Plano Quilt Guild - Maria Presenting

Ms. Maria is presenting for the Plano Guild tonight.  Sherri is coming into town for the Dallas Quilt Show tomorrow.  It just makes sense for the two of us to go and support her.  Right?

We leave a bit early for the meeting in order to avoid traffic and also have some dinner.  It works out perfect and we are right on time for the gig.  Maria arrives just after us and once she is ready, we sit down for the first half of tonight's agenda.


 It's fun to be with other friends as well and Janet (who has had her cast iron pot delivered to -- don't ask) is even center stage for a bit.  Right after her --- they show all these amazing quilts in which the blocks were created during their retreat.  How crazy fun is this?

After all the business part of the meeting is behind us, Maria takes the stage.  She is speaking on how color, setting, and size all play a role in setting the tone of a quilt.  It all started in the 2013 March/April issue of Quiltmaker magazine.  The Addicted to Scraps feature by Bonnie Hunter had a block called Betty's Choice.  Maria really didn't know anything about Bonnie and she's quite honest in saying she really didn't like the block BUT thought it was because of the colors.

What was her solution?  Well to make it larger and brighter.  Once she accomplished that, she moved onto trying another method with it.  And another.  And another.  It just kept going until she had made 13.  Yes, exactly.  A Baker's Dozen, with each one entirely different and yet, all still using the same block.

At this point Sherri and I take the stage as well to help hold quilts for the duration of the program.  I hand my camera to another sweet friend (Leanne).  Enjoy the show.  Oh -- wait, another thing Maria did was use a different batting in each one and tell about the different ones.  Very cool.

Here we go:

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Oh yeah -- bits and pieces of Sherri and I may pop up now and then.  Too funny.

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Isn't this too cool?  What a great idea.  And look what we learned from her tonight.  I will never turn a page on a pattern again without first imagining it a bit differently.  Perfect.  Thank you Maria.  Love ya tons.