What a Load a Scrap

Buttermilk

2012-01-21T09:54:00.002-06:00

I've been MIA since before Christmas. The New Year started with alot of activity (not much of which was at home). Finally, last weekend was three days of free schedule. Top of my list? - Lori's Pink Lemonade doll quilt at Humble Quilts. Saturday - picking fabric from stash (alternate print from 2000 Brackman/Thompson line - yikes!) and sewing full blocks, Sunday - setting and corner blocks, and Monday - assembling quilt top. I named my quilt Buttermilk - combination of quilt pattern (Churn Dash) and coloration. THANKS, LORI!

Colorado vacation was the start to my New Year. We take one 'off day' in the middle of the ski schedule. We headed to Denver for a stop at Harriet's Treadle Arts. There's usually a stop at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, but I'd already seen the current exhibit three times. So, we stopped at the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall. It's just off the expressway - I've always wanted to check it out. I found this unusual Fenton 'Minerva' pattern sugar bowl.

And if you're feeling a little blue - same piece, different side.

Awhile ago I posted about the small pitcher I use to fill my iron. Well, the Majolica pitcher now has a buddy. This whimsical beauty is from Staffordshire, England - no maker inscription. I tried to take pictures of each figure, but the transferware just won't render a sharp image - two frogs (one drinking tea), a jester, and a mob-capped woman holding a child.

Another first on the free day was a stop in Georgetown (historic Victorian mining town). I love old architecture, so I'm including pictures of the Georgetown Public School and First Presbyterian Church, both completed in 1874 (and opposite each other on the same street).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Quick Post

2012-01-10T11:04:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year to all of you! So far, it has been a good one for me. I have spent more time in the sewing room, and have my finished blocks to share. There is a narrow strip, one row, to be added to the left, and top side to finish the design. They are sewn, but don't fit on the design wall. I sewed these in four patchs, and still need to complete the top, of course. Now that it safe and secure on the design wall, I think I'll take a short break from it to start Lori's Doll Quilt Along!

Wrap Up

2011-12-29T20:27:00.003-06:00

I've been doing a little reflecting on my 'quilt year'. The highlight for me this year was the NYC trip for the Red and White Exhibit. Thanks, Jan, for being my traveling buddy! I'm so glad to have visited the American Folk Art Museum before the closing of the main facility. I've picked a few pictures from the trip to share.

This Whig Rose (circa 1838) was exhibited at the main AFAM facility.

This Cactus Rose block (circa 1855 - 1865) was exhibited in the Lincoln Center AFAM facility. This piece was the gift of Irwin Nelson in honor of Robert Bishop

And the Red and White - what an amazing display!

So, snuggle in and rest up to meet the New Year.

AFAM Doll Quilts - gifts of Frances Rasmussen in memory of her daughter, Cathyann.

Christmas Cheer!

2011-12-20T17:17:00.007-06:00

Here are a few projects from Christmas' past.

The poinsettia felted wool pincushion was a gift from a sewing buddy.

This tree was my fabric rendition of a paper foldout made by my daughter, Amy in first grade. I traced around it onto the green fabric, and placed the decorations where she had. Her ornaments were of paper, and her garland was drawn on. I embroidered the garland, and used buttons and little fabric berries.

Poor Frosty hasn't found a home here for the past few years. I just get him out and look at him!

I've made a bit of progress on my Irish Chain, but not much!

Old Friends

2011-12-13T19:48:00.003-06:00

Cinderella has always been my favorite Disney film. I've shared Christmas with Gus and Jaq for many years - they were a 'fun meal' treat one Christmas season when my kids were small. We were shopping one evening and stopped at McDonald's for a quick dinner. After all these years, I still remember that evening - the teenage server let me have one of each ornament even though they were supposed to be dispersed on alternate weeks. I was grateful that he bent the rules for me (and I still am)! I've passed many of our family ornaments to my kids (with families of their own), but the Cinderella mice stay with me. They always coax a smile when I unpack them from the ornament box (and I'm a little sad to wrap them up on New Year's Day).

We took a road trip to Austin over Thanksgiving - it's a longggg trip. Hubby was a good sport and stopped at Common Threads on the way home (even though we still had 20 hours of road time ahead). They were having a great sale - lots of bolts at 50% off. I had too much fun!

And to add to the damage, I placed on on-line order just before we left. I've noticed a change in my fabric buying lately - I'm adding more lights to the stash. I tend to gravitate to mediums and darks.

The top fabric is the butterscotch version of the fabric I purchased about a month ago in a faded rose color (Jo Morton Complements by Andover). I had a hard time deciding between the two colors in the quilt shop. Lucky me! I found the butterscotch on sale on the web.

There is some sewing going on at my house (between holiday prep and my 'day job') - sewing the binding on a bed quilt and working on the Twinkling Pinwheels (think I've settled on a game plan for this one).

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year! I know it's a little early, but 'just in cases' (Love Actually). Thanks for stopping by!

Forgotten Quilts

2011-12-06T12:35:00.009-06:00

While going through the linen closet for holiday quilts, I came across this top, and thought that I would give it a quick look. It was my original design, and the top was sewn in the mid-1990's.

Perhaps I wouldn't choose these exact fabrics today, but I do like the effect. This one just may go in the to-be-quilted pile. The plaid backing fabric was folded up next to the top, and it measures out to be enough. Maybe I will look into a strippy backing for this instead, although I don't think I would have a use for the plaid elsewhere.

Anna's Choice is a flannel quilt that is also of the same vintage. It is even tied! There had been another flannel quilt on this sofa, but Murray, who longed to be in this post, as you can see, nested a bit too much into that quilt. It developed a hole, and then another, and soon there just wasn't enough quilt left to use. Here is the culprit, and my companion, Murray. He doesn't photograph too well because of being so dark. Althought, at seven, he is developing white hair, and his chin is quite gray. He is the best dog I have ever had, and has been quite patiently awaiting his introduction on the blogosphere. His photo was taken in my sewing room, and, yes, being a toy poodle, he is not afraid of his feminine side, and loves his pink quilt - which I did not make. This one has sustained no damage; of course!

Again, while pulling out seasonal items, this time in the coat closet, I came across this, one and only, crocheted item that I ever completed. It was made from some yarn that I found in Colorado while visiting my brother, probably twenty years ago. Just the most basic crochet stitch was used, and I don't think that I even remember how to do that now!

Estonian Lace Intermission

2011-11-28T23:30:00.000-06:00

The Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles in Berkeley, CA is featuring an exhibit of 'Knitted Lace of Estonia' (slideshow). Haapsalu, Estonia (a tiny Baltic nation) became a popular health resort in the mid 1820's drawing wealthy vacationers who recognized the value of local needleworkers. By mid century the shawls were available in major European and Russian cities. Shawl knitting became a major source of additional income for many families. The nupp stitch (bobble) is a trademark of the Estonian shawl. The price of the shawl was determined by its weight; the nupp increased the weight and, therefore, the price.

Willow leaf was one of my favorites -

Below is a comparison of Estonian and Orenburg lace shawls (Estonian on left and Orenburg on right). Orenburg shawls are made from the hair of Ural Mountain goats. These shawls have the reputation of being able to pass through a wedding ring.

More lace

The exhibit included a small display of Estonian mittens

The Lacis Textile Center and Retail Store is an amazing resource for all textile arts - tatting, beading, knitting, hat making... My souvenir was a curved abalone crochet hook! Take a peek -

Antique Triangle Quilt

2011-11-21T12:22:00.006-06:00

This fabulous triangle quilt was brought in to Needle & Thread, the quilt store that is oh-so-handily just down the street from my house.

It just needed a few minor repairs, and Marlene, the store's proprietress, offers that service to customers.

Isn't it just wonderful? Great fabrics, and a simple, effective quilting design. Love it!

In Defense of Stash

2011-11-15T19:40:00.006-06:00

I've been collecting fabric for a long time. During some of my fabric buying years, there wasn't time in my schedule for sewing. Didn't stop me; I continued to add to stash. Quilting has become a higher priority for me - family demands are lighter and the years aren't slowing down. At times I've felt guilty about the size of my stash, but not anymore. My stash is one of my favorite things!

Anne (Blue House Quilting) did a quick turn-around on Lexie's quilt. Picking binding fabric was a challenge - finding a fabric that worked with both the quilt front and back was difficult. I just kept digging thru the bins until I found a fabric I was happy with (close-up at left). The binding is complete and the quilt has run thru washer/dryer.

Pinwheels close-up

Quilt back (sorry for the shading)

Toile close-up

Back binding

With Lexie's quilt complete, I focused on Jared's during the sew-in. First step was to pick a design. Windy Sister by Country Threads was the winner. I wanted to cut the pieces from leftover strips (lots of pinwheels and 4 patches), but I never have enough lights. So, back to the stash to find four complementary lights. I've made good progress, but there are alot of blocks. A 4 patch is turned wrong in the pic - no worries, just stuck up on the design wall.

Retreat Report

2011-11-07T18:43:00.005-06:00

Vicki and I had a retreat at her beautiful house this past weekend. This is all that I accomplished - about 100 4patchs for the blue irish chain variation that I wrote about in my last post. We had a great time out in the country, watching Cranford (Masterpiece Theater), drinking tea, and sewing.

The blocks will need to go on my design wall, so these hourglass blocks that I made from swatches will have to come down. They were made quite a while ago, and I just wanted to see how they were looking. Today, I played catch-up around the house, but tomorrow, I hope to get back to the "blues".

Ta and Da

2011-10-30T15:22:00.003-05:00

Next weekend Jan and I are having a sew-in at my house. We've got plenty of firewood and good movies, but we were missing a design wall. So, after a trip to Jo-Ann's for batting (50% off coupon - Woo Hoo) and the big-box store for insulation board, we now have two 4x8 walls hanging down my hall! As my hubby says, 'Ta and Da!' What a treat - hoping I'm motivated to finish some projects that have been languishing in boxes (like the two in the pic at right).

Jan and I took a trip to the quilter's yesterday for drop-off/pick-up. We stopped at two great IL quilt shops - Quilt Merchant in Winfield and Prairie Stitches in Oswego. Prairie Stitches is a featured shop in the current Quilt Sampler. Their quilt is on the cover - what a beauty in person!

Docia from Quilt Merchant graciously allowed the following pics to share on the blog:

Halloween fun

New BOM

Geoff's Mom Pattern Co - The Storyteller

Jan and I both loved this doll quilt - looks old, but is new

Never say never! Over lunch I mentioned to Jan that I don't buy fabric for a particular project - always adding to stash. Within an hour, I added a new project and purchased 4 yds of the following Jo Morton fabric for background. Stay tuned!

Progress Report/Birthday Blocks for Bev

2011-10-23T21:03:00.008-05:00

Well, as expected, I just couldn't strip piece these light blues for the irish chain. It may not take much longer to piece as individual squares, and will probably follow the piecing plan from the Atkinson pattern. This is just a preview to see if I liked how it was looking, and you can see the odd choice for the chain. The colors here are quite accurate, so don't blame your computer! It is a browney-green, and I quite like the unexpected look of it, and am ready to start sewing!

These are birthday blocks for our quilting buddy Bev. You may remember that we piece blocks for each other when a birthday ends in zero. This will be the last time that we make blocks since we all have received them - with ages ranging from 40 to 60! This time Pat chose this block for Bev, and asked that we use three fabrics per block, including a lightish background. We all like reproduction fabrics, and Bev is partial to florals so they were added into the mix.

Progress

2011-10-16T18:31:00.000-05:00

My mom loved this machine. She said it would sew lace or leather - same beautiful stitch. I learned to sew on this machine. It's sewed dining room curtains; school clothes; my prom dress; my sister's wedding dress; and now, my Lexie's snuggle quilt. The top is together!

It turned out just as I'd pictured. I'm very pleased. Here's a peak at the backing. I have a square piece of French General Toile from the Lumiere de Noel line (picked up at Hancock's during quilt show frenzy). I'm framing the square with an oldie from stash. I've ironed the toile, but the creases keep coming back.

I'm planning on adding the back label prior to long-arm quilting. Any comments on pro's/con's to this approach?

Halloween Pennsylvania Style

2011-10-09T18:26:00.007-05:00

Vicki is having a fun in the sun weekend, so I am sharing my finished doll quilt top. The colors seem Pennsylvania inspired, but Halloweenish, too. The four patch is just such a versatile block. I often wonder of a quilter could spend her entire "career" with just one pattern. Maybe for a while, but she would get antsy for something different, I am sure.

Here is the reverse side. I like to press my seams open when working in a small scale. It makes the piecing a little bit more time consuming, but when it comes time for hand quilting, I always thank myself for having done so.

The 13.5 in square top basted and ready for quilting. The batting was a sample piece that was available for $1 at the last big quilt show in Chicago. I bought both the bleached and unbleached as they were the perfect size for doll quilts.

New Projects

2011-10-03T12:47:00.008-05:00

Since I have been wanting to focus on crib and doll reproduction quilts for some time, I thought I would look in my closet for a project. All of the fabric and pattern notes were set aside for this star crib quilt top. It was great fun to sew from a limited stack of backgrounds, and of reds/pinks. The alternate block is a Pat Nichols, and there is just enough of the outer triangle fabric to make binding, single-fold, if I choose. This little quilt top has been waiting to be made for over a decade.

This Atkinson Designs quilt called "Chain of Lakes" has been on the to-do list since it first caught my eye.

While I adore the quilt just as it is, I don't work much with 30s repros, so I bought some light blues at the Madison Quilt Show a few weeks ago. My local shop had a few more, and the rest were from stash. There really was a need to purchase fabric because I didn't have many lighter blues. Scads of dark blues though! I'm not sure what the chain fabric will be yet. There is one that I have in mind, but it is an odd color, and I''ll have to cut some up to see if it will work. The pattern is for strip piecing, and I may cut squares instead. I'm afraid that the repeats will be too obvious otherwise. Is that crazy? It will certainly add to the time it takes to make this.

And, an entirely new project, but this is a doll quilt, so hopefully it will be done soon. Maybe I will get some progress made on it today, but I'd better get back to the laundry and house cleaning first!

"You've Got Mail"

2011-09-25T15:53:00.003-05:00

Snuggle quilts have been requested by my grands in Texas (one boy/one girl). I've always loved the quilt from "You've Got Mail" - perfect for 'my girl' and a great opportunity to action one from the list. I worked on it last weekend (selecting fabric, cutting, sewing). By Sunday night, I had a good start. I should complete the last of the pinwheel blocks this weekend. I was hoping to start putting rows together, but that was too ambitious (when factoring in spring bulb planting).

Here's the beginning laid out on the spare bed. At the bottom, you can see the fabric I've selected for the setting triangles and corners. The pinwheel blocks finish at 7" (approx 10" on point). I'm planning 7 rows of 6 pinwheels. The quilt should finish 70" x 60". It might be a tad big for a snuggle quilt, but it can be folded at the end of a twin bed for double-duty.

Off to finish the last of the pinwheels (15 to go!) and plan the quilt for 'my guy'.

Flops

2011-09-19T12:58:00.005-05:00

These two quilt tops did not turn out as I had expected. They were both made in the mid to late 90's. This first one is corn and beans. I took the pattern quite literally because, look, there is corn fabric, and vegetable fabric. There are probably beans in there somewhere. At the time this was made, I was working in a quilt store. Unfortunately, I let modern tastes dictate my fabric choices here. How could I not know that this wouldn't satisfy me? And, it was a fair amount of sewing.

This grid type quilt was an idea that I had wanted to try for some time. Maybe I hadn't been quilting long enough to know that it wouldn't be successful. If I could do it over, I would add another value of red to create four surrounds of value. The center is just too huge!These reds were real favorite fabrics of mine, and I used them all up in this top. Also, some of the skinny strips were the ends of some pieces that I really liked.

These two tops ended up in someone else's collection because I sold them to a local machine quilter.

I think the best thing that can be said about these is that I saw them through to completion. That probably would not happen today. They would be left, in parts and pieces, to languish on a shelf.

The Silver Lining ...

2011-09-12T08:12:00.001-05:00

of a 'big' birthday - great friends! I celebrated a decade-turning BD in July. Jan and I caught up yesterday - look at the beautiful doll quilt she made me. I'm a lucky girl! What a treasure (both the quilt and the friend). Some of my recent yardage stash purchases are resting on the chair arm.

But that wasn't the only BD surprise. My quilting peeps - Pat, Susan, Sandy, Bev, and Jan - made me birthday blocks! Yankee Puzzle in beautiful, rich colors. The blocks are sitting on the doll quilt back - one of my favorite fabrics (isn't Jan the best)! Can't wait to go digging in the stash for the perfect fabric to pull together these beautiful blocks. I'm not going to tell the number of blocks cause I know you see the correlation between blocks and years - I'll just say there are alot of blocks. All these quilting surprises took the sting out of turning a 'decade' page.

Labor Day Weekend Sewing Update. I had the house to myself Thursday night, so I pulled out some Lady Circle Patchwork Quilts magazines. One little photo set the agenda for my sewing weekend. Jan and I were dropping off tops for quilting and I needed a back. Here's a pic of my inspiration (Bear's Paw) -

So, this stack of large triangles became this quilt back. The top was fun
and quick - can't wait to get it back.

A Couple of Doll Quilts

2011-09-05T17:21:00.003-05:00

Both of these doll quilts are from Temecula kits. The above quilt is from a Lori Smith pattern.

The one below is a Temecula pattern. This is just a fun, simple design, but I am really drawn to those. This would a good series quilt - doll, crib and bed sized. It probably won't happen, it is just fun to dream about. Sometimes that is enough, though, and it's on to the next project!

I'm really not much of a kit quilter, but these monthly ones from Temecula are really just the ticket for a small quilt sewing spell. The instructions are clear, and the fabric generous. I tend to keep little pieces, and have a stockpile starting from the leftovers. The idea isn't to make one exactly like the sample, and I like that. The result is similar but not a copy, although you could certainly do that if you wanted.

I like to baste the little quilts upon completion of the top. It is fun to choose the backing, and the basting goes lickety-split. Then they are ready to go when I want to do some hand quilting.

Big Wheels Keep on Turning

2011-08-28T12:40:00.001-05:00

August has been a busy work travel month for me. The last two trips offered some quilt related 'off hours' activity. I visited two quilts shops in the Atlanta area - Sweet Home Quilt Co. and Little Quilts. Both shops graciously allowed pictures for blog posting.

Sweet Home Quilt Co. (Hi, Melisa!) - I don't think you'll find a more inviting quilt shop. Wouldn't you love to 'sit and stitch' on this porch? The shop displays are charming - great tumbler quilt!

Little Quilts specializes in reproductions and is 'filled to the brim' with samples.

My trip to New Jersey last week was quite exciting - two major Mother Nature events! The earthquake was a unique workshop distraction (including swinging window blinds). I delayed my flight out until Saturday to take in the Maine quilt exhibit at the Lowell Quilt Museum. Couldn't get much closer to Irene impact - I was on the last United flight leaving Hartford, CT last night - the Indiana sunshine is looking mighty fine today! No quilt pictures allowed at the exhibit, but lots of scribbled notes taken. I think there might be a crib and doll quilt added to my list. Wouldn't this be the perfect quilt shop - only a block from the museum!

So, with all the travel this month, not much sewing going on. But, Labor Day weekend plans have changed and I'm planning on a sewing retreat! Looking back at last year's post, this is a welcomed repeat. Anybody interested in joining me? If you've read to the end of this travelogue and you want to sew-along, send me an email and I'll post progress over the weekend. If not, I'll sew alone - off to do some planning!

Ugly Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

2011-08-21T14:09:00.009-05:00

There has been quite a lot written about the use of ugly fabrics on quilting blogs of late. Tonya's (www.LazyGalQuilting.blogspot.com) Lego top that she has been making; Lynn's most recent post on www.kleinmeisje.blogspot.com. Of course, Bonnie Hunter is famous for using uglies along with pretties in her quilts to fabulous effect. This top was made from her Scrappy Bargello pattern using only my ugliest fabrics. I downsized the pattern to use 2 inch strips instead of 2.5 inch strips hoping to downplay the true ugliness of the fabrics. As Bonnie says, "If it's still ugly, you just didn't cut it small enough"! I must not have cut these strips quite small enough. I am being brave and giving you all views!

At least the old iron bed, and the room are pretty!

I couldn't possibly take a flattering photo of this top as you will see in these close-ups.

How about that peachy fabric? You just can't get peach quilting fabric anymore, can you? Good thing.

Green marbled next to the brown woodsy print - if you've been quilting long enough, you had some of that in your stash, I'll bet.Silver metallic fountain pens next to brown clouds. Brown clouds?!

Yet more ugly. I am amazed at some of the fabric designs that are produced, and even more so that so many of them ended up in my stash!

Random Thoughts

2011-08-14T18:42:00.004-05:00

Pulling together random thoughts for this post. The first is a finish! This quilt was started at Beaver Island Quilt Retreat - strippy theme. The quilt doesn't look like a vertical strip quilt, but that's how the quilt was constructed (corner close-up at left). After much debate on quilting, we decided stippling would be best - machine quilted by Anne Spiotta from Blue House Quilting. I'm really happy with the result. The pics of the front and back are a little blurry and not true to color (quilt is much darker), but wearing out my welcome with the holder.

(edit) The quilt has been complaining that the pic above 'adds ten pounds', so I'm including a better image.

Jan and I visited the LaPorte Co. Historical Society quilt exhibit in June. There were a number of nice quilts displayed - some well loved. This Lone Star greeted you as you walked in the door.

One of our favorites was the folded cradle quilt . The coverlet on the bed was very nice, too.

The museum had a large collection of 'invalid' cups. I haven't run across these before. The cups were used before drinking straws to feed soft foods and liquids to infants and patients. They were offered as an accessory piece to many china sets. There is an elongated spout opposite the handle topped by a lip to contain the liquid when the cup is tipped.

I had to be in San Francisco for two consecutive weeks for work, so I stayed thru the week-end. This was my first opportunity to sight see in San Fran. I did alot of walking and took lots of pictures of beautiful old homes. I visited two yarn shops, but no quilt shops. I'm including two of my favorite pics - the famous Painted Ladies and Lombard St.

Last pic is from my flower garden - swallowtail butterfly on the flowering Bethany.

Fabric Cleanout/Bloomington Pics

2011-08-07T19:58:00.012-05:00

The temperature in the sewing room hasn't been condusive to productivity lately, but a couple of nights ago, I somehow started going through the green stash. So many of these really don't have any good purpose for reproduction quilts. I suppose that some of the darker ones would be good for appliqueing leaves or vines, but I'm not sure that they would be selected if I had a project like that going. I think these are going to be relocated to the storage boxes that house the fabric for donation quilts. A few of them did have a nice reverse side of solid greens that I liked. So they survived the cull.

Well, I wouldn't leave you hanging without some eye candy! Here are two of my favorites of the Bloomington Star Exhibit that Vicki and I attended.

Lizzie Borden's family quilt inspired this one.

Love this pillar print, and don't you know that I just happened to find a great fabric to reproduce this reproduction! Add yet another one to the list!

This one has the zigzag edge that I love so much, and a great, sharp yellow to grab your attention.

These, as well as the others in the exhibit, are reproductions of antique quilts done in a crib quilt size.

Where's the Willpower?

2011-07-31T10:53:00.003-05:00

I caved! I resisted Lucy's Jacok when she first posted. Then, last weekend I was catching up on my blog list, and saw Keryn's completed top. Too much for me - I caved! Each block finishes at 9" which adds to the quilt's visual draw. I thought about downscaling (cause I like little blocks), but decided against it. Bonus for me - the 4 patch strip size matches the 9 patch for the Martz quilt I posted about recently, so I'm getting double duty from the dark strips.

The fabric the 9 patch blocks are laying on is from Blue Hill Fabrics - Sara's Stash. I picked it up at Whittle's on the trip to Florida. They aren't far off I-65 in Kentucky. I also stopped at the Speed Art Museum's exhibit of the Bingham-Miller collection in Louisville (sidebar). Great diversion for a day in the car.

If you're following my Featherweight drama, no resolution yet. I'm using my mom's 1951 Singer 15-91 portable machine - beautiful stitch, but the thing weighs a ton. Portable? - I don't think so!

I just pulled my bed quilt from the dryer, so a good time to post pics. Shadow, my old black cat, lays on the quilt every night, so I don't want to change out my bed quilt for something that suits me better. This quilt was made for an on-line Labor Day quilt retreat years ago. I wasn't fond of the top until it was machine quilted by Fat Quarter Quilt Farm - Susan's stitching art made me love the quilt. The border picture is the closest to actual color.

center section

border

back (flipped over)

The last thing I have to share is a recently inherited (unfortunately, but not my Grandma - she's been gone for years) needlepoint picture made by my Grandma Flo. I remember visiting with her in the backyard while she worked on this piece. The yarns were so close in shade, she worked in natural sunlight to follow the color chart. The camera won't render a sharp image due to the needlepoint texture. It will find a spot of honor to remind me of my Grandma every day.

What I've Been Up To

2011-07-25T13:58:00.005-05:00

Here is the finished porch quilt top. I am pretty happy with it. Nearly all of the fabric was in the stash, but for the sashing. There was only one yard, and, of course, it was my favorite of all that I auditioned. Thought that I would take a chance online, and Main Street Quilts had just under two yards left, so you know I snagged it all! The top evolved from leftover 9 patchs, blue and white brick leftovers from Bonnie's Texas Braid, and the desire to make something for the porch. Blue with gray is very New England summer to me, and I like the combination.Detail shot. So much fun to just start sewing, and allow the quilt to make itself.

These blocks are the leaders and enders for my other leader and ender 4 patchs! The centers were a charm pack giveaway from the generous Kathie from www.inspiredbyantiquequilts.blogspot.com . The corner triangles are extras from my Christmas Cracker quilt. The strips are, again, from the Texas Braid. These blocks may just be a backing for an unknown quilt in my future. It will be curious to see how many quilts that never would have been can be sewn from all of my overcutting.

Vacation's Over

2011-07-19T20:50:00.000-05:00

There was a little sewing going on during vacation - there would have been alot more if I hadn't pulled the table out from under the featherweight! Damage was done, but hubby assures me he can fix it 'as good as new'. Girls (Lexie - 9 and Elle - 10) decided on a snuggle quilt - 12 '9 patch' blocks each. I purchased a jelly roll of a line I thought they'd like (better than my favorite repro stash) - it worked out well. I did alot of cutting, pinning, and trimming and they did a little sewing. We'll pick back up next vacation when the machine is feeling better. They did a great job and had alot of fun.

I don't have much to share on my own progress (nada progress!), so I'm sharing some photos from John Sauls' Antiques taken at Houston show last year - beautiful display and gracious vendor! I don't have access to a photo editor, so please excuse the picture quality.

I'm Serious About This One...

2011-07-10T13:43:00.006-05:00

This was my favorite quilt from the exhibit in Indianapolis. I have every good intention of making my own version of this dynamic quilt. The vibrant red fabric used in the side triangles, and outer border really grabbed my attention.
When I saw the online swatchs of the new Crossroads to Texas line by Betsy Chutchian, there was a perfect, equally striking bold print on deep blue. So, mine won't be a replica, but I hope to do it justice!Fun description of this quilt...Block measurement... Border measurement...When the fabric arrives, I'll be good to sew!

Bye, Bye, Blackbird

2011-07-03T20:25:00.000-05:00

When life gets a tad trying, I retreat by planning a new project - browsing thru quilt books, calculating yardage, auditioning fabric... I 'pack up all my care and woe' and fill my head with new possibilities. Quilts of Virginia 1607 - 1899 traveled with me last week. I was drawn to the 'Martz Quilt', dated 1838, on pg 75. It's a simple quilt, but very pleasing to the eye. Things are still in the sample stage (and it doesn't look like much just yet), but I'm nearing some decisions. I don't mind having alot of 'projects in flight' - I need the visual reminder.

Janet asked about the quilt in the blog header. The quilt was on exhibit at the Chicago International Quilt Festival in 2010. I call it 'Eagles and Roses'.

My four grandchildren (from two families) are visiting next week. The girls (9 and 10) want to make doll quilts. Can't wait!

Indianapolis Amish/Design Wall

2011-06-26T13:44:00.015-05:00

Only two quilts to share today, but lots of detail shots because these photos came out so well. You can really see the luschious, deep saturated color.

An Amish star quilt...

Oh, I loved this one!

I had a notion to make a new quilt for my back porch. Most of the 3 inch 9 patchs were already made, so this is going fairly quickly. The sashing will probably be a gray - a secondary mourning type. Initially the plan was for black, but the blocks keep telling me "no!".

Some of the blues began life as bricks for the Texas Braid quilt. The leftovers from that will be around for years!

I'm not sure if I'll use half blocks around the edges, or introduce another fabric for triangles to finish the design. If it ends up being half blocks, I may just make full blocks and chop them off. This is supposed to be easy-breezey, so we'll see if I have the nerve to do it!

Retail Therapy

2011-06-19T21:43:00.000-05:00

No sewing since my last post, but there has been some retail therapy! I visited a couple of local shops with a visiting quilting friend. Luck was with us - Needle and Thread was having a fabric sale. We ran into friends that told us about a shop only 10 miles from my house. What kind of quilter am I - how could I miss a quilt shop that close to home? Scrapyard Quilting had a nice sale table with repros! I did some damage, but it put a smile on my face! I fell in love with the combination of these two fabrics. I'm pondering the quilt options.

To make your visit worthwhile, I'm including two more quilts from the Frugal and Fancy Exhibit.

The Star of Bethlehem quilt (1880) was made by Anna Marie Arnold Clemmons, Shelby County, as a gift for her husband. The quilt includes two inscriptions: 'J Clemmons married A W Arnold March 22, 1866' and 'Presented to J Clemmons on his 34 birthday by his wife'.

Whig Rose (1845-1865) was made by Lavina Rudicil Rubottom of Franklin County. The quilt was presented as a wedding gift to relatives in 1887.

I'm anxious to get back to the sewing machine, but the calendar isn't co-operating.

Indigo in Indianapolis

2011-06-12T15:07:00.009-05:00

I love blue, I love baskets, and I love little blocks, so this one has it all, in my book...

The batting may be thick, but it doesn't detract much...

An indigo whole-cloth...

Detail - Still has that beautiful sheen...

Progress

2011-06-05T16:09:00.003-05:00

I've completed a fourth of the quilt - upper left corner. The pattern is Twilight Hopscotch from Simple Comforts by Kim Diehl. I changed the block construction to reduce seams in the background fabric - my main block is the 9/4 patch with star sashing. The book directions are reversed. The original star centers were scrappy double pinks (below), but didn't work for me. So, I decided on a common cheddary center. I was short of fabric by one piece, so the outer four corners are a little darker fabric from same color family (upper left star).

Don't you love bonus hst!!! I'll have alot of these blue/gray hst from the star points that will finish at 1 1/2". My little brain has already skipped ahead to planning a new 'little' quilt.

Jan and I went to two quilt exhibits last Saturday - great quilt day! I've included two choice applique quilts from the 'Frugal and Fancy Quilt Exhibit' (info on sidebar).

Indiania Fancy quilt by Clariss Rohrbaugh Strong (February 12, 1854). The quilt border serves as the quilt label.

The quilting on the Pomegranate quilt by Mary Jane Summers McClellan (1850's) was exceptional. I see so much more detail thru Jan's eyes - she pointed out the quirkly centers.

Amazing quilting!

Half Log Cabin/Road Trip

2011-05-30T22:03:00.006-05:00

These half log cabin blocks were made a couple of years ago, and intended for a quilt to hang in my living room. After realizing that I hadn't made even half of the blocks that I needed, I just wasn't up for it, so they languished on a shelf. Since I've been in a "finishing" mood of late, I pulled them out, and sewed them up into a 68" top. Not the size I had envisioned, but I am really happy with it. The quilt is based on one in the Patricia Cox book, "American Quilt Classics". The layout is the same, but the coloring is a bit different. A close-up.

Saturday, Vicki and I left bright and early for two of the exhibits listed on our sidebar. First up was Indianapolis for the Frugal and Fancy, then on to Bloomington for the AQSG Star Quilts. We will be sharing lots of photos soon.

On the way home, we stopped in Greenwood at Back Door Quilts in Greenwood. Here are a few pics to entice you if you are ever in the area - lots of repros, and look at all of those samples!

This puss in the corner quilt was one of my favorites. My purchases are on the little bench in front of it. The star quilt book is based on the Bloomington exhibit.

In the Works

2011-05-22T13:33:00.006-05:00

Not much quilt related activity lately. At left is the progress on the Kim Diehl quilt (sorry, don't know the name of the pattern). I've changed it up just a little - added square-in-a-square to the star center and, of course, lots of scraps - the book quilt is two fabric. The fabric the sample is lying on is a little busy, sorry, but it was close to hand and I was in a hurry. Great fabric though -Mahogany by Nancy Gere c. 1830 from Windham.

I've also worked a few sample blocks for the cover quilt from Quilts an American Heritage by Terri Zegart I wrote about a few posts back. I've settled on an 8" block with a common light fabric (a Jo Morton). This quilt is on Jan's list too, so we're thinking of using it for our next block exchange. The block is much simpler than it appears.

The next two quilts are from the quilt show at the First Christian Church of Marion, KY. This is the third year they've held a show during Paducah quilt week. Most of the quilts are from members' personal collections, many family heirlooms. I didn't have my camera with me on my first visit and by the time I made it back, they were just about done folding up. Wish I could show you a picture of the pews covered in quilts!

Beautiful Feathered Star - amazing quilting!

This quilt was paper thin - well loved.

Last two pictures are from my garden - we're finally getting some nice weather in IN!

Spawn of Texas Braid/Sarah Richardson

2011-05-16T12:29:00.009-05:00

Texas Braid top is finally finished. It was nerve-wracking when I first trimmed a strip, but it was a breeze really. I am happy with this one, and am anxious to have it quilted. As usual, I overcut. Lots of leftover 2" bricks. There were also a few leftover red 2" squares, so I am making four patchs as leader & ender blocks. Here are the trimmings from the completed Braid strips. What kind of lunatic saves stuff like this?! They will make half-square triangles that finish to 3/4". Gotta keep 'em.

Sarah Richardson has a new HGTV series, and this time she is remodeling her family's lake cottage. I loved the old brass bar used to hold this sweet quilt. At first glance, I thought it was a 9 patch with 4 patch sashing, but the block is really a 9 patch surrounded by white strips, with 4 patch corners. Then, it is sashed and has a little post.

Here is the entire room. Isn't the quilt just perfect on the narrow wall?

Guest Post

2011-05-10T15:34:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! I'm Amy, Jan's daughter. I'm writing in place of my mom today because it's May 10th -- World Lupus Day.

The entire month of May is dedicated to lupus advocacy, but today is a day the entire world bands together and tries to raise awareness about this incurable and misunderstood disease.

Chances are, most people have heard of lupus -- especially because of the TV show, House. While that's great the name is out there, not many people seem to understand much about it and how it affects people who live with it.

Unfortunately, no two cases of lupus are the same. It manifests itself differently in every person and a lot of times, they symptoms are too vague for a doctor to make a diagnosis. There are blood tests that can be done, as well as criteria the patient must fit, to determine if lupus is the cause of the problems.

I've found that one of the best ways awareness can be spread is by reading individual stories about how people were diagnosed and how it affects their life.

There are quite a few places this can be done. One is an online magazine I've written for (and intend to write for again once I have the time and energy) called The Lupus Magazine. And because people with lupus are mostly women (90%), there's also a site called The Fight Like a Girl Club. I've shared my own experiences about life with lupus on both of these sites.

Information can also be found at the Lupus Foundation of America website, where you can find more than just personal stories. They offer links and resources, as well as a way to donate to help find a cure, or at least more medicines to help.

Thanks for letting me come on today to share this information, and I hope you'll check some of the pages out and learn a bit more and maybe tell others about lupus and what it really is.
I can personally tell you it isn't what most people think, and even having it and feeling I understand it fairly well, I still am thrown for a loop every now and again -- it has a mind of its own and does what it wants, when it wants. All we can ask for is more awareness in order to receive more research funding. Every new person who learns about the disease and spreads knowledge brings us one step closer to that.

Postcard from Paducah

2011-05-04T08:34:00.002-05:00

This wasn't the typical Quilt Show year. The venue for the main exhibit was moved at the last minute due to rising river water - Mother Nature has targeted the midwest for flooding rains. A family emergency changed my plans. I did attend the show for a few hours on Saturday, so I opted for the Rotary Show to take in the antique exhibit. This year's theme was 'A Quilted Garden' curated by Sue Reich. There was a gallery tour starting as I walked in the door! The wholecloth quilt at left (c. 1830) was the oldest quilt in the exhibit. What a beauty and in great shape!

I loved the border on the Fleur-de-Lis and Stars Connecticut quilt (c. 1840).

What a fun, graphic four block Daisy quilt - the hand quilting was exceptional.

Hexagon Baskets (c. 1940) was a labor of love - lots of little hexagons in this quilt! Love the border.

Last exhibit pic is the Redwork Penny Square quilt (c. 1900) - the pre-stamped squares were purchased for one penny.

One of my favorite antique quilt vendors, Cindy Rennels from Cindys Antique Quilts, was at the Rotary. She has graciously allowed me share these booth shots with you. Thanks, Cindy!

The quilt show is embraced by the whole community. I loved the following window displays!

I'm anxious to get back to the sewing machine. I've been hand sewing binding, so some progress!

Triangle Shirtwaist Exhibit & Two Color Quilts

2011-04-19T13:15:00.017-05:00

While in New York to see the quilt shows last month, the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire took place. The fire cost the lives of many young women working at the factory, and ushered in many of the reforms that we still enjoy today. Around the corner from the Empire Guild Show, at the Fashion Institute of Technology, an exhibit was held to commemorate the anniversary.
I took this photo because of the quote at the bottom of the page - "You could touch the sorrow in the air".

Quite unusual, and modern, wouldn't you say? The displays were made of paper, and, if you look closely, the detail really depicts that day.

The burnt cloth of the skirt. The names of the victims, on the spiral at left. On the back wall, the women preparing to jump to escape the flames. I've read a couple of books involving the fire, and was, at first, surprised by the modern approach to the exhibit, but it was a solemn tribute to the women who perished that day.

On a lighter note, I have been thinking about the red and white quilts (who hasn't?!), and remembered that I had made a doll quilt of red and white sailboats. Both of the solids used are vintage pieces, as is the bias binding. Here is a little redwork piece that I bought online. I am not certain of it's intended use, but it works perfectly as a little sheet for one of my doll beds!Here is another two color quilt, using a great cheddar solid. I really quilted the heck out of this, didn't I?

The last doll quilt has a little story. I was at an auction, which used to be a frequent event for me, and there was a doll quilt made of a cadet printed with little stars, and a heavier, almost sacking type material. Well, it went for more than I cared to spend, so I went home, and made a copy of it for myself, of similar fabrics, and machine quilted it simply. It looks nearly identical to the one that brought the big bucks!

NYC Wrap Up

2011-04-10T21:24:00.002-05:00

I wish I had a new red and white project to show you - so many ideas spinning in my head. I've done some planning and figuring inspired by one of my favorites from Infinite Variety, but stash yardage is short and time even shorter! So, I'm sharing the last of my favorite non Red and White photos. The quilts might be repeats from other blogs, but they're my favorites. These quilts are from the Amercan Folk Art Museum exhibit. The Amish quilts were behind glass, so close-up shots won't do, but I love this shot from the floor above.

The star quilt is circa 1860 - 1900 from Geneva, New York.

At left is a close-up of the Slashed Star quilt (dated 1872 from Lancaster, PA), a variation of Mariner's Compass. I love the border on the quilt at right. - no info on this quilt due to bad photo.

This last quilt (again no details due to bad photo) is perfect for a spring post!

Isn't this entryway great!

Jan and I love libraries. We visited the main branch (built in 1911) on 42nd St on our first afternoon. We planned to go back for one of the guided tours, but quilts took precedence. Jan recommended a great book - Time and Again by Jack Finney - set in NYC in both 1970 and 1882 . Part of the plot takes place at the Dakota on the edge of Central Park, which we visited. I just finished the book and really enjoyed visualizing the city. Thanks Jan!

Finally, the Chrysler Building. It was a great trip!

Museum of American Folk Art

2011-04-04T16:12:00.010-05:00

Other bloggers have shared their photos of the magnificent Red and White Exhibit held in New York City last week. I am still editing mine, and, unfortunately, deleting quite a few that were blurry. Thank goodness there will be a book in the future! I thought that I would share a few pictures from the Museum of American Folk Art, who hosted all three exhibits of quilts. These were taken at the main Museum. I love doll quilts, and these were charming, as was the little bed. Vicki and I wanted to fold back the hexagon to get a better look at the middle quilt!

This sunflower quilt was beautiful, and the close-ups of the fabric came out quite well. Excuse the blurriness of this shot...

Enlarge this one! I plan to share some other pics from the week spent in NYC in future posts. I can't add to the already glowing reports, except to say that I can't imagine that I'll ever forget those red and white quilts, and the way in which they were displayed. I know that I have even dreamed of them!

It was wonderful to meet fellow bloggers, and put faces to names, in some cases. I feel like it was quilter's Woodstock! We can all say that we were there for the quilting event of the new century!

Happy Birthday Joanna Semel Rose

2011-03-30T09:55:00.000-05:00

and heartfelt thanks for your generous gift to the quilting community. Everyone described 'Infinite Variety' as the 'exhibit of a lifetime'. Jan and I viewed the exhibit three times and found new favorites each visit. The impact of the display as you walked thru the doors was amazing - never to be topped! I'm posting pics of my fav 5 - those that 'spoke to me'.

The Park Avenue Armory was a wonderful venue for the exhibit. This last photo is the pattern projected on the worn drill hall floor from the ceiling lighting rigging.

Preview of Gathering

2011-03-21T19:28:00.006-05:00

The "Gathering of Quilters", a tri-state annual quilt show for Indiana, Illinois and Michigan was held this past weekend in Schererville, Indiana. Vicki and I attended as it is only about 20 minutes away from my house. The show is a juried one, and this year, was combined with the Heritage Quilter's Guild show. This pineapple caught my eye, and is actually pink and brown, even though it looks a bit green in these photos. Here is a close-up of the fabrics. Vicki will be sharing lots more photos of the Gathering in upcoming posts.

On another note, my parents have moved to assisted living, and are breaking up housekeeping. My mom wanted to give back quilts that I had made them. Since my dad is a Halloween baby, I made this doll quilt for him in 1993. You may notice that it has a bit of a curve to the upper edge. It was safety pinned at the upper corners, and hung from nails to a wall in his office since that time! It will have a bath, and maybe a blocking, and hopefully, will return to square.

We will be traveling to New York on Thursday to see the Red and White Exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum. I can hardly wait!

Crazy Quilt

2011-03-13T11:19:00.006-05:00

The first stop at the Punta Gorda Quilt Show was a lecture on the care of antique quilts. I only caught the last couple minutes (so missed the bed turning), but after wrap-up an attendee brought out an antique crazy quilt to share. The quilt, dated 1881, was found among family possessions, but wasn't made by a family member. This was one of the nicest crazy quilts I've seen - mostly embroidered silks. I'm the caretaker of a family heirloom crazy quilt, but mine is the more typical velvet with fancy edge stitching. Each square of this quilt was special and included some cigar silks.

The year is stitched at left.

This is my favorite quilt from the show. Notice that two of the blocks are pieced a little differently than their neighbors.

Lastly, here's a picture postcard sunset. Glad I have this to remind me of sunshine and palm trees, because I'm not finding any at home in Indiana!

Fragments

2011-03-06T23:58:00.005-06:00

Today has been quite an odd one for me. I spent a good part of the afternoon making progress on the Texas Braid - sewing rows 11 and 12 out of 14 to be made. No pic for that because it just doesn't look much different than the last one I shared. This afternoon I received good news from a friend, and this morning some disturbing news - nothing truly awful. My dad has Alzheimer's, and my parents live together in assisted living. The facility called to tell me that my dad had a dispute with another resident - he asked for a cigarette, and the man said no, then my dad called him a name. I didn't ask what, but assumed that he swore at him. This is a new, bad behavior for him, so I kept thinking about it throughout the day, and how best to handle it.
The only reason that I mention it is because I think that is why I made this little top. The red pieces are slivers from the trimmed ends of the "match" part of the Texas Braid. The exhibit in New York of red and white quilts has been on my mind (Vicki and I bought our tickets and are ready to go!), and I just wanted to make a little, liberated piece with them. When I finished, I realized that it may need to be my donation for the Alzheimer's Art Initiative. It just seems to represent to me the disconnected brain signals that occur with the disease. I think that I will not even attempt to square this up, just quilt and bind it with the unevenness left as is.

Since Last We Met....

2011-02-27T18:05:00.002-06:00

I started a new quilt and am planning another! Temecula used the 9 Patch gray 5's fabric (Judie Rothermel Sturbridge Village IV) as a background in one of their quilts and I loved it. I was re-acquainted with a quilt from Kim Diehl's Simple Comforts book and pulled the gray from stash to use as background. I have lots of 4 Patch blocks to make, but I think this one will come together quickly. The 9 Patch blocks are complete.

The quilt I'm planning is from my bucket list. It's the cover quilt from Quilts: An American Heritage by Terri Zegart. This book can be found 'used' online at ridiculously low prices - the book price is cheaper than the shipping. The book is only 128 pages, but the picture quality is wonderful. I found this book almost three years ago and instantly added the cover quilt to my list. This picture has been rotating thru my screensaver. This is the second time my screensaver has pushed me to start something new. It's great incentive - my favorites keep flashing by.

I'm recharging my winter battery in FL this week. My first stop was a quilt show in Punta Gorda. I'll post show pictures next time.

2011-02-20T20:48:00.006-06:00

This is another Christmas gift that I made this year, but forgot to take pictures of. It was made for my friend Missy. She has lots of colors in her house, and the only thing that I could think to make for her was a Christmas quilt. The pattern is in Simply Scrappy Quilts by Nancy Martin, and is called Star and Chain. It uses 2.5 in strips, and goes together lickety-split. Here is a detail of the quilting, and, in my defense, I had to take pictures really fast. This swirl on the side triangle is my favorite part. Hopefully you can make it out. Susan Atwell, from Fat Quarter Quilt Farm, did the machine quilting. I've had a fair amount of sewing time recently, and am making progress on the Texas Braid. I set some tight parameters for myself on this. The darks have a broad range, but the lights are more narrow. I didn't want anything with a white background, and did want an old, mellow feel to them. It seems to be working, but it is getting kind of boring piecing. Every once in a while I have to audition more, and cut into something fresh.

Finished my Midnight Stars top. I am happy with it, and it goes upon the stack of "to be quilted" tops.

Midnight Stars - Thanks, Lori!

2011-02-13T13:47:00.001-06:00

I started Midnight Stars Part 1 (pieced block outer triangles) during late night retreat sewing. I had little yardage with me, so I pulled the fabrics from scrap strip sets. The pea-green fabric set the tone for the entire top - it's a hard color to base a quilt around! There was alot of fabric auditioning going on at my house before moving on to Part 2! I didn't have enough background fabric (darker of the two) to complete the setting triangles, so I alternated with a second fabric. The darker background (2004-2005 Thimbleberries) really played nicely with the pea-green triangles and was my first choice. I probably should have used the darker for the outer border and the lighter for the four inner blocks - hindsight! Haven't decided if I'll add an outer border - the top needs to rest for awhile.

Close-up of the two star blocks -

Design Wall/Crib Strippy 9 Patch

2011-02-08T13:08:00.007-06:00

I am starting off the year with good intentions to complete some projects that have been on the back burner, so it's been back at work on my Texas Braid project. It was nearly a year since Bonnie Hunter came to our guild, and I took her class. I am happy with the way it is looking, but quite nervous about trimming, and sewing the rows together. There will be lots of bias, and no room for error. There is far to go before that point, though! A new, but tiny :), project - Lori's Quilt-Along hit the skids when I ran out of my main fabric due to a miscut. Vicki to the rescue with a fat quarter, so I will be able to finish this soon. Haven't made it to my sewing room for the last couple of days, but hope to this afternoon - after house cleaning :( I don't think that you've seen this little crib quilt before. It was folded, and hanging on my pew/quilt rack for maybe the last month. It is just jammed in there for the pic, so it looks a bit wonky.

It was time for a change, but I want to look at this toile backing for a day or two. I can pretend that I fan quilted a whole cloth quilt! Boy, you sure can see fold lines after such a short display time.

Woo Hoo!

2011-01-30T11:50:00.002-06:00

Another bed quilt in the 'finished' pile! At left is a close-up of the back. The quilting was done by Anne Spiotta of Blue House Quilting, Wheaton, IL. I couldn't be happier with the results - I love the heavy quilting in the quilt top alternate block. I don't have a nice place to hang quilts for picture taking, so hubby stepped in. Pictures are a little fuzzy (sorry), but the hired help wasn't interested in 'Take 2'. The picture on the left is the top - picture on the right is the back. You're probably tired of seeing this one, but it's finally finished!

A couple close-up shots of the top -

Jan and I had a great retreat weekend - my personal accomplishments:

binding attached to two bed quilts

six pinwheel blocks

four log cabin blocks

small start on Lori's Midnight Stars

Retreat Report

2011-01-25T17:56:00.004-06:00

Well, we failed to get the gang together for our annual Shipshewanna Retreat. Vicki and I headed off alone last Friday. She discovered this wonderful B&B. We had an entire walkout basement to ourselves - this was the living room that we used to sew in. This picture was taken before we got down to work. We had a great time, but are always surprised by our small accomplishments. I made the blocks for Lori's Quilt-Along, and then worked on my Braid quilt (Bonnie's pattern). That's it! We spent the first day fabric shopping, and having the traditional hot pretzel at Jo Jo's - so yummy. I'm sure you quilters caught the antique quilt that was on the wall. Here is a better shot of it. Maybe I would have more to show for my time if I wasn't spending so much of it staring at this! The innkeeper shared that she purchased this at a local auction. It may be a partial quilt as this is the entire piece; it isn't folded. The quilting is by machine and is in simple, straight vertical lines. This is a great block, and so easy to piece. There may be one in my future!

Quakertown

2011-01-17T20:49:00.005-06:00

I finished the binding on this quilt this weekend while watching lots of football.It is now on our bed, and was put to use for the first time last night. While I like the looks of it, it's kinda crunchy sleeping under a freshly machine-quilted quilt! The others that we've used on our bed were hand quilted, and are quite snuggly. I wonder if it will soften with use, or not until it's washed? Here is a detail of the quilting, which I love! It was quilted by Anne Spiotta of Blue House Quilting in Illinois. Vicki and I took tops to her recently, and Anne spent all the time that we needed selecting designs.

Here is the Fons & Porter pattern that I used for this quilt. Can you see the date at the bottom of the magazine page? Yes, I made this top that long ago (1996), and it took this long to have it quilted! The tops waiting for hand quilting just pile up too fast, so if I expect to see quilts instead of tops, it's off to the machine quilters they go!

All Sewed Up

2011-01-09T09:37:00.003-06:00

Finished - last night around 8:30. I like the stripe running vertically. Little quilts have their own set of benefits - the sense of accomplishment from just one day's sewing and packability (to name just two). The plan is to layer today for evening hand quilting. This might be a pipedream as hotel lighting is subpar - you know what I'm talkin' about.

I have a quilt hoop that breaks down for travel and offers two hoop sizes while lifting the quilt off your lap - creating space for your 'stab hand'.

Jan is probably surprised at this post, as I usually work on full-size quilts. To add to my list of vices, doll beds are now included in my 'just browsing' list. My first official doll bed purchase was made New Year's Eve day in Princeton, KY while visiting family. My sister and I were given doll bunk beds for Christmas years ago (one set to share). Now where did I stash my half?

Snow and Sew

2011-01-08T10:54:00.002-06:00

Today's weather forecast is for snow, snow, snow. What better way to spend the day than piecing! Following a breadcrumb trail from Barbara Brackman's 'Civil War Quilts' blog this morning, I found this sweet doll quilt (circa 1895) in the North Carolina Museum of History quilt collection.

Most of last year I exercised constraint on starting new projects, but lately I've done an 'about face'. Today I'm focusing on recreating this simple, yet graphic, doll quilt. The original computes to 2" squares (23.6" x 23.8"), but I'm leaning toward 1 3/4" sq (21" sq finished) or 1 1/2" sq (18" sq finished) - whichever scrap strip pile is larger.

Barring an electrical outage, I'll post later today/tomorrow with progress - hopefully, a completed top!

Some Gifts

2011-01-01T15:29:00.012-06:00

You may remember this as a top from a post a few months ago. It was recently quilted by Susan Atwell of the Fat Quarter Quilt Farm. This was a gift for new son-in-law Adam, the hockey player. After I made this top, Adam retired from playing, and is now on sports radio in Corpus Christi, Texas. These were the team's (Corpus Christi Rays) colors. They also happen to be the Chicago Black Hawks team colors, so it was a win-win! One of his former college teammates plays for them. This was his Christmas gift from me this year.

The border and binding used up many of my black strips.
Jessi asked after some of her quilts that she used to have in her bedroom. She asked if they could go home with her - they drove from Texas! - and I was happy that she asked, and happy that it freed up a bit of space in the quilt/linen closet.

This was maybe the fifth quilt or so that I ever made in the mid-90s. It was also the first quilt that I ever machine quilted. I remember going about it fearlessly, and really didn't encounter any problems. It was quilted with invisible thread which I still really like. I think that it gives a hand-quilted appearance because only the texture is noticeable. People don't seem to quilt with this type of thread much anymore, do they? Do any of you have experience with the invisible threads? I remember that this was nylon, but I know that Superior makes a polyester, too. Perhaps this is the new generation of these threads?

Just some simple, straight line quilting. Free motion still scares me silly!

This was Jessi's graduation gift. She went off to college in North Carolina, and became a marine biologist mainly because of her love of dolphins.

I also machine quilted this one, but used an invisible thread here, too, but with a bit of sparkle to look like light reflecting on the water. I used a walking foot, and had no problem with these narrow curves.

Another gifted quilt that I made recently was for my niece, Betsy. She and her husband, Richard, welcomed their first child, Fiona in October. They are both art majors, and seem to enjoy modern and 60's retro designs. This fabric had to be purchased for this quilt. I certainly don't have anything like this in my stash! Her is the back where I was able to use leftover strips, and one width of yardage.

This was inspired, and, frankly, copied from something that I saw online, but can't recall where. Susan quilted this one, too. It was fun to use fabrics that are completely different than what I normally use, but I am anxious to get into the sewing room, and work with some of the dark, and depressing that I so love!

Timeout

2010-12-26T15:27:00.007-06:00

The Puss-In-The-Corner blocks are in timeout until I decide how to proceed. My screensaver has been cycling thru quilt pics and this pinwheel on-point has been calling to me. Check out the quilt at Liberty Star, Renee Plains' blog.

Each block is constructed from 16 half square triangle units. I'm using the hst quick piecing method - each square set produces 8 identical hst! My hst's finish at 1 3/4". My usual method would be to cut one light/one dark square at 2 3/4" (add 1" to finished size) to produce two hst's. With this quick method you cut one light/one dark square at double that measurement - 5 1/2". Since I need 16 hst, I cut 2 light and 2 dark squares at 5 1/2". Draw lines point-to-point (one line NW to SE and one line NE to SW). Sew 1/4" on each side of both lines.

Cut the square in half horizontally and vertically (2 3/4" cutting line for this example). Cut each smaller square along drawn line to yield 8 hst. Trim each unit to 2 1/4" for finished 1 3/4" unit.

I've been contemplating my quilt resolutions for the New Year. I want to commit to completing a top from my 'Bucket List' next year. I have less than a week to make my pick!

Sunday night update

Today's progress. These blocks remind me of a line from You've Got Mail - "Don't you think that daisies are the friendliest flower?"

Work in Progress

2010-12-19T14:37:00.005-06:00

Albert is snuggled up with Oregon Trails (Lori's January 2010 quilt-along - Cheddar Cheese and Crackers) guarding the Christmas tree from cat attack. My doll quilt is still just a top, but I'd love to get it hand quilted soon. Can't wait for Lori's new quilt-along!

I've started sewing some blocks with the Sarah Johnson fabric from my last post. I originally thought (and am sticking to) Puss-in-the-Corner blocks with scrappy 4's and constant focus fabric in the middle/corners. The plan was alternating PITC and 16 patch (two sets of two 4 Patch blocks) set 'on point'. I made about 10 PITC blocks and put on the design wall (which is currently the spare bed). I wasn't happy with the clamour of the scrappy 4's. I don't have a pic of that layout, but here's some of the scrappy 4's:

The next attempt was to use the same layout with a more controlled PITC 4's. I'm leaning toward this design:

Here's a last photo with the more controlled PITC 4's with common alternate:

This morning was a sewing session with Elle (granddaughter) working on a Christmas surprise for her mom. Elle doesn't realize what a treat it is to sew on a Featherweight! We have a couple more evening's worth of work, but we should make the Friday night deadline.

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

Giant Daisy Quilt

2010-12-11T20:59:00.005-06:00

My husband and I both enjoy decorating, and we are big fans of Sarah Richardson, a Canadian interior designer. She has had a few series on HGTV. On the last series, she bought a farmhouse and completely renovated each room. For one of the bedrooms she found this fabulous cheddar, or maybe chrome yellow, quilt. Isn't it dynamic? I know, the pictures could be better, but they were taken off of the television. The entire bedroom design was based on this quilt. I mean, how could you not? Quite a bit of hand quilting, too.

Haven't been doing any sewing at all lately. I've been busy, but hope to have some time free up soon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Three Fabric Quilt

2010-11-28T13:13:00.001-06:00

I like scrappy quilts - lots of variety in fabric. Making a quilt with just three fabrics doesn't fit my profile. My current project is inspired by an old quilt I saw a couple years ago. I worked out yardage requirements before I visited PA Amish country this fall. Sauder's didn't disappoint! I found two Judie Rothermel fabrics - the green Twelve Oakes yardage in a 5 yd cut for $1.99/yd and the yellow Butter Churn and Cheddar for $2.99/yd. The red Turkish and Treasures was pulled from stash. The block is #2026, New Irish Chain or On the Square, from Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns by Barbara Brackman. I've changed the block construction for strip piecing, so progress is moving along!

I've had alot of 'sitting idle' lately. I've used the time to design a new, scrappy top! Haven't started sewing, but I've included the focus fabric to peak your interest - an 'oldie but goodie' from the Sarah Johnson Shelburne Museum Collection.

Hope you all enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday!

Thanksgiving?

2010-11-20T13:02:00.004-06:00

Where has this year gone?! It really is hard to believe that it's time for Thanksgiving. I've never displayed this quilt before. It was made from a kit, and I purchased it at an auction for $30. It isn't a beauty, and the quilting is fairly crude, but it has slightly Fall-ish colors, so up it went for the next week or so. After that, it will be time for Christmas again - is that right, or did I sleep through the summer?! The tablerunner was whipped up a couple of years ago using Seminole piecing methods - great for squares on point. I've only made a few quilted items, as I really prefer to make quilts themselves. This is on the chest that sits in front of the quilt. You can probably see the stitches without enlarging!
The handsome devils in the photos are, in the background, my great-grandfather in his Civil War uniform. Yes, great-grandfather! Our family has very long generations. I am the youngest of parents who are the youngest. And, no, I am not that old - I'll be 52 shortly. On the left is my dad, and the blond little boy is my husband's dad. My husband doesn't like personal photos displayed; he says that we know what we look like! But, these are nearly always right here in the dining room.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Houston, We Have a Problem

2010-11-10T13:41:00.001-06:00

Only one day to enjoy the show! The vendors alone could take a day. Life has 'smacked me in the face' this week, so only popping in to share a few of my favorite contemporary quilts from the show.

Sunflowers by Chris Serong and Susan Campbell from Victoria, AU - beautiful quilting!

Port of Cassis by Lenore Crawford from Midland, MI

Sognare Venezia (Venice Dreaming) by Pauline Barnes from West Midlands, England

Rhinosceros by Pam Holland. Unfortunately, my full quilt pic had issues. I just love this guy's face!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

2010-10-31T14:58:00.007-05:00

This is a Scarecrow quilt that I made from a Red Wagon pattern using vintage feedsacks exclusively. Sorry for the cock-eyed photo. From where it is hanging it wasn't possible to take a full on pic. Here are a couple of the blocks:

The backing is all feedsack. I had a number of this pattern - maybe ten or more. It seemed to suit the quilt so quite a few of these were used here.

And, as always - Happy Birthday Dad! He is 84 today!

IQSC Chintz Exhibit

2010-10-23T10:15:00.006-05:00

Luck has been with me lately! A traveling work assignment took me to Cincinnati where the International Quilt Study Chintz exhibit is featured at the Taft Museum thru Nov 7 (details on sidebar). What a great kiosk advert of current exhibits. I spent about 1 1/2 hours leisurely exploring 20 beautiful quilts. I had the exhibit to myself for the first hour - heaven! Two ladies were viewing the exhibit for the last half hour (magnifying glass in hand). I'm posting a pic of the museum and three of my favorite quilts. You can view the entire exhibit at the International Quilt Study website (exhibition search). No pictures were allowed at the exhibit - these are from the IQSC website. If you're close to Cincinnati, don't let the exhibit pass you by!

This first quilt is IQSC object number 2008.040.002 from the Byron and Sara Rhodes Dillow Collection circa 1820 - 1840, maker unknown.

This quilt is IQSC object number 1997.007.0369 from the Ardis and Robert James Collection circa 1820 - 1840, maker unknown. I love the quilting design in the corners of the Lone Star block.

This last quilt was my favorite - perfect balance to my eye! The width of the basket floral composition wasn't to the maker's liking, so she added floral pieces to each side. This is IQSC object number 1997-007-0659 from the Ardis and Robert James Collection circa 1830 - 1850, maker unknown.

Doll Quilt Finish & Fessing Up!

2010-10-17T13:51:00.006-05:00

This little triangle doll quilt was pieced of leftovers at our group's retreat last January. Just some simple hand quilting along the seam lines, but it's enough, I think. The purple trip-around-the-world quilt that I posted a couple of weeks ago came from this book:

You can see that I completely copied the colors. The fabrics for this were cut out back in the early 90's, and when the retreat rolled around I was in the mood to complete a UFO. This was one of the oldest, and as time passed, I liked it again. By then, two or three fabrics didn't cut the mustard so Vicki and I shopped at Yoder's for substitutions.

Check out some of the older fabrics that made the cut! How do you like those duckies and bunnies on the medium rose fabric? There wasn't a good fabric to swap it out with value-wise, so it stayed, and I think it's kind of funny that it's in there. The fabrics still all play together nicely. For some reason, when I make a reproduction quilt(which is most of the time), it's sometimes fun to throw in something that just doesn't belong. I really like to do this when there are lots of little pieces, and you would really have to search for it. Maybe I just find it hard to play by the rules? Yes, I think that's it!

The backing fabric was being saved so there would be lots of it visible. It practically makes the quilt reversible. The binding is truly one of my favorite fabrics. My daughter says that I say that a lot, but this one really is. It is from one of the early Smithsonian repro lines, and I still have a yard or so left. It's just a great brown.

Thank you to everyone who left comments on my posts, especially the one about the flannel quilt for my niece. I was really touched at all of the nice things that were written. Quilters are the best!

Temecula

2010-10-09T10:51:00.000-05:00

I spent an hour last Saturday morning at Temecula Quilt Co (no pics)! It's a great shop filled with eye-candy for repro quilt lovers. Luck was with me, as the town was having an outdoor quilt show. The plan was to drive down main street and view from the car, but quilts were calling - 'a picture's worth a thousand words'!

I Need My Own Camera

2010-09-29T11:09:00.007-05:00

The camera that I use for blogging purposes is also the one that my husband uses for work. It hasn't been around the house for a few days so I'm sharing a flannel quilt that I had made for my niece Anna when she had leukemia five years ago. I hope that it comforted her when she went through some grueling treatments. Thankfully she is a healthy young woman now.

I had hoped to show you a recent doll quilt finish. When I get a camera for myself (and learn how to use it) that will happen!

Alma's Acorn Emery

2010-09-22T11:56:00.001-05:00

I recently received a special package in the mail. I was the lucky winner of Blackbird Designs emery drawing (Sept. 3rd post). There were 564 entries, so I was very surprised to read that I held the 'golden ticket'. The emery box was made by Alma's husband and the acorn emery by Alma. I've found a prominent spot on the kitchen shelf so I can enjoy this treasure daily. Thanks, Alma!!!

Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum

2010-09-19T10:03:00.002-05:00

The Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum's current exhibit, Family and Friends: Quilts and Their Collections, is amazing. There are three similar quilts (circa 1860 to 1880) made by mother, daughter, and neighbor. This first quilt (circa 1860) was made by a member of the Brubaker/Keller family from Lancaster PA.

The next quilt was made by Fanny S. Bucher circa 1860 (neighbor to the quiltmaker above). These two quilts share many of the same fabrics and patterns.

This last diamond quilt was made by Barbara Bucher Snyder (daughter of Fanny Bucher) circa 1880.

It was quite a site to see these three quilts hanging side-by-side. The current issue of Quiltmania has great pictures of these quilts.

Also exhibited are three Joseph's Coat quilts from the 1890's. The exhibit placard explains 'Although similar patterned and colored quilts were made in other areas, this particular arrangement containing the six vertical stripes repeated and surrounded on four sides by the same striped slanted borders appears to have been made exclusively by Lancaster County Mennonite and Reformed women.' Note the quilting in the close-up (poor color representation) - alternating stripes of braid and unique quilting pattern (same format holds true for the slanted border stripes).

The current exhibit of the Museum's Esprit Amish quilt collection is wonderful. The quilts are exhibited in glass cases which includes encased lighting, so pictures aren't worthy of posting. The Friends and Family exhibit runs thru December 31, 2010.

This last picture is of the trip's stash enhancement (sitting on my new-old porch bench snagged at the fairground antique market, griffin too). The stars aligned to plop me at Sauder's on the first day of their truckload sale (after fabric shopping at Zook's at 8:00 AM)! My luggage earned a 'heavy' tag and I had the sore muscles to prove it! The pile on the left is from Sauder's 5 yd flat-fold table ($2.19/yd). There are two pieces missing from the picture that were enlisted in a new project - fodder for my next post.

Quick Change

2010-09-13T12:38:00.003-05:00

I made a quick change in the dining room this weekend. It seemed like time for a fall quilt, and this one fit the bill. The pieces for this one were cut out and set aside when I was a still a new quilter. As I remember, it was hard to find the colors that I was looking for. A couple of years ago, it got pulled when our little group went to our annual retreat in Shipshewana after the Christmas holidays end. Vicki and I mulled over the selection at Yoder's, and I was off and sewing. Sandy machine quilted it for me, and did a beautiful job, as always. But, that brings me to pointing out the heavy fold lines in this piece. Machine quilting is much more dense, and it appears to have created deeper lines as this was folded in the linen closet. I'm hoping that it will "hang out"!

The Party's Over

2010-09-06T20:09:00.008-05:00

The light's out in the sewing room, but it was lots of fun while it lasted. I didn't get the last round of borders on the large quilt, but alot of progress was made.  Kim snagged a finish - check out the Irish Chain!

The pic is of my 'leader and ender' accomplishment for the weekend. Leaders-enders are like free money!

I finally caught up on all the 25 patch blocks Jan and I have been exchanging. I would sew Jan's, but stack mine up for later. Later finally arrived!

The little star was the last of my set of 50. The pieces had been lost for awhile (resurfaced when I straighten the sewing table awhile back).

The large pinwheel blocks were inspired by a quilt posted by Sharon at Indigo Threads  (May 31, 2009).  I just love the look of the large pinwheels set block-to-block.

The large HST blocks are another cut stack sitting on the sewing table for leader-ender. This will be set block-to-block on point (sample quilt at Little Quilts).  The large block size really shows off the wonderful repro fabrics. We're so lucky to have so many great repro lines!

I'm traveling this week and have carved out some time on Thursday to visit the Lancaster Quilt Museum, Zook's and Sauder's. Don't have alot of luggage space, but that hasn't stopped me in the past!

Progress!

2010-09-05T10:04:00.002-05:00

Just popping in to see how it's going. I started the weekend without a plan. By mid day yesterday I had completed all the blocks languishing on my sewing table. So, I pulled something from the closet (something I posted about last fall). The top has three sets of borders - I'm half done!!! My stretch goal is completed top and back - one more ready for quilting!
Picture of an antique quilt vendor from Paducah 2010 (with vendor's permission).

Indulging the Quilt Muse

2010-09-04T07:26:00.000-05:00

I have the best part of three days to myself. Granted, there are some time obligations, but the majority of the calendar is open. I'm opting to fill those hours sewing. Anybody else planning on indulging their quilt muse this weekend? If so, leave a comment! If you're so inclined, email me Monday afternoon with your progress. I'll post a role call of accomplishments on Monday night.

Quick Post

2010-08-31T13:43:00.004-05:00

We've had a heck of a problem with staying connected to the internet the last couple of weeks so I just have a new purchase to share with you. I am in fear of being bumped off again. These fabrics were ordered from Fabric Shack, and look at the bonus goodies they sent - a package of machine needles, size 11 and 14. The larger size are great for paper piecing. I'm done with the piecing of the Spiderweb, but see future string piecing, and so I'll store these away. The size 11s are my choice for everyday piecing. They also sent a free pattern. And, all of this shipped for the unheard of price of $2.50! You can be sure I'll be looking their site up again!

I know I'm pushing my luck, but look at those madders! They are from a new line called, Brick House. Am I the only one who is singing that song inside the brain?! The deep blue is from American Jane. I had a fat quarter from somewhere, and have searched for more, with no luck. Fabric Shack had it on sale. This blue is very close to true, antique indigo. Grab some if it's still left!
Ugh, I've been knocked off here a couple of times, so I'd better post now!

A Picture's Worth ...

2010-08-24T18:48:00.001-05:00

The Quilt Merchant in Winfield, IL is a 'must see' for repro lovers - wonderful samples, eye-catching staging, luscious fabrics, and friendly service. This shop has been mentioned on many blogs, so probably 'old news'. However, I have some great shots (which they were happy to have posted on the blog) - so, 'a picture's worth a thousand words'!

The quilting on the cheddar quilt was a perfect match!

The antique ensemble on the dress form is 'for sale'. If you're interested, contact the shop.

Long Time, No Post

2010-08-18T14:52:00.018-05:00

Vicki and I made the trip to Milwaukee to see the Winterthur quilts that were exhibited there. If you are anywhere in the area, do try to see these fabulous antique quilts. Many of the quilts that are in the book were displayed, along with samplers, and the gorgeous block and cylinder printed fabrics shown below. Textiles that I had only seen in books were here. For example...John Hewson printed fabrics, including a Tree of Life that was used predominately in a quilt; the Penn Treaty toile, and George Washington toile that was used in the bedhangings, also shown below. Definitely one of the best, if not the best, exhibit I've ever seen. I know that is saying a lot, but these are some of the oldest, and most beautifully sewn quilts that are in any collection anywhere.

The little sweetwater basket was on sale in the museum gift shop for just $7.00. I plan to put it to future use in the sewing room, for little blocks. The box here and the fabrics all came from The Quilt Merchant in Winfield, Illinois, one of our stops along the way. Vicki took pictures of the shop, and the many samples there. She will be posting about this in a few days.

The last two pieces that are identical prints are from a new line from Blue Hill Fabrics, a recent manufacturer of quilt cottons. This print also came in a deep blue. The designer of this particular line is the daughter-in-law of the owner of The Quilt Merchant. She also designs many of the quilts shown in the shop. Just wait until you see them! What a teaser, right?!

Paired Four Patch

2010-08-09T21:12:00.000-05:00

This top has been completed for awhile (probably five years). I originally thought I'd add a pieced border, but the quilt is fairly large already. I've decided to run the pieced blocks to the quilt edge. This quilt was fun to sew. Four 4 Patch blocks per pieced unit (two sets of two) - I strip pieced the alternate block. I love scrappy quilts!

The inspiration for this quilt is a Double Irish Chain circa 1875 (pg 41) from 'The Ultimate Quilting Book' by Maggi McCormick Gordon (great book!). If you have this book, look it up. What a beauty - yummy red background fabric - subtle stripe with uniform circles - I love fabric with dots! I named the top 'Freda's Girls' because my sister-in-law was gifted the book for Christmas from her daughters and she let me drool over it while we visited over the holiday.

Time to get it quilted!

A Finish

2010-08-04T20:04:00.005-05:00

Just finished this little doll quilt today. The binding was sewn on using my Featherweight which has, in the past, presented a tension problem. Being in a hurry, I thought I would try again instead of getting out another sewing machine. By loosening the tension just a bit, I was able to sew with no difficulty. A size 14 needle was in the machine for paper piecing - yes, I'm still at it! - and it worked out just fine.

Now I'm off to Texas for the wedding of daughter #2 (of 2). We are spending one night, after the wedding, in San Antonio, so I hope to have a report of a quilt store there called Las Colchas. Their website says that they specialize in reproduction fabrics so I plan to take a look!

As you can see, I'm having trouble with my posting - everything looks as I want it to, and then, when I publish the post, it has a mind of it's own. I'll work on a remedy when I return; sorry!

Quilt Content?

2010-07-28T19:07:00.003-05:00

Piecing has taken a backseat to a summer visit from my daughter & grandkids. This past weekend was packed with activity sans kiddoes. On Saturday, we visited our local Amish area where quilt gardens and murals are at summer peak. You can find details here. Our tour included just this one stop - mural and quilt garden.

Thus ends the quilt content of this post!

Sunday we visited the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI where an exhibit of Chihuly glass is on display through Sept. 30. It was a beautiful day - the sunshine danced off the glass. Following are a few of my favorite installations!

Now that their visit is over, I'm looking forward to the change of seasons - cool temps, bright leaves, mums, and ... pumpkins - I love my pumpkin patch!

Some Thoughts About String Piecing

2010-07-22T09:57:00.010-05:00

Here is a little string doll quilt I made, looking at the label, in 2003. Our little group was on a quilt shop hop of our own, and I saw a quilt in a store in Ohio similar to this. When I returned home, I made one for myself straight away.

It was in one of the Guild shows later, and I remember the judges comment was that the strips of light were distracting and didn't complete the design, or something to that effect. Jeez! It wasn't made to be a showpiece, just a little doll quilt made in the spirit of quilting of old. Just one of my gripes about modern quilting.

This backing fabric is just lovely, imho. I have no remembrance of who manufactured it. It is nice to have a good sized piece for a backing so that I can look at the design. The label was cut from some yardage of images like this.

I am still plugging away at my string quilt. Here is my messy sewing area with boxes, and bags and basketsful of strings, and pieces too small to be called strings. Our friend Susan, who I have mentioned, calls this scrapnel.

When sewing the other day - a cool-enough-to-be-upstairs day, I was thinking about why it's so fun to make these quilts.

1. There is something in me that just wants to use the last bit of everything when it pertains to quilting. Little pieces in a quilt, of any size, just make me want to look at every square inch of that piece.

2. It is difficult to work on more than one project at a time because there is fabric everywhere. Maybe if there is more than one work station, but my room is pretty packed.

3. It is a great use for fabrics that are hard to use otherwise - the old VIP and Cranstons, and just plain weird prints. The weird ones are the ones that look the best, I think.

4. Lots of thread gets used. Having no history of home sewing, I wonder where the yellow and aqua threads came from. I know where they are now - in these blocks.

5. Speaking of thread, a downfall of this type of sewing is little threads that can get caught in your bobbin case. The little pieces are the culprit here.

6. String quilts have to be unique, by their nature. Even if a dozen of us were to make the same pattern, they would all have our signature look to them. As Gwen Marston says, "You can't even copy yourself!".

7. Very light fabrics can be hard to use in most reproduction quilts, but really sparkle in a string quilt. I was hesitant to use them, but Bonnie Hunter reassured me that they really are necessary, and she was right! The lights just dance around the blocks.

8. The ends of strip piecing are usable, at least in the string star, and look pretty cool, I think.

9. Just when you think you can't look at the same strings that you seem to grab again and again, you find a "new" one that you hadn't noticed before!

10. And, finally, people have given me their scraps because of my love of little pieces. They get incorporated into the blocks, and when I am sewing with them, I can remember who gave them to me. And, with my own fabric, I can remember many of the pieces and where, and when they were purchased. It's a trip down memory lane!

1st Anniversary

2010-07-17T21:43:00.001-05:00

Winners are Diane - Persnickety Quilts and Janet - Mrs. Sew n' Sew. Email me address info and I'll mail early next week.

Time Flies!

2010-07-15T20:30:00.001-05:00

Hard to believe, but our first blog anniversary is this Saturday. Last year, Jan dropped by on my birthday and we were chatting on the porch - six days later we were blogging. So, we're having an anniversary 'give away' - two party-goers will each receive 50 3" squares and 5 fat quarters (all pre-washed). Leave a comment with your favorite quilt book title. I'll draw two names on Saturday at 7:00 PM (close to the time of our first post) . Thanks for dropping by - we love reading your comments!

One Block Applique

2010-07-11T06:49:00.000-05:00

I've been working on this large applique block. The square measures 36". I prepped the block for stolen moments on the UK trip in May, but there weren't many of those - one long stem stitched in two weeks. To date, I've completed three stems. I haven't decided on the flowers for the short stems. I think I'll leave that for last and let the block tell me what they should be.

When All Else Fails...

2010-07-06T14:35:00.006-05:00

I can always show you some doll quilts! This is one that I made, I see from the label, in 1997. The block was in one of those fabulous reference books like Barbara Brackman's or Yvonne Khin's, and it looked good to me, so I just sewed it up in some vintage 30s that I had. The fabric was in a bundle of thirties scraps from an auction, and they have been put to use in a couple of quilts. The backing is an old salt sack, of which I obtained a box full of those, too, along with sugar sacks, and printed feed sacks.

The little elephants quilt could be a crib, or a doll size. Crib quilts can be fairly small, and this is 25 inches square, which makes it a bit big for a doll quilt. Anyway, the care and detail in quilting shows lots of love, I think. The sashing was probably once an aqua, and the elephants originally had black yarn, or embroidery floss tails. The clamshell quilting in the outer border is a nice touch, and I just felt that this little sweetie needed rescuing, so home with me it went!

Slacker

2010-06-29T19:46:00.004-05:00

The Gaylord Texan Convention Center in Dallas is featuring Alice in Wonderland this summer - what a great sand sculpture!

Not much sewing going on here (but I did visit three quilt shops on Saturday). All I have to show for two weeks is one block. This is the progress on my square-in-square blocks. Still pondering my options.

Finally...

2010-06-22T17:57:00.005-05:00

There hasn't been much sewing time since returning from our fabulous trip. Sometimes quilting/sewing takes a back seat to reading, especially when it's on the back porch. My sewing room is upstairs and there's no AC up there. I really should be spending more time there because it's just going to get hotter!

I've managed a little progress on Bonnie Hunter's String Spiderweb pattern. The upper left shows sections sewn into two "blocks". The shrinkage is generally amazing to me. The "star" has become more prominent, and I'm not thrilled with that. Maybe it's just the surprise of seeing it draw up.

This is going to have to be a full size quilt for maximum impact, don't you think? It really was in the plan all along, but I really would like to make some smaller quilts; it just doesn't seem to happen!

Putzin'

2010-06-15T19:56:00.001-05:00

I haven't started a new project in a long time (with the exception of Lori's doll quilt in January). I sewed a couple sample blocks months ago to capture an idea, but not picked a new project to ramp up the enthusiasm. I've been thumbing thru the quilt library and keep coming back to three quilts. These need to ferment a bit in my brain before jumping in. So, Sunday I grabbed a stack of 3" squares from the stash and, quick-as-you-please, I had 21 square-in-square blocks. Here's a little sample -

I'm considering adding pieced strips around the edges - I've got something in mind. Don't know where it will go from here. Sometimes you just gotta play and let the blocks tell you how the quilt should evolve. I'm a great one for over-planning, so this will be an adventure.

One of the quilt books I return to repeatedly for reference is 'Vertical Quilts with Style'. It gives diagonal measurements and cutting dimensions for side and corner triangles for blocks from 1" to 16" (increments of 1/2") - very handy when you decide to set a block on-point!

Hope to get back to sewing soon - things are crazy busy!

Raffle Quilt

2010-06-10T12:23:00.007-05:00

Just a quick post to show you the fabulous raffle quilt from Heritage Quilter's Guild of South Suburbia (Chicago area). Jennifer Kralik, along with another quilter whom I, unfortunately, do not know made this. Ruth Ann Gapen did the incredible machine quilting. Isn't it beautiful?! Jennifer has been responsible for quite a few raffle quilts of late, with one more gorgeous than the next. She also made our current raffle quilt which was juried into the upcoming Shipshewana, Indiana. I'll post some pics of that one soon!