Trying some new things

began last Friday when I rode my bike to Joann Fabrics for a bolt of wool felt. I was lucky enough to get a 60% scratch off coupon on my last Joann's newsletter and there was no way I was going to pass on paying $4.00 a yard vs $10.00 for something I use a lot of. So off I went with my Driver's license for ID just in case, my insurance cards just in case, my cell phone, again just in case, helmet on head and my VISA card to shop. Two bungee cords for attaching my purchase to the carrage rack over the rear tire and the  three mile trip each way on the bike without incident was a good way of breaking in my new bike. All went well.
Last week I began corresponding with a quilter in Canada who wanted to learn to dye paint using the techniques I did  to make a quilt she saw on my website.
I didn't think I could simply talk her through it or upload enough still images to get the point across so I started playing with the movie mode on my camera and my discoveries became another new thing for me to do last week.  I started a small piece as a "prop" to work along with her step by step
I have included one of my segments in this blog entry. With a little more thought and planning this could turn into something like a CD or online class. Who knows? HMMMMM
After I finish up this class sample today I will get back to finishing the quilting on the Morning Glory quilt. It seems like it is taking forever to get this piece done.
I am trying two new fabric, or new to me for my watercolor paintings or fabric dyeing.
 You know how much I love silk broadcloth for painting, but I asked for and got a generous sample of Pimatex from Robert Kaufman. I tried water color painting on a piece and I dye painted a piece,  then stitched two pieces together, then sandwiched and quilted some if it.  I like it.
The other fabric I tried and like I am sad to say is not longer being produced it too is by Robert Kaufman.  It is a blend of cotton and bamboo, which is what the class sample in this blog post is made with.  I like the way it took the dye and quilts.  It has somewhat of a soft sheen not unlike the silk broadcloth.
 The reason I am on the hunt for alternative fabric is because of my need for a PFD fabric that come wider than 45 inches for painting whole cloth compositions. My favorite silk broadcloth is only 44"-45", the cotton/bamboo is 55" and pimatex comes in somewhere about 60".
Why am I looking?
The only time I can remember making a quilt for a specific competition, either size or theme, was for the Husqvarna Viking Gallery of Quilt Art Color Couleur Colore Kulor-Houston 2004 which I was accepted into but as a renewed thing  I have decided that I will work specifically in sizes that will qualify for Houston 2011.  I have to look again to be sure but I think their size requirement  is for  work no less than 48" in either direction. 
And the best thing that happened this week is not a new thing at all but a person. Her name is Marga.  I met her several months ago when did a trunk show for the newly formed Modern Quilters Guild and she followed up with an e-mail that lead to a lunch date and a decision to get together to talk art quilts.  With two schedules to work around we finally got our schedules to match and I drove the six miles to her house on Monday for lunch and  we talked and talked and talked and looked at her work, and talked, looked at her work space, and talked, looked at some of her work in progress and talked some more.
Yeah for new things.