Sunny Provencal Charm by Karen Mezera

Here is my story!~ :)

Hi!

This is my first online entry for Project Quilting! Yea! I finally got one done!

I met Kim through Lodi Quilt Guild  She liked my quilts and my stories that go with them and invited me to go to her first in person Project Quilting Retreat this past January. I felt honored to be invited. :) So I have made an entry before at the retreat but not for the online part. The Retreat was fantastic! A great winter break and lots  of fun! . I hope we can do it again! Hope lots of you can join us if she does it again!~ Woodland Ridge Retreat was awesome!

My other side hobby is Judging arrangements and horticulture for the American Rose Society. so of course,I made a Modern Rose quilt at the Retreat for that challenge . I usually am growing around 400 roses per year in my garden. They are various types from tiny to huge. The mini's and mini floras don't take up much space so the count goes up pretty fast when you grow a lot of them. ( Yes, I do work full time too)

Kim and I were on a bus Trip to Houston International  last October together. We liked a lot of the same fabrics and bought quite a few of the same! I got the hot glue studs for this quilt at that show. I had never seen them before. It was fun to get to use them in this little quilt.  

I love precuts because I am always overbooked and pressed for time. I had been trying to get an online PQ project done and hadn't made it yet so this was perfect for me. Luckily, I had lots to pick from for this project.

I am traveling to France mostly and a few other places with judges from all over the world for 3 weeks in May and June to judge the International Rose trials. We are volunteers. I've been to only one before and it was not for nearly this long, so this is a once in a lifetime trip for me. The World Federated Rose Show and Convention takes place every few years. Whomever can go, may volunteer to travel  there to judge and present programs.

We go on lots of tours and day trips. Our judging helps decide which roses will be released for sale in the near future to the general public over there and hopefully eventually here in the states.  I have been studying French in a class one night a week since January. So naturally I had to make a tribute to my upcoming trip in this quilt! :)

I became a Master Gardener before I got deep into roses so I love all other plants also, Provence is known for lavender and Sunflowers, so I made a funky Sunflower type flower for this quilt. Had fun coming up with this little quilt!~

Here are the the Robert Kaufman ombre collection charms used in the background.and moda urban couture from basic grey that were cut up and fused to make  the flower 

this one shows the quilting

Close up of hot glue studs and baby rick rack 

The stem was made from some teal package ribbon I found on the floor that my cat had been playing with !! worked great!~ Plus some baby rick rack that I have 10 yards of because I got it cheap at a sale at Olive Juice quilts!  All my quilts may have to have it in them to get it used up!!.

See ya! MEZ