What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

I'm sure you've heard the old saying "the shoemakers' kids have no shoes". That's what it's been like here, at least regarding our own bed.  While I've made plenty of snuggle quilts that reside on the couch and get used by all of us regularly, our own bed was neglected for far too long.

I'm a little embarrassed to show you the "before" picture but I'm so happy with the end result that I want you to see the huge difference my new quilt makes.

I had purchased this quilt from a store ...

You know you use a color a lot in your quilts when a friend hands you a fat quarter and says, I thought of you when I saw this (fill in your favorite color) fabric. In my case, the favorite color is a tossup between red and turquoise.

As a child I was drawn to red, especially for my coats; and as an adult I’ve made a quilt called “I Like Red.” But as I look around my living space I realize that I use turquoise and its neighbors (aqua, teal, etc.) far more than red for decorative sewn ...

Today is Black Friday in the shopping world, and I am being inundated with sales pitches. I understand that many crave the latest tech gadget, but consider a piece of art as a different kind of gift this holiday season. There are in person craft and gift fairs in many places, and numerous artists have special online offers.

As it’s been a while since I featured my work that’s for sale, here’s a reminder that I am offering several of my pieces on my blog. They range in size from small to medium large, with corresponding ...

I have a recent finish to share with you today - my Posh Pumpkins Placemats.

They started with these panels that I purchased way back in the summer of 2013.

I had also purchased these 1/2 yard pieces of coordinating prints. As usual, it all went into a project bag, onto my shelf, and there it sat waiting until now.

I did some simple borders around each of the centers, mixing them up so none of them were the same as another.

The piecing didn't take long to have them finished and ready for quilting.

Using one piece of ...

Over the summer, one of my cousins commissioned me to make a quilt to be a gift for his son who will be deployed in January. He wanted it to be an heirloom and it was really important to him that it would be made by family for family. He asked that it be Marines theme so after hunting around online to see what themed fabrics were available,  I drafted a design, which he loved BTW, purchased the fabrics needed and created this quilt.  I've named it:

Jonan's Semper Fi

This is the stack of fabrics that I ...

My second Ghastlie finish to share has also been a long waiting UFO. I created these blocks for the Wicked Blog Hop in October 2012.

Since I'm trying to focus on getting projects actually finished, this one wasn't hard to get to the completed top stage and then it was added to the pile to get quilted.  I turned the blocks into a table runner for my long dining room table but it could just as easily become a skinny wall hanging if I so choose at some point.

Each of the family members got a narrow border ...

Today being All Hallow's Eve, it's the perfect time to share a recent finish.Way back....say 10 years ago this month, I hosted a couple of Halloween themed round robin type events though this particular one was back and forth between me and one other quilter, hence I called it a See Saw Swap.

My swap partner, Edy, didn't have a blog then and unfortunately I've lost contact with her in the years since but I'm still thankful to her for the fabulous additions she made to my quilt.

I started out with one ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm thrilled to announce that my most recent design, Strolling Pathways, is included in newest book from Martingale Publishing and Moda Bake Shop titled Charmed-A Dozen Delightful Charm Pack Quilts. The book release date is October 3rd but can be preordered now from @martingaletpp or from Amazon. You can also check to see if your local independent quilt shop will order it for you. My quilt features the gorgeous Slow Stroll fabric line by Fancy That Design House.

The pattern uses 3 charm packs (you can also use scrappy charms) and 4 yards of a background fabric. I loved ...

My latest finish, “The Eyes Have It,” has two square corners out of ten. If that sounds like a lot of corners, it’s because I joined several already quilted pieces into a larger composition and rounded almost all the corners. Since the pieces are zigzagged together, it was easy to develop a nontraditional shape. In fact, it was a lot like collaging.

A little background – I save quilted bits I trim, plus I cut up finished quilts I decide ...

Hot weather means it’s time for me to switch to smaller, what-the-heck projects and leave the larger, more thoughtful ones for autumn. That way I don’t have to quilt large pieces when I don’t need any extra warmth. To inaugurate the fun times I’ve finished “Along Portage Path” plus “Straightback.” Now I’m ready for true frankensteining work.

“Along Portage Path” uses a photo printed on fabric with various hand dyed and painted fabrics (including an old shirt) to convey the idea of driving by a row of crabapple trees in full autumn color. The trees ...

I know I’m not the first creator to feel the finishing touches of a work are the hardest to do. After the heady rush of creation and then the sometimes frustrating sewing, ripping out, redoing, and quilting steps, the last bits of edge finishing and hanging sleeve making can get put off. Sometimes they can be postponed a long while. As for labels, I write the quilt’s title, my name, and the year of creation on the backs. I admire beautifully embroidered labels, but done is better than pretty.

I have been forcing myself to do those last ...

I have built up a large inventory of original quilts in a variety of styles and sizes, and would like to find new homes for them. Many languish in storage as I have a finite amount of wall display areas. To that end I have set up a For Sale page on my blog, which lists some of the pieces I am offering for sale. Sizes, styles, and prices vary; but the quilts represent a good cross section of my work. Many have been exhibited, and some have won ribbons. All have been made over the last 10 years in ...

It seems you can’t escape people posing for selfies wherever you go. Most selfies show a fish eye lens view of their subjects, often in carefully rehearsed poses. I have run into this celebration-of-self behavior at restaurants, museums, hiking trails, and tourist attractions. I even saw one mother trying to take one of herself and her child on top of a wild buffalo in South Dakota. The buffalo didn’t cooperate.

But my snobbishness was brought up short when I realized that artists have been producing selfies for centuries. They’re called self portraits. One of my favorites is ...

I have a name in mind early on for most of the fabric work I create. But not always. I am sewing down facing on the latest piece I quilted and still haven’t come up with a good name.

It is the love child of two earlier quilts, “Vertigo” and “Staircase.” The latter isn’t quilted yet, but is next in my queue.

I’ve thought of Split pea leftovers, Which way, and Thataway; but none really grabs me. So, I ask ...

 Sometimes you make a quilt for someone because you come across a new pattern and/or fabric line that you know instantly is perfect for someone in your life.  That's exactly what happened when I first saw The Regetta by Patchwork Studios.  

You see, my son's best friend Jon's parents, Linda and Tom, have a sailboat on a local lake where they spend practically the entire summer and they graciously invite my son to join them for multiple days at a time over many weekends each year.  They are even teaching him how to sail.  It goes ...

One of the things that has been very satisfying over the last year and a half has been the fact that I've been able to get a bunch of UFOs finished or previously un-started projects actually made and off my To Make list.  One of the items crossed off the UFO list was the pair table runners I pieced using a charm pack of Always and Forever by Deb Strain for Moda.

The last time I showed these here on the blog was February 2014, so a whopping 8 years ago.

They were both simple piecing but I still ...