Friday, August 26, 2016

The Festival is coming together!

Last night I met with most of the other Festival committee members and we all got updated.  I'm just amazed at how each one is working so hard in their area and making this Festival idea come to life!  The classes are set up, speaker and lunch arranged, publicity ready to go out, and we're up and running in a Facebook Group:  Search for MenomonieQuiltFestival and you'll find us. Or you can click on this link  https://www.facebook.com/groups/MenomonieQuiltFestival/ 

The Festival will run from Nov. 10 through the 12th and is a fundraiser for the local domestic abuse agency.  We hope to raise a ton of money for them as well as offering a good time and something of interest to everyone who's here.  If you're anywhere near West Central WI (1+ hours drive east of the Twin Cities in MN) plan to stop by and participate.  We arranged 4 classes, a bus tour of Dunn County barn quilts, presentation of Quilts of Valor to area veterans since it's Veteran's Day weekend, and Laurie Aaron Hird, creator of "The Farmer's Wife" quilts is coming here as our keynote speaker! She'll be presenting in the gorgeous Mabel Tainter theater here in downtown Menomonie,  one of the most beautiful theaters in the world!

And the jewel of the weekend is the "Quilt Tour" all day Saturday.  Six or seven area quilting groups will have exhibits of their work at 4 venues throughout the city, totalling about 400 quilts.  In addition, some venues have demos, vendors, lunchrooms, and shops offering handmade goods.

This is the 3rd time we've had the "Quilt Tour" but the first time we've added the Festival to make it a weekend for quilters.  It's a huge amount of work, especially the first time, but hopefully, well worth it. Please check out our Facebook group and invite everyone you know to join.  We want the word of our Festival to go out far and wide. :)  And you can "he'p" as the kid said in the old TV commercial.

So all this coordinating takes a lot of my time, but I still spent a couple of hours in the sewing room yesterday making pillowcases for the guild charity.  I got 6 finished but have at least one more to go. I hate odd numbers so I may have to make one more for a total of 8.  I guess that's a little OCD!


One of these blue sky and clouds with tiny birds.


One of these with little blue snails creeping along.


And I had enough fabric for 4 of these "3 Blind Mice" design.  I hope the kids like these pillowcases.

When I finish the last pillowcase, I'm going to trace the final 3 blocks of the Bee-utiful Quilt Along and get back to working on them in the evenings.  I'm anxious to put them together and see what the quilt top looks like.  Here a more pics of the blocks I've finished.


This beehive block was quite simple to do. I appliqued a piece of brown batik instead of the wool that was suggested, and I added two more bees to the single one in the original design. I figured there would be more than one lonely bee outside a hive!


I love this block!  The bike reminds me of one that I rode when I was a kid, complete with the rear carrier.  I love the delicate aqua color as well but mine was blue, I think.


In the bicycle block, I used a shiny, silvery floss that I had for the spokes, chain and handlebars.  I also used a little of my glitter floss in the bouquet--I just outlined the pink swirls which you can barely see.

So, I'm off to enjoy a beautiful, cool, autumn-like day, and I hope you enjoy yours as well.

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