What happened to fall?

I don't know about you, but it seems like the day fall arrived, winter set in. Here's a photo of yesterdays weather -- everything was covered with a thin coat of ice and it was freezing!

My Chinese Auction Winnings!!

Gerry K. made it, Janet thought she'd won it, Carolyn stole it for herself, but it is mine, all mine!!!!!!

Seeking Creative Advice

I bought this at a yard sale for $5. It's old and not especially well made. I think it's made out of plywood with veneer on the outside. I'm trying to decide what to do to it to make it interesting. I thought maybe I could repaint the insides, refinish the wood, and have even contemplated adding a crazy quilt to the outside surfaces. Any other ideas? I also immediately thought of Gerry K. and her painting, but I can't paint!

CQI Retreat in Breckenridge 23 - 26 September 09

I attended an awesome retreat in Breckenridge put on by the yahoo group leaders of CQI. We (14 of us) stayed at a home in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. The food was awsome, the classes were interesting, and the company the best! It is really wonderful to spend time with gals who have your same passion. Everyone was on their best behavior I assume because, for the most part, all of us got along famously. (-; We dyed laces and ribbons, made polymer motifs, painted buttons, sewed, ate, shopped, hot tubbed, walked, made ribbon flowers and leaves, embossed velvet, played with punch needles, talked, had a chinese auction, shared "ugly" ties, and collected fabric goodies mostly provided by Cathy. Here are some pics of the girls!

Lace and Potassium Permanganate

Cathy gave us a lesson on aging lace at the CQI retreat. Most of these laces were a bright white before application. Some are darker because the solution was fresher or I left them in longer.

Velvet Embossing

One activity at the CQI retreat was velvet embossing -- this requires some practice (at least for some of us!) I figure there are two kinds of stitchers in the world -- those who have ironed a hole in velvet, and those who are going to!! We figured that the velvet was either cheap or the iron was too hot. Here are pics of my beautiful work (ha ha!). Leslie came to the rescue and cleaned the iron with a dryer sheet so we all learned something from my mistake!

My favorite CQ quilt of all time!

Claudina Hruby brought her stunning quilt for us to see -- her first one I might mention. I love everything about it! Here are a few pictures of it -- I never tired of looking at all the wonderful little details. Make sure to look at the fine border. The bear is also her work -- she is an awesome stitcher!

Claudina Hruby brought her stunning quilt for us to see -- her first one I might mention. I love everything about it! Here are a few pictures of it although there is much more of it to see and admire.