Without a doubt, I get the coolest mail!  I love hearing from you and seeing the images of your work.  This week, I received a message and images from Wendy Sanborne, of Scottsdale, Arizona, who attended my recent class in Phoenix.

Wendy Sanborne and Class Project

Hi Gail

I have been enjoying your posts and loved that you could write your diary, post your pictures with captions and both blog or email it all. You inspired me to look into it myself. I put the first page of an email I wrote during a recent trip into my own blog with a couple pictures. I haven’t finished it yet because I was just seeing how it worked. You may have inadvertently shared, not just your trip to Paducah, but a new way for me to send my trip diaries when I travel.

I also saw another blogpost on your website with photo of our group doing your class on Little House of Geese in Scottsdale.  I have attached a picture of my completed top. You also inspired me (that’s two inspires in one month!) to “get to” a small 6 x 9 windmill paper piecing that I had been avoiding because the pieces were so small. But your technique, especially with the freezer paper, took all the “fear” out of it for me. I was able to complete it easily for a friend’s birthday that week. She has Dutch heritage so I bought the pattern in Amsterdam when I was there almost 2 years ago!!!

Dutch Windmill by Wendy Sanborne

Secondly, I was able to quickly stitch the “Love” flag for the “To Boston with Love” flag project started by a Vancouver MQG when I found out about it last weekend. (I grew up in Boston and have family and friends there so doing something to share our love with them was easy) Thank you for making that all possible for me.

Love Flag by Wendy Sanborne

Here are pictures of all three quilts. (the other flags are from my grandchildren).  Thanks again for inspiring not just quilting, though that too.

Wendy’s Prayer Flags

Take care,

Wendy

Thanks, Wendy, for sharing these and also your thoughts! Blogging is a wonderful way to share your life adventures, large and small! Good luck with your blog and all your future endeavors.

Have I told you that Show and Tell is my favorite part of every guild meeting?  I love seeing what quilters create!  But I had no idea what was in store for me at this meeting – a special show and tell featuring quilts with Flying Geese and birds in my honor!  What a treat!  Sadly, my camera batteries died right as the first quilt crossed the stage, so these images were taken with my cell phone — not quite the quality to which I am accustomed!

Wanda Seale’s “Little House of Geese!”

Wanda Seale had stitched up her rendition of “Little House of Geese” from the pattern that was published in American Quilter Magazine last summer.  I love the addition of the tassels and buttons!

Janet Grant Design

Janet Grant created this design using dramatic reds, blacks and white textured fabrics.  She used straight rows of geese to show off the strongly contrasting fabrics.

Barbara Nicholson’s Design

Barbara Nicholson’s parrot design has won numerous awards and it was one of the hits of this show and tell.

Kaye Wood Design

A woman came up to say hello to me before the meeting began.  I just knew that we had met before and said so to her.   She agreed and told me that she was Kaye Wood — the one and only!  What a surprise it was to meet her in Payson, Arizona.  She has largely retired from teaching travel and enjoying travels just for fun.  But, she’s still busy making patterns and showed off her new bird house design at Show and Tell.

In all, a great meeting!  I do have one final image to share in a couple of days.  It’s on my regular camera which is packed away for my next trip.  You’ll like the story that accompanies that quilt!

I just got back from a week of teaching for the Arizona Quilter’s Guild.  What fun we had!

At the Arizona Quilter’s Guild Spring Meeting,  Helene Block came up to tell me that she had made my Little House of Geese Pattern that was published in American Quilter Magazine last summer.  Only, when she went to enlarge the pattern, her copier refused to cooperate.  So, Helene made it at half-size!  So much fun!  Thanks, Helene, for sharing!

Enjoying a meal with the Arizona Quilters Guild.  Exquisite food! — at Gerardo’s Italian Bistro.

Little Goose, Little Goose!  We had fun in class , sponsored by the Arizona Quilter’s Guild and held at the Bernina Connection.    Great students, great shop!  Thanks everyone for having such great attitudes!

I really appreciate it when students send me pictures of quilts they started in one of my classes. Here’s another wonderful quilt that began in class. Ruth Turner took my design class at Quilt Colorado in Estes Park, in 2008. I love her clever use of flying geese in the dragon and her border is wonderful. Thanks, Ruth, for sharing this image.

Hawks Aloft 2013 Raffle Quilt — All done now!

Our Hawks Aloft raffle quilt is complete now –  isn’t it a beauty?!?!  We pieced the top in a long, and very fun, weekend retreat at my cabin in the Jemez mountains of New Mexico, in January.   It was quilted by Kristin Vierra of Lincoln, NE.  Her lovely  quilting truly complements the quilt design.  Here is a closeup of the feathers:

Feather Detail

 And here’s another close-up image.

 It has the binding and backing on it and it debuted at the Albuquerque Xeriscape Expo.  Then it premiered at our annual event at the Monte Vista Crane Festival  in Monte Vista Colorado.

Actually, I guess the quilt is niot completely finished – it still needs a label!  Many thanks to all the volunteers who worked on making the quilt and the many more who will display it and sell tickets all year.  The winning ticket will be drawn at the Hawks Aloft Christmas party on Saturday December 7, 2013.  You may buy tickets from me anywhere that I am teaching this year or anywhere that Hawks Aloft is displaying it’s educational birds, the beneficiaries of the quilt ticket sales.  Or you may buy tickets on line at the Hawks Aloft Store.   Or at my Gail Garber on-line quilting store.  While you’re there, check out the other great products for sale.

Here, as promised, but a little late, are photos of class projects from my one week workshop at Quilting Adventures in the Hill Country of Texas at the T-Bar-M Resort and Conference Center.

“Women in Fabric” was designed and stitched by Peggy Fetterhoff who brought this great quilt for show and tell!

From my class, this design was created by Jana Drane! It looks to be a beauty when it’s done!

Here’s another image from my class at QA:  Betty Gilliam, from Stillwater, OK, wanted to interpret a photo that she took at Cabo San Lucas.  We figured out a “rock” filler that works for foundation piecing for the effects on the cliff!  Good job, Betty.  I can’t wait to see the finished quilt!

Another design from class at QA – this one by Susan Womack.

And, the final design photo from my class at QA:  This by Peggy Fetterhoff.  I can’t wait to see the photos when all these quilts are done!  It was a great class!

Well! I caught a bit of flack from some of my fellow New Mexico quilters for my last post. In it I mentioned how I wanted to go to the Space Camp in Huntsville Alabama and that a trip to space would really top off my year of exotic travel. Well, they reminded me that southern New Mexico is home to the Spaceport America, from which Virgin Galactic actually will fly people into space! A number of Hollywood celebrities have already booked reservations.

Their beautiful facility is in southern New Mexico near the White Sands Missile Range, which played a big role in the US space program and not far from Roswell, home of the only documented alien visit. Currently bus trips of the Spaceport facility are offered, until operations ramp up to the first flights. So, a little friendly tourist rivalry between New Mexico and Alabama. A trip to space? Or a trip to Space Camp?

But, back to the wonderful quilts from the Heritage Quilters of Huntsville, Alabama:

My favorite part of every guild meeting is Show and Tell. This original design by Beverly Penaranda, guild president, was certainly eye-catching!

Also from Show and Tell at the Huntsville Heritage Quilters, this fascinating quilt by Elaine Poplin!

I love the Wonky Houses by Fran Stinson.

Some members brought more than one quilt. Here’s a traditional design by Judy Ballance.

And here’s Judy Ballance’s original and way fun Halloween Design! What a wonderful, creative group this is. I had a blast with the Heritage Quilters of Huntsville. Thanks for showing me a good time!

Greetings from Huntsville Alabama where I taught for the Heritage Quilters Of Huntsville. What a delightful group of ladies to teach and hang out with!

From Friday’s class, Judy Ballance, finished one wedge of her star right after lunch!

And by the end of class, Judy Ballance had finished all of the wedges of her star! Good Job, Judy!

Shelia Calvert showed up in class Saturday with her nearly finished quilt from my Cartwheel Constellation that was published in American Quilter Magazine. Shelia is hand quilting her masterpiece! Good job! I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Also on Saturday, Elaine Wick Poplin dropped in at class to show off her “Rhapsody in Blue”, 2005. She began the quilt with a medallion she designed from my Stellar Journeys book. Elaine drafted the flying geese while on bedrest with her soon-to-be baby in 2004. She hand-quilted the medallion and geese on the background and then free-motion quilted with metallic threads on her domestic machine. It hangs upside down from the original plan because she likes it better that way. She uses the quilt in her high school trigonometry class to teach the subject. Very cool!

Huntsville is a delightful town in northern Alabama, nearly in Tennessee, only a few miles from the state line. Technology, space, and defense industries have a major presence in Huntsville, including the Army’s Redstone Arsenal, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and Cummings Research Park. Most important of all – it’s the home of Space Camp – the ultimate camp experience. I always wanted to go to Space Camp, or send my children there, but it never worked out. Did you know that you are NEVER too old for Space Camp! I just found out that they have adult and family and corporate team building camps. Since this is my year for exotic travel, maybe I’ll include space in the itinerary!