Anna Maria Horner Trunk Show

So last night, I had the pleasure of attending a trunk show with Anna Maria Horner. It was sponsored by the Seattle MQG and held at the local shop Quilting Mayhem, and it was such a treat.

photo by Susan Pray/@sushi.farmer; used by permission

Honestly, I haven't sewn alot with AMH fabrics, but I definitely appreciate them for their beauty, and was quite smitten with Craft South both times I visited when I was in Nashville. AND, since Anna Maria is in town, I'm signed up to take a class with her next weekend making the Cross Country Quilt.

photo by Susan Pray/@sushi.farmer

photo by Susan Pray/@sushi.farmer

Seeing three variations of the quilt last night (two shown above) definitely has me thinking where I want to take it. It's big! (80" x 80") And per the pattern, an excellent vehicle for some applique, so we'll see if I go there or not.

Of course it was great to hear Anna Maria's creative story, and she shared some interesting thoughts on color and fabric etc. One very compelling takeaway was the quote from I believe her art teacher back when she was in school, "What risks did you take?" Oooh. That's a good one to ask ourselves, isn't it? Another was (paraphrased), "If you get too bogged down in the details, go bigger!" That definitely spoke to me, as I often, especially in my improv work, tend to go tiny rather than larger. Something to consider going forward.

photo by Susan Pray/@sushi.farmer

Anyway, it was a very good time, and even though they were SO different from my body of work, I loved seeing Anna Maria's quilts. I'd say she was brave from the get-go as a quilter, going colorful, bright, and big! Her use of value and scale is a sight to behold.

photo by Susan Pray/@sushi.farmer

Everyday Improv & More with Seattle MQG

It had been planned for months - a doubleheader with my own Seattle MQG - and though I was really looking forward to it, I was basically consumed with the anticipation of it all over the past few weeks.

First up was an Everyday Improv workshop! Basically, it was a chance to explore 15 improvisational piecing techniques, all of which are incorporated into my All In quilt. I took it and several other quilts to give my students an idea of ways to either incorporate the improv techniques into their quilts or be the basis of new quilt-making explorations.

What I most hoped to convey was that the techniques were a fun and easier-than-they-look way to include more improv into their sewing day to day - basically show how versatile they can be. And I think that was accomplished!

Of course it was great fun to see what the class came up with and how they made the techniques their own! I look forward to seeing more as they continue to explore.

Then a few days later, at our monthly guild meeting, I shared a trunk show.

I think this made me the most nervous. I showed my very first quilt, which was completely hand-stitched and quilted during a beginning quilt-making class in 1988....

my first improv quilt, made after taking a class with Katie Pedersen in 2012....

Improv Achieved

the first quilt I entered into a show....

Common Affection

and on to more of my more recent quilts.... 25 in all. In a nutshell, it was my quilting journey from the beginning, fraught with 'rules' galore, to the present, where pretty much anything goes. Though thankful for the past, definitely, I'm happy to be right here, creating with plenty of freedom.

Follow the Dots

Whew! All that was exciting and overwhelming all at once! But what a wonderful opportunity it was to share with the group that has meant so much to me and affirmed me over the past five years.

Photo credit at trunk show, Rachel Pascual. Many thanks to Elizabeth Gould and Kathleen Munns for quilt-holding.