The Quilt Show

My show is now appearing at The Quilt Show. If you have never seen me demonstrate how to paper foundation piece, next week is your lucky week.   The Quilt Show has made it possible for you to watch my show for FREE next week!

The Link to watch TQS Episode 602 for Carol Doak available from January 25th through January 31st: http://www.thequiltshow.com/season6/602/driveIn.php?coupon_number=112284836207

The Quilt Show does such a super job presenting programs that allow quilters all over the world to watch when they want to watch them.

If you find you are loving it, there is a second opportunity.

There is a “Redeem Gift Certificate” button at the top of the page when your go to watch your show.  To receive $10 off the price of a 1 year TQS Membership, you must use Coupon Number #112284836207 when redeeming this gift certificate.

I actually traveled to LaVeta, Colorado last March to film this segment. I have known Ricky and Alex for many years so it was fun to share the day with them. I shared how I paper piece Mariner’s Compass Star blocks. I also shared some tips and tricks along the way. Alex and I also had a bit of fun.

Mariner's Compass Stars Bundle

In honor of the airing of this segment, I have bundled the Mariner`s Compass Stars book, Carol Doak Foundation Paper and the 12″ Add-A-Quarter ruler in a reduced bundled package at my web store.

I didn’t want you to miss out on this opportunity.

After you watch the show, let me know what you think about the show and this format of learning quilting techniques online.

All the best,

Carol

Quilts at Homestead Quilts

OK, so I admit that my Oregon Trail might be slightly different, but when I had the pleasure of traveling to Oregon to teach and lecture for three guilds, it was fun to stop at several quilt shops along the way. After the workshop in Sunriver, Oregon, we stopped at  Homestead Quilts in LaPine, OR. It  is a charming shop.

Just popped in to say "hi"!

Cathy Buono, the owner, was very gracious and we caused just a bit of a stir when we popped in to say hi. Several customers and staff were there just having fun, so we posed for a photo op!

Honestly...I tried to be serious....

We laughed and we giggled and I really tried to be serious before this picture was taken…not.

Sew Many Quilts, Bend, OR

After the workshop in Bend, we were off to Sew Many Quilts. One is never too tired to stop at another shop. As soon as you walk in the shop, the high dramatic ceilings grab your attention.

Charming areas at Sew Many Quilts

It is a large shop filled with little nooks and crannies of areas set up with quilts and fabrics. What more could a girl want?

Tater Patch in Merrill, OR

Having completed my events in Sunriver and Bend, we were off to meet up with the next group at a half-way point…which just happened to be the most charming shop in Merrill, OR. This is definitely a friendly down home quilt shop that is worth the effort to get there.

Tater Patch Quilts

When you walk into a new quilt shop, you want to feel welcome and I certainly felt very welcome in each of these shops. If you are in the area, they all are worth the effort to stop by….tell, them Carol sent you…lol

Gerri putting on the triangles...

I was here to teach and lecture so I guess I should include some of those fun pictures. Here Gerri is putting on the triangles on her France block from the Mariner’s Compass Stars book.

Contemplating a border

Having completed her center, this student is contemplating that to die for border fabric!

Cover Quilt

I always enjoy seeing how others complete my patterns. Here is the cover quilt from my book, Easy Machine Paper Piecing, beautifully done in several colors.

I returned home with very fond memories of my trip along my Oregon Trail.

All the best,

Carol

I'm easily impressed!

OK, so I just returned from a lovely trip to the hill country of Texas and ran across this bull….Thought the title of this blog would grab you.

Downtown Fredricksburg

My first stop on this trip was to a lovely town called Fredericksburg. It is about 1 1/2 hours west of Austin and everything about this town is charming. The Main Street is lovely with lots of beautiful old buildings and interesting shops.

A happy student

My first class was the Perfect Points class from 300 Paper-Pieced Quilt Blocks. Here we have one happy student.

Time to rip!

This student is smiling even if she is doing the frog stitch!

Look at those perfect points!

Gotta love those perfect points!

She is hooked!

Ok, one block done and cutting to makes lots more! I would say she is hooked!

San Antonio Shoes!

I love my San Antonio shoes! Sharon Ashby of the Hill Country Quilt Guild brought me to San Antonio so we could visit the factory store…gotta love a gal who knows how to shop!

Quilt on the wall at SAS

We even found a quilt on the wall inside the store. If they  like quilts, they are good in my book.

Creations Quilt Shop in Kerrville

After one of the workshops, we were off to have the much talked about quilt shop, Creations. Oh wow and wow is all I can say. It is a fabulous shop with lots of rooms each having their own theme…this is a definite stop by if you are within a 100 miles! If you are not close by, you can always visit their web site: www.creations-online.com

Until next time….

Carol

Happiness Is Quilting in McKinney, TX

I just returned from a teaching trip to Texas. My first stop was in McKinney, Texas at a delightful shop called, Happiness Is Quilting. First off, McKinney is a charming little town with charming little shops and restaurants.

When you step in the door of the shop, the tin ceiling brings you back to another era. The high walls are the perfect place to display lots of quilts.

Plan to spend some time here poking about as the shop has cute items at every turn.

Laura Kay, owner of the shop, treated herself to the first day of workshops. Laura was having a good time….but then Laura always seems to be smiling.

I taught the Perfect Points class on Sunday and everyone enjoyed seeing their Perfect Points appear just like magic!

On Monday I taught the Sunrise Quilt. This student is admiring her sections before assembling them. Great colors!

Then I was off to Bryan/College Station, Texas to present a lecture for the Blue Bonnett Quilt Guild. We had a record crowd show up that night.

I also taught the Sunrise workshop here. Now, I started to notice a familiar trend….the students seem to be wearing the same colors they brought for their blocks…red…

Teal anyone?

Some even matched their hair…

A happy student who likes green. A great time was had by all and lots of super quilts were nearly completed.

Until next, time

Carol

Debi Moffett, owner of Somewhere Sewing

I just returned from a delightful trip to Johnson City, TN,  where I taught classes for Somewhere Sewing. The cracker jack owner, Debi Moffett, arranged for two classes. The room where the classes were taught was decorated by one of Debi’s customers, Lucy, who is no stranger to my designs. This stunning quilt, featuring the block designs from 50 Fabulous Paper-Pieced Stars, set the stage for a super couple of days.

Minis.....

Lucy also brought several of her miniaturized versions from 50 Fabulous Paper-Pieced Stars as well as some miniatures from Easy Paper-Pieced Miniatures (out of print).

and even more minis and Just Ducky

It was fun to be surrounded by all these lovely little quilts. The Just Ducky Quilt is from Easy Paper-Pieced Baby Quilts (out of print).

Free Miniature Pattern

Susan proudly displays her version of the free miniature quilt pattern available here on my web site. I planned to wear that matching shirt….LOL

Perfect Points

The first day, I taught the Perfect Points class. I do love teaching this class because everyone achieves those amazing Perfect Points easily!

Janice admires her Sunrise Block and setting triangle

When I travel to teach, sometimes I am fortunate to have a student in the class that I have “met” online in my Carol Doak Yahoo Group. That was the case with Janice. Since Janice lives in Knoxville, she signed up and came to the class. Now when Janice and I correspond on the group, I will know her in person.

All smiles

You know, I just never tire of teaching classes because this is what it is all about for me. That big smile on the face of a student who has enjoyed the day, enjoyed the process and enjoys the results.

Fun and Friends

Now these three told me they were the “trouble makers”, however they were no trouble for me. Instead, they were delightful students and fun to be with.

Star, The Rockin Colt

Now, this was a first for me. Paulette Jensen came to the class with pictures of a colt she had made for the “Colts on Parade” in Lake Geneva, WI. This was a fund raising event for Challenged Children on Horses.

Hind quarter stars

Paulette decorated “Star” with actual star blocks from my book. She used an acrylic gel medium to adhere the fabric blocks and then several coats of polyurethane to complete the project. Her efforts were rewarded with a top 7 Award Prize.

It was a fun trip all the way. If you are ever in the Johnson City, TN vicinity, a detour to Somewhere Sewing, is worth the trip! Tell Debi, I said “Hi, ya’all”

I just returned from teaching in a lovely shop in Springfield, Missouri. I’ll do anything to get just the right bolt of fabric…..even climb to the top of several shelves.

The shop is located in a large building and not only contains the large shop, but a long arm quilting room and an amazing Tea room.

The first day I taught the Bright Stars workshop from the Simply Sensational 9-Patch Stars book. Here, Merrily, the owner is introducing me to the class. LOL, I think they knew who I was.

Michelle is showing off the sections of her first star block for the wall quilt. She is sporting a name tag badge for the Carol Doak Yahoo Group. When members where their badge to a class, then I know they are a member of the group.

Each day when we broke for lunch, we walked through the shop, through the long arm quilting room and into the most wonderful Tea room for the best ever lunch and to die for desserts.

You just never know who you are going to run into along the way. This “old bat” was right at home.

On the second day, I taught the Perfect Points class from the 300 Paper-Pieced Quilt Blocks book. Kay Turner and Merrily sat side-by-side in the class. I had to keep an eye on those too…they were constantly giggling.

The third day was the Sunrise Quilt from the Mariner’s Compass Stars book. Everyone did a super job with their quilts. Vicki Crow is showing off her quilt top featuring just the perfect print border.

I do love to teach and having the opportunity to spend the weekend at Merrily We Quilt Along with such delightful students was a gift.

Getting to know Merrily (center) and her two charming daughters, Heather (left) and Holly (right) was such a pleasure. I did feel as if I was saying goodbye to good friends when I left because they do make you feel so welcome in their lovely shop and Tea Room. If you are ever in the Springfield, Missouri area, this is a must stop for any quilter. BTW, ask Merrily where I signed the wall with my special message.

Until next time,

Carol

Last week I had the pleasure of traveling to New Braunfels, TX to teach at a five-day Seminar for Quilting Adventures. I do love a multi-day format because not only do I get to spend more time getting to know my students, I have the pleasure of seeing the finished project. Each day, the learning builds on the day before and I see the students become comfortable with the process. We began the class with a discussion about color and the students selected their fabrics.

As the blocks were made they were put up on the design wall to audition different fabric choices. 

The students learned to baste their sections to check for a good match. Nancy Ament was thrilled that she was in the basting stage when she opened her block to see she had added two of the same sections…we did have a chuckle over that one. The setting was wonderful and we all bonded as a group throughout the week. Lots of fun, laughs and learning took place. 

As the quilts were completed, I took pictures. I am so proud of all my students and loved seeing the results of their creativity and learning.

A potential table runner

As the sections were being added, this portion was admired as a potential design for a future table runner.

I used the Royal Medallion Quilt from the Mariner’s Compass Stars book as the basis for the skills in the class. Wait until you see what everyone accomplished!

Let the quilt show begin.

Rex and Chris McCaskill

 Rex and Chris Mc Caskill are a husband and wife team who worked on this stunning quilt. Rex was a good sport and let me use his fabrics to describe how to choose fabrics to get the result you want. Rex and Chris had this fabric that had stripes of blue, yellow and green stripes that flowed from one to the other. He liked that fabric, so that was the basis for their quilt. I thought the end result was stunning. It appears the center compass is radiating light.

Martha Zimmerman

Martha began with a wonderful multi-color batik border and I heard her say more than once, “I love red”. So taking her lead, I suggested putting red triangles in the corners of the center. It really made the center pop!

Linda Neal

Linda was one of the quickest students and not only finished her quilt, but began working on a miniature “My Little Town” quilt. The Autumn multi-color inner border fabric was the jumping off place for Linda’s fabric combination. It was so striking.

Linda Kager

 Linda Kager came to the class with her Mom, who is a new quilter. Not only did Linda complete her quilt, but she was always there to lend a hand to her mom. The multi-color check in the center of this quilt gives it a contemporary look and the vivid colors just make you want to study the quilt.

Margaret Sedlak

 Margaret, oh I have a fun story for you all about Margaret’s quilt. Margaret struggled so with the suggestion that she use a batik stripe with the blue batik fabric she had for the center. Then she was struggling with her border choice so we went downstairs to the onsite quilt shop and look what we picked out for the border!!! This gorgeous large floral and bold pink stripe. The cornerstones featured a fussy-cut flower from the border print. The quilt was such a “Wow” quilt. We joked that she was going to call it “Blue Stripe”. I guess you had to be there to appreciate the 180 Margaret took. It was such fun!

Georgia Roth

 Georgia had this wonderful collection of beautiful batik fabrics with different textures that were all tied together with the stunning stripe used in the center border. The playful red border tied it all together, but Georgia wanted a paper-pieced accent in the four outer corners. At first she was going to make quarter blocks and then after finishing the A section, we decided to just use 1/8th of a section. They were placed so they looked like they were swirling around the quilt.

Nancy Lowe

When we discussed color, I suggested that the setting triangles could be a different color for a different look. Nancy took this approach and found just the right fabric that contained all the colors of her quilt to provide a wonderful ground for her center portion.

Beverly Wilson

OK, so Beverly saw her friends go shopping for new fabrics and decided she wasn’t happy with the fabric she brought for her inner and outer borders….so you guessed it…we went shopping. Beverly was very pleased with the final result.

Nancy Ament

Nancy had completed her blocks and decided she wanted a more colorful outer border….off shopping we went. The end result was stunning. The dark ground in the center really made her colors pop.

Marty Becht

The combination of the greens, purples and peach in this quilt was just gorgeous. The bits of yellow against the center ground was like rays of sunlight. Marty was very happy with her finished quilt.

Marge Russo

Marge had come to the seminar with her daughter Linda. At first she was a little timid amount her skills, but boy, her confidence built each day. By the end of the seminar she was confident and thrilled with her first completed quilt.

Dorothy Johnstone

Dorothy chose fall colors for her quilt. The outside border was her jumping off place. Dorothy is going to use this as the basis for a bed side quilt for her grandson. We brainstormed how she could add blocks and borders to make it larger.

Lynda Thompson

Lynda had a gorgeous collection of batik fabrics for her quilt. She was encouraged to use the gold and when she completed the quilt, I think she was thrilled that she did.

Sherry Hughes

 Sherry is not afraid of color and her rainbow colored quilt turned out beautifully. She decided on the light blue outer border, but unfortunately there was none to be had in the store so her quilt will be completed when she gets that fabric. She is smiling because she only has the outer border to add to complete her lovely quilt.

I thoroughly enjoyed my week with my students and hope you enjoyed seeing their gorgeous quilt tops.

All the best,

Carol

Ginny Carroll

I recently returned from a 11-day trip to Florida to teach and lecture for three different quilt guilds. Since if live in New Hampshire, heading south in the winter months to a lovely warm climate is an added bonus. My first stop on this trip was to Leesburg where I taught for the Quilting Sister Quilt Guild. The first day I presented the Fire and Ice Quilt from the Mariner’s Compass Stars book. The students jumped right in, with most getting a good start on their quilt. On the second day, I taught an introductory class to this book. Ginny Carroll has already completed one section with just three pieces. I could tell Ginny was a member of my Carol Doak Yahoo Group because she was wearing her group name tag.

Denise in Leesburg

Denise Mohler also is a member of our Carol Doak Group and attended both workshops. It is such fun to meet our members in real life!

Kitty Gonzalez at dinner

Kitty took the Fire & Ice class and brought the center section of her quilt to dinner that evening.

Shopping on the way to the retreat

Next I was off to teach at a quilt retreat for the Southwest Quilters Guild. Of course on our way to the retreat locations, a couple of stops at quilt shops along the way were a must!

Heather Phillips from Nova Scotia

You just never know who you are going to run into in a quilt shop. This is Heather from Nova Scotia and she is also a member of the Carol Doak Yahoo Group.

Retreat students counting blocks

 The Retreat was held at a lovely facility. One large room with lots of students working on their paper-pieced projects. These students are counting their blocks to see if they have made all the blocks for the Fire & Ice quilt.

Retreat quilt

 I also taught a class from the Simply Sensational 9-Patch Star book. One of the activities was for the groups in each cabin to make quilts from “ugly” fat quarters for a charitable project. The groups would then compete for a prize. Who knew one of the 9-Patch Stars was going to be the centerpiece for a lovely quilt?

Patchwork Pig Quilt Shop stop

Then I was on to Lakeland, Florida. No shortage of quilt shops here. We visited the lovely downtown shop called the Patchwork Pig. Here Jolene Welcher, Marion Pugh (owner) and Elsabeth Harris are ready to assist. Trust me, you could get in really serious trouble here. The fabric selection was amazing!!!

Happy Student with her Florida Star

I taught the Florida Star from the 50 Fabulous Paper-Pieced Stars book at the Ladies of the Lakes Quilt Guild. This looks like one happy student and look at those perfect points!

Melody and Holly at the Fabric Warehouse, Lakeland, FL

Melody and Holly of the Fabric Warehouse in Lakeland c0-hosted both the workshop and evening program for the guild in their lovely shop.

Log Cabin Garden Mini quilt and maker

I do love the Show and Tell portion of a meeting. Here I had the opportunity to see one members lovely Log Cabin Garden quilt.

Treble Metamorphoses by Marian Sparks

I recently received an email from Marian Sparks regarding a quilt that she made using the Day and Night Star Flower pattern available as a free pattern on my web site. Marian then sent me a picture of a quilt she made using the block. This is one of those thought provoking quilts. As I study the quilt and take into account the name, it does draw me in.

Until next time, 

All the best,

Carol

I just returned from Hershey, PA after teaching 6 workshops filled with fun and fabulous students at the Quilt Odyssey 2008. I travel with lots of stuff, so when I arrive I am always happy to receive a helping hand getting my quilts and supplies to my classroom. The staff at Hershey was wonderful and this delightful young man, who is heading off to Dartmouth in the fall, was ever so helpful. I taught six different classes and enjoyed chocolate all weekend long. What could be better? Some of the students were returning students from previous years and many others were brand new this year and lots had never paper-pieced before.