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Saturday, May 27, 2017

A whole bunch of randomness!

I did it! I updated my Tuffets Tute to show how I have had the greatest success making a smooth closure on the Tuffets. You can find it in the tabs under my header photo, or just click here.
In order to get photos of the process I made another boxy pincushion--the little purple and cheddar one. This tiny thing finishes at 2" square.
If you look closely you can see a pin head on the bottom edge of the dark pincushion. I hadn't stitched it closed yet. : )
And, as you can see, I couldn't resist taking the little Dresden to the dark side. I love the way a black background makes colors pop!

If you recall the block Lisa Bongean designed for The Splendid Sampler, you may recognize the center of this. Lisa called her block "Dedication Rose", and it was designed for needle turned applique, but I did it in wool.

And then I gave it a few borders to make a little medallion quilt out of it.

 My red/white mini Burgoyne Surrounded was intended to be entered in our State Quilt Guild Jubilee show of red/white quilts, but life happened--and my entry did not. It would have been the first time I entered a show. I finally got another block made. I am making this square, so I only have 5 more blocks to go.
I think it is fun to see how much the 97 pieces in each block shrink as you assemble them.

 


Since everything is already cut for the whole quilt, and some of the little units are assembled, you may wonder why I haven't whipped this up faster. I'll tell you--because it takes so much concentration!! More often than not I am sewing at night and I am too tired to think this hard. But I will say that the red/white version is easier than the black/tan/cheddar version that I did a couple of years ago.

The beast has been set aside for a while now, but I have completed all of the quilting in black thread and white thread. I'll probably do the gold, light blue, and bright green blocks next, but I am struggling to match those greens with a thread. I'll do the grey and navy blue blocks last. There are a lot of those.



If you have followed me for any length of time you know how much I love red/white/blue projects. Take a look at these two free patterns by Stacy West (Buttermilk Basin) available from Henry Glass.
On the left is an 11" x 17" wool applique pattern and on the right is a little pieced quilt about 22" x 28". Oh, I want to make them both. You can find the pattern links here.




I debated whether or not to share this. You have seen a lot of my Mom's quilts lately. But here we go. On Mother's Day the women's auxiliary organization of my Mom's congregation held a little reception with a fruit/veggie buffet after their meeting. 
They featured as many of my Mom's quilts as she could gather. I had to go get photos, but I will just share one I took when I slipped in early, before the women arrived. There are 15 of Mom's quilts displayed here, all hand quilted in her tiny stitches. The quilt in the corner won sweepstakes at our county and state fairs many years ago. It went to the Houston show, too. It is a simple Irish Chain--the thing that made it win is Mom's quilting.

One more random thing, after sifting through the comments on my giveaway and weeding out the No-reply comments that didn't include an email address, the random number generator chose a winner for my drawing. Gayle (middlesister blog) is our winner. Gayle already had the book, and she graciously offered that it be gifted to another winner. So back to the random generator and this time it selected Kristie (cowgirlquilter blog). Congrats to you both. Your winnings will be on their way soon!

Until then,
Janet O.

p.s. Thanks to everyone that left a comment on the giveaway. I enjoyed hearing from so many that usually don't say much. I had 21 "no-reply" comments this time--more than ever. I appreciate the six that left contact info in their comment. If you are "no-reply" and you don't leave your email address in your comment, you are not entered. Sorry, it is just too complicated to deal with winners that can't be contacted. This is supposed to be fun. : )



 



37 comments:

  1. I can't sew anything complicated when I'm tired either!

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  2. another stunning mini quilt janet...and what a legacy you have in your mom's quilts...beautiful!

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  3. Your tutorial is great......such detail and tiny work. I always marvel at it. The red and white is beautiful.....slow and steady and it will be a winner in my book:)
    As for your Mom's quilts.....you just show as many as you want, and just as often as you want, because I enjoy her works of beauty and art. I know how overwhelming it is to gather a life's work--or some of them-- of quilts in one place. It can take your breath away. thank you for sharing.
    As for the giveaway...I think I missed that and is the winner alive? Lol. So congrats on the blog anniversary. So glad you do blog!

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  4. I was reading your tuffet tutorial. I had no idea how you created those squared look little pillows/pin cushions. Does not look too hard.
    Do you have an idea of what size the little Burgoynne Surrounded quilt will be? So many tiny, tiny pieces. It will be a treasure when done.

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  5. I love the new postcard! (Is it new? My memory is not what it used to be!) I love your little tuffets - and I agree on the black background - it really shows off the colors. I wish I could see detail on all of your mom's quilts - that is so fun - what a nice honor for her. And of course, I absolutely love your Burgoyne quilt - I need to make a tiny one like that. I'll add that to my list! And another on my list is a T-shirt quilt for my mom. I have got to get that done this year!

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  6. Negotiations with the winner? sound interesting.
    I absolutely love your little wool appliqlue' the sparks of yellow and pink are so cute! Your R&W BS is just incredible. i think i have mentioned that I made a regular sized one it was HARD for me, so I can't imagine working with those tiny pieces.
    Your pincushions are so sweet. Thanks for the tutorial.
    You are the Small quilt Queen!
    Thanks for sharing the photos of the reception. What a nice event to feature your mom's beautiful quilts. All hand quilted - wow!

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  7. How wonderful to have so many of your Mom's quilts gathered in one place! How lucky we are to share a love of stitching with our moms...I always how lucky I am to have inherited a love of fabric from my maternal grandmother...

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  8. Not sure if she wants to win!?? Lol your mom's quilt show is amazing; such beautiful work. I was looking closely at your red and white quilt. Those white squares are no bigger than your thumb nail!! I just cannot even imagine seeing something so tiny. Those free patterns are gorgeous and I will check out your tutorial. About your monster tee shirt quilt...when you change thread colors, do the colors on the back of the quilt change too? Love reading all you've been up to...always so much pretty!!

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  9. How wonderful to see all your Mom's quilts displayed! You have a lot of sweet projects going, but I agree--it's hard to find time to do it all--especially in the summer!

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  10. Thank you for sharing that wonderful tutorial of the boxed tuffets. Really clear and helpful tips! And what a treasure of your mom's quilts. How touching to celebrate her creativity and skill. My mom loved to garden so we enjoy plants in our yard from her cuttings.
    I remember your black, tan and cheddar Burgoyne. This red one will also be beautiful. Hopefully one will make it into a show someday. I've been quilting a little over 20 years and this is the first year I am putting one in our local quilt show. It takes a bit of effort to do it.

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  11. I finish much the same way but picked up a couple of tips from your great tutorial! Thanks! I also use that same funnel! I must do that Burgoyne Surrounded!!! I located the pattern in Miniature Quilts when you posted about it before but if I remember correctly you made it even smaller. So nice to see all your moms quilts displayed!

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  12. So many wonderful projects. How wonderful to have so many of your Mother's quilts brought together. She was a prolific quilter. Hugs

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  13. Thanks so much for sharing your tips for the tuffet! Your blog posts are always so inspirational! Your mom's quilts are wonderful -- what a treasure to see them all together -- please keep sharing it all!! Your tiny quilts are so amazing!

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  14. What a wonderful display of your Mother's quilts! No other decorations needed at all for the occasion! I bet there wee ooh's and ah's all around for a long time. Very much like I do every time I read your blog, and this post is no different! Again, your work amazes me. ---"Love"

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  15. Congratulations to both winners!! What a wonderful tribute to your darling Mom!! The pincushions are the bomb and I want to try those cute patriotic patterns!! And the only thing I can say about your red/white mini, other than it is amazing, is that you are kinda nuts!! :-))

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  16. WOW!! Your mom has been making quilts that are award winners and you're just NOW sharing that??!!! I'd love to see the details!!!
    And your minis? Pin cushions?? (I'm so glad you're making use of the dresden plate pattern... I may send you some other minis!!). I'm going to try to make that little square pin cushion using your instructions. Thanks.
    And the red/white?? Seriously??
    Love the wool applique as well!
    And thanks for the free patterns.
    ps: there's a small something on its way to you for someone else...

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  17. What a wonderful tribute to your mom's beautiful quilts and artistic talents. You follow in her footsteps with your precision piecing and machine quilting. Mother and daughter, both fabulous quilt makers.

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  18. What a delightful tribute to your Mom. Wish I could have seen her quilts. I bet she is mighty proud of you and your beautiful accomplishments as well! Now you must finish that baby Burgoyne!

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  19. All of your quilts are darling. I love the tiny piecing. Have you tried a yellow thread on those green blocks.

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  20. The Lisa Bongean mini is very sweet and I love the idea of using wool, and therefore avoid mini applique! Your mothers quilts look great all laid out, so much hand quilting should be celebrated. The bourgoyne in red and white is looking good. I hope you get some time to finish it soon. There is always next years show!

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  21. OK, fess up Janet.......do you have the tiniest fingers in the world? These miniature works of art you make are mesmerizing! I don't think I could handle those tiny pieces with my man hands though???? Love that black and tan version of the mini you shared!

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  22. OH Janet, the picture of the display of your Mom's quilts is just the best, What s celebration. It had to be overwhelming for you. It just made my heart so happy. Your new productions are very cute.
    Mary

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  23. Your mini Burgoyne Surrounded is incredible! I checked out your Burgoyne Strikes Gold too and was blown away! It is the tiniest little masterpiece, and even the quilting is a perfect choice. You must have excellent eyesight and unbelievable patience. It doesn't look like any of it is paper pieced either. Also, you are so lucky that your mother was a quilter. Mine wasn't interested and never even used the quilt I made for her years ago.

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  24. You have done a fabulous job of the tutorial. Wow such a magic display of your Mum's quilts, you must have been warmed with pride for her beautiful work.

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  25. Wow! I would have loved to see your mom's quilts in person!! What a fabulous tribute to such a lovely lady!!

    As always your projects are fabulous! Love to see what you've been up to! Alas, my blogging lags again, hopefully I'll take some time and do a post sometime!

    Blessings and hugs and prayers!!

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  26. Thanks for sharing about the free Riley Blake/Buttermilk Basin patterns. And what a tribute to your Mom and her quilts!

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  27. I've seen the Pews covered in Quilts (online) for a grandma who passed. I would love to see all of my quilts displayed that way, but I am not sure it will happen ever. Great way to honor Mother's and all they do on Mother's DAY. Your Minis are just so TINY. The Burgoyne Surrounded in Red and White so classic. So sorry life got in the way of it's being shown at the Red & White Jubilee.

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  28. I feel so lucky to have won your giveaway Janet - woot, woot! Can't wait to get more of your wonderful handmade soap! Those thread snips will be great for hand work OR machine work! I'm glad Kristie will be able to enjoy the book - it's a good one (OBVIOUSLY, since both of us bought it! LOL) I'll bet all the R.S. ladies enjoyed seeing the color and workmanship of your mom's quilts all displayed at once - wish I could have been there too! We had a family move in to our last ward named Burgoyne - made it very easy for me to remember them! I think I mentioned to you once that there is a tee shirt in my future too, so be sure to consolidate all your tips for that project so you can share them with me when the time comes! Hope you have a good weekend!

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  29. What a lovely display of your Mom's quilts!
    I can totally appreciate the brain power required to sew Burgoyne... that's one tricky tiny quilt pattern!

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  30. I love the display of your mum's quilts! How sweet and such an honor!

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  31. cute little pincushions..........
    wow lovely to see so many special quilts together.......so so special for you.......

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  32. As usual, your post was so interesting with much to enjoy! The tiny dresden plate pin cushions are so cute and I will definitely look forward to seeing your red/white quilt finished. Your Mom's legacy is amazing!! Thanks for sharing it.

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  33. How nice to see so many of your mom's beautiful quilts displayed for her friends to admire. She certainly has created some wonderful heirlooms for her family. I do look forward to seeing your Burgoyne Surrounded quilt in progress again. It will be show-worthy whenever you have it completed. It is always amazing to see these tiny creations so perfectly executed.

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  34. OMG ! I'm sorry because I'm late !
    Your tribute to your Mom's quilts is touching and now, I know why you quilt so beautifully !
    Thank you for the tutorial. ..and I love a lot your pincushions ! Very cute !

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  35. Glad that your mom's quilts are getting to be seen and appreciated by other, too. Those Burgoyne Surrounded blocks are just weensy, whew! And the wool finish is beautiful!

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  36. I always love seeing your tiny blocks. I can see why it would take patience and a rested brain to assemble your red and white blocks. That's a lot of pieces! Love how it is turning out.

    Thanks for sharing the photo of your mom's quilts. What a nice tribute to her!

    I am so glad you continue to blog. I love to see your work and you are so generous with your tutorials and ideas.

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  37. I think you must be the Queen of Mini, Janet. I can't imagine working (successfully) with such tiny pieces. Your Dedication Rose quilt is beautiful. I haven't yet used much black but I can see how the colors shine with it behind and around them.

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