Starting Wednesday, June 13, I'll be teaching another on-line class, Three Antique Motifs.  Go to www.MaureensVintageAcquisitions.com to sign up.  You will learn to make goldenrod with silk chenille thread, fashion a pansy out of silk dupioni and create a velvet painter's palette with a wired ribbon flower. 

I am honored that Di van Niekerk, embroiderer extraordinaire, author and businesswoman, has featured my needlework on her blog today!  Di does such breathtaking work.  If you have not perused her website, now is the time. 
http://www.dicraft.co.za/blog/a-gifted-textile-artist-betty-pillsbury/

Fairies, Full Moon and Lily of the Valley

"Pink choral bells upon a slender stalk
Lilies-of-the-valley line my garden walk
Oh, don't you wish that you could hear them ring?
That will happen only when the fairies sing!"

  Under last night's full moon, I heard the fairy chorus and wee bells ringing!

Here's a piece I did for a friend's baby, Lily.  I used lucite beads for the lily of the valley, with a crystal in the center.

Crazy Quilt Classes by Betty Pillsbury

I've got a new on-line class starting June 13!  Three Antique Motifs.  These are motifs from antique crazy quilts that I have used in my multi-award winning quilt, "Crazy Diamonds". 

You will learn to work with silk chenille embroidery thread, fashion a pansy from fabric, stitch a perfect blanket stitch (including corners and curves) and make a wired ribbon flower.  All work is by hand.  These motifs make a stunning addition to your crazy quilt or embroidery portfolio!  You will learn one motif a week.  Go to www.MaureensVintageAcquisitions.com to register. Click on classes.

Don't forget my "take it anytime" class - Faux Pearls.  Also available at Maureen's.

Hope to see you soon!
www.BettyPillsbury.com

CQJP 2012 Crazy Quilt Journal Project

I am participating in the CQJP 2012 project (Crazy Quilt Journal Project). Each month, participants are to make a crazy quilt block. I decided to do paisleys instead of blocks. And, I embroidered a valance from which the paisleys will hang. Here are the January, February and March paisleys. I will probably bead between the paisleys to get them to hang from the valance.

You Tube Videos

My brother, Chip, came over and helped me record three quick videos on embroidery tips. Click the link above to go to You Tube and see them. One is on getting floss out of a skein without knots and a big mess. The second is stripping floss (getting a single strand out from the six strands). The third is how I end off embroidery threads on the back of my work: tension, knot, tension.

I'll be recording more in the near future!

New Classes!

Faux Pearls - For Sure! Maureen Greeson, of Maureen's Vintage Acquisitions, has just added another of my classes, but this one has a twist. It's a Take It Anytime Class. This means, you purchase the PDF (which has tons of photos) and learn how to do it! You can email me with questions. Click here to purchase the class and get started immediately! Learn several elegant motifs and seam treatments made entirely of faux pearls to beautify your crazy quilt work.

On March 27, a 4-week on-line class will be starting at Maureen's Vintage Acquisitions. This is Peacock in Paisley. Go here to register!!!


By special request, three of my quilts will be traveling to Beaujolais, France for the Quilt Expo there. Go here for more information.

On April 3, I will be teaching at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, NY. Grow Your Own Culinary Herbs will be starting at 10 am. Go here for more information.

July 16-20 will find me teaching at Quilting By The Lake in Syracuse, NY. Join me for a 2-day class on hand embroidery for quilts crazy or sane! And a 3-day class on creating fantasy landscapes using crazy quilting techniques. Or come for the entire week and have lots of fun while learning a beautiful art form. Go here for more information.

In November, I will lecturing and presenting a class in crazy quilting for the Brownstone Quilters in Paramus, NJ.