Inspiration

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come at the strangest moments, as I am driving down the road or while I am exercising. It also can take many forms. Sometimes I just get an idea for a series of colors, sometimes an object is the beginning of a quilt. I never really know how the next one will start.

I saw a wall hanging in a shop when I was in Seattle, WA a few weeks ago. It was an embroidered and beaded piece of fabric that came from a ceremonial robe. I was amazed at the amount of work that went into creating it. I did not take a picture of it. I do not want to copy it. I keep thinking about it though. The one aspect that keeps returning is the use of tiny mirrors in the design. They were sewn down across the corners. I've never seen mirrors used as an embellishment, but I am ready to give them a try. Well, as soon as I come up with a design that can use them. It will come. I'll probably wake up in the middle of the night, or have to stop my morning workout to sketch it out.

Keep your mind open and the ideas will flow. If I try to work to hard at it I will have writer's block, staring at a blank piece of paper. I am sure it is turning over in my subconscious, working out the details.

Supreme Slider

I have been trying out a new Supreme Slider recently. I bought it in Houston at the Quilt Festival. It is a teflon mat that fit's in the bed of your machine with a little hole in the center for the needle to go through. It is designed to make the surface of your machine more slippery and therefore make free motion quilting easier. The back of the sheet is tacky. I think it uses static to stick, but I am not sure. It is very sticky. It didn't move, even when I forgot to lower my feed dogs. when it get's dirty, you can rinse it in water and the stickyness will return. Very impressive. I tried it with a wall hanging and it worked great. I also have been quilting a queen size quilt for my sister and I could not tell the difference with and without it. I believe tht was a result of the size of my quilt though, not hte fault of the Supreme Slider. It's just hard to move that much fabric through a machine. All in all, I was happy with how it works. I have given you the link to their site if you have any questions.

Houston Quilt Festival

I have just come back from the Quilt Festival in Houston, Tx. The quilts were absolutely amazing and inspiring. I went on Thursday and on Saturday. I heard a rumor there were about 53,000 people at the show. It didn't seem that crowded most of the time though. There were people there from all over the world. I met a few of the ladies staying in my hotel that came on a bus from Iowa. I walked from the train with a few women from Virginia and Maine. Everyone was extremely friendly!

Every possible type of vendor was there. not just fabric and patterns, although there were quite a few of those. I was surprised by the number of booths with embellishments, beads, trims, paints, buttons. I knew they would be there, but there were so many. I was pretty good and bought just a little bit of this and a little of that. My favorite finds were some fabric for a quilt for my sister that is getting married. Black Batik is very hard to find. I also thought I would try the fusible stabilizer for turning applique. I'll let you know how it works out.

If you plan to go next year, I would certainly plan a few days. I did not have time to get around to all of the quilts on display and I would have like to have spent more time shopping. Of course wouldn't we all like more time for that.

Introduction

Welcome to Quilted Pleasures! My name is Julie Pieri. I am a quilt designer from Erie, Pennsylvania. I am creating this blog to provide a way to share quilt inspirations. I will be writing about what inspires me and hope you will share your stories as well.

Please check back soon, as this site is under construction. You can also learn more about me on my website www.quiltedpleasures.com.