Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2014

Can't believe it's that time again!

Amy's Creative Side Blogger's Quilt Festival is here!

Thank you Amy for all your hard work in hosting this fun event.

Welcome to new visitors to my blog.  

I hope you like what you see. Poke around and look at my stuff!

For this festival I am showing a quilt that I just finished.

Star Fever.

65" x65"

machined pieced and quilted by me!

I started this quilt this summer at Quilting by the Lake.

Under the direction of the fabulous Victoria Findlay Wolfe.

This quilt is inspired by a quilt in her 15 Minutes of Play book.

But I super-sized it and modified the block layout.

Victoria let me borrow her giant diamond template to get started.

(I'm still hoping she will produce and sell these!)

This is the first rendition.

Then my teacher, the grasshopper, said,

"Turn it around let's see how it looks the other way."

She is always right.

Hehe.  Like it both ways.

The class helped me pick out the setting fabrics.

Loved it.

BUT . . . could find enough of it to finish.

So it languished on my design wall all summer.

Sassy V in her QBL apron for the auction.

She is a great teacher!  Take her class if you get a chance.

Now back to the star . . . 

I kept flipping it back and forth

trying to decide which way I liked it best.

 

In the end, I went with the original design.

I like the two different purples and oranges in the center,

gives it a bit of pop.

I did echo channel quilting about 3/4" apart, but VERY organic.

a pieced back . . . 

a label . . . 

a rolled end . . . 

ready to go.

This quilt is being donated to the Greenwich Breast Cancer Alliance

for their silent auction on November 6th.

I made them one last year and was happy to be asked again this year.

Kinda hoping this is a new tradition for me too!

Thanks for stopping by, hope you are enjoying all the eye candy 

at the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

Thanks again to Amy for putting it all together.

Focus . . .

Focus!

I have none.

Nada, not an ounce.

Not a drop.

Does that ever happen to you?

Usually I'm pretty good, I can stay on task for the most part.

But lately . . . 

I am all over the map!

I started cutting a new quilt a few weeks ago.

I need to hang a huge piece of batting on the wall so I can lay it out

and sewing it properly.

Okay, skip to the next then . . . . 

I got sucked into Pat Sloan's quilt along.

Don't know why, just thought it would be fun.

I love a mystery quilt.  Hehe.

Made this a few weeks ago.

I had a bunch of made fabric laying around, so I just did it.

Then I thought a medallion quilt,

so I started making a few of these to go with it.

Yup made three and moved on.

Wanted to try this x and + block,

ended up making 13 . . . 

(Maybe all of that can become a quilt together!)

Have a swap quilt to make that needs to be done soon.

I know what I'm going to do, now to just do it!

And these little lovelies arrived on my step this week too.

Aren't they fun?

Seahorse scissors for the redheaded mermaid!

So there you have it.

All over the map.

No focus.

Maybe that should have been my word for 2014!

Check out all the other words by quilters over here.

Futzing Sunday . . .

It was one of those weekends . . . 

I had nothing really planned and so I was scattered.

I did some errands, I went to the movies,

I cleaned, I read, I went for walks . . .

I didn't really focus on all the sewing I wanted to do.

I have just finished two quilts, so where to start?

I gathered up all of the scraps laying around my sewing table,

and started sewing them together

a la 15 mins play.

I also had some plaids to play with

and made a block for a possible challenge.

That one needs to brew.

Then I got the fabulous news that this little darling has finally arrived!

Almost 9lbs!  

Ouch!

I don't start a baby quilt until the baby is here.

It's just . . .  well . . . you know.

This darling little girl has a nursery with a beautiful

tree painted on the wall by her grandmother, my dear friend.

I'm told hot pink and grey are the prominent colors.

Not the tree, but the rest of the room!

I hardly ever cut a whole quilt first,

but this is a block I want to try.

Nine blocks and we'll see what happens.

Glass of wine for inspiration, right Earamichia?

On another note,

I joined a gym today.

Time to get this old bag back in shape!

But I can promise there will be no running!

Yoga yes, weights yes, running NO!

Hehe.  Really, it's not good for your joints.

I'm serious!!

Little Things Everywhere . . .

This week has been spent working on little things.

Very tiny little things.

I took up Victoria's Miniature Challenge.

Create a 12 x 12 quilt using very tiny pieces of fabric.

She was inspired by some little Amish quilts,

but you could make this anyway you wanted.

I had just bought bunch of solids because one of my friends said to me,

"You never work with solids."

You just can't let those kinds of things just sit there!

So off I went,

cutting tiny pieces . . . 

Making little bits of "made" fabric.

They look so cute, like little multicolor crayons.

Each little block is 1.25" square.

I used a very tiny seam allowance.

The nine patches measure 3" square.

I quilted it very simply. And the binding was a snap!

Of course when the binding is only about 48"

it feels like you are doing a corner every five minutes!

I used my new Juki to do the quilting!

I just love it!  I am still getting used to it, 

but boy is it fast!

The other littles I did this week included

these two mug rugs.

I joined an online swap through the Quilting Gallery.

It's the first time I have done one of these online swaps, and it was fun.

The theme was "Fall"

So I had to do flying geese!

They were shipped off today to my swap mate in Texas.

Hope she likes them.

on another note,

I saw these cute little dish towels in the city last weekend.

Don't you just love his mustache?!!

So what little things have you been up to??

Greatest Possible Trust

 This past weekend took me to Lowell, MA 

and the New England Quilt Museum.

I had never been to Lowell or the museum before.

Lowell is a darling little town.  Lots of charm.

The Museum is in the historic district.

I was there for the Roots of Modern Quilting exhibit,

and to see my friend Victoria's quilt.

She is doing a series of her Double Wedding Ring Quilts,

and this one is number three of twelve.

Greatest Possible Trust!

It is awe inspiring to say the least.

These photos are courtesy of Victoria,

(the museum allowed photography, 

but you couldn't post them to your blog or website).

 I don't have a close up of the quilting,

so that means you will have to get yourself up there to see it in person!

It is wonderful!  The detail is amazing.  You can see all twelve quilts in Victoria's series next June

at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts.

I am going to try to make it to Wisconsin next spring, 

so this is definitely on my list!  

Victoria also loaned out her grandmother Elda Wolfe's

quilt for exhibit too.

There were a few rooms that displayed quilts from the 70's, 80's and 90's

during the last resurgence of quilting.

These quilts show that "modern" quilting has been around for

a very long time!  There are always artisans that push the envelope

no matter what the time period.  So refreshing!

 Well, since I can't show you any of the other yummy quilts

at the show, here is a stained glass window in the gift shop.

Hehehe.  

I headed to my family after the show,

We had to stop in Salem for a walk about,

October is their busiest time.  

And the people watching is hilarious!  

Even the animals have costumes.  I don't have any pics, 

I always feel intrusive if I'm taking a photo for my own person twisted sense of humor.

Finished up my donation wreath too.

Just needs a big red bow.

I think I will try making it out a fabric.

If it doesn't work, there is always wired ribbon right?

Happy Columbus Day!  Hope you enjoyed your day.

Medallion Quilt, the saga continues . . . .

I have been slowing working on this medallion quilt

for a donation to the Breast Cancer Alliance for their silent auction.

I thought I would use up some of the blocks from my fractured quilt,

But they seemed to uniform.

So I tried making those same blocks with contrasting fabric,

some wonky pinwheels . . .

Better, but I need more movement.  That blue and yellow one crashed with a thud!

Still, something is missing . . .

The pinwheels were all going in the same direction,

so I made one in the opposite direction and Voila!

There are more to be made!

It's moving in the right direction now,

But . . .  It needs something else.

I think I will brew on this for a bit.

As promised here is the inspiration piece from Material Obsession.

I think I need smaller pieced blocks.  And spiky things.

Hummm.

on another note.

I am working on these beauties too.

From Victoria's 15 min play class this past week.

That girl knows how to push you out of your comfort zone!

What have you bee up to??

A day of tremendous fun!

Today I got to play hooky from work and spend the day in the city

with the fabulous Victoria Findley Wolfe!

She was teaching one of her amazing classes and I just couldn't pass it up.

(Check out her post of our day together here.)

An added bonus was the peeps in the room!

Emily was my table partner and made me laugh all day.

As well as trying to steal my pieces to incorporate into her own.

You have to watch her every minute!  :)

Our cheeky teacher!

She really knows how to rock a class room I tell you!

 Great tips on thinking outside the box.

She showed us a few techniques we were all eager to learn.

Very supportive!

Here is one of the pieces I worked on.

A much easier foundation piecing than I have used in the past.

I need to figure out what my center will be on this one.

I also brought along my blocks from Victoria's color challenge on her 

15 mins play site from a year ago.

I am stuck. I need some help from the pro.

These are my "yoga" stars.

Victoria encouraged me to move them around 

and mix it up.

Earamichia suggested making them the center of a bigger block.

Another idea was to make them a border and fill the center.

All great ideas!

Thanks for the help ladies!

The beginning of the day had me diving into the scrap table!

Really!  So much fun!  If you get a chance to take one of Victoria's

classes, you should!  Get on that already!

Thanks V!