Minnesota Quilters - Duluth

I flew from the Victoria International Airport bright and early last week to travel to Duluth, Minnesota for the Minnesota Quilters 31st Annual Show and Conference. The sun wasn't up when I left but the moon was. These large flowers are next to the terminal - Victoria is known for it's flowers and these welcome visitors in a BIG way.

This is the view from the DECC (conference centre) where the show was held. Duluth is on the shore of Lake Superior.















I taught three workshops: Strip Doodles (from my book Fat Quarter Frenzy Two). Here are some of the students with their blocks.

Machine Quilting: Stippling

and Machine Quitling: Beyond Stippling

Thanks to all my students for a wonderful trip to Duluth!

Saltspring Island Class

Patti T. invited me to teach a class for the Saltspring Island quilt group on June 3rd. Here are some of the students working on their Give & Take Applique design. You can see (and order) the pattern (Wiggle Room) on my website.

Just like Christmas

Couldn't wait to get the post office today to pick up a box.......FULL of great new fabrics from Northcott. First is Mark Lipinski's new line 'Oakdale'. I have an exciting design for a Give & Take Applique project for McCall's Quilting magazine planned for this. There's a lovely wavy stripe that's going to be fun to use!

The other set of fabrics is 'Flight of the Dancing Cranes'. These luscious fabrics will become a full size quilt with decorator accents for McCall's Quick Quilts magazine. Then it will find a home on my bed I'm sure.

Stay tuned to see the final quilts later in the summer.

Ruby Slippers - NOT!

When preparing for my trip to Hawaii I needed some summer-type shoes. I had an old pair of Ecco sandles that had seen better days. They fit well, the soles were fine, but the beige suede was a bit discoloured. Too much running out to the garden to move sprinklers and such!


So I asked myself - can you paint shoes? Why not give it a try. I bought some lovely Stewart Gill paints in Nashville last summer and there they sat in the jars, begging to come out to play. So I gathered brushes and stamps and had a go.


Here is my first band of colour - lime green! Those who know me see me in this colour OFTEN.

And here are the finished shoes on my feet on our deck on the cruise ship. I just HAD to get my toenails painted to match.

Quilt University

Have you wanted to take some quilting classes but the schedule just doesn't fit into YOUR schedule? What if you could take a class from your own home, at your own pace, work in your pj's if you want! That's Quilt University. I've been teaching online since 2001 and have met students from all over the world. I am currently teaching Ripless Paper Piecing and here are some examples of work from my students.

I also taught Seminole Piecing earlier this year. Pat sent me a picture of the table runner she made using the techniques taught in that class.

So, if you'd like to take a class this summer, check out Quilt University. I will be teaching Attic Windows (starts June 19), Paper Pieced Paradise (starts July 3), Seminole Piecing (starts August 28). I will repeat Ripless Paper Piecing beginning October 30. I have blocked some time this summer to work on a couple of new classes to hopefully add to the fall schedule. Hope to see you in class!

Hawaii Cruise Classes

We spent 5 days sailing from Hawaii to Vancouver - what a perfect time to have quilting classes! We scheduled one class (or event) each morning and afternoon and had a wonderful group of enthusiastic students. Susan taught beading and wool applique; Cathy designed a hibiscus flower and also entertained us with songs and stories; I taught my overlays/cutaways design and students made undersea pictures. Here are a few photos from my class:

One of the projects for all the students was making a cover for a small journal book that we had given them when we started our cruise. We brought lots of bits and pieces (beads, sequins, embroidery threads) and students had collected items to add to their book covers (ticket stubs, brochures, photographs). Some very interesting covers were created.

On our last day at sea we all dressed 'Hawaiian' and had a group photo taken on deck. What a great group!

Hawaii - the Big Island

The last stops on the cruise (before sailing back to Vancouver) were in Kona and Hilo on the Big Island (Hawaii). The youngest island in the Hawaiian archipelago (a mere half-million years old), Hawaii Island is still growing thanks to an energetic volcano. The Kilauea volcano is one of the major attractions on the island but we found that Hawaii has so much more to offer. In Kona, we rented a car with Susan and Henry and toured around the whole island in one day! We travelled from the seashore through tropical rainforests to high plateaus with grazing lands and then, finally, to Volcano National Park. It was amazing to see such diverse landscapes in one day.

We visited the Thomas A. Jaggar Museum to learn about the volcano and saw the plumes of sulphur dioxide coming from the huge crater.

Part of the crater road was closed due to this gas in the air. We also stopped along the road to see numerous steam vents. A bit unsettling to think this steam was coming from the depths of the earth!

Then it was back to the ship - in time for dinner!

We sailed along the coast at night and saw the lava flow in the distance. Unfortunately they were impossible to photograph but I can say I saw them.

The next stop was Hilo where Alan and I golfed and did our final shopping for souvenirs. If I go back to Hawaii, this is definitely an island where I'd like to spend more time.

Our last view of the islands was this rainbow - another iconic image of Hawaii.

Kauai and Maui

Our cruise included stops at all the major islands. First was Kauai, the Garden Island. Formed some six million years ago, the island encompasses roughly 550 square miles and is the oldest and northernmost of the main Hawaiian Islands.

This is the view from our balcony as we sailed to Nawiliwili harbour.
We spent part of the day on a small beach near the harbour enjoying the water and the warm sun. You can see our ship (Carnival Spirit) - looks like a floating hotel doesn't it!













The next two stops were on Maui (Kahului and Lahaina). We rented a car in Kahului and visited the Iao Valley State Park. It is a peaceful lush area with easy hikes, exotic tropical plants, and clear running water. The ridge-top lookout offers a fantastic view of the valley and Kahului Harbour.











Then we drove along the Kaanapali coast and finished the day with a round of golf on a course right next to the water.



In Lahaina we anchored away from shore and were 'tendered' to the jetty. We spent a few hours checking out the main tourist areas including several small museums, shops and this magnificent banyan tree.
The tree was first planted in April, 1873, and marked the 50th Anniversary of Christian missionary work in Lahaina. The tree was imported from India was only 8 feet tall. It now stands over 60 feet high, has 12 major trunks in addition to a huge core. It stretches over a 200-foot area and shades 2/3 of an acre.

More about Hawaii

We stayed aboard our ship (Carnival Spirit) overnight in Honolulu and our first 'order of business' was to meet all the quilters who were joining us. We gave them some last minute information about a Special Project for later in the cruise and invited them to join Susan, Cathy and myself at the Hawaii Quilt Guild's 25th anniversary quilt show.

A few of us walked to take the city bus to the quilt show and on our way we passed a very interesting building with wonderful tile decorations. We all took lots of photographs - perhaps these will inspire some new quilts. I can see potential for new Give & Take Applique designs.

The quilt show exhibited a very strong Hawaiian influence in the work, both in colour and design. Here are a few examples. The hostesses were very welcoming and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the show!

Hawaii Cruise

I'm back from Hawaii and our wonderful 12-day quilting cruise! We flew to Honolulu and spent a couple of days there before we boarded the ship. This is the view from our hotel on the first night.

And we were welcomed 'Hawaiian Quilting-style' whenever we used the elevator. This is one of the quilts that greeted us!

We toured some famous places in and around Honolulu. First is the Royal Hawaiian hotel - the 'pink' one. Right on the beach and built in 1927, the iconic Royal Hawaiian Hotel is known as the "Pink Palace of the Pacific" and ushered in a new era of luxurious resort travel to Hawaii. The gardens are immaculate with large palms and lush tropical plants. The hibiscus flowers were stunning.

We also visited the Iolani Palace. A Hawaiian national treasure and the only official state residence of royalty in the United States, `Iolani Palace was the official residence of the Hawaiian Kingdom's last two monarchs--King Kalakaua, who built the Palace in 1882, and his sister and successor, Queen Lili`uokalani. During the monarchy period, the Palace was the center of social and political activity in the Kingdom of Hawai`i. Though its grandeur was neglected after the overthrow of the monarchy, restoration began in the 1970s through efforts of concerned individuals. Our audio tour explained the wonderful features of the Palace - I would have loved to spend a lot more time there.

But...the ship was waiting and we boarded and watched our first spectacular Hawaiian sunset.

More to come as I go through almost 500 pictures!

New Simple Stained Glass Quilts

Michael Miller Fabrics has produced a wonderful line of Flower Fairy fabrics and I've used the large panels in a design from my latest book, Simple Stained Glass Quilts. What a great way to showcase The Hawthorn Fairy

and The Christmas Tree Fairy.

You will find the pattern for the stained glass (and instructions on how to size the design for YOUR particular fabric) in my book, available for purchase on my website:

Latest pattern - Aztec Sun

My latest Give & Take Applique pattern is 'Aztec Sun'. I taught a workshop at Calico Cupboard last week and here are my students with some of their blocks.

This pattern will be available on my website soon. I'll let you know when it has been added.

Machine Quilting Class

Yesterday I taught a group of very enthusiastic students all about free motion quilting at Calico Cupboard quilt shop at Matticks Farm. We had lots of fun and their sample pieces were FULL, FULL, FULL at the end of the class.

If you'd like to take this type of class with me, I'll be teaching at Minnesota Quilters in Duluth on June 12 and 13. Details for the 31st Annual Show and Conference are here. I will also be presenting my Machine Quilting class series at Satin Moon Quilt Shop in Victoria on June 18th and 25th.

PS - behind the students you can see my Block of the Month quilt, Yours, Mine & Ours.

Studio Tour

I was invited to join a group of blogging quilt designers for a virtual tour of our studios. I am always interested in seeing how other fibre artists work and how they use their space. Here are some views into my space.

This is where my major 'ingredients' are kept. I think of my fabric cupboard as a pantry. I sort most of my fabrics by colour. I have separate bins for my batiks (sorted by colour), my collection of African fabrics, my hand-dyes and hand painted fabrics. I also stack larger lengths of fabric, all folded the same way (mostly!) directly on the shelves. I think I need to do some sewing to make more space in the pantry!

Here is my main cutting/designing table. I am working on a sample from my new book Simple Stained Glass Quilts using one of Michael Miller's fairy fabrics. I will show it in my booth and at Schoolhouse at Quilt Market in Pittsburgh in May. Just under my table and to the left is a drawer unit with all my threads. It keeps them sorted and away from light and dust. It's amazing how much dust I generate! My sewing machine table is at 'right angles' to my large table. It is great for supporting a quilt when I'm machine quilting and I have an ergonomic chair that I can turn to work at both tables very comfortably. The window looks out on our side yard and faces west. These pictures were taken in the early morning, just as the birds were waking up!

I have two bookcases of books (and another one behind the door to my studio). My library includes traditional quilts, a large section of books about colour and design, many books by famous quilters and over-flow stock of my own books on these shelves. Oh yes, there is a bit of fabric creeping onto these shelves too!

Below the window to our back yard I have two rack shelving units and another drawer unit. These house my art supplies - paints, dyes, paintstiks, non-cotton fabrics, embellishing fibres and whatever else I can cram onto them. They are a new addition to my space and now all these things aren't stored under my main cutting table! The white bin to the left contains file folders with all the paperwork for my current classes - supply lists, handouts, teacher notes - those sorts of things.

To the left of this area is a 4-drawer dresser. You don't want to know what is in 2 of the drawers! UFO's - quilt tops and block-of-the-month blocks. I finish one or two each year and I haven't added any to the drawers for at least 4 years. Those drawers will be empty some day. The other drawers have my stencil collection and more fabric!

I have a great cubbyhole unit on top of the dresser. This houses embelishments - beads, buttons, fibres and embroidery threads, bric-a-brac stuff in jars (old watches and jewelry), inks. The tins on top hold stamps and stamp pads and some painting supplies.

I have an office area in our home as well. It is not in my studio but just down the hall. I have a desk, bookcase, filing cabinets and computer and printers here. You are seeing it on a good day - the desk has been cleared of all it's paper! The 'filing fairies' spent some time sorting/filing/recycling this week!

So this is where I work (and play). I'd love to read your comments about my space.

I'll be checking out other designers' spaces too. To see more studios, click "next" in the "Blog Tour" icon on my sidebar on the right-hand side.

April Showers....

We're having more than 'showers' here on the wet West Coast. Even the threat of snow! But, as the saying goes 'April showers bring May flowers'. Here's a little project I have included in my monthly newsletter. If it has to be raining, why not have a cheerful umbrella, or two or three!


I recently bought a set of Olfa's decorative edge blades for my rotary cutter. Luckily I have a spare cutter so I could change the blades and give them all a try.

My monthly newsletter is posted on my website: http://www.daphnegreig.com/

Send me an email if you would like to be added to my 'notification list' for my monthly newsletter.