Wednesday, April 29, 2015

The Paducah Story

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When I headed out Monday morning to Paducah for QuiltWeek, I was able to catch an amazing shot of my beautiful hometown Saint George, Utah.  If you haven't been here to visit - you should.  It is so gorgeous.

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The first time I have ever eaten in a restaurant alone happened on Monday night.  I think my text to Clint went something like this:  I don't like eating alone, this is lame. 
The food however, made up for the sadness I felt.  So yummy!

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On Tuesday I headed over to the convention center and the bubble - I found a poster of me in the iQuilt booth.  You can see a sneak peak of the project you will learn from my online class that will be available soon.  All the info will be available at iQuilt.com

I participated in the All Star Review on Tuesday afternoon and had a great time.  After that I met up with Elaine and Richard from AQS and went to the award ceremony for the quilts. I almost convinced myself not to go to the ceremony, but I am so glad I went. 

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Um ya - Coastal Lily won first place in the Bed Quilts Longarm machine quilted category.  Thelma tells the story better than I ever could on her blog, you can read that here.

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Best part of winning was actually meeting Thelma for the first time as well as Linda Hrcka from The Quilted Pineapple.  It was probably the most animated group of ladies at the awards ceremony.  It was an epic moment that will be remembered for a very long time.

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Coastal Lily with the Dogwood Ribbon.  It still feels so surreal.

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Thelma and I got up super early for a live local tv news shot.  It was so fun being able to talk about our quilt together.

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I mentioned our win on my Facebook account and for me, this post went viral.  Seriously over 30,000 people saw the post.  I cannot thank you all for the love on this post and for your constant support you have given me.  So much fun!

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So, I had one student - Lynn - who had the longarm needle run through her finger.  She was stuck to the longarm, they brought a stretcher and all. The funny thing was, they didn't have anti-bacterial ointment or a bandaid, but Vicky the Handi Quilter rep did. Anyway, I felt so bad, but she was a good sport about the whole thing.  The dangers of using a longarm!  I am crossing my fingers that I never experience this.

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I met so many amazing quilters, but it was a total honor and shock to have Carol Selepec in one of my classes.  She is a Paducah winner and gorgeous quilter.  I feel completely honored that she took my class.

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Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were 13 hour days for me.  It was tough and though I am not a soda or caffeine drinker all the time - I did need some Dr. Pepper to help me stay awake.  I walked into my room Friday morning and saw this Dr. Pepper waiting for me.  When you teach for AQS, they take care of you and that Terry Guill is pretty awesome.  The nicest man you have ever met.

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Kimberly and I shared a room for two nights and had the best time laughing our heads off.  It was so fun just talking to her.  It was also my first time meeting her in person, but we have talked a lot on the phone - so I feel like I already have known her forever.  She's a dear friend.

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If you haven't been to Paducah before, you should go.  I have never seen so many quilters in one spot. It was amazing.  You never quite know what a quilt show can be like until you have been to Paducah.

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On Saturday I had a book signing in the bubble.  I was just so happy to be finished with my crazy week.  I had so much fun teaching, but it can be exhausting and it was nice being able to relax and talk to people without having to worry about things that I do while I am teaching.

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Clint bought me a one way ticket home Saturday night so that I could get home sooner.  I am so glad he did.  I do wish I would have had time to really enjoy Kentucky, but this picture really describes the beauty there.  So green, blue and white.  The perfect backdrop to a wonderful place.

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I flew through Chicago and the skies were dark and dreary, but when we got up above the rain clouds we were greeted with the most amazing cloudscape.  I really don't know why I have struggled so long with flying, but I am starting to appreciate it so much more.  Being up close and personal to God's creations makes me all the more grateful for this beautiful earth.

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The best part about coming home was being greeted by these little people.  I am so grateful for my family.  Of course they were excited about watching my luggage come out, clearly it is very exciting.

Anyway, I am so thrilled to be home for this week.  I am taking it easy and enjoying my time with family.  My mom is coming in for Micah's baptism this weekend.  I will be sure to share that with you.

Also, I will be heading out again next week and will be teaching at HMQS - hope to see you there!


Saturday, April 18, 2015

Bohemian Quilt Progress

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So, in the midst of my crazy teaching schedule, I have been making time to finish my newest quilt design, Bohemian.  It will be available as a pattern soon. I will also be teaching how to piece this quilt top in Minnesota at the WOW Guild in October this year.  Looking forward to that.

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I am having a lot of fun with the quilting on this quilt.  Seriously, so fun.  But then really - quilting my own things keep me sane, for the most part ;-)

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I am loving it so far. I can't wait to share the final reveal with you all! 

So, I will see you in Paducah next week!  Follow me on Instagram if you want to share the adventure with me!  @judiakagreenfairy


Thursday, April 16, 2015

MQX 2015

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Even though I do not like to fly, it is hard not to appreciate the beauty from up above.

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I convinced my sister Amy that she needed to come with me to MQX and I am so glad she came.  She was incredible and the best help to me.  She even force fed me in the mornings, you'll have to ask her about that. ;-)

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I was worried about making sure I had time to adjust to the time difference, so we flew in a day before I was supposed to be there for the Ice Cream Social at MQX.  We got a chance to enjoy Boston for a little bit and I thoroughly enjoyed the Boston Tea Party Museum.  I love history! 

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I also love being to enjoy the textures and quilting inspirations that can be found everywhere! 

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The best part of teaching is being able to quilt!  I love being able to share what I know and have my students try it out and gain confidence in their own quilting. 

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I taught 9 classes at MQX - three hands-on and 6 lecture demo.  

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I really can't thank you all enough for coming out.  I had the best students and they made me feel so welcome.  Really, thank you!  I am humbled to know that you wanted to take my classes. It's so surreal most of the time to realize where quilting has taken me, but I couldn't have gotten here without the encouragement from all of you.  So again, thank you!

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I was able to meet Lisa Calle - she is so amazing, talented and really, really nice.  So lovely to meet her. 

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Of course, Helen and Jenny were there and we had the best time together.  I seriously love these girls!  It was fun having dinner as our sister duo.  Let's make it happen again girls at HMQS

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This pizza was a welcome sight after a week of salads and granola bars.  It was just what we needed to celebrate the last day of class.  Thanks again Amy, you are the best! 

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I want to come back, seriously.  Maybe next year?

In the meantime, I am preparing to leave for Paducah next week. I am sneaking in some quilting too.  Watch for my next post on the progress of my newest design, Bohemian. 

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Trip To Romania With Donations....

As most of you know, we go to Romania once a year and use your donations to buy food and supplies for street orphans living on the streets of Bucharest.  All airfare and hotel expenses are paid for by Green Fairy Quilts, we always use 100% of your donations in Bucharest for necessary supplies.  Clint decided to take his younger brother with him for our trip in February.  We had the airfare tickets purchased and hotels booked, but as the time approached for Clint to leave, he began having a very uneasy feeling about the trip.  About a week before departure, the US government issued a travel warning for all Americans traveling to Europe, as threats against foreigners seemed to be rising in the area.  Clint prayed for guidance and was so sick to his stomach about leaving, he made the difficult decision to cancel the trip.  However, we were successfully able to transfer your donations to our highly trusted contact in Bucharest, Gica.  Gica and his daughter were able to buy large amounts of food and deliver them to street orphans and families living on the cold streets of Bucharest.  We have many pictures from Gica, and we'd like to share some of them with you below.  We will continue to accept your generous donations and will continue planning on an annual trip to Romania

 Purchasing the food at the Bucharest market.
 Gica and his daugher.

 The food bagged up and ready for delivery!
 Happy children who will be eating a little better for a few days!
 When orphans become teenagers, they are kicked out of orphanages and begin living on the streets together.

 Most live in make-shift homes they've made out of scraps and garbage.  Most are the size of a small bedroom, and they have a stone block wired into the wall to help keep themselves warm.

Others have quilts hanging on the walls from previous trips to help insulate themselves.  We have been able to help more and more people every year thanks to your generous donations.

If you'd like to donate towards our cause, please click the "Donate" button on our charity page.  Thank you everyone!!

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Happy Easter!

I hope you have a wonderful Easter spent with the ones you love.  I am grateful for my Savior and #BecauseHeLives I can have hope in this life.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

A little bit of beauty out of all the chaos.

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So, it's been crazy around here with lots of busy work preparing for teaching.  The good news is, my machine is fixed and working beautifully.  My mom brought it down from Salt Lake and I had a wonderful visit with her.  Thanks to Jen Alexander for fixing my machine - it basically has all new parts in the front.  I think my machine has done really well for how old it is - almost 7 years and now I am sure I have another 7 years of fun creative times ahead with my machine.  I am looking foward to that. I loved being in my studio this week creating, even if it was just samples for classes coming up.

So, I am headed to New Hamshire next week for MQX, be sure to follow my adventures on Instagram and Facebook.  I am looking forward to the fun ahead!  

See you there!