March 2012 FMQ Challenge Tutorial, by Ann Fahl

Ann Fahl is an award winning quilt artist, teacher and author.  She has been teaching since 1981, the year of her first blue ribbon winning quilt. Now she travels across the US working with guilds, symposiums, retreats and quilters of all ages and experience.


The tutorial was made available during the month of March, for the individual use by participants.  Per the original agreement, this post has now been updated to remove Ann's tutorial.  But, you can still find Ann at:

blog:  “Ann Fahl's Color & Quilts” and on 
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/people/Ann-Fahl/1537707467),

.

If you have not yet completed the previous tutorials:

• The January tutorial, by Frances Moore, will be available for you to complete anytime.
• The February tutorial, by Diane Gaudynski was originally planned to be pulled at the end of February, but Diane has approved that her tutorial be left on line for an extended period.  To clarify, a date to remove Diane's tutorial has not yet been determined.  But, if you have not yet had time to complete the February tutorial I want to encourage you to take time to take advantage of having her excellent tutorial being currently available.   
• "Bonus" tutorials will be released, this summer, that will also be options for those needing to complete 12 FMQ tutorials anytime in 2012 to be eligible to enter to win a Grand Prize. 

Don't forget to visit Ann's  inspirational blog “Ann Fahl's Color & Quilts” and on through her  Facebook page too (https://www.facebook.com/people/Ann-Fahl/1537707467)!

FMQ Challenge Recap - February 2012

First, I want to recognize and formally thank Diane Gaudynski, our February FMQ expert for her wonderful tutorial, as well as all the insights she shared on her blog, to provide supplemental information and inspiration. Of course, I always enjoy her blog, but it was greatly appreciated to have her so active in support of her tutorial this month.

Diane showed us how to create beautiful feathers, outlined in a lovely echo stitch.

To help express appreciation to Diane, I took the liberty to share a few comments and observations that I've seen this month, from the participants in this challenge:

Quilters of all levels are participating in this challenge.  For many they are quite new to FMQ and this was the first time to stitch feathers for many, whereas others may have experience with feathers, but learned an new feather style.  Everyone that practiced created beautiful feathers.

Many turned their practice sandwiches and turned them into various quilted projects.

While this tutorial was certainly challenging to many, it was fun to see the results and hear feedback on how happy quilters were with what they were learning, even though many initally thought it might be impossible for them to quilt a feather. 

On behalf of all the participants, I want to extend a special thank you to Diane for providing us such a wonderful tutorial and inspiring us to learn and improve our free-motion quilting skills. 

THANK YOU DIANE!

There are over 2,000 quilters that have taken the Pledge to complete all 12 tutorials in 2012, which is a requirement to win a Grand Prize. And, there are many more quilters that are participating, but have acknowledged their schedule won't allow them to complete all 12 tutorials. At the time of writing this post, there are 200+ quilters that complete the January tutorial and took time to enter it in the monthly challenge, to win a Monthly prize.  To clarify, everyone that completes the tutorial and enters via the link is automatically entered to win a monthly prize.  The winner will randomly be selected and announced on the main page for this challenge, early March.

The objective of the 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge is to encourage quilters to learn and improve their FMQ skills, as well as gain more awareness to various FMQ Experts, opportunities to learn, tools that are helpful for those doing FMQ, all on a home sewing machine. While the focus is on learning, and SewCalGal does not want the focus to become all about winning prizes, I'm also delighted that many generous sponsors have donated wonderful Grand Prizes and Monthly prizes, that will be awarded to participants randomly. It doesn't matter how good you are at FMQ, what matters is you take time to learn and improve.

Details on how to win a monthly prize will always be shared in the same post for the monthly tutorial. Details on how to win a Grand Prize will be shared later this year, but hte basic rule will be that you will need to complete all 12 FMQ tutorials "anytime" in 2012 to be eligible to win a Grand Prize.

SewCalGal is proud to recognize our
GRAND PRIZE SPONSORS
for this challenge.
IF you are interested in being a Grand Prize sponsor, please email SewCalGal for more info.

Sponsor(s)	Prize(s)
The Fat Quarter Shop	Six prizes for Grand Prize Winners: 1 - $250 GC 1 - $150 GC 1 - $100 GC 3 - $50 GCs
	One lucky winner will receive a $200 gift certificate to The Stencil Company where they can pick out their favorite continuous line stencil designs that are perfect for quilting
Dream World	One lucky winner will receive a Pieceful Holiday Quilting Package, which includes: a Steady portable tables, a Travel/Storage Bag, Sew Straight Guide, Spinner Tray and Polish Kit estimated value: $149.99
The Electric Quilt Company	One lucky winner will receive a copy of EQ7 Retail price: $189.95
June Tailor	A bundle of June Tailor products, perfect for free motion quilting, with an estimated value over $100
	A bundle of books, perfect for those interested in free motion quilting, with an estimated value over $100

SewCalGal is proud to recognize our
MONTHLY PRIZE SPONSORS
for this challenge.

Sponsor(s)	Prize(s)
Aurifil -	sampler pack of 5 threads (12) Silk Stars Thread kit, with 12 spools of 40 wt threads:
SewSlip	SewSlip has donated 12 SewSlips!
Sewline:	Trio Three Color Fabric Marking Pencils with an extra refill package.
Quilters Touch	Quilters Touch has donated 12 bundles, each with a value of $27.95: pair of Machingers quilting gloves value $8 each Sew Precise Sew Fast Machine Binding DVD (retail $19.95),
Electric Quilt	winners' choice of Quiltmaker Quilting Designs software from Volume 1-7

The Prize Bundle for this Monthly Challenge includes:

• a sampler pack of 5 Aurifil threads, donated by Aurifil.
• a SewSlip, donated by SewSlip

Quilters Touch has donated a pair of  Machingers quilting gloves value $8 each

And, Quilters Touch donated a Sew Precise Sew Fast Machine Binding DVD (retail $19.95),



Sewline has donated a Trio Three Color Fabric Marking Pencils, with an extra refill package.

There is still time to enter to win a prize, simply visit the February tutorial for more information. But all entries for this monthly challenge need to be submitted in February, so this is the last day you can enter to win a monthly prize. This post will be updated later this week, to announce the February winner. And, an email will also be sent to the winner.

The February tuturial will be released on February lst. An email announcement, with additional information, will also be sent to those that signed up for optional emails for this event. If you didn't sign up for such emails and are interested, click here to sign up.


Don't forget that Diane's February tutorial will be available for a limited time.  SewCalGal encourages everyone to continue to practice with this excellent tutorial, to be able to apply it to your quilting projects.    And, don't forget to follow Diane's blog, as she always shares great tips & inspiration.  I also highly recommend Diane's two books, published by AQS. 

I also want to share that "Guide to Machine Quilting" will soon be out of print, plus the price on Amazon is absolutely amazing.  This is a must have book for anyone that wants to master a variety of spectacular FMQ designs.  "Quilt Savvy" is another excellent book for those serious about learning FMQ and Amazon has an amazing price. 





Don't forget that you can find Diane Gaudynski at:
http://dianegaudynski.net/
blog: http://dianegaudynski.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/dianegaudynski

Road to California Quilt Show: Sightings of Southern California Quilters

The Road to California Quilt Show is a juried show that can be extremely competitive to get your quilt on display at this show.  Quilters from around the world enter their quilts in this show, creating a quilt show of the best of the best.

While touring this vast show of spectacular quilts, I tried to search to spot as quilt that had been created by Southern California Quilters.  While, I probably didn't get a photograph of all the quilts, I'm delighted to be able to showcase many of the quilts, from Southern California quilters, that made it into the 2012 Road to California Quilt Show. 

{above}  "Baltimore in the Province", made by Ellen Heck of Somas, Ca. Hand Appliqued', Hand Quilted.  Winner of $1,500.00 for Masterpiece,  Sponsored by Superior Threads, Inc

{above} "My Gentile Giant - Ben", made by Patt L Blair, from Mt. Baldy, CA.  Winner of $500.00 for Best Painted Surface    Sponsored by Embellishment Village

{above} "My Kind of Dragon", made by Patt L Blair, from Mt. Baldy, CA Winner of $100.00 for 2nd Place: Art Critter,  Sponsored by Flying Geese Quilt Guild

{above} "A Walk Around the Block", made by Claire Victor, from Palm Springs.  Winner of $100.00 for 2nd Place: Innovative, Wall, Pieced   Sponsored by French Connections.

{above} "A View From Above", Made by Sheila Frampton-Cooper.  Winner of $50.00 for 3rd Place: Art Abstract  Sponsored by Tootsie P Yarns.

{above} "Seasonal Seranade", Made by Linda Bolhuis & Diana Shore. Winner of Honorable Mention: Art, Naturescape , Sponsored by Sulky of America

{above} A Festival of Poppies, Made by Charlotte Freeman, of Ridgecrest, CA. Winner of Honorable Mention: Innovative, Wall Applique,   Sponsored by The Christmas Shoppe

{above} "Tales From The First Ladies", Made by Eleanor Burns, Teresa Varnes.  This quilt is a winner of an Honorable Mention Award for the category of  Traditional, Large, Mixed,   Sponsored by Quilt 'n' Things

{Above} "Savannah Trek", made by Linda C. Anderson, La Mesa, CA. 

{Above} "Shadow Trek", made by Linda C. Anderson, La Mesa, CA. 

{above} Geranium Crystals, made by Sara Slygh and quilted by Lyn Beck, Mission Viejo, CA. 

{above} Lola's Feathers, made by Rebecca L. Reed, Laguna Hills, CA 

{above} A Baker's Dozen of Penny Squares, by Pam Hadfield, Laguna Niguel, CA

{above} Bella Natonelle, by Dr. Sandra L. Nehlsen-Cannarella and quilted by Susan Meyers, of Big Bear Lake, CA.

{above} "St. Marks Square", by Jan A. LaGrone and quilted by Wendy Knight, San Diego, CA

{above} "Herstory", by Linda C. Anderson, La Mesa, Ca.

{above} "Fruit of the Spirit", made by Judith A. Ledford and quilted by Shawn York, Oceanside, CA.

{above} "Santa Fe Hideaway", made by Ms. Judy Dillan, Ventura, CA.

{above} "We Are The Clay", by Teri McHale, Valley Center, CA. 

{above} "Dahlia - Nature's Fireworks", by Judy Laird, Carlsbad, CA.

{above} "The Fish I Didn't Catch with Grandpa", by Keegan T. Johnson, San Diego, CA.  This delightful quilt was part of the exhibit called "The Next Generation", for quilters under the age of 18.

{above} "Bright Baja Bugs", by Jordan Phillips, Murietta, CA. This delightful quilt was part of the exhibit called "The Next Generation", for quilters under the age of 18.


There were many visually stimulating and inspirational quilts at this show, from all over the world.  I just wanted to share with you some that were created by some very talented Southern California Quilters.  My apology to any quilter from Southern California that had a quilt on exhibit at this show that I didn't get a picture of to share. 


I hope you will consider coming to this show and conference in 2013.  We have mild winters and Disneyland is nearby, making this show a perfect location to bring the entire family!  Just be sure to mark your calendar:

Road to California Conference and Quilt Show

January 24-27, 2013

http://road2ca.com/

The way you Follow Blogs may be changing - Google Friend Connect

There are a variety of ways to follow a blog, one of which is Google Friend Connect (GFC).  Many that follow my blog, us GFC.

For those that use GFC to follow SewCalGal, I do not believe you will be impacted by changes coming down the road to this utility.  Thus, I certainly welcome others that may want to follow me using this utility.  Simply click on the "Join this site",  on the right hand column, and follow the few steps to follow.

While you may already be aware, I do want to share insights that I've learned in my research.  First,

Google has decided to retire this tool on March lst,  and has issued various announcements of their plans, with the most recent showing:

I understand this announcement as Google's effort to push use of Google+ and the impact will be associated with non-blogger blogs (e.g. Typepad, Wordpress, etc)..  To clarify, I do not view that this will impact followers of SewCalGal that use GFC, or those that use GFC on any blogger (blogspot.com) blogs).    But here are some questions that I've been trying to better understand, and will continue to try to get clarification from Google support teams (they've yet to respond to my questions):

Will GFC's obsolecence only impact non-blogger sites (e.g. Wordpress, Typepad, etc.) ? 
answer:   To the best I can tell, this planned obsolecnese will ONLY impact non-blogger sites.

Will those that use blogger (e.g. *.blogspot.com) blogs be ok? 
answers:  I believe that all blogger supported blogs will NOT be impacted.
If GFC is disabled, will Google Reader (www.google.com/reader ) will work? 
answer:  I believe Google Reader will continue to work.  I'm hoping that manually added links to follow non-google blogs will continue to work, but I have not been able to get a confirmation from Google.  Many of us will know the answer to this early March, but I'll try to update this post as soon as I have more information.

Will Google+ meet the needs for blog followers?
answer:  This is a personal opinion, but I feel this is not a good solution for blog followers. Google Plus can be automatically fed with information when a blog is updated.  A blogger can also manually post a comment and link on Google + to announce they've updated their lob.  But, a follower could easily overlook such a comment on Google+ and may not realize a blog has been updated. Thus, I am truly disappointed that Google is obsoleting this utility.  While it may only impact non-blogger blogs, it is still a disappointment.  


Google does recommend that Bloggers point followers to using Google + and they also encourage blogers to export the data from GFC.  This export may be beneficial to blogs supported by a variety of platforms (e.g. Typepad, Wordpress, Blogger), but it appears to be limited to exporting a maximum of 2,000 followers.  And, what can be done with this export is limited to what you can do with it manually.  Don't expect to be able to import it to another tool for followers to use. 

For Followers, it looks like your options to follow are now:

1. Networked Blogs
2. Linky Followers
3. Bloglovin
4. RSS feeds
5. subscribe thru email

Again, as a follower of SewCalGal I believe that you should still be able to follow via GFC.  Other ways you can follow SewCalGal are:
http://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/sewcalgal#
https://twitter.com/#!/SewCalGal
Follow SewCalGal on Google+
Networked Blogs
Linky Followers

If you have additional insights and/or recommendations, I hope you'll add a comment to share your perspective. 


Don't forget, SewCalGal loves her followers!  Fun Friday giveaways were created especially for followers.  To clarify, you need to be a follower to win a prize in a Fun Friday giveaway.  Other giveaways and contests typically give followers an extra entry.  This is my little way to say thank you for being a follower.

What does a Quilter do on Oscar Sunday?

Are you going to get dressed up today and celebrate the Oscars?

Are you getting a facial, manicure, pedicure?  What about your hair and makeup?

While you may be busy getting ready for the Oscar Awards ceremonies and parties, some of you may have decided to ignore the Oscars and quilt!

While I hope you have a wonderful quilty day today I also  hope you don't ignore your opportunity to nominate those that have made a difference in helping to make our world of quilting so wonderful.  If you haven't already submitted your nominations for the 2012 Golden Quilter Awards, I hope you'll take time today to submit your nominations.  There are ten categories, but you need not submit a nomination for each category. The important thing is you take time to recognize deserving quilters by nominating.

For more information on the 2012 Golden Quilter's Awards you can visit the page for this event.  Nominations are accepted through March 4th for the following categories:

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2012 Golden Quilter Awards and will be accepted thru Sunday, March 4th. There are ten categories that you can submit nominations for. You can only submit your nomination form one time, so please be prepared to submit your nomination any/all of the following categories:

1. Best Quilt Designer
2. Best Quilt Teacher/Instructor
3. Best Quilt book Author
4. Best Quilt Store (physical)
5. Best Quilt Store (online)
6. Best Longarm Quilter
7. Most Innovative Product (physical)
8. Most Innovative Product (software)
9. Most influential person in the world of quilting to-date, aka "Lifetime Achievement"
10. Best Quilt book publisher

While today you can get dressed up and "watch" the Oscar's, the Golden Quilter Awards you can nominate your favorites, vote for the ultimate winners, and you will automatically be invited to come to our party to celebrate the ultimate winners of the 2012 Golden Quilter Awards. Plus, those that help with PR (PR Angels), nominate and/or vote can enter to win some great prizes too!

I hope you take time today to submit your nominations. And, if not today, please do so soon as the deadline for nomination is March 4th.

The sponsors for the 2012 Golden Quilters Awards have donated some wonderful prizes.  As such, I want to recognize the sponsors for this fun event:

Thank you to the

Sponsors of the 2012 Golden Quilters Award:

I do hope quilters from around the world will take time to submit nominations for the 2012 Golden Quilter Awards.

For more information on this event, as well as insights on prizes, visit the main page for this event:
http://www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com/p/golden-quilter-awards.html