Happy Birthday Boomer!

Boomer turned 10 yesterday, so we threw him a party.  Lots of presents and lots of treats.  The dog paper and dog bags are presents from his canine friends in Denver.  Happy Birthday, Boomer!

I'm on a roll!

I finished two more of my own quilts today.  I think I'm ready to get back to client quilting!

Big Figure #6,  47" x 34"

Big Figure #5, 40" x 51"

My longarm is once again stitching beautifully, so it's time to get back to work!

Hot off the Gammill....

Two quilts, just off the longarm.  Both are mine.  The first was on the machine when my mechanical problems started.  I managed to finish it yesterday.

Big Figure #1,  55" x 32"

 The second was quilted today.

Big Figure #3,  33" x 40"

It's wonderful to be back at work!  Thank goodness for the technicians at Linda's Electric Quilters!

ARRGH!

Oh no!  I was halfway through quilting Big Figure #1, when I hit a pin and broke my longarm.  Literally. I seem to have bent the needle bar.  I've had the Gammill for 8 years, and have always been able to repair it.  Not that I've had any big problems until now.  So today, Brian and I are going to try to get the machine off the table, down the stairs and into my car, and tomorrow I will travel 70 miles to the nearest repairman.  ARRGH!

Spring in North Texas

Bletilla

Mama Mourning Dove in the Yaupon Holly  

Sharifa Asma, one of my favorite roses.  So fragrant!

Immature Mourning Doves from Mama's 1st brood of the year.  They've taken up residence in the back yard.

The weather is fabulous and the garden is thriving!  We're growing tomatoes, potatoes, English peas, several types of peppers, onion, Swiss chard....as well as roses, lilies and other perennials.  It's a beautiful time of year!

Boomer at work

Cute cat picture.  I couldn't help myself.

Opening at Dragonfly Gallery

I'm just back from Austin, where I spent some time with Kyra and attended the Reflections in Fiberart opening at the Dragonfly Gallery at Rosedale.  It was my first gallery opening, and I was pretty excited.  The Dragonfly is a delightful place, close to Lamar and N. 38th in North Austin.

As Kyra and I entered, we were greeted by the gallery owner, Nina, and informed that one of my pieces had sold.  Wow!  The buyer was still there and I asked her to pose with Tuning Fork #9:

My other piece, Strip Study #2, looked very nice on the wall between two very impressive pieces of fiberart:

The exhibit continues through May 25 at the Dragonfly Gallery at Rosedale,  4007 Marathon Blvd, in Austin.

I finally re-vamped my website!

I finally reworked my website, www.heatherquiltz.com.  Check it out and let me know what you think!

The Big Figure Series

For the last month or so (with time off for vacation) I've been working on a new series.  My aims were several:  to find an interesting configuration and to enlarge, exaggerate and improve it, to work quickly and to not overcomplicate the project.  I've been having fun with these pieces.

While I was working on it, I felt that #2 was too basic, too empty.  I guess I was still mentally in the Tuning Fork series, with thousands of small pieces and very fussy construction.  But once quilted, I found it visually appealing:

Big Figure #2,  43" x 48"

#3 was not entirely successful.  Too horizontal and vertical.  Perhaps it will improve after quilting:

Big Figure #3,  41" x 34"

 #4 is better, I think.

Big Figure #4, 56" x 40"

 #5, which I finished this morning, is directly influenced by my trip to the Cayman Islands.  I seemed to gravitate toward tropical colors, colors that reminded me of the pink, green, orange, blue and yellow houses, the many blues and greens of the ocean, and the whites and caramels of the beaches and the cliffs:

Big Figure #5,  42" x 51"

I'm off tomorrow for Austin for the opening at the Dragonfly Gallery.  But I'm looking forward to continuing this series when I get home.  

Reflections in Fiberart

Two of my pieces were juried into Reflections in Fiberart, at the Dragonfly Gallery at Rosedale in Austin.  The exhibit will be on view from April 12 to May 25.  

Tuning Fork #9

Strip Study #2

Click here for more information, and for directions to the gallery.

In progress

Before leaving for the Brac, I worked on a series of Big Figure studies.    And finished Kyra's "Studio North" sign:

Big Figure #3

Big Figure #4

I also finished the facing on a quilt I'm sending to a Fiber Art Show in Austin.

Home from the Caymans...

We're just home from Cayman Brac.  It's the perfect place to disconnect from the real world, and we had a fabulous time. We loved the peace and quiet -- the only thing we heard at our villa were the waves, the seabirds and the squawking parrots who came by every morning to munch on the sea grapes on our property. Despite the temptation to spend every day just lounging on our private beach, we managed to get out and hike, snorkel and explore the many caves on the Brac.

Our villa, Seafan Meadows, was lovely.  We had great views of both the sunrises and sunsets and a great snorkeling reef 50 yards off our beach.  

Sunset from Seafan Meadows

The cliffs on the Lighthouse Trail

A Brown Booby

Lunch at the Coral Isle Club

Seafan Meadows from the beach