Showing posts with label quilts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quilts. Show all posts

Monday, February 20, 2017

Slow Sewing for the Soul


A Slow Stitch Saturday Morning

This past Saturday was filled with light. I have a north window in my studio, and the light was perfect to sit and hand stitch these last few pieces. The turkey and deer kept stopping at my window as if to say, "Just passing through to see what you're doing this fine morning." It was soothing to the soul. The few seams I had to complete were with Aurifil's Invisible Monofilament Thread, and unless the light is perfect it is darned difficult to see! I really love this thread.

Friday, February 17, 2017

The Joy of a Quilt Room Volunteer



The Quilting Room at the
Connections Thrift Store In Kidron, Ohio


I travel about an hour each way to volunteer at a MCC thrift store and quilt room. It's such a pleasant drive because this is what I'm thinking about. A bright, sunny room full of quilts, comforters, fabric, and the nicest people. Who wouldn't want to be here? I feel so lucky!

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Two New Quilts Progress & Catch Up



New Quilt Underway

Working hard at clearing out the studio of too much stash, I pulled all my wildest fabrics to make a bucket list quilt. Cultural Fusion Quilts is an inspiring book, and often on my side table. It's based on a process of free cutting rather than precision, and is improvisational piecing. This pattern was perfect for the size prints I had on hand. I went after it. It may seem noisy and garish by your standards, but you can't walk by it without smiling. These are 16" blocks, and I may have enough blocks for several quilts by the end.

Thursday, February 2, 2017

The Latest Rounds of Canadian Women Blocks



 150 Canadian Women

The one quilt-along I couldn't turn down was this one. Not only is it 3 blocks a week issued each Tuesday, but each has a historically significant woman at the center of its design. So, a story with each block, and I'm enjoying the idea. While I spent January elbows deep in charity quilting, I vowed not to do any personal sewing or quilting. When February rolled in, I needed to catch up. I made 15 blocks yesterday and this morning.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Linking My Inner Squirrel to the DrEAMi Party


January: The Month for 
Your Inner Squirrel


Did you hear the song, "Everybody's talkin', there's a new squirrel in town"? I meant 'girl.' Or actually a new link party? Sorry, so much squirrel talk these days with Sandra from mmm!quilts. Sandra has a new link party starting this weekend, and it's all called DrEAMi, and there's nothing confusing about it. It means... 

Drop Everything And Make It!

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Two More Tops Nearly Done



What a Difference Good Lighting Makes!

After bemoaning the lack of light in the studio, I made a trip to IKEA. I bought 2 standing lights with bright bulbs, and it was like summer again just using one of them.  I decided to move the mess I'd accumulated by sewing in my living room back to the studio. It took most of the day to get things back into order, and clean up.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Fabric Challenges: Charity Quilts Day 19



"There's No Such Thing As Ugly Fabric"

Has anyone ever told you this? And did you believe them? Well, I beg to differ. I'm usually attracted to the one-offs, and not what everyone else likes, and I'm okay with that. We all have personal tastes toward color and pattern, and all it takes is looking at your own stash if you don't believe it.  For me, I am attracted to both stripes and flowers. Put them together in a 1960's-1970's print, and I am over the moon! Isn't it just gorgeous?!

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Packing Charity Quilts for Shipment: Day 17



Do you remember me telling you the MCC Connections Store and warehouse was like a well oiled machine? Well, a machine is only as good as its parts, and today I have another example. Two brothers team up to make sure the donated comforters that arrive in the warehouse are properly packed for shipment around the world. I stuck with them from start to finish, and so can you to see how it's managed.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

A Two Top Finish: Day 11



Scrappy Trips Around the World
& Effy Helps

The past two days have been icy with both periods of snow and rain. If you didn't have to go out, you didn't. I stayed in as much as I could and finished tops. I also started another quilt or two, and have been piecing in front of the t.v. The dogs have been good company, but muddy feet and quilt tops do not mix. Effy sneaked onto the quilt as I stood on a stool to snap this shot. Thankfully she was clean. Around here we always say, "Effy helps." She's always there in the middle when you want to do something. 

Monday, January 9, 2017

Herding and Bordering Flying Geese:Day 9




Rows of Geese
I made these flying geese with a method that produces bias edges on all sides of the original HST. Check it out HERE. After turning them into flying geese strips, I was left with just a bias edge on each outside edge. These will all be bordered with fabric so it won't be a problem. 

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Scrappy Trips Around the World: Day 5



Using What You Have


I've been reading every book I can about the history of quilting. Some things are surprising. In recent centuries, even fabric scraps were too precious for some people to come by. Many countries depended on textiles solely as an import, and had few raw materials to produce their own fabric of any kind. That's hard to imagine for most of us, isn't it? But as textiles mills became more plentiful around the world, so did fabric, and those who couldn't afford new fabric did find scraps or salvaged their own used clothing. Not all parts of clothes wore out at the same pace so pieces were cut from them to recycle into something else like a quilt.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Sawtooth and Variable Stars: Day 3 of Charity Quilts




1980's-1990's Fabrics

I was blessed with a sister-in-law who gifted me her stash when she decided she was no longer interested in quilting. That was over a year ago, maybe longer, and it's been hard making a dent in the tubs. The fabric is still in beautiful condition, but a little harder to use because it looks dated. I've been looking for ways to use it so the overall quilt doesn't look like it's from the 80's.


16 Patch Sawtooth Stars with 4 Patch Variable Stars

Monday, January 2, 2017

7 Grid Chain Quilt: Day 2


7 Grid Chain 

Yesterday I started playing with blocks, and today it all came together. Like many of you, I work best without a pattern. If you haven't tried it, it's liberating! Just start with an idea, and keep moving forward until you arrive. Let me give you a quick walk through this quilt's process. 

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Wanted: Other Quilters Seeking Joy



Another Scrap Box Dumped

"The End (of the Year) is coming! The End (of the Year) is coming!" If you heard this, and you only had one quilt to make before the End, what would you make?

Seriously, if you only had one more quilt to make 
EVER, what would you make?

Monday, December 12, 2016

Mish Mash Monday: Piecing, Projects, & Partnerships



A Little Bit Sweet

Oh, Sweet Monday! Through the wonders of air travel, I woke up in foggy Florida, and was back in a snowy Ohio by lunchtime. I was travelling very light, and my computer was stashed at home--not my choice. My little phone had such a workout to stay connected, but with big limitations for me. Can I please do a quick catch up for you?

Last Friday morning I started a quickie project with 2.5" strips, and a Creative Grids ruler. I turned out this Dresden Plate early in the morning, then used the rest of my free time before my trip to blanket stitch it on to a low volume background. I added a few spunky borders to round it out to a 36" square, and it was ready for something I'd never tried before.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Vintage Quilt Block Finds & My List



Vintage Star Blocks: 
Depression Fabric and Feedsack

I'm SO curious! Please tell me if there 
is a special name for a Morning Star 
block in a hexie setting!

This past weekend was Small Business Saturday, but I carried it over to my Sunday excursion. I wasn't shopping for quilt blocks, but one of my favorite little stores had a package of 69 blocks in a bin. I hemmed and hawed, but in the end decided I'd kick myself if I didn't get them. Little did I know at the time their full beauty. It took my breath away as I went through the blocks at home.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Antique Quilts & A Turkey


Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is more than a feast for the belly. I have another one here for the eyes! This is one of my earliest posts, but I was reminded of it when I searched for a turkey post to link up with Val's Archives this week. I am thankful for so much in my life, but health, people and quilts top the list. Allow me to share a few special family quilts and their stories with you to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to each one of you, 
and remember on this day of thanks...

Above all, be kind.


All the quilts shown here belong to my husband's family. They were on loan awaiting a cloudy day to photograph. It gave me time to get to know them, and fall in love with this one most of all. I love every inch of this quilt! It has a lurid history that we are too proper to get in to here, but let it suffice to say, I think it's to die for. It's the ultimate Eye Candy. There's no firm date, but the family history puts it around the 1930's, and it appears to be made without a batting layer.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Finished Mini Round Robin



2016 Mini Round Robin

Quilted and bound, but label-less. 
Finished, but technically not done.


Regardless of the fine points, this project is off the WIP list. 

Monday, August 29, 2016

What I Did Last Summer



Pinned and ready for many glorious 
evenings of hand quilting!

Summer's Accomplishments


I feel like I've spent my summer as a true holiday. Not R&R, but catching up. There are still many things on the long list, but we've powered through some Herculean tasks. Tree removal from the Emerald Ash Bore--6 mature trees, house and property restoration, and so on. Nothing that was neat and tidy, and it all spilled over onto the rest of lives. Piles of things in the house were designated by project, and that was disruptive in itself. I'm happy to report the chaos is about 80% contained now.

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

When Difficult Quilts Happen to Determined People



The Best Part So Far 

Just in case you're asking yourself why on Earth I would make this my opening photo, it's because it's the best part of the quilt at this point.