It's Official!

 On a lark I suggested to a friend that we offer to teach a class this fall. Well, a conversation or two later, and here we are! The blurb below is from the Sew Portland site, where we will be teaching. Wow!

Not Your Grandmother's Sampler Quilt! ( 6 to 8:30 )

Beginners will learn to select fabrics, piece a variety of blocks, and assemble a quilt with Rana O'Connor and Linda Morrisette in this 6 session class. Class begins Tuesday October 11 at 6 to 8:30 and continues through November. $60 plus materials; no book or pattern purchase required. More than a beginner? You can benefit from Rana and Linda's expertise and "outside the box" approach.
Event Location: Portand


Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Three Wishes

I took a class this summer with a quilter I have long admired, Katie Pasquini Masopust, called Ghost Layers and Colorwashes. We worked on a practice piece, learning to draw the elements, then add floating 'ghost' layers and set brush strokes of colorwash behind the piece. We also brought in photos and began drawing the pattern for a quilt of our own based on the techniques learned in class. I finally finished the practice piece. It's called "Three Wishes" and has three leafy shapes floating on the purple and yellow strokes of color. Katie PM gave each of us a piece of wool batting to use with our practice pieces. I had never quilted with wool batting before. It has some great qualities--very light, and the quilting shows because any areas not quilted down kind of puff up. I totally did not expect the thread-painted leaves to be quite so puffy--my usual batts would not have created such pillow-like effects! The brush strokes of color seemed to need some connection to the quilt so I added a few beads. Next stop: finish my pattern and get started on a bigger piece using this technique--I am thinking of calling it "Lightning Bug Light". You'll see.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Publisher's Weekly

The touring show, "Inspiration Transformation", the series of quilts based on favorite children's books, is on display at Devaney Doak & Garrett Booksellers in Farmington this month. Judith Rosen of Publishers Weekly took notice and wrote a great article about the exhbit. Click here to read all about it!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

VOTE Online for Bali Bloom

I entered an online quilt contest! The theme this week is quilts with flowers. Of course I thought of Bali Bloom, with that one big pink hibiscus flower and sparkly beads. Take a minute between Friday morning and midnite Sunday to head over to the Quilting Gallery and vote for your favorite flower quilt. It is all in fun.

On another front, the Art Quilts Maine travelling quilt show, Inspiration Transformation opened at Devanny Doak and Garrett Booksellers this week with some great publicity. There were stories in the Sun Journal and the Daily Bulldog, and an article is in the works for Publishers Weekly Children's Bookshelf, an online newsletter about the children's book business. You may recall the 16 quilts in this travelling show were inspired by favorite children's books. It is awesome to be a part of this talented group of artists.   

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

AQM Travelling Show

I don't think it was the intention when the Art Quilts Maine guild chose this year's challenge that we would create a travelling show, but as it turns out, the theme is a natural fit with bookstores and libraries, so why not? The 15 quilts were inspired by our favorite children's books. They debuted at the Maine Quilt Show in Augusta and will open this week at DDG Booksellers in Farmington. From there, the quilts will be at the Saco library for two months this fall, and finally at the Portland Public Library (in the children's section) for early 2012. Mine is based on The Secret Garden and is called, "Being Alive is the Magic," a quote from the book. Maybe you will have the chance to see this collection of quilts and see if you can guess what book each is based on!

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Happy Dance!

Today's mail arrived with a self-addressed envelope. That could only be good news! And it was. The quilt, "Mom and Aunti Jean play Gin" will be headed to New Hampshire immediately after the Maine Quilt show for World Quilt Show New England. It is pretty exciting to get in to this juried event. Just to remind you, here is a photo of the finished quilt. I am so glad it will finally be out in the world.

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts

Fiber Arts Tour Weekend

46 fiber art studios and farms statewide will open their doors and offer special demonstrations for the Fiber Arts Tour Weekend, August 5, 6, 7 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Weaving studios, cashmere farms, yarn spinneries, galleries and supply shops will offer craft demonstrations, hands-on workshops, farm tours, and crafts for children. Activities are detailed online at http://www.mainefiberarts.org/ or in a printed 2011 Fiber Arts Tour Weekend brochure. The event is part of the ongoing Maine Fiberarts Tour Map listing 134 sites to visit all year long. Free maps and brochures are available by visiting Maine Fiberarts, 13 Main Street, Topsham, ME 04086, 207-721-0678, fiberarts@gwi.net.

See a selection of 2011 Weekend images at:

http://gallery.me.com/fiberarts#100024&view=mosaic&sel=0

See a list of destinations open for the Fiber Arts Tour Weekend at:

http://www.mainefiberarts.org/

Quilt gallery and quilts for sale at: http://community.webshots.com/user/roconnorquilts