Quilt-wise what is going on>>>

I have a lot of updating to do for the past week's activities around here. I thought I would start with the easiest! LOL
I am back to my machine and also took in a couple of great quilter's meetings lately.

I was scheduled to teach a machine applique workshop/class with the New Friends Night Group on Tues and since we were all still recovering from our yuck I wasn't really as prepared as I usually try to be. I had ideas for something different allowing us to try out 3 methods of machine applique and seeing if we had a preference but racing against the clock to be ready I changed courses in the middle LOL and remembered how much the ladies liked the Bunny Hill Designs free pattern block of the month so I took the liberty of using this April block as my sample to teach with.

Long story short we experimented with a freezer paper technique that had us fusing 3 layers together, cutting our patterns out and then using a spray starch method to hold the allowances to the backside so that when you removed the template you had a ready to go fabric applique.

I then let them try the Appli-Glue developed by Jill Finley. Some of it worked well and some of it wasn't so great. LOL Some of my fabric was very resistant to the freezer paper because it still had it's original finish on the fabric. It made it hard to keep the basket handle in place on the freezer paper. I also showed that you can also use a regular glue stick to adhere the turn under part to the paper too.

So I get home relax a bit and get the bug to start the actual applique and by 2 AM it was done LOL You can tell it was late because I forgot to change my bobbin thread on the bunny and little tiny specks of cream shows but I plan to take a brown marker and attempt to hide them...the chick needs her eye and little feet embroidered and the bunny needs his color and eye too but I kind of like they way it turned out in the end.

This is the Carol Doak Yahoo group's March BOM all designed by Carol for us exclusively. You can join the Yahoo group and get in on the fun. This isn't my favorite block I must say. Here in Utah March is an up and down month and I tried to portray that with the browns and greens, snow on the mountain and the foothills and so it's kind of depressing LOL Maybe I should have gone for March in Texas where DD says it was nice and sunny and warm.

The next few pics were taken today a the Utah Valley Quilt Guild meeting in Provo. Several people brought quilts that were "finished" projects from their QIQ piles. Some call them UFO's.

This quilter (I don't know her name) does what she calls "doodle quilts" where she translates her doodles to beautiful applique quilts. She called this her Sunday Doodles as she does them while in church LOL. She then heat set 1000 crystals on the top and it is a beautiful shimmering quilt.