Elly Sienkiewicz Rocks

Today was the workshop with Elly Sienkiewicz...Reigning Queen of Baltimore Album Quilts. And Elly herself, started the stitching on my block, to demonstrate a technique to the class...talk about thrilled....

What did I take away from this all day workshop?

• I learned how to do cutaway applique, which I had never even heard of prior to yesterday.
• I learned how to make ruched roses
• VERY IMPORTANT: I learned exactly how small an 8x8 finished block is --- it is VERY SMALL, and it is EVEN SMALLER when you have 48 leaves to needleturn applique that measure between 3/8" and 1/2" long (Can someone please send the applique fairy my way tonight...there's nothing I'd like better than to get up in the morning and find them all sewn on).
• I learned that good silk thread  and a #11 straw needle beats the heck out of any other thread. My stitches are INVISIBLE.
• I learned that you should forget about making your thread long and  once you thread the needle you should leave about a 4-5" tail and knot your silk thread at the end of the needle (as well as at the end of the thread). If the thread is knotted it won't slip out of the eye while you're sewing, and because it's just a single small knot under the eye, it won't impede your stitching.
• I learned that when stitching inside or outside corners, run the tip of your needle across a glue stick to help you push those little thread frays underneath and out of your way...they'll stick there while you stitch.

Elly is a lovely lady. She's always smiling and clearly loves teaching and the subject matter. I'm looking forward to having dinner with her tomorrow night, and following that, her lecture at our Guild meeting. (Where we will get to see her quilts, which we did not get to see today as we ran a bit late in class).

She graciously signed books (2 of mine....I brought along her two latest)

 I'll likely bring one of her older books to be signed tomorrow.

I was able to purchase her Baltimore Basics set of YLI silk thread in class (pictured below), but I have to say, I had my first opportunity to use the Superior Kimono Silk thread I won online and I'm very happy with the Superior thread and will likely order additional colors of that. Maybe they'll be at the Lancaster AQS show and I can just pick it up.

All in all, a very good day, even if it is snowing big, fat wet snowflakes this moment (Wait, was it not 60 degrees yesterday?)

Guess what Bailey found to snack on last Thursday?

Yep, that would be my handpainted Anuschka wallet that Bailey gifted me for Christmas to replace the painted Fossil wallet he chewed up. Again, he had to get my purse off the back of the chair, open it, root around inside, past the Prada makeup bag, the 2 packs of gum, the checkbook, the iPhone, in order to get this out and on the floor where he chewed off the strap, ingesting all but the snap. Something distracted him as I found it on the floor in my studio before he could do further damage. I contacted the company and was able to UPS it out to them on Friday where it will be sent with a shipment to India on Tuesday to be repaired. I'll have it back in 2-3 months (and no, it's not going to be cheap ...Bailey most certainly needs to find a job this Spring.)

And I think he needs to buy himself a dog bed, because I'm tired of finding this every night when I go up to bed

Have a great week. If you need a project, I've got some 3/8" leaves begging to be sewn to a block. :)