Judging the Batting Brigade Quilt Show

Yesterday I was privileged to  judge the Batting Brigade Quilt Show, in Florence, AL. The guild has about 100 members and the show has about 80 quilts. It took most of the day to select the best of the best, not an easy task.

The judging is "blind", meaning all I know is what category the quilt is in, and each category is judged as a whole. Best of Show is selected from all the First Place quilts in each category.

Some of these photos were taken just before it was time for me to leave, many of the ribbons were not yet in place, nor the placards with the quilt information, so I am not able to give credit at the moment. I hope to get this information and will update this post to recognize the maker and quilter.

Best of Show: from category 2, Bed Quilts-Individual-Hand Quilted:

Made by Margaret Miller

Best Machine Quilting:

Quilted by Terri Rogers

Pieced by Jane Barcomb

Best Hand Quilting:

 Made by Margaret Miller

Best Use of Color:

Pieced by Kate Basden

Best Piecing:

Made by Connie Ramsey

Best Applique':

Made by Margaret Miller

Judges' Choice--the one I would take home if I could:

Made by Claudetta Henderson

A few more you might enjoy:

Straight Line Quilting is very effective here

Simple design, simple quilting, very well done

Very large pieces, the quilting was just the right touch 

Very simple design--the elaborate quilting draws you in for a closer look

Just a small detail of the quilting

A cheerful, happy quilt

Simple, effective--I guessed correctly, this is an Auburn quilt

First Place Miniature, excellent piecing

Honorable Mention Miniature, teeny weeny logs, about 1/8" each

If you are anywhere in the North Alabama area, try to see this show:

2019 Quilts by the River Quilt Show
March 29-30, 2019, 10-5 both days, $5 admission

Edgemont United Methodist Church
1330 Eauclaire Ave
Florence, AL 35630

At 10 and 2 there will be a bed turning with one of their most prolific quilters, Linda Sherrod--looks like an event to see.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Lakeview Quilters Guild

Recently, I had the pleasure of teaching for the Lakeview Quilters Guild in the Houston area.

Class was  held Sunday at Teos Treasures:

 This was the class: a Double Sawtooth block:

Michelle did great with her simple, yet beautiful, palette:

 End of day progress report, student work:

 I got to visit quilt shops I have heard of but never got to visit, like
Pinwheels and Posies:

 I bought this an am eager to make it:

 And Painted Pony:

 Great classroom:

 Samples/patterns displayed overhead--lovely and easy to see:

The wonderful President, Jonnie, took me to Galveston Monday, a place I have wanted to visit. First stop, a must if you are in Texas:

Buc-ee's 

Best bathrooms anywhere in the world:

And no trip to TX would be complete without great food:

Rudy's BBQ

Oyster Po' Boy, Black Pearl, Galveston

Monday night was the Lecture, Time Management for Quilters. There are always good comments afterwards and emails continue to come in when quilters try some of the tips they hear at that lecture. Some students showed off their class blocks:

I sleep well in hotels with my quilts on the bed:

Thanks, members of the Lakeview Quilters Guild--I had a good time and am already looking forward to the return visit next year.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

The Lowly Four-Patch

Still searching for my Next Lifetime Quilt pattern to use as the next Leader/Ender project. As I have boxes full of 2" finished four-patches that might be a good way to go.

I have made small quilts with four-patches:

And big quilts with four-patches:

Some more ideas to consider. Four-patches in a Nine-patch set block, then set on-point, pretty interesting:

An Amish quilt circa 1900, I really like this one. What I think I like best is the orange and blue combination and they are all solid--mine are all prints:

from Surrendr Dorothy on Flickr

A few years ago I started assembling some of the many four--patches made as Leader/Enders--they didn't make my heart go pitty-pat then or now:

 I like this one best but don't love it enough to dedicate years to it:

Just some of the many four-patches made and waiting for inspiration:

Still pondering. When I know what I want to do, I'll know, and jump in. 

Let's quilt,

Barbara

First Lifetime Quilt

I recently finished the LAST 20" block of my Lifetime Quilt:

There are 25 of these blocks in the 100" x 100" quilt. I will spend the next few weeks assembling the top, it's about half together now. I'll sew it in two halves, then join those for the top. It is HEAVY! There are 12, 800 half square triangles, each 1.25" finished, so almost as much seam allowance as top. There will be wool batt to help with the weight.

I'm not sure how I feel right now about this being done...I have enjoyed making it but as the end approached I realized I was a bit tired of it and ready to be done.

To read more posts about this project go: here and here.

For the last few months I've been thinking, while sewing, what the next Lifetime quilt should be.

Here is one option, in two sizes:

The one on the left is 4.5" finished, the one on the right is 3.75" finished. Both use the 2" strips I have left from the Lifetime Quilt. I am leaning toward the small one.

What I really thought I wanted to do was a Flying Geese quilt BUT to use the 2" strips left over I either had to make the geese from two Half Square Triangles or use the Rectangle/Square method. Not a fan of either method--the two HST have a seam in the middle and best pressing would mean pressing one toward the light, one toward the dark--too much trouble.

These made by the square/rectangle method are not really nice and straight; they are 1.5" x 3" finished:

I make much better geese making four at a time from oversized pieces--tutorial on this method listed under Tutorials, above.

So, the hunt is still on for the next Lifetime Quilt--since it will take a lot of time, I want it to be a design I really want to make.

I am traveling to teach quite a bit these next few months so I will have "hotel" time to think about various designs I want to consider. Eventually, I'll settle on the right one and get it started.

Let's quilt!

Barbara

I Love Flying Geese

Still on the hunt for my Next Lifetime Quilt, I am considering Flying Geese--I really love that shape.

NEQM by Mary Kelleher

 This one is unusual in that there are no bars separating the rows of geese. I do love that there are light geese and dark geese flying all together, and a wide variety of "sky" fabrics, both light and dark.

Here is one with the bars:

From Ebay

And another antique, seen on Martha Gray's blog, Q is for Quilts, and used with her permission:

A pattern that uses lots of geese is Wild Goose Chase. This would take some planning as a Leader/Ender quilt but it would work:

From Ebay

Flying Geese are also the Star Points units used in Sawtooth Stars:

Civil War Homefront from The Blue and The Gray by Etherington and Tesene

But since I made a bunch of Sawtooth Stars during Barbara Brackman's Stars in a Time Warp year-long project, I may be over that:

The biggest problem for me in using Flying Geese as a Leader/Ender project is that I like to make four geese at once, I even have a tutorial above that shows how I do it and how I oversize and custom cut.

I want to use the 2" strips I have leftover from the First Lifetime Quilt. I could do that if I was willing to make Flying Geese from one rectangle and two squares. I tried it just to see and I am just not a fan of this method. But it would work:

So, still on the hunt for the pattern I want to invest the next few years to.

Thoughts, kind friends? Do you love Flying Geese?

Let's quilt,

Barbara