This and That

I spent the weekend quilting with friends at a local hotel. With my foot issues, this was my first time back since September. I finished this little piece. Among many other things, members of Crosstown Quilters make covers for isolettes and incubators at a Boston hospital. It was wonderful to see all the quilts, coverlets, preemie quilts, pillowcases, and comfort cushions that members donated during the show and tell portion of today's guild meeting. Quilters are a giving, generous group.

The rest of the weekend I worked on preparing pieces for the applique project I am going to attempt. (Heaven help me.)  I also attended my cousin's fifth birthday party. They are all growing up way too fast. :-)

Have you heard of knitting done with PVC pipe needles? I hadn't heard of this, but one of the ladies in my quilting group this weekend was working on this piece using five foot long 'needles' and a huge ball of fleece strips which had been sewn together. It was the darnedest thing I ever saw. Of course, I googled it, and there are many, many sites dedicated to this process.

You may recall seeing this little improv piece that I recently made. Lyric Kinard, a well-known art quilter, says that no matter how much time and effort you put into a little piece, some people will think it is a potholder. She suggests giving a small piece more presence by mounting it on a canvas, and so I did. First, I used acrylic paint in a coordinating color to cover the canvas. When it was done, I sewed the mini quilt to the canvas. It was easy to sew through the canvas, but next time I may try something else that I found online. Someone suggested using velcro with an adhesive back which can be purchased at hardware stores. You put a strip along the top and bottom of the canvas.  I'll also be mindful of the sizes of canvas mats available. I would have liked to have a bit wider borders, but the next size up would have been much too big.

Have a great week.