nifty quilts

Caught in the Spider Web

2012-02-24T16:38:00.002-08:00

Just 8 more webs to go, plus about 100 scrappy kites!

Meanwhile, I've been receiving the most wonderful vintage fabrics from fellow collectors and blog friends.

These are from Julie. They were quilt backs and a pin cushion that belonged to her grandmother!

These are from Hilda.

These came from Cheryl.

These are from Victoria

These are from the Rebels.

These came from Sharon, Patty and Beth--who included some lovely Dresden plates!

Thank you so much!!!
Once the Spider Web lets me go, I look forward to making these into two quilts!

Spider Web Progress!

2012-02-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

Vintage Fabric Swap, Anyone?

2012-02-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

Are you a vintage fabric collector? Want to swap a few?

February is my birthday month, and I think this will be a fun way to celebrate!

I want to copy this old quilt.

Each block uses a different print.

I wonder if the maker traded fabrics with her friends.

I'd love to include fabrics from my friends too!

I've been collecting vintage fabrics for years.

I've got some in every color.

I'd love to trade some small pieces with you!

All I need is one 9 x 12" piece--or two pieces 4.5 x 12"for each block. I'm looking for medium to large prints, floral or funky.

If you want to swap one or a few, leave a comment and we'll trade addresses. Let me know what colors and prints you want. And I'll do my best to make your wishes come true!

This block is made with my Accuquilt Go! Baby, with big thanks to Victoria for the "Chisel" die. It fits perfectly with the 3" triangle.

Spider Web Redo

2012-02-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

This week I took apart the spider webs from last post and refigured them. Thanks to Wanda's idea, there's an easier way! Two sets of strips make two webs, and I get the propellor centers like on the original inspiration quilt. I'm excited to keep going on this!

Here are the old web triangles--almost enough for a baby quilt!

On the Design Wall

2012-01-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

Here's what's on my design wall today.

It will take a while to evolve.

It's inspired by this quilt in Gwen Marston's Liberated String Quilts book, and one by Sarah Fielke in Material Obsession Two. I'm using the templates from the MO2 book, but not the instructions.

Remember these? (December 8) I had made them for this quilt, but had lost my courage and tried to find an easier way out. Nothing satisfied me, so I went back to the original plan.

He likes it!

2012-01-22T18:21:00.000-08:00

What could be more gratifying than a baby wrapped in your handiwork?

Scraps, dots and plaids, oh my!

2012-01-18T22:45:00.000-08:00

I woke up to snow this morning, so stayed home and shamelessly sewed all day.

Here's what I completed. It began last month, sewing scrap "strings" together, Gwen Marston style. Each block finishes at 19". The whole quilt is 69" x 81".

First I sorted my scraps by length, with no preference for color, pattern or style. These scraps are 4" to 7" long. (I have other plans for the longer scraps.) Then I sewed them together, chain stitching--1 plus 1, then 2 plus 2, then 4 plus 4--to get a strip of 8. Then I traced the template from Gwen's book, Liberated String Quilts.

And cut along the lines.

Eight of these makes...

One scrappy star.

Add dots...

and plaids...

And go out and play in the snow!

Do you think this rose is a little confused?

Gratefully Done

2012-01-14T23:16:00.000-08:00

I've been hand-quilting this for the last two months. Finished at last!
It's 40" x 40."

It started with this block that I designed in an appliqué class with Gwen Marston.
I thought I'd be making the block into a pillow.

I'd also been fooling around with words, using Tonya Ricucci's book, Word Play Quilts.

Then Tonya visited in July, and designed this quilt with my orphan blocks.

Many of you helped with advice on dealing with hand pain.

And that got me through to the finish line!

I like the way it looks over the fireplace, and it's a good reminder!

Starting the Year with Finishes

2012-01-08T18:15:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to quilting NYC Scraps. I made it last spring at Victoria's.

I used an overall squiggle with colorful thread.

Here's the back and binding. It's good to finally get this done!

I think Malti approves.

My son's corduroy quilt was all tied up by Christmas, with my husband's help. It has wool batting and a plaid flannel back. I'm happy to say that he loves it!

I made a little flannel quilt for a new baby boy who lives in Brooklyn. It includes scraps from flannel pants that I'd made for my son when he was a toddler.

It's pretty easy to make a cute quilt with sock monkey fabric!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a very happy, healthy and creative new year!

This is one quilt I'll be working on. The star blocks are 19". The template is from Gwen Marston's String Quilts Book. I'm planning to make nine stars. Goodness knows, I have plenty of scraps!

Winter Greetings

2011-12-24T07:53:00.000-08:00

Wishing you peace and joy this holiday season!

Corduroy Quilt #2

2011-12-11T20:46:00.000-08:00

I'm loving my corduroy quilt so much, I just had to make another one. This one is for my son, who moved to his own place last month. He's a guy who loves the forest, and he's lucky to have a job where he works there everyday.

So we'll need some tree trunks,

And some greens,

Some light shining through the trees, some more browns and greens, and some red maple leaves. Wa-la! It's 80 x 77 inches, nice and big. I think I'll call it, "Corduroy Forest."

Now to tie it before Christmas!

Rocky Roads

2011-12-08T21:26:00.000-08:00

Just last night, I was drooling over this "Rocky Road to Kansas" quilt, made in 1930, pictured in Gwen Marston's Liberated String Quilts book.

This book is one of my absolute favorites, for the amazing collection of old string quilts shown.

Grey shot cotton

Some months ago, I made about 150 kite shaped "string" pieces with Victoria's 15 minutes play method. I was going to use them in a spider web quilt, but then changed my mind. Ah-hah! I could use them for a "Rocky Road to Kansas"quilt! I looked up instructions for the block before I went to bed last night.

This morning, I woke up to a beautiful "Rocky Road to Kansas" block on the NYC Metro Mod Quilter's blog! Hmm. Something must be in the air. THEN, Nadia at Multicolored Pieces wrote about the "rocky road ahead" in Tunisia.

OK, I got it! It's time to start this quilt!

They say, "Great minds think alike." So I'd like some help choosing the setting fabric from your great minds. Here are several auditions, none that I'm really thrilled with. Any thoughts on these or other directions would be welcome. Thank you!!

Kona "Cinnamon"

Olivey Shot Cotton

Vintage Turquoise

Kaffe Fasset Red Chard (generously gifted by Mary K.)

A Kona Green, not sure of the name.

Kaffe Fasset disappearing act

Ho Ho Ho!

2011-12-01T22:26:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus has come to town! I found him at Goodwill, and just couldn't resist. I think he likes the orphan blocks surrounding him. Maybe I'll name this quilt, "Santa and the orphan blocks." Some of these are from my beginning quilt class, six years ago.

Kim got to be the first to tell him about her Christmas list a few weeks ago. She came all the way from Pokeytown, New York!

Did you ever wonder how large the REAL Santa is? According to this "life size" rendition, he's about 44" tall and 13" wide. So THAT'S how he gets down all those chimneys!

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who offered sweet comfort and great advice about hand pain. I'm sorry to hear that so many suffer from the same thing, and glad to read there is help. Quilt-makers really make a warm, helpful community!

Ouch!

2011-11-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

Too much hand-quilting over the weekend. Now I've got pain in my wrist, at the base of my thumb. Does anyone have good tips about this? I don't have numbness or tingling, thank goodness. And I'm resting it. Thank you!

Fun with Victoria

2011-11-25T10:10:00.000-08:00

Victoria came to Seattle this week, and we got to spend a few days sewing together. What could be more fun than sewing with friends?!

On Monday, Buffy (Sally) and I picked her up from the airport and wisked her off to Goodwill for supplies. Here's the loot, and Victoria and Sally with their purchases. Sally took her purchases home, and Victoria and I got to work.

Mine on the left, Victoria's on the right. Victoria had a Christmas quilt in mind, so she collected red and green. I found two long, narrow curtains in black floral chintz. I saw wonky Chinese Coins immediately.

54 x 80"

By Wednesday morning, here's what we had! Then we quickly got dressed headed out to meet up with the Rebels.

The $21 Bathroom Redo

2011-11-20T10:55:00.000-08:00

A special visitor is coming tomorrow. Just the motivation I needed to redo the half-bathroom in my quilting space!

Here are the "before" photos.

I didn't want to get out the paint brushes and look for new wallpaper. Who wants to take that much time away from playing with fabric? Ah, FABRIC! Why not? I measured the upper wall and found I'd need 8 yards. Hmm, what do I have 8 yards of? Wa-la!

I stapled it to the walls, and then glued on ribbon to hide the staples.

I busted out the old plastic in these doors and used spring rods to install curtains.

It took me about a day and a half. And the $21? That was for the ribbon.

Betcha Can't Make Just One!

2011-11-13T23:57:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone--quilt makers, historians, cheer leaders and viewers--for making Corduroy Appreciation Day so much fun! I loved seeing the many creations in corduroy, from the old and well-loved to the new and innovative.

I was so inspired by you all, I couldn't wait to make another one! My sister-in-law, Bonnie, visited this weekend. We took one afternoon and built this quilt for her to take home. Fast and fun!

We started with two blocks--one she had made, and one I had made--from the scraps of my 11-11-11 quilt.

Then we just started adding strips, round and round.

Three hours later... Ta-da! The final piece is about 65" x 50".

And only a handful of scraps leftover!

Happy Corduroy Appreciation Day!!

2011-11-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

The date that most resembles corduroy, 11-11-11, is finally here!

To celebrate, the Corduroy Quilt Enthusiasts have prepared a show for you.

Click on the links below to see over 30 quilts made from corduroy! And while you're touring the show, you might like to celebrate the day by wearing corduroy, eating long skinny foods, or recalling your fondest corduroy moments.

Remember to send your appreciation to our Veterans and their families too!

First, I'll show you my corduroy quilt. I took the Rebels challenge with the gold and green floral corduroy, added some thrift store clothing and a few bits of yardage.

It's a nice, long size, perfect for a nap on the couch.

Here's a bit of the Rebels challenge fabric.

I used wool batting, tied it with wool yarn...

And backed it with a nice, cozy flannel.

Now, enjoy the show!

Barbara Brackman's Material Culture

Deb Rowden's Thrift Shop Quilts

Rebels!

Miki's Fabric Creations

On the Way

Helen No Blog

Scraps and Threadtales

Love, Laugh, Quilt

Quiltdiva Julie

A Needle in a Haystack

Indigo Threads

MO, Broker, My Creative Side

Quilted Under the Influence

Pieced Goods

Good Earth Quilting

The Farmer's Dotter

Feather River Quilts

Jean's Quilting Page

From the Magpie's Nest

The Quilts of Gee's Bend

Save the wales!

Preparing for Corduroy Day!

2011-11-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

The fuzz is flying all over the globe! From Australia to Canada, from Europe to all corners of the U.S., quilt makers are preparing their corduroy quilts to show on Corduroy Appreciation Day, 11-11-11.

Check back here on Friday for a list of links that will take you on a show of more than 30 corduroy quilts!

Save the wales!

The Corduroy Excitement is Building!

2011-11-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

There's even a billboard Chattanooga, Tennessee! Photo sent by Mary.

The Corduroy Quilt Enthusiasts will be showing over 30 quilts on Corduroy Appreciation Day! (Anybody got a better name for this group?) Look for the links here on 11-11-11.

Here's a sneak peek of what will be shown.

Part of Cindy's H quilt

Part of Buffy's Chinese Coins quilt

Part of Miki's pillow.

There's still time to join the party! Just let me know if you're going to post a corduroy quilt or sewing project -- in any stage of construction -- on 11-11-11. I'll post a link to your blog.

The Corduroy Appreciation Club has been celebrating since 11-1-11 with 11 days of events. I can't think of a better way to celebrate than sewing something corduroy!

Corduroy Day is Coming!

2011-10-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

Are you preparing a quilt for the big day?

If so, I'll post a link to your blog on 11-11-11, Corduroy Appreciation Day.

Here are the Corduroy Quilt Enthusiasts I've heard from so far:

Smazoochie
Lazy Gal Quilting
Yankee Quilter
HelenNoBlog
The Root Connection
Rebels
Inspired by Antique Quilts
Bumblebeans
Deb Rowden's Thrift Shop Quilts
Fiberliscious
Miki's Fabric Creations

If you plan to post a corduroy quilt--in any stage of construction--on 11-11-11, let me know! The more the merrier!

Save the wales!

Go Ahead, Use it!

2011-10-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

Home decorator fabric, that is. Pat Sloan and I talked about using unusual fabrics in quilts on her radio show recently. Here are some quilts I've made using home dec fabrics. I started using them because I just love the large prints and textures. Mine come from thrift stores, but you could use new as well.

This is the first time I used home dec fabric in a quilt. The black is an old, faded piece and the border is a thick weave.

The border and sashing are some old curtains from the 1960's or 1970's. I found them at Goodwill all dusty, but they washed up just fine.

Most of these houses are made of chintz upholstery samples. The border is a thick brocade.

When I looked for a border for this quilt, this table cloth said, "pick me!" I had to cut off the 4" long white fringe first.

This border is another 1970's piece. Ah, the good old days of "flower power!"

The red print was a large chintz sample, 52 x 52"

The white floral strips are from a remnant I found in Sweden.

Remember, Corduroy Appreciation Day is coming, 11-11-11! If you plan to post anything corduroy on the big day, let me know. I'll post links to all of you Corduroy Quilt Enthusiasts!

One for Me, One for Basics, One for the Radio

2011-10-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

It seems to take me a year to get around to quilting a top. As someone else said, maybe they need to "mature" for a time before completion.

I just finished quilting this. It's called "Crazy Scraps," and is 84" square. I made the top last summer, shortly after I started blogging. Victoria suggested we make "15 minute" blocks by adding scraps to a five-sided piece. I decided I'd do this on a large scale and make a modern crazy quilt.

Each block is 12" square. After choosing--and sometimes fussy cutting--the five-sided piece, I sewed on scraps that I grabbed randomly from my huge, all inclusive bin.

The back is an old Sears bed coverlet that I found at Goodwill for $5. It was 90" x 108", plenty large for this project. When a friend said it was "hideous," little did she know that was a compliment to me!

Here's Malti with the quilt I'm sending to Basic Housing, Inc. in New York. I hope it will bring warmth and comfort to a needy family.

It's got a 1970's theme and lots of thrift store fabrics.

This is the first time I've used the extra backing fabric for the binding. Just trim it, bring it to the front, fold and stitch--super easy. I think they did this in years past to save fabric.

I love this backing fabric!

Bye bye!

On Monday I'll be talking to Pat Sloan on the radio! Well, on the phone really. But you can listen by clicking on the button here. The broadcast will be live at 4:00 Eastern or 1:00 Pacific U.S. time.

Got Corduroy?

2011-10-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

Corduroy Appreciation Day, 11-11-11, is just one month away! Are you preparing to celebrate with a corduroy quilt?

Some of you have written that you're feeling a bit intimidated about working with corduroy. I'll admit, I was too. But I grabbed my pile of corduroy and a pair of scissors, and dove in. I found I really love working with corduroy, especially on a rainy day. I can't wait to make another one!

Here's the process I used, which is one I learned from China Pettway, of Gee's Bend, Alabama.

First, PUT AWAY YOUR ROTARY CUTTER AND RULER. You'll only need your scissors. Next, cut or tear--yes, TEAR--your corduroy into strips of various widths.

Sew two pieces together, using a bit more than 1/4" seam allowance; iron the seam open from the WRONG side of the fabric. The corduroy really takes the press nicely and stays open and flat. Notice there's excess. Take your scissors and cut it off. Don't measure; just eyeball it.

Then sew on another piece; iron open, and cut off the excess.

You may be tempted to get out your ruler and square it up. DON'T! Just eyeball it.

This will give you nice subtle angles.

Keep adding to your block in whatever way you like, until you feel like moving on to another block.

Then make more! Use your scissors and eyeball measurements to make them fit together. Sometimes you'll need to add a strip here or there.

This is about one-third of the quilt top I made. I'm thinking we should reveal our corduroy quilts on our blogs on the big day. Let me know if you plan to participate, and I'll post a list of Corduroy Quilt Makers with a link to your blog.

Save the wales!

Beauty Secrets

2011-10-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

When I was in Oregon recently, I got to see Bill Volckening's collection of New York Beauties at the Benton County Museum. We call them "New York Beauties," but they haven't always had that name. Nevertheless, they are BEAUTIFUL!! Here are my favorites. There are many!

This appears to be a rescue of a piece from a larger quilt.

Look at that green patch.

The tiny gingham on this is just precious.

What could be a better color scheme?

The cockeyed sashing really stole my heart.

Oh! The quilting!

I think he said these were 1950's fabrics.

Can you believe how they quilted some of these?!

Love this clam shell design.

I'm going to have to make some of these zigzag flower stems.


At first, I thought this was a really nice use of reproduction fabrics. Then I realized they're the real thing, from the 1800's!

Oh! That zigzag border.

If you want to see more of these quilts, you can order the book on blurb.

Quilt Show

2011-09-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

There's a quilt show going on in Salem, Oregon, curated by Bonnie Hull. I'm honored to have two quilts in the show. It helps to have a relative as the curator! I really appreciate Bonnie for showing quilts as serious ART in an actual ART gallery. I didn't take photos of everything, as they asked us not to. But I sneaked a few of my favorites.

Kay Worthington

Bonnie Hull (both quilts)

Closer up of Bonnie's.

Kate Speckman


Sujata Shah

Sally Leboeuf "Buffy" on the right, me on the left

Closer up of mine.

Sujata Shah in the middle, me on the right.

Closer up of Sujata's.

Nyima Lhamo aka Andrea Bolosky

Close up of Nyima's

At the Beach

2011-09-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation came late this year. I've been at the Oregon Coast.

Adding to my heart rock collection. This one's kind of Cubist, don't you think?


This is one of my favorite attractions. No, I didn't get my fortune told.


I had the perfect project for the long car ride and for sitting on the beach.

It will make a great beach blanket, once it's finished.

How do you like this? The ultimate in recycling. Of course, it's an inspiration for a new quilt.

And I found a great bunch corduroy for the next project!

Flying Plaids!

2011-09-17T02:00:00.000-07:00


A quilt to mark the end of summer, when the birds fly south (or north--depending on your hemisphere.)

Look what quilting birdy showed up at my nest last week--Em! She is a sweet one.


Next up is a corduroy quilt to celebrate 11-11-11, National Corduroy Appreciation Day!


What to do with that awful-wonderful piece from the 1970's. We'll see!

A Couple of Finishes

2011-09-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

I just finished this quilt from the Scrap Bee players over at 15 minutes play. It started out as a basic string quilt...

But I had a stack of petal shape scraps from this quilt sitting around.

Looking at the quilt, I realized there were stems scattered about, just waiting for their blooms!

They had to get a little stitching, just for fun.

It wasn't going to have a border, but this Hawaiian print shouted, "use me!" And the polka dots wanted to be on the back. Kind of a "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" quilt story.

Meanwhile, I'd been hand quilting this Our Lady of Guadelupe quilt for the last few months. I had machine quilted it earlier, but I didn't like the way it looked, and took it all out.

I had fun deciding what design to quilt in each different space.

I also used up a bunch of colors of spare embroidery floss. I find 3 strands of floss look about the same as #8 perle cotton.

More Sacred Work

2011-09-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of posts ago, I showed a quilt made for a friend whose husband had died this summer. She gave me a dozen of his shirts. This weekend, I made a quilt for each of the two daughters.

One is just beginning her life at college, and the other is entering high school. Each quilt is 48 x 60".

Each quilt has six pockets. I found that a 6.5" square works well for these. They can store momentos from their father...

Or just put their hand in, knowing this pocket was worn right over his heart.

From the shirt backs, I made the back of the quilt for the mother.

The shirts went to good use. There are almost no usable bits left.

Birds of a feather

2011-08-28T23:37:00.000-07:00

Flock together!

Look what little birdie flew in from Tennessee, Mary Keasler! We had SO much fun. She got to come to the Rebels meeting. Then we went to the Pacific West Quilt Show. Here are a few of my favorites from the show.


This was made of wool from thrift stores and free boxes.

One of my favorite quilt makers, Jean Wells, of Sisters, Oregon.

Nancy Lee Chong

Sacred Work

2011-08-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

A friend and colleague had a tragedy this summer. Her husband died suddenly in a freak accident. I asked if I could make her a quilt from her husband's shirts, and she was glad to let me.

She gave me a dozen of his shirts. A few other colleagues came to help. All were new to me and new to quilt-making. I wanted to cry most of the weekend. It felt like very important, sacred work.

Here's what we made. Pretty good for mostly new quilt makers!

I'll make the quilt back from the shirt backs, arranging them something like this.

From the scraps, I'll make quilts for her two teenage daughters as Christmas gifts.

Aren't you glad to have a skill that can provide such comfort? I'm feeling very fortunate today.

Go Baby Go!

2011-08-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

I just got my Accuquilt Go! Baby last night, and had to spend an hour cutting plaid geese. Think I'll call this one, "Flying Plaids."

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting the lovely Marit (right) of Norway. She's nearby visiting her in-laws, (MIL, Linda, on the left.) I've been a great admirer of Marit's work for a long time. We could have talked quilts for days!

Linda gave us a wonderful show of her mother's quilts. Aren't they fabulous?! Think I'll have to make that red one.

Then Malti made herself a spot under the table as I was basting a quilt. It's almost finished. If I can keep myself from playing with my new Baby, I'll show it soon!

National Corduroy Appreciation Day is Coming!

2011-08-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

What is this mess? It's a freshly washed batch of corduroy shirts and pants, eagerly waiting to "show their wales" in a quilt I'll make for National Corduroy Appreciation Day, 11/11/11.

Would you like to make a corduroy quilt by 11/11/11?

Here are some inspirations from the Gee's Bend quilt makers, recently shown in Sisters, Oregon.

Below are some "prints of wales" that I've been collecting for the occasion.

This is a wide wale treasure from Goodwill. Looks kind of 1970's. I love that era.

Then there's this beauty, a very soft pin wale. Maybe I'll have to make a jumper to wear on the day.

Let me know if you'd like to make a corduroy quilt--or a quilt with corduroy in it--for 11/11/11. Or maybe you already have one. If there's enough interest, and I can figure out how, I'll make a blog or a flickr group about our quilts! For more information on National Corduroy Appreciation Day, visit the CorduroyAppreciation Club.

Gratitude

2011-07-22T07:52:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tonya for getting me going on this orphan block quilt! And to her Word Play book for the letters. The Liberated Log Cabin blocks are from my first class with Gwen Marston, and the applique block is from a class with Gwen this spring. The quilt measures 51 x 51".

Sisters Trip

2011-07-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

Last week's trip to Sisters, Oregon was FULL of inspiration and excitement. You asked for lots of photos, so here you go!

We left Seattle on Wednesday, and got there in time to see Bill Volckening talk about his quilt collection. He showed MANY wonderful quilts. This one is by Lucy Mingo of Gee's Bend.

This is one of his New York Beauties that I especially liked. It appears to have been salvaged and repaired from a larger quilt.

Thursday morning we shopped at The Stitchin Post, and look who we saw! Kathy Doughty from Material Obsession in Australia and her friend, Cheryl. There's Tonya too.

In the afternoon, we had a class with seven of the Gee's Bend quilt makers. From left to right: (I've forgotten the first woman's name. I think it was Rivla?) Anyway, next is Mary Ann Pettway, Louisiana Bendolph, Stella Mae Pettway, Lucy Mingo, China Pettway and Ruth Kennedy.

After a bit of singing, we all got to work. Stella Mae helped me make this.

Look who else was in the class. Janet Bolton from London! She is a lovely woman. I hope to take a class from her someday.

This is where we ate and slept, all seven of us Rebels, very comfortably in a cabin that was larger than these.

With a beautiful creek just outside the window.

Friday was the "Garden Party" class with Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession. Here she is, helping me with my quilt. She is amazingly talented, generous, fun and approachable. Two of her Australian "posse" helped out, also extremely talented and friendly. Oh, to be able to work with them more often!! Below are some other quilts made in the class.

You can get the pattern for this quilt at the Material Obsession site.

Saturday was the quilt show, with 1,300 quilts all hung outside. They say it's the largest outdoor quilt show in the world!

There were so many fabulous quilts. I focused on the Gee's Bend ones to share here.

This one is by Stella Mae Pettway.

This one is by Mary Ann Pettway.

This one is by Rita Mae Pettway.

This one is by Ruth Kennedy.

Remember the block contest I entered? Here are about half of the entries.

Mine is top left.

Here's the winner, well deserved!

One of the most impressive things about the Sisters Quilt Show is the community participation. Everyone comes out to help. Here are some girls selling water.

Here are the Gee's Bend gals, ready to sign books. L to R: Lucy Mingo, Ruth Kennedy, Stella Mae Pettway, China Pettway and Mary Ann Pettway. I've been fortunate to have seen them four times, and it's always hard to say "good bye." This time, I'm saying, "See you at your place next time!"

Then it was time to leave beautiful Sisters, Oregon. Mountains like these stand all around.

On Sunday, Tonya and I got to play in my sewing room. My neighbor, Shannon, brought over a kitten so Tonya could get her kitty fix.

Then we played with orphan blocks. Gratitude is a fitting word for how I'm feeling about this great trip, the visit with Tonya, all the talented quilt makers out there, the Rebels gals, and you with whom to share it all!

Tonya's Here!

2011-07-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

Tonya arrived yesterday. Here she is, taking photos at the "Yarn Bomb" in Pioneer Square. "No more touristy things," she said, "I want to sew!" We leave for Sisters early this morning. Yippee!

If you're in Seattle this summer, you can see the Yarn Bomb at Occidental Park. There are 27 trees dressed so far, and counting.

To Sisters or Bust!

2011-07-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

Next week is "Quilters Affair" in Sisters, Oregon. It's a week of fabulous classes topped off by a huge outdoor quilt show. Six of us will be driving from Seattle.

Here's my packing list: Handwork for the ride. Check.

Shirt scraps for a class with the Gee's Bend quilt makers. Check.

Background and fabrics for a class with Kathy Doughty. Check.

Kathy's books for her signature. Check.

Tonya is coming out from Florida to go with us! Guest room ready. Check.

If any of you are going to be there, please EMAIL me. I'd love to meet up!!

Fun in the Sun

2011-06-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today was the perfect day to sew outside, a lovely 70 degrees. Who could resist?

I sewed the binding on this quilt, which I've been quilting little by little for the last month. It's called "Red Lightning," and was made with the wonderful gals over at 15 minutes play.

I played with different designs on each block. Sort of a 15 minutes play with free motion quilting.

Then I made some greeting cards. Just little scraps on blank cards, sewn on. It's a good thing to do just before you're ready to replace your needle.

I hope you had a fun day too!

Happy Blog Birthday--to Me!

2011-06-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today is my one year birthday in blogland. And what a year it's been!
I'm celebrating with this little piece inspired by the lovely Helen and her tile applique.
I think I'll make it into a small pillow to remember all the new friends and fun I've had this year!

Here are some of the highlights--

This quilt is made from the scraps of my wonderful new blog friends on retreat at Victoria's in New York this spring.

Speaking of the amazing and inspiring Victoria, she really got me sewing up my scraps with her 15 minutes play blog.

And there were group quilts with the fun gals over at 15 minutes play!

And this quilt from the very talented Sujata, who sent me her basket and a box of scraps.

And sweet, encouraging Beth, who invited us to make a stripe quilt last summer.

And the always jovial Tonya, who taught me how to make words.

And so many of you who cheered me on to finish this quilt and conquer those curves!

I started this blog so I could share ideas and inspiration with you. I had received so much from seeing your blogs, and felt it was time I gave something back.

I never dreamed how friendly, generous and encouraging you all could be!
Looking back at the year's highlights, I see how much you've all become a very important part of my creative life.

I visit you every day and love to see what you are doing.
Here's wishing you all great health, happiness and plenty of sewing joy for many years to come!

New Book!

2011-06-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

If you love African American improvisational quilts as much as I do, you'll want to get this book! Better yet, see the show at the Mingei International Museum in San Diego through November 6.

I know I won't be in San Diego soon, so I ordered it from the Museum store for $18.95. Well worth it! (Back cover)

It shows about 50 quilts collected by Corinne Riley of the Chicago Art Institute. She bought them on many trips to the South over 35 years. This is the first time these quilts have been shown in the U.S. (Back flap)

Spring Shoots is Done!

2011-05-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

I put these blocks together this weekend. It's a collaboration with my sister-in-law, Bonnie. We each made half the applique blocks. The quilt is inspired by one in Applique Outside the Lines by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins.

Sisters Quilt Block Contest

2011-05-27T08:39:00.001-07:00

The Sisters Quilt Show has a block contest every year. They send you some fabrics and you make a block. You can only use the fabrics they supply. Here are the fabrics they sent.

Since I just took the 19th Century applique class with Gwen Marston, I decided to cut out some paper and design an applique.

Here's what I'll be sending off today. I don't expect to win, but I had fun!

Vase of Tulips

2011-05-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

I just finished the hand-applique on this, and thought I'd make it into a pillow cover. I designed it last weekend in a class with Gwen Marston.

So I laid it out on the back of the couch to see how it would look. It just so happened that I laid it on top of a quilt that lives there. I really liked the way the points looked around it.

So I made some points and tried them on the design wall. Hmm, lay them out like this?

Or this?

Ah, I like this. What next?

How about a solid border. I tried gold, orange, red, yellow and fuschia, then decided on turquoise. What next?

This quilt represents a recent day at the tulip fields. Part of the day was seeing thousands of cut tulips dumped into the back of a truck. So I wanted to have some loose tulips falling around the border. Will it work on an 8" wide border? Yes, but...

After measuring the grey fabric I have left, I found I only had enough for a 6" border. Will that be too narrow? Shall I piece some other fabric with it? Hmm, I'll have to sleep on that.

Meanwhile, I have a question for you. Is this process improvisation? I know it's the process that many of us use. Design as you go, use what you have, don't use a pattern, follow your heart.

But there's no wonky lines! And my points match! And the quilt will hang straight! Does that mean it's NOT improvisational? There are a lot of wonky cut quilts, with points cut off, that don't hang straight. I've made plenty of them. We call them "improvisational quilts." Yea, they're design as you go and all that. But I wonder if quilts like this one can also be called improvisational. My process is the same, although I'm using a ruler this time, and the look is more traditional. Is "improvisational" a process or a look? Or is it both? What do you think?

I've been following the very thought provoking conversations called "Improv Mondays" over at Sherri Lynn's blog, Daintytime. She calls improvisational quilt-making a process of self-discovery. I love that. Plus her quilts are fabulous. I don't think there are any right or wrong answers, but it's a fun topic to think about!

A Day with Gwen

2011-05-15T11:28:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I got to take a class with Gwen Marston! It was all about making 19th century applique. Here she is with one of her early pieces. I love Gwen's approach, steeped in history and playful at the same time. She is an excellent teacher and a real joy to be around.

Gwen and Tonya are buddies. So I brought one of my blocks from Tonya's book, Word Play Quilts.

Here's the piece I started in class. I thought I was going to make something else, but I was so inspired by Gwen's work and the older applique she showed.

When Gwen suggested we start with a vase, this picture came to mind. Can you tell?

Meanwhile, the Pojagi is growing. I'm thinking about adding a few more inches so it will fit in the back door window.

Pojagi!

2011-05-10T18:20:00.000-07:00

The current issue of Quiltmania magazine has a great article on Pojagi (or Bojagi), an old textile art from Korea. And I've become obsessed! I had an hour today to make this little bit, with many thanks to Victoria's tutorial at thesillyboodilly. Hers are absolutely stunning. I used some old shirts--one with tucks--and a few shot cottons. It's just a start. We'll see where it goes.

Aren't these beautiful?

Spring Shoots

2011-05-06T08:56:00.001-07:00

My sister-in-law, Bonnie, and I are collaborating on this quilt. Last night I received her blocks and stuck them up on the wall with mine, completely randomly. We're going to make a few more rows, and there will be more orange stems. But the combination of her blocks and mine was so exciting, I just couldn't wait to show it. We're using the pattern from Applique Outside the Lines by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins.

Happy Mother's Day weekend! Hope you get lots of time to enjoy your family and sew.

Road Trip Weekend

2011-05-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

It was another road trip weekend, and I got a lot of hand sewing done in the car. This is the start of a collaborative quilt with my sister-in-law, Bonnie. The pattern is in Applique Outside the Lines by Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins.

Some girl friends and I went to Walla Walla, which is in the Southeastern part of Washington. The countryside is beautiful. You can see for miles and miles.

Can you believe how my friend, Joan, matches the scenery? She says she didn't plan it that way.

Here's some jelly bean art from the candy store.

I did find the fabric shop. They also sell hot tubs there.

Two of my favorite things, all in one place!

Going away, you think about your life from a new perspective. And this block pretty much sums it up.

Tulips!

2011-04-22T22:39:00.001-07:00

About an hour north of Seattle is the Skagit Valley, which is North America's largest grower of tulips, iris and daffodils.

The tulips are in full bloom right now, and we spent the afternoon oohing and aahing at their beauty.

It's hard to capture the enormous scale in a photo. There are 1,000 acres altogether. This is just one of many large fields.

Every once in awhile you find a rebel tulip,

Or a patchwork one.

How would you like your garden to look like this?

These tulips are grown for their bulbs, which are sold all over the world. The flowers, short-lived, are picked and tossed away.

A good reminder that what's important is often deep down inside and can't be seen.

Which brings me to my all-time favorite virtue.

Happy holiday weekend, everyone!

Bits and Pieces

2011-04-15T07:13:00.001-07:00

I went on a road trip last weekend, and managed to get this quilted. It's called "Sujata's Basket," because it is! Sujata sent the basket block along with a scrap exchange last year. I was fooling around with monkey wrench blocks, and this is the result.

I used black #8 perle cotton and a sashiko needle. I love quilting with perle cotton.

My virtue word for the week. We quilt makers know all about this one!

A signature block for Victoria. (The color in this photo is awful. It's really not that pink!)

And the starter of a starters and enders quilt. I have a lot of 3-1/2 squares from years back, enough for a very large quilt.

The Virtues Quilt Project

2011-04-05T06:45:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to try out Tonya's letters, and got the idea to make a virtues quilt. Thought I'd make a word a week, and at the end of the year have 52 for a big quilt. But these things are so fun, I've made four this week! I think they look great with this fabric I got ON CLEARANCE at Jackie's online shop.

Have you heard of the Virtues Project? They've got a list of 52 virtues, with definitions and lessons on how to teach them to your family and students. Very inspiring.

If anyone wants to play along, you can post your Virtues Quilt Project over at the Unruly Quilting blog. As my son said to me, "Changing the world, one quilt at a time."

Quilts for June

2011-03-30T22:33:00.001-07:00

My mother-in-law, June, passed away last weekend. She was a very kind woman who raised four responsible, caring children. She enjoyed being with her family, fishing and contemporary design. Here are two quilts I made for her.

This one, made in 2006, features a block pattern from the Chicago World's Fair in the 1930's. The Chicago area is where June lived for much of her life.

The tag shows a photo of me quilting the quilt.

June loved Marimeko fabrics. I picked up this fabric for her at the Marimeko store in Helsinki a few years ago, and quilted it very simply.

I'm told she was wearing this quilt during her final hours. I'm so pleased that I could express my love for her with these quilts. Aren't we quilters fortunate in this way?

Happy Spring!

2011-03-20T16:14:00.001-07:00

Look what sprang up at my house today! This is a group quilt from the very fun gals over at 15 minutes play. I sewed all the blocks together today. I had all these red petal shape scraps leftover from my Eyelashes quilt, and since it's a scrap quilt, and the first day of spring...

I did love the quilt before the tulips arrived. But many of you were good at encouraging me to go that next step and make it my own. I'm so glad you did! Now for some easy hand-applique.

Come to think of it, it's kind of a reverse of this quilt I made a few years ago, based on the cover quilt from the book, Georgia Quilts, by Anita Zeleski Weinraub.

I hope you're seeing spring blooms at your house too!

Back from NYC!

2011-03-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend I got to go on a quilting retreat in NYC, hosted by the lovely and talented Victoria. She set up a perfect sewing space in her loft, cooked for us, shared all her scraps, and set a wonderful tone of warmth and good humor.

I made this quilt, which I think I'll call "New York Scraps." It's 72 x 80. I brought only a few solid fabrics, and used scraps supplied by everyone else.

Victoria and I did a trade, where she sent me this poppy, and I made this for her. Yes, those are buttons from old shirts on the white polka dots.

I sent her this piece of vintage fabric, and look at this exquisite piece she made!! I absolutely LOVE it.

Everyone was so much fun and so creative! Bonnie sat next to me and made these cool scrappy hexagons.

Karen was across the room, quietly whipping out these masterpieces from scraps.

Helen pieced together these colorful scraps and will soon be wearing a very fun vest.

It was great to see Victoria at work--cut, sew, cut, sew--then...

Wa-la! Like magic. She's completely amazing.

Kim made this cute owl for a future Halloween quilt.

Jackie masterfully put together a paper-pieced table topper, then played with Victoria's Mary.

I didn't get a photo of Jessica's new quilt, but she brought this HAND-PIECED finish to show. Incredible!

Here's another stunning show and tell, this one from Andrea.

Thank you, thank you Victoria and everyone. I will hold a warm smile in my heart from this retreat for a long, long time.

Sneak peeks

2011-03-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

Sometimes tiny bits of a quilt make the neatest little compositions.

These are bits of a small quilt I'm taking to NYC and hand deliver to Victoria!

Shh, don't tell. It's a surprise!

Maybe I'll slow down and quilt them all by hand. Ha!

2011-03-01T14:34:00.000-08:00

I've been hand quilting this little number all weekend,

and thinking about how much I love to quilt by hand.

It makes me slow down and contemplate the important things in life,

like friends and family,

warmth and good food,

safety, health and laughter.

And the encouragement and support of all of you!

Happy Birthday, Em!

2011-02-25T06:26:00.000-08:00

Look what arrived in my mailbox last week! It comes from Em, the jubilant and talented quiltmaker in Utah who regularly dishes out love and happiness to all. I don't know why she picked me to be the recipient of this beautiful piece, but I'm so happy she did! It hangs in my sewing room, cheering me up everyday and reminding me of all the generous and supportive souls here in blogland.

If you get a chance, stop by her blog and wish her a happy birthday this weekend. You'll be inspired and entertained by her many happy quilts!

I'm still playing around with this group quilt from the 15 minutes play gals. I have a lot of these red petal shaped scraps leftover from the eyelashes quilt. Well, we've got to find a way to use those scraps. Right?

Eyelashes is Done!

2011-02-16T16:31:00.000-08:00

Well, the top is, anyway. I'm taking a moment to celebrate the occasion before it goes in the "tops to quilt" pile.

This is one of those quilts that "takes a village." Many thanks to Ann Champion for the inspiration with her vintage rescue quilt. Kaffe Fassett, for the pattern from his book, Quilt Romance.

Wonderful fabrics from Victoria, Buffy and Bonnie.

Curved piecing instructions and encouragement from many of you!

I think it will look great on my bed.

This blank design wall is the best reward. Onto new projects!

Good Ol' Fashioned String Quilt

2011-02-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

My very favorite quilts are the mish-mash "string" quilts from years ago. This is my attempt to recreate one of those. It's a group project with the fun gals over at the 15 minutes play blog.

There's nothing better than sitting down and sewing a bunch of scraps together. Each block is 6-1/2".

Eye Lash Progress

2011-01-28T22:55:00.000-08:00

The paper part of this quilt is all done! I was going to be very disciplined this weekend, and get the whole thing sewn together. I figure it'll take about 10 more hours to get all the little black eyes sewn on and put the blocks together. But...

Playing with spare blocks is SO much more fun!

Ugh. I always lose interest once I've seen how the quilt will look. How about you?

Better Late Than Never

2011-01-18T22:02:00.000-08:00

I just finished this hand applique wall hanging from Sue Spargo's block of the month for 2009. It took me two years, but never mind. It was my first wool applique project, and I learned a lot. You can find this pattern in her book, Contemporary Folk.

I love the way she combines wool, cotton, velvet and silk, plus special yarns for embellishment. Now to quilt it. Hopefully that won't take a third year to complete!

Meanwhile, I've been working on the eyelashes quilt. Thanks to Victoria's and Buffy's fabric contributions, and Bonnie's consultation, it's well on its way. Only 23 more "eyes" to go!

Eyelash Redux

2011-01-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

Sometimes too much color IS too much. This is news to me!

A week ago, I was happily sewing eyelashes, looking forward to seeing them on the wall. Finally, I got half the blocks finished and up on the wall, stood back and looked, and my heart just sank. I didn't like it. What was wrong?

I went back to look at the original inspiration, an antique quilt I saw on Ann Champion's blog. It's pretty much all black, white and red. That was the problem. I'd added too much color. I'd wanted this quilt to look old. And I'd added some brights that probably were not made in those days--the kelly green and school bus yellow. Let's see what happens if I remove them.

Wa-la! I'm pleased with the result, and happily sewing again.

Good bye 2010; Hello 2011

2011-01-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

After three months of hand quilting, this quilt inspired by Anna Williams is finished! There was a LOT of stitching going on the last few days of 2010. A photo of the original quilt is published in the book, "Nancy Crow," by Nancy Crow.

Buffy gave me the idea to quilt it in red thread. I used #8 perle cotton and a sashiko needle.

I so enjoy hand-quilting!

Now for a preview of what's coming in 2011.

This is one quarter of the eyelashes quilt, otherwise known as "Pickle Dish" in Kaffe Fassett's book, Quilt Romance.

These are some old blocks, taken from a quilt top I bought at an antique store last summer. I'm thinking of resetting them like this.

And here's my 15 minutes play project, made from my basket full of scraps!

I've been part of blogland for six months now. And can't believe all the wonderful friends I've made! Everyone is so welcoming and supportive. I'm hugely grateful for your generous inspiration, scraps, blocks, advice and encouragement this year. Here's wishing you a very happy, healthy and creative 2011!!

Sewing on Paper

2010-12-28T17:57:00.000-08:00

I've been sewing these eyelashes onto paper the last two days. This kind of precision work is so out of character for me. But I do love the look of these blocks. Eventually, they'll all be set on a red background.

Thank goodness for some 15 minutes play time too!

Visions of the 1970's

2010-12-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

I found this groovy quilt yesterday at Goodwill. It's completely made of polyester double knit, that is, all but the avocado drapery fabric back and yarn ties. In one corner, the maker embroidered "74." I'm going to assume that was the year it was made, which was the year after I graduated from high school.

This morning I noticed how this quilt is weirdly similar. When I made it a few years ago in a Kaffe Fassett class, I didn't know why I was choosing these colors. The greenish brown was especially odd for me. But the look felt familiar in some way. Kaffe commented that this quilt had "a sense of history to it."

My sister-in-law, Bonnie, has talked about how the things we see in our childhood have a profound influence on our creative vision.

Hmm. Maybe this is proof of that!

Happy Solstice!

2010-12-20T22:06:00.000-08:00

The holidays are a lot fun. But I love to celebrate the Winter Solstice. At last, the days will be getting longer. Here's to visions of the coming spring!

I made this quilt a few years ago with inspiration from the cover of Georgia Quilts by Anita Zeleski Weinraub. The original quilt was made by Annie Parham Howard in 1960.

First Red Quilt

2010-12-14T14:47:00.001-08:00

I made this quilt a few years ago in a class with Kaffe Fassett. The pattern is called Square Clamshell. The instructions are in his book, Museum Quilts. He directed us to cut a lot of squares and put them up on the design wall as quickly as we could. This helped us use our intuition, rather than thinking too much.

The Rebels helped me figure out what to do for sashing and borders. I was amazed at how many colors it takes to make a red quilt!

Scarves for the Homeless

2010-12-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

Want a quick and easy charity project? I make these polar fleece scarves for the homeless each year. No sewing! Just cut the fleece across the width, about 8" wide. Then make slices for fringe. This is a great use for old rotary blades. The polar fleece dulls them pretty quickly.

Then take the scraps and tie them in knots to make great doggie toys!

'Tis the Season for Red!

2010-12-10T10:08:00.001-08:00

I made this quilt last year, with a home dec remnant from Goodwill and some 4-patches made from charm packs a few years prior. It's probably the easiest quilt I ever made, and one of my favorites. Have you figured out that I love red?

I think it looks great with this felt pillow that my grandmother made.

She also made this stocking when I was born.

I love all the fun sequins. I wonder if you can find those any more.

These felt stockings must have been popular in the 1950's. My husband's mother made him one too. Were there patterns for these in the ladies magazines?

Digging out these sentimental treasures is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. What treasures do you bring out for the holidays?

Tonya's Book is Here!

2010-12-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

Tonya, the "Unruly Quilter," has a brand new book, Word Play Quilts!! I've been itching for months to get my hands on a copy and make a quilt with words all over it. At last, it's available today!

Surely most of you already know and love Tonya. She calls her blog, "Lazy Gal Quilting," but she is anything but lazy. She's the ring leader of us gals who chuckle at the quilt police, yet her quilts are tastful, whimsical and beautifully made. Somehow she gets around to supporting and encouraging all of us as we push our creative limits. Best of all, she makes us laugh.

I'm posting this quilt today in honor of Tonya. It's my version of a quilt inspired by an African American quilt maker named Anna Williams. Tonya was leading the charge to try to get a book of Anna's quilts published. I don't know what happened to that goal, but it was a brilliant and courageous effort.

CONGRATULATIONS, TONYA!!!

Quilt Blog Girls Rock!

2010-12-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

You are all so amazing! Last night I panicked, asked for help, and so many of you immediately came through with advice, encouragement and good humor. Thanks to you, I can now make curved seams without holding my breath, hunching my shoulders and furling my brow. They're not perfect, but by the fourth one, I actually said to myself, "Hey, this is fun!" Thank you!!!

Oh, and that black fabric in the corners that you're all drooling over? That's from Victoria.

News just in! Janet at Quiltsalott in Australia has the most wonderful tutorials on curved piecing, using this very pattern. I hope you'll look them up, mate!

Eye Lash Progress

2010-12-04T22:33:00.000-08:00

I actually sewed this block together today, curved seams and all. Whoo! This is heading into advanced territory for me.

I also made more paper foundation lashes. Yipes! There are lots more curved seams to sew. Does anyone know any tricks for these? Thanks!

Red Lightning

2010-12-02T21:59:00.001-08:00

Look what the busy bees over at 15 minutes play made!! November was my month to receive blocks from these wonderful gals. What a bunch of creativity and generosity entered my mailbox all month! Some are bold, some intricate. The combination is just perfect. Thank you to all!!

After all that excitement, I felt like making something with a pattern. I love this quilt on the cover of Kaffe's Quilt Romance. He calls it Pickle Dish. I call it Eye Lashes. I've often said I'd never do paper piecing. Never say never!

This is just the beginning. There are 30 more "eyes" to make. The red background idea came from a beautiful quilt pictured on Ann Champion's blog.

Friendship Basket

2010-11-28T15:11:00.001-08:00

After seeing Victoria this weekend, I was so inspired I just had to make a quilt! Sujata had sent me this lovely little basket block, along with some scraps. So I combined these with other scraps I'd received from several of you wonderful blogger friends, including Tonya, Buffy, Mary and Helen, along with some of my own.

Those churn dash blocks are 4". I've never made a block that small in my life!

I don't know what got into me, but I really enjoyed working with small pieces. So I made hot pads with the scraps of the scraps. Those little triangles are about 1/2"!

As I count my blessings, I am so grateful to all of you for this whole new world of friends in blog land! Thank you!!

Today's Goodwill Finds

2010-11-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving, most of the thrift stores around here have their 50% off sales on just about everything. Of course I just HAD to go shopping.

Look at this dress! Can't you just see Twiggy wearing it! I actually paid full price for this one, $7.99. I love late 1960's and early 1970's prints. What can I say? Those were my teenage years.

My grandmother had an apron like this, only without the skunks. I can't remember what the style was called. Does anyone know? I've found a few, and I always buy them, in honor of her.

This one is not my favorite, but the print was so cute and ugly at the same time, I couldn't resist.

Throw in a few half-price shirts,

a few cloth napkins and some taxi cab yellow--in honor of Victoria, and it looks like a quilt to me!

Speaking of Victoria, the Rebels and I got to spend Wednesday with her! She's even more beautiful and inspiring in person than she is on the web.

Harvest Baskets

2010-11-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

Snowflakes are falling outside my window, so it's time to put another lap quilt on the couch. I made this one at Gwen Marston's Beaver Island Retreat in 2008. It's inspired by a small crib or doll quilt from the late 1800's. Buffy was with me at the retreat. Thanks to her, there are a few pieces of corduroy included.

Don't miss her corduroy quilt at the Rebels! blog. Speaking of corduroy, check out Deb Rowden's post on 11/11/11 as National Corduroy Day.

This was my first experiment in hand-quilting. I used wool batting, which is a dream to stitch through.

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm about to jump out of my skin, I'm so excited. A certain blogger friend from NYC is visiting this weekend, and I'll get to spend a day with her!!!

Wall Quilts

2010-11-14T21:36:00.000-08:00

Since I haven't sewn much over the last few weeks, I thought I'd show you a few quilts that I look at every day. They hang around the walls of my house. I used to think that quilts on walls were silly. Aren't quilts made for warmth and comfort? Well, these do warm and comfort me!

This one hangs above the fireplace. It's made of mostly home decorator fabric samples. Everything but the sashing is from thrift stores. The border was the ugliest fabric you can imagine, but it worked on this quilt.

This one greets me at the front door. It includes buttons that I played with as a little girl at my grandmother's house. Before I made quilts, I stitched needlepoint pillows.

This one hangs in the living room, and reminds me that life should not be taken too seriously. It's inspired by Gwen Marston. I also made dolls years ago. This one is about the experience of caring for my baby son. Remember "diaper brain?"

Seeing Red!

2010-11-07T13:21:00.000-08:00

Here's what's up on my wall today, with many thanks to Victoria and the wonderful gals over at 15 minutes play. Every few days, I receive a few of these lovely red blocks in the mail, as part of the 15 minutes quilting bee. The quilt is inspired by one in the book, Freddy and Gwen Collaborate Again, by Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran.

Meanwhile, I've been painting the kitchen. It's been several years since I got out my painting overalls. I was looking at them today, thinking they might make a good inspiration for a quilt.

Before I started making quilts, I used to think a lot about paint colors. It's amazing how you can change a room with a gallon of paint.

These overalls have been with me for 40 years! See the lazy daisies at the top? I embroidered those one night in 1970, when I was waiting for my boyfriend to pick me up. There are more on the legs, but they're covered with paint.

Back to painting. It's almost finished!

Gone Dotty!

2010-10-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

Barbara Brackman recently posted about how polka dots have been used over the years. Modern, stylish women were using polka dots way back in the late 19th century. There was even a Polka Dot Club!

It got me thinking about the quilts I've made with polka dots, and some of the teachers who've shared my love of the nifty little shape.

I made this quilt in a workshop with Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably a few years ago.
They taught me how to focus on the colors and combine them in a pleasing way.

Dots come in more than one shape!

Last fall, I got to take a workshop with Freddy Moran. She taught me that any colors go together, the more the better. This is the Liberated Wedding Ring pattern in her book with Gwen Marston, Freddy and Gwen Collaborate Again.

Anything goes!

I made this one with the Gee's Bend gals in 2009. They taught me how to choose fabrics by using my intuition. And put away that rotary cutter!

They all loved this black and white dot, cut from an old dress.

Last summer, I made this quilt in a class with Denyse Schmidt. I chose the red dot as my focus fabric. She taught me how to use scraps in an improvisational way.

Dots go with everything!

Our Lady of Guadalupe

2010-10-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

Look who appeared amongst my scraps this weekend! I think she'll make a good companion for my sewing room.

Big Oops!

2010-10-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

I just received a very nice email from Kathy, the owner of Material Obsession. She said this quilt is called "Fractured," and they sell the pattern for it on their website! They also have a pattern called "Stash Eater," which is another great quilt. I wish I'd known about the pattern at the time I was making this. It would have made things a lot easier. I hope everyone will go straight to MO's wonderful website and buy this pattern right now!

Stash Quilt

2010-10-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

I made this quilt last year, with fabrics I wanted to eliminate from my stash. It's inspired by one I saw on the Material Obsession blog. I love that blog. Those Aussies always amaze me with their creativity!

The back used up the leftovers. It's on our bed now, and one of my husband's favorites.

New Curtains

2010-10-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Just made these curtains for my sewing studio from fabric I found at Goodwill. It's 2005 Ikea, and looks like fried eggs to me. I think I'll get some good inspiration from the color combinations in each little egg.

The panel idea is from Jacquie, over at Tall Grass Prairie Studio. The wires and clips are from Ikea. I put in two wires so they could open like this. Just a little bit of color to help with the coming darker days!

Crumb quilt

2010-10-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

The date today, 10-10-10, is just too good to go without a post. So here's the quilt I've been throwing on my lap lately. All scraps and some leftover 9 patches.

I chain-pieced scraps together, 2 + 2, then 4 + 4, then 8 + 8, until I got to about 18". Then cut strips in 1.5, 2.5, and 4.5 widths by 18" long. When I got tired of making the strips, they magically all fit together! The border is cut from an old shirt.

Anna Williams inspired

2010-10-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

Someone asked for a larger photo of the quilt top I recently started hand-quilting. It's inspired by one made by Anna Williams. I saw the photo in a Nancy Crow book, can't remember which one. I counted something like 80 different fabrics in Anna's. I don't know how many are in mine. My rule in choosing the fabrics was that they had to be scraps. It's 42 x 55".

Ode to Matisse

2010-10-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

I just finished hand-quilting this piece. It's a rendition of "Ivy in Flower," made by Henri Matisse in 1953. His was 112" square. Mine is 38." It's one of the many wonderful collages he made late in his life. It's my first attempt at hand-applique.

The stitching isn't perfect, but I don't mind. I would never make anything if I was striving for perfection!

This is the first time I've used a facing, instead of binding. It's really just a binding, turned all the way to the back.

After a year of working on the Matisse piece, I've become addicted to hand-work. I get fidgety if I don't have something to stitch in the evenings. Do you? This weekend, I started hand-quilting this. It should take me up through the end of the year at least. Phew!

Meanwhile, look what came in the mail from Tonya over at Lazy Gal! We'd been talking about thrift store finds, and I'd been drooling over her sunny, Florida plaids. These bright, clear colors are almost impossible to find here, in the moist Northwest. So I sent her some of my "b__uglies," in trade for some of her plaids. And she threw in the labels too! I tell you, I got the good end of this deal! If you haven't already, make sure and visit her to see the happy stars she's making with these.

Confessions of a Thrift Store Junkie

2010-09-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

Like many of you, I've been shopping thrift stores for bargain shirts for the last couple of years. I love to cut them up and mix them with new fabrics from the quilt shops. I think the clothing fabric adds a sense of history and nostalgia to our quilts.

Deb Rowden said on her blog recently that you get about a yard of fabric from a man's 4XL shirt. And look what else you get! You can take these seams...

And make these balls.

You can arrange flowers in the buttons.

You can see where some of the old quilting designs may have come from. The collars could make Dresden plates.

The cuffs might become rail fences.

And here's my thrift store stash. You can see it's pretty full. Better get sewing!

Peculiar fabrics

2010-09-24T09:49:00.001-07:00

Tonya, over at Lazy Gal, and I have been talking about peculiar fabrics from thrift stores. We have another name for them, but never mind. Here's a quilt I made from peculiars last year. The plaid came from some very dusty kitchen curtains. Luckily they washed up just fine. I don't know if they're from the 1960's or 70's, but they remind me of the avocado appliances that were trendy in the day.

Buffy, over at Rebels, was with me at Goodwill when we stumbled upon them. At first we walked away, probably with some scrunched up looks on our faces. Then we went back. I think they cost all of $4. The plaid was very picky about which other fabrics could play.

The back is inspired by a Gee's Bend quilt. I found this panel on another trip to Goodwill. It's come out of the closet again, now that the fall chill has begun.

Happy Autumn!

Whole Lotta Scrap

2010-09-19T22:51:00.001-07:00

At last I finished piecing this wild and crazy, scrappy thing. Every piece tells a story of my quilting process over the last five years. Victoria got me started cutting five-sided pieces and adding to them randomly with her 15 minutes play blog.

Karen inspired me to throw in some selvages with her Selvage Blog.

Many of you cheered me on, as I was looking at this pile of scraps, wondering if it would ever amount to anything. Somehow, the whole queen size quilt barely made a dent. After finishing this quilt, I couldn't stand the mess any longer. I sorted the scraps by color.

I like the way the colors look together so much, I think I'll do some "one color" quilts. We'll see if I can restrain myself this way. Ha!

So far, the yellow/orange one is getting started.

And here is Our Lady of Scrap Quilting!

14 Shirts and a Pair of Pants

2010-09-09T23:28:00.001-07:00

This is all made from clothing I bought at thrift stores. While I was shopping, I gave myself three rules: spend no more than $1.29 a piece, make sure they're 100% cotton, and of course they had to be stripes. This quilt is inspired by one in Kaffe Fassett's book, Passionate Patchwork, and by Beth and her summer striped challenge.

Here you can see the Ralph Lauren logo on one of the shirts.

This tool helped a lot. See how easy it is to line up the stripes? I cut triangles for 3", 6" and 9" squares.

Meanwhile, I made these hot pads for a friend's birthday. They're made of 5" squares of hand dyed fabrics from Malka at a stitch in dye. I love these fabrics!