spring, 2008

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Hi, All, the spring air pulls me outside away from my Bernina. But I am on a mission to complete the labyrinth, Baltic style.
www.labyrinthcompany.com Thought you would like to see it in progress. I tried my best to get sme grandchildren help, but they lost interest after about 20 stones. The garden template is anchored down and then lines indicate where to place the stone. The mulch fills in between. When completed you will get the picture.




We live right around the corner from Connemara, the Carl Sandburg Historic home, and we make a regular hike to the barns when grandchildren visit. This time a new kid had been born. Note what must be a doggy sweater that the yet unnamed kid is wearing to keep warm on a chilly spring morning.

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Look what I spotted outside the other day--a rainbow or otherwise known as a Drunkard's Path block. Well, this blog has actually been a BIG test for the Lap Quilter. I will have more post closer together if this works! Doing it myself, like a big girl.
I am anxious to then show you the completed Tea Pot quilt on the next blog. Thanks for clicking onto my blog. Georgia

Winter 2008

Hi, You All,
A new quilt year ahead, but fond memories of 2007 still linger. It ended with several great trips I am anxious to share with everyone. Two weeks at the Nine Quarter Circle Ranch in Montana were filled with hikes, sunny days and lots of quilt interaction. Look hard from Lincoln Mountain and you can see our ranch nestled in the valley. That is the view Charlotte Warr Andersen and I had from the mail box on top. Yes, you must sign in to verify you made the climb. My new best friends on the trail are trekking sticks-not a cane!





My project this year was tri-axial weaving western fabric. The results were awesome wall hangings and vests. This pattern is featured in Georgia Bonesteel's Quiltmaking Legacy book.





Cape Cod was another quilt adventure made special by the Bayberry Quilters Guild. Teaching, lecturing and even sharing quilt stories over meals is a quilters pleasure. It is such a picturesque area complete with over 20 light houses. I stayed a few extra days to tour with a friend. We got to kayak on Swan Lake and checked out many coves and beaches even discovering many foxes. A trip to Nantucket topped the trip.



Then my semi annual trip to the JC Campbell Folk School completed my teaching year. The agenda here was Scrap Soup, in various sizes. Since I had made a large one and a medium size it was time to make a doll bed size. Believe it or not, it took me almost as long to stitch the tiny one as a large one--of course, cutting some pieces out wrong did not help the procedure! This scrap quilt is featured on a new booklet, called Quilters Can Cook, available on the Quilt Store link, so check it out.


I have never seen 12 students work so hard. They were a driven group sewing day and night. A short walk to the dinning hall was the only interruption as we completed our quilts. Wouldn't you know that the youngest and most inexperienced student finished first. She was so excited to be learning patchwork I actually saw her running from the sewing machine to the ironing board. Now that is very fine! I do need to brag on her as she stands in front of her almost completed quilt, Johanna Salmon, from Alaska!



Of course, it is always special when repeat students return, especially when they bring a competed project from another year as Eleanor Brazell did with the Star and Mountain quilt.


Please check out my updated Welcome page on the web site as I go out on a limb with my goals for 2008. Stay in touch and I promise to Blog more often!

Spring Blog 2007

Busy, Busy, Busy... Let's see. by 10:00 this morning I had quilted,


finished a 6" block for The Alliance for American Quilts, www.centerforthequilt.org

and made a Rhubarb Cream Cheese pie from Jane Quinn's Daily Desserts cook book. www.QuiltingInTheCountry.com

Sorry no picture as my bridge group ate every last bite! Doesn't it amaze you at the check out counter of a grocery store how the clerks just stare at rhubarb and also rutabaga? Is there an age when it clicks in? I imagine it is family kitchen related. If your Mother cooked either of these properly then you grew up enjoying these distinct tastes. Both are great!

Anyway, back to quilts. My 2006 year ended with a wonderful trip to Steckborn, Switzerland, home of Bernina of America.



What do 75 professional quilters do on such a trip? Why we learned--ate--shopped--ate and bought chocolate. We were enthused to know how international our passion has become. We had presentations from German and Swiss quilters, an exhibit of Russian quilts plus lessons from Mariana Fruhauf, www.fruehauf.it


My annual winter quilt retreat re-located this year to Montreat, NC, near Black Mountain. Now we can call it Quilt Retreat in Montreat. www.williamblacklodge.org

Check out my 2008 calendar to learn the dates. Every year a new quilt to make. This year we focused on stripes with a pattern from Spinning Spools I have always wanted to complete named Cane Cousin.

After viewing it with the not quite complete border you might think the name should be Lollipop. The results from two classes were varied and outstanding.




The Mid Atlantic quilt fest by the Mancuso brothers was another big event. So much fabric, so much to learn and stitch. I taught a smaller rendition of the Scrap Soup quilt---think Album Block turned into strip piecing.


A teacher trio drove over to Hampton, VA with plenty of "stuff" tucked in my pick up truck. That was the good news. The bad news was trying to retrieve it out of the trucks back. The legs will remain anonymous!

In Albany, NY they quilt in the wintertime and garden in the summertime. No wonder-it was -3 degrees when I went to class at the Quilt North Guild. People seem to linger longer and enjoy the inside before braving the elements. Here I taught lap quilting and such a rewarding class. Many people are closet quilters so it was fun to share ideas, frustrations and techniques with a needle in hand. I learn so much when I watch someone else quilt. At noon time we watched the DVD, The Great American Quilt Revival,www.quiltrevival.com


Does your Guild own a copy yet? Sure hope so.

Looking ahead--I plan to go back in time. The significance of our closing picture speaks of sewing back around 1880. And just how does that have significance for today? Next week at my Winterthur presentation in Delaware I will be doing a "Then and Now" demonstration. For the first time they will have a fine historic quilt display of their private collection with a book to accompany this exhibit. I will show how we would make the quilts today with all of our fine tools.



Then, even more fun, this summer at the Hall of Fame event in July, www.quiltershalloffame.net, we will have Dueling Machines with a timer set to see what works faster--this 1880 pedal machine or my 630 Artista Bernina. Come join the fun as we make autograph blocks as a fund raiser for the Hall of Fame. Check my travel, On The Road, link for dates. By the way. the lady at the sewing machine is my grandmother, Pearl Sayler at age 15 and the lady with the tape measure is my great grandmother, Lottie Sayler, taken in Portage,Ohio. This was her sewing room and she earned egg money for the family with her skills. So glad I have inherited those genes!

Summer Blog Update

Remember Anna Bonesteel's entry in the Asheville Quilt show? Well, she won an Honorable Mention. Congrats, Anna.

Come along and travel with the Lap Quilter.

Marion, Indiana was the place to be this July, 2006.


The Quilters Hall of Fame honored Virginia (Jinny) Avery with a great celebration.


She was in her glory with eloquent words and jazzy garments on display. Those of you who have studied under her would have been very proud. There were toasts, exhibitions, lunches, vendors, rewarding panels about the Art Quilt world, a jazz concert with Jinny at the keys and most impressive of all--19 members of Jinny's family.

Those of us former members, yours truly, Bets Ramsey, Jinny Avery, Yvonne Porcella and Donna Wilder all agreed Jinny had the most fun extravaganza of all. She has always made it right to dress with flair, color and dash-at any age! Put that July weekend on your weekend travel calendar. www.quiltershallofame.net


A PS to this trip: I was proud to note a brick from the Western North Carolina Quilters Guild and my Freedom Escape quilters supporting the Marie Webster home and garden.


All year we look forward to our Nine Quarter Ranch quilt retreat. This year was special for two reasons-we drove to Montana and twenty six students awaited Charlotte Warr Andersen and I to teach.
America, the beautiful certainly rings true as we wandered across the plaines. We visited friends and family with a favorite stop of mine in Nashua, Iowa at The Little Brown Church in the Vale which is a reminder of my church days with my grand parents.
Once at the ranch, climbing Lincoln Mountain is always a challenge.Fortunately there is a side trail which is better on the 'ol knees. My new favorite friend on the trail is a walking stick. Yes, we were in class each morning with extended stints at our work stations between fly fishing, horse back rides and hikes. This year moose was our project with mine being Moose Over the Mountain and Charlotte's Moose In the Mist.See her wall hanging on her web site at www.charlottewarrandersen.com
You can see these on display in the silent auction in Houston this November at the IQA show.

Some other favorite album shots at the ranch are:






Special Recognition of completed Moose's:








A stop over in Boulder, Colorado area found me at the Columbine Quilt Guild. It was only fitting to repeat the Moose project in an all day class. Everyone there had their own moose story. Why, one sort of pet moose just wanders the Boulder neighborhoods. But we were warned about moose encounters on the road. Not a good thing with an animal with such long legs.

Back home and a trip down Atlanta way. Three cheers for the hard working Southern Crescent Quilt Guild in Fayeteville, GA. I taught my strip picture piecing workshop with great results that included great landscape colors and a few "out of the box" fabrics too. I am awaiting the emails of finished designs.

What's Next? Future calendar posting includes the Sparta Teapot Museum for the year 2008. Yes, I am designing the quilt for the museum opening and the Alleghany Quilters Guild members will be stitching towards completion. www.spartateapotmuseum.org


Freedom Escape Quilt Retreat continues on for the 23rd year at a new location in Black Mountain, The William Black Lodge. www.williamblacklodge.com
The first week is full, but the second week, Friday, February 2 to February 16th has openings. Email or write Lee Roskamp Lundahl at 2278 Kings Pointe Dr. Largo, FL 33774 or 20lgr4491@aol.com Our project this week is a redesigned quilt from Spinning Spools, Volume #3 called Cane Cousin using the many exciting strip fabric now available. We leave the lodge one day for a special tour of Hendersonville, Flat Rock, my QuiltBuilt studio and much more!

March 31st, 2007 will be a very special first time One Day Quilt Conference at Winterthur in Delaware. Come see their historic collection and learn at the same time. www.winterthur.org
There is so much to see in the area--Longwood Gardens, Andrew Wyeth Museum and you can even kyak on the Brandywine River.

If you are touring in the area, put Burnsville, NC on the itinerary. Barbara Webster has completed and installed an amazing wall hanging in the city hall. Well worth a viewing! www.starforestquilts.com


A reminder---Every 4th Monday I conduct a Quilt Coffee Clatch at My Quilt Shoppe. It is a fun bring and brag session where we share and I get to teach a bit. Do come visit--open to all and it is free!

Check at www.myquiltshoppe.com
for any changes.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more info on my blog,

Georgia.

Home Again…Best class, Ever

The signs ups were mandatory, the hours were dependant on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, the concentration was sporadic, but intense, and the pay was not in dollars, but more in personal gratification. Yes, it was my pleasure to spend about a week with three granddaughters for a stitch and quilt class.

Last fall, Anna, 10 years old, attended the Asheville Quilt Show, www.main.nc.us/AQG
and was impressed with the youth category. By the time we got to the car, she had her design in mind and once we got to the “Quiltbuilt: studio she was asking for pattern material and fabric. She was on a roll with her violin cut out and was working on the strings when she left for New Jersey. Her project remained on hold until gram gram put the pressure on with the due date for this years show. Once I arrived she had even cut out notches on the convex curves of the violin in preparation for basting and hand appliqué. She was intrigued with the inverting method of sewing the batting, backing and front together.

She left about a 7” opening to turn inside out. The batting was pretty dense but she was able to hand set the edges. It was her idea to make musical notes to use as a quilting motif, which she cut out of felt. A zig-zag stitch secured these in place. Without a walking foot, I suggested random 3” to 4” straight lines of quilting following the stanzas. She is very proud to finish and so excited to enter her first quilt show.


Now her sisters, Claire, age 9, and Jane, age 5, were not to be outdone! Claire liked the old fashioned Grandmother’s Fan pattern and decided to hand piece the wedges together after selecting her own fabrics. One block was not enough, she wanted two on her small quilt. This time, after eyeing her sister on the Bernina, she wanted to machine stitch.
With a pencil line drawn for the ¼” seam allowance and her foot control raised on a box she was off and running. I guided her to the presser foot lever and how to cut off her threads at the end. She will never hand piece again!

Last, but not least, Jane, favored house designs. I told her a triangle for a roof and a rectangle for a door could make small houses in a hurry. She hand pieced many sections together, but became jealous of the swiftness of the sewing machine. So, she had a turn and mastered it very well. Their two quilts are destined for baby quilts for new family members. They learned the important thing about quiltmaking—it takes time and patience. I trust their achievements will go down as the first thing they did on their summer vacation.

England or Bust!

This was the slogan for my Kyak/Rambler journey with three friends. We savored the green countryside from Norwich to South Devon near Exeter. My quilt brain travels everywhere even though I did not visit one quilt shop, but I cound not pass up Liberty of London. It has changed since the last visit. Not so much fabric, except Kaffe Fassett’s line of woven stripes and the V & A collection, but more fashion, home decorating and even stationary. My one meter of sale table fabric (13 pounds or $26.00) will be a measly division between two quilt groupies. One day we rambled 10 miles through the Exeter National Park along the Bristol Channel, through sheep fields next to the Lyn River. “I’m so glad I’m Back, I’m happy I went”!

Quilt Satisfaction and Patchwork “Perks”

Recently I drove home from the Foothills Piecemakers Quilt Guild (encompasses Taylors, Spartanburg, Landrum and Greenville, SC) with a great deal of contentment. It was the night before their semi-annual quilt show and there I was giving a lecture on creativity. Hopefully, I was the kick off for their show. They had been hanging quilts all day and knew they had two full days ahead of them, but there they were. How great to see familiar faces and renew friendships. Our quilt community spans the years. Many told me of quilts they had finished from my TV shows and books. One member now joins my very private club of people who actually completed The Ultimate Postage Stamp Quilt. That quilt is on the cover of my Bright Ideas book. Check it out on my Quilt Store link on the web site. How wonderful it is to finish! Of course, having a quilt show is a great impetus, also.

“Perks” Webster dictionary claims is to make or become vigorous or lively again. That is how all quilters feel when show and tell happens at guild meetings. It is my favorite time when members take center stage with their handiwork. That night there was an amazing quilt from the Salvation Army, a wedding quilt with some awesome quilting lines and then a snappy Art quilt among the offering.

I feel so fortunate to live in a real “hot bed” of quilt activity. Being in two groupies and a member of three guilds keeps me busy. This time of the year with the yard and garden work calling makes it especially challenging. What’s ahead this spring? Teaching soon at Randy’s Quilt Shop in Greensboro. Then there is the quilt exhibit at the Folk Art Center in Asheville. www.craftguild.org
My pineapple quilt will be featured there. Actually, it is the quilt from New Ideas from Lap Quilting. My sister had done the quilt in that book so I never had my own. Well, it took me several years to complete so I named it “Finally”. It is based on paper piecing, but sewn on the front side and not a reverse situation. I will be teaching that pattern in Houston this fall. www.quilts.com



Next week at our local Arts Council of Henderson County on Main Street we install a “Teapots” exhibit and yes, a small piece of mine was accepted. I call it “Three for Tea” It will hang from April 28th until June 30th along with all of the unique and one of a kind teapots. (828-693-8504)

Certainly do not forget that I conduct a free “Coffee Clatch” every 4th Monday at My Quilt Shoppe. The topics vary, but it is a great sharing time, with instruction on many related quilt topics. Just check their web site for any changes and notification at www.MyQuiltShoppe.com


Time is getting close for the induction of Virginia Avery in July at the Hall of Fame. www.quiltershalloffame.net
I look forward to that drive up through the mountains and into farm country with arrival in Marion, Indiana. Mark your calendars and come join us.

Next blog update after a European trip. You better be sure I will be checking out quilt shops.

A new frontier for Georgia, a blog!

Quilts from my friend Luda in Kazakhstan



For almost 20 years we owned and operated Bonesteel Hardware & Quilt Corner. My, that was a busy time. How did I do it?---TV, books, travel, teaching, lectures, designing and family. Well, I had lots of help and a supportive family. Also, I had Norma, my trusted secretary. Now, all I have is the computer, my Bernina's, a retired husband, seven grandchildren and a good stash of fabric. Well, that is just about any upstanding quilter needs!

I am still designing and making quilts even though my beds and cupboards are full. What I can never give up is the people interaction. Once a month at My Quilt Shoppe (not mine, owned by Lanna Gordich) I do a Coffee Clatch get together where we exchange ideas and just have a mini quilt meeting. There is always so much to share. Everything from techniques, problem quilting lines, new tools and of course, "show and tell". Come visit if you are in the area. The store calendar is at www.myquiltshoppe.com Check out my Quilt Corner in the fabric room of the store. We have all just heard that In The Beginning, that wonderful quilt shop in Seattle, WA is closing their doors. New opportunities await Sharon and Jason Yenter. Things change!

We often question--why aren't more of our friends experiencing the joy of quilting? I contend there is no pride in saying, like I often hear on some of the decorating shows, "and you don't even have to sew it". Velcro and a glue gun are not the answer. We want to say, get with it and learn to sew. It is a joy and such a fulfillment and will open so many doors in your life. Please do not forget buttons and buttonholes. My new machine makes perfect, repeat button holes and can even determine the proper opening by the button size.

News Flash for Quilters! Great news with The Alliance for American Quilts moving to Asheville, NC. They are joining forces with HandMade in America www.handmadeinamerica.org Check this organization out on line and then join. Take a few minutes and read some of their accomplishments as they document, preserve and share our great quilt heritage. www.centerforthequilt.org/qsos/qsos/html

Another favorite long standing organization is the AQSG, which stands for the American Quilt Study Group. My goal this year is to visit Lincoln, Nebraska and see their headquarters. Blanket Statements, their newsletter, is always full of good history, ideas and notable names in our field.

The internet has become the new daily diary for quilt connections. People from my past have found me--a classmate from Oak Hall at Iowa State College and a pen-pal-well, an email-pal from Kazakhstan. A quilter recently from a western state emailed me to say that one of her quilts from my design was bought by Robin Williams (ala Hollywood!) Just look what quilt connections do for the soul. Every day a new experience related to fiber happens. My advice for those just starting with their quilt career is to keep a diary. One never knows when you will have to call upon the past!


I am proud to be participating in the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative, a program to raise awareness and fund research for Alzheimer's disease. It has two parts: a traveling art quilt exhibit interpreting Alzheimer's in fiber art that will tour the US for three years, and an on-going sale of small art quilts. All proceeds will go to Alzheimer's research.

So long for now, but look for updates with whatever crosses my needle.
Georgia