AAQI goes to Houston...

Wish I were going...

 

The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative is offering more than 2,100 Priority: Alzheimer's Quilts for sale at International Quilt Festival in Houston. Please head over to the front of the Exhibit Hall, Row S and buy a few quilts (Oct 31-Nov 4). All profits fund Alzheimer's research.

See the quilts: http://www.alzquilts.org/houston2012.html

 

If you would like to help sell quilts, rope people into the booth (it is Texas after all) or generally lend a hand, they need you. Sign up for a 2-3 hour time slots (and get free admission on the days you volunteer) or join their Text Brigade and help "as needed." Learn more and sign up here:

http://aaqiupdate.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/houston-helpers-the-aaqi-text-brigade/

 

It's so exciting to have a quilt for sell at Houston, it's even more exciting when it sells!

 

You could win this (or something like it)...

 

 

Win this quilt! The AAQI is launching a newsletter to keep supporters informed. One lucky subscriber will win a beautiful little quilt made by Martha Wolfersberger. Sign up here for a chance to win and keep tabs of what the AAQI is up to. The newsletter is free.

http://www.alzquilts.org/newsletter.html

 

In other news:

My day is this week: October 17th!  Be here or be square!  I have a fun fall block with a Halloween theme plus a giveaway!  There were 3 awesome blocks last week, make sure you catch these this week:

October 16- Cynthia at Quilt Doodle Doodles

October 17- Me

October 18- Melissa at Happy Quilting

 

See ya soon

Caren

 

 

 

 

International Quilt Festival

Going to Houston?

Every year Houston, Texas hosts the International Quilt Festival.  I've never been, it's on my bucket list.  Three of my quilts will be there.  AAQI will have a booth and sell priority quilts.  My quilts are numbered 10235, 10236, and 10237. 


If mine aren't quite what you are after, there will be hundreds more to chose from.  Help find a cure for Alzheimer's buy a quilt.

Happy Quilting
Caren

AAQI

I mailed 3 new AAQI quilts off this morning.  Can't wait for them to show up on-line.

While your here ... let me tell you about a cool Auction coming in November at AAQI.

Celebrity Invitational Quilt Auction
Twelve world class quilters have each made a quilt for AAQI's Celebrity Invitational Quilt Auction, to be held during the first 10 days of November, 2012.

This is an online auction. Everyone is invited to bid.


Row 1: Alex Anderson, Hollis Chatelain, Caryl Bryer Fallert, John Flynn.
Row 2: Diane Gaudynski, Becky Goldsmith, Pat Holly, Libby Lehman.
Row 3: Marsha McCloskey, Sue Nickels, Mary Sorensen, and Ricky Tims.

Some of the quilts are already pictured online.  They are great.  Check the AAQI website the first 10 days of November and remember to bid.  It's a great cause.  Help find a cure for Alzheimer's.

Happy Quilting
Caren

 

Congrats....

I don't normally do this but....

Over at Family Patchworks  Jan has made 100 quilts for AAQI.  That is an amazing accomplishment.  So go over to her blog and congratulate her on this feat.

And if you have not made a quilt for AAQI now is the time to do it.  They are small Priority quilts.  The are only 9 x 12.  That's a little bigger than a sheet of paper.  Most important- it is for a great cause.  Sew make a quilt and help find a cure for Alzheimer's.

Happy Quilting
Caren

Guess what...

I have several things to tell you about....but first I want to show my new AAQI quilt.

It is based on our vacation this summer.  One morning on the beach we watched a pod of dolphins leap and flip for over 10 minutes.  I've been going to the beach for %^ years and have never seen this before.  It was amazing and I wanted to remember it.

Now- what is this for?

The colors are much better in person.
Drum role please.......
I am a participant in the Glorious Autumn Block Party at Quilting Gallery

 Be sure to visit me on October 17 to find out what those fabrics are for!  I am so excited this is my first block blog hop.  I have a cool block planned and I hope a giveaway.  Spread the news!

Happy Quilting,
Caren

Ever wonder about the $ for AAQI

A little info. from Ami...

Soaring Sales for AAQI: All Because of YOU!

Posted on August 23, 2012

Every month Debbie Chenail (AAQI treasurer) and I sit down to update the Show Me The Money page on the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative website. We list every expense, we add up all the quilt sales and donations, and we calculate the profits so far this year. That number is then added to our cumulative total of how much the AAQI has raised for Alzheimer’s research. (Profits: All our profits fund research.)
Do you know of any other charity that posts that kind of information on its website? I didn’t think so. Don’t you wish they all did, so you can know how the money you give is spent?! (Sorry. I digress.)
Well, we just crunched the numbers and as of the end of July we have raised…

more than $747,000

…for Alzheimer’s research. Makes me think of an airplane, you know, a 747. I just had to tell you!
The AAQI’s “bread and butter” are Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilts. You donate them; we sell them.

So how are we doing so far? Pretty good!
Below is a graph showing Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilt sales by year, starting in 2008. So far this year we’ve raised about $56,000 through “priority” quilt sales, not counting the August auction. Last year in Houston we sold $62,000. Plus we have three more online auctions before the end of the year. (The November auction doesn’t count because that’s the Celebrity Invitational Quilt Auction, and those aren’t technically Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilts.)
If (and that’s a big “if”) we can do as well at Houston in 2012 as we did in 2011, and we have three auctions each bringing in $2,000 or more, we could generate $126,000 for the year in Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilt sales alone.
So what’s the bottom line?

If you’re making a Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilt and have hopes for Houston, get it registered and in the mail by August 31st. That gives our volunteers 6 weeks to receive it, scan it, price it, tag it, and ship it from your house to Illinois, from Illinois to Michigan, and from Michigan to Texas.

Keep in mind that there are already 611 quilts in that particular pipeline, and the following volunteers probably won’t be able to take a stitch in their own quilts from now to mid-November:
Your quilt registrar and quilt page maker: Beth Hartford
Your quilt scanners: Diane Petersmarck, Donna Moscinski, and Eileen O’Regan
Your quilt pricers: Ruth Langdon and Ami Simms
Your quilt tag-makers: Martha Wolfersberger, Jen Hinwood, Susan Vore, and Niki Gottesman
And, of course, we thank YOU, our quilt makers and quilt buyers!

Thank you! And please share this blog!
Ami Simms

AAQI Auction

The August AAQI Auction is going on now until Aug. 10.  Watch the video below and then bid for your favorite.  Help find a cure for Alzheimer's.


There are some beautiful quilts up for auction.

Happy Quilting
Caren

New AAQI quilts...

I have 3 new quilts online for AAQI.

#10235              $75.00
Width: 8.5" Length: 11.5"
Designer: Original design

Materials/Techniques: This quilt has tulle, commercial cottons, tea dyed fabrics and hand painted fabrics. It is pieced and fused with beads, trim, and thread painting. Free motion quilting finished it off.
Artist Statement: This is a copy of a pattern I made a few years ago. It shows the contentment I feel at the beach.


Read more: http://www.alzquilts.org/10235.html#ixzz1zKMGmAzy

 #10236   $45.00
Width: 9" Length: 9.75"
Designer: Original design

Materials/Techniques: The fabric was marbled and then sun printed with seashells and rice. I added ruched strips for seaweed and fussy cut rocks. The fish is a separate quilted shape. I added beads and free motion quilting to finish it off.
Artist Statement: This was a quilt I made to use some fabric I had painted and a fish I had made for a quilt challenge.


Read more: http://www.alzquilts.org/10236.html#ixzz1zKNQun00

#10237     $55.00
Width: 8.75" Length: 10.75"
Designer: Original design

Materials/Techniques: The fabric is hand painted cotton. The jellyfish is made from layers of organza and misty fuse. Free motion quilting, journaling and yarn finished it off.
Artist Statement: I am constantly inspired by the sea and beach. I have had many wonderful days at the beach ruined by a nasty jellyfish sting. I must admit, I love to watch jellyfish in the water, as they are very graceful.


Read more: http://www.alzquilts.org/10237.html#ixzz1zKNlzZ13

Happy Quilting,
Caren

ATC swap

The Quilting Gallery had an ATC Swap recently.  I joined I love the idea of ATCs, and I've gone a little nuts.  This was my 2nd ever swap.  I have received my partner's swap, I'll show them later.  Here are the ones I mailed off yesterday.  My partner doesn't know who I am so it should be OK.

The tree trunk was made with some sort of suede like fabric.  Years ago I had made the girls a jumper out it.  It's nice and soft.

The pink and silver is just crazy quilted with a bunch of fancy scraps and sequins.  The dragonfly has lots of beading and the quilting was with glow-in-the-dark thread.  The flower at the bottom right hand corner was made form melted plastic bags.  I used innerfuse instead of paper or batting in the center.  That gave them a real card like feel.
They were a lot of fun to make and I think I will make more in the future.  Anyone want to trade???

And in other news...
Here is a photo of C-girl quilting her borders for her AAQI quilt.  She used black borders with hot pink thread and quilted in wavy lines.  I am trying to let her do as much as possible and be safe!  She is so proud of her little quilt.

Happy Quilting
Caren

New AAQI quilts...

I just had 3 quilts added to the 'waiting for assignment' page at AAQI.

10,237 - Ouch!

10,236 - At the Bottom of the Sea



10,235 - Bliss


Make plans now to buy early.

-Happy Quilting
Caren

a finish and a WIP...

I finally finished my triangle quilt, still don't have a name.  It took 3 hours to quilt it and another 1 and half to bind it.  I hate binding.  I used a pile of binding cutoffs from other projects to make the binding from this one, that made it go a lot faster.

C-girl (9 years old) has almost finished her first AAQI quilt (Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative).  It is a wonky rail fence, sort of.  She started the quilting today.  She wants to try free motion, but I don;t think I'm ready for that!

So if a 9 year old can sew a quilt for AAQI in less than a day...so can you!  I throw down the gauntlet!  Who's brave enough to take it up!

Happy Quilting
Caren

New Finish....

I really liked my "Quilt Goddess" T-shirt that I screen printed. The crown is a modified design from the Graphics Fairy So I thought....Other people may want something with Quilt Goddess on it.  Quilt Goddess is a title for those who help register quilts for AAQI.  So here is my little quilt for all the quilt Goddesses out there.

Those are swarovski crystals added for sparkle.  Every goddess needs sparkle!  I'm linking this with Graphics Fairy's Brag Monday.

Happy Quilting
Caren

Return of the Quilt Goddess...

The Goddess is back.

That's right it is time for my Guild to make quilts for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.  Last year we made over 20 quilts.  This year I hope for more. 

In honor of being the Quilt Goddess, my sweetie and I made a screen printed T-shirt. 

Isn't it cute.  The crown is from the Graphics Fairy.  She has great royalty free clip art.  This is the first 2 color stencil we have tried.

Looks really good on fabric too, but I'll show you that later.
-Caren

Gotta get this...

AAQI  are you this person?


If you make quilts for AAQI grab this for your facebook page.
Copy and paste this address in your status update:
http://www.AAQI.org/share.html

then chose the thumbnail icon

Then before you post tell us a little about yourself.

Remember AAQI is a volunteer ran organization that makes quilts to raise money for Alzheimer's research. 

If you don't sew....buy a quilt and help find a cure.

Happy Quilting
Caren

Stanley Cup Quilt-Off

Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims are at it again!  They are playing in the Stanley Cup Quilt Off! If you haven''t heard of this yet...it is cool.  12 amazing, dare I say famous, quilters have teamed up with AAQI (Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative) to raise money for research.  They are divided into 2 teams.

The Feed Dogs: Alex Anderson, Hollis Chatelain, Becky Goldsmith, John Flynn, Renae Hadadin, and Sue Nickels

The Rotary Blades: Caryl Byer Fallert, Pat Holly, Libby Lehman, Judy Mathieson, Mary Sorensen, and Ricky Tims

Each have made an amazing quilt (Fallert's would look great in my bedroom).  These gems will be auctioned off November 1 - 10.  Just think you could have your very own quilt made by Anderson or Tims! 

There is another way to help raise money.  If, like me, you can only dream of owning one of these beauties you can still help your favorite quilter or team win bragging rights for raising the most money for AAQI.  All you have to do is vote (root) for your favorite.  Each root is a dollar, $5 min.

I know which ones I'm voting for!  I also know which one is going on my Christmas list!  Go to AAQI, check out the beautiful quilts and root for your favorite, or buy one of the Priority quilts for yourself or as a gift.


Happy Quilting!
Caren

Exciting news

During the last Quilt Show, a handful of quilts were chosen for the Shared Experiences exhibit at the Mobile Museum of Art.  Shockingly, my little quilt "Games we Play" was chosen to be displayed.  I am so excited.  I took the kids and met Sweetie Pie and my parents last night to view the show.  It was beautiful.  There were ceramics, glass, wood, Photography, and paintings.  And of course quilts.  It was a great show.

The picture is not great.  I got distracted.  Little Britches was being scaled by the security guard for running through the exhibit.  Yes, we did discuss proper behavior before we left.  (Strong willed and bored!)
It was a great 20 minutes!
In other news.....
The weather has cooled off quite a bit here.  Of course it is raining most days!  I have gotten a few things started.  This one is called "Cookies for Santa".  The title will be written around the cookies, repeatedly, like it's the rim of a plate.  The cookies are sugar cookies.  I know some of them will have beads and fused Angelina fibers.  One or two may have puff paint for details.  I'm not totally sure...still working out the kinks.

Only 2 weeks until School Starts...yea!  Only 2 weeks until I start another year without a job...boo!  Oh! well I guess I'll quilt!

Happy Quilting
Caren

Guild AAQI page

My guild made AAQI quilts for the recent show.  It was a great success.  The page for the Guild is up and here it is.  Not all the ladies were present for the photo.  I also did not include my quilts, you've already seen them!

Azalea City Quilters' Guild (Mobile, AL)

The Azalea City Quilters' Guild in Mobile, Alabama challenged their membership to make and donate Priority: Alzheimer's Quilts in time to display them at their 2011 quilt show. The show's theme was "Love and Remembrance." The only rule was that the quilts had to measure 9" x 12" or smaller when completed, following the AAQI's strict guidelines.

Twenty-two quilts were made for AAQI and on display in a special place at the show. The stories behind the quilts were touching. While members have made quilts for other charities, this was the first time the Azalea City Quilters' Guild has donated quilts to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.


.

7338 – Peaceful Valley

7339 – Daylight & Dark

7340 – Home?

7341 – Mary Lee, Remember Me

7342 – Home Tweet Home

7343 – My Heart is With You

7344 – Lovely Hearts

7345 – Grandma’s Sun

7346 – Missing Pieces

7347 – Two Stars for Grandma

7348 – Houses & Trees

7349 – Hand-N-Hand

7350 – Alzheimer’s = Blackness

7351 – Christmas Tree Ornament

7352 – Chickadee in Red

7353 – Last Sip of Fall

7354 – Seaside Solitude

7355 – Hearth’s of Home

7356 – Flowers as I See Them


7360 – Angels Among Us


Happy Quilting
Caren

Read more: http://www.alzquilts.org/azalea.html#ixzz1QQhEdJWY

New AAQI listings

I have 4 new quilts for sell on AAQI.

7164- Home Tweet Home  $65

7165- Lizard King is $85


7166- Iris is $60


7167-Oak Tree with Ivy Vine is $85


All of these quilts are being sold by AAQI here.  The money goes to help fund research for Alzheimer's.  It's a great organization that works for a great cause.  Check out all the quilts for sale.  Don't forget about the auction that starts at the 1st of each month.

Happy Quilting
Caren