Quiltmaker News

I know, it's hard to believe that I'm writing another blog post. Two days in a row...

I've been working on another quilt for Quiltmaker the past few days and these aren't my normal techniques. The applique, I'm fine with. I actually love to do this kind of fusible applique with my Janome. I use the Blind Hem stitch and set the width to 3.5-4 and the length to almost .5

Makes a nice faux buttonhole stitch, as my machine doesn't have a real buttonhole stitch.

This technique is new to me although I've seen my friend Angie do it at retreats. It's turning out nicely although takes quite a bit of time.

More Quiltmaker news:
Have you picked up the latest Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks issue?

 

Page 8 features a quilt that I assembled and quilted. I made some of these blocks at the Old Tippecanoe Quilt Guild retreat at Camp Tecumseh in September this year. 

I didn't go to bed Saturday night after 1:00am, I think. I was bound and determined to get this quilt put together.

 

I came home from the retreat, loaded it on Mabel and quilted a meandering feather design on everything except the white border, which had feathers too. I applied the binding and it was on the Fedex truck Tuesday headed for Colorado.

Would you like a copy?  I have a few extra copies of this magazine, so leave a comment on this post and If I get more comments than I have copies, I will draw some names Thursday, December 4th and I'll send you one.

Quiltmaker Color Options Quilt Tops

Here are a couple Color Option quilt tops I made for Quiltmaker this Spring.
They are both in the July/August 2014 issue, in your mailbox and on sale now.

I worked on this one at our Spring Break Retreat and I thought for sure I wold have it finished by the end of the day on Thursday. HAH!!! It was well into the day on Saturday before it was complete.

This one is Climbing Roses by Jo Moury and is 57" x 57". There were a LOT of pieces in this little quilt top.

This one was is Luminous by Ann Hansen and was made using Olympic fabrics, which fit just perfectly with our retreat theme of Spring Break at the Quilting Olympics.

Really big pieces in the lap size quilt that I made in an afternoon.

Color Option quilt tops are frequently given away in drawings by Quiltmaker, so check out their blog for your chance to win one of these.

Quiltmaker, Turning Points Color Option

In March I worked on the Color Option of Turning Points by Carolyn McCormick for Quiltmaker. A Color Option is just a top that I assemble and send back to them to show how a published pattern might look with different fabric and values.

This one had 208 paper pieced units, 104 of the red and 52 each of the blues.

It really went together well, with only a couple seams not in the correct orientation for nesting.

The quilt is pictured in the July/August ’13 issue issue of Quiltmaker on page 23.
Here is the original quilt:

The background changing from positive to negative shows just why they show a Color Option.

Chain-Link Fence

At the end of 2012, I had the pleasure of sewing a quilt for the newest Quilts from Quiltmaker 100 Blocks issue.

I was very happy with the finished quilt and so proud to have my name in print, but sad that I had to send it back to them.

Here's the quilt:

And here are some close ups:

I think the blocks each had 52 pieces!

Here's the center and then a shot of the border fabric.

Quilts From Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks

A few months ago I pieced, quilted and applied binding to this beautiful quilt for Quiltmaker Magazine.

The diagram really looks different than the actual quilt, much more mutted.

The quilt went together rather quickly and the quilting was an edge-to-edge leaf design.

The applique blocks were done by Pfaff and sent to me.

So, hurry out to buy the magazine, and check out page 24, Don't forget to join Quiltmaker for a fun day on September 4th.

Catching Up On The Blog!

Janet reminded me today that it's been almost a week since I posted and I don't know where the time goes.

Since I was here last, I made 9 blocks for Quiltmaker's Block Party in Williamsburg, Virginia. Unfortunately, I won't be attending, but my blocks will be there. I was given the color palette, Americana and these are the fabrics I pulled from my stash:

I got to chose a block from one of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks issues. I chose  from the first issue. I have kept one and the other eight were mailed to Quiltmaker. After the blocks are exchanged, I will receive 8 different Americana blocks back.

I'm not sure why I didn't put mine up there also, but I didn't. Dan came into the sewing room as I was packaging them up. He said I needed some in-progress shots for the blog and he took these.
The bottom right photo was taken a while back at the beginning of my weight loss, that's me on the right. I have lost almost 30 pounds so far. When I saw the photos that Dan took, I knew I needed something to compare them to. Quite a difference, I'd say!

Another project for Quiltmaker is in the works and these are my very pretty Robert Kaufman 1930's prints:

They are all cut up and I started piecing this evening.

Design Wall (floor) Tuesday

I know it's Tuesday again, but here is my design floor. I've outgrown the wall and now, most of the sewing room floor. I have begun to stitch the blocks together in diagonal rows.

There are going to be 2 and a half more rounds of dark brown blocks and then it's done.
I have this many ready to tear the paper off of and then about 30 more to make.

Here's my fabric choices for Quiltmaker's Block Exchange. My colors are to be Americana and I pulled all these from my stash.

What's Going On Around Here?

Not really a question, just a few things to blog about. I've been very bad about blogging lately.

Tomorrow I'm driving to Indy to attend the Indiana Blue Star Salute. I've never attended this event, but I'm told it will be a fun day.

I got this fabric cut up to make another quilt. Here's a peek at them before the stitching started.

Speaking of peeks....here's a peek at Laura's baby shower quilt. She had attendees write out their sentiments and then she embroidered them, exactly as written. What a cute idea!! What a lot of work, but so worth it.

Spring Break in Vegas Projects

It was a wonderful retreat and I'm ready to do it all over again. My committee members Julie, Marla, Angie, Debbie and Peggy were great and although I hesitated to delegate too much in the beginning, I appreciate all their work.

I did get a couple things finished at the retreat, but not very much.
I made this wall hanging for my stepson and his wife to give to some friends who are moving.



Then I sewed these pieces that were leftover from this quilt together using the Baby Bricks pattern. I have this terrible habit of keeping leftovers thinking I'll make something else when I should be cutting them into strips or nickles, or 2.5" squares or something. I have a basket of ziplock bags full of this kind of thing. Anyway, I'm happy with the results here.




I got a good start on my Starry Eyed with Countdown to Christmas fabrics. I ran out of kona cream because I had put kona white in the tub by mistake. Luckily, I had some cream leftover from the above wall hanging so I could get started. I had another piece at home so I have worked on it a bit more this week.



Sunday afternoon I finished the borders on this one, which I must quilt this weekend after I do 2 quilts for Cherry.

Today is the Big Reveal Day

You may remember that in December I was working on a secret project. Quiltmaker magazine asked me to sew and quilt a quilt for an upcoming issue. I completed it in 3 weeks and very sadly, I shipped it off to them to be photographed. Lucky for me I had almost enough fabric to make one more for myself. I had to order more border fabric from Hancocks of Paducah and it arrived just so I can get the top completed before I leave for camp on Thursday.



The Quilts from Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks magazine hits the newsstands today and you have a chance to win a copy of it on the Quilty Pleasures blog.

Here's my name in print:



Here's a picture of the whole quilt:



And here's my current quilt in progress:



The flowers will be raw edge appliqué, done on the long arm and the vines are bias strips and will be stitched down on the long arm also.

A Good Mail Day!

First, I received my Hands 2 Help package from my partner Cassey. I love the fabrics and will spend some time this weekend figuring out what pattern to make.



Second, I received this cute little pack of Moda fabrics, for sending in my "Just One Star" block. How cute are these and I certainly wasn't expecting anything form them.



Third, I got my copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks and all I can say is WOW, there are some stunning blocks in there.



I really need to finish quilting Barb's Turning Twenty quilt, but I want to play with my new stuff :(