May 31, 2015

Hard to believe the month is over, and summer is about to begin. I had a great time yesterday sharing my passion at the Fort Hall Replica Grand Opening.  I had some special friends stop in and visit with me, and met some wonderful folks who showed interest in my classes coming up at the Pocatello Art Center later in June! Here are some of the pictures for the day:  I got there at 9:30 a.m., to set up for the opening at 10 a.m. I used both tables at first, because they didn't know if anyone else would be showing up!

 I had the table laid out with my many projects...the red heart is the door hanger for my front door for February. It was a big hit with several young girls...one lady may sign up her 12 year old to take my class, that would be special!

 I took advantage of the church bench behind me, and laid out my antique quilt along with the quilt on the left made by Evelyn Sandusky, my mother-in-law.  We didn't know she had been a crazy quilter till after she passed away and we found several among her boxes.  The middle one is my modern version, I call "Victorian Elegance" and it is the one I did in my first class with Judith Baker Montano!

                          How apropos to have the flag and a picture of Lincoln in the room!

                                                More display on the church bench.

 

Another close-up of the three generations of quilts!

                                                        More eye candy on the table.

 Here the Calendar and Magazine by Pamela Kellogg, Crazy Quilt Quarterly is shown. Thanks, again, Pam for the invite to be a "cover girl"!!!

 Since I knew I was here from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., I knew I better have something to work on! The square in front has four squares off visiting around the country in a RR!!!

 Betty Jane showed up and used the second table. She got a kick out of me telling her that I am the "crazy" one, and she is the "sane" one, so everyone who came in the door was told, "we are the sane and crazy quilters"!!! It's was fun sharing the day with her!

             And oh my, can she quilt.  Look at this beauty, I think she called it Purple Majesty!!!

 And here I am with all my eye candy surrounding me. Thanks to my friend, Gail Kern who took these two pictures!

It was a fun day, and heart-warming to hear people say, "oh you are the one featured in the local paper"!!! Thanks to Gerald up at the Fort for sending them back to us to visit with us! I had made up a board featuring the article and the cover of Crazy Quilt Quarerly.  I also had plenty of little flyers on my classes that they could take with them!

 

So what's next.  Well, next Friday, June the 5th is our local Art Walk. And I will be set up with the two lovely ladies that own The Paper Doll! Brooke and Whitney Richardson are doing wonderful!

So be sure to stop in and see us on Friday evening! https://www.facebook.com/thepaperdoll.biz

Thanks for visiting. Next post will be after my trip to Portland, Oregon for the Brazilian Dimensional Embroidery seminar. So be sure to "follow" me so you can see that post on what I learn!!!

May 21, 2015

Happy Memorial Weekend!

This has been an exciting and eventful month for me.  See the post below for the picture of the Crazy Quilt Quarterly by Pamela Kellogg....Thanks, again, Pam!!!

I was also featured in my local newspaper, The Idaho State Journal.  I must say, Rebecca Long Pyper sure did a wonderful article. I didn't even know she knew some of that about me. Obviously, she did her homework. I don't know how long the link will be available, so I will copy it here:

Crazy Creative Quilter

• By Rebecca Long Pyper For the Journal

      Crafters know those pesky fabric scraps can overtake a project space in no time, but rather than brush hers into the trash can, BJ Sandusky stitches them into custom quilts that are winning her accolades in the craft world.

     Sandusky is featured on the cover of the May issue of “Crazy Quilt Quarterly,” the only publication dedicated to the art of crazy quilting. She is also gearing up for a two-part basic crazy-quilting class she’ll teach at the Pocatello Art Center on June 20 and 27, and is prepping for classes she’ll offer this fall with New Knowledge Adventures.

     “Taking a class such as what I offer can get a newbie started right. I then can help you not only with embroidery stitches, but ribbon embroidery and beading. I can point you in the direction of many other artists, books and websites out there,” she said.

     Doing a little research can help too. Sandusky’s Pinterest board is set up for students to figure out what styles they like best and to inspire future projects. She also writes a blog — sewkrazzy4you.blogspot.com — where she shares current works.

     Crazy quilting has been around since the Victorian era. Quilters build their quilt — no pattern necessary — by attaching randomly-sized pieces of fabric to a muslin foundation. Next up is a layer of embellishments — think embroidery, beads, laces and more. Traditional fabrics are fancy and include velvets, satins and silks, but crafters today like to incorporate cottons and batiks too.

     Really, crazy quilting is a misleading name for what Sandusky does because she makes more than quilts. She’s fashioned tree skirts and stockings, wall-hangings and purses. But the hobby has roots in her childhood. By age 10, she had already fallen in love with embroidery, “but wanted to do more than just pillowcases,” she said. She fell for the look of crazy quilts in the late 1960s, but did not create her own until 1997.

     Crazy quilts are a good bet for any kind of quilter, from beginners to those with less dedication to precision.

     “Since there are no rules and no mistakes in crazy quilting, there is no such thing as a ‘bad’ crazy quilter,” Sandusky said. “Each artist develops their own style, and all have great skills and beautiful eye candy for the rest of us to enjoy. The more embellishment you put on your work, the better it looks.”
    Then this morning I get a message from the reporter, that  a gentleman wants to talk to me about being in the Bannock Historical Museum on May 30th! It will be a celebration of quilters, weavers and more!!!  And I will be able to promote my upcoming crazy quilt class with the Pocatello Art Center!
 I will be doing the Art Walk again on June 5th at the Pocatello Art Center, so be sure to stop by and say Hi!
And then I am off to Portland, Oregon for the Brazilian Dimensional Embroidery Seminar for 5 days. I am really excited about being able to go and learn a new art to add to my crazy quilts and to my classes.

May 5, 2015

  Hard to believe summer is almost here! Our warmest to be sure, for I already have a slight tan from reading on my deck and getting out to play some golf with my hubby!

Many thanks to all of you who watched my interview with Verna Pitman.  It received 258 hits on the website, more than any of their shows.

This month I will be interview by our local paper, and I will post that later in the month. I am also excited, pleased, proud and grateful to be on the cover of the Crazy Quilt Quarterly, thanks to Pamela Kellogg for inviting me.

You can order your copy now from: http://www.magcloud.com/user/kitty-and-me   
There are a lot of great tutorials in this issue and I haven't had a chance to try some of them.  But all of the artists did a fabulous job in presenting their work!

 I have been having a lot of fun the last couple months of participating in our Pocatello Art Walk, downtown, the first Friday of each month.  Thanks to the Pocatello Art Center for helping me to set up an awesome display.

I am excited to be making plans to go to the Brazilian Dimensional Embroidery International Guild seminar in June in Oregon! I have made my own lapel pin with my initials:

So my summer will be a busy one! I am also enrolled in August, in Judith Baker Montano's class, Mountains and Valleys! This will be my fourth class and I am really excited to be going to La Veta again!!! We will be staying with our friends at Two Fox Cabins and RV!

 So with two RR's and Monthly CQJP 2015 to also keep up with, I am totally busy with my crazy quilt passion, so stay tuned for more updates later in the month. Happy Stitching and thanks for visiting!