Hita's Whimsy: Mississippi Quilter's Association (MQA) Spring gathering

I finished the MQA 25" quilt just in time. I'm pleased with my free motion quilting, but not 100% pleased with the colors I chose. The quilting is not as noticeable on the green as I would have liked. But I am still proud to call it mine :). Maybe I'll add some kind of red embellishments to the green, that might do the trick

my artist statement was limited to 100 words. I tried to say how I've been influenced by my new Mississippi quilter friends. I love each and every one of them <3.

A presentation "From Tradition to Modern" was given by Theresa Pino and Cheryl Owens. They were quite amusing with their friendly banter as they shared with us their quilting journeys. I felt a connection as they told their story. They started out as hand-piecers and hand-quilters. As time went on, and with some resistance, they evolved to machine piecing and machine quilting. It gave me a giggle when Theresa said "then I told myself 'It's ok to machine quilt'." because I experienced a moment just like that very recently!

What I found most interesting, they brought to our attention how much quilters are labeling ourselves... Traditional... Modern... Fiber Artist... Contemporary... Machine quilter... Hand quilter... and how each category applies "rules" and outlines that dictate which category a quilt falls under. And still, with all the labels and outlines, it comes down to a matter of opinion... what I consider a "modern quilt" doesn't mean you would consider it so. Ahhh, such is life, huh? What I consider beauty may not be so to the next person... "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." and "One man's junk is another man's treasure." Well,,, to each her own then! When it comes to quilting or creating, be yourself! Create as you please! Set your own goals and expectations and when you achieve them, set new goals and expectations. Come to think of it, if your ideas change before you achieve those goals, so be it! Go with the flow!! Be Happy :)

OK, here are some of the quilts they presented and caught my eye:

Pieced circles are used for the large flower layers. Raw edge applique on top of a pieced background. It seems free motion quilting is what is attaching the applique. I love the whimsy of it.

Mini free-motion quilts that were mounted onto artist canvas. I really like this idea. Theresa Pino said she simply used tacky glue to attach the quilt. It would be a really great way to free-motion / doodle practice.

Another great way to use your free-motion / doodle quilting...

After doodle quilting, use the fabric medium Inktense to add color to your designs! These are the cute little tote bags they made. I love them!!

During this meeting, Julia Graber took over as President of MQA. She is a member of my local PTQ guild. She is an amazing self-claimed Fiber Artist and has been a great inspiration to me. Doesn't she look adorable and natural at the podium?

Aileen Love and Marietta Johnson presented some of their “Missouri Star Quilting Company” quilts. This triangle quilt is going on my "wish to make list". It is pieced using the tube piecing technique, here's a Missouri Star Tube Quilt tutorial. It's really easy!! I need to check out the other quilting tutorials created by Missouri Star, there are tons of them!

I purchased tickets for three raffles! Wish me luck for this one especially! :)

When the MQA gathering was over, we went to view the Caryl Bryer Fallert quilt exhibit again. I had to get more close up pics of her awesome quilts. My original post was Quilt Artist Exhibit was the perfect inspiration.