Dallas Part I

I didn't expect that it would be this long before I posted photos of some of my favorite quilts from the Dallas show.  I had my nose to the sewing machine for about a week making 4" finished stars---almost 100 of those tiny babies  I can't share the quilt just yet but it's pretty cute. 

In my opinion, all the quilts in the Dallas show deserved a ribbon.  Each was beautiful.  I especially enjoyed this show because it contained many applique quilts.  I'll share my favorites in the next few blog posts. 

Pearl Perrera designs (P3 Designs) some really beautiful quilts.  It was difficult to get a photo of Baltimore Christmas because people were always around it admiring the beauty.  The maker did an outstanding job choosing fabrics and the workmanship was unbelievable.  As you can probably tell by the number of photos I took I was quite smitten with it.

Equally stunning was Baltimore Autumn.  I thought it was such a pretty quilt -- no ribbon.  As you can imagine, the competition was very tough. 

Baltimore Liberty was also very nice.  I neglected to take any close up photos but it was beautiful.

These quilts just made me smile.  Simple but sweet.

That should be enough to keep you inspired for a few days. 

My week is shaping up to be a busy one.  Tomorrow I see the eye doctor to see whether the eye drops I've been using the past two months have caused the pressure in my eyes to decrease.  Tuesday I begin my 8-10 weeks of working at Sew Graceful Quilting. Debby and her husband will be at MD Anderson so he can receive radiation for mesothelioma.  I'm excited about the prospect of being around fabric 3 days a week!

I'll be back in a few days and share more of the Dallas

Rug hooking and Dallas

It's been a very busy few weeks.  I began March with a fun week of rug hooking.  Sally Kallin is very well known in the world of wool.  I was able to get into her workshop in Eureka Springs.  Here's a few of her rugs (wish they were mine!).  I chose to hook an autumn purse during the workshop.  As with all new endeavors, I'm terribly slow and awkward.  As soon as I have more to show, I'll share my purse. 

A few days after I returned home, I packed up with Sew Graceful Quilting for the Dallas quilt show.  It seems like no matter what time we leave for Dallas, we always seem to be running late. We arrived shortly before 3:00 and had to be out of the convention center by 5:00.  We've got our work cut out for us.

You can see the neighbors on either side were already set up and had left the area.  The booth is 10' x 10'.  Thank goodness we had packed chocolate to keep us going!  Here's the after photos of the booth.

We arrived early the opening morning to hang pricing on the quilts and were ready for 3 fun filled days.  I'll share photos of some of my favorite quilts next time. 

Winner of blog hop book

Thanks everyone for your nice comments. I used the random number generator to choose the winner of the book.  Diane Duplissis please send me (yakharmon@cox.net) your mailing info and I'll pass it along to Landauer and they'll get a copy out to you.

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:3Powered by RANDOM.ORG

I'm in Dallas this week vending at the quilt show for Sew Graceful Quilting. It's a really nice show with many beautiful quilts and lots of vendors. if you're in the area hope you can stop by.

I'd love to post a photo but haven't figured out how to when using the iPad to update.

Recreating Antique Quilts Blog Hop

Welcome!  I'm so glad you stopped by for this hop.  When Wendy asked me if I'd be interested in participating, I jumped at the chance.  I've known Wendy for many years (where did the time go?!) and had the opportunity to test several of her patterns in the past so knew making something from her book would be fun. 

I am very impressed with Wendy's book "Recreating Antique Quilts" for several reasons.  It's not only beautifully photographed but includes full color schematics to guide you as you construct the project.  There's also tips to help make piecing more accurate which means no unpicking and resewing.  Applique templates are full size which means no wasting time and money at the copy center.  Quilting diagrams are also included for several projects.  All this and more for only $24.95.

 

Photo courtesy of Landauer Publishing.

 

If you're in the US or Canada and would like to purchase a copy of the book, click here.  If you'd like to purchase a copy signed by Wendy, click here.  If you're outside the US or Canada and would like to purchase a copy, please ask your local shop if they will carry the book.  If they won't carry the book, you can order directly from Landauer or Amazon.

 

I love, love, love to applique.  I piece so I have a background on which to applique.  Wendy knows this so I'm sure was expecting I'd choose an applique project.  Instead, I chose a pieced project:  Patches and Crosses Table Runner.  I was drawn to the symmetry of the project and interested in how the half blocks would work.  I wasn't disappointed as the pattern instructions clearly explain how to achieve perfectly pieced half blocks. 

 

 

Here's the pattern as shown in the book.  Photo courtesy of Landauer Publishing.

If you look closely, you'll notice several differences between the runner Wendy made and mine.  Notice the white inner border in Wendy's runner?  I omitted that border; I felt like with my fabric choices the white inner border would overwhelm my piece.  I also used two different fabrics for the border.....was that a design decision.....or an "I don't have enough fabric" decision?   I could spin a tale and go on about how using two different border fabrics was planned during the design phase but, honestly, I didn't have enough of either fabric for the border so thought it would be fun to use complementary fabrics.  I really like the additional interest the border adds to the piece. 

 

I used Lynette Anderson's Time with Friends fabric line for my project (photo courtesy of Lynette Anderson).  I chose the blue colorway for a nice spring look.  I have sewn with Lynette's fabrics many times in the past and love the feel of the fabric.  I also love the fact her lines can be interchanged.  You can see the entire range of Time with Friends here.  While you're there, be sure to check out her other fabric lines.

 

My table runner was beautifully quilted by Darlene at Sew Graceful Quilting.  I'd planned to quilt it myself but was very pleased when Darlene asked if she could quilt it for me.  Her quilting doesn't become the quilt -- it adds dimension and interest but allows the beautiful fabrics to remain the focal point.

 

What's next?  Now that I've finished a pieced project, it's time to move on to an applique project.  I'm drawn to 4 block applique quilts and think the urn of flowers on the Floral Fancy Wallhanging (photo courtesy of Landauer Publishing) would be beautiful as a 4 block quilt.  I think I'll set the urn on point with the pots meeting in the center.  What do you think?

 

 

I'm excited to see what my fellow bloggers created using Wendy's book.  Here's a link to the other blogs. 



Lisa: http://lovetocolormyworld.blogspot.com/
Doreen: http://treadlemusic.wordpress.com/
Karen: http://karensquiltscrowscardinals.blogspot.com/





Landauer has graciously offered to give away a copy of their book.  Leave a comment by March 13 and I'll draw the name of a lucky person. 

Thanks for stopping by.  If you'd like to follow my blog, I'd love to have you join.  Since my mother passed away, I've been pretty hit and miss in posting but thanks to Wendy I'm motivated to post more often. 

Kitty Kitty

Most of what I've been working on can't be shown yet but, trust me, I've been a busy gal.  Since I enjoy looking at old postcards, this project was right up my alley.  An enterprising person got the idea to take antique postcards and print them on fabric.  They provide a simple pattern and the result is a nice size wall hanging. 

At first I thought the fabric would be very stiff but it's a nice soft quality. Each postcard comes with a paper backing which is removed once you're ready to sew.  I like the paper backing because it keeps the postcard fabric from becoming distorted.  Some simple strip piecing you've got the piece together before you know it.  I'll quilt it in the ditch with my Bernina.

If you'd like a kit, they will be available soon at Sew Graceful Quilting.

 

Binding is so relaxing

Call me crazy but I enjoy binding a quilt.  I can't imagine setting a quilt aside for weeks or months waiting for binding.  Today I'm sewing the binding on "When the Cold Wind Blows" which was designed by Blackbird Designs.  My friend, Joan, and I were at her lake home this summer when we were inspired to make this quilt.  After a trip to Sew Graceful Quilting to choose fabrics, Joan took everything home and began designing and sewing.  A few months later she handed the finished blocks off to me and I sewed them together.  Darlene at Sew Graceful Quilting quilted it. 

I will post a photo of the entire quilt later this week after I have a chance to hang it.  If you'd like to make the quilt too, you can get more info by going to the Sew Graceful website.

Fun little pillows

I love the feeling of accomplishment upon completing a large project.  Unfortunately, I don't seem to have the time necessary to devote to a large project so will just enjoy the small finishes for a while.  These seasonal pillows are all Buttermilk Basin designs and are all very quick to stitch and finish. 

I can't decide which is my favorite.  How about you?

Over the Top

What a blustery cold spell we've endured the past week.  Today the sun is shining but with the wind, the wind chill is in the 20s.  It's a great day to stay inside and enjoy looking through the spring issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects.

I am honored to have a project in this issue.  In fact, I will have two projects in each issue during 2015.  I designed a seasonal wall hanging for each issue.  One will be shown in cotton and the other in wool applique on a cotton background.  I thought it would be fun to show how cotton and wool versions differ. 

My spring piece is entitled "Over the Top".  Here's the cotton version.

Here's the wool version.

Both are made using Diamond Textile homespun fabrics.  I love working with homespun fabrics and hope you like these projects.  If you're interested in a kit, you can purchase one at Sew Graceful Quilting.

A fun Christmas gift

One of my friends has a sweet little girl who celebrated her first Christmas in 2014.  I wanted to do something for her but knew since it was her first Christmas she would get lots of gifts from Mommy and Daddy, grandma and grandpa, aunts, uncles and just about everyone who met the little cuttie.  So I decided to make her something.  I started with this basket and these two guys.

I made a mattress and pillow for the basket.  The mattress is filled with 4 layers of cotton batting.  It's tufted to give it an old fashioned mattress appearance. I made a pillow and then the pillow case.  Although you can't see inside the case, the seam is not just an ordinary seam -- it's a French seam.  Nothing is too good for this little girl.

The monkeys are going to need a quilt to keep them warm during these long winter naps.  So I pieced a quilt front and back.  I quilted it on my Bernina (even quilted in the little girl's name).

Here's the finished product.  I think she loved it as much as I enjoyed creating it.