What do you think?

 

This is the piece from my international robin.  I love it.  The kanji in the lower left means friendship, which is perfect since I feel I am friends with all the people who worked on this piece.  I am perfectly happy with it as it is, but . . . .Willa and I found some wonderful fabric when she was here that might make it even more interesting.  Certainly it will make it bigger.  Please leave a comment with your input about the following auditions.

 

 

Audition 1 has a panel of one of the fabrics with Chinese scholars at the top and the other with the dragons at the bottom.

 

 

Audition 2 has the scholars at the top and bottom.

 

 

Audition 3 has the dragons at the top and bottom. 

I am not tied to any of these, so anything you have to add will be very helpful, even if you suggest leaving the piece as it is.  Thank you for your input.

Joyful quilting, everyone.

 

 

 

A little of this, and a little of that

 

I guess the first thing is that my old Black and Decker iron finally bit the dust.  I have had it for so many years, I can't even remember when I first got it.  I should have retired it long ago, but irons have become so complicated these days.  Anyway, the temp control stopped functioning and I burnt a test piece to ashes in less than 3 seconds, so it had to go.  This is the new beauty.  I am getting used to it, but so far, I like it just fine.

 

 

I wish I could lay claim to making this beauty, but I only quilted it.  It is a Jinny Beyer pattern and was made by the aunt of a neighbor.  It is going to a new home in Germany next month.  It was fun to quilt.

 

 

This is my August art quilt for the AAQI sale.  It was fun to design and create, and very different for me.  I think I will do more in this free style that is inspired by nature.

 

Speaking of nature, here I am going to do a shameless promotion of my business.  I have debated using this space to share the products I sell and the company I am associated with, but I think they are so wonderful that I decided I wanted to share them with everyone.  Univera is a natural botanical supplement company and so much more.  It is the PQ Diet from Univera that I used to lose all my weight.  Without some of the other products, I would not be able to sit at my sewing machine nearly as long as I am able now.  I have more energy, mental clarity and focus, and ease of motion since I started with this company.  I want to shout to the world how wonderful this company is.  Instead, I will just send you to our web site, Univera. Take a look at what we have.  Listen to Bill Lee talk about the company and Serve First.  That handsome man on the home page is my husband, Tom.  If you want to know more about how you can get involved with the company by trying the products or becoming one of my business partners, just leave me a comment, or send me an email.

 And now, back to quilting.

 

 

Today, I made this little 12" x 12" quilt.  The 16 patch in the center is a 1" square.  What looks like cream is really yellow.  I didn't realize until just now that the yellow didn't come through.  Also, the grayish looking color is green.  Interesting.  This one was fun and quite a challenge for me.  I may do another one just to see if I can keep all the points instead of just some.  I really think I should be able to do that at this stage in my quilting career.

I am back on the school year schedule of Tuesday through Thursday with Bella starting next week.  I am hoping that means more regular studio days and blog posts.  I have missed chatting with my blog friends.  Tomorrow, I am going to put up some audition photos for my International Robin quilt.  I have some ideas, but would like some input from others before I forge ahead.

Have a great evening, and joyful quilting, everyone.

 

 

 

Trying to find this fabric

Good morning, everyone.  It has been a long and busy time.  I have so much to share.  First of all, Janis the hen has learned to crow.  Apparently this is not unusual, but it is sure annoying.

Second, I was at the annual convention for Univera, the natural health products company I am associated with, and I won the 2012 Weight Management Throwdown!  It was a complete surprise, and loads of fun to be famous for a couple of days.

Because I only have limited time this morning, I will put off sharing what has been going on in the studio until the next post except for a couple of things.

First - Do you know what this fabric is called, who made it, and where I can get more?

Second is a sneak peak at the doll quilt for the August doll quilt swap.

I can't show the rest because my swap partner, the very talented Sharon Vrooman of Vrooman's Quilts, has been known to stop by here once in a while.

There is much more in the works - one piece I need to get finished today - so I will say goodbye for now.  Joyful quilting, everyone.



Tom's Table Runner

Every once in a while, Tom will go with me to a fabric store, and it is always a treat.  Last week, Tom took Willa and me to the Quilt Barn in Puyallup, Washington so Willa could find some mint green fabric for her project.  Tom patiently wandered among the rows of beautiful fabrics and found three remnants he really liked.  He picked the green, red/orange/green mottled, and the red batik.  He then saw a table runner design he really liked.  As I was wandering around, I found a wonderful piece of fabric with big flowers to use in the center squares.  What you see on the left are the four squares for the runner.  We have been auditioning sashing and borders, and I think we have come to consensus and this will be finished some time next week.

In the meantime, I have a new design wall!  Willa's husband, David, arrived on Tuesday.  On Wednesday, he and Tom went to the hardware store to pick up the sound proofing boards to build a permanent design wall for my studio.  Up until now, I have been using a piece of felt attached to the wall by thumb tacks.  It has served its purpose, but was frustrating as the pieces got bigger and heavier and would no longer stick by friction.  Now, I can stick pins in the pieces to keep them up.  All that remains is to staple the felt to the boards and it is good to go.  It may not be fancy, and it certainly wasn't expensive, but I totally love it.  Thank you David and Tom!

Finally, I finished quilting the July Doll Quilt Exchange quilt and it will be on its way to Germany this afternoon.  Now, I can think about what to do for August.  My partner for this month is Sharon from Vrooman's Quilts.  The theme is Sunny and Warm.  This means I get to work with my favorite palette!  Let the fun begin!


Have a wonderful weekend, and joyful quilting, everyone.






I love collaboration

Warning!  This is a long post with lots of photos.

My sister-in-law, Willa, is visiting from Virginia.  She brought with her the piece from the International Round Robin that I started.  To see what she brought, go here.  To see my original piece, go here. She also brought several wonderful red and blue fabrics to audition for the next round.  Before we started, however, we took a trip to Shibori Dragon and found even more wonderful fabrics to play with.  That evening, we started playing around with the layout on the living room floor.  After we found something we both liked, we moved everything to the design wall in the studio. I see things better when they are on the wall.

First, we had to cut the pieces to the right width. Willa did most of the cutting while I measured and put them up on the wall.

Cutting is serious business. Willa is on the left.  See my Woodstock t-shirt? 

As we added strips to the wall, Tom was worried about all the white space and how we were going to fill them in.  I think he was worried until it was finally done.

Little by little, it started coming together.  At one point, we had decided to add a curved element to the left side to complement the other curves in the piece that I like so much.  Then, Willa suggested adding the three strips to the bottom piece and I wanted the strip at the top because I really wanted to have a little bit of that fabric in the piece.  When Willa saw the angled bottom to that top strip, she suggested that the bottom strips be angled as well.

Here is the piece with all of our additions. We added the different borders in a deliberate way to create the hint of a Torii gate.  It is hard to see in the photo, but the top piece is a beautiful piece of traditional Japanese indigo fabric. 

Willa and I don't get enough time to quilt together, so this was great fun for me.  She has a wonderful sense of color and design, and as a teacher, she has great collaboration skills.  We have known each other for a long time and have done a number of arts and crafts together over the years, from gardening to crochet to cross-stitch to quilting. It has all been a wonderful journey, but I love the quilting the best.

 I love the way this piece has come together.  There is one more person who will add to it before it is done, but I am really happy that Willa and I got to play with it to this stage.

Joyful quilting, everyone.



More fun in the studio

I really get upset when I can't get the colors right on the screen.  Oh well.  This is really much cooler in person.  The teal in the stars is much more vibrant, and the red in the strips is not so vibrant.  Very frustrating.  Anyway, here it is so far.

The other thing I worked on today was for the International Round Robin.  Here is what I started with.

After looking at this for a long time, I decided to make some diamond stratas and add another piece of applique.  See that piece of KF, third wedge up on the bottom right?  I had another piece of that so decided to make a curvy shape to put on top of the border to bring it all together.  Here is the result of that idea.

This piece goes to one more participant before it goes back to the originator.  As it is with round robins, it has been really interesting and fun to see each piece change from beginning to end.  I already have the last piece I will work on for this robin.  I have no ideas about what to add, but I am sure something will come to me after I look at it for a while.  If you want to see all the pieces, just hop over to our flickr page.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Joyful quilting, everyone.

Seeing stars

I don't know if you can see how stunning this fabric is from the photo.  It is "Flowering star of Ghana" from the 2001 Alexander Henry collection.  When I was visiting my friend Sharon in her studio, she was pulling fabric from her basket of silks and brocades when she casually set this one aside.  I fell in love with it, and she gifted it to me.  It was a one yard piece, with a small 9" square cut out.  Not her colors, she told me.  I have been looking at if for a few weeks now, pulling other fabrics from my shelves and putting them back.  Then, I found a 1/4 yard piece of the teal flowers from Sandy Gervais Tranquility and knew that was it.  I spent a few minutes doodling, and then set to work.

At this point, this is what I have.  These will all come together as a liberated medallion of sorts.  The hsts are left overs from the stars I showed in the last post.  I am also going to use strips of the orange fabric to fill in.  I may use some narrow strips from the dark teal in the hsts.  I want to make sure the liberated stars really stand out when all is said and done.  I have only made these a couple of times before, and I really like them, even though they take much longer than regular stars.  Sometimes, it takes more thought to be liberated.

This is going to be another one of my process, or intuitive, quilts.  So far, all I have is a seed of an idea for the middle.  I have to dig through my stash and see how much teal and orange I can find.  That will dictate the final size of this piece. 

 Joyful quilting, everyone.

Ta Da! Another top done

 

These two blocks were done for the Comfort Quilt Bee I am part of.  Making them was an interesting process.  They have quite a few pieces to keep track of and points to match.  I like how they turned out.  It would be interesting to have an entire quilt of these, but given how long each one took me, it will be a while.

I did, however, finish up the shirt quilt which I have officially named Prairie Fusion.

During the entire process, I kept thinking about pioneer women using the scraps of worn out clothes and left over from making new shirts and dresses.  I did a bit of that, but put them together in a more liberated way with the wonky crosses.  Thus the fusion part of the name, which Tom came up with. I also added some plain patchwork squares in two sizes just for variety.  The finished top measures 57" x 54".  Now I can add it to the growing pile of tops I have to get quilted. 

I have gathered fabric for a few backings, but still need more.  I am not that fond of working on pieced backings. I also need to get some thread.  These things are not in the budget right now, but I still have plenty of scraps and fabric on my shelves to keep making tops.  I even have some new fabric I have won in drawings but not used.  I was also recently gifted some beautiful batiks that I want to use.  They would be great for the ribbon star blocks above.  Hmmmm.

The next three weeks will be very busy, but I will try and get some quilting and blogging done.  In the mean time, I hope you all are enjoying your summer.  Joyful quilting, everyone!

Progress on the shirt quilt

I started sewing the larger blocks together in rows this morning.  The strip of two on the right is what I did, three times.  Then, remember those 2 1/2" squares I cut from scraps the other day?  I decided to make strips of those to separate the larger strips.  I didn't get further than making enough four patches to put on the wall for the first gap.  I will have to work on the rest on Tuesday.  I have Bella for the next three days, so won't get much sewing done.

Here is a detail of just a portion of this quilt.  When I started this project, I wasn't sure if I would really like it or not.  I liked the idea of using re-purposed shirts and scraps that would probably just stay in the scrap boxes if not for this kind of project.  Now, I am really happy I started it.  I think it is a happy quilt.  The colors all sort of sing to me.  I enjoy seeing the scraps from other projects I have worked on.  I have a piece of a favorite Hawaiian dress, something from a quilt that I gifted a good friend, an old shirt of mine, pieces from a quilt I made for Tom, and many more little gems.  Lots of the fabric is from friends.  I guess this will be sort of a memory quilt.  That is a good thing.  Tom would like it to be a little bigger, and I think I know what to do that will keep the same flavor, but keep me from getting bored.  Does that ever happen to you?

I do have a tip to share about scrap/project storage.  I am a big fan of salad greens that come in big plastic tubs.  We eat quite a lot of them, so I wash them out well and use them for fabric storage.  I keep scraps in them or I keep fabric I am pulling for projects all together in them.  They stack very nicely.  They are free, and I am keeping them out of landfills.

Have a great weekend everyone.  Joyful quilting.

No quilts today, only chickens

I did spend some time in the studio this morning, making more blocks for the shirt quilt.  I made a design decision about it I will save until tomorrow when I can get it up on the design wall.  I think it is pretty exciting.  In the meantime, I thought I would introduce you to our chickens, just for fun.

Meet Janis Joplin.  Isn't she a beauty?  We are pretty sure she is not an Americauna, which is not really a recognized breed but a mix.  When they were three days old, they all looked alike.  We still like her.  I tried to capture the beautiful blues and greens in her feathers, but the light was just not right.  She is the leader of the pack.

This blond beauty is Veronica Lake.  She is just as sassy as she looks.  She has the fluffy cheeks typical of the Americauna, but they are not as pronounced as they are on Lady Bud.  Veronica is the most stand-offish of the group, and the last one to head into the pen at night.

Just like her namesake, Katherine Hepburn doesn't like to have her photo taken.  Notice the classy pattern of dark against blond made by the feathers on her back.  She also has the darker feathers under her neck.  She has a pretty even disposition and likes to nibble on her greens.

Last, but certainly not least, is Lady Bug.  She is the friendliest of the four.  Because she has the dark cheek feathers, her fluffy face is pretty pronounced.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get a front face view today.  She wanted a profile shot.  I am not sure what the red thing is by her mouth.  I think it is Janis Joplin's little crown in the background.

These four ladies have figured out that they want the safety of the coop at night, so we no longer have to chase them around to put them in.  When they are ready, they climb the ramp by themselves, usually with Janis in the lead.  If we don't get out there when they reach the top, they let us know.  I hope they adjust their bed time as the days get shorter.  I wouldn't want to be out there in the dark trying to get the gate latched.

So far, having chickens is a great adventure.  Hopefully, they will begin laying eggs in the fall when they reach six months old.  I am not going to change this into a chicken blog, but I did want to share a bit of what else we are doing these days.

Tomorrow, I should have more quilt photos for you.  Until then,

Joyful quilting, everyone.



Red and orange make a difference

I spent time yesterday cutting out all the squares I needed for this quilt.  About 20% of them are from the red and orange plaid shirts in the collection.  This morning, I made up ten of those blocks and added them to the mix.  They won't be this predominant in the finished quilt, but I think I like the overall idea.  Thanks to those of you who supported Tom in this idea.  Even with all my cutting yesterday, I still have a shelf full of blue shirt parts.  I cut all the small bits into 2 1/2" squares, so now I have quite a few of those as well.  They may make an appearance in this quilt in some fashion before all is said and done.  I really enjoy making quilts with no real end plan.  Just enjoying the process.

This is my July AAQI quilt.  It is 6 1/2" x 10" and is hand quilted.  If you look closely, you can see some of my hand stitching.  I love these rich warm colors together.  The little inserts of turquoise came from the same color in the small piece of Sandy Gervais designed Tranquility I have used. To see this line, check out this site.) It is the olive green with the orange, brown, blue and cream squares. I used to have quite a bit of this fabric, but I think this may be just about the last of it.  This was the first line of fabric I used to make a quilt when I got back into quilting a couple of years ago.  My chosen style and fabric selections have changed quite a bit since then, but I still love all the fabrics in this line. 

In these two projects, I have combined all kinds of patterns from very traditional shirting plaids to bark cloth to my favorite Jinny Beyer design.  I have thrown caution to the wind in the shirting quilt mixing solids, batiks, plaids, paisleys, and whatever else comes out of my scrap bags.  This goes against the voice in my head that tries to remind me that there is an order to the universe and I should be paying attention to it.  Sometimes I do, but not for these two.  Maybe next time.

The chickens are loving the warm weather as much as I am.  They had their wings clipped yesterday after Janis Joplin decided to see how high she could fly.  Doesn't that sound just like her namesake?  They are now content to munch on the fresh greens Tom gives them every morning when he lets them out of their coop.  I am enjoying watching them grow but wondering how long it will be before they start paying rent with delicious blue shelled eggs.

Joyful quilting, everyone.

 

What's that on my design wall?

I was just going to show the progress of the shirt quilt, but decided not to crop out the small quilt next to it.  More about it next.  I added more shirt blocks with strips from the green and blue box.  I made the cuts in the opposite direction to add more interest.  When Tom saw it, he asked if I was going to use some of the other colors of plaids I have collected.  I stubbornly stated that I only wanted to use the blue ones.  Now, I am wondering it I could add some of the red and orange ones.  I don't have as many, so they would be just here and there.  I may make some up tomorrow and see what I think.  I really like the liberated nature of these blocks so far.

The little piece next to the shirt blocks is from my International Round Robin.  This block has had three participants so far.  After I add my touch, there will be one more before it goes back to its original creator.  This is a very creative and talented group of quilters.  We each have different styles, and that adds so much to the pieces.  We also do a fair amount of communicating with each other if we have concerns about what we are thinking of adding.  That is working very well for me.  If you want to see the other pieces in this round robin, hop over to our flickr page and take a look.

I am really enjoying these glorious Northwest summer days.  Tomorrow, I get to spend some time with Bella, and I am looking forward to that.  Tuesday, it is back to the studio.  The creative juices seem to be starting to flow again.  It has been a long dry spell.

Joyful quilting, everyone.

What if I . . .

. . . decided to make something with the shirts I have been cutting up and the scrap strips I have been putting into plastic bins?

I have been busy hand sewing the binding on the commission pieces, and am almost done.  Today, while I was stitching away, I thought about the reclaimed shirts and scraps I have building up on my shelves.  I have had several ideas about what to do with them, but never actually started anything.  I decided to do something about it.  I started small to see if I was going to like what I thought about doing.  These nine squares are the results.  They are six inch squares right now.  I have lots of blueish shirt fabric that I can continue to cut to make more squares.  I only got into the yellow/gold/orange strip box today.  I think I am going to continue to make these blocks using as many colors of the strips as I can to whittle down that part of my scrap stash.  I think this will make a great scrap quilt when all is said and done.  Then, I can figure out what to do with the other bins of scraps and the ever growing pile of 2 1/2 " squares.

I am always envious of those of you who are really good about cutting and organizing your scraps as you go along.  I am so far behind in even the sorting, I feel overwhelmed at times.  I was hoping this summer would be the time I would get it done.  Given how fast the days are going, I am not sure this is going to happen, but I will have fun playing with all of it for a while.  I don't know how quickly this quilt will grow, but it will.  Before I know it, I will be looking for backing for yet another quilt.  Oh well.  As long as the local Goodwill doesn't run out of nice used sheets, I will be fine.

Joyful quilting, everyone. 



A little commission

My neighbor asked me, a while ago, if I could make a few small quilts for gifts for relatives she is visiting later this summer.  At first, I was pretty excited, so I got to work to make a sample of something I thought would be fun.  She didn't like it, at all.  She wanted something more traditional, and more puffy, like the old quilts with high loft poly batting.  She pulled a piece she had purchased years before and asked if I could make something smaller, but with a similar design and loft.  Reluctantly, I agreed.  Then I put it off, until this week.

After looking at the sample for quite a while, I pulled some fabrics that I felt were representative of what she liked.  I simplified the design, and created six little quilts (13" x 15").  I have the backings all cut, as well as the bindings.  I have finished one, including the binding.  Now I have five left to finish. 

I have done a couple of commissions before, and each time I have learned that I have trouble getting past the "customer is always right."  In each case, however, I have done exactly what the customer has asked for.  I guess that builds character and stretches my personal growth.  All good things.

Joyful quilting, everyone, and Happy 4th!