A Week with Ricky and Hugo

Did I mention I love workshops? Oh, and retreats? Oh, and Colorado? Oh and Ricky Tims? Oh, and camping? Put them all together and this was how I spent a week in May of this year (2022).

I loaded up a couple of my Ricky Tims projects - Colorado Rhapsody, and the Portland Maine Lighthouse (each of these quilts will get their own post later), my sewing machine and sewing tackle box into Tilley - my new to me toy hauler (hauling a sewing machine, not motor cycles), and headed west for LaVeta Colorado where Ricky lives, creates, and holds his retreats.

I went on a retreat back in May 2019, which is when I started Colorado Rhapsody. At that time I didn't have a trailer, so I stayed at LaVeta Inn, a very nice, but pricey hotel. So on this trip, I decided to bring Tilley and camp in the local RV park - that way I could spend money on Ricky's hand dyed fabric instead of a hotel room and eating out.  A Quilter has her priorities!

My son AJ's birthday was on Sunday May 22, so I left bright and early on Monday, stayed in a church parking lot in Lamar, Colorado (thanks Harvest Host) and arrived in LaVeta by mid day on Tuesday. Except for some bumpy roads which resulted in one of Tilley's windows busting out, the trip was uneventful (no speeding tickets for me this time). 

The RV park was just a block from Ricky's retreat center, so I could actually walk. Did I walk? No, but I could have! I was able to pack lunches, cook breakfast and dinner, so I saved some money, which, of course, I spent on fabric and a new hat in LaVeta.

There were 6 of us quilters there, plus Ricky and Hugo, so we got lots of personal attention from Ricky (well, and Hugo too - he cooked a fabulous lunch for us one day, and kept the jokes and teasing going all week). Everyone worked on a different project, so we got to hear Ricky's guidance on multiple techniques. Several of us were working on the Rhapsody technique.

With Ricky's help, I finished designing, cutting, and ironing on a million applique shapes that illustrate Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, the Tree of Life, and the cardinal directions - all to represent Colorado in my 50 Quilts for 50 States project. Stitching these million shapes down has been my focus for the remainder of the summer and I'm only about 2/3 done. I heard Ricky when he said that you can have as many fiddly shapes as you want, but remember that you'll have to sew each one down. Somehow it didn't really register though.

After the designing and cutting was complete, I moved on to a
second quilt - Portland Maine Lighthouse. This quilt uses the Gridified Art Quilt technique that I learned in a online workshop I took with Ricky last summer. So I finished (well, started actually) foundation piecing the lighthouse tower and house, started the background blocks, and made some really good progress. I needed some addition sky fabric, so I couldn't complete it there, but almost! 

It was a productive week with some really great quilters who are now new friends. We had dinner at a couple of great local restaurants, visited the home of one of our local students, shared music, quilting ideas, stories, and basically bonded over the week. Here is some of their work - they are some talented artists!

I hope I can do this retreat on a semi-regular basis - maybe every couple of years. I learn so much about my creative process and various techniques. And of course LaVeta is beautiful!

Curious about Ricky Tims and his quilting, photography, and music? Check out this multi-talented man here, on his website.

Color and Form Converge in Convergence

 As many of you know, Ricky Tims is one of my favorite humans and quilt makers. One of my favorite Ricky quilt designs is Convergence. I made my first Convergence quilt back probably about 8 years ago (I really need to be better about my quilt documentation). It was so fun to see the magic happen when those strips came together. That magic happens every time! 

Last weekend I taught Convergence at Quilting Bits and Pieces in Eudora. The class was really fun and all the students made magic with their fabric choices.

Of course I made another Convergence for class sample. Totally difference fabric vibes. Different magic.

During class, I used a third set of fabrics as a demonstration. These were Kaffe fabrics I found in my stash. Since you only need a FQ of each fabric, it was easy to find 4 Kaffe Collective fabrics that worked well together.

The Convergence Quilt is really simple to make. Without giving away all of Ricky's secrets (You really should get this book!), Convergence is made by slicing, converging,  and resewing. Twice. The process is simple and what gives each one a unique look is: 1. fabric choices, and 2. border creativity.

My first Convergence featured simple stripes in the borders. Number 3 (with the blue, green, and purple) is going to have some of the blue butterfly print cut on the diagonal with a complementing (maybe the blue) fabric. Sort of like this one I found on Pinterest.

I could make a million of these. And I just might!

Curious about Convergence? Check out Ricky's Convergence book. You'll love it.

 

My Favorite Designers - Chapter 2 Ricky Tims

I jabbered all through dinner with my family about Ricky Tims' Luminarium that I just got home from. I'm full of wonder and speechless too. Full of ideas and inspiration. Full of gratitude for Ricky's generosity - he is willing to share all he has learned. His story, his music, and his quilts.



In addition to yards of gorgeous hand-dyed fabric and music CDs, I came home with a complete and useful syllabus of all Ricky's techniques. I'm psyched. I want to try it all - and Ricky knew I would. His last words to the 175 of us in the audience (although I was in the front row and I thought he was talking just to me), was to go home and before we start something new, we should finish something. I've got some binding to finish, so that should fit the bill.

OK, so why is Ricky one of my favorite designers? Let me count the ways!

• The Quilt Show - I've been a subscriber for many years and I love it. I've started/done 4 BOMs and I really enjoy the shows.

• Patterns - or rather I should say techniques, that lead the quilter through a process to design beautiful one of a kind quilts.

• Hand-dyed fabrics that look like suede and have a wonderful hand to them.

• Ricky Tims' Stable Stuff Poly. A very versitile leave-in stabilizer.

• Ricky Tims' Razzle Dazzle thread by Superior. This eye-catching thread is great for bobbin play and couching.

• Music that both soothes and elevates the soul.

• He is nice, generous, talented. Oh, and by the way, soooo cute.

I've made one of Ricky's Convergence Quilts. I call it Kaffe Fassett meets Ricky Tims. I used Kaffe's fabric with Ricky's Convergence Pattern. It really is an easy pattern with lots of impact. I can see lots more of these in my future. I bought some of Ricky's hand-dyed fabrics that will look great in this pattern.

My next Ricky technique will be the Kool Kaleidoscope. I'm going to start this one in April when things slow down a bit and I finish a few things. I'm also getting on the list to go to LaVeta in 2019 for a small group retreat with Ricky. Can't wait!

The quilts, fabrics, and music are spectacular. But the real impact comes from his inspirational words and ideas: time is precious, carpe diem, quilting should be fun, know yourself, if you want to be a quilter - then get out there and just do it.

If you have a chance to go to one of Ricky's workshops, lectures or retreats, run, do not walk, to sign up. It will be well worth it.
Carpe Diem and Keep Curious!

Houston International Quilt Festival - Quilts, Classes, and Vendors, OH MY!

Do you have a quilting bucket list? Yeah, me too! 😁
Quilting Cruise
Paducah
QuiltCon
Ricky Tims
Kaffe Fassett
Road To California
Retreats
Paula Nadelstern
Susan Cleveland
Bargello quilt
Self-Portrait quilt
Victoria Findlay-Wolfe
Double Wedding Ring quilt
Among other things.
HOUSTON! Check it off the list!

Yep, I went to Houston International Quilt Festival this year. Not only did I go, but did the whole enchilada when I got there. It was a a super experience all around.

We (Shari, Cyndy, Jeri and I) started planning this several months ago. We sent in our class requests on the first day - lesson learned: don't mail it in, fax it next time. I didn't get all the courses I asked for, but I did get some really good ones.

Shari reserved the hotel - a great one on the shuttle bus route. We tried all three restaurants in the hotel ($$$, $$ and $) - they were all great.

Classes - I'll do a separate post on each class, they were all fantastic. Laura Murray's paint sticks and stamps on fabrics, Paula Nadelstern's Simple Blocks with Complex Fabrics, Gyleen Fitzgerald's Bent Star, Catherine Redford's Introduction to Wool Applique, Ricky Tims' Six Weeks in Six Hours, and Saturday Sampler.

Quilt Exhibits - Festival winners and entries, Lion King, Passacaglia Millifiori quilts, Houston Quilt Guild . . .

Vendors - Oh my word. I've never seen so many vendors at a show of any kind. 25 rows of vendors. I spent way too much money, of course, but I came home with some really special goodies.



And we had soooo much fun. Talking, laughing, sipping, eating, shopping, sewing, beading, learning. Quilting friends are the best!

What? Another New BOM? Yep - Forest Quilt Along

Facebook can be dangerous - we all know that. It's especially dangerous for someone like me who is addicted to Block of the Month quilts. 

I follow several groups on FB - one of them is "For the love of paper piecing". That's me! I love paper piecing - foundation piecing to be more descriptive and to differential this technique from English Paper Piecing (which I also love and for which there is also a FB group).  

Several weeks ago, Janeen Van Niekerk from South Africa posted to the FB group that she was starting a 12 week quilt along. Oh Boy! The quilt is sooooo cute. I couldn't resist and can hardly wait til March 4th when it starts. Come to think about it, it's not a BOM, its a BOW, so maybe it doesn't count against my BOM count (grin).



I'm thinking about using Ricky Tims' Stable Stuff Poly because it's a great medium for foundation piecing, it can go through the printer, and it doesn't have to be removed (my least favorite part of paper piecing). 


So, my plan is to purchase fabric for the sky and use my scraps for the trees, critters and flying geese. I'll let you know if I stick to my plan. Once I get into my green fabric scraps I may have to add a piece or two to get the contrast. We'll see!

Only a week to wait! Curious about foundation piecing? Check out this tutorial.  Want to join in the Forest Quilt-A-Long? See Janeen's website to sign up.

P.S. I'm writing this from Lawrence Memorial Hospital. My sweetie Saul has had some heart issues and is currently recovering from a catheterization and had a stent put it. He is doing well and will be home soon. During idle time, my thoughts go to quilting . . .

Borders - Decisions, Decisions!

For the 4th project in my color and design class, I made a Ricky Tims' Convergence Quilt with Kaffe Fassett fabrics in the analogous complementary colors of  red, red-orange, orange and blue-green. Now comes the borders and I am stymied. Ricky's book offers several ideas, but I am having trouble visualizing how the borders will either complement or detract from the quilt.

I tried pinning fabric swatches to my design wall, but I just couln't seem to get a good visual. I just got EQ7 and I should be able to mock up my quilts using this software, but I'm just learning how to use it and I'm not there yet. So, I decided to try something I am very comfortable with - PowerPoint!

I really didn't want to spend time scanning in fabrics, so I just filled blocks with colors that approximate my fabrics.   Ricky's book shows blocks of fabrics used for the convergence center used again in the borders - so I tired it with 2 different rotations:
opposites                                  and                         like on like
           








Then I used tried and true black with some stripes of my fabrics and I loved it. So, this is what my Complex Complementary Convergence Quilt will look like!


Next I'll play with binding.

Curious about color!
Denise