Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Waste not, Want not
The top is finished! Now on to the back.
The final border.....
And the top is done!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Out of Little Scrapes
And it keeps on growing...
Next addition...
Yesterday I visited with my friend Chris and we talked quilting for a few hours while her bread was raising. She is a great quilter but was wondering if there were some 'basics' to quilting she had missed along the way. She found "Quilter's Academy" at our downtown quilt store. After thumbing through it I know there are a few basics I have missed along the way. The first book addresses the quarter inch seam...now how simple can that be to get right? Let me tell you after years of quilting I still fight with it.
Then we went on to a discussion about the straight of grain and how when buying material it should be ripped, not cut. So next time you ask for a yard (or whatever) of material ask them to rip it. You would be amazed at how you can lose anywhere from 1 to 4 inches of fabric by cutting then trying to true up your piece afterward when you get it home.
So out of curiosity I went out to my favorite bookstore - Amazon.com! There are a number of books in the series and picking and choosing would be difficult. There is so much that goes into the making of a quilt, especially if it is going to be quilt show perfect. Knowing that Chris has Book 1, I think I will order the book on triangles and how to set them....
Happy quilting (continued).
Next addition...
Yesterday I visited with my friend Chris and we talked quilting for a few hours while her bread was raising. She is a great quilter but was wondering if there were some 'basics' to quilting she had missed along the way. She found "Quilter's Academy" at our downtown quilt store. After thumbing through it I know there are a few basics I have missed along the way. The first book addresses the quarter inch seam...now how simple can that be to get right? Let me tell you after years of quilting I still fight with it.
Then we went on to a discussion about the straight of grain and how when buying material it should be ripped, not cut. So next time you ask for a yard (or whatever) of material ask them to rip it. You would be amazed at how you can lose anywhere from 1 to 4 inches of fabric by cutting then trying to true up your piece afterward when you get it home.
So out of curiosity I went out to my favorite bookstore - Amazon.com! There are a number of books in the series and picking and choosing would be difficult. There is so much that goes into the making of a quilt, especially if it is going to be quilt show perfect. Knowing that Chris has Book 1, I think I will order the book on triangles and how to set them....
Happy quilting (continued).
Friday, December 21, 2012
And It Grows
And it keeps on growing!
It is amazing how white fabric becomes a unifier.
The quilt grows but the bag of scraps still looks as full as it was before this project began!
Happy sewing?
Happy sewing?
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
From the Scrap Bag
It was totally getting out of hand. It was overflowing. It looked a mess. So lets take chaos and do something with it. Every quilter has that bag or box or container where the scraps go. Too big to throw away but too small to do much of anything with but the collection just keeps on growing.
So lets make a quilt out of it!
The Bag!
The Mess!
The Chaos!
A Beginning.
And It Grows....
Happy New Beginning!
So lets make a quilt out of it!
Happy New Beginning!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Saturday, December 8, 2012
A School of Christmas Fish and a Heron too!
Christmas is coming faster than projects are getting finished!
So what else is new.... A school of fish went from 3 to 5 but they are so fun to make that when they multiplied overnight I didn't mind. It just means I get to keep one of them.
Some of the fabric was in the stash already and gosh darn, I had to buy new for a couple of them! My favorite quilt store actually had a 30% off sale on all fabric. This is the first time I have ever seen that happen and so I just had to buy some!
Okay back to the fish. It is all done with fusible applique. One of the pieces was of large pointsettas and the other was from a paisely print that was fussy cut to make the fins and tail.
The fins are outlined with gold metalic thread which is a real pain to sew with. The strips on the fish are also done with the gold metalic with a blanket stitch.
Yes, all the fish are blind and are waiting for their eyes. Top stitching is becoming such an important part of quilting that if you don't have access to a long arm machine or know someone who has one and is really good and cheap then you have to resort to doing your own.
A secret that I have picked up and use on small wall hangings is using parchment paper to draw your design on (if it is simple) then pinning the paper to the quilt.
Worked fine with this fish....
I am not the only one here who is creative. Bill has been working on a new design on the post out front. The old sign was getting pretty ratty looking. So lets take a look at what he has done.
Designed by Bill, laser cut by a friend of a friend, and colored by Bill. Isn't he the talented one! This has been a work in progress for a couple of months.
So what else is new.... A school of fish went from 3 to 5 but they are so fun to make that when they multiplied overnight I didn't mind. It just means I get to keep one of them.
Okay back to the fish. It is all done with fusible applique. One of the pieces was of large pointsettas and the other was from a paisely print that was fussy cut to make the fins and tail.
Yes, all the fish are blind and are waiting for their eyes. Top stitching is becoming such an important part of quilting that if you don't have access to a long arm machine or know someone who has one and is really good and cheap then you have to resort to doing your own.
A secret that I have picked up and use on small wall hangings is using parchment paper to draw your design on (if it is simple) then pinning the paper to the quilt.
Worked fine with this fish....
I am not the only one here who is creative. Bill has been working on a new design on the post out front. The old sign was getting pretty ratty looking. So lets take a look at what he has done.
Doesn't it look grand!
Happy Holidays.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Home Is Where the Heart Is
Grandma/Muttsie/Mom has a new place to call home. A month ago she took the daring step and sold her house, downsized all her belongings, and moved into a retirement home. It was brave, courageous, and one of a major life change for her. As usual this 93 year old lady is pretty amazing.
I just came back from a quick visit with her and this time I remembered to bring a camera with me. So lets do a tour of her new home.
The living room is small but cozy. It is called an Alcove with about 500 square feet. When you have three floors of building to roam and join in activities you really don't need a lot of space to live in. She is right down the hall from a fantastic lending library!
The kitchen is small but efficient. No oven, a two burner top, a microwave, and a refriegerator (for her fruit and ice cream!). Since she does not cook, Bill built a cover for the burners and gave her twice the counter space.
Grandma has a choice between lunch or dinner in the dining room. She has chosen lunch and usually brings back a sandwich or extra dessert for her evening snack. Lunch always has a soup, 3 different sandwiches, lots of salad greens and toppings, fruit, an entree, and a surprise dessert. And yes, she has gain a total of 3 lbs. since she moved in (and is talking about going on a diet).
And this is the most important part of her apartment. This is the information center!!! I caught her early in the morning getting out the daily morning emails to all of us. She is quite a lady!
So what else does she do. While there her friend CaroleK picked us up and took us to the Christmas Forest. The Christmas Forest is a yearly happening put on by St. Peters Hospital (where Grandma has volunteered for 23 years). The trees are sponsored by various businesses in the area and then auctioned off to the highest bidder. The trees are decorated by designers and they are quite elaborate....just down right beautiful. If you are not in the Christmas spirit these trees will surely put you in one.
Mom/Grandma was really having a good time. She just forgot to smile! And this is CaroleK (another Polish lady) who showed us a wonderful time.
Only two of the many trees.
Oh, I forgot to mention. She also has a huge walk-in closet that most of us would die for!
Merry Christmas to all who find their way to this blog!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Quilting Update
The challenge quilt has been turned in to the Country Lady quilt store and has been hung. There was a total of 7 or 8 that made it in on Halloween, the due date. They will hang for a month before coming back home again.
I am so glad I cut my packet into small pieces to make the quilt. Okay, enough of this pratter. The following are the challenge quilts.
A couple of the quilts are really good with a lot of creative pieces to them. Won't know till December 1st as to who gets the prize money!
Once mine was turned in, it was off and running to start a new quilt. I like the look of the trendy modern quilts and the simplicity of design.
This quilt was super fast and fun to put together. It should have been an easy pattern to figure out. But noooooo, it wasn't until Bill wandered by that I learned 'what I should have done'. The strips in the center were eye balled to center (no, no, no). So when I was squaring it up, one brown side was always longer than the other. This went on for a few cuttings. Simple solution was to fold the strip in half and press in the center before adding the next strip! (Thanks Bill, but where were you when I started this one???) But I still love the quilt even if the brown sides aren't exactly even.
Last Tuesday was the Quilters Guild (which Chris and I are now members of) at the Art Center. It was a surprise that in the Art Center's main gallery was a showing of quilts. These are all art quilts - candy for the eyes!
I would have had more pictures but the battery in the camera was going dead. Aren't they wonderful though. The use of color is awesome. If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I want to come back as an art quilter!
Happy winter days!
I am so glad I cut my packet into small pieces to make the quilt. Okay, enough of this pratter. The following are the challenge quilts.
Once mine was turned in, it was off and running to start a new quilt. I like the look of the trendy modern quilts and the simplicity of design.
This quilt was super fast and fun to put together. It should have been an easy pattern to figure out. But noooooo, it wasn't until Bill wandered by that I learned 'what I should have done'. The strips in the center were eye balled to center (no, no, no). So when I was squaring it up, one brown side was always longer than the other. This went on for a few cuttings. Simple solution was to fold the strip in half and press in the center before adding the next strip! (Thanks Bill, but where were you when I started this one???) But I still love the quilt even if the brown sides aren't exactly even.
Last Tuesday was the Quilters Guild (which Chris and I are now members of) at the Art Center. It was a surprise that in the Art Center's main gallery was a showing of quilts. These are all art quilts - candy for the eyes!
Happy winter days!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Addicted to Challenges
Life is going by in a blur. The addiction to quilt challenges is an easy one to acquire. You just need time (which I have plenty of now), material (my stash is always growing) and quilt shows or the web to find out about the close to home challenges. I'm a quilt challenge junkie and loving every minute of it.
For those of you who follow this blog know, I love to quilt. It is a wonderful excuse to pass on cleaning the house, to look busy so the husband will cook, and the best part is supporting all the local quilt stores. I must confess the last quilt store handed me a $10 gift card and I was scared to ask how much it had cost in past purchases to be handed this.
So here is the latest on the quilts that are in the making for the next three quilt challenges.
This one I've blogged about before. I was so thrilled to have finished it. This high lasted all of 48 hours until I realized I still needed to sew on a hanging sleeve. Drats, so close and so far.
The hippie bus is hand stitched on ready to be ripped off when the quilt comes back home again.
The back of the hippie quilt. The zodiac was another piece of material that was in the kit for this quilt challenge. It never said in the rules where it had to go. I think it looks perfect on the back, don't you?
The next one is a quilt challenge for the Silverton, OR quilt show in January. This one has also been in previous blogs. Every day I work at least an hour on it and it is slowly coming along.
There is tons of thread stitching on it. When it is finished all the yellow background material will be cut away. At this time I'm not sure how it is going to look when it ready to be attached to a background fabric.
Jenny, you had asked if there was a book on thread painting. This book is a great resource on that subject. Most thread work is done with the feed dogs down and a darning foot. When a person has mastered this then quilt tops can be done quickly. I have not mastered the subject and so I keep a regular foot on, feed dogs up, and slowly turn my material back and forth. It is a great way to veggie or zen out.
The next quilt challenge is from the Stitchin' Post in Sisters, OR and it is for the first of April. Sisters puts on a huge quilt show the week end after the 4th of July every year. You are lucky if you can find lodging anywhere close to Sisters! Jean Wells is a fantastic well know quilter who is part of the Stitchin Post. To take a class from her would be like dying and going to heaven. (I keep hinting to Bill that this would be the greatest gift I could have.)
Oh, back to the challenge. Simple enough, any quilted object with at least 1/4 of it in hexagons. How hard can that be. It is known as English paper piecing. Grandma's Flower Garden is a well know quilt design using this method. It can also be very time consuming. So why not cut the time, bring the design into the present, and just have fun with it.
This is the first go with it. Don't like all the bits and pieces of lizards showing. Of course, you could use a black marker and color over them.
But then there is the simplicity of fusible webbing. Cut and glue, no turned edges! A white background is so popular right now in the quilting world. mmm, still lots of times to play with this one.
Happy Creativity!
For those of you who follow this blog know, I love to quilt. It is a wonderful excuse to pass on cleaning the house, to look busy so the husband will cook, and the best part is supporting all the local quilt stores. I must confess the last quilt store handed me a $10 gift card and I was scared to ask how much it had cost in past purchases to be handed this.
So here is the latest on the quilts that are in the making for the next three quilt challenges.
This one I've blogged about before. I was so thrilled to have finished it. This high lasted all of 48 hours until I realized I still needed to sew on a hanging sleeve. Drats, so close and so far.
The next one is a quilt challenge for the Silverton, OR quilt show in January. This one has also been in previous blogs. Every day I work at least an hour on it and it is slowly coming along.
Jenny, you had asked if there was a book on thread painting. This book is a great resource on that subject. Most thread work is done with the feed dogs down and a darning foot. When a person has mastered this then quilt tops can be done quickly. I have not mastered the subject and so I keep a regular foot on, feed dogs up, and slowly turn my material back and forth. It is a great way to veggie or zen out.
The next quilt challenge is from the Stitchin' Post in Sisters, OR and it is for the first of April. Sisters puts on a huge quilt show the week end after the 4th of July every year. You are lucky if you can find lodging anywhere close to Sisters! Jean Wells is a fantastic well know quilter who is part of the Stitchin Post. To take a class from her would be like dying and going to heaven. (I keep hinting to Bill that this would be the greatest gift I could have.)
Oh, back to the challenge. Simple enough, any quilted object with at least 1/4 of it in hexagons. How hard can that be. It is known as English paper piecing. Grandma's Flower Garden is a well know quilt design using this method. It can also be very time consuming. So why not cut the time, bring the design into the present, and just have fun with it.
Happy Creativity!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
the BIG quilt show!
Chris and I went to the BIG OR quilt show in Portland this last week! The quilts were awesome!!! and neither one of us had a camera or a smart phone to take pictures... I did look for my camera before leaving and didn't find it (under a pile of fabric) until I got home. Needless to say we will be back to Portland next year (with cameras).
What I can show you are all the fun stuff I bought while there. (I just took the pictures minutes ago!!) The vendor booths were as good as the quilts as they came from all of our favorite quilt shops and from quilt shops we never heard of. So that being said, here is what came home with me....
The last one will be my traveling project....
I am frantically working on a second quilt challenge for the quilt show held in Silverton, OR in January. The fat quarter fabric is the flower print which I am thread painting on - that is the time consuming but easy part. I've auditioned a few different backgrounds for it and think I just might stay with the batik block one. Only two rules for this challenge: you have to use the flower print and it cannot be bigger than 36" by 36".
It is hard to see all the thread stitches but it is there. After the stitching I will come back and add a lot of beading, then there will be spots that are cut out so only the flowers, leaves, and stems are left.
This is a 6 X 6 batik block which will probably be made into a 7 X 7 block. Still not sure how this will end up.
Happy quilting!
What I can show you are all the fun stuff I bought while there. (I just took the pictures minutes ago!!) The vendor booths were as good as the quilts as they came from all of our favorite quilt shops and from quilt shops we never heard of. So that being said, here is what came home with me....
I am frantically working on a second quilt challenge for the quilt show held in Silverton, OR in January. The fat quarter fabric is the flower print which I am thread painting on - that is the time consuming but easy part. I've auditioned a few different backgrounds for it and think I just might stay with the batik block one. Only two rules for this challenge: you have to use the flower print and it cannot be bigger than 36" by 36".
Happy quilting!
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