Apple Blossom Quilts

Are you ready for some more eye candy? Besides attending the quilt show in Joplin, my weekend was busy preparing for our guild's workshop yesterday. You'll recall I'm program chair this year and once again I decided I'd cook the meal so I prepared lasagna, baked some sour dough rolls, and of course a couple pans of my cinnamon rolls. About 9:00 Sunday night I was once again questioning why I'd attempted to do so much, but in the final analysis I lived, I have all week to recuperate and you all know I LOVE to feed people.

Our guest this month was Connie Sue Haidel of Apple Blossom Quilts . I first became aware of Connie about 3 years ago or thereabouts when a group of quilters on an online forum decided to each make her quilt "Buttoms & Blooms" which she was offering as a free BOM through her newsletter.

I added lots of my 3-D butterflies that have become my signature on the silk flower and tulle wallhangings I've made so many of. I also used some ruching here and there. And it was my first attempt at my version of McTavishing.



I was falling in love with applique at the time and Connie's patterns are wonderful. It took me a couple of years to convince myself to try her backbasting method of placement and now I'm a definite convert! I used overlays for placement when I made this quilt and realize now that using backbasting would have been so much more accurate and easy. If you haven't tried it..go to her website and click on "tips". She has so generously shared a wonderful picture tutorial on that technique as well as several other tips.

When I agreed to be the program chair for the guild this year Connie was right up there on my list of people I hoped to bring down. We had a wonderful time with 13 of us in the workshop yesterday and in the evening enjoyed a full trunk show of her fabulous quilts. I apologize for the quality of the pictures. It's hard to get the people walking the quilts around to pause for everyone that is trying to get pictures..so often times the quilt was in motion or turned at an odd angle when I got my shot off. I also had hoped to get some closeups of the two quilts she had hanging in the front of the room but missed my chance. The applique on both was amazing. The quilting, by Dawn Cavanaugh is breathtaking. Connie has recently purchased a Tin Lizzie and has started doing her own quilting. I don't know how she will have time with all the applique, designing and teaching she does.

If you enjoy the trunk show (and how could you not?) hop on over to Connie's site

Be sure to sign up for her newsletter and if you are considering workshops and/or trunk shows for your guild I highly recommend her. She's as sweet in person as her designs would suggest.

A tip..I can't figure out how to get this slideshow to run slower, so if you find it goes too fast for you to appreciate the pictures, then click on the "view all images" and go to my Photobucket site where you can pause each pic to drool to your heart's content.