Just Drifting Along . . .

Hi Everyone! I hope you are in some spot that is cool. Heat and humidity have seemed to grip the entire country, but as we all well know that is the least of our problems. I feel as if I have been just drifting through the days, but at least this week I did do a bit more. Here's a project bag that I made yesterday.

The zipper pull was made by stacking and wiring black, red, and grey buttons, and there is a bead at the top and at the bottom. 

I whipped up some summer, watermelon placemats as well.

 My "When Life Gives You Lemons . . . " quilt based on Alex Anderson's Sequoia pattern is finally pieced and pressed and waiting to be quilted. First, I have to clear off the projects on the dining room table; the surface of which has not been seen since this whole, terrible covid-19 mess began in March. The table is covered with projects in all stages of development.  :-) I do have a small sewing room upstairs, but I prefer to let things sprawl all over the dining room table. It is not as if I am gong to have any visitors any time soon. :-)

Yesterday, I received the fabric that I had ordered from The Quilt Show for Alex Anderson's next online mystery quilt. As she puts it, it is a mystery because she isn't sure what it will look like either.  I have never made a quilt using Kaffe fabric, so I decided that I would make this quilt, too!

The instructions are free and you do not have to register or even to use the Kaffe fabrics or be a member of The Quilt Show. Just tune in to Alex LIVE Youtube presentations. They are live on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday @10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern. You can also view Alex Anderson LIVE on the Quilt Show channel on Youtube any time. [FYI: I have been a member of The Quilt Show for many years and think it is a great value for the money. This is not a commercial for The Quilt Show, but check it out as they are offering a special six month rate during these trying times.]

Earlier this week, Maribeth came to stitch for a few hours. She stopped first at the supermarket to pick up a few things for me. My sunporch is large, all the windows were open, and there was a strong breeze blowing, we were safely social distancing, so we thought that it would be okay.  She brought with her this small string quilt. If you think it looks familiar that is because I posted a larger version of this quilt back on June 16th.

The fungus among us . . . 

 

That's all for now. Have a good, no, make that a  great week ahead. We all  deserve it!!!

Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay creative. Have hope.

Sunshine for $12.99

 

Yesterday I stopped at Christopher's Garden Shop and Farm Stand on Washington Street in Weymouth to pick up a few bananas, but I was stopped in my tracks by tables full of sunshine. This plant is full of blossoms and buds. . .  instant sunshine. Who could have resisted, and it was only 12.99!!!

I saw a member of our Crosstown guild there. Well, I saw a masked face and eyes that looked familiar. After a moment or two I was able to process the info; it was Diane W. We talked for a few moments about how we were doing during these challenging times and speculated whether we would be meeting in September.

 

Scenes from my gardens this week. . .

 

 I'm looking forward to an online class on Friday morning offered by Hunts Photo and Video. The two hour class is "The Painterly Photograph with Kathleen Clemons." As you all know, I enjoy photographing flowers and look forward to be able to create "dreamy" type of flower photographs.

While watering my flowers this morning, a postal truck stopped to deliver a package. Excitement!!! It was from Missouri Star. Excitement!!! What had I ordered this time??? Fun stuff . . .  a 1,000 piece quilt block jigsaw puzzle, a pattern, a mini tumbler template, some sweet sewing machine bookmarks, and three cute charms for the zipper pulls on future project bags. . . fun stuff!!!

 

Mask making continues . . . if you are looking for a place to donate masks, contact local shelters. They are extremely grateful for donations of fabric masks.

On my design wall . . .  My "When Life Gives You Lemons" quilt is almost ready to be sewn together.  Alex Anderson has been offering free quilting lessons/information on The Quilt Show website and Youtube. This is her sequoia pattern. I decided to have a lemon focus. Instead of the vase of flowers in her pattern, I created a lemon tree, and of course, I had to make one block be a pitcher of lemonade. My plan is to start sewing it together tomorrow.

 

Have a sweet week.

Stay safe. Stay strong. Have hope.

Find a Bright Spot Every Day

Hello Fellow Quarantinees . . .  How are you doing today?  Sometimes okay? Sometimes terrified? Sometimes despairing? Sometimes overwhelmed? All of the above at different points?  We need to try and seek out bright spots in each day.

My backyard is filled with daffodils. If you have been reading my blog for a long time, thank you. If you are new to my blog, I encourage you to read the story of these daffodils, "Full Circle" which I posted way back in 2011. I guarantee you will enjoy that post, and I promise you that every word of that remarkable story is true.

I, along with  I am sure quilters all across the country, have been spending my days sewing masks and am grateful to have something useful to do.

Speaking of quilters, may I again remind you that The Quilt Show is posting wonderful videos a couple of times each week. For example, today, Alex Anderson talked about using silk. Thursday, Ricky Tims will be presenting a lesson, and Friday, Alex will talk about straight line quilting. Just go to The Quilt Show website and scroll down to the bottom to find a list of videos which you may view at any time on that site or on YouTube.

I have been working on a wool applique piece which is coming along well. I pick it up in the evening and am enjoying working on it. I have also decided to do the Sue Spargo - "Toned Down Circle Sampler." Each day for ninety days, Sue Spargo will present a design for one circle. Last night I cut 90 (one inch)  wool circles from my stash for this project. I am getting a late start, but no worries, I will catch up. :-) You can find more information about this in my previous post.

My colors are definitely not "toned down," but I wanted to work with bright, happy colors.  As you can see, I have the circles arranged and pinned with tiny applique pins. I will whip stitch each circle down before adding the special stitches. This is an excellent, free learning opportunity. One more thing to add to my post - Coronavirus "to do/wish" list . . . go on a Sue Spargo retreat.

Stay safe and well. Be kind to yourself. Have faith that we will get through this.

I wish you peace.

Trying Times Tuesday

Hi Everyone. . . How are you doing today? I'm doing fine, but I am not accomplishing as much as I should be accomplishing. I know what I should be doing: I'm just not doing much. Perhaps I need to follow a daily schedule. How are you dealing with all of this? Have you made a schedule for yourself?

I'm not completely drifting through the day as yesterday I did make some more masks, but have I been practicing my flute? Well, no . . . ( Please don't tell my flute teacher. ) Have I followed through on practicing the piano? That would also be a "no." How about plans to clean out closets??? No, not so far . . . Oh well . . .  I'm going to blame it on the recent 3-D days  . . dismal, damp, and dreary.

I did spend a few hours yesterday sewing more masks.

I know many of you are sewing masks, but what else are you working on???

Are you looking for a new project? Bonnie Hunter is running a Unity Quilt Along with new directions/steps given every Monday. Would you like to try your hand at hand stitching? Laura Wasilowski is offering a free "Tools of the Trade Stitch Along." I'm tempted to do both, but I already have a stack of projects. :-) Also, don't forget to check out The Quilt Show channel on Youtube. Alex Anderson is checking in on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday while Ricky Tims is on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Alex's Monday video dealt with putting a facing rather than a binding on a small quilt.

Were you one of the million people who watched last week's concert online with Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks from their home studio?  CBS sure noticed and tomorrow night, Wednesday, at 9:00 they will perform in a TV special.  Even if you are not a country music fan, watch anyway as they are both wonderful performers.

One last thing . . .  I don't know about you, but I am very impressed with all of the new inspiring, uplifting, hopeful TV commercials. For once, I don't mind watching them.

Smile for the day . . .

Stay safe. We are in this for the long haul, but we are all in this together.

I wish you peace.

Sunday Sampler 3/22/20

Good Sunday Morning to you all!!! We have made it through another week of self isolation, social distancing,  staying in our homes, etc... How are you doing?

Let me start by providing a link to a live camera feed from the National Mall Tidal Basin; click HERE to see the cheery blossoms. You will see people, although not nearly as many as in ordinary times, strolling along. They change the viewing angle from around the basin every five minutes. Seeing the cherry blossoms in our nation's Capitol is something that I have always wanted to do. I think I will start a list of things I am committing to do and places to visit . . .  post-coronavirus.

Something lovely to look at . . .

Pat S, a member of our Crosstown Quilters Guild, sent me a photo of her beautiful stitch pillow. She had admired mine at our recent quilt retreat and decide to make one as well. You will find a link to an excellent video tutorial in a previous post, HERE.

I received notification this morning that my internet weekly usage was up 48%. No kidding! ! ! What would we do without it during these stressful days? Emailing,  texting with friends, having a family meeting on Zoom, and reading blogs . . . Let me talk about a few things you might enjoy on Youtube. Alex Anderson @ The Quilt Show is doing a live mini quilt lesson every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1:00 EST on their site and their facebook page. Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimbel, and Steven Colbert are doing mini monologues each night before showing reruns of their programs.  Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel are using skype to interview guests. It's nice to see how folks like Lin Manuel Miranda, Jennifer Garner, and others are coping. By the way, wouldn't you want to have Jennifer Garner for a friend or neighbor?  She's lovely.

While writing this post, I am viewing a delightful St. Patrick's Day posting of "Dinner with the Gaffigans." If you don't know Jim Gaffigan, he is a very funny stand up comedian, and each night he and his family of seven sit down around their dining room table to eat and talk:-). All ages will enjoy spending time with this family. [Note: You may watch any of these programs at anytime on Youtube.]

During the past week, I have watched two John Wayne movies, The Quiet Man  and last night Hondo. I find it oddly comforting watching these old movies, and yes, I have been spending time with The Virginian and the Cartwrights on the Ponderosa, too :-)

I finished the second block of the Sue Spargo wool applique mini BOM which was fun to do except for the palestrina knots in one section. Grrrr . ... I have Sue's Creative Stitching book, but I still wasn't able to figure them out. Finally, on Youtube I found two tutorials which helped, but those stitches are still not good. It's only a small section, so perhaps no one will notice.

Confession: I ordered another wool applique kit this week. I couldn't stop myself. It is spring themed with bunnies, chicks, flowers, and happy things, etc. Seriously, it would have taken a stronger woman than I am to resist. Besides, right now we all need to work on things that we enjoy.

As are folks across the country, I am making fabric masks. There are many tutorials online. It is appalling that our dedicated medical people who are risking their lives for all of us do not have adequate supplies of personal protection equipment. Don't even get me started on that.

Anyway, this is getting long, so may I wish you all peace and good health. Stay creative. Stay well and may God bless us all. The world is a very small place, and we are all in this together.

Jack's Chain and Spring Is Here!

Yesterday was a beautiful day and knowing that today would be cold and rainy, I took Emma for a long walk. Along the way, I photographed these crocuses.

Today, I offer you something beautiful to gaze upon, my friend Maribeth's latest quilt. The pattern is "Jack's Chain." It is pretty awesome in the photo, but trust me, it is even more spectacular in person!!! Look at all of those pieces!!!

Now for some quilt related possibilities. People in the quilting community are stepping up to give comfort and support; none more so than Alex Anderson. She is posting free mini lessons on The Quilt Show. Monday's talk was on neutrals and yesterday she talked about choosing fabric for a project. You do not need to join to see these lessons. She will be giving another lesson tomorrow at 1:00 EST. Simply go to The Quilt Show and click on the "Daily Blog." She is also posting skype interviews with some big name quilters. Yesterday it was Victoria Findlay Wolfe; upcoming are Katie P.M., Bonnie Hunter, and Laura Wasilowski who is offering a free hand stitch along, "Tools of the Trade." The big news is that The Quilt Show is planning something special for International Quilting Weekend; go to the site for more details.

New topic . . . has all this hand washing and cold weather caused painful cracks in your skin? I found something that really, really works, Gold Bond Cracked Skin Relief. It has a thin applicator and you just squeeze a tiny bit into the crack . . .  instant relief. (That is until you again wash your hands and need to reapply it.)

Coronavirus update: Department stores, theaters, and playgrounds are closed. Some supermarkets are offering very early hours exclusively for those 60+, the high risk group. The number of deaths in Italy has now surpassed that of China.

Stay safe and be kind to yourself. We are all in this together.

Hibiscus Quilt Finished

My hibiscus quilt is finished. Let the trumpets sound and the celebration begin!!!  This piece started back in March when I saw a photo that Meredith of mereknits-mereknits.blogspot.com posted of a beautiful hibiscus in her yard. I emailed her to ask permission to use her photo in an art quilt. The flower was stunning, but I also liked the background. She graciously agreed, and slowly I began documenting my progress on this piece. 

Here is my finished piece with an enlargement of Meredith's photo taken from her blog.

As you saw in an earlier post, I tried my hand at doing a lot of stitching on this piece. Not being completely confident about what I was attempting, I chose a light backing fabric. Not to worry, it looks pretty good to me. :-)

Here is the thimble that I purchased at the recent Bayberry Quilt Show. This beautiful silver thimble featuring a swan and sapphire stone was made by Jan Marie Larson of Thimbles for You.  If you go to any of the big shows, be sure to check out her pieces. She was also vending at the World Quilt Show in Springfield and will be in Houston. It was a slight splurge on my part, but it is like wearing a mini piece of art on my fingertip. :-)

A word about threads used in this piece. . . 

As you can see, I used quite an assortment. In an earlier post I showed petals stitched with Superior Fantastico variegated thread. I also used the green Superior Fantastico for the veining in some of the leaves. The two shiny orange Sulky rayon threads were used sparingly as accents. The rest of the threads were chosen strictly for color to create shadings and are a mix of Sulky and Mettler threads.

One thing I learned about variegated threads is to check the distance between color changes. I remember Bob Purcell of Superior Threads discussing that on The Quilt Show a few years back, and I filed it away in my memory bank. Someone on another blog was talking about using Fantastico whenever she needed a bit of shine, so I tried it. I love how it looks in the close up below.

A bit of bead work . . . there a cluster of tiny yellow beads and some slightly larger orange, glass beads.

The finished piece is 25.5 by 21 inches.

If you are new to my blog or would like to try turning one of your photos into a quilt, I have made a list of links I posted while working on this piece. 

Inspiration and Creating a Pattern

Painting Fabric for My Hibiscus Quilt

Using a Vinyl Overlay

Quilted Wallhanging Progress

Quilted Wallhanging Progress - Part 2

Stitching for the Faint of Heart like Me :-)

The above links will give you an idea of how I approach creating a piece such as this. Each time I make a quilted wallhanging based on a photo, I seem to try new things.  The vinyl overlay which appliquers sometimes use worked well and depending on the subject I might try that again. I know that I won't be afraid to add stitching to my future pieces. 

One more thing: At a guild meeting a couple of years ago, I asked a presenter how she got her wallhangings to hang so perfectly flat. She said that she used a layer of deco bond on the back of her tops, and so I did that on this piece. It does indeed hang very flat against the wall. I'm not sure whether she also used batting, but there is also a layer of batting in my piece.

All in all, this piece was a positive experience for me, and I cannot wait to see what I will try next. :-)

Maine Quilts - Augusta - 2018 Show

We were thrilled to discover that there was a wonderful exhibit of  Susan Carlson's quilts at the 2018 Maine Quilts show in Augusta.  I have seen photos of her work in magazines and on an episode of The Quilt Show (Episode# 801), but seeing them in person and up close was spectacular. This photo shows only the head of "Crocodylus Smylus"; the whole quilt was 21feet 6 inches by 5 feet 10 inches. As you can imagine, it makes quite an impact!!! In the show booklet, Susan Carlson said that she was inspired by the sheer size of saltwater crocodiles which at an average of twenty feet makes it the largest reptile on earth. She also said that she nicknamed the crocodile, Stevie, after Australian wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin. He would have loved that.

There were eleven of her quilts on display including "Tickled Pink," her rhinoceros, and this delightful quilt below.

You may see more of her amazing quilts on her Susan Carlson Quilts Website , sign up for her blog,  purchase patterns, and learn about upcoming classes that she is teaching.

Another quilt which totally amazed me was "Judgement of Osiris" by Georgia S. Pierce from Seattle, WA. The judges felt the same way as it received a number of ribbons including a Judge's Choice.

According to the maker, this "quilt represents art found on tomb walls and monuments in ancient Egypt and Egyptian hieroglyphs."

 

Be sure to click on this close up below to view the remarkable stitching in this piece. Motifs were quilted throughout the piece and the micro stippling between the blocks was absolutely unbelievable.  This was perhaps one of the most amazing quilt that I have ever seen. It was " hand appliqued, machine pieced, paper pieced, hand embroidered, embellished, and machine quilted.

I know this will sound crazy to non-quilters but perfectly sensible to fellow quilters; after attending the quilt show and visiting the vendors, we stopped at a quilt shop. :-() Mystic Maine Quilt Shop was not too far away in Chelsea, so we decided to check it out.

As we got out of the car, I repeated my mantra, "I'm not going to buy anything. I already have way too much in my stash. I'll just look." Edith and Laurel laughed as they had at all our previous stops as they knew that not one of us had left any shop without at least a small bag of purchases. I was doing okay until a magnetic force stronger than my willpower pulled me over to the batik section. The fabric third from the left caught my eye. (This photo doesn't do it justice.) The colors were unusual, so I told myself that I could not buy any yardage unless I was able to find fabrics to coordinate with it. As you can see, I did!!!

Remember: Support local quilts shops no matter what state they are in . . .

Tah! Dah! Happiness Is . . .

Happiness is . . . finally finishing a quilt started over a year and a half ago. Back in the summer of 2014,  The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims offered its members a limited time access to an instructional DVD  by Jacqueline de Jonge. The subject of this instructional DVD,  How to Make a BeColourful Quilt, was her "Happiness" pattern. Jacqueline de Jonge lives in the Netherlands, and all of her quilts are truly stunning.

I remember being so excited when I found just the right background fabric; I already had a pack of rainbow colored batiks. After working diligently to complete the top, I was then too afraid to quilt it for fear of ruining it. It has been laying on a spare bed waiting for me to get up the courage to give it a go. That happened the other day when I realized that the design and the colors were strong enough that I really only needed to stitch in the ditch, and so, that is exactly what I did. (For non-quilters, that means I stitched in each and every seam line.) I finished quilting it in just a day, and I would love to show you the back, but the thread blended so well with the fabric that I couldn't get a good photo of it.

The piece measures thirty-two inches square, and yes, it is square although this photo cuts off the edges.  It will be one of the pieces that I will have in the Herring Run Quilt Show in Norwell, MA this fall. Mark your calendars for Sept. 17 - 18th as you won't want to miss seeing all of the beautiful quilts by guild members which will be on display!!!

New Crazy Quilt Project

Two years ago I created my first crazy quilt piece which featured photos of my paternal grandmother. Now I am starting a new piece with photos from my maternal grandmother's photo album. Growing up, I liked to look at the small, faded photos from the turn of the last century. Last night I made the first block to which I will add stitching and embellishments.

My grandmother is in the top right corner. I have found that for me, "Jacquard Ink Jet Fabric Cotton Sheets" give the best results for printing photos. At this point, I am thinking of making nine six inch blocks, but that could change.

 

In my previous post, I mentioned the wonderful hand applique class that I had taken with quilter David Taylor last August. After finishing that post, I went to The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims website where I was stunned to read about an explosion and fire that had occurred at the home of David Taylor in Steamboat Springs in Colorado on Tuesday evening. He was safe as he was teaching in Chicago at the time. Most of his magnificent quilts are in private collections, but a few were lost in the fire along with his machines. If interested, you can read more about it here.

On a lighter note, yesterday my godchild and her family came for a visit. After breakfast at our local diner, the girls raced around the backyard with Emma, and then we all played a game. It's always great fun when they come for a visit.

Happiness Is . . .

Happiness is finishing this quilt top!!! It's been raining for the last few days . . . 6.7 inches, so I have been working on this piece. The pattern is "Happiness, " one of  Jacqueling de Jonge's Be Colourful" patterns. The Quilt Show has been giving its members access to an instructional video from Jacqueline de Jonge for this piece. As I noted in my previous post, this was a challenging piece. Today my friend Laurel came to quilt and I added the final double, mitered corner outer borders. Oh my goodness!!! Did I mention that this was challenging??? Yikes! Anyway, the top is now completed and I am thrilled with it.

Here are two close-up views of the background fabric used. The piece measures 32 inches square.

Having completed the piecing of the top, I can now continue work on my other time sensitive project. Meanwhile I'll be thinking about how I will eventually quilt this piece.

Latest Quilt Project

 

     The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims since July has been offering its members access to a dvd by Jacqueline deJonge showing how to make her wallhanging "Happiness" from her Be Colourful  series. Jacqueline deJonge from the Netherlands has created a whole series of stunning quilt patterns. Access to this dvd ends on October 31, so why, oh, why did I wait until last week to begin it? Beats me! The fabric had been purchased a few months ago, but somehow time just slipped away.  Anyway, here's a close up of the inner circles.

     Last night while watching the Patriots game, I added the first ring around the center. I stitched it, then had to unstitch it, and then stitched it again. Today I added the background fabric and another border.  Jacqueline de Jonge is extremely precise and her instructions are quite thorough, but her painstaking process does take time. I watch each section of the instructions and then re-watch it. On her website, this pattern is classified as a "3" on a scale of "1 to 6" indicating difficulty. I shudder to think what one of her "6" in difficulty rated patterns might entail. Actually, I do have one of those patterns for a full size quilt tucked away, and I'm pretty sure it will remain tucked away for quite a while. :-)
     The next step is to add a border of flying geese. Hopefully, I can get this part finished over the weekend as I have another project which is also under some time constraints.

Patching and Preserving

     As the weathermen predicted, the snow began following shortly after dawn yesterday, and continued throughout the day until evening. Emma and I were out at 7:00 am, and it took her about three and a half minutes of racing around to destroy the pristine first layer of snow. :-) By 10:00, the rapidly falling snow had erased all traces of her tracks leaving a perfectly smooth surface once again. When I wasn't out shoveling, I spent the day repairing some old "quilts."

They belong to a man whose grandmother made them, I believe, probably in the 1930s or 1940s back in Oklahoma. These were not decorative quilts, but rather utilitarian, simply meant to keep people warm. The bottom layer is muslin, the inner part in one case is a blanket, and they are tied every few inches with yarn instead of being quilted through the layers. 

     The fabrics themselves are an eclectic assortment of cottons and feed sacks. It appears that when something would wear out, she would simply cut a new square or rectangle from some other fabric and sew this patch on, and so that is what I have done. Some of the fabrics may have been recycled clothing items which are now quite thin.  I faced a problem yesterday as the insides of one quilt was a tangled mass of some type of twisted fiber. What to do? I couldn't insert a piece of batting as the ties were so close together. Finally, I got a bright idea. I used Misty Fuse to attach a piece of batting to the back of a fabric square which I then sewed over the worn spot. 

     The green bunny patch was one of several that I added yesterday. I try to use reproduction fabrics so the patches are not so noticeable.The "quilts" are incredibly heavy and after years and layers of patching impossibly thick to repair by machine, so it was hand sewing all day.  Actually, I didn't mind. I pulled up The Quilt Show on my laptop and Alexis Anderson and Ricky Tims kept me company while I worked.

     I feel a sort of kinship with the woman who made these quilts. These quilts mean the absolute world to her grandson, and so when repairs are needed I am happy to make them. As quilters, we can only hope that our quilts will be so loved and treasured.

     Here was this morning's view from my deck, simply gorgeous!