Home from Paducah! Where to even begin? I had the most marvelous time last week, my quilt "Shadows of Umbria" won the Bernina Award for Machine Workmanship, one of the top 3 awards at the show, a $12,000 purchase award for the museum. My quilt did not come home with me, but went to live in the museum, be preserved, displayed, and be part of a wonderful collection of fabulous quilts, "honoring today's quilter." It is indeed an honor to have another quilt in that prestigious collection, although sad to lose my best quilt of all. I did get to bring home my lovely black canvas/natural wood director's chair with my name on the back and the award. It looks great in my house and is such a fun reminder of the days I sat in it by my quilt and enjoyed every minute of the experience. I talked to so many of you, met old friends, made new ones, and loved explaining my quilt and how I made it to crowds every day. The quilts were gorgeous, the food outdoors was oh so delicious (love BBQ in KY!), weather perfect, and I am so glad I decided to go this year. If you have a quilt you think is good, enter it in this show. You can't win if you don't enter, and if you want to go to an event with southern charm, warm and friendly people, a zillion great vendors, and amazing quilts, then this is the event to attend. I will try and be there next year as well for the big 25th anniversary of the show. Detail, "Shadows of Umbria"   Here are the top three winners at Paducah! Me, Ted Storm who won BOS, and Barbara Newman, the hand workmanship winner. We all enjoyed seeing each other again, and it was a pleasure sharing the honor with such talented and fabulous women!
	Although we lost our dear cat Hillary recently, she is forever captured in all her sweetness, beautiful pink nose and intense lovely eyes in Roberta Williams' lovely little quilt. Watch for news soon about where you will be seeing the pattern! The quilt is winging its way for photography today and soon I'll have news of the catalog where it will be available for purchase. All proceeds go to the Morris Foundation. To see a pattern based on Hillary "in fur," go to www.robertawilliamsdesigns.com Proceeds of sales of this pattern will go to the Morris Foundation, and will help find cures and treatments to these diseases and conditions that take the lives of our loved pets.
	There are still openings in my May class (see below) at the Wiscnsin Quilters retreat in Lake Geneva, WI - I would love to see many of you who are always telling me you "can't get into a Wisconsin class" sign up and attend! We will be learning about free motion quilting, some interesting designs, and work on some really sumptious hand dyed fabrics from Jeanette Viviano. The web site for registering is offline right now due to some technical problems, so if you are trying to access it to sign up, send me an email instead and I'll forward it to the correct person to help you do that. Hope to see you in May! Email me: diane@dianegaudynski.net
	For those living in the northeast, you might be able to attend a special exhibit at the New England Quilt Museum, in Lowell, MA entitled "The Whole Story: Wholecloth Quilts by Hand and Machine." I have 3 smaller pieces in this exhibit and even though my quilts are published and in books, it's fabulous to see any quilt "in the cloth" and in person. There are historic Welsh whole cloth quilts as well as contemporary ones by Jeanne Williamson. The exhibit runs from April 3 to June 15.
	Asilomar in Monterey, CA, was my home for the first week of April while I taught a class called "A Quilting Journey" to 25 intrepid machine quilters, from beginners to very experienced, and both art and traditional. I loved the week there, one of the most lovely places I have visited, and the peace and quiet in my few "off" hours was great. I so enjoyed getting to know so many, and the enthusiasm and hard work I saw in my class, along with amazing results, made it so worthwhile. I will be teaching two sessions there in March 2009, so check their web site when the classes go online in late May. They fill fast, so look and see what you might like (so many great teachers and classes are offered) and then get your reservations in early. The web address is: www.emptyspoolsseminars.com If you like comfortable rustic, with historic buildings, natural surroundings, fresh clean air, the ocean at your doorstep, and deer and birds around you, you would enjoy Asilomar. There are vans to help transport those who need it from building to building.
	There is a new quilting magazine called "Machine Quilting Unlimited," and the first issue, released in December of '07, features an interview with me, and a detail of a tiny quilt I did for a friend on the cover. That small quilt was on a chintz-type fabric and has tiny stitches with #100 silk thread, but yes, it does look like it is burlap fabric and heavy cotton thread because of the enlargement of my photo for the cover. The magazine has articles in it devoted to home machine and other home systems (not longarm) of machine quilting, by all sorts of people who are involved in this field. I think you'll love it - go to www.mqumag.com to see about ordering or subscribing or tell your quilt shop to get some issues. "My issue" is still available, below, and you can find it on the page for "Back Issues." Enjoy!
	While at Asilomar, I did a podcast interview for Annie Smith, who was great and easy to work with. I felt so comfortable with her, and if you want to hear our conversation (no video, just audio like an old fashioned radio program....), check it out at www.simplearts.com Please ignore the photo; as you can so clearly see I was verrrrry tired after a day of teaching! I also gave a lecture to the Pacific Grove guild, and that was also a great experience. Seeing the town with the beautiful old houses, and flowers all in bloom, and speaking to such interested quilters was a nice mid-week experience for me. Special thanks to Jeanne and Carol for taking such great care of me.
	Recently I sat down and did a back-and-forth email interview with Karen Musgrave for the Alliance for American Quilts and the S.O.S. program online (Save Our Stories). This one is now posted online and it is about my small quilt made for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative exhibit, "Forgetting, Piece by Piece." I tried to answer all the questions as best I could and I think you might enjoy the interview and so many of the others that are part of this project. The link below should take you to the main web page: www.centerforthequilt.org Then click on the S.O.S. page and the interviews; mine is right at the top.
	The Alzheimer's Exhibit is coming to Wisconsin May 3-4 at the It's a Stitch Guild show in Jackson, WI. Ami Simms will be present both days and present lectures as well. Hours are 10-4, and this is the only time the exhibit will be in Wisconsin. I hope to attend and see you there. For more information contact Maribeth Schmit: Materialgirl@wi.rr.com
	My classes at NQA in Columbus, OH are filled already, but I have agreed to teach there in June '09. If you didn't get in this time, try next year and by then I'll have more new things to show you. You can also see about a wait list as often you will get in as many people cannot attend at the last minute. Check at the show as well if you plan on coming. I hate to teach a "sold out" class only to find empty chairs. New MAQS Class! Coming in early August 2009, a new class called "The Adventure Continues" will be offered at the museum in Paducah for those of you who have already taken my class there and want "more," and for those of you who have had my classes elsewhere and want additional experience or class time with me. You will be choosing a project to work on in class, and I will be there to introduce new techniques, help you make decisions, and enlist everyone there for brainstorming sessions to help solve problems and address quilting situations you have encountered. Also, if you are already competent at machine quilting, this class is for you too - you don't necessarily have to have had my previous classes, but it is not for beginners. There will be a regular all-level "A New Tradition in Quilting" class preceding this one in late July '09. I hope you will sign up early if you are interested and come to Paducah for a 3-day class and enjoy the museum as well. I always learn something from these classes, and they are my BEST classes. The supply list is ready for the new class, so Jessica will have everything for you if you call her at the museum. See you in '09! www.quiltmuseum.org
	I will be updating my schedule soon. I have a fabulous class planned for early May at Lake Geneva, WI, right on the lake in a beautiful modern retreat center. We will be working on the beautiful hand dyed ultra sateen that will be sold there or can be ordered ahead for our class project, which is a small and simple wall quilt that we will machine quilt. Minimum piecing, a central square with a border makes up the quilt, and you will be the artist with threads and quilting motifs. I will be there for guidance, instruction, and hand holding. This is a 2 1/2-day class, food on premises and included in the price, and is a great opportunity to visit Wisconsin during one of the prettiest weeks we have. Lake Geneva is about an hour from the Milwaukee airport, and also close to Chicago. For complete information and how to sign up, check out www.wisconsinquilters.com Ultra sateen may be ordered from www.jeanettesfabrictodyefor.com You do not have to be a WQI guild member to attend this retreat class. Members, however, will be given first registration rights, so you may want to join. Membership info and retreat information is on the above-mentioned WQI website. The event is held at http://www.covenantharbor.org/?p=37
	We had some terrific classes in early November, in Galena, IL at Phat Quarters, a charming quilt shop and Bernina dealer right in the heart of this beautiful historic Civil War era city on the bluffs of the Mississippi. I stayed in the pre-war (Civil!) DeSoto House, a beautiful and very comfortable historic landmark right across from the quilt shop and enjoyed it very much. The entire downtown area is worth visiting for the history, the wonderful shopping, and excellent little restaurants. We climbed the stairs built into the bluffs to a quaint restaurant high above the main street, called "Little Italy," and yes, had delicious food. I will be teaching there again in October of 2009, so mark your calendars and join me for a trip back in time as you discover this lovely place. Check out the shop: www.phatquartersquilting.com
	There is a new book out for quilters that contains so much infomation, contacts, teacher profiles, how to's, that everyone is going to want a copy! Yes, I am included as one of the teachers, but there are so many other great items of interest you will want to take a look at this book, now in stores and online sources. It's called "The Quilter's Catalog" by Meg Cox, photo below.
	The emails have been rolling in telling me of completed quilts, successful quilting, trapunto tees, new sewing machines. You are all finally having time to try out the ideas you learn from me in class and in my books. They work, truly. Here are a few quotes, with names deleted to protect the innocent! "Just wanted to tell you that I used the free pattern that you included in your latest book [Quilt Savvy: Gaudynski's Machine Quilting Guidebook] and did the trapunto feathers on a gray tee shirt. I used silk thread on a $5.99 tee shirt and the result is fabulous. I pre-washed the tee shirt and the muslin backing, just to be safe. The compliments are unending; and now when I wear it and people stare at my chest---I just smile!" " I had a major breakthrough when I started thinking that I was driving a car instead of quilting. My stitches are so even now. I look back on what I have just quilted and just say "WOW!" My foot works the foot pedal automatically and speed is no longer an issue when I think about driving, down the street, into the garage, park the car before you change the tires...(my hand position) etc. Driving is so automatic with my foot I have fooled it into acting like I am driving....WOW!  (I said that before, didn't I... But, Well I am just speechless, and Wow says it best.) Thank you ever so much..."   "I wanted to give you an update on my new Bernina (430). I absolutely love it! It is such a pleasure to use. I have been doing lots of free motion quilting, and EVERY stitch has been perfect. The foot control is SO RESPONSIVE, and the machine just purrs---it is such a contrast from my ...[previous machine]. I had no idea you could have this much control when free motion quilting! I don't mean to be over the top about this, but I can't thank you enough for responding to my email---you helped me find the sewing machine I only thought existed in my dreams." This is just a sampling of recent emails. I am so pleased things are working out for so many of you and that you are finding the joy and sheer fun of free motion quilting a quilt on your home sewing machine!
	I heard today from Empty Spools at Asilomar, CA, that my session for 2008 is already filled with a wait list. However, I will be doing TWO SESSIONS in 2009, right now scheduled in March, but we may change those to April if it works out. If you are interested be sure to sign up right away when they open registrations at the end of May next year. This is the BEST way to really learn how to do fabulous machine quilting on your home sewing machine, and not just small pieces, a real quilt. Would love to see you there - one of the most beautiful places I've seen.
	Did you know that AQS is having a third show and contest in Des Moines, Iowa, in October of 2008? I won't be there as I have a teaching commitment, but hope to attend future shows. The midwest is a huge hotbed of great quilting so this event is very promising - go to www.americanquilter.com to read about it.
	I would love to see you in my classes, so sign up as soon as possible when you see one listed as I don't travel nearly as often as other national teachers, so it's hard to get in as they do fill quickly. Waitlisted students many times do get in, as things happen so far in advance. I will be updating my schedule soon, but look for a new class in Oshkosh in March '08 and an all-day series of one-hour video demos on techniques found in my books, and the 2 1/2-day retreat in early May for Wisconsin Quilters, Inc. www.wisconsinquilters.com
	The new book for the Alzheimer's Exhibit is here!! And it's a beauty. To order your copy, go to www.Alzquilts.com
	We have a new online quilt shop! Since Web of Threads' demise, it has been tough for me to find some of the threads I recommend, but here is a new one that carries Aurifil #50 cotton thread (which I still love for piecing too, bobbin thread, and for quilting when you choose cotton) and #100 YLI silk thread. www.quiltersthreads.com My books are there too.....!
	If you are using the Bernina BSR, be aware there are current updates available for you at your Bernina dealer. Take in that foot and it will be so much nicer with the update! Call ahead to see if you are up to date first and ask what needs to be brought in. Sometimes it's the foot only, sometimes the machine as well. I used several machines with the BSR currently updated in my last class in SD and wow, wonderful smooth stitching. Also, if you do use one, set the speed of the machine all the way to the "+" so it has the capability to keep up with your hands should they go a bit too fast, and know too that you can adjust the stitch length for the size of your thread. The default stitch length is fine for heavier #40 and above threads, but fine threads like the silk I use or fine cottons like Superior MasterPiece need a smaller stitch length. Try a 1.6 and see if that makes the design look smoother and more refined. It will help so much in the appearance of your quilting.
	Word is out! Some of my quilting designs are now digitized and available for the Statler Stitcher by Dawn from www.justquiltingdesigns.com Check it out!! New: A Visit to Wales.
	Now that I am unpacked and settling in after my trips this spring, I've done a bit of quilting on my own machine, in its cabinet, and wow what a difference from quilting on a different unfamiliar machine in class, but most especially, quilting on a tabletop setup with a low chair. I am resting my arms, I am quilting twice as fast, the light is great, my own machine is so familiar and friendly. Realize that when you see me demo in a class I am not quilting exactly like I normally do because of adverse road conditions there than cannot be helped. I will say - "I can't go faster or the table shakes," or "I can't really see because my glasses are designed for the focal length to the needle at home with my machine in a cabinet," or similar remarks. All these things slow you down and make it more difficult in class. It is the same for you too. I am hoping that after you do have a class with me you don't wait too long to try out the techniques and ideas and let your mind leap to the next inspiration as you work. Try new things. Quilt every day. Classes are great but they are only the doorway for you to enter.
	The new Slider is here!! Pat LaPierre sent me a new and improved Slider, called Supreme Slider. It's made of two layers, the same non-stick surface so your quilt moves easily with just your fingertips pressing on it, and a new self-stick layer on the bottom so no tape is needed to attach it to your machine's bed or shelf or surround. I tried it out recently in our very humid weather with some recalcitrant backing that would not move smoothly, and it works wonderfully. I removed it and there was no residue on my machine, so I highly recommend it for all free motion work. It also has a newer, larger rectangular shaped opening for the needle so you can free motiion zig zag with it as well. Check it out at www.freemotionslider.com
	Thanks to all for buying my new book, but I have to make a few disclaimers. First, I don't wear nail polish anymore, and the photo showing how to adjust the bobbin is NOT my hand! I was taking the picture. Someone else noted the Vanish Extra water soluble thread in the trapunto chapter - I don't use that as it is just a bit too thick for my Bernina, which tells me it loves the YLI Wash-A-Way best, a bit finer and less gummy. If you have a Juki or a Brother, the Superior product might work best for you; it's tougher. Oh, and longarms of course. I guess I didn't realize my photos would be so large and clear and you eagle-eyed quilters out there would be able to read the labels, etc. Remember, don't assume anything.....send me a note and I can clear up any questions you have.
	I made a quilt for an exhibit for Alzheimer's Disease that will tour the country, and you can participate in this project yourselves by donating quilts for auction or by purchasing one of the small art quilts on the special new website that Ami Simms has set up for this purpose. Go to: www.AlzQuilts.com to learn more, and thank you for anything you can do to help fight this horrendous disease.
	My newest book "Quilt Savvy: Gaudynski's Machine Quilting Guidebook" is out! It continues to lead you into confident quilting on your home sewing machine, and has many of my new freehand techniques with photos and explanations. It is spiral bound and small enough to fold back and put right near your work while you quilt. Ask at your local quilt shop, or get it at www.amazon.com You can of course order it from the publisher, AQS, at www.americanquilter.com
	When I watch a class setting up, or getting ready to quilt, I can tell the quilters who will be using gloves. They ahve spray basted their samples, or they have machines where the free motion foot clamps down on the quilt making it necessary to actually pull the quilt to move it. Do a test - put the quilt in the machine, lower the foot and see if you can move it absolutely freely. If not, perhaps it can be adjusted a bit by your dealer or there may be a pressure dial, see photo below, to lessen the pressure on the machine's foot so it moves more easily. Sometimes we send in our supply lists to events over a year ahead of time, so things we might want to change are impossible to do. One of the things on mine is the preparation of quilt "sandwiches" to practice or learn on, and I said using the spray adhesives for basting was OK ahead of time. Since then I've seen in classes how it really affects the quality of the quilting, and I would prefer you to pin baste projects/samples only. No spray basting or fusing please. And always bring a quilter's ruler. Icons show you that turning "up" the dial lessens the pressure on the foot, and turning it "down" increases the pressure. There is also a digital readout on the screen that shows you the exact pressure you are using.
	If you treat yourself to a spool of YLI #100 thread to do some fine quilting, use it! Don't let it languish in the shoebox, or drawer, or on the thread rack. See if you like it, and consider it money spent for in-home training.
	If you have high speed internet and a video player on your computer, there is a video of me demonstrating how to stipple at www.taunton.com Click on "Threads" magazine, and then the Tips list on the left and scroll through until you find my tip on stippling. You'll have to put up with my whiny Wisconsin accent, but you can see how I do this and hear the machine running. You will also notice that I can actually speak while stippling!
	Some information about my classes and teaching style for those of you considering taking a class--I like to get information across in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, as situations arise and lend themselves to a particular point. I do not like to have a list of things to do, in exact order, at exact times. I think every class is made up of different skill levels and personalities and you need to be treated as adults who can make sensible decisions about work in class. If this teaching style is not for you, and I realize many like a much more structured environment, then please give my classes a miss. If you do sign up for a class, be sure to bring the items on the supply list for best possible chance of success, and remember that we all approach information giving in our own ways. Good machine quilting can be done on many machines, and I try to work with you on your particular machine, but with all the new computerized ones it is sometimes difficult for me to diagnose or solve common problems. It's a good idea to bring your owner's manual.
	For those of you who want to try the new cones of my Signature #100 silk thread for YLI, it is available online at www.roserushbrooke.com Rose tells me there are 13 colours in the set - black, white and 11 colours. The colors are rich and delicious - it is hard to pick which is the prettiest color. If you can buy the boxed set it would be well worth it, because they are so adaptable and the colors look different and better when you actually quilt with them. Rose has a set of my hints for quilting with silk thread she will include with your order too.

© 2008 Diane Gaudynski