Quilts to Show.

 Rainbows - Exactly how I feel about quilting - or expressing myself in any art venue.  So these are some of the best quilts from our local quilt show.  (Louise, these are for you.)

 This wonderful hand-appliqued and embroidered top was one of my favorites.  Unfortunately, the picture of the whole quilt didn't turn out, but these details give you an idea of the wonderful talent Leslie Bergesen has.

 Another detail of the quilt - animals and plants along with the houses.

 Houses and trees - dogs and cats.  See why I love this quilt.

 This quilt was in a place where I couldn't take a picture of the whole quilt.  The quilt was composed of individual small blocks, all hand appliquéd.  And the quilting was superb.

 The quilt below was made by my friend DeAnne from Franklin.  She and her sister each made this quilt.  They first made the medallion in the center, with the trapunto, appliqués and pieced triangles, and skewed squares.  Then they decided to put appliqués on the final border.  The result is a very beautiful quilt.

 Detail of the center.

March Block for My Calendar Quilt

At Last!  I finally finished the March block for my Piecemaker's calendar quilt.  The tree is called "Liquid Ambler", or, Ron tells me, a sweet gum tree, which is not native to Idaho.  I like doing the center blocks, but the most fun comes whenI work on the creative corners, which are done in crazy quilting.  I've begun work on the April block, which will be a cherry tree in bloom.
   These blocks are big (17" x 17"), so I'm trying to decide whether to finish each block to hang individually for the appropriate month, or to go all out and make a huge quilt.  Still working on that idea, but at this rate, I'll have a long time to make that decision.

January and February Blocks for my Calendar Quilt

 I've already posted the above block, but after reading about crazy quilts, I realized that I had left something out.  It is sometimes a custom to include important dates in the blocks, so I put in Ron's birthday and our anniversary.  Maybe there should be more - we'll see.

And, February is finished!  Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge them.  There is at least one animal in each of the blocks.  This is taking me so long, as I sandwich these fun blocks in between other projects and "things to do", but I'll eventually get it all done - I think.

Disappearing Nine-Patch

For quite a while, I cut various sizes of blocks from left-over fabric - Now I have a use for some of them.  This scrappy quilt was made by sewing five-inch blocks, alternating darks and lights, and using a dark navy for the middle.  Then, by cutting down the middle of the finished block, both horizontally and vertically, and manipulating the cut blocks in a uniform way, I ended up with this little quilt.  Lots of fun and fast!  The disappearing block has taken over.  There are disappearing 4-patch, hour-glass, and pinwheel blocks.  Someone got very inventive and tired of the same old thing - why not play by sewing simple basic blocks, and then cutting them out again.  Never know what one might end up with!

Striped Stitchery

 This is my latest creation from the Stupendous Stitchery class on Craftsy.  Doing this kind of stitching is so much fun and liberating from the strictures of matching corners, etc.  I even put on a few crystals - couldn't resist (see below detail).  I highly recommend this technique for anyone who is a doodler, or is even playing with Zentangle.  My 14-year old sewing machine is more wonderful than I realized.

Friendship or Personality Quilt is Finished!

Finished, with a new technique for binding.  Love this quilt.  I'm not showing the back, because it is a panel, which I managed to put upside down and crooked - No one is perfect, but this is the utter limit.  However, I love this little quilt.  The blocks are treasures and fit the personality of my quilting friends to a "T".  Wouldn't this kind of quilt be fun to do in a family?  Each person could design their own block - (Remember Dwight's quilt, Louise) - and then for those who don't do embroidery, others could finish up.  Just a thought - not asking for more work.  Or, one person could design the blocks.  That's what you can do in your spare time!

Friendship Quilt in Progress

This is the present stage of my friendship quilt from our quilt guild.  It will gain another border, and perhaps some lettering.  However, Louise is going to help me figure out how to quilt the embroidered blocks.    The personality of each one of the quilters is revealed in her block.  Clever!

Newest Sewing Project

These are pictures of a sewing project from an online class at Craftsy, called Stupendous Sewing.  I had a lot of fun making this from a fat quarter of batik, using stitches on my sewing machine that I have never experimented with before.  The piece has rick-rack, rattail cord, and yarn applied, then embroidery stitches from the sewing machine, then hand embroidery to finish the top.  The top is quilted, and can either be a pillow or a picture.  This piece is far from perfect, but it was lots of fun to make.  Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge.

Painting Class - On Fabric

I took a Craftsy class from Annette Kennedy to find out how to use the Tsukeniko and Pebeo fabric paints that I have accumulated and been frustrated with.  These two quilts are her design - she is a fantastic teacher, and internet classes are the way to go.  The painting is done on pre-printed fabrics - mostly batiks.  (Be sure to enlarge these.)  The quilt sizes are about 13" x 9", and I also did the quilting.  Facings finish the quilt, rather than binding.  Loved doing these.
P.S.  Which of these do you like better?

Progress on Memory Quilt #1 -

 Detail -

 Detail of the sky - Love this technique.

There is nothing like taking a picture of the - hopefully - finished project, to see where some corrections should be made.  How did the picture on the upper left get crooked, and I do not like the separation at the top of Grandpa's picture at the bottom of the left side.  Oh, well - just a few stitched to take out, readjust, and finish up.  (Rome wasn't built in a day.)

Memory Quilt #1 - Ready for the Next Stage

 The top - all held together with paste, ready to add some fabric paint in a few places, including the crease in the sky and some shadows.  Then, it's time to sit at the sewing machine and sew down every little piece that has been added to the quilt top, and then do some thread painting.  When that's done, it's time for the quilt sandwich, and some quilting to finish up.  I think I'll just add facing and a sleeve to this quilt, and not worry about a border.

 Detail - My solution to a couple of problems, including the disproportionate pictures on the left.

 The tree - how many pieces?  I lost count.

And, the lone sunflower plant  - couldn't leave them all out.  That poor bird was supposed to be a meadow lark in the fabric.  Think it's tummy will become the proper yellow.

Designing and constructing this quilt top has been a lot of fun, and brought back many memories.  If Dwight hadn't been the amazing photographer he was as a "kid", with his Baby Brownie camera, we wouldn't have these incredible nostalgic pictures that are on this quilt.  I'm trying to decide what the subject of the next memory quilt will be.  By the way, no one has given me a name for this quilt?????

(This is the story that I concocted - in the picture above, you can see that I have a shadow of the actual fork.)  

Alfalfa Hay was first mown, and later raked into windrows so that it could cure in the sun.  I drove the John Deere, following the windrow of hay, and the hay was picked up by a hay loader that trailed behind the wagon, that had teeth that carried the hay up onto the wagon where my brother, Dwight, arranged and packed it.  When the wagon was full, we would head for the stack yards, where the giant derrick for the Jackson Fork was used to build large haystacks for winter use.  

    

My grandfather’s derrick for the Jackson Fork was well built of poles, and the pulley system carefully constructed.  Our team of horses, named Pet and Babe,  was hitched to the pulley system.  Grandfather would be on top of the haystack, Dad would be on the wagonload of hay, and Dwight would be ready to lead the team.  The horses would go far enough ahead to raise the large fork from the ground onto the hay wagon.  Dad would push the fork tines down into the load, and secure it.  He would give the signal to my brother, who would lead the horses ahead, so that the fork full of hay would rise from the wagon, and swing over to the haystack.  Grandpa would grab the trip rope and pull, and the hay would be deposited on top of the stack.  We often held our breaths, as the large clump of hay would threaten to cover him, but there were no mishaps.  

Story Quilt or Memory Quilt?

 This was the first step - First plan (draw) my quilt on a piece of newsprint, then transfer that design to clear vinyl.  The parts of the quilt were also traced onto freezer paper.  Ironing the freezer paper templates to the fabric of choice makes life a lot easier.  The sky is divided(cut) into three parts, with the painted fabric on top, and a lighter print used behind the cuts.  The quilt foundation is a piece of thin batting, pinned to my design wall.  The next step was to paint a piece for the sky - It's a little too dark, but since this is my first time to do this, I figured I'd be content with the results.  then, I cut the bottom pieces from the lighter fabric, and placed it under the cuts so that it made the design more interesting.

 The plastic overlay is lowered so that I can place each piece in the proper place.  This is a detail with the first hills and greenery.

 Ditto.

 I've come quite a way - the color in the above picture isn't true because of the light in the room.
I took the lower picture by natural light from the window, and the colors are more true.

My biggest decision at this point is whether or not I'll want to leave the white borders on, or cut them off, or border the pictures with a thin black border.  So, sisters, dear, I await your helps with this decision.  Be sure to click on these to enlarge so that you can see what I'm talking about.  (At this stage, only the hills and fields are secured permanently to the backing.)

Winding Ways #2 - Borders Corrected

After really looking at the pictures I posted yesterday of this miniature quilt, the apparent flaws in the borders stuck out like a sore thumb.  After talking with Louise, I realized that the borders had to be re-done - here is the result.  Much better.  And they look straighter than in the picture above - with my just holding the camera, I still get some keystoning (didn't figure out the exact center, so the left looks a little wobbly.)  However, I'm more satisfied.  A famous quilter once said, "Better finished than right", but this time, I needed to correct my mistake.

Another Miniature Quilt - Winding Ways

The Winding Ways quilt pattern has always been a favorite.  I love the secondary patterns in it that you will see if you click on the quilt to enlarge it.  This was a kit, with the pieces already laser cut.  I don't think that I would have the patience to cut the tiny pieces used to create this mini.  I'm still having a problem with the bottom dark first border - there is a slight wow or bulge, and I've got to figure out how to fix it, but over all, I love the pattern and the colors.  Another UFO to click off as being half done.  Progress in the sewing room!

Li'l Twister Little Quilts

I  love the pinwheels that you make using a special ruler to cut up connected blocks.  For quite a while, I have cut up extra fabric into 5" squares.  How convenient to sew these squares together to make a table runner - Some of this fabric was in Mandy's graduation quilt - quite a few years ago.

 The second neat thing about making this quilt top, is that if you cut the first pinwheels carefully, you have small squares that can be trimmed to 2-1/2" squares, which, after being sewn together and then cut, you have a miniature pinwheel quilt.  Fun, right?

This is the second group - goes faster the second time.  
This is one of the best ways I know of to get rid of some winter blahs.  Make something useful while having the satisfaction of learning a new technique.  A recent article in one of our newspapers said that learning quilting and photography were two ways to keep our brains in a learning mode - I take a few pictures, but love the challenge of finding new ways to make pleasing patterns in fabric.
Now, I have a real excuse - keep this ancient mind in top form!  If you don't make quilts, it's not too late to begin.

Friendship Quilt Block

This is the trial block for my contribution to our guild's friendship quilt that we're making this year.  I have made a few design changes, but, essentially, this is how my block looks.  It tells a story about the things I like to do.  I am sitting at the computer, have books to read, a small quilt on the side of the desk,  a picture on the wall (like to paint or sew pictures), and a genealogy pedigree chart.  Here I am - stick figure and all.  Now, I just have to finish embroidering another 14 blocks.  Oh, yes, and all of the other blocks will have me wearing my favorite color, yellow.  When you enlarge this, you will see all of my mistakes, but that makes this qualify for "folk art".  When we exchange our blocks in September, It will be fun to make a quilt of all of my friends interpretations of themselves and their favorite things.

Quilt Show in Preston

 Last week I was very involved in our local quilt show, called "ThePreston Piecers' Hometown Quilt Show"  We have held the show for the last 9 years in the Larsen-Sant Libratry community room, which isn't very large.  The quilt stands were made by a member and her husband out of PVC pipe, and bean bags were sewn to help stabilize the stands after we had a near disaster when a little boy tried to play dominoes with the quilt stands on one side of the room.  (That was a few years ago.)  The quilt in the middle at the back was a gift to our retiring librarian (30 years of service), with the money for the purchase of fabric, batting, and quilting being given by the Library Staff and Board, and the actual quilt designed and sewn by members of the Preston Piecers Quilt Guild, of which I am a charter member.  We had 62 quilts in all, some king, queen and regular size, and others being wall hangings, table runners, crib quilts, and one miniature (mine).  It is a lot of work to put on a quilt show, but the people who come are very appreciative.

 This is just a portion of my favorite quilt.  It was a very long, narrow wall hanging, designed by a mother-daughter team. Lots of use was made of wool and other fabrics, special buttons (even two mice), and lovely quilting.  It was truly a masterpiece.  I can't remember if it had a name, but if it were mine, I would call it "In The Meadow".

And, I am delighted to see that red work is coming back.  This beautifully embroidered little Sunbonet Sue quilt was really eye catching, and I loved it.  It always amazes me that very ordinary people create such beautiful things.

Quilt Pix for Louise

I have posted other pictures of this quilt - Grandma's Garden - but Louise and I were talking, and I don't think the entire quilt ever got on the blog - these are not professional pictures by a long shot, but this is how it looked.