Saturday’s demo……..

The Festival of Quilts, held in conjunction with Spring Grove’s “Uffda Fest” (very Norwegian!!!), was a huge success! The quilts I shared in the previous post were ones that had been for sale. There were 14 that did sell for the asking price. There was a good response to the lecture on quilt documentation, also. The vendors reported healthy sales. For most of those who came through the display, my micro-stippling demo was a technique totally unknown. There were a few who thought it was “trapunto” and thought the idea of ‘flattening’ the background areas to give a lofty texture to the motif was quite interesting. I had opportunity to demonstrate the procedure and offer the hints I have learned to make it less physically demanding and more easily accomplished. Such things as good lighting and proper chair height can be, literally, a major ‘pain’ if not correct. In the picture you will notice that my foot control/feet are on a small platform. That gives me the little bit of added height so that the back of my legs do not rest on the forward edge of my chair (which would hinder my leg circulation after a length of time!). Although I have a great pair of gloves to wear while quilting (for that necessary ‘grip’ on the fabric), I have started putting a drop of glycerin on my finger tips. Rubbing it in leaves my fingers slightly ‘tacky’ (without any transfer to the fabric, however) for several hours of quilting. The bottle I purchased a couple of months ago (at Walmart for around $2) still appears full and will probably last me a lifetime! My thanks to Leah Day and her QAL (Quilt ALong) last spring for introducing so many to the world of “micro-stippling” FMQ. Now, on to the next project(s)………