David and I have gotten to the point where this project is almost done. He finished up some beading on his and I just have to do some color work on mine. The biggest issue with mine is that it seems to have shrunk from the massive stitching and the washing I did to get the "wash out pens" washed out. I used the pillowcase method of finishing it and I did not allow enough extra in my measurements to make up for the shrinkage. The exhibit requirements are:

BLACK AND WHITE WITH A TWIST is a themed exhibit to be shown at the Long Beach International Quilt Festival in July 2012.  The quilts should be 30” wide x 54” long in a portrait format.  The quilt shall be all black and white, with no grayscale, unless it is used as the 10% color.  The “Twist” of color shall not exceed 10% of the total area or the equivalent of a 13” x 13: square, cut up and spread anywhere onto the quilt.

My only option at this point is to try to block it to recover some of the width and length. It is still a great piece. I am very happy with it and will use it for some other exhibit if it doesn't work out for this one. I will be bummed if it is unable to be in this exhibit as I am out of time to do a second piece. Wish me luck and send up some prayers.

I cannot believe that a week sped by since David and I visited my family in Arizona. We had a great time and the weather was wonderful. Tubac, as usual, was inspiring and fun. Of course we went to the leather shop that makes the most incredible purses, belts, wallets and other leather products. David purchased two belts. Next year, it is a purse for me. I will start saving now.

Bonita also took us to a local quilt shop, Quilter's Desert Patch, that is in a mobile home. She has an amazing amount of fabric in it. She also has a fabulous eye for selecting fabrics. David and I were not going to purchase any but alas, we could not resist.
If you are any where near the area, it is definitely worth a visit.
Quilters Desert Patch
16121 S Country Club Rd, Sahuarita, AZ 85629
520-399-2877

Just before we took off on our dash over to AZ, my sewing machine decided to go on the fritz. Seems the timing went out. David dropped it off at Paradise Sewing in Poway (where they have the BEST Pfaff mechanic in my humble opinion) and they had it fixed by the time we got back into town. I sewed on it today for the first time and it is back in tip top condition. I am still in love with my +25 year old machine.

Somewhere along the line I picked up a touch of the "mung". One of those things that you can't really identify as an actual disease but a sore throat for a day and some fatigue lets me know that things are not quite right. Got on the bike today to try to blow it out of my system. I do feel better after the exercise.

My "Black and White with a Twist" quilt for the Quilts on the Wall exhibit is coming along great. I am very happy with the way it is shaping up. It goes back to work with me so I can stare at it and plan my next design feature. David is working on his. If they are selected for the exhibit they will debut at the Long Beach Festival in July. Hope to see you there!

David and I are busy, as I am sure you all are at this time of year. We are trying to get ready for the holidays and also get some projects finished and others started for deadlines next year.

The Textures show has closed and we have our quilts back. The members will be reviewing the input from that at our last formal meeting of the year today. We have one more gathering for a Christmas party but that is just pure fun, no work. We will also be deciding on our challenge topic for next years show. Our "Wings N Things" topic for this year was very well received by the public. There was lots of positive feedback from everyone that attended the opening. I  have not seen the comments from our attendance book yet, but am looking forward to seeing those remarks.

David and I will be working on our "Black and White with a Twist" quilts that will be for next years Quilts on the Wall exhibit. David has his designed, mine is about half done but I have it well defined in my mind what I want to do. David has even started picking fabrics.

We are now back in the studio! This is a huge relief. I am so happy to be able to walk in there, pick up a project and actually start working on it right then. The new sewing machine cabinet is great. I love the fact that it has the power lift for the machines so we can raise and lower them as needed. We are currently waiting on our custom inserts so that everything will be flush to the surface while sewing.

I am now in the process or starting my savings plan for a new computer. I am in the market for a desktop (a little more bang for the buck) so if anyone has a PC brand that they love please let me know. I am going to try to get one in about 6 months.