Not your mother's baby quilts!

Got these sent off Tuesday and they are hopefully now at their new home in NH.
I mentioned that DD#1 didn't want typical baby quilts. These qualify, don't you think? And what fun they were to make!

My top two favorite fabric styles are Civil War reproductions and batiks, so you know I enjoyed these. Third on my list would be thrift store shirts, so I think my next baby quilt will come from that stash.

I wasn't going to put feathers on a baby quilt, but those setting triangles just called out to me, "practice your feathers!!". And believe me, I needed the practice. I draw the curve for the spine of the feather and then work my way up one side of the spine, stitching along the line as I come back down to start up the other side

 I get the quilt "puddled" around the triangle that I will be stitching, and then I get into the flow of the feathering. It is fun, even when I am rusty and have several glitches along the way. I did not unpick (my apologies to the new grandbaby).

 This is what resulted. I realize the final border wasn't stitched when I took this photo, but that's okay, because it wasn't that great. : )

These were April's blocks for those things I don't do. (BB BOM and Attic Heirlooms OOM)

Have only got them fused. May get to the stitching during the MLS soccer game on TV tonight. : ) The snowlady doesn't look like much without all of the stitched details. That will be a basket of flowers in her twiggy hands, and she will be wearing a floral wreath on her chilly brow. If you are doing the BB BOM you may notice that I added a strawberry to my tomato pincushion. Just felt right.

If you follow this blog because you like mini quilts, then you will want to stay tuned. Recently Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings introduced the results of a collaboration with Creative Grids. These rulers are expressly made to meet the needs of the mini maker. They can be ordered here (6x6) and here (3x7).

See all of the thin, little dashed lines in small increments, and the measurements written along the edges? And they have the textured surface along the bottom edges to grip the fabric.  I have been playing with them and in my next post I will be sharing my experiences and giving a thorough review. Believe me, I am thrilled! Thank you, Lisa--somebody needed to do this!!

I'll leave you with another shot of the Sandhill Crane that has been wandering a field to the north of us the past few days. Isn't he a handsome fellow, standing there in the dandelion peppered alfalfa? Don't know if he lost his mate or if he hasn't had one yet, but he looks lonely.

Oh, I forgot to mention that this month marks the 4th anniversary of my blog. One of these days a giveaway will probably surface.

Until next time,
Janet O.

Distractions

I am supposed to be back to my UFOs, after my 2 month obsession with minis to get ready for the trunk show. But what's a quilter to do when 2 of her favorite designers are running SALs at the same time? Join in, of course!

First up is Lisa Bongean's Primitive Gatherings 10th Anniversary SAL. She is doing a "pieced only" version, and a version with "piecing and wool applique". I have been trying to convince myself that I only need to make one version. Making multiples has been my downfall in the past, so I have chosen to do the pieced/wool applique version, and ONLY that version--so far. And, so far, I LOVE it!

Then Pam Buda has been running one of her Pocket Patchwork SALs. This one is called Market Day, and she offered the regular version, and a mini version. Which one do you think I did? : ) 

It is such a cute little patriotic quilt--just 16". Pam bordered hers in red and bound it in blue. I tried every red I had in my patriotic drawer, and my CW repros and I didn't feel like any of them clicked as a border. Then I moved to the blues. This was the only one I felt did anything for it, but I'm still not sure if I will leave it on. I tucked the little red dotted strips behind it to see how it would look bound in red. What do you think?

Recently I was a poll worker for a primary election. I knew turnout would be low and I needed a handwork project I wouldn't finish in the first few hours of the day. This project has captured my eye on Gayle's and Kathy's blogs. (It is from the Spring 2013 issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects.) Okay ladies, I caved!

I can't believe I actually started another hexie project. The one I already have going is 17 years old, at least. But I like this, where my old one is made in fabrics I had purchased decades ago when I started quilting and I don't care for them anymore.
This will definitely be a long term project. You can see I didn't make a ton of progress, but it is a start.

During my mini obsession in the past few months I haven't spent much time with Gidget. So this past week I found a few minutes here and there to brush up on a couple of favorite designs.

It was fun to play, but I can't believe how rusty I have become in what seemed such a short time. I need a few more practice sessions before I sit down to quilt an actual quilt.

On Independence Day DH and I drove an hour up a nearby canyon to a favorite lake. It is just a small lake and the trail that circles it is a little over a mile, and is peppered with a variety of wildflowers. We had just received our Fitbits in the mail the day before and thought it would be a good inauguration to walk the trail. It was a gorgeous day at Tony Grove.

Forget-me-nots

That was the only boat on the lake and I wished I had been in it.

Violets

There was such a variety of wildflowers, but two particularly caught my eye. We usually go up later in the summer and I don't recall seeing these two before, and they are two of my favorites. Click on the right photo to see the butterfly.

Until next time,
Janet O.

Fun With Feathers--and a winner!

A week ago I spent my morning being entertained and instructed by Sue Patten.

This woman had me smiling and laughing so much my face hurt. She is a delightful teacher, and on top of that--she really knows her stuff!

She does extensive tests on all kinds of quilting products, under all kinds of conditions, before sharing her recommendations. And her reviews have caused some companies to change their products.







The focus of the class was feathers, and she whipped them out, with all kinds of embellishments, usually controlling the machine with one hand, while her coffee cup rested in the other.

 She could put feathers on or in anything, and dress them up so that you couldn't always tell she had started with a feather. Have I already said that she did it all really fast?!? Well, she said she had slowed way down, but you couldn't prove it by me!

She had a couple of quilts to show us how she covers the territory. She can do more things with feathers than you can begin to imagine.

And she can do it all with one hand. : )

It was a really good morning. I wish I'd been able to take some of her other classes, but I am grateful for the one opportunity I did have.

This was my parting shot and just before it was taken she asked, "Oh, is my hair sticking up?" And then she giggled.


I did choose the winner for my blog anniversary giveaway on Wednesday night. I notified her right away and sent the package off the next morning--I just haven't had a chance to blog about it until now. Congrats go out to Lori, of Humble Quilts blog. I was thrilled to see her win. Hers was one of the first blogs I began following 3 years ago and she has been so fun. I love her SALs, her adventures, and her quilts!

Until next time,
Janet O.

p.s. If you left a comment on my giveaway post and you didn't receive a reply from me, you have your profile set to "no reply" and maybe you don't know it. I had several such comments this time around and only a couple of you left your email address in your comment so that I could respond. Those of you that did not get a reply, if you would like to get replies (and chances to win giveaways--currently, no one can contact you if you win) click on the link above for Lori's blog. Right below her profile on her sidebar is a badge to click on if you are a no-reply blogger. It will take you to her post about how to change your settings.

Small Talk

Just another bunch of small quilts here. I really do have some bed quilts to work on, but it has been too crazy busy this summer to focus on them.
I need to post this last batch of AAQI quilts for the sake of the SewCalGal FMQ Challenge deadline. They have been inundated with a bunch of quilts right at the last minute (like mine). These are not available to purchase yet. I will post when they are listed on the "For Sale" page.

Flowers For Market--#15,501 This is dedicated to V. N., a long time acquaintance who raised a very large family and supported them literally with the work of her own hands. Even after this disease had begun its inroads into her mental abilities, she would cut the flowers from her garden every Saturday morning and have her caregiver help her take them to the local Farmer's Market to sell.

These flowers were made with 1/2" hexie papers and the quilting is just "straight line" around the hexies and sashing.

Furrowed Brow--#15,502 In memory of an old friend E.H., with whom I spent many hours, over many years, doing volunteer work in our church and community. For a time she would recognize me, even after her mind was going. But the last time I visited her before she died, as I approached her wheelchair with a greeting, she looked at me with a furrowed brow and worried expression. It was clear I had become a complete stranger.

The FMQ on this  one is shown here.

                                                                                                                            

Justice & Liberty For All--#15,567 Dedicated to all those who have sacrificed to defend our freedoms. Straight line quilting around the pinwheels, stars and stripes finished this one off. 

 Lost Feathers--#15,566 Inspired by this saying...
“A bird that has lost its feathers can no longer sail through the skies. And a person who has lost her memories can no longer find her way through the world she once called home.”
― Sakura
I wrote the saying on a piece of muslin and sewed it onto the back of the quilt.

Obviously, this one was quilted with FMQ feathers.

Here are two other little quilts (not AAQI quilts) that have been finished lately. My "Winter Warmth", a composite of 3 Primitive Gatherings patterns, finally got bound with one of those great P. G. striped fabrics.

This last one was a product of the SewCalGal FMQ Challenge #3. I had already posted my finished project, but I was anxious to try some hyper-quilting. I pulled out a few batiks that struck my fancy and had a go. I really like the final product. I have another batik in a plum color that I am thinking of trying next. The year of the feather continues!

Until next time,

Janet O.

Check off another challenge...

...in this year's SewCalGal FMQ challenge. 

This completes the 2013 FMQ Challenge #3 - Feathers, by Joanne of Thread Head.

There was a lot of experimenting with different feather styles before completing my projects.

All of the finished pieces were created using the bump-bump feather method, which I find most comfortable. But I don't stitch my spine first. I prefer to draw it lightly, then start my feather lobes at the bottom, using the line I have drawn as a guide. I work my way up one side to the tip, and then I stitch back down on the spine to the bottom and start the other side. This method eliminates one layer of thread in the spine and I like it better with the threads I am using. I'd really like to get some 100 wt. thread to try, but I can't find it around here, and I really don't like to choose colors online.

This one has multiple background designs, the tips of the feathers are different shapes, and the spine of one feather has the pebbling. This was quilted with Aurifil thread.

I put the same tip on each feather in this one, and used one design over the entire background. I also did an echo around the feathers to give them a little more definition from the background. This was quilted with Mettler thread.

In looking at dozens of examples of feathers online, I decided I really like the look of feathers that fill the space completely. So I decided to give it a go, with the help of Sharon's and Debbie's notes, to which I referred in my previous post. I randomly put a curl in the tips of some lobes. This was quilted with Isacord thread. 

I purposely made this one within the size requirements for an AAQI quilt, because I thought if it turned out well I might use it as such. I was pleased with the front, but when I turned it over my heart sank. The back had so many places where the needle had pushed bits of batting through, and that only happened on this one. I worked with my needle to try and stuff those bits back in, but it doesn't look good to me, so I wouldn't feel comfortable donating this. The other two look fine on the back, but they aren't within the size requirements, and I'm not as happy with the feathers on those anyway.

I appreciate SewCalGal and Joanne making this challenge available. I do believe it has helped me a great deal in improving the quality of my feathers. I never did find my first feather sample, but I did come across some early attempts from the SewCalGal challenge in February 2012. Look at the one  peeking out on the right. I've come a long way, baby!

 One last thing. My small quilts corner has a new addition. I bought another AAQI quilt--this time by my friend, Annie Miksch (no blog). The little appliqued wreath in the upper left corner is my sweet new quilt (those are all AAQI purchases along the top row). Annie made the beautiful appliqued piece on the lower right side, as well, and surprised me with it months ago. I am thrilled to have another quilt made by her hands.

That's it for now. Not much sewing happening here this week, other than the feathers.
Until next time,
Janet O.