If you follow me on Instagram @kamiemurdock, you know I have this little addiction called the "la Passacaglia," an english paper-pieced quilt project from Willyne Hammerstein's book Millefiori Quilts, published by Quiltmania. Occasionally, I get a question or two about some of the supplies I use. -I purchased my paper stock templates from paperpieces.com. They are precision cut, and oh, so accurate. -Glue-basting is my preferred method of preparing my shapes, so I use a water-soluble glue pen (Sewline). -My thread of choice is "Bottom Line," a 2-ply polyester by superiorthreads.com. They even have a ring available with an assortment of colors to aid the matching process. Light grey is also good at blending with multiple colors. This is the start of my first rosette, or cog. Some of my seams were cut a little too narrow (1/4"). I would recommend giving yourself more to work with, up to 3/8". Sooooo, I don't have a preferred needle to recommend at this time. (Several have been harmed in construction thus far). I have snapped multiple brands, sizes, etc. and I know its related to my technique. FYI timeline: I've been chugging along with this project off & on for about five months, starting and completing other quilts and machine sewing in the meantime. Taking an occasional break to work on something else has often helped me refocus with this! As you can see, quality control is pretty fierce around here... Kamie
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When I was in Houston in 2016 my special exhibit was right across the aisle from the beautiful Millefiori exhibit with all the beautiful English paper pieced quilts inspired by Willyne Hammerstein and I became fascinated with English paper piecing. I did a few pieces out of fancy silks but then I began to wonder how
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I’ve been in touch with numerous English Paper Piecers working on the La Passacaglia Quilt, and they have all said that getting started was the hardest part. In this post Ill provide a step by step…
I am so excited to finally be able to share this beautiful quilt with you, I have been working on it all week and if you follow me on Instagram you would have seen a few work on progress pictures. This quilt belongs to Megan and the pattern is called Arcadia Avenue. This is a very challenging pattern to piece and Megan did a fantastic job. She asked for custom quilting and shared some pictures of quilting designs she liked for inspiration. The first thing I sketched was the diamond design as it would be the focus in the background fabrics. I knew the rest of the background should be clean lines as the piecing is the main focus and my quilting should enhance the piecing and not take away from it. I used So Fine white thread in the background and Invisible MonoPoly thread in the blocks. The backing thread is was white Bottom Line. Megan sent Warm and White 100% cotton batting. I'm so happy with how flat this quilt lays after quilting! Here are some close up picture of the blocks so you can see some of the quilting designs. I used the quilt the pattern designers had made for Quilt Market in 2014 for quilting inspiration, you can see it here. Some blocks I quilted very similar and other very different. The are all a mix of stitch in the ditch, echo lines and free motion designs. Sorry for the picture overload but since I haven't posted in a week I thought I better make up for that! We had a lot of snow fall this past weekend and it was-26'c with a -32 windchill when I was out taking these pictures this morning. Brrr! We have been having a very mild winter this year so I'm not complaining!
English Paper Piecing patterns, the trend, resources and links to great inspiration. A technique that is a must try if you are a quilter!
De vingerhoedjesquilt in volle glorie. Het is helemaal goed gegaan in de wasdroger, en mijn Lief is er zeer blij mee. Hij kreeg 'm immers al in de afgelopen julimaand voor zijn 50e verjaardag,... ;o) Het zijn er precies 6552. De linker en rechterbies is gemaakt van vingerhoedjes aan de voorkant die op de helft zijn omgeslagen naar de achterkant. Doorknippen vond ik eeuwig zonde,... ik wil hele hoedjes, geen halve,... De bies aan de boven en onderkant is een smal randje van de achterkant dat is omgeslagen naar de voorkant. Er zijn allerlei lapjes in gebruikt in roze, rood, oranje, wit, beige, lichtgeel, zwart, bruin, blauw, groen,... Van die laatste 4 niet zoveel hoor, gewoon af en toe voor de lol omdat er een mooi plaatje op stond. Hoeveel verschillende lapjes er in zitten? Geen idee,... Het patroontje voor de mirakelse hoedjes komt uit het boek "Small Blocks, Stunning Quilts" van Biz Storms en Mary Elizabeth Kinch,... Mijn vingerhoedjesquilt,... oeps,... de quilt van mijn lief meet 2.40 bij 2.10. En is zo als altijd helemaal met de hand gemaakt. Dit was het laatste vingerhoedjesverhaaltje, de vingerhoedjes zullen nu niet meer zo vaak langs komen, tenminste wat dit Supergoofblog betreft. Maar op een show & tell natuurlijk wel,... ;o) Fijne dag allemaal.
When I was in Houston in 2016 my special exhibit was right across the aisle from the beautiful Millefiori exhibit with all the beautiful English paper pieced quilts inspired by Willyne Hammerstein and I became fascinated with English paper piecing. I did a few pieces out of fancy silks but then I began to wonder how
I have been working so hard to complete projects and orders. It is time for me to pamper myself. This bag has been in the work-in-progress list since last year. I just couldn't find time to complete it. These few weeks, I tried to focus mainly on this bag ONLY. I will be going back to Malaysia for holiday, YAHOO ! We are planning a few days trip to Bali too. I just can't wait to go back........ ^^
Can't find an attribute, but love this piecing, appliqué, stitching!
Jenny Clouston had been making since a young child. Her reward is the process; in the actual doing, creating and stitching.
I don't know about you but there are times I get sick of continuously threading needles. Like, when I am tacking a quilt or sewing paper piecing shapes by hand. Then I saw some one with a continuous thread needle...
My friends and I decided to pool our fabric and that way we'd get a lot more variety in our quilts. It's been a lot of fun playing with fabric but it took us about a week (on and off) to organize and cut out what we'd need to make this quilt. Here's a picture of some of the 1 inch strips that we've been cutting. It's really quite insane (LOL!) when you start to cut out the entire quilt at one time. But, I think in the long run it'll make it easier. I almost have the 440+ half square triangle squares sewn and I've started sewing strips together for the nine-patch and four-patch blocks. I think the title of this quilt may be a bit understated! Especially after cutting out all of the fabric at one time. But, I'm up for the newest challenge and it's been fun working on "Omigosh." My quilt group started this quilt at the beginning of this year and I wanted to start it then but I had too much on my plate at the time with work, kids, & homework, etc. Because of my unexpected surgery I'm also a bit behind on "Dear Jane" but I haven't given up. I just need to get school behind me and I have a graduate graduating from High School on Friday. After that I'm ready to put the pedal to the metal and accomplish something this summer! I'm certainly not lacking in the list of things to do on my project list, it's just putting them in some sort of priority. At the top of my list right now is "Dear Jane" and "Omigosh" after these two quilts are done I think I will have earned some sort of endurance award for patience, diligence, stick-to-it-tiveness, and an "I DID IT" Trophy! LOL! I'm excited to keep at it! I've actually set my sewing machine up in my kitchen dining area so I can sew at any given moment. I want to utilize every possible fraction of time I can find. That's my #1 plan of attack! You have to have some sort of plan to attempt these two kinds of quilts. Don't you think? I've included a few pictures of the components to the Shoo-Fly Block that also has a four-patch block on point. It's hard to conceive how small the blocks are until you make them. I laid the blocks on my cutting mat so you could see that the trimmed up four-patch block is just 2 inches and when it's sewn in on all four sides it finishes at 1.5 inches. That's practically INSANE! Here's the completed Shoo-Fly block with the four on point four-patch blocks! Unfinished the block measures just 5"x 5" and when it's sewn into the quilt it will finish at 4.5 inches. It's so darn CUTE! I can hardly stand it! It just makes me giddy to look at and it makes me that much more motivated to keep sewing and watch it all come together into a quilt. I've finished the double nine-patch block but I haven't taken pictures of it quite yet but I will post those pictures tomorrow if I get a minute.
Available for purchase and download from SnapDragon Snippets, in the Silhouette American online store: "Print & Cut" paper foundation to stitch a 4" pineapple block. (NOTE: you can just print it and rotary cutter or scissor trim, if preferred.) This tutorial will assist with construction of this block, which is a machine paper foundation (MPF) technique wherein fabrics are stitched in a prescribed order to a printed paper diagram, then the paper is removed before the rest of the project construction. Basics of the process can be found in a separate tutorial in this blog for the Log Cabin and the Square In A Square blocks. Here is a preview of the stitched and trimmed block. (I left the thread clippings in place for realism, of course.) This is the foundation as it is printed. You will need one printed foundation for each block you will completed. Print (or photocopy multiples) onto regular weight type or copy paper. NOTE that the diagram will cut (Print & Cut) just beyond the outer bolder line. That line is the FINAL TRIM line. Trim photocopies the same way, with about a scant 1/8" margin. NOTE that each space or "patch" area has a number and a color VALUE designation. Use the light background fabric scraps in "light" areas, and the colored scraps in the "dark" areas. Measure the "log" or strip finished width for one of the #10 or #11 logs, then add 1/4" seam allowance to inner line edge, and measure to beyond the outer trim line. (Then add a little or round up to a reasonable, regular measurement.) The gauge indicates that 1" strip width will work for this block. Measure for the center square #1 patches by adding a seam allowance to each side of the drawn square. The gauge indicates that 2 1/4" to 2 1/2" squares will work for this block. Measure for the corner triangle patches that will be used in the #12 and #13 areas. The triangles needed will be "right angle triangles", so these can be cut in pairs by determining the required triangle size, then enlarging slightly, then cutting the square with sides determined by the "legs" that meet in the right angle corner. The gauge indicates about 2 1/4" here, but to make the positioning and stitching easier, cut the squares at 2 3/4" x 2 3/4", then rotary cut in half on the diagonal. This project will be "scrappy" so I am selecting 7-10 fabrics for each color grouping from my collection, then cutting strips, squares and rectangles according to the measurements determined in the previous frames. Here are the "log" strips and center #1 squares. Check the first image on this tut to see that I will use the brown "darks" on two corner runs diagonally from each other, and the orange "darks" on the opposite corners. I will use the cream for all "lights". Here are the corner patches. Note that all corners will be "dark" in the layout following the prinited diagram. For my selected block layout, opposite corner pair will be from my "orange" group, and the other corner pair will be from my "taupe brown" group. Step 1. Use a straight edge (here, a book mark) laid along the corners lines only for this block, and crease the corners back toward the print side of the diagram. This will assist with corner placement in the final construction steps. NOTE that the diagram is print side up as the folding of the paper takes place. Step 2. "See thru the paper" to identify where the center squares #1 is, then use a dab of fabric glue to temporarily hold the patch in place. I have highlighted the outline of the #1 patch for visibility in this photo. Place the cut fabric patch with backside of fabric to the backside of the paper diagram. Step 3. Identify patch #2 and the color of the fabric strip that will be used. NOTE that with the Pineapple block, the numbering sequence can be set up with pairs of numbers. Here, I am pointing to the two #2 patch areas. On opposite sides of the construction so joining doesn't interfere, these can be stitched one after the other, before pressing, so the process is somewhat more efficient. Step 3. Place the light strip to be added FACE UP on your cabinet or sewing table. Turn the paper diagram over to be PRINT SIDE UP so the lines you will stitch on are completely visible as you prepare to sew. As you do that, the center patch will also be FACE TOGETHER with the strip being added. You will stitch on the solid line BETWEEN patch #1 and patch #2. Position that line approx. 1/4" from the RIGHT HAND cut edge, as this image shows. The strip will be laying mostly under the center #1 patch, and only the seam allowance is under patch #2 -- the place where the strip will eventually end up, once it is STITCHED and then PRESSED BACK. Adjust machine stitching to about HALF the length of regular piecing straight stitches. Begin 2 stitches before the actual beginning of the line, stitch across exactly on the line, then stitch 2 stitches beyond the end of the line. Don't back stitch. Do clip threads away close. Turn the foundation over. It should look something like this. Press the strip that was attached back, away from the orange squares that is patch #1. You can trim the strip straight across 1/4" beyond the end of the stitching just completed. You can also trim any extra seam allowance to a scant 1/4". Step 4. Repeat the strip positioning, foundation positioning, stitching, trimming and pressing process for the other patch #2. Steps 5 & 6. Add the #3 strips, one at a time, and press back. Your foundation will now look like this. Step 7. Identify the fabric to be used for the first patch #4. Here my "dark" is rusty brown (part of my orange "half" selection; the other color selection for my block is a taupe darker brown). Follow the same positioning, stitching, trimming and pressing back process as for strips #2 and strips #3. Step 8. Identify the fabric strip for the other patch #4 and add it. Step 9. Identify the strips for patches #5, then add them to the construction. Step 10. Continue adding the light strips for patches #6 and #7. As each strip is joined, the excess corners of the previous "rows" can be trimmed to be the same 1/4" seam allowance, even with added strip's seam allowance. Step 11. Continue adding strips in ordered pairs following the color notations on the diagram. Here the block has been completed through patches #9. Step 12. Add the final light rows, patches #10 and #11. These strips fall at the straight side edges of the foundation, as you can see. As these are pressed back into their final position, the outer raw edges should extend beyond the final trim line of the diagram (which can be seen from the print side of the diagram better than here). Step 13. Identify the areas for patches #12. These will be corners. Instead of the STRIPS previously being joined. Select a cut triangle (see the image and text before Step 1) then add as shown in the following few images. Fold the triangle back over the diagram print as shown. I have highlighted the actual stitch and trim lines of the triangle on the backside of the diagram for clarity here. Place fabric triangle FACE UP on work surface. Position the construction FACE SIDE TOGETHER over the triangle, then adjust the exposed paper triangle area so that the fold edge is approx. 1/4" from the triangle cut long edge, with the remainder of the triangle shape (red lines) falling within the perimeter of the fabric triangle edges. (This image is in process of positioning.) Here is the final positioning. Now carefully UNFOLD - that is, return the corner to its flat position, but don't allow anything to shift. Pick up and carry the work to the machine throat plate ... ... and stitch the seam. Step 14. Begin the stitching at the paper's edge, stitch across exactly on the line ... ... then sew OFF the other edge of the paper. Final or edge seams are completed this way because no other seam in the sequence will stitch across the end of the line to secure it. This way, the stitching will be complete through the edge seam allowance, too, which is better for the joining of blocks to blocks process. Press the corner triangle back into its final position. The fabric edges should extend beyond the paper diagram edges. Step 15. Add the appropriate color triangle to the other three corner positions to complete the construction of this block. The fabric edge shape of the completed block should appear somewhat ragged. Place the completed block FACE SIDE DOWN on rotary cutting mat. Use rotary ruler and cutter to trim excess away by cutting EXACTLY on the bolder outer solid FINAL TRIM line. Here is one block trimmed. Step 16. Remove the paper sections by working in reverse. Fold a corner patch #13 back on its stitching line, then tear corner away along perforation. Continue to remove all paper, working in same reversed order. Here is a four-block candle mat that I completed using this foundation. With added 3/8" and 1" borders, plus binding, it measures approx. 10 3/4" finished. Finished candle mat just the right size to host my antique orange glass grapes. Won't be hard to find a place to feature this little quilt in my decor this autumn! Certainly you can conjure a perfect scrappy color scheme for your decorating needs come Autumn, Christmas, Valentine's Day, 4th of July, or whenever. Here is another pineapple foundation project, though the foundation for this wall quilt uses as 6" block (may be available at a later date through Silhouette America) which has more "log" rows. Hope this has been a fun paper piecing experience for you. Watch for other foundation block patterns available through SnapDragon Snippets and Silhouette America's online store. Also check for other foundation piecing tutorials on this blog. Happy piecing!
I thought the hard part was done when I finished piecing the arcs for this project. The original design calls for the background to be the same color as the lighter stripes…or as the darker s…
I have been on a total paper piecing kick as of late! In all honesty, I was kind of avoiding this quilting technique as it seemed a little strange (and possibly like I was cheating) to use paper templates to stitch blocks together. But it is really fun! (If not a little time consuming.) The end results are stunning and the technique ensures nice crisp edges. Plus you can create really intricate designs that would otherwise be a real challenge to quilt. I had visions of a quilt with butterflies and was thrilled when I stumbled upon Lillyella's paper pieced butterfly patterns. Having never attempted paper piecing, I thought this would be a fun project to tackle. Since I'm a newbie paper piecer, I followed some recommendations from 3 and 3 Quarters on using larger scraps of fabrics to make my life easier. This was a great tip and one I would encourage anyone to follow if trying paper piecing for the first time. Essentially, you attach your fabric to the back of the paper pattern and then stitch on the printed side of the paper following the stitch lines. Each piece is marked with a letter and numbers. The first piece you start with is always #1, which I glued down to ensure it didn't shift on me. Once my first piece of fabric was in place, I then folded back the paper along the line separating section #1 and #2, leaving a 1/4
While checking out one of the blogs I follow, Civil War Quilts, I follow this blog so I can draw the blocks in EQ 7. While there I saw a quilt with this wonderful Double Flying Geese border. Scroll to the bottom of that post. The quilter is Lois O and this is her link. Of course this border intrigued me. When I saw her drawing I thought I can draw this in EQ 7. I did but to be honest I had to draw it first on graph paper, and then it was easy! Shape Tool So here is a little tutorial to draw it in EQ 7. I made the block lay out, twice as long as it is wide. There are 6 geese, so I divided the length into 6 even segments. To make drawing easier I made my block 6" x 12". Each line I drew across the block I divided into thirds. To do this you need to use the shape tool, the second tool from the top on left is the tool you use to divide lines in half or thirds. This is on an Easy Draw block. This is a very handy tool for drawing complex blocks. Be sure to click on the little red square to open the menu. Menu and lines divided into thirds These dots for the thirds helped me line up the points for each goose. On the right is the menu for the shape tool, which allows lines to be divided. Here is a close up of the triangles for the geese. There are some extra lines that need to be removed to make the sky larger around the geese. The same area with the extra lines removed. To delete the lines, use the Pick tool, the top left hand side tool, click on the line, it will be bold, and use the delete key on your key board to remove the lines. Here is the completed and colored block, be sure to add your dimensions to the Notecard so you remember the correct size of your block. Remember EQ 7 default size for all blocks is 6'' x 6". You can draw this block in easy round numbers like I did and then change the size to print your paper piecing paper to fit your quilt. And here is the paper piecing pattern. Now wasn't that fun! I think I even know the quilt I might use this one. If it isn't too busy. Happy Stitching and Happy EQing!
Crafting Magic Fabric Lookbook Crafting Magic by Maureen Cracknell. Constantly reinventing the boho style, Maureen Cracknell invites you on a magical journey through creative illustrations of majestic creatures, hand-drawn florals, and glistening colors.
Explore Edy Patchwork's 230 photos on Flickr!
Printable Pineapple Pattern is a delightful and versatile design that can add a touch of tropical charm to various arts and crafts projects. Whether youre a seasoned crafter looking for a new pattern to incorporate into your creations or a pineapple enthusiast seeking a fun way to express your love for this exotic fruit, this printable pattern is perfect for you.
This quilt kit includes the fabric needed to to make one SQUARE THROW sized Retro Blossoms quilt...
We normally have our local guild meetings every second Thursday evening of each month during the school year from September through June, as we meet in a nearby elementary school cafeteria. However, sometimes we have to move the date due to something going on at the school … like this month! Our first meeting is this Thursday…and it just dawned on me that I had not done anything with our summer challenge fat quarter! At the same time, I received an invite to a dear friend’s daughter’s house warming…sooooo, this little project turned out to be a “Twofer”. I love Twofers, don’t you?? I used some batik charm squares along with the purple batik fat quarter given for the summer challenge, to make a table runner that I can show at the guild meeting in two days… and then it will be a gift, along with a matching candleholder and autumn candle, for the housewarming gift!! YAY!! A Twofer!! Then, after making the table runner yesterday and going out this morning to find the candle holder and candle, I got home to remember that I wanted to make a new guild name tag. The one I had was made in 2000 and is beyond grody!!! Yucko!! Time for a new one!!! So, I spent this afternoon making a new one!! I saw this one on Pinterest and thought it was so cute! (http://megsmonkeybeans.blogspot.com/2012/02/petite-piecing.html) So that gave me the idea to make my nametag with a sewing machine on it! I snagged this logo off the Bernina newsletter to use as my inspiration!! I used graph paper to plan out my little sewing machine block. Then went through my stash scraps to find the perfect fabrics in fun colors. I knew I wanted to attach it to this cute sewing themed pin, which would make it easy to put on! It was really fun to create…and not a hard as I thought it would be with such tiny pieces. I am pleased with how it turned out and will be ready on Thursday now for our guild meeting!! Sooooo, whatcha working on???
Moonlit wonder awaits with our free quilt pattern made with Woodland Keeper by Maureen Cracknell. Get inspired and find it all on our lookbook!
After a couple of weeks of being able to do nothing but hexies I desperately wanted to start a new quilt. I do have a large number of quilts to finish but I just had to do something new to blow ou…
Jo Morton - Andover - Love this one. It is so fun to see how they turn out. Here is a little trick to help you with fabric selection. You will need your diamond template, fabric and a mirror. My mirror was a gift, thanks Nicole. She got it at Sephora. Lay your template on the fabric like you are thinking about cutting it. Look in the mirror and it gives you an idea of how it will come out. Neat trick, I learn a lot from my customers.
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I hope you are planning on on joining as as we Fussy Cut our way through 2014. Each Friday this year I will post a picture of a Fussy Cut Star. This is to keep you and ME motivated. At the end of the year we should have enough stars to make a beautiful quilt. So lets get started. Use the tutorial below to see how I make my stars. I am using this fabric as my focal fabric and to control my color palette. We no longer have this fabric. Here is the information. Mill Girls by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Brothers #4149 Use your acrylic template cut diamonds. I like to use a grease pencil to mark the details of my layout. I also like to use this 18mm rotary cutter so I waste as little fabric as possible. Cut six identical diamonds. Lay the paper template centered on the wrong side of the fabric diamond. Be sure to line up design. Using a fabric glue pen add a small dot to opposite sides of paper template. It goes on blue but dries clear. Fold two opposite sides of the fabric diamond onto the paper template. Press the seam allowances into the glue to make them stick. Repeat on the other two sides. Repeat to make 6 identical diamonds. Sew Diamond together in sets of two. Hold two diamonds right sides together, lining up edges and design. Thread needle with a color that will blend. I like to use YLI cotton quilting thread and sharp needles. Join six diamonds to create three sets. Join two sets together. Add the third set. This is what the back of your star will look like. Finished Star. Wasn't that fun.
Master the art of FPP with our gorgeous star and circle block designs. Discover lots of free foundation paper piecing pattern templates with Gathered.
Have you ever made a “One Block Wonder”? To make one you place 6 layers of the same fabric on top of each other lining up the patterns exactly, and then cut them into triangles then sew each group…
Quilt Along! The original Patchwork of the Crosses, a HUGE English Paper Pieced Quilt made by British Author, Lucy Boston, has long been on the bucket list of many a quilter, and because of that, held little appeal to me. Everyone else had made one, or started making one. Why did I need to? I had a
I love blogs. I can get lost in them. That's the problem... I can also waste a lot of time - but is learning, being inspired, and seeing what everyone else is doing a waste of time? I think not. Facebook? Well, that's another story. I haven't figured out their real value. Yet. I'm not in a hurry to learn, either. So, this month, I am once again behind on all of my projects. Nothing has gotten finished, little has gotten started, and yet the first of the month came rapping on my door. Hello? Anybody home? I was out of town for most of the week (more on that, later), and when I got home, a blog post from a friend of mine popped up on my laptop: Denise Green (an amazing friend and longarm quilter) had just posted photos from her trip over to see the quilt show in Kerrville, Texas. Here's what I found interesting about her post: since she's a longarm quilter, her view of quilts is different than mine. So are her photos and comments. I emailed Denise and asked if I could use her blog for my blog. Answer: "I'd be honored!" I'm actually the one that was honored by her quick and positive response. What I thought I'd do is to show you all of her photos along with her comments... and then add my own comments. It's interesting to see how we both view the same quilts. If you want to catch up on Denise's blog directly, you can find it here: http://hollydeequilts.wordpress.com/2013/05/31/its-a-quilt-show-kerrville-style/. Let's get this conversation started, now. Denise's words are in italics. Mine are plain old straight up and down. D: We arrived at the show and my friend, Susie, met us there. She is a member of the Hill Country Quilt Guild and had a few quilts in the show (with ribbons on them!). One of Susie’s quilts – I quilted this for her – her quilts are a delight to quilt – she is very good piecer and I love her colors and pattern choices! S: I love how Denise quilts Judy Neimeyer quilts -- she honors the pattern but adds her own spin with feathers, spikes, swirls, and unique designs. The color choices on this one are great. D: (This is) Susie’s Prairie Star (a quiltworx.com pattern) – yes there is a ribbon on the right side! S: Well deserved, I'd say! D: I quilted the quilt below for Susie earlier this year – I really enjoyed this one! What I enjoyed almost as much was I sent her my king-size triple 4-patch to quilt and I just got it back. That was a GREAT TRADE! S: I love the soft colors in Susie's "Love is in the Air" quilt. It's from a Lori Smith pattern. I especially love the use of all those golds and blues and browns in the sashing strips. Are those are four-patch sashings? Yes! D: (Susie) added the pieced sashings as well as the applique border. The pattern had plain sashing and border. S: I love those sashing strips. I wish I could think of things like that! This picture needs to go into my folder of "great ideas." Susie machine appliqued the non-pieced blocks/borders. She did a nice job with that. D: This quilt of Susie’s ("Sew Many Colors") was made as a block of the month from Pinwheels and Posies. Each block is the same (except for fabric placement), Susie quilted this one! S: Pinwheels and Posies is a local quilt shop in Dickinson, Texas. They did this block of the month a while back and it clearly turned out nice. If Denise hadn't pointed it out to me, I don't think I would have noticed that the blocks are all identical. There's a lesson in there for all of us about the importance of value (how light or dark a color is), as it can have a dramatic effect on what a block looks like when you are finished making it. D: Another student, Linda B, was also working at the show and had a ribbon (or 2) on her Glacier Star Quilt that was started in a class I taught at Pinwheels and Posies. I love how she added to the main body of the quilt with her “tucked” border and this beautiful Jason Yenter print. S: If you have a chance to take a Judy Niemeyer class from Denise (her workshop schedule is posted on her blog), it's worth the trip. Denise is an excellent teacher with endless patience for anyone and everyone. In general, I'm not a fan of "cheater cloth" pre-printed borders and blocks. The border on this quilt, though, is really wonderful and frames the quilt nicely!! D: Kim’s quilting (her longarm business is called "A Busy Bobbin") was honored with the ribbon for Best Machine Quilting – WELL DESERVED! Our local longarm bee is excited to have Kim as our speaker Monday night at our monthly meeting. She and Linda B. will be joining us and talking about the rulers Kim uses and how she fills all that empty space with all of that gorgeous quilting. S: I am spoiled rotten by living in an area filled with quilters -- Denise started a longarm bee quite a while back, before it seemed that nearly everyone had some sort of quilting machine. She schedules speakers every month for the members -- and I can't wait to go to hear from this speaker. Look at the unique combination of quilting designs in this quilt.... D: (Here is...) Linda's sweet mini! S: Sometimes it's the little things that count, right? I want to point out that the Kerrville guild puts a wooden clothespin on every quilt. Quilt show attendees can then grab the clothespin to see the back of any quilt without having to hunt down a white-glove lady. What a great idea! D: I took several pictures of quilts that I enjoyed the setting of the blocks. I love how (Holly Nelson) set these blocks. S: I love the wonderful quilt edge, too. And setting those blocks inside a scalloped circle... wow. Holly designed these blocks for an applique class she taught in Fredricksburg, Texas. D: Here's another great way to set blocks. S: Love the blocks. I wondered where Holly Nelson planned to put this piece and was able to read the tag on her quilt, which said she designed this quilt for applique classes in Bandera, Texas - and the layout was an "experiment" as she's running of space for wall hangings. D: This is a great setting for those hexie blocks. S: I love the rich reds against those deep gray-greens and yellow-greens. The information on this quilt says that "Perseverence" was made by Merry Ann Rothe and quilted by Donna Scofield. The pattern is from "Quilts from Grandmother's Garden" by Jaynette Huff. This is a delightful quilt and the quilting makes it come alive. D: I love Stephanie Brandeburgs panels – I like how this quiltmaker broke up the panel. S: Carol Pope made "My Summer Garden" by using a 22 by 44" panel because she liked its shape and design. Her quilt was quilted by Donna Scofield (I hope I read that right; the label was pretty blurry...). I am always amazed when people can take something like this big panel and have the confidence to slice it up and add some long pieced and printed strips. It's wonderful! D: Great bargello quilt – I love the addition of the leaves in the border. S: You're right Denise - this is a great combination of a contemporary bargello design and a set of classic pieced blocks. Don't you love the little green piping between the outer border and the binding? Little additions like that make the difference between a good quilt and a great quilt. And the quilting is wonderful, with feathers ruffling their way across the bargello and a great leaf shape on the maple leaves. D: And the quilting ideas I find at shows! S: I have so much to learn! Denise is right - the quilting is phenomenal and offers lots of unique ideas for quilting; it changes from feathers to pumpkin seeds to cross-hatching without missing a beat. "Pottery II" was entered by Linda Humphrey, who says this was a "pass around" project of the Sew Bee It Bee. Linda made the center block and then passed it to each bee member to add a border. Other bee members include Helen Ridgway, Anita Crane, Holly Nelson, Marilyn Lampman, Ro Molder, Isabelle Tolliver, and Marvene Wallace. The finished quilt is 38 by 21 inches. And it won a Judge's Choice ribbon! D: Amazing quilting! S: Absolutely. Great ideas here! D: Gorgeous quilting! S: Ditto! This quilt, called "Walking Home," was made by Julie Schlichting. D: Awesome quilting! S: Tremendous! This 16 by 18 inch quilt, called "Desert Hills," was made by Jane Kutach. It was inspired by a workshop with Karen Eckmeier in 2012. D: More quilting to love! S: I do! D: Quilting! S: This is a great example of how to fill a square without just doing "doodling" in it! D: And these were just fun quilts; the colors are probably what draws me in. Love the colors for the Wild Goose Chase – a pattern by quiltworx.com. S: I was attracted to the design (how did they do those flying geese -- I would assume paper piecing?). And I love that diagonal border! D: Love the color in this one too! Great block! S: Yes - this block is incredible, both in the body of the quilt and in the border. My bucket list has a Lemoyne Star quilt in it.... hand pieced with 3 or 4 inch stars. D: Isn't this little mini pretty? S: I love the rich reds and greens. This quilt is another round robin quilt, with each person (Marvene Wallace - owner - and Anita Crane, Linda Humphrey, Marilyn Lampman, Ro Molder, Holly Nelson, Helen Ridgeway, and Isabella Tolliver) adding a border. The entire process took 8 months to complete. That's dedication! D: Bright and colorful... S: Yes - and a lot of work! D: I love the poppies on this grey scale quilt (that's hubby in the photo). S: This is another beauty! Kerrville has some pretty wonderful quilters in its midst! D: This was a group quilt. They started with a photo, cut it apart. Each member of the group was given a section of the photo to reproduce in cloth - and now you see the quilt put back together. I think this would be really fun to do - what do you think? S: These quilts have always intrigued me. I see them all the time in the Group Quilt category at the Houston quilt show... and they are stunning! This quilt is called "Infinity Interrupted" and was made by Wanna Bee members. D: See the seams? This shows where each member's work was added! D: I am not usually a fan of T-shirt quilts - but this one I love! This was a wonderful t-shirt quilt! S: I agree Denise -- I love the random way the t-shirts were added. D: And of course, I left the BEST for the last - Best of Show went to this beautiful quilt - this pattern is Ladies of the Sea by Sue Garman. Sue is a friend of mine and she was working on this quilt when we travelled to Brigham City, Utah, a few years back. If I remember correctly, the compass corner stones were inspired by some wall art in the facility where she was teaching (I went as her helper because I am originally from Utah). It is a marvel to watch Sue work - she is AMAZING! I hope Sue will enjoy the substitution this quilt maker made to the original quilt. The submarine honors a family member if I remember correctly. D: (Here is a) substitution to the original quilt (which is all tall ships). S: What a gorgeous rendition of this pattern! I love when people personalize quilts and make them speak to themselves or their families or their experiences. It makes the quilt extra special -- and the USS Carbonero is a great substitute for another historic ship! UPDATE! Thanks go to Susan Longacre who Chaired the Quilts in Motion Quilt Show of the Hill Country Quilt Guild in Kerrville, Texas. She sent me some additional information on this quilt. The maker of this quilt is Barbara Woodman, a very accomplished quilter, formerly of Uvalde and now living in Kerrville. She won ribbons for: First Place in Category, Best of Show (large), and Viewer's Choice. The most heartfelt information is that Barbara made this quilt for her husband who served on the USS Carbonero submarine but, unfortunately, he died before she finished the quilt. This quilt is such a beautiful legacy for Barbara and her family - and I thank her for sharing it with other quilters. D: Scrumptious quilting! S: Boy, you've got that right! I'm so sorry I don't know the maker and quilter's name for this quilt -- it is SO well done! D: I hope you enjoy my tour of the Kerrville Quilt Show and if you are in the area for Memorial Day weekend in 2015, you should add this show to your list of activities. S: Absolutely! What a great set of quilts - and definitely a beautiful town to visit! Thanks, Denise, for sharing -- I appreciate your friendship so much. Isn't it great that quilters seem able to make friends with complete strangers in a heartbeat? That's what happened with Mary Clendennen when I met her a few years ago. We bumped into each other at the Houston quilt show and she was so excited that I had gone over to Austin to see their quilt show and her quilt had just won best of show and I featured it in my blog back then. She is just the sweetest person you could ever hope to meet -- and we parted, saying we ought to get together some time. So here we are, a few years later... and we bumped into each other at two more quilt shows... and she again invited me to come visit her for a few days. Below is her quilt, "Ruffled Roses," based on the pattern I wrote for Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims' on "The Quilt Show." I just love the fabrics in it - all from an Elly Sienkiewicz line. But most of what makes this quilt so wonderful is Mary's exquisite piecing. I've never seen such precision! Here is a close-up of her quilt -- take a look at the piecing, but also the quilting (done by Angela McCorkle). Quilting can make or break a quilt, and Mary is certainly fortunate to have found someone who knows the craft well. By the way... Mary doesn't applique (yet), so she had a friend prepare the pieces for her and then appliqued the prepared units in place. She's determined to learn applique in the future. And so..... last week, I headed over to Marble Falls. Mary lives on her ranch along the Colorado River, which, when combined with the sweet blessings of Mary's warmth, hospitality, and friendship, gave me a piece of heaven on earth. I spent several days with Mary and her friend Marcie Wendrock and some others -- sewing, learning, relaxing, and enjoying my first time away from home in several years. It was a sweet breath of fresh air. Watching Mary work was an inspiration, in itself. Check out one of the blocks she had made: Do you want to know why it was such a joy to see her work? Because she is the QUEEN of precision piecing. I learned that I need to pick up my pace if I want my blocks to be as good as Mary's. But wait! Wait! There's more! Check out the back of her block. Look how she works to press the seams open! It was a great "light bulb moment" for me to see her block from the underside. It's perfection, plus! No wonder her quilts look so great. When I arrived, here is the quilt Mary was working on. She finished adding the final two borders while I was there, and was on to other projects. You can probably guess, by seeing the block above, why Mary's quilt lies perfectly flat. Some of the gals were working on Jo Morton quilts.... And Marcie was designing and working on a brand new quilt based on an antique. I fell in love with it and can't wait for the pattern to be done. You'll have to wait to see it... but the wait will be worth it!!!! One of the women there showed some quilts -- here is an antique spools quilt... And a close-up of it... And Zell Cook's quilts were stunning - she does a lot of quilts using tsukineko inks and embroidery - here's one with very detailed embroidery work in it. And a close-up of one of Zell's blocks... Now that I've finished sharing all those photos, one of you might be asking... but what are YOU working on, Sue? I've been working on lots of different things... and have no photos to share this month. Hang in there - they will show up soon enough. And I think you'll be glad I've kept busy, busy, busy, getting my next quilts ready. Several of you asked how they could find out what my lecture/workshop schedule is. Here is an incomplete list; where the location is undisclosed, it is because the group has asked that they be the first to announce me coming: June 15, 2013 - Lakeview Quilters Guild, Nassau Bay, Texas - precision piecing workshop June 29, 2013 - Sugarland Applique Society, Sugarland, Texas - applique workshop July 1, 2013 - Baytown Area Quilt Guild, Baytown, Texas - lecture July 15-16, 2013 - Hill Country Quilt Guild, Kerrville, Texas - lecture and feathered star workshop August 5, 2013 - Piecemaker Quilt Guild, Corsicana, Texas - lecture October 7-12, 2013 - location undisclosed; lecture and several days of applique workshops October 17-20, 2013 - Greenbriar retreat center, Athens, Texas - lecture, feathered star workshop, applique workshop Late October/early November - reserved for the International Quilters Association quilt show, Houston, Texas Winter, 2014 - 4-5 day personal workshop in my home, demonstrating design, process, etc. February 23-27, 2014 - Applique Away on Galveston Bay, Galveston, Texas - two 2-day applique workshops March 5, 2014 - Coastal Prairie Quilt Guild, Missouri City, Texas - lecture and workshop May 20-21, 2014 - Marble Falls Quilt Club, Marble Falls, Texas - lecture and workshop June 4, 2014 - Alvin Quilt Guild, Alvin, Texas - lecture June 24-25, 2014 - Ozark Piecemakers, Springfield, Missouri - lecture and workshop August 21, 2014 - Pride of Prairie Quilters, Naperville, Illinois - lecture and workshop September 17, 20, 2014 - West Houston Quilt Guild, Houston, Texas - lecture and workshop September 9-14, 2014 - location undisclosed; lecture and several days of applique workshops October 25+, 2014 - reserved for the International Quilters Association quilt show, Houston, Texas April or May, 2015 - Northwest Suburban Quilters Guild, northwest Chicago, Illinois - details to be determined June 18-20, 2015 - Trinity Valley Quilt Guild and Denton Quilt Guild, Dallas area, Texas - lectures and workshops Late October/early November - reserved for the International Quilters Association quilt show, Houston, Texas Much of my time over the past two months has been spent preparing for these workshops. I like to have plenty of examples of how to do things, including options for those who want a simpler or more unique option. Perhaps we'll get to meet at one of these events in the future! One more thing before I close. I am struggling with a creativity block. I want to start a new quilt - probably a block of the month - and cannot seem to focus on anything that really grabs me. So... what have you been looking for, what is your favorite type of quilt to make, what would you like to see me design? I'll listen to any ideas you have! Happy stitching - Sue (c)2013 Susan H. Garman
I've just come back from our twice annual quilt camp and what a fun time we had. Lots of creativity happening over the two days as you can see... My effort was to play around with these lantern blocks. I'm recycling small blocks, some vintage, from other projects as the centres. I'm liking the look already. Natasha has finished her NYB quilt - wow. So many different blues and creams. And the highlight for our family recently was my brother's marriage to the gorgeous Maureen. He didn't even make this fabulous pic but there we all are. I hope she can keep up!
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