I'm Just Sayin

Lizzy Albright Sampler Quilt, Silke Von Hoffman

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Silke says:

This is my second sampler quilt I've sewn and even though I've been doing patchwork for over 25 years. I usually sew more modern, I also prefer hand dyed and batik fabrics.

But when I saw this great quilt with the story that goes with it, I knew I wanted to make it in the original fabrics. With each block I look at the pattern and just choose the fabric combination according to the mood of the day. There is no overall concept or working by color gradient. Only the yellow fabrics I try to use distributed throughout the quilt.

Congratulations, Silke!

2021 52 Week Challenge Class

52 Week Challenge Class: Panning
Photo by Brenda Bolton

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Brenda says:

seagull in flight at Gibson dam

2021 Smart Phone Challenge Group

Challenge: Door Knob
Photo by Bob Greenlee

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Bob says:

Actually a ‘drawerknob’. Shot with iPhone, applied Prisma Lemur.

2021 Critique Group

Challenge: Use Liquify
Photo by Lois Bennett

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Lois says:

A peony liquified,. Basically I swirled and distorted the flower petals and background using liquify. I left the center of the flower as it was originally. Also added a slight vignette.

Ricky's Challenge Photo:

Challenge: Use Liquify
from the 2021 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

This is a plant I've never seen before - and the color is not altered. I'm clueless what it is, but it was about 6" across and had a very unique radial symmetry with these pink and green leaves. After playing with liquify on the 'petals', I decided a mirror might be fun too, and maybe it's a bit of Angry Birds now.

Dad's Lone Star by Richard and Ricky Tims
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My dad and I started quilting at the same time, in 1991, the same week, without knowing the other was doing so. There's a longer story to tell about that, but for this message I want to share that his love for quilting, and his excellence in piecing, was inspirational. Quilting brought us together and we collaborated on several quilts. This quilt is called Dad's Lone Star because my dad pieced all of the diamonds to make the Lone Star. It was a quilt that we entered in many shows and it won awards in places like Paducah and Houston. 

For Father's Day I wanted to honor him by sharing this quilt and also to tell a few stories about him in order that you might have a small glimpse into the heart and soul of my dad. I lost him to Alzheimer's in 2015, but his spirit stays with me. I hope that this quilt and these stories will be an inspiration to you.

Click to hear the stories on YouTube 

Yes there is a pattern for this quilt.

Love is Love by Ricky Tims
81"x81"

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Love is Love is the most unexpected quilt and pattern I’ve ever created. It happened when two significant events collided. June is the month for LGBTQ awareness and the perfect time for sharing this quilt and the story behind it. Many of you will remember the Orlando Pulse nightclub massacre that occurred on June 12, 2016 where a gunman took the lives of 49 souls and wounded 53 others. For me, that day married triumph and tragedy. You see, I had become a huge fan of Hamilton (the musical). I was so inspired by the genius of Lin Manuel Miranda that I wanted to go to NYC and see him and the original cast before they left the show. On June 6, 2016, I did. Six days later I was back in Colorado and I was excited about the Tony awards which were to take place on the evening of June 12, 2016. Hamilton was the projected favorite to win Best Musical. I woke up that morning to the news of the shooting  in Orlando. It was such a shock—numbing. I wondered how it might affect the Tony awards, which would surely proceed as planned, but the mood would, no doubt, be somber.

2021 52 Week Challenge Class

52 Week Challenge Class: Loved Ones
Photo by Anne Meadows

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Anne says:

This opened up a whole new world! So fun to get an idea, not have any of the skills or equipment to do it but somehow get close. This is the one that my husband liked the best. The most interesting editing was playing with the color sliders after turning it into a B&W.

2021 Smart Phone Challenge Group

Challenge: Timeless
Photo by Gigi Kandler

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Gigi says:

Converted to black and white, added vignette, added texture, added border.

2021 Critique Group

Challenge: Black and White-High Key
Photo by Cheryl Franklin

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Cheryl says:

I enjoyed learning about high key this week. I was using a new lens and it started to rain. I was being watched by a protective motherly glance.

Ricky's Challenge Photos:

Challenge: High Key Black & White
from the 2021 Critique Group

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Ricky says:

This was a week where I managed to shoot a fair amount of shots to play with and see what might feel the best. Those shots are on my camera which was left behind in La Veta when I completed my quilt retreat yesterday. Somebody smack me. So it was back to square one and my iPhone. (insert sound made by a grumpy old man). Today I resumed the shooting. Later in the day the fog rolled in and I shot this from my terrace. I like the fading away and felt it would work.

Challenge: Timeless
from the 2021 Smart Phone Challenge Group

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Ricky says:

Home sweet home for me. This is the road heading toward La Veta as I approach the valley after topping a hill. It always makes me smile. We can only see a few structures, and the road, which dates it to time as "life with humans" - but otherwise, it could have been taken over 100 years ago. This road is actually the Taos Trail - which is a spur off of the famous Sante Fe Trail - and the stage coaches used this road back in the day.