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Saturday, April 9, 2016

So, I finished the portrait art quilt of my friend Dante. It will be at the El Camino Quilters show on April 15 and 16. I also have another quilt that will be there in the exhibit "A tribute to Georgia Okeeffe. This one was a stretch for me. It was ice dyed, bleached out then I painted it and then did some beadwork. Lots of things out of my comfort zone. Try to come and check out this show, it's going to be awesome.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Well, I would have to say that the last two weeks have been about the most productive time of my life. I am currently working on 3 big quilts and contemplating several others. I even had time to white glove and shop at a quilt show in Ontario, CA. It was rather awesome. I went through all my pictures and picked the my top three likes and would like to share them with you now. Although the Best of Show was awesome, I picked three others, just because.

My first favorite was "Vermeer meets Fassett" by Lynn Czaban.
Many times the girl with the pearl earring has been reproduced but I found this to be amazing, plus I just plain love Kaffe Fassett prints.




My second choice is "Duckface" by Hiroko Miyama. She continues to amaze me yearly with her art quilts.
My third favorite was a small urban graffiti piece which I'm sorry to say, I didn't get the maker's name. I really liked it, so if anyone knows who did this piece, please let me know.




In the studio, I have been working on my own art quilt. It's the largest for me yet and I am now quilting it and loving it. Here's a little preview.


I cannot wait until it's done. It will debut at the El Camino Quilters quilt show in April (I think). So come on out on April 15 and 16 to check this show out. I will give up the details closer to the date. It's always a great show.

So, until then, keep on quilting and if you get time, stop by my studio. We will have a good time.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Although I'm not doing a blog project a week, I am going to try to do better at blogging. I had an awesome quilter today tell me to keep on blogging and maybe someone will hear. So, that's what I'm going to do.
Today I had a quilting guild meeting with the www.elcaminoquilters.com in Vista, CA. Always an awesome group. Our speaker was Jacquie Gering. She is amazing. Check out her blog at http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/   She is a modern quilter with an amazing sense of design and color. It was a true pleasure to hear her speak and show her quilts.
I then went to an art quilt group meeting with Connections Fiber Artists in Oceanside. We currently have a show titled "Not your Grandma's Quilts" at the Rancho Bueno Vista Adobe in Vista, CA that will run until Febuary 1, 2016. This is a collection of art quilts from our group of nine that show all types of quilting and techniques. It really is a must see, and it's free.
This art group is also planning a special exhibit of Georgia O'Keeffe in the El Camino Quilt Guild quilt show in April on the 15th and 16th and another show in Temecula in June. Those details will come a little later.
Last night I did a little ice dyeing and once that fabric is done, I'll put up a picture. Hopefully it will turn out okay to use as the background for my Georgia O'Keeffe quilt. I also plan a trip to the metal recycling center in the am to look for gears for my Temecula quilt. I'm going to rust dye more fabric because I'm going to do the gear wall from the "Penny Pickles" children's museum. Another must see, for all ages.




I did manage to do a dozen other things today but finally got to sew a little this pm. I have been wanting to make the hexie coasters from the tutorial by @kelbysews on instagram. I wanted to make them before Christmas but couldn't fit it in. Well, tonight was the night, so here are the coasters that I made. They are super adorable made from the Cotton and Steel fabric line. It gave me a million other ideas.
So, there you have it. Tomorrow is another day and there are so many things to do. If you want to find me, stop by the studio, I'll be there all day. I have many quilts to quilt and projects to do. Visitors are always welcome. Just remember, keep on quilting...

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

                                                 2016

      Well, it goes without saying but I have to say it... Happy New Year. In this post, I'm going to talk about goals. New and Old.
      In 2015, I attempted the project a week thing but fell short. It's not that I didn't do a project a week, I just didn't take the time to blog about it. So, no credit for me. I did accomplish a lot and that 's what I'm going to discuss today.
      In my personal life, the family went to Cancun to view the Mayan Ruins. It was a great experience and one that we probably won't ever get to repeat. We learned lots of history and saw lots of sites. We saw two ruins, Chichen Itza and Ek' Balam, authentic Mexican villages and town squares. 





     In my quilting life, I opened a quilting studio in March, the same day I ran a 10K. It was awesome. We had a great turn out and I do believe everyone had a great time.














     Sometimes around April, I finished my quilt titled "Grandmother's Beer Garden" and it got accepted into the traveling exhibit "In the American Tradition". I beaded beer caps on each flower petal and had lots of fun doing so.


     I have been making a lot of bags this year. Pouches, purses, messenger bags and more. I opened an online Etsy shop "The Bag Lady at SQ" and listed a bunch. I also have them for sale at the studio.


     I have been teaching classes at the studio and having lots of fun meeting new people.


     I had one of my Gammills retrofitted with a Statler Stitcher and have been loving learning and quilting on it. I went to a Sugar Conference in June in Missouri and meet Paul Statler, took lots of classes and meet really awesome people.


     I had lots of visits with the children and we had lots of fun times.

     I was training for a half marathon but sustained an injury so much of the last several months has been spent in Physical Therapy and getting acupunture.

     I've spent time working full time as a nurse and as a faux grandmother and have been very busy.

     I joined three quilting guilds and one art quilt group. I participated in 2 quilts shows and one gallery show, all relatively local.

This show is actually still on til Febuary 3, 2016
Temecula Quilt Show
Rancho Bueno Vista Adobe














I've made multiple baby quilts, tee shirt quilts and donation quilts for the local guilds.

My orginal design.



     I'm sure there is more that I have done but can't remember it at this moment. I would say that in 2015, I have lived, laughed and loved. It was awesome even with it's ups and downs and I expect 2016 to be even better.

     So now for the2016 goals. It's very hard sometimes to make goals and even harder to accomplish them. With that being said, I'm going to do it anyway.

For 2016, I plan on teaching more people to quilt. I plan on lots of classes and teaching lots of people had to longarm. I have already joined another Art Quilt group and they have many plans for me. I am finishing up an awesome portrait quilt and am starting another one. (No pictures at the present-but if you are following me on Instagram, you can check it out there.) You can find me on Instagram at Loisspraguequilts. I do post almost daily on Instagram, so check it out.

     I will try to post more frequently, I will try to update both my facebook page and my blog. I have lots of great new ideas and would love for all of you to join me in this new year. Come by the studio and check it out, I'm making all kinds of plans. Don't forget to call first because life is busy and sometimes I'm not there. So have a great New Year and I'll talk to you soon. Keep on quilting.