August Star

Joe and I are off to Letterkenny tomorrow to see the latest Harry Potter movie, and we will be there all day, so I am posting my August Star tonight.

I am so pleased to present Nedra as my August Star. Nedra has a lovely blog called Cactus Needle, and she lives with her family in Utah. She is a very talented quilter and a really sweet lady. I am so happy that I have met her through our blogs, and it is wonderful getting to know her .

Here is Nedra's interview:

Interview for August

· A Bit About Me:
I was raised in California, but currently live in Southern Utah, near beautiful Zion National Park. I have been married for 30 years and am the mother to 5 children and 2 (almost 3) grandchildren. My family means everything to me, and when I am not with them, I keep busy in my church, love to travel, read, and most important quilt! I work part time for a wonderful company called Superior Threads, and enjoy being involved in all the new and exciting products they bring into the market.
· What Insprires Me:
I am most inspired by other quilters. I am a very social quilter and love to observe the ideas and concepts that come out of people’s imaginations. When I see other’s quilts I almost always think to myself “I want to make that too!” Or, I feel inspiration to take my own projects in a new direction. If there was only time and means to do it all.
· What I Love to Do the Most Creatively:
Being a social quilter, I love to get together with friends to work on projects. In fact, in building our home, my husband designed my sewing room with more square footage than the Master bedroom. (We must have our priorities!) I love having enough room to have friends over to sew, and if we add in good food, I’m in heaven.
My favorite memories are of Get-Aways with my girlfriends where we have taken a week and gone to a cabin or resort to sew. Of course, we solve the problems of the world as we quilt.
· My Favorite Fabric and Designer:
My favorites seem to change from year to year. Right now I am drawn to anything made with Kaffe Fassett’s line of fabric or patterns. But I also love the fun colors from designers like Amy Butler or Joel Dewberry.
I am drawn more to traditional quilts rather than art quilts, but appreciate them all.
· UFO I Intend to Finish First:
I started a “Satchels” quilt many months ago, and other projects had deadlines, so this one waits patiently on my design wall. It is an appliqué quilt with various baskets made with Kaffe fabric. I just need to get the appliqué done on the borders and it will be finished, hopefully soon!
· What’s on the Design Wall Now:
See above
· Who Would I Love to Meet:
I would love to meet Pam Holland. I have been a fan of hers ever since I saw and read her book “The 1776 Quilt”. Not only do I admire her amazing work, but I also respect her approach to life. She is the mother of 11 children, 3 biological, and 8 adopted from all over the world. She has experienced her share of heartache, and has used quilting as a form of experiencing the beauty in this world. Right now she is working on “Bayeaux Tapestry” that is 238 feet long done in appliqué, drapplique and quilting. Pam thinks big! I understand she will be teaching for Superior Threads at their School of Threadology next spring and I look forward to the opportunity to meet her then.
· Plans for the Future:
Right now my husband and I are working with Superior Threads to introduce their new product Texture Magic to the public. This is an exciting product and I see tremendous potential in so many areas, whether it’s quilting, children’s clothing, or home décor.
And I plan to continue on with my personal blog “Cactus-Needle” where I have had the wonderful experience of rubbing shoulders with so many of you from all over the world.

Nedra's work is outstanding ! Here are a few of the lovely quilts that she made. Enjoy them all, as they are all eye candy.

First of all, in the first pic here, Nedra is standing by the quilt which won a 2nd prize ribbon at her local quilt show. It is called " 4th of July", a pattern by Judy Neimeyer. Nedra told me that Judy did hers in bright blues, purples, and orange, and she did hers in Earth colours like the desert where she lives. She renamed hers "4th of July in St. George."

Here is another look at the quilt.

The second pic below is a quilt that Nedra made called "Bridget Millar." Nedra explained that she made it to match the scenery of Southern Utah. The fabric on the border shows Indian Petroglyphs, and she said that in her area, they have authentic 2000 year old Indian Petroglyphs just 5 miles from her home in St. George, Utah.

The next quilt is a hexagon quilt that Nedra called "Gilded Snowballs Quilt", and she used Kaffe Fassett fabrics for it.

Another quilt pictured below is "Every Day Dishes" by Piece O' Cake designs where Nedra paper pieced the whole quilt using polka dot fabrics.

The last quilt is one with wool applique and is called "Pinwheels and Posies" by Liberty Homestead. Nedra said that she hand dyes all her wool.

Nedra, thank you so much for the interview and for sharing some of your works of art. I know that everyone will enjoy it as much as I did, and you are truly a star!