Once again it's been a long time since I've posted. It seems the entire world has changed in that time. It's a sad and difficult time, but a time with the promise of better things to come. Many have stepped up to make masks for medical personnal, friends, relatives and strangers alike. Others have peacefully shown their support for equal justice regardless of skin color. For many of us quilters, our quilting passion is the little bit of solace that we need in this time. I wouldn't be honest if I were to say that the events of the past months haven't weighed heavily on my heart, and turned me into something of a recluse. Today I posted some pictures to Facebook of quilts that I have quilted this year. I have more, but I've been having a difficult time getting them off of my phone. As usual I have missed getting pictures of a few quilts. Just par for the course here. A couple of days ago I finished another quilt top. At some point I have to start adding my quilt tops to my quilting schedule. Yesterday I had talked with a friend about not adding new customers, today I added a new customer. I can still sneak a few of my own quilts into the schedule, right? Sure I can. I haven't taken any pictures of the new quilt top but I do have a picture of another top I finished a couple of months ago. It is a combination of fabrics from my friend Mary and my fabrics. Mary loved animals so I thought this pattern was a good one to honor her.
Hopefully I will get this quilted in the near future as I plan to quilt an edge to edge pattern on this quilt. Happy quilting! Mary
Once again the quilter’s Christmas party was postponed. We had heavy fog with below freezing temperatures, making for the possibility of icy roads. The party is now scheduled for our regular meeting date in January. Now I’m doubly glad I didn’t make my mug rug with a Christmas theme.
For the January meeting we are making 12 1/2″ blocks using the leftover challenge envelopes from a few years back. Each year the group defines a challenge which can then be entered in the competition at the county fair the following year. The challenge we are using for next month’s blocks consists of an envelope with a shape and a sample of fabric. The blocks must contain the shape in the color that was in the envelope. The blocks will then
be assembled into a quilt to be raffled off at the 2020 fair. My envelope contained a egg shape with a blue scrap of fabric.
Contents of Challenge Envelope Since the shapes in the remaining envelopes are likely to be circles, rectangles, squares, and stars, I don’t want to make something that looks like an Easter block. I have thought about using several of the egg shaped pieces as flower petals to make a flower, or as leaves on a tree. There aren’t too many blue flowers or tree leaves out there but that’s the best I have come up with to date. Any suggestions or ideas would be more than welcome. Just comment below.
Today I baked kolaches for the family for Christmas. I decided to use unbleached flour this year. It is amazing how different they turned out compared to when I have used bleached flour. They are much less fluffy. Since I can’t eat them, I am not sure how much difference there is in the taste.
Normally I make my gluten free kolaches before venturing to the well-glutened variety. For some reason my organizational Zen has abandoned me, and I ended up making the regular variety first. That was probably not a good idea as it added quite a bit of extra work scrubbing everything down to prevent cross contamination. My gluten free kolaches did turn out to be much moister and softer this year. I’m not sure how that happened but I’m good with moister and softer.
Happy Holidays everyone, and for those of you in the cold regions of the country, stay warm!
After postponing the Cedar County Piecemaker’s Christmas party due to weather last week, it appears as though the weather will cooperate this week. Our exchange is a mug rug or coasters. My initial thoughts were to make a Christmas themed mug rug. After thinking about it a little more, I decided that a mug rug that would be appropriate for a greater part of the year would be more practical. Yup, that’s me–practical.
I had found a quilt pattern that featured a variety of cups and mugs that I thought was cute. Why not make one of the blocks for a mug rug? It turned out to be an easy block and I did use colors that are somewhat wintery. The block is from a quilt called “In From the Cold” by Kate Spain. The full pattern can be found here: http://www.unitednotions.com/fp_in-from-the-cold.pdf. Someday I would like to make the entire quilt. There are additional ide
Since I may not be back for a bit, I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays, whatever holiday it is you celebrate. May the season bring you peace and joy.
Yesterday I finished quilting a Christmas wall hanging that is somewhat special to me. The quilt kit was purchased by a very special friend, Mary, who passed away this year. Another friend of Mary’s pieced the quilt for Mary’s husband. I squeezed it in so it can be bound and ready for Christmas.
Mary’s quilt, pieced by Sue
I did get the block in the previous post fixed. It turned out to be quite quick and easy. It appears that I won’t be working on more of the Forest Floor blocks until after Christmas. We will be celebrating Christmas on the weekend before, and with having a couple more quilts to finish this week, time will be at a premium. I have yet to put up the Christmas tree and decorate, bake goodies or start any other preparations for the holiday. This may be the year to delegate some tasks.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Our son and family were here and it was the kind of day you don’t want to end. But end it did. There are still the memories to warm the heart and draw a smile.
Unfortunately the weather forecast kept me home on Saturday, when I had planned to journey out to the quilt shops for bag day. If you have a bag from this year’s quilt shop hop you get 20% off your purchases at participating quilt shops. Since I do actually need a couple pieces of fabric I thought it would be a good day to go.
This evening I pieced together another block for the Forest Floor block of the month. I had hoped to get two done but they always take more time than you think they will. Granted, had I actually gotten a block done every month when I got the pattern and fabric the quilt top would be done. Not sure it would be quilted. I pressed most of the seams open on tonight’s block. When I started the blocks, most of the seams were pressed to one side. There are several places where the needle will go “thunk” while quilting if it hits places where there are multiple layers of fabric . That sound always give me a moment of anxiety.
Have you ever gotten a block together and discovered a mistake? As I uploaded the picture I immediately spotted a boo-boo, so I guess I’m not done with this block. Hopefully I can get it fixed without taking the entire block apart. I wonder if I should take pictures of the rest of the blocks. It is much easier to spot mistakes on a photo than just looking at the block. Time to pull out the seam ripper and start frogging. Sigh.
After a very long absence I have decided that I would resume my blog. I have been posting pictures of the quilts that I have been quilting on Facebook. Since I’m kind of a private person, I feel rather exposed there. I don’t post much of what is on my mind, just pictures. A blog just feels more personal–more of a place to share what’s going on among a more intimate group. I may have that all wrong, but hopefully not. I will still post pictures on FB, but share a little more of my process here.
It is the Christmas rush season. Today was one of those days where absolutely nothing went right and it seems I didn’t accomplish a thing. I had planned on getting a smallish quilt completed today but the thread I had ordered was not in the box that arrived today. For some reason the shipment was split so I’m hoping for the thread tomorrow in the 2nd box. If not I will have to formulate a plan B.
I will leave you with a picture of a cute panel quilt that I recently completed. I love the birds, and actually have a canvas picture that has similar birds hanging in my bath. Please forgive the distortion, I had to drape it across the couch as there was no one here to hold it up for me. It has a water design quilted edge to edge which is a good look for this quilt.
Happy, Quilty, New Year! May little aliens appear and help you get those UFO’s finished, then travel back to wherever they came from. May your stash diminish and your quilts multiply. However, if you are like me, your stash grows faster than you can sew that fabric into quilts.
Yesterday I was going through my scraps and stash trying to find fabric for a project that the quilt group I belong to has going. I would pull out pieces of fabric, saying to myself “you don’t need this, it is just an odd piece”. Then I would find another piece of fabric that coordinated with the first piece, and back into my stash it would go. There’s a quilt there, I would think. I can’t deny those fabrics the chance to be joined and live happily ever after now– can I? I did force myself to pick out a half dozen pieces and take them with me. I was so proud–it is difficult for me to part with any of my stash. Sometimes I have a hard time using a particular piece in my own quilts, thinking I will need it even more for another quilt down the road. I know there is a better soul mate out there for that piece! I wonder if there’s a term for such behavior. Oh, yes, I guess it’s called being a fabriholic. And if you do a Google search you will find there are plenty fabriholics out there. I typed in fabriholic and got 28,600 results in .35 seconds! Wow.
Aunt Catherine’s quilt top
So as I was digging through the totes I came across some fabric that I inherited from my mother. Now my mother inherited fabric from probably a half a dozen other sewers/quilters. Mixed in with that very old fabric were 2 quilt tops. I reverently picked up each of them, and carefully studied them, trying to figure out who had pieced them. One of them I am pretty sure I know the maker. The pieces had been hand pieced, then resewn with a sewing machine. That little piece had probably been pieced by my great aunt Catherine. She would piece quilts, then give them to my mother to tie for her. Mom would sew the seams with the machine, as aunt Catherine as we called her, was very elderly and could no longer do the quality of work she had once done. There are seams on the top that were zig-zagged in addition to being sewn in the seam line. The seam allowance was very small so I’m guessing that mom zig zagged over it to make sure it stayed together. Mom was like that. If she did it, it was done well.
Larger quilt top
The 2nd top was larger. That top is very neat, lays perfectly flat with no pleats or tucks. It has held it’s press for probably 40 years. It has “mom” written all over it. Mom was also fabric wrinkles’ #1 enemy. She pressed almost everything. As I turned it over and examined the back, however, I wasn’t so sure. All of the seam allowances weren’t the same. Mom’s precision wasn’t there. Of course that was a different era of quilting. These fabrics are old. I wish I were better at dating fabric. But I’m pretty sure this was done before my mother started working outside the household in the late ’60’s. If it was a top done by one of the neighbor ladies it would be older than that. Also my mother, as far as I know, always made quilts with wonderful pieced block designs, or embroidery that would be accented by her beautiful hand quilting.
And as I pondered these tops and their makers, the tears began to flow. I realized how much I missed every one of the women that may have constructed these tops. I miss their goodness. I miss their company. I miss their conversation, their homemade goodies, their comfort and warming welcomes. I miss how they made me feel–safe and loved. I wish I could give each and every one of them a big hug, and tell them how much they meant to me. But alas, they are gone, most of them gone for many years.
So now I am left to ponder the quilt tops they left behind. Some people say that antique quilt tops lose their value when they are finished with new fabrics, and quilted by machine. I am thinking they lose their value when they are no longer loved. I know my children will not want them. My daughter, being the practical, no-nonsense, no clutter (like her grandmother) person that she is, will probably throw them in the trash. So perhaps I will finish them, maybe with a soft flannel backing to make them soft and more lovable. Maybe then they won’t be thrown away, maybe they will be given to the Salvation Army or St. Vincent De Paul Society, or a homeless person so that someone will use them for the warmth they were meant to provide. And just maybe someone else will love them.
So many wonderful quilts I want to share! Today’s quilts are quilts I have quilted for my customers. So much color, variety and fun!
Vicky’s quilt is a beautiful combination of blues. It’s color and striations are reminiscent of the sea, and therefore it is quilted with an angelfish pattern.
Remember the stories about people who accomplished the things that had always been considered impossible, because the person who accomplished the task didn’t know it couldn’t be done? Well, there is nothing like a non-quilter to teach this old quilter what can be done when it comes to quilts! Megan had a vision of a quilt, but is not a quilter. I agreed to make a baby quilt for her, and when I opened the box of fabrics she sent, I was surprised to say the least. I knew she wanted fabric from a bridesmaid’s dress included in the quilt, and I knew she wanted Minky on the back. I had not, however ,expected cotton duck, which is a thick heavy fabric for those of you who are unfamiliar with it. Very unlike quilting cotton. She sent a wonderful selection of contemporary colors and designs, and I was up for quilting “outside the box”. I think it turned out will, as I hope she does. The quilt should serve the baby well, being thick and soft enough to provide cushion and insulation from cold hard floors. The minky backing will also be soft against baby’s skin. The navy fabric is from the dress, and the small blocks are minky. Top Back
Lianne brought me a very cheerful and colorful scrappy log cabin. The quilting design is an edge to edge called Roll With The Punches.
Lianne also had a pretty Thimbleberries quilt, which I custom quilted.
The Sandy Hook shooting took place at the time that Lianne was working on this quilt. The number of circles matched the number of victims of the shooting, so this quilt is dedicated to those who died. Each circle contains a unique motif and there is a quilted starburst for each circle, as they move through space towards the golden star.
My quilting “partner in crime” aka shop hop friend, put together blocks that had been pieced by her neighbor’s mother. Even though I’m not usually a big fan of the color pink, I love this wall hanging, with it’s traditional charm.
