Monday, September 26, 2016

designing the quilt design!


Spending time enjoying the process of designing the quilt design.
That has always been a struggle for me …

Last spring I took an inspirational class at MQX
"Divide and Design" from Lisa Calle.
It opened my eyes to a new way of planning the quilting designs!

Take a picture of your quilt or block,
blow it up (at least 8 x 10)
using tracing paper start your designing!

Finding this method along with her dividing instructions so helpful!

If you get a chance to take a class from Lisa I highly recommend it!
Can't see her in person? 
Try taking her online class at iquilt 


After several attempts ….
the final design is getting closer!

How do you design your quilting designs?

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Blog Sabbatical and Quilting!

A blog sabbatical … yes that's what happened here!
Four months of NO blogging … feeling a bit guilty!

After the kitchen redo and my daughters graduation
and trip to see my son things just came to a grinding stall!

It seems easier quicker to post in Facebook
but I actually missed blogging … so I'm back!

My guild - Silver City Quilt Guild gave out a crayon challenge
for our 2017 show …
my colors were a blue, red, orange
we have to use two of the colors and Gray
and may add in black and white

Orange is defiantly "out of the box" for me!
which made me want to use it all the more!

After scouring all my books and patterns and not able to find
something that motivated me … the sketching started ...
then out came my old EQ5 
to create my challenge piece!

Here is the index card with my challenge colors
and the beginnings of the paper piecing part of the block



The quilt consists of these two blocks



here you can see my original sketch,
the EQ5 print out of the design
and the blocks all made and ready to be sewn together.



The finished top...
just waiting now for quilting inspiration to hit!


 once it came together the name hit me like a ton of bricks
"Finding the Light thru Dementia"
It's dedicated to my mom - who is struggling with memory loss
some moments her thoughts are crystal clear like the blue skies,
other times they are muddled and grey.
but I'm always looking for that light thru it all where
she's the women I remember.


This summer was spent caring for my mom and quilting donation quilt tops.
Managed to get three tops done for the SCQG comfort quilts,
here are two of them - forgot to take a picture of the third one!




I also made a quilt and sent it down to Orlando Florida
for the victims of the Pulse night club shooting,
that was just such a tragedy - felt I needed to do something.



My work on the "Ladies of the Sea"quilt continues.
The original pattern by Sue Garmen calls for 16 beautiful boats,
mine will be scaled down to 9 boats plus the elaborate boarders
to accommodate the wall it will hang on!
The center block will be from a different pattern
"Massachusetts" by American Album Blocks…
I just could not leave out the Mayflower!

She's coming along nicely!



"Funky Garden on Red"
came home from her trip to the
sporting her third place ribbon!

and in August I was thrilled to receive
and Honorable Mention Ribbon for
"Winter Days in Shades of Taupe"
at the Mancuso World Quilt Show in NH!!


and since she is a ribbon winner she will be traveling
as part of a special exhibit in the next few Mancuso shows!!
Holy Cow!!
So if your in Palm Springs, Santa Clara or Orlando
check out the Mancuso Quilt shows and stop by
and say hi to "Winter Days"!!

All in all it was a busy Quilty Sabbatical!!