Antoinette's Quilt Shop in Plover, WI.

Last time I was up north I took this photo of my favorite up north quilt shop.  Antoinettes... if you are ever in the area stop in and visit them... Great shop.. nice group of gals.. and if you are up there in April you might catch me teaching a class. 
3046 Village Park Drive, Plover, WI 54467

I have to share..

I have been so blessed I have a part time job doing what I love for a wonderful shop owner, Laura ..she opened a fabric/sewing/ quilt shop called Sew With Me. It's in Waukesha WI. I will also be teaching...this is something I have only been dreaming about..I love teaching... AND.. I will be vending at some of the local quilt shows, selling my favorite patterns...Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. I will also be vending in Green Bay in March ( home of the famous Packers)...God has been blessing me daily in so many ways...I hope that my ventures turn out to be good ones. I'm so excited to get started I can hardly wait.. Check out all my teaching and vending at my new blog...
http://laurakrasinskisartontherun.blogspot.com
My next step is to turn some of my quilts into patterns..

From Heartbreak to Hope

This is very cool.. I have a quilt in this exhibit that is traveling to raise money for Alzheimer's.
"Heartbreak to Hope"
Hampton, VA
"Alzheimer's Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope" continues its five-year journey across the United States with a stop at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival XXII, February 23-26, 2012.

The exhibit will hang at the Hampton Roads Convention Center (Greater Chesapeake Bay / Williamsburg Area).

Show hours are 10 am to 6 pm Thursday - Saturday; 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday.

"Alzheimer's Illustrated: From Heartbreak to Hope" is an exhibit of quilts about Alzheimer's sponsored by the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI). Fifty-four small format art quilts (9" x 12") illustrate the disease from a variety of perspectives. They hang among 182 "Name Quilts," each 6 inches wide and 7 feet tall, which carry the names of more than 10,000 individuals who have/had Alzheimer's or a related dementia. The names of loved ones, written on fabric patches by family members and friends, honor the 5.4 million Americans in the United States struggling with Alzheimer's disease.

Blog Hop

There is a blog hop starting tomorrow. including mine....
http://laurakrasinskisartontherun.blogspot.com
all blogs will have a giveaway..
Go here tomorrow for a list of all the blogs......
http://quiltinggallery.com/quilters-fun/quilters-blog-hop-party/

Wendy Butler Berns on Craftsy

Hi all I want to tell you about Wendy's class on Craftsy... She has 3 classes on Craftsy.  The one I am watching is on Machine Quilting.. and I cannot say enough about the class.  It is a "movie" and once you purchase it you can view it forever.. stop and start and go back...if you want to check it out.. and I know you will you can go here..
http://www.craftsy.com/ext/WBMBlog4

Her second course is The art of Quilting 101 .. you can see that here
http://www.craftsy.com/class/Art-Quilting-101-Design-Basics/40

Her third course is Pictorial quilts.. this is the technique that I simply love!!  I made so many of my quilts with this technique...
http://www.craftsy.com/class/Art-Quilting-Pictorial-Techniques/38

Great News... for you

Autumn Lady ready to quilt ..Isn't she beautiful...? 

Hi all.. it has been awhile since I have posted.  I have some good news.. I have hooked up with Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.  and I will be teaching and doing some lecturing on their patterns.  There has been some exciting news with BFBCC.  They have Pat Sloan on their team and they are soon to release her quilt patterns.  They will be at Houston for all to see.  They have many other new patterns too.. I am working on Autumn Lady ( which I am making into a lecture/tutorial) Three Wise Guys  ( which I think would make a great class) and On the Prowl.  They will be launching their new website on Monday.  Also if you are in Houston please visit their booth #1544....I would love to teach or lecture on these patterns if you are interested just email me.  I am also teaching some of my own classes.
http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com

Three Wise Guys ready to sandwich and quilt.

SAQA Auction Piece

I was so happy that my quilt for the aution sold..  I received this very sweet note from the gal, Sally who bought it..
Hi Laura... I just received your beautiful quilt from the SAQA Auction today. It is so much more wonderful than either of the photos.  I love the holographic threads and the sparkly bubble fabric. Your free motion stitching is wonderful. I love the turtle backing fabric and the label stamping! I am truly delighted and fortunate to have your beautiful piece. Thank you again for making and donating it. It has a very happy home now..... Sally Signore
I thought that was very sweet... Now I'm ready to tackle another one for next year!! 

SAQA Reverse Auction My Piece !!

http://www.saqa.com/news.php?ID=1818Hi all... my piece is up for auction at the SAQA auction.. as you know today the price is $750 but, each day the price goes down.  The last day they are $75.  But, if you wait too long the quilt you want may be already bought.. keep a close eye on the auction.

SAQA Reverse Auction Starts Sept. 12

The SAQA 2011 Benefit Auction will begin on Monday, September 12th at 2:00 PM Eastern Time and conclude on Sunday, October 2 at 2:00 PM Eastern.
Last year's Benefit Auction raised $52,450. The funds raised through the Auction are critical to supporting SAQA's exhibitions, catalogs and outreach programs.
For more information on the quilts for auction please go here http://www.saqa.com/

This is my quilt "First Dive" that
will be auctioned off.  

First Dive by Laura Krasinski

Vacation...and Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

Vacation....

I just got home to Menomonee Falls from our vacation in Upper Michigan.  We stopped off up north for a couple days.  I had stopped at a few quilt shops..picked up 3 fabrics.. 2 of which were fat quarters.. I just figure I need to be a bit more frugal when it comes to buying fabric.. I need to use what I have.  At the last quilt shop i picked up 3 small spools of variegated thread.  Sooo.. I had my sewing machine, these fabrics some old wonder under and a terrible scissors.  I have a cutting mat and ruler but, no rotary cutter up north.  I decided to try and whip up a quilt for AAQI.... so I put the wonder under on the fabric with the huge flowers.  When I tried to take it off it didn't come off.. so I had to soak it in water.. then the paper came off.. and the fusible actually stayed on the fabric.  I fused the fabric flower to the yellow and black fabric.  I happen to have some batting up north too.. so I made a sandwich and started to thread paint the inside of the flower... and quilt the rest of the piece.  Since I have my old machine up north my quilting is not really up to par.    I want to add some bling to it.. or at least some beads.. this is it without the binding sewn on yet.  It was an interesting project...

And speaking of the Alzheimers Art Quilt Initiative...the traveling show Heartbreak to Hope will be coming to Quilt Expo in Madison the second week of Sept.  I have a quilt called THe Unknown Spirit traveling in the exhibit.  And AAQI are in need of more quilts... to take to Houston.. so please if you can help them out and make a quilt or two.. they only take a few hours... 8"x10".... for more info please go here.. http://www.alzquilts.org/

Another Gallery Show...and My Blue Heeler "Rosie"

I have had a very busy summer.  Not much time for posting about quilting or quilting.  But, now I can tell you about my quilt that was in Knoxville in the ultimate guild challenge.  It is called My Blue Heeler "Rosie" .... I'm telling you about it because it along with the other Blues challenge quilts from Milwaukee Art Quilters is going to be in a gallery show in Plymouth, WI. which begins this friday, August 12.  Here is what the gallery press release read:

Gallery 110 North is pleased to announce the opening of a new exhibit on the same night, and in the same spirit, as the Cheese Capital Jazz Crawl for the Arts.  Milwaukee Art Quilters ‘Sing the Blues’ opens to the public on Friday, August 12, with a reception from 5-8 pm.  The art quilts will be on display through Friday, September 30^th.    

The public is invited to meet the artists during the opening reception on Friday, August 12th from 5 to 8 PM. Stay the evening and enjoy the Cheese Capital Jazz Crawl for the Arts throughout historic downtown Plymouth.       

Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, Noon-4 PM and Sunday, 1-4 PM.  Admission is always free.  For more information contact The Plymouth Arts Center, 920-892-8409 or visit us at www.plymoutharts.org.

     

I'm going to start teaching

I am teaming up with Big Fork Bay Cotton Co. and will be teaching how to make up their fused appliqued patterns.  Traci from BFBCC  has been helping me to get ready to start teaching.  I'm going to teach at Wisconsin Quilt and Fiber Museum.  I don't have any dates right now but, will keep my blog updated as to where and when.  I would love to have you take a look at the patterns at Big Fork Bay.  You can see them here..
http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/

A Day at the Zoo..

We are very lucky to have a wonderful zoo here in Milwaukee.  The kids asked me last week what I wanted to do for my birthday and I decided I wanted to go to the zoo... It was a beautiful day today.  Not tooo hot.. just perfect.  So I wanted to share some of the photos I took... and maybe you can guess which ones might end up being a quilt... :)  This last photo of the bears foot was actually the bear laying on his back in the water with his feet up.  So his head is behind the foot.
I took the photos with my Canon A720... Yesterday Mike bought me a Canon Rebel camera for me for my birthday.  I couldn't take it today because I have to learn how to use it.. I know I will love it and have to take another trip back to the zoo...

Great Rummage Sale Finds...

Last week Tues. I was checking Craigslist for good things at rummage sales...you know ones mans trash is another mans treasure.. Most of the rummages start on Thurs and run through Sat.  But, there was this one rummage that was only on Sat.  And it said QUILTS.  Ok.. no big deal.. Bedding..you know what many people think are quilts are just blankets or the quilts you buy at the big box stores.. Soooo I waiting and waited for Saturday to come.. Thinking I would not get up in time because it is my day to sleep in... Well, actually almost all of last week were my days to sleep in.. Oh boy did I sleep in ... till 7am.. Back to the story.  I got up at 6:30.. had some coffee.. My husband was going out to look at a possible barn job so I decided to go with him... And we decided to stop at the rummage sale with the QUILTS... I browsed through the garage and then my eyes gazed on them... Bright Yellow, Pink and White with beautiful little colors.. My hands started to shake..I grabbed Mike and said.. check it out.. I asked the lady if she had any history on them.. there were 3... she said they were up in her grandmothers attic.. The woman was about 65... I took each one out of the plastic bag ( which I'm sure was not good for them to be in) and opened them up...One by one.. falling in love with all of them I decided I had to have them... She was asking $50 each...at that I thought it was a steal but,  I'm a wheeler and dealer and offered her less for all three.. and she agreed.. I paid her the money and shook with excitement all the way to the car.  I wanted to share them with you.. They are in very good shape and the Grandmother's Flower Garden is soooo pretty... They are all hand pieced and quilted.  The two Dresden plates have beard protectors on them.. The yellow one is 82x164.  The pink one is 82x48. The grandmothers flower garden is 61x40.
Now I am going to dream about the people who stayed warm with these quilts many years ago.. Amazing to think that they have held up this long... I'm thinking they are from the thirties.. 

My Donation quilt for the SAQA auction

Last year I joined Studio Art Quilters Association.  SAQA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the art quilt through education, exhibitions, professional development and documentation.
Donations of one foot square quilts are auctioned off to support SAQA and all that they do.  You can find out more information about the auction here  http://tiny.cc/sb8v7

 I am naming my quilt "First Dive" because this is my first time donating a quilt for the auction and this is the first dive into the water for this little turtle.. I used cotton fabrics with metallic, polyester and king tut cotton thread for the quilting.  And  a bit of fibers for some texture.  The whole quilt is under a piece of greenish color tulle.  I used that to hold all the little pieces of the turtle down even though I did quite a bit of quilting on him..

Mother's Day is just around the Corner.

I finished adding the buttons, and embellishments to this little quilt I made for my mom.  It is 15"x18".  The photo is her and her parents with their car.  When I first started quilting I took a class from Lesley Riley.  I love her quilts.  Finally I had a chance to use her techniques in a quilt.  Happy Mother's Day mom...!!

Working on some UFO's

I finished a small McKenna Ryan quilt last week... I really love her patterns.. The most fun I have is picking out the fabrics.
I also love Bigfork Bay patterns.. I have made one and have another one to make.. check them out.. http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com

I just met Traci from BFB in a chat room yesterday during Creative Mojo... what a nice gal..

I call it "Mrs. B loves cats and kids"

My son has had the same LD teacher in high school for all 4 years.. She is an amazing women.. My son has done so well in school because of her.  She and I have a special bond.  She loves cats so I decided to dig out all the Laurel Burch fabric I have been collecting over the years and make her a quilt.  So here it is.. and I will be presenting it to her tomorrow at school... the other cool thing is that I am judging the kids art at the high school for 2 scholarships...along with the art teachers

Our Cats..

Hi all....2 weeks ago our kitty Mr. Snuggles suddenly died at the vet.  His body was not producing red blood cells.  We found out later he had Lymphoma and it went into his bone marrow.  We were just beside ourselves sad.  Until Thursday when we brought home David...that was his name at the house where he lived.  My daughter Jessi is going to change his name.  He is sooo cute and fun to play with.  Even though we still miss Mr. Snuggles at least some of that void is filled with David.  Mr. Snuggles is the siamese.  RIP Mr. Snuggles..

One Door Opens and Another Door Closes

It is with great sadness to tell you that the gallery in Delafield will be closing.  It was called the Surrey House.  I will be picking up my quilts on Feb. 5th.  It was a really nice gallery in a cute little town.  The economy is really getting tough right now for these galleries.. Thanks Joseph for giving me the opportunity to show my quilts to the world.. I'll be anxious to get these quilts home.  I am hoping to start lecturing at guilds about my art and quilting experiences which will include a trunk show.  This is my goal for 2011.. So if you are reading this and belong to a guild please pass my name on to the programs chair.  Happy 2011...