring. 

Wooden Spools

Denver's Chalk Art Festival

Denver holds a wonderful Chalk Art Festival every year and it is a definite trip to see. Many wonderful artists create masterpieces over three days...................................take a walk with me along the streets of Larimer Square.

The crowds were large

maybe, it would be good if there were directional signals--down this side, up the other

notice the artist chalk colored pants!

Some of these drawings are unbelievable!

There were four featured artist tents  

Most artists were working from a colored photo

another featured artist

It was a hot afternoon but it was worth the trip downtown Denver to enjoy some delightful creations--and on the evening of the third day--all this beautiful work is washed away!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guild House Spinners Gathering

Usually, the spinners meet in homes each third Tuesday but this Tuesday we decided to meet at the Guild House, which is located near Houston Museum District.  We had a nice gathering.  We always are chatting as our hands and wheels are at work and then it comes time to share.

Penny had recently taken a barge journey in Netherlands and brought this lovely skein to show off.  Of course, when we travel we always look for the local fiber people.

It is a wool blend with some alpaca

Penny was told by the spinner (in their limited communication) that it was dyed with purple onion skins

Then we had this discussion about achieving  this color with purple onion skins--interesting

Our young spinner, Lucy, pulled out her hugger she is knitting.  The brightly colored yarn is commercial purchased with the black being her handspun.

Here is the skein of commercial yarn

She also had been on a sock knitting spree and produced these warm and cozy socks--we all loved the yarn

These cushiony socks are cotton blend--felt good by hand; imagine how they would feel on your feet.

She had used some of her handspun to create this cell phone case

Carolyn showed off her first knitting project using her handspun alpaca.  We heard her say she had 21 alpacas with 3 new babies in the fold--WOW!  She has lots of fiber at hand.  This scarf was so soft!

Susan was spinning this yummy dyed yarn from Penny's bins  She is Skyloom Weavers

Lovely, lovely, lovely sliding through the hands of Carolyn; some of her own blended fibers

Marion had recently taken a trip to New Mexico and of course, found a neat fiber shop-- Quillin Fiber Arts.  she picked up bits and pieces for her spinning pleasure

Penny brought her spindle, which is convenient to carry wherever you travel.  never leave home without one!

Another good thing about visiting the Guild House are all the looms--dressed and ready for some shuttle throwing--don't you love this block weave?!

Here is the weft for the above warp

This is a sample weave--can you believe?  It was used for demoing and the pattern is perfect to show off the colors

Here is your pattern for goose-eye treadling.  Can you guess what book this is from?

A weaver was busy on her warp, weaving tablemats and runner--super duper!  Yes, there is always action at the Guild House.

Can We Say--CONFUSED!

Okay, I've been working on these strips since early last summer!  It was easy to exchange (25 light and 25 dark) 2"x5" strips with 10 friends, but boy, the sewing up has been a major challenge.  Finally, I just had to drag myself into that sewing room and finish that project!!  It's not that it was difficult, but every time I looked at the stack of strips, I just couldn't fathom how it was all going to work out.  Of course, I had the book from Bonnie Hunter as we had all worked from it last summer during our club sewing days.  I said to myself--"Self, get yourself in there and get to work!  You can do this! Quit being such a wimp!"  And so, me, myself and I entered into the holding box with this project.......

You just keep adding strips to each length--but wait--at some point, all those strips need to be the same length, so once back into the sewing room, I took time to count each red connector square and stacked each into appropriate pile--36 here, 30 here, etc.  Okay, that helps!

Now, lay out the strips to see if we can make sense of this madness--oh, no!  this can not be right!

Must refer to the book instructions--why is this so difficult for me?  I don't think my thinking cap is on straight today.....................

Now, this looks right!!  sigh!  Onto the next step...................

All those points must be trimmed and there has to be a way to keep each strip the same width...ah!  I got it!  Since my rulers are not 6.5" wide, I'll measure a template and use that!

and now there is an exact 6.5" width and using a straight edge, the strips can be trimmed.  Onto the next step....................sewing strips together

Pinning in place is important--make sure all those whites match up perfectly!

First seam--good going!

Look at that would you?!!  great match up!

 

and on and on I continue to measure, cut, pin and stitch--all 20 strips until we have finished

TEXAS BRAID!  WOW!  That wasn't so hard after all--it just took a little pushing from my alter ego--you got this, Gal!  And off to the quilter it goes.................bring on the next challenge! and let's see if it can be finished in less than a year......................................