Sampler

I have been asked to teach a sampler quilt to a group of beginner quilters at church. Luckily my wonderful mother-in-law is the beginning quilt teacher extraordinaire back in UT! She already had all the blocks designed, complete with cutting and piecing instructions all neatly put together in a PDF. Talk about making it easy for me!

I needed to make one myself though before I taught it, and have finished all the blocks. Next I need to sash them (any ideas on fabric choice for that???!) then quilt and bind it. I decided to go with something quite modern as I'm out to prove to the world that quilting nowadays isn't just for little old grannies sitting in their rocking chairs! If you decide to start quilting, there are just so many directions you can go.

Anyone local is more than welcome to come and learn - it's completely free - you just bring your own fabrics and supplies. We are getting together once a month starting in May and will try to get 2-3 blocks done each session. Let me know if you want more details.

Update....when I got up this morning, this is what I found... what can I say? Cats and quilts - they just go together!

The Leaf

Another mini quilt for my quilt gallery wall is done! I felt like playing with some strips of fabric, so I used my rotary cutter and cut freehand strips, making them wonky on purpose. Sewed them together, then drew a very basic leaf shop on my new piece of strippy fabric. I then machine stitched on the drawn line before cutting it out to give it some stability. Glue basting to the background was next, (isn't that background fabric just perfect for the subject matter?!!) followed by needleturn applique.I quilted it with more leaves and loops. A nice simple mini-quilt that was fun and easy to make!

I am nowhere up to date with my goal of a mini-quilt per week. I think I should kick things into overdrive and do a couple a week until I catch up!

The quilt gallery wall is slowly coming along....

Blogging and Quilting

Blogging and Quilting. I have done neither for one whole month! Why does it seem that I start every post off like this? I owe you faithful readers more than once a month updates!!

So onto the show. Some of you correctly guessed in my last post that I was doing the Joseph's Coat quilt from the Don't Look Now quilt-a-long. But I couldn't just do it the same way - it's already been done, and well, to me, if it's already been done, I know what it will look like, so why do it that same way?!

I decided to make the blocks smaller - 8 inches instead of 11 inches, and to make it a wallhanging instead of a bed quilt. I will be needleturning, but because of the necessity of having precise points to help in the layout, I hand basted the edges under, which I NEVER do, but it was worth it this time. So I guess it won't really be needleTURNING if the edges are already turned under?!

I also bought a big (18x27") oval quilting hoop like this one....and the plan is to mount the finished quilt in the frame, just like I did with my Flowerpot quilt, but it will be a lot bigger and hang in the living room.

Today I played around with my basted pieces and am so flippin' excited. Next I will glue baste the pieces down, then start the needleturn. The following are pictures of the progression as I laid them out...



In other news, tonight I attended the inaugural meeting of the New England Modern Quilt Guild. It was down in Boston, in a fabric shop called 'Fabric Corner' which had a really nice selection of modern quilt fabrics and more. My fears of driving down there in rush hour were unfounded, as I was going the opposite way of the homeward bound traffic.




It was definitely worth going - I met some lovely like-minded modern quilters, and it looks like it is going to be a great guild.

The latest

This is my latest quilting project...I bet some of you can tell what it is! Hint...I'm not doing it quite the same as the rest (of course)...

Be Kind

OK I have failed miserably. My sewing every day goal lasted about 6 days, I am 2 mini quilts away from my 1 per week goal, and I felt so guilty about the whole thing that I didn't blog! It's a vicious circle isn't it folks?!

However, I am back with a renewed spirit. I have decided to give up on the sewing every day thing. It's too much pressure on myself, and I think I actually sew more without it, so next January 1st would you all remind me of that?!

Today I finally broke the sewing drought and made a little quilt. As you can see, it's called "Be Kind".

A few days ago someone very dear to me was faced with a decision and when I asked what I could do to help, they responded by saying, "Just be kind". I have thought about that simple statement all week, and how appropriate it is for so many situations. This week when I have been impatient with my children and wanted to yell at them, (you know we all want to sometimes!), I have remembered the words, "Be Kind" and it has softened my heart. As a result, we have had a very peaceful week. Makes you wonder who the problem is...it's not the kids!
I thought it would be good to have a physical reminder of those words, so why not make a little quilt with them?! It's right in the hallway - I walk past it 100 times a day. I can't wait until the kids get home from school and the inevitable bickering starts - I will tell them to go and look at the new quilt in the hallway gallery and to follow what it says! So many possibilities! But mainly, it's a good reminder for myself.
PS I am IN LOVE with the Phillip Jacobs print I used for the border. I know his fabrics aren't every quilter's cup of tea, but they make me go weak at the knees :)

Thrifty Thursday 6

I thought I'd combine the finish of my flowerpot quilt with a thrift store find tonight. Remember when I bought these embroidery hoops a few weeks ago? My flowerpot quilt is now mounted in one of them and hanging on my quilt gallery wall! I love it. I did end up quilting it, as most of you advised, and also added some elastic to the edges like Karen suggested, which worked out beautifully.
Here you can see the back with the elastic...
Here you can see the proof that this post really does have a thrift store find in it...(oops I better trim that edge a little more!)

And here is the finished product...The colors in this photo are very true to life...
And some closeups -

I love the tiny zig zag!

The gallery is slowly expanding...

I am so excited that I had two finishes this week. I doubt I can keep it up, but I'll give it a good try!

Flowerpot

My first applique project for the year is this little flowerpot with 3 simple flowers in it. This is before I started the applique...
The fabrics, even the brown background, are all Jinny Beyer fabrics which I picked up in her store (scroll down towards the end of that post to see the pictures of Anna and I in the Jinny Beyer Quilt Studio) when I was visiting with my friend Anna in April last year.

I am going to mount this little quilt in a wooden embroidery hoop I picked up at a thrift store recently. My darling 9 year old girl told me last night, "I like the design but I hate the fabrics Mum!" I told her, well lucky I'm not making it for you then! I should finish up the applique today. I might add some leaves - it is looking a little naked. So tell me, since I'm putting this in a hoop, should I quilt it first or just put it in the hoop with no batting/quilting? I'm not sure what the 'right' thing to do is. Not that I actually believe in the quilt police!