Show & Tell

I've never shown you the quilts I finished this year and displayed in my local guild's quilt show.  I've been such a slacker.

I wasn't as productive this year as I'd like to be, but I got 3 quilts done for the quilt show.  None of them are real big, but done is done!

First, I finally finished my 10 year old project!  It feels good to have this one done, and I'm looking forward to displaying this in my house after the holidays.

43.5” w x 54”h

This quilt is called "A Garden of Friends" and was made from blocks exchanged with my friends in California.  You can read more about this quilt here.

A closeup of the quilting, done by Shari Bahr, who also participated in this exchange.  All of the applique is raw-edge and it will fray when it's washed.  That makes even more lovely soft texture on the quilt!  

A detail shot of my liberated border. a la Gwen Marston.  Don't they look like little flags waving in the breeze?  I love those straight lines of quilting!

And a shot of the back, where I used up all the leftover bits from the border.  You can also see the lovely texture the quilting gives the quilt.

27" x 28"

This quilt is entitled "Love Notes From the Cat".  I know I've discussed this quilt on the blog before, but I can't find it to link for you.  I got the fabric from my sister, and it's so funny.  And too true.  I made the blocks improv-style, then had to use that cute cat fabric for the border.  I also used it for the backing.

left side of quilt

right side of quilt

These photos will supersize so if you double click on these photos, you can read the "love notes".

35" x 47"

And, just in time for the Christmas season, a new flannel quilt to snuggle with on the couch!  This was a "cheater" panel I bought a couple of years ago at a local quilt store.  I had planned on quilting this myself and never got to it.  And then it was "hiding" in a bag and got ignored.  So, when I was looking for quilts to finish for the show, I spied this one and decided it was time to get it done.  I added the red border and had Shari quilt this for me.  I briefly considered doing it myself, but I wanted it done for the quilt show and I knew that struggling to quilt this in August was really beyond me.  And Shari did a much better job than I would have!

A detail shot of the border.  Looks like there's a cold wind blowing!

And here's a photo of the backing with those cute ice skates and the wonderful flannel print I used for the binding.  I'm going to enjoy snuggling with this soon, as we've gotten cold weather now and actually had our first snow yesterday!

I fell in love with this fabric.  I had a pair of ice skates just like this when I was a kid in Michigan.  I inherited them from my older cousin Leslie.  I remember when I first got them, they were too big and I had to wear quite a few pairs of socks to get them to fit.  My sister and I went skating on the local lagoon.  Well, I mostly skated and she mostly fell down.  I wore those skates until they were so tight they were killing my toes!  Although, out in the cold while skating, my feet were numb anyway.  hee hee!   I was never really good at skating, but I had a lot of fun.

Well, I didn't get better from my icky cold last week, so I took myself to the Dr.  I was actually having an asthma-type thing going on as well as just being sick.  So I had a nebulizer treatment (a new experience for me), got some new inhalers and an antibiotic (for a sinus infection) and that helped.  I've been laying low ever since, and was starting to feel better.  I over-did yesterday, and didn't feel so good last night.  So, back to taking care of myself a little longer, I guess.  I need this to be gone before Christmas!

I did manage to do a little sewing for Block Lotto though!  It felt good to sew some.  Hopefully some more soon.  I have some Christmas secret sewing to do too!

Ad Hoc Improv - Sharing My Improv

I've been so intrigued with the concept of Improv the last few years.  I don't do it as often as I would like, but every time I do it, I have so much fun.  I really enjoy it.  So, I decided that I would try to do more improv this year.  And what better way to spur me on than to have a link-up once a month?  So, welcome to my first post on Ad Hoc Improv quilting.  Visit both Kaja at Sew Slowly and Ann at Fret Not Yourself blogs for more information and to see what others are showing for their improv this month.  They've been doing this for 10 months now.....how did I not notice this before now?  I'm late to the party, as usual.  But, better late than never!

I've dabbled in Improv and liberated, or wonky, quilting for awhile now.  My first example is a quilt top that was started in 2005.  The blocks were made from a pattern, and I showed the improv border I'd started in my last post.  Now it's all done and sewn onto the quilt top.  Yay!

I'm really happy with the way it came out.  It still needs a good press before it goes to the quilter.  And, of course, I need to make a back for it.  

I made too many pieced triangles for the border, because more is better when you don't know how many you need!  I think this will be inserted in the back, once I get it all sewn together.  This is not a great picture, so you'll have to take my word for how good this looks.

These are my Block Lotto blocks for June - improv circles.  They were easy and great fun.  Sewing those wonky curves is sooo easy!  I'd love to win these, so my fingers are crossed. 

I think I need to play with improv pieced circles some more....more ideas keep coming to my mind. 

Finally, the other day I decided to purposefully start a new improv project.  Originally the thought was a baby quilt for my hairdresser, but now I'm not so sure that's what it will be.  It might just be whatever it turns out to be.

Those pieces aren't really big enough to be a baby quilt without a LOT more work.  This might be a smaller wall quilt.  I'll do something with bigger pieces (read: easier and faster) for the baby quilt.  I'm really liking this so far!  My initial plan for the color scheme was bright colors with lots of grey, because that was the request for the baby quilt.  I may add more colors or something else along the way.  Whatever the piece tells me it needs.

I'm also working on my Gwen Marston-inspired Medallion Quilt-along (see my side bar) piece, but that is more secret.  You'll have to wait until Friday for the reveal of the next border....but I'll tell you that it is kinda improv.  At least liberated/wonky, for sure.  I'm furiously working and hoping that I'll have it done in time for the reveal!

6-16-16

Welcome to Palindrom Week!  Today's date reads the same forward and backward.  Isn't that cool?

This post is an update on what I've been working on lately, so lots of "this and that".

Not the final layout, just a tease

I've finally gotten all my black and white blocks made, sliced, re-sewn and trimmed to size.  I started this project way back in January 2015.  This was a long-term project...and it really hasn't taken that long!  That kind of surprises me when I realize when I started it - only a year and half.  That's record time for me!  I've decided on the layout, gotten my blocks marked and I'm hoping to get it sewn together soon.

I had a little brainstorm while I was laying these blocks out and came up with an idea to mark my blocks easily.  Remember VHS tapes?  Remember they came with labels for the tapes?  Well, I dug in my tape storage and unearthed some of those labels.

I thought they would make great *free* labels for my quilt blocks, so I don't get the order they're laid out in mixed up when I pick them up to sew them together.

"action shot" of the labels 

Here they are, in use.  I go by row (letter) and block (number).  I always put the labels in the upper left hand corner, so I know which way is "up" on the block.  They work pretty well and the free part is good.  I'm being "green" and utilizing my resources.  Unfortunately, those resources are limited, so I don't know how much longer I can use this particular system.  I may have to find some blank price stickers or something.  Those would work just as well, they're just not free.  Hope you like my little tip!

Here is another quilt top laid out on the design floor.  I'm working on the border of this older UFO that was a block exchange with my friends in Calif. a *few* years ago.  10 or 15 maybe?  I don't even remember!  You can read more about this project here.

 I've been waiting for some border inspiration to strike, and it finally did thanks to Gwen Marston.  She used this border on one of her quilts and I really liked it.  Believe it or not, I still had the scraps from making some of these flowers and they were big enough to use!  Can you tell I never throw away anything?  I tell ya, folks, it's a blessing AND a curse!  *grin*

And....I'm letting myself start a new project!  I'm going to do the 'Basket Case' quilt by Cluck Cluck Sew.  I even got a jelly roll just for this - the first jelly roll I ever bought for me.  The jelly roll had 40 strips and the pattern calls for 42, so I had to add a couple of strips from my stash.  I did such a good job, color-wise, that I can't even tell which two strips those were.

Here are my jelly roll strips all laid out and paired up.  They are all batiks (Hoffman Bali Pops) and the color way is called "Lorikeet".  Very tropical and summery.

And here are my first two blocks.  You make two blocks at a time with this pattern, and it's so easy!  Now if only I wasn't so distracted with all my other projects so I can get back to sewing this!  I just can't seem to sew fast enough to do everything I want.  How about you?  Do you have the same problem?  Do you start or work on multiple projects at a time?  Inquiring minds want to know!

February Already?

Whoa!  What happened to January??  I can't believe it's been a whole month since I posted!   Oh, and by the way, my last post was my 300th post!

I went to the mini quilt retreat and had a good time.  I even got some things accomplished.  But I came down with a nasty cold with a vicious cough almost the next day.  And, just when I was getting over that, it turned into a sinus infection.  Ugh.  We were going to be leaving for Florida in a few days when the sinus thing happened, so I quickly took myself to Urgent Care and got some antibiotics and cough medicine.  I finally felt better, right before we got on the plane, and I'm sure all the other passengers were as happy as I was that I was no longer infectious or coughing my lungs out!

We had a great time in Florida and really enjoyed the sunshine.  It wasn't real warm, as FL was getting the side effect of cooler temps during the "winter event" happening in the Northeast U.S.  But it was gloriously sunny, and that was wonderful.  We were in Tampa while DH was having a Professional Development conference with the Co. he works for.  There were 5 other wives there, and we had a grand time seeing the sights.  We went to Clearwater and saw the white sand beaches there (that looked just like powdered sugar!), along with lots of pelicans, and I even got to see wild dolphins playing in the ocean!  Then we went to Tarpon Springs and shopped and ate wonderful Greek food.  (I especially recommend the flaming cheese! Fun to see and yummy!)  Oh yeah, and I finally got some Key Lime Pie.  I had never had the real deal before and it lived up to it's reputation.  Sadly, I never found a fabric shop, but that was OK.  I had fun seeing someplace new, and sunshine in the middle of winter was just what the doctor ordered!

But enough blabbing.  Let's get to the good quilty stuff!

At the mini quilt retreat last month, I managed to make some real progress on my Split Flowers friendship quilt that has been languishing in my project bins for too many years.  I had finally gotten the blocks put together into a top before the retreat and got all the leaves sewn on while I had friends to talk to there.  Now that I've seen the photo, I can see that I need to add just a couple more leaves.

And then it'll be time for the major decision of what to do for the border.  I'm torn between doing some more raw edge applique like the flowers and leaves, probably using a serpentine vine, or doing something pieced.  Any suggestions?  It may come down to what will be faster, as I'd like to have this finished in time for the quilt show in October.

Edited to add: this pattern is from the book Stitch and Split Applique and it's available on Amazon here. 

I didn't make great progress on the Split Decision quilt that I showed in my last post here.  But I got a few blocks made.

Here is an example of what a finished block will look like.  (one block is just folded in half and placed over the other)  I like this!

And that was the end of any sewing that happened in January.  But I have been sewing this past week.

I made some blocks for my guild's raffle quilt.  This year there's no set block size or color theme.  We're just going with the concept of friendship, stars and baskets.

This block finishes at 9 inches and is called "Measure For Measure".  I found the pattern in Judy Martin's book The Block Book.  There are templates you're supposed to use to make these patterns, but I tried to get cute and fake it.  It got ugly.  But I got it done!

This is my second block for the raffle quilt.  It will finish at 12 inches and is called "Crystal Star".  This pattern came from Judy Hopkins' book 501 Rotary Cut Quilt Blocks.  I love that book!  And this block was easy.  I think it took me longer to decide on the fabric than to construct the block!

That's all for now, folks, but I hope to be back soon.  I've got more quilt-y goings-on to blab about.

Have a creative week!