Saturday, December 26, 2015

A quilt finish and Christmas!

Finally finished the quilt and wall hanging for my
nephew's little boy ~ Russell William! 


Robot, space, books and chemistry themed fabrics
were used to create this way too cute Little boy quilt!


I think he likes them!!


Christmas was special!
My son Matthew came home from Florida and
daughter Victoria came home from Texas!

We did our annual santa face cookie decorating
a 20+ year tradition!

we only made four dozen this year!

Decorated the Christmas tree!
with a little help from Bella!


 Lots of ornaments!


Bella was not too happy wearing
the Santa hat~
but did sit patiently for her picture to be taken!


Wishing everyone a Wonderfully Happy and Healthy New Year!




Wednesday, November 11, 2015

A Quilter's Gathering 2015

Last weekend a few friends and I went up to New Hampshire
to attend the Quilter's Gathering

There were so many beautiful quilts.
Here are just a few…

The Best of Show "Free Falling"
 by Kathy Beltz was Spectacular!


"Engineer's Wife" by Tina Craig of Seaside Stitches
 had a lovely ribbon on it!



"Liberty Day" by Tere D'Amato
the light hit the quilt in such a way the New York beauty blocks really jumped out!


"Ladies of the Sea" - Beautifully done by Marlee Carter and she's wearing a ribbon!!

Fell in LOVE with "Urban Owls" by Sue Hart - an Australian BOM


So Happy for my fellow RNQG member … Terry Greenstein her quilt
"Tanzania Adventure 2014" won a nice second place ribbon!

and my quilt "Winter Days in Shades of Taupe"
took home a nice Honorable Mention ribbon!

It was a nice day of quilts, shopping and a few show tunes!

Friday, October 23, 2015

Lecture and workshop with a Modern Quilter

This week was special!
The Rhododendron Quilt Guild had as their guest speaker
Modern Quilter …. Jacquie Gering!

If you follow this blog you know I'm more of an appliqué girl!
But willing to try anything!

Jacquie's lecture was outstanding!
She was Hilariously Funny!
And her quilts … Fabulous!!

Here are just a few of her beautiful quilts…


She told wonderful stories about each of her creations…

Like this Red Cross quilt,
with it's hidden transparent crosses!


and her color wheel quilt…
that came out as arcs instead of circles!

Love the colors in this one!

 For her husband who is a runner…
the quilting on this quilt just sets it into motion!

When this quilt "Aftermath"came out 
I realized how I "knew" Jacquie
after the 2013 Boston Marathon
she made this quilt and blogged about it here.
I commented on her blog that my daughter
was there working the medical tent that day,
she responded back to me with the nicest sentiment...


I will always remember that…
Thank you Jaqcuie.


The next day's workshop left me inspired!

This was the workshop quilt
"Scrappy Improvisation"

here is my scrap pile … Batiks

working on my foist block!

Jacquie showing us how to tape out the quilt

My first Modern Improvisational block!

Here is the layout of my First Modern Quilt!

The whole process has me inspired!
Not only to finish this wallhanging…
but to try another!!!

Thank you to the Rhododendron Quilt Guild and
 Jacquie Gerling for a fabulous lecture and workshop!

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Marking a quilt

Woke this morning with creative juices flowing!
Finally hit upon an idea on how to quilt my 
applique / sashiko quilt!

This has stymied me for some time now…
but this morning things seemed to start to fall into place!

Since my quilting is done on a domestic Janome 6600
I like to mark my quilts before sandwiching.
Gives me a sense of direction on exactly 
where the quilting needs to go, and if it will fit!



Using simple tools the areas are marked
with a Clover fine White Marking Pen
(my favorite for marking dark fabric!)

Finally found a good use for this crazy looking tool!
The Quilter's Resource Measuring Gauge
helps me draw my Big circles!
It just a guide to ensure the design will fit
once the quilting begins I will most likely
use a walking foot 
and that will give  more accurate measurements

Found this awesome stencil in my travels,
and it is perfect for drawing the circles!
The Hole Thing by Creative Grids
the circles ranging from 1/4" to 3"
all on one sheet!!
LOVE IT!

Since I'm not that confident in my feathers
Fon's and Porter has created a fabulous tool the 
"Fine Feathers Templates"
the feathers ranging from 1" to 2.5"
along with a circle template.
LOVE IT!!

Love it when the tools make life a bit easier!

Here is the label I designed for the quilt
Might have to change the end date to 2016!
Not sure I'll finish the quilting before the end of the year!
It usually takes me a few months to quilt a quilt,
like to take my time, 
shoulders will only let me quilt for so long,
and major family obligations!

Huge Thank You to Sylvia Pippen who designed this 
spectacular quilt!

Can't wait to finish the marking phase
and Jump into QUILTING!!

Monday, October 5, 2015

Sewing Room Chaos!

Leading up to the Silver City Guild's Quilt Show
everything was dumped into my sewing room!

Fabric, Books, Patterns, Ideas, WIP's
You name it - it was dumped in this room!


Al thought there is some sense of order…
the fabric and books are neatly stacked!

Ignore the fabric falling out of the closet,
the three WIP hanging on the closet doors,
the appliqué and sashiko quilt that's waiting to be marked
but is buried under another project!


Is it just me?
or does your sewing room get like this!?

This week's task at hand…
Clean and Reorganize!

Hmmm … any good movies on right now?!

Friday, September 25, 2015

"Winter Days in Shades of Taupe" in a magazine!

Just picked up the latest issue of
Quilter's Newsletter…


and opened it up to find
"Winter Days in Shades of Taupe"
 on page 9!!


The article featured the top winners from
held last May in Utah


"Winter Days" won first place for Embroidery!

Holy Moly!

Unbelievable!!



Saturday, September 19, 2015

Silver City Quilt Show … Best of Show

is having it's 5th biennial quilt show this weekend
and my
"Winter Days in Shade of Taupe"
WON BEST of SHOW!

our judge was Pat Harrison
she is a NQA Certified Master Quilt Judge.

It was quite an honor to win Best of Show this year
as there war so many fabulous quilts in the judging room.

My red quilt "Funky Garden on Red"
won BOS in 2013!!!
Two shows in a row! Pinch Me!!


"A Day at the Beach"
 Won second place in the Judged "Other" division


"Sashiko Table Topper"
Won First Place in the Judged "Other" Division
and
"Exemplary Hand Quilting" in the Judged Division

My son Matt paid me a visit at the show
and My daughter Victoria sent me a Congratulations
text from Corpus Christi (miss her so much!)
Hubby - he went fishing!!
But gave me a hug and kiss when he got him!!

All in all it was a GREAT day!!!!

Saturday, August 22, 2015

More quilting around embroidery!


Slow progress is being made!
The sashing and boarders are done...
now it's time to quilt around the embroidery!
Slowly!


Here is a close up
you can see where I have stitched 
in white thread going up the leg.
My Janome 6600 is Loving
White Aurifil 50/2 #2024

Using the Sharon Schamber's
"Quilting Halo" really helps!

Here is a good close up
of the stitching

Just a few more blocks to go…

then it's time to make the piped binding using
Sue Cleveland's "Groovin' Piping Trimming Tool"

and then this way cute label!!

Just in time for the 
Silver City 2015 Quilt Show!!
September 19th and 20th.

Can't wait!!

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

AQS Syracuse

Just saw the winners list from
AQS Quilt Week in Syracuse …

"Funky Garden on Red"

earned an Honorable Mention!
Yippee!

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Took a ride to a Quilt Shop

The day started out with a quick trip to have 
my car serviced for routine maintenance…

Perfect time to get in a little Sashiko stitching!
Making good progress on this block


It is a great take along project,
easy to handle without a lot of moving parts!
Fabric, thread and a needle!
Love it!


Then I decided to jump on the highway and zip
(45 minute zip!)
to Heart in Hands Quilt shop in Weymouth Ma
to pick up a Row by Row pattern and License plate
and a few other things!


Just loved Melody Miller's 2014 Cotton + Steel
mint green with flowers and gold dots!
Think it will make a lovely little zippy bag!
And Thimble Blossoms "Swoon Sixteen"!!
Haven't made "Swoon" yet …
but that's ok..
now I can make Both of them..
eventually!

Plus I picked up four 2.5" squares of
 "The Boat House" by Sweetwater
which will look perfect with
Basicgrey / Grunge by Moda
and a yummy steel grey fabric that I was 
able to get the last yard of!!

OH the glass Button!
She's just a beauty!
Thinking it will look smashing on a Bag flap!
Will have to hunt through my stash for the perfect fabric
to make a spiffy bag!

It was a great little zip trip to the quilt shop!





Sunday, July 19, 2015

July … Life and Quilts (and it's dilemmas!)

Love my new Sewing room clock!
It is just the cutest thing!
Check out Yankee Ingenuity in Chatham Ma
It is the Coolest shop!


for our show in September!
After stitching …. forever 
thinking things were going along just ducky


I ran into thing unfortunate issue
puckers and pleats - OMG!
Apparently this quilter was not paying enough
attention to the fabric grain when quilting
UGH!


So I tried a few other designs
none of which is too pleasing to me
There in lies the dilemma…
massive frog stitching …. OR …. just start the whole thing over
and use this piece as a practice tool???
What would you do?


This quilting fiasco aside,
a trip to Corpus Christi Texas was next!!

Where this sweet thing picked me up at the airport!

Victoria

and once to her apartment I received LOTS of
loving from this cutie pie!

Stella

Of course there was shopping involved!
Had to pick up a pair of official cowgirl boots!!


and picked up these beauties for
Victoria's birthday!


We drove up to Houston to visit her boyfriend and
the Houston Museum of Natural History!
Great day!

and of course there was Quilt Shopping along the way!
Had to pick up a few Row by Row 
patterns, license plates and fabric!!


and still thinking of my challenge quilt dilemma
I picked up a yard of this beautiful
Caryl Bryer Fallert - Essentials
Just in case I decided to remake the quilt!!
still haven't made that decision!


Once home
it's back to work making quilting design choices for this quilt


came up with clouds and seagulls floating
over these cute whales
for the outer boarder


Can you see the markings?
I tries pink and yellow
neither of which is great!


maybe I'll just quilt over the Golden Threads
and spend an evening picking out all the paper pieces?


Another dilemma!!!

I have no problem making the quilt top or quilting it
(all though more practice is needed in that category!)
It's the whole coming up with a perfect quilting design and
then transferring it on to the quilt that always
cause me distress!!

That's it … it's 91 degrees time for a swim in the pool!
Maybe that will clear my head
and all of my Quilty Dilemmas will quilt away!!

Until next time, Happy Quilting!