Thursday, April 28, 2011

"Leftovers" block pattern

I had quite a few people ask for the pattern on this block so I thought I would post it here.
Several people asked the name of the block and I do not know. I looked in Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia and didn't find one just like it so I'll venture to say something like a Four Patch Variation. Doesn't sound too exciting does it?!
Janet, who left the first comment let me know it is a double four patch. It sounds kind of obvious now!
Enjoy!!


You should be able to click on this to enlarge.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Leftovers revisited and Dear Jane Quilt

When I showed you my latest finish called Leftovers you could only see half of it and it was not a good photo.
We managed one spring day so I took a few better ones of the whole quilt.

My favorite quilts are the scrappiest ones.

Here's the backing where I used some leftover nine patches that Pat brought with her to our Sunriver sewing retreat two years ago. I was working on the blocks at the time so it is nice to put these on the back as a reminder of our time together.
I'm back to plugging away on hand quilting my Dear Jane quilt. I'm doing the pieced triangles, then will go back with my Hera marker and mark the plain ones. The end of this is near......ok, nearer.....

Have a lovely day!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

Here is my latest quilt for the  Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. I'm calling it "Almost Amish".

I wanted to use some pieces of fabric from the Sunflower Amish quilt I finished that Libby hand dyed. Then I found the wonderful funky black fabric which kind of reminded me of cells and when I came across the lime it all worked- hence the name, Almost Amish.

I used the broken dishes pattern to honor all those with Alzheimer's that used to be wonderful cooks, including my mom.
Last week she had an old cookbook on her kitchen table and while I thumbed through it we talked about her previous job (s) as a cook for hospitals and nursing homes. We found one of her weekly  menus in the cookbook and I'm came across several large serving recipes.  (to 50 pounds of hamburger....) I am always amazed at the good feelings food can evoke. (is it any wonder I'll always struggle with my weight?!)  I left her house feeling peaceful, which isn't generally the case.
This little quilt is the result of that morning with my mom.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Beyond the Cherry Tree Quilt Block update

I do not have a large design wall so nine at a time will have to do.  The top left block looks huge! LOL

They are a little quirky and that is why I love them so much.

Individually the blocks aren't that special. But all together I think they are wonderful!

Here are the three latest blocks.


I had been planning on attending a quilt show this weekend but with the price of gas going crazy I wasn't too keen on driving 160 miles one way. If any of you are near Salem, Oregon there is a quilt show in Rickreall.
Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Quilts Revisited

 You have seen this mini before but i didn't have the border quilted. I quilted the border but thought it needed a bit more. I added  2 more straight lines in teh ditch on the sides and called it good.
I am really happy with it.
To see the orginal check out this post: Aurora Quilt Show

 I used my Lapel glue stick for the label adn it worked like a charm!  This was a collaberative quilt with Libby. She showed her beautiful rendition with an appliqued border. Check it out! Thanks libby, this was so much fun working together on this.



While in NYC my daughter and I took the train to NJ and met my friend Jill. We brought show and tell (I brought my Amish Sunflower)  and how fun it was for me to see three of the Midnight Stars quilts from my quiltalong!! Left to Right- Susan, Barb, and Jill. (Sorry about that chick on your head Barb!)

You can find the link to step one here if you are interested.

To my delight Annette at Sunshine Yellow Blog finished her Cheddar Cheese & Crackers quilt. Adorable! I never get tired of seeing these little quilts from the quiltalongs.
You can find step one of that quiltalong here.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

I like Primitive too!

 Here is block 4 of Jan Patek's Bible quilt. Eve kind of blends in a little more then I like so I may go back and stitch around her in black.
 Here' the completed pillow from Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine, also designed by Jan Patek. I had no idea how to add the "binding" which doesn't bind at all but is more like piping. I made mine too wide so it doesn't look that great. If you've made many projects of Jan's you know sometimes you have to figure things out yourself- this is one of those times!
This is the start of a Christmas project called Twelve days of Christmas by Cheri Payne. I think it will look better as I add to it.
Many of you have commented on the new quilt in my banner. That's by Cheri too! She has a fun blog that if you haven't checked out, you should! Quilts by Cheri is the name.

I think the sun is trying to peek through this morning- Yay!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative

I made a purchase this month to support the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. This lovely little quilt was made by Nyima Lhamo (aka Andrea Balosky).  It is called Ribbon Sutras. I sent her an email letting her know that I had purchased her quilt.
A bit of her response was this, "Your mention of the AAQI quilt in your blog was the real spark for my decision to do the same. So, all this seems to have come full circle."

Yes, I believe it has come full circle.

If you'd like to read a little more about this quilt and how it made its way to AAQI read about it here.



Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Small Quilt Invitational and Giveaway Winners


A blog reader, Judith Stoll, contacted me in early January about being a part of a small quilt show at 
Campbell Pottery Store & Gallery. She was looking for more traditional quilts to enter alongside art quilts. Here was my submission.  
The gallery is opening this Saturday, April 16th and runs through May 14th.. If you are close by it would be worth it to you to drop by and see the quilts. Please let me know if you do.
Click to enlarge
It looks like a wonderful setting!

If you would like to find out where to purchase Lapel sticks you can go here to find a retail store near you.

The three winners from the random drawing are:

If you will email me with your mailing addresses I'll get the glue sticks mailed out right away.

Thanks you to all who entered. I enjoyed a few new -to-me blogs! That's always fun!!



Monday, April 11, 2011

Machine Applique'

I worked on a project that was in Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine. This particular one is designed by Jan Patek and will be a pillow when I'm finished.
The good people at Lapel stick asked if I would like to try a glue stick sample and do a review on my blog. This was before my trip to NYC and soon I thought the lapel stick people would be pounding on my door asking for their glue sticks back if I didn't keep my end of the bargain.

 Here it is.  The little card says "Replaces baste stitching, pinning, taping ,spray adhesives and stabilizers. Will also handle any fashion emergency."

I thought a bit of invisible machine applique was in order for a test. I didn't add much glue at all to hold the fabric down to the freezer paper. It is easier for me to add more then it is for me to try and wipe it off. It seemed to work comparable to any other washable glue stick.

 I have noticed in the past that after using glue sticks for a bit they get warm, soft, and gummy. I used to keep mine in the fridge between gluing pieces. Lapel stick didn't seem to have that problem.
I put just a tiny bit of glue on the pieces to hold them while I appliqued with the machine. My house doesn't look too square but that doesn't have anything to do with the glue stick! LOL Nothing shifted while I sewed.
 The real test would be how easily I could get the fabric off the paper and removed from the piece. I sprayed a bit of water, waited, and had no problem getting it to release from the fabric. After it dried I couldn't feel any residue left from the glue.

I was also prepping this wool block. I do not wash this when I'm done sewing so I just added a tiny little bit to hold the berry on and it worked great until I got it hand sewn. I cannot even tell there was glue on it.

I would like to add that Lapel stick is very charitable. They have a
wonderful label translated to Japanese if you'd like to check it out. I know many of us are making quilts for Japan. This would be a lovely touch.

If you would like to try your own lapel stick I have three of them to giveaway. Leave me a comment letting me know you'd like one and I'll draw three names on Wednesday.

Saturday, April 9, 2011


I got my first issue today of a new quilt magazine called Primitive Quilts and Projects. Wow! I love everything about it- even the advertisements look wonderful and prim!
If you like Bonnie Blue, Lisa Bongean, Primitive Pieces by Lynda, Cheri Payne and Jan Patek (to name a few) then I would recommend a subscription. I want to make one of each!!

This is my lame attempt to decorate for Easter. The poor lone bunny has been in the wooden bowl for a couple of weeks now and I only noticed how stupid it looks.  I think I have some plastic eggs I could put in the bowl, but seriously I think it would make it look worse.
Have a lovely Sunday!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Leftovers


This is a quilt I started as a leader/ender and ended up being the main project. I finished the top last July, had it quilted this January, finally got the binding on and sewn a few days ago!! Woo-hoo! I'm calling it Leftovers because it pretty much has all kinds of scraps in it, thrown together, and looks fantastic, imho.


Measure twice, cut once........will someone remind me of this please??!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Infinite Variety

Infinite Variety is a quote from Shakespeare basically saying Cleopatra  can never grow "stale" with "custom" (familiarity); her charms never fade, they only, in their infinite variety, grow more compelling with time.
These quilts definitely have grown more compelling. I couldn't think of a more fitting name for this wonderful exhibit.
I hope you haven't grown weary of seeing the red and white quilts from the armory. I've shown some quilts from the Folk Art Museum but was working my way to the red and white exhibit.
What greeted us at the door was mind boggling.
The simple quilts can be as effective as the more elaborate.
My daughter pointed this one out as a favorite. It's a simple block but logistically the negative-positive would make it very hard to assemble.
This is one of my favorites. I like that the sashing doesn't meet perfectly and it has three borders, only two of them the same.
I had to throw in another photo from NYC. Who is walking who?

Monday, April 4, 2011

Masterworks and More NYC

Many of you will recognize this block. I was thrilled to see the Civil War Bride's quilt at the American Folk Art Museum exhibit.
Another beautiful applique quilt.
I'm a sucker for a folksy eagle. Love the hand with the fingernails!

Bev (no blog) from Australia set up a get together at the Russian Tea House on Friday night. There were 20 of us and what a fun time we had. Thank you Bev!!! Pictured above are the ones with blogs.
Seated: Jan and Vicki from What A Load A Scrap
l-r Humble quilts, Jo Morton, (lets leave her a message that she needs to update her blog more often)
Mary Koval, (just started blogging about 2 weeks ago) Sue from I Sew Quilts, Linda from Quilts in the Barn 
and Diane from Quilty Pleasures (quiltmaker magazine)
Sue from UK and myself. I was so looking forward to meeting this beautiful woman. She has a lovely spirit.
I did attend the Empire Guild quilt show. It was packed and felt really crowded. My favorite display was the President's challenge "Landmarks of NY".  This one caught my eye and didn't have anyone standing in front of it! LOL It was made by Ruby Horansky.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

New York! New York!

This was my first trip to New York City. Other than the wonderful friends I got to meet and the quilts I got to see here are a few other things that made this a very extraordinary vacation. (PS, this is a non quilty post)
The view every single morning from our window. That blue sky is almost as blue as the one in Oregon. It was cold but so beautiful. My dd and I both mentioned the trip would have been so different if it had been gray and rainy.

A memorial painted on the outside door of a fire station. It caught me off guard and moved me deeply.

A harbour cruise with a magnificent view of the city. We went around the tip of Manhattan and up the East River under the Brooklyn Bridge.

Wow!
A view of the city from our rooftop.
Our first night 53rd & 6th street cart. We were so hungry and it was so good! (we looked for this one specifically)
Little Italy. Mama Mia!!
Lots of food and spirits!

Being goofy with my daughter at Times Square.